#but this one was so unexpected and its perfect for these idiots

[mushiewrites]

Hey Mushie, do you remember the SpongeBob episode where SpongeBob and Patrick were dissing Texas in front of Sandy? Because that whole sequence is so ler!Sapnap and lee!George and lee!Dream coded

PLEASE IT IS! IT IS! IT ISSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Because knowing George he would've already found that specific clip and would've been playing it around the house, blasting it through the sound systems just to annoy Sapnap. Eventually Dream joins in because why not, he loves how easy it is to make Sapnap mad and he thinks it's funny when he yells at them.

Sapnap decides enough is enough and goes after them one by one - he goes for Dream first, because he knows that Dream won't snitch on him and will most likely help destroy George after he's done destroying Dream 🥰

And obviously George would attempt to throw Dream under the bus, because "it only went on for so long because Dream joined in late!!", but Sapnap does not care in the slightest. He gets Dream to hold him down and he knuckles George's ribs until he's screaming.

[meltinghun]

A real gentleman ; Joseph Descamps.

summary: Joseph and Reader never got really along until something changed.

warnings: genderneutral!reader, enemies-to-lovers, idiots in love!!, Y/N mentions lol, just kiss already.

author's note: Hi! I wrote this bc I fell in love with Mixte 1963, and when I looked up for ffs, there were NONE, so I said, 'I'll take one for the team' and came up with this. Please keep in mind that I'm not a writer and english is not my first language, I'll appreciate it if you can point at any errors. <3

The chilly breeze hitted their faces, making them close their eyes momentarealy due to its force, breathing in the smell of wet soil mixed with the freshly made bread from the bakery a few houses down the road.

The day looked very promising; today they woke up a little bit earlier than usual, using the extra time to finish in advance some english homework assigned for the next week and even strarting a big upcomig proyect due to the end of the month, hearing the weatherman in the radio as a background noise, announcing that it was going to be an unusually warm day of autumn.

Everything seemed perfect, the subtle orange hue of the skyes illuminating their face as they walked and the soft rumbling of cars passing by the principal street made them feel like a character of one of those romantic movies they dearly love watching, a thought that felt reinforced when every leave they stepped on made a perfect crunch sound. A soft greeting left their lips when they walked past one of their neighbours who was heading out to work like many other people did at those hours.

It truly felt like a peaceful morning.

'You seem lost in thought. Are you daydreaming about me already?'

Until it wasn't.

They dedicated a slight scowl towards the person who dared to interrupt their peace and inhaled a big breath of air before answering.

'Not even in your greatest dreams, Descamps.' They made a condescending gesture with their hand. 'Now leave me alone, yeah? I was perfectly fine until you came with your annoying presence.'

A booming laugh abandoned his throat. 'Don't act so disinterested. I know you couldn't live without my annoying presence even if you wanted.'

Joseph Descamps. He was a classmate of theirs that took an interesting liking towards their persona, or how they liked to say, a liking towards making their life miserable.

Since the start of the year he took every possibility to annoy them out of their mind, it started with some snark remarks insulting their way of doing certain things and it slowly progressed to petty acts, such as slighty tugging their hair when passing each other, hide their belongings when they aren't looking and even blocking their path by standing in the entryways, smiling down at them while demanding a 'password' that changed every day. Just petty acts meant to be a pain in the head.

He was everything they couldn't stand: a bully with some serious narcissist tendencies who, on top of it all, loved to get a rise out of people by pushing their boundaries and provoking them in any possible way.

But even with that horrendous description, Y/N couldn't avoid that rare feeling at the bottom of their stomach whenever he was close. At first they thought that it was a reflect of how disgusted they truly felt by his persona and the gross acts he usually did, a few weeks later, that feeling was accompannied with their heartbeat increasing when they noticed that he was invading their personal space, but chalked it up as just being nervous of his tall frame hovering them like some sort of prey, that made total sense on their head. However, some days later, he did something that made them realise what they truly felt for the boy with the patch.

It started to rain towards the end of the day, exactly 15 minutes into their english class and the frustration was clearly palpable, it was so unexpected that nobody could've predicted it; what it seemed to be a passing grey cloud turned out to be a massive downpour, Y/N started to complain with their friends about how it was a shame that they chosed to use the new sweater their grandmother knitted for them and how sad it was that now it would get ruined under the relentless rain. When the class was over, they noticed how Joseph went outside the building running and disappeared behind the school gates. They thought it was really weird, but they knew better than to expect something coherent from him. Minutes passed and it seemed like the temporal was getting worse so a few people decided to just suck it up and walk under the cold rain, sighing for themselves and rapidly lamenting once more the lost of the sweater, they prepared to follow the steps of the brave mass of students when a breathless voice interrupted their movements.

'L/N, wait!' A disheveled and completely soaked Joseph made himself seen, his shout drawing attention to the both of them.

'What do you want now, Descamps? I'm already late to home, I don't need you keeping me here any longer than necessary.' They stated with a confused frown, curious as to why was he there but trying to mask it behind indifference.

A smirk made its presence on his sharp features. 'I know, but I couldn't just let you go like that under the rain, that wouldn't be so gentlemanly of me, don't you think?' From behind his back, he pulled a blue umbrella and extended it to a dumbfounded Y/N.

Was that really happening right now? Did the most annoying person they ever met just ran under the rain to bring them an umbrella? And not only that, but he somehow managed to get one with their favorite color, too. Did he just called it to be a mere gentlemanly act?

It might as well start raining cats and dogs.

They opened and closed their mouth, being left without anything to say for the first time, a half-hearthed chuckle interrumping their messy train of thought.

'I heard what you said about your sweater and how sad you would be if it got ruined.' They swore that their heart would get out of their chest for how hard it was beating. 'And I didn't want you to get heartbroken for it, so I thought that you could use one of these.'

He closed the distance that separated them by taking a few steps, reaching out for their free hand and making them hold the umbrella, the contact between their fingertips sparkling a something deep inside each other.

'I know we are supposed to not like each other, but let me be nice to you for once, please.' His eye shining with an intensity they couldn't explain. 'Don't worry, we can keep hating us tomorrow.' When he saw that they wouldn't object, he turned around and began walking outside, getting under the rain once more.

Feeling the heat creeping on their face and having found their voice, they asked out loud.

'How did you know?' His head turned around enough for them to see his face. 'How did you know that it's my favorite color?'

They knew that it could've perfectly been a mere coincidence, something insignificant that shouldn't be overly analized, but something told them that it wasn't like that. They really hoped it wasn't. And it was confirmed when he flashed them another one of his infamous smirks.

'Sometimes I listen to you more than i should.'

Since that very moment it's been really difficult to fight the involuntary smiles that made a way into their face when he unexpectedly tries to integrate them to a conversation by asking their opinion on a subject, or the feeling of warmth that invaded their chest everytime they made visual contact and let's not forget how everytime they both "accidentaly" brush hands Y/N had the extremely rare need to interlock their hands with him.

But after all, he was still Joseph Descamps, the attractive cocky idiot who is always up on some trouble that he himself seeked out.

'...-ou cold?'

They blinked repeatledly with confusion written all over their face, the taller boy smiling down at them for being able to catch them distracted.

'Huh?'

'I asked if you weren't cold.' He repeated the question slower, a soft look on his eye. 'You are shivering'.

If he didn't pointed it out, they wouldn't noticed that, in fact, they were shivering. The chilly air becoming colder than before making them lowly insult the unstable weather of the so-called "unusually warm day", having only a thin cardigan that didn't do much to help.

'It's nothing. The school's a few blocks ahead, and I can take a little bit of cold.' Grumbled under their breath, only to sneeze some moments later.

The boy snorted while shaking his head before swiftly taking off his coat and placing it on their sholders. 'You are not going to catch a cold, or at least not on my company.'

'You are being awfully nice to me lately.' In a slight moment of braveness, they blurted out the question that was tormenting their head. 'Are you flirting with me, Descamps?'

An incredulous look got settled in his face, and they regretted saying it immediately, wishing to come back on time to stop themselves and save them from the embarrassment. Did they read the signals wrong? Was he only trying to become their friend? Was he only being nice? Was he...?

'Yes! Thank you for finally noticing it, I was starting to think that you were cruelly ignoring my advances.' A beautiful and dashing smile was sent in their direction, the biggest they ever saw him smiling.

And it was because of them.

A shaky sigh left their lips accompanied by a nervous laugh, not realizing they were holding their breath, with equally shaky hands coming up their head to accommodate their hair on a jittery action.

'I... I didn't know, really. I had a slight impression, but I thought that I was imagining things.' They cleared their throat in an attempt to regain their cool and collected personality. 'So, when are you taking me on a date then?'

The slight quiver on their voice was noticed by the still very amused boy, who took mental notes on how cute they looked flustered and to try to do it again in the future when given the opportunity.

'Would you accept if I asked you to skip school with me and have a date right now? I don't think I can wait any longer.' He asked with a playful tone, typical of him.

They let out a snort. 'I would tell you that you are crazy if you think that I would do something as risky as that. But lucky for you, I'm free today, so meet me at the cinema at four o'clock.'

'Then I shall see you there.' Replied between soft laughs, not believing that this was really happening. 'Some recommendations for this poor soul?'

The open gates were a few meters ahead of them, the other students that hanged outside throwing curious and shocked looks on their direction when they noticed the much larger coat that lied on Y/N's shoulders and the flustered smiles on their faces.

'Yes, the most important thing, don't you dare being late. If I get there and I don't see you, you can even forget that we know each other.' He brought both hands up in the air in a sign of redemption. 'I'm serious about this. You'll regret it if you do.'

'I wouldn't even dare thinking about it, I'll let Magnan take my other eye before screwing my opportunity with you.'

Their eyes widened at the hidden seriousness of the statement and the simplicity with which he pronounced it, the sincerity of it all making their heart race like crazy. Slowly nodding their head while trying to gather their thoughts.

'Well, it's settled then, at fo-...'

'Four o'clock sharp, I couldn't forget even if I wanted to.' He made a pause, regaining his usual playfulness. 'Should I bring you flowers? I want to be a real gentleman with you.'

'Okay, now you are showing off that you know how to flatter someone, shut up.' Rolling their eyes with a smile, they started walking toward the gates, leaving him behind. 'And I like camellias, for your information.'

'I only wish to flatter you, nobody else!' He said loudly, making people start to whisper about the supposed swear enemies.

'You don't want to know.' Was the only thing they said, accompanied by a slight shrug of shoulders.

Trying to bite back a bigger smile they waved him off, getting closer to their friend group with each step they took, all of them looking the exchange with incredulous eyes, silently begging for an answer as to what just happened.

They never before wished that the day would end up sooner.

[sebscore]

hello! i’m the one who asked for fluff with rbr seb, i meant a one shot if that’s okay with you :)

i’m going to use 🌑

DRINK WATER, NOT ALCOHOL | SEB V.

pairing: rbr!sebastian vettel x fem!reader

warnings: drunk seb. swearing.

author's note: thank you so much for requesting something for our beautiful princess that was rbr seb! I had fun writing this one so I hope you like how it turned out!! don't be shy and let me know what you think of it! also, if you get the title reference- you’re a legend and you should be my friend! 💞

masterlist

• • • • • • •

''Hey, what are you doing? Hey! Stop it!'' Sebastian drunkenly professed, pushing the unwanted arms away from his chest. ''I have a girlfriend, go away!''

''You're kidding, right?''

''It's not cool, just stop it!'' The Red Bull driver attempted to move away from the undesired touches. The person in front of him didn't seem to understand the man wanted to be left alone in his drunken state.

The countless refills of his beer must have done some serious damage to Sebastian's vision, because there was no reason for him to pry away from the person who found him almost sleeping on his friend's couch.

Sebastian hadn't been able to properly celebrate his second World Championship title with his friends from home. That's why one of his best mates had organized a party at his home to commemorate the driver's title defense.

Everyone was having a great time, especially the man of the hour. Y/N had seen her boyfriend drunk before, but this time it was quite a different sight. So when she saw him stumbling into one of the many rooms, she couldn't help but check up on him.

Upon walking into what seemed a ''man's cave'', she was met with a practically unconscious man, drool coming out the side of his mouth.

Y/N tried moving him into a more comfortable position as he almost fell on the cold floor. However, he protested and started pushing her away, claiming he had a girlfriend.

Sebastian didn't recognize her.

''You have a girlfriend, huh?''

He hummed at her words, a smile finding its way to his face. ''Yeah.''

''Tell me about her.'' Y/N smirked, sitting down on the ground next to him.

An unexpected snort left his mouth. ''Why do you want me to talk about her?'' But before Y/N could answer him, he proceeded. ''She's- she's so fucking hot.'' He grinned, his eyes still closed.

''She's just so- ugh, perfect. We first met when we were like 20 and it was before I was in F1 so she had no fucking idea who I was,'' he chuckled, ''but she smiled at me and I don't know what she thought of me, but I thought she was beautiful. I thought she looked like the most beautiful thing in the world.'' Sebastian smiled, almost in a dreaming state.

''I love her more than anything, I know I should tell her more- she's always there for me. That's why you can't kiss me, okay? It would hurt her and I don't want to do that. I would never want to do that, it would kill me.''

Y/N admiringly watched him, touched by the things he just told her. It was a given that Sebastian loved her, she would be an idiot not to see it. But when he said that it would kill him if he would hurt her, it hit different.

''Can you go find my girlfriend, please? I- I miss her.'' He stuttered out, making a lousy attempt to point at the door.

She tried greatly to not burst out in laughter, finding her boyfriend absolutely adorable. ''Yes, I'll go get her.'' Y/N got up from the floor, grinning to herself. She waited for a good ten seconds by the door before closing it with more force than usual.

The harsh sound made Sebastian flinch and he swiftly sat up, his hand on his chest as if he was clutching a necklace made out of pearls. ''Huh? Wha- what? Y/N? Oh, baby! I missed you so much!'' As soon as she saw him notice her, she quickly made her way over to him again. His arms found their way around her and he peppered kisses all over her face. ''You found me!''

''I did,'' she laughed, ''I'm gonna get you some water, alright? You've had enough drinks for a few weeks.''

Y/N made an advance to leave and get to the kitchen, but Sebastian firmly held her in his embrace. ''No~'' he whined, ''don't go! I don't want you to leave me!"

The woman got up despite his cute whining. ''I'll be back in a minute, loverboy. By the way, I won't give you a kiss until that alcohol-stinking mouth of yours has been washed.'' She ruffled his hair, dodging his last effort to get her to stay.

''Then get me some damn water!"

[watchtowerindistress]

for the love of ... bob? - jake seresin x reader (1/2)

Summary: Being Jake's (best) friend - sorry, Javy - proved to have its ups and downs but there was something about having him in your corner you couldn't resist. Jake and you just clicked on a deeper level. That's why you didn't get it when the Southern boy was acting so weird.-

Word count: 3.6k

Warnings: Language, Jake being an idiot (what else is new?), Jealous! + Soft!Jake, fluff

Author’s note: Just something fun I wanted to write. I kinda hate myself for not writing for Bradley first, since I love the guy. You know, Jake's fics I love to read, yet I couldn't stand him while watching Maverick. Go figure.

I haven't watched the film enough to distinguish the traits of the characters, so I can't guarantee for accuracy for the side characters. I can only include a handful of people - that's why I don't have people like Reuben in there since their character traits aren't included in the fandom page.

Tagging: @mellowstatesmanhandsempath @ravenmoore14 @blackmagicwoman @silenthappyplace @mrsevans90 @dempy @yourgirlypop (blank blogs can't be tagged)

Read me on AO3

“So, tell us all the details. Preferably, the humiliating kind,” Natasha asked with a curious air.

You smiled. “What about?”

“Hangman, of course.”

The Dagger Squad was the perfect company to be around, you decided. Jake, your childhood best friend, who you haven’t seen in years, offered The Hard Deck as the place for you to wait until he arrived. Video calls didn’t hold up to the real thing. Especially, with you two being very busy people and you finally getting out of New York to spend some quality time together.

“I need to get the embarrassing goods, at least before Hangman shows up. I mean, we have the perfect person to interrogate. In the rare instances, when he talks about something other than himself, Hangman keeps mentioning you,” she mused.

“Nat-” Bob interjected, who was sitting next to her in a booth while the rest of their squad were scattered in the bar.

Natasha turned her head. “Aren’t you a little bit curious about the depraved mind of Jake Seresin?”

“Not really.”

You snorted at their torn convictions when Mickey and Javy arrived at their table with bottles of beer.

“What did we miss?” Javy asked.

Natasha’s stubborn gaze didn’t stray from yours for many seconds. “I’m trying to crack Y/N.” Her eyes met Javy’s over her shoulder. “Tell Rooster he needs to stall him until I get to the good bits.”

You looked around speculatively. “Is this some sort of initiation or baptism by fire Jake should’ve warned me about?”

Javy offered a small reprieve. “Don’t mind her. She just wants to pick your brain. How long are you going to stay?”

“About a week. Enough time for Jake to show me around San Diego.”

Mickey took a gulp from his drink. “Good luck with that.”

Warm breath against your neck sent shivers down your spine when someone whispered into your ear, “Did I just hear my name?”

Your body jolted at hearing the unexpected voice. “Oh my God.” You turned and found a cheeky Jake standing behind you. “You little f- Don’t startle me like that!” Clambering out of the booth, you jumped into his arms, while giggling from the shock. “Hey, you,” you said, holding on tightly.

“Hey, yourself. Someone’s gotta keep you on your toes, darlin’.”

“You’re such a jerk,” you whispered into his neck.

Jake swayed you lightly. “You love when I’m a jerk.”

Leaning back, you pressed your fingers an inch apart. “Just a tad.” You hesitated. “Like about 10%.”

Jake rolled his eyes. “Oh please. Talk about 75%. It’s part of my charm,” he murmured, stroking your lower back.

“Is this what you tell everyone here?” You teased, pointing to his colleagues behind you.

Javy’s scoff was joined by the others.

You looked back to see their reactions. “You know, I’m starting to really like your group of friends.” While turning back, you narrowed your eyes when you saw Jake glowering at the Dagger Squad before his expression turned into an innocent one.

“I’m starting to question your taste in people,” he said.

Someone snickered next to him. “That’s funny, … Hangman.”

Realizing that another person joined their company, you turned towards the man who looked vaguely familiar from the pictures Jake had sent you. Not to mention, you remembered Natasha’s remark from earlier that Jake would show up with someone else.

“Rooster, right?” You stepped away from Jake’s embrace and shook Bradley’s hand in greeting. Jake merely sighed and crossed his arms.

“Bradley’s fine.” He faced the rest of the group. “By the way, am I the only one that felt really awkward just standing here, watching those two?”

Mumbles echoed all around. “No, you’re not.” Still slightly by the display of the too-long-hug.

A sigh left Jake, who placed an arm around your shoulder. “Don’t listen to the others. And the words of the chicken shouldn’t be trusted. I hope those knuckleheads treated you right.”

You shrugged. “It was fun. I was this close to reveal your darkest secrets for a slice of a good ol’ fashioned apple pie made by … Phoenix, was it?”

“There’ll be no revealing. And no pie,” Jake interjected before pointing at Natasha. “You’ve already been in the company of Phoenix and the goon squad for less than an hour and Nat already found out your weakness for sweets,” he whispered against your neck. “At least you didn’t have to be subjected to the likes of Rooster here.” A shiver coursed through his body. “I shudder at the thought of you having to listen to him at first. He’ll probably want to talk about his caterpillar of a moustache.”

A languid smirk drew on Bradley’s lips as he stroked his mentioned facial hair. “Very funny. You jealous?”

You tilted your head at their teasing. “You have some weird fixation on Bradley’s facial hair. Didn’t you talk on the phone about-”

Abruptly, Jake took you by the hand and dragged you to the bar counter. “Let’s get some food into you. Your blood sugar’s getting awfully low. Someone’s getting tired already.”

“You’re being such a grump, Jake.”

Jake leaned against the counter. “I’m not. I’m just making sure you’re getting some nachos into you, darlin’.”

“You need to be nicer. We both know you’re more of a sweetheart than this.”

He rolled his eyes. “I have a reputation to uphold. And don’t let yourself be bribed by the others.” Jake turned to Penny. “A basket of nachos for this one, Penny?” You rolled your eyes at seeing Jake point at the top of your head.

There was something about Penny’s playful glance that warmed you upon first meeting. The woman nudged her head at Jake. “Be careful with this one.”

With mischief in your eyes, you stole a glance at him. “I know. This one … has been trouble for as long as I can remember.”

“Hey!” Jake uttered in mock outrage before he did introductions. “Penny, that’s Y/N. She’s my friend,” he said, placing his hand on your back.

“And here I thought I was your best friend.”

Jake hushed any further confessions, whispering, “But don’t tell Javy.”

You turned to Penny with a smile. “See? He’s such a big softie.”

Penny smirked. “I’m starting to. Where are you from?”

“Moved around a lot as a kid. Dad’s an Air Force pilot.” You waved towards him. “We grew up together in Texas. But I live in New York.”

Penny’s eyes lit up at the mention. “I’ll get you some cheese dip.”

“Thanks.”

Jake watched Penny wander off with a speculative gaze. “Someone’s making friends quickly.”

“It’s okay. I’ll teach you my ways,” you said only half-teasingly and stroked Jake’s arm. Your hand lingered on his muscles. Wait, were they flexing? “Woah, what happened to your arm, dude?”

Jake’s voice turned concerned. “Why? What’s wrong?”

There was something akin to awe in your voice. “Your bicep feels like it’s going to rip through your shirt.”

His shoulders were shaking when he chuckled. There was something about Jake turning his head to hide his blushing cheeks that stunned you even to this day. “You’re such a smartass.”

“I’m serious. Someone’s really working out, huh?” You mumbled to yourself, “This could make a girl feel weak in the knees.”

“Okay, you need food,” Jake said with a resolute mindset, before calling over your shoulder, “Thanks, Penny.”

He pushed the basket towards your elbow. “Get some chips into you.” Jake just watched you munch on your crispy snack. “Speaking of food, you want to join me and the group to some Barbecue this weekend?”

You barely lifted your head. “Barbecue? Special occasion?”

“Rooster’s uncle Maverick is celebrating his birthday-”

“Woah, hold your horses, Jake.”

You raised your hands. Either to stop Jake from continuing or to restart your own brain. “Come again? Maverick?” Your hands hovered over your mouth, as you mumbled, “You’re inviting me to Maverick’s birthday barbecue party? I don’t feel prepared for this.”

Jake groaned. “Oh great, I forgot your dad is such a Maverick fanboy. Of course.” He closed his eyes in a mixture of misery and defeat.

“Jake,” you breathed in deeply and covered his shoulders with your hands, mindful of not dropping nacho dust on his shirt. “Jake,” you began again, “I’ve never told you this, but this is the first time when I realized how absolutely invaluable you are to me as a best friend.”

“I’m seriously regretting telling you this.”

You nibbled on your lip. “I think I scared Jake off with my … how do I say it … domineering admiration for Maverick. I’m getting the feeling he’s embarrassed of me. You have no idea how quickly he dashed the moment we arrived here.”

Natasha appeared nonchalant at your worries while she took a bite from her noodle salad on her paper plate. “Not possible. I’ve only met you yesterday and can affirm that man couldn’t be closer to you. Hangman was probably held up by something. Or he’s just elevating his testosterone level with Rooster again. You met the birthday kid already?”

“Nope.” At the mention, your hands tightened around the food container.

A soothing smile tugged on Natasha’s lips. “Deep breaths. You can’t miss him.” She pointed outside to the backyard. “He’s the guy at the grill, in the sunglasses and Hawaiian shirt. If he has a mustache, you’ve gone too far.”

“Got it.” You exhaled quietly and reminded yourself under your breath, “No mustache, Hawaiian shirt.”

“You’ll survive, don’t worry.” Natasha looked behind her. “Rooster, take her with you. She wants to meet the birthday man in question.”

“Sure.” Bradley stepped forward and offered his arm.

Your body acted on pure instinct.

“Holding my hand, alright, that’s fine.”

You only mouthed in gratitude, “Thank you.”

They walked a few steps onto the lawn when Bradley looked around. “Where’s your boyfriend?”

“Nat told me he was probably wrestling in the mud with you to assert his dominance.” You cleared your throat when you realized something. “And not my boyfriend.”

“Whatever you say. Just making sure where you two stand if he sees us standing together, holding hands.”

“Jake Seresin is not my dad,” you said absentmindedly when a dark-haired man caught your eye. Your throat felt dry. “Is that him?”

“As everyone keeps telling me.” Bradley approached the man standing behind the grill. “I found someone who wants to send their birthday wishes, Mav.”

Maverick revealed a crooked smirk. “Is that so?” You could feel his curious gaze through his sunglasses. “You’re a new face.”

“Um, yeah. I’m Jake’s friend.”

“Hangman has friends?”

“I know it’s a first for everybody,” you admitted. Knowing that Bradley and Jake were at least on speaking terms, and with Jake inviting you to Maverick’s barbecue party, you elaborated, “He needs some time to let people get close.”

Bradley gasped. “You don’t say.”

You focused on Maverick. “A few days ago, Jake invited me to your birthday. Hope that’s okay. I brought you peach cobbler as a present.”

At the mention, Bradley’s head whipped around. “Jesus, why didn’t you just go with that?”

Maverick moved his glasses until they laid atop his head and his eyes were uncovered. “You had me at cobbler.” He rubbed his hands against his jeans. “Bradley, you mind taking over the grill for a bit?”

“Fine. Get me a beer along the way?”

“Sure.” Maverick faced you again when he led you towards the table filled with food. “I didn’t catch your name?”

Just being in Maverick’s company felt surreal. You tried to restrain yourself from appearing too much like a crazy person.

“Um, Y/N … L/N. You’re Maverick?” Nervously, you stroked a curl of hair behind your ear. Even saying that name while standing right in front of him felt out of this world.

“Pete’s just fine.” His expression turned inquisitive. “Did Hangman tell you stories or did I miss something?”

You swallowed thickly. “My dad’s a big fan of yours. He’s a pilot in the Air Force. Told me stories ever since I was a kid. Your flight maneuvers have been legendary.”

He smiled at the devotion in your voice. “Still are.” You adored that playful glint in his eyes still shining through.

“Definitely. You probably get this all the time.”

“Want a beer?” After seeing you nod, he gave you a bottle. “Sometimes. Although, that kind of reverie I’m not used to.”

To calm your nerves, you downed some alcohol. “Really? Okay, I’ll try to control myself. However, Iceman’s skills were far-” Your eyes widened at your blabbing mouth before you covered it. “I’m sorry, too much liquid courage.”

Pete—even thinking that name felt strange—released guffaws of laughter at your gaffe. “Hey, it’s still my birthday!”

“I know, I’m sorry. Happy birthday, Ma-Pete.”

~ Jake POV ~

“Hey, Hangboy, I need to have a word with you,” Jake heard Natasha’s hard voice a few feet away from them as he hung out with the boys. Despite that, the concept of strength in numbers didn’t make him feel safe, judging by her vehemence.

He swallowed at the dark glare in Nat’s eyes. “Vernacular?”

Natasha didn’t appreciate the humor and crossed her arms, letting uncomfortable silence fester around them.

Jake pressed his lips together. “Bad timing?”

“Someone ever say you’re a bad friend?”

Without hesitation, he replied dryly, “You. Every morning when I show up to work.”

“I had to send Bradley in Y/N’s direction because she was nervous about meeting Maverick.”

He groaned at the thought, throwing his head back. “Oh, poor Y/N. Being forced onto the company of that dull-stache? Sounds horrible.” Jake checked his surroundings, hoping to pick them up.

There was something about Natasha’s innocent eyes, with murder in her eyes, that unsettled him deeply.

“You make me want to punch you in the gut. And you know I grew up with brothers. I know how to make it look like an accident.”

Jake dropped the drink he was holding on a nearby table. “I have a plan.”

Natasha tilted her head in fascination. “Wow, your brain can actually do that? Could’ve fooled me. What does that even look like?”

He drew nearer at the sound of her challenge. “It’s called giving each other space. Did I miss something or why are you so gung-ho when it comes to Y/N? Do we need to have a talk?”

“Five minutes in her company and I already know how she’s too good for you.”

Something bitter settled in his stomach at the mere mention. As if he didn’t already know. He smiled tensely. “Thanks for the reminder, Phoenix. Do I need to save her from Rooster?”

Natasha waved a hand. “Not to worry. Y/N is having fun with Bob.”

His mind went blank, trying to process her words. Jake pursed his lips, feeling confused. “Wait—w—why—what are you saying? Bob? Bob with the glasses? Or is there another Bob I should know?”

Natasha hummed, analyzing his reaction. She chose to unnerve him further by chuckling maniacally. “Cake stand. Have fun.” And with that she left.

Jake whipped his head around and narrowed his eyes. The food area instantly caught his eye. Y/N stood with Bob and was laughing uproariously. It felt X-Files-strange to watch that anomaly. Y/N arched her back and patted Bob’s shoulder, with a plate of cake slice in her hand.

Feeling perturbed by the macabre reality, Jake imagined Y/N being into Bob of all people. He frowned at that scenario, whispering, “Bob?”

~ Y/N POV ~

You held your stomach. Your cheeks were hurting from uncontrollable laughter, as you were trying to breathe. “Oh my God, Bob, that’s so-”

Jake inched closer with a small smile on his face. “What’s so funny?” He draped his arm over Y/N’s shoulder and reached for her dessert plate, either so she wouldn’t drop it or to have a taste himself. Without looking at him, you placed it into his hands.

You took a deep breath to calm yourself. “Why didn’t you tell me that Bob is so funny?”

Jake swallowed before coughing. “You learn something new every day. Still waters, huh?”

Bob smiled awkwardly.

Upon seeing his reaction, you spoke up, “I always hated that saying. Bob’s an absolute sweetheart.” To reinforce your point to him, you rubbed Bob’s shoulder.

Bob adjusted his glasses while blushing. “I try my best, ma’am.”

“Bob!” You chuckled in mock outrage, swatting lightly against his chest.

He nodded with a small smile. “Yes, Y/N, affirmative.”

“We’re getting to know each other. I just found out that Bob’s from Montana and his momma used to be a Grizzlies mascot. Personally, I’m more of a Saints girl, but to each their own.”

Jake groaned, with his mouth full. “I’m eating here,” he muttered indignantly. Jake swallowed his food. “What did I ever do to you? The last time we did this, we had the Cowboys/Saints-gate.”

You leaned your head back against Jake’s chest, patting his cheek consolingly. “He’s such a big baby.”

Bob pressed his lips together. “Uh, I think I hear my name. I need to say hello to Maverick real quick.”

You reached out with your arm. “Oh, do put your feelers out if the birthday guy is still fine with me after I was blabbing my mouth about g-loc and Iceman’s record stats.”

“He’s probably fine.”

“But still!” You called out against his back as he left.

It was turning out to be a quiet evening, you realized, rubbing your feet.

Jake stepped into the living room, drying his moist hair with a towel. He leaned his shoulder against the doorway, watching you. “Would you look at that.”

You were transfixed on the film playing on Jake’s TV while you snuggled deeper under the towel on the couch. “What’s up?”

Jake decided to join you on the couch and put your feet on his lap. He spread his legs comfortably. Unconsciously, warming your heels. “You know, feels like old times. You sitting on my couch, taking all the blankets.”

You covered your eyes, with a groan, and leaned your head back. “You make me sound like a mooch. I offered to go to a hotel.”

“Hey, that’s not what I meant.” Jake chuckled. You felt the warmth of his hand when he reached for yours. Before you could blink, Jake stared deeply into your eyes and interlaced your fingers together. With a smile, he whispered, “I missed this. Feels like old times.”

With blushing cheeks, you felt your skin tingling at sitting so close to him. It was moments like these that made you question the nature of your friendship. You swallowed at seeing Jake’s sage-green eyes sparkle. His soft smile was making it hard to breathe.

You whispered, “Me too.”

“You know what else I miss? And what I can’t stop thinking about?”

You swallowed thickly, licking your lips. Feeling uncertain by his thought process, you slowly asked, “Which is what?”

Jake inched closer. “How I used to do this.” He tilted his head, rubbing his wet hair into the crook of your neck.

“You jerk!” You giggled from his attack. It made him seem more like a dog than a human when he was content in brushing his wet hair against your skin.

He grumbled lowly, as his warm breath puffed against your skin. “But this feels really nice. I could stay like this forever,” he said with a hum.

Your phone emitted a notification sound. “You’re an idiot.” Slapping against his forehead to push him away, deep chuckles followed you while your focus switched to your phone.

“You hungry? I could whip up some chicken teriyaki for us? I think I got some sauce in the cabinet. I know how much you love your teriyaki.” He groaned while standing up.

Giggles left your mouth when you read the incoming messages.

Jake turned his head. “Your girlfriends miss you already?”

You bit your lip. “No, it’s Bob just being sweet.”

Blinking slowly, Jake tried to process the words you just uttered. He cleared his throat. Jake’s voice turned slightly high-pitched. “Come again?” He coughed, placing his hands on his waist. “Are we talking about the same Bob? Bob Bob?”

You hummed in agreement without looking up.

He mumbled, “Didn’t know you guys already exchanged numbers. That’s quick, … right?”

With a curious gaze, you looked up. “What do you mean?”

Jake paused. “What do you mean?” He licked his lips, backtracking a bit. “With, you know, Bob … being a total sweetheart.”

You smiled fondly at the memory of the barbecue. “Well, he is. I really loved talking to him.”

With grumbling breaths, Jake puffed his chest. “Really?”

You shrugged your shoulders. “Yep, it was fun.”

“As you keep mentioning,” Jake murmured.

“I did some thinking,” you spoke, “and I was wondering, how would you feel about doing karaoke night with your squad?”

At first, Jake had a look of appreciation which took a turn to disappointment. “But karaoke night is our thing,” he said, pointing between them.

“I know, but this could be like a bonding thing. You’d get to know them, I’d get to know them and we could have fun together. Win-win!”

He sighed deeply, letting his shoulders drop. “You’re far too invested in this.”

“I don’t want them to remember me as the friend who didn’t want to bother with them.”

Jake’s voice turned into a soothing murmur. “They wouldn’t dare think that.”

With a whisper, you enunciated, “Not if we do karaoke night. It’s going to be fun, I promise.”

[kaeichi]

love is in the air.

. . . and maybe that's why mikage reo can view the world with such clouded, pink-hued vision, and why nagi seishiro cannot breathe at all.

series. nagi + reader + reo. no gendered terms, but some implications of m! reader. reader likes boys. bestfriend! nagi. valentines/white day. highschool setting. swearing. humor. fluff & angst.

a/n. repost bc it wasnt showing up in tags T-T i js want a shoujo anime w these two as the MLs...

prev ┊ next ┊ 01 … 02 … 03

⊹ 01 : my dear partner [wc: 4.7k]

TWO YEARS AGO

“…dude. you're scaring all the hoes away.” 

nagi watches your lips move, though he barely registers anything you've been saying since he has stopped listening a while ago—which, honestly, comes as no surprise to anyone.

there’s no real reason to be so lethargic at this hour (it's already late noon, plus he surprisingly had a decent amount of sleep the previous night for once), nor the time to think about trivial things, but he can’t help but think about how exactly every single thing stopped being so bothersome like it used to.

he can't quite pinpoint what brought on this gradual change, but if he had to, then it’d probably be three springs ago—when he’d wake up a little earlier than usual to the gentle kiss of the sun through his window and the cherry blossoms were in perfect bloom. around that time is when he’d received his quiet companion choki, he’d finally scored top 1 in the leaderboards after months and months of grinding in his favorite mobile game, and… when you’d first sat next to him in middle school.

for as long as he remembers, you were simply just there. an unexpected oddity that has not only forced its way through, but has also wedged firmly into every aspect in his life. and somehow, he’d concluded that maybe some things weren't so bad—that some things weren't such a hassle to him after all.

“move, idiot. at this point you might as well hold my hand.” the snow-haired male barely hears your voice over his wandering thoughts, stumbling from the light shove you give him. he has now become acutely aware of your swinging hand, wary of the close proximity and the faint buzz of static that lingers on his skin. huh. maybe it is better to move away.

still, he’d rather not reposition himself. it’s too much work, he’d like to reason, and it's certainly not because of anything else… maybe. he doesn't really know for sure. what he does know though, is that the space beside him suddenly feels strangely empty. 

when he looks at you to see a pout forming on your lips, he can't help but sigh. you're being unreasonable. there's something that's been nagging his curiosity for a while now, and it took him quite a bit to realize what it is.

“seishirooo,” you whined one day, allowing your head to sink against his mattress, taking up nearly the whole space while nagi sits at the corner of the bed. you came over to his place that day to bother him, stating that you needed some comfort because apparently, “no one ever looks at me. i feel so damn invisible.” he shrugged and offered you his controller, challenging you to a 1v1 with him as a distraction.

“…but i look at you all the time?” he replied.

“yeah, but that's different.” and he would've asked you to elaborate more, if not for the fact that you've been horribly vague about it when he does ask, and the perpetually sleepy gamer only has so much patience before he gives up and decides it's something not worth spending his energy on.

besides, you're always emotional like that. this was probably just another one of your fleeting phases.

it's not until he notices you've been longingly gazing at the couples on the campus, quietly seething under your breath that it finally clicks. now, he may not have the greatest understanding when it comes to feelings and all its complexities, but even he can tell you’re reeking with jealousy.

despite being pushed off only seconds ago, nagi shuffles closer again as he falls into step beside you. even if sparks prick his skin, it feels right in this way. “dunno why you ‘need’ hoes when you already have me.”

“just because i'm into guys doesn’t mean that i like you in that way,” you mutter, sending him an odd glance like you thought there’s something wrong with his head for even suggesting that. not knowing how to respond, he settles for staring right back without a word. 

“what's with that look? you know what i mean, seishiro.” you continue, averting your gaze from him. what look? he asks internally. “it's just, well, literally everyone is getting into relationships. and i know we're still first years, but… it just feels like i’m missing out, y’know? 

“do you really? sounds like a hassle to me,” he shrugs, and it truly does—he never saw the appeal of dumb crushes, of drama nearly every day, of possible unrequited “love,” or of wasting half your time and energy on someone just for it to not mean anything at all in the end. video games sound way more fun, and way less heartbreak inducing.

“you can't say that when you haven’t even experienced it,” you argue, still pouting.

“it’s overrated anyways. being single is better.”

“hah! of course you’d say that, you virgin.” 

“you’re one to talk,” nagi boredly quips. “i’m celibate purely by choice, but you on the other hand… if you really think about it, you're basically an incel.”

nearly choking on your spit, you exclaim, “hah?!”

“you don't even really talk to other guys except for me, and on top of that, you're barely approached by anybody,” he explains in a matter-of-fact tone, oblivious to the way his best friend’s confidence waning rapidly by the second the more he speaks.

“yeah? and who’s fault is it, you cockblocker!” 

nagi simply sticks a tongue out as you flip him off.

right after that, the two of you ended up breaking into a sprint as you heard the clicking sound of heels walking on the tiles around the corner, not wanting to get caught for skipping classes. well, you ran, and just dragged him by the wrist. he felt the warmth of your fingers even through the thick barrier of his baggy sleeve.

PRESENT

you try not to trip and fall face first as a cold hand guides you through the crowded hallway.

it's embarrassing enough as it is to be rushing through the middle of the corridor and pushing past the bodies of random students like you're a main character or some sort, but even more so when the (apparently) most popular guy of the campus that you’ve (never) seen is walking right in front of you.

and it gets even more humiliating when said popular guy has taken hostage of your wrist, leading you away to a more secluded area. shocked, harsh whispers echo throughout nearly the whole floor, and multiple eyes shoot daggers at the fingers wrapped around the sleeve of your uniform, and you’ve never wanted to bury yourself alive more than this moment.

after rounding a corner into a miraculously empty hallway, you finally skid to a stop, yanking your hand away, ready to pounce at the culprit who made you go through all that unnecessary attention. however, before you can get a word in, the refined male bows his head low in front of you, and you find yourself face-to-face with sleek purple locks.

“i’m sorry, but i have no time for dating. i’m really flattered, though. i hope we can stay friends still.” he hurriedly says, hope gleaming in his matching purple eyes.

…what. 

who is he again? and why is he rejecting you?

for some reason, you find the stranger’s gaze too bright that you have to look away; so you do exactly that, tilting your chin downwards instead and letting your hair mask your expression.

after a few beats of silence, he clears his throat. “i'm really sorry, it hurts me to see you look so down… i’m sure we can put this behind us and—”

“nice shoes,” you interrupt, still not raising your head to meet his now confused stare. “i can tell you really love wearing them, judging by the busted, worn out stitches. hey, is it just me or is that prada logo kinda wonky too?”

the male's jaw drops down nearly all the way to the floor.

“pardon me?” he says through gritted teeth, keeping his composure by flashing his usual award-winning smile, albeit a lot more stiffer. “i know i just rejected you, but you don't have to be so hostile…” 

when you finally raise your head, your expression can only be described as terribly and solemnly unamused, unimpressed beyond words.

then, you suddenly lean closer, peering closely into his violet irises with thoughtful hum. an unwilling flush of red creeps on the tips of the boy’s ears, his eyes widening comically at the sudden intrusion of space. “you’ll do,” nodding to yourself, you now grab his wrist and pull him away. “come.”

“w-wait, huh? where are we go—” 

“you're the one who made me late. let's go!”

reo isn't quite sure why he's the one being dragged away now.

he has only initially planned to gently turn down the person who last confessed to him, whose family just so happened to be related to his father’s business partners—but now he somehow finds himself on a whole date with that person? (the same one who brazenly insulted him by implying his shoes are fake, by the way!)

“i have other plans today, you know…” the heir says, subtly trying to inch away from you.

you tug him back by his sleeve, with twice as much force than he had used on you earlier. “i can imagine, my dear partner.”

“w-what?” reo stutters, and he's cringes at himself for how he's acting at the moment. the usually composed and charming mikage reo, now reduced to a stuttering and blushing mess? how embarrassing.

“normally my best friend would do this with me, but he slept in today.” leave it to seishiro to leave me all alone on the day that actually matters, you irritatedly mutter under your breath. “well, whatever. come on.”

as you and him enter the packed bubble tea shop, the fingers that were wrapped around his sleeve slides down to interlace with reo’s own clammy ones. he realizes this a second too late, and before he has the chance to let go, the clerk by the entrance greets them with an enthusiastic “welcome, lovebirds!”

“huh?!” reo’s jaw slackens, dumbfounded. he’s really starting to hate himself now—it's unbecoming of him, really, but it's hard to process everything when you're so close to him that the scent of your shampoo keeps invading his senses and subsequently messing with his head.

“here’s your special tickets for today. thank you for participating, and happy valentines!” you drag him straight to the back, where the colorful claw machines are set up. reo catches a glimpse of the pink posters set up on the walls of the quaint shop, which reads: couples get free special tickets! today only! …ah. that's why he's here.

“aoi-san… you're gripping too tight,” he says, gritting his teeth together into a forced smile. 

“aoi?” you repeat, your grip finally loosening until you let go entirely. “huh… i see. by the way, what's your name again?”

needless to say, the purple-haired male is beyond perplexed. “is this your unique attempt at a joke or something?”

“come on, rich boy. we've held hands and i don’t even know your name!” 

“right… which i totally wasn't being forced to do…” he lets out an awkward laugh. sure, some admirers of his tend to get a tad excessive, but they were never able to get far with him, much less forcibly drag him out on a date—and it's not even because they want him to spend his unlimited budget on them and spoil them rotten, but just so they can get… a free special ticket for a claw machine. how did he end up getting in this bizarre situation? more importantly, how does he get out?

you simply shrug. “your fault, rich boy. you should try thinking about anyone other than yourself for once.”

“excuse me?” he narrows his eyes, slightly peeved. he's had enough of your rude attitude; potential business partner or not, he hopes that he never has to interact with you again in the future. “stop calling me that. i have a name, and it's mikage reo.”

the way your eyes widen doesn't go unnoticed by him. “and what did you even mean by that?” he presses defensively.

you plop down on the seat, with reo mirroring you as you insert the rouge ticket decorated with pink hearts into the slot of the claw machine. “well, mikage reo. i’m sure you're aware how aoi’s family is important, right?”

yeah, this person is definitely a weirdo, reo muses. who refers to themselves in third person?

“i heard they had connections everywhere… just like you. it's crucial to maintain a good relationship with someone like that, right?” you conclude—that would explain why reo had taken the time to personally talk to “aoi” one-on-one instead of just flat out rejecting them on the spot.

reo tilts his head to the side. “i’m not following…?”

“mikage.” you emphasize, looking at him straight in the eye before turning your attention back to playing. “i’m saying that the poor kid’s still waiting for an answer. your heartfelt and sincere rejection, to be exact.”

a few seconds of silence pass. well, as silent as it can be with the loud chattering of the crowd and the mechanical whirrs of the claw machine you're currently messing with resounding in the air.

“you mean, you're not…” reo trails off, all color draining from his face. “i’m so, so sorr—”

“aoi’s the one you should apologize to, not me. oh, i got a double! how lucky.” you eagerly grab the prize, the limited edition valentine’s merch exclusive to this boba shop; a plushie collectible that comes with a redeemable code for your favorite video game. you want to collect all of them, but you’re broke as hell and you’re only here due to the free ticket. turning to reo, you shove the second plushie to his chest. “here, this is for you. since you did help me out with getting these.”

“ah, thank you…” reo absentmindedly accepts the small toy, still reeling on how he could make such a careless mistake. “listen, i do apologize—”

“i wonder how'd you even mix us up. is it ‘cause we have the same hair color?” you ask, slightly amused because aside from that, you and aoi look nothing alike. your fingers tap on the surface of the control panel, observing reo’s shame-stricken visage. “or maybe… is it because everyone just looks the same to you?”

at that moment, mikage reo realizes two things: (1) maybe he's more transparent and vulnerable than he thinks, and (2) you're dangerous, and it's better to stay far, far away from you. how could you see right through him so quickly? what if that's something you'll use against him?

he doesn't like to admit it, but it's true—in his perspective, everyone's the same. they're just after him for money and status, and at some point, they've all just become faceless, superficial pawns vying for his attention.

and of course, you’re no exemption.

noticing he’s gone quiet, you continue, “but i guess if my world was as vast as yours, i couldn't possibly keep up with everything either, so i get it. i’m not saying i’m in the same situation as you, but i can kind of relate, i guess. i only keep the ones who's important to me close, and the rest just exist and do whatever. i’m selective, but in that way, at least i can give my all to the ones that really matter.”

reo closes his mouth shut. here you are casually saying that you don't matter to him, and while that isn't a lie in the slightest, he still can't help but feel guilty. maybe it's just the people-pleaser in him, or maybe it’s the way the corners of your lips are slightly quirked up and to form a miniscule, accepting smile, but he wants to reassure you, “still, i’m sure you feel that—”

“i don’t.” you don't mind that he didn't know you, because you didn't even know him either—there’s no reason for you to take it personal. you’d be a hypocrite otherwise. “i really don’t.”

you smile at him. he thinks it's out of understanding, but unbeknownst to him you're actually just entertained by how his inner turmoil is so clearly reflected on his expression. “so don’t worry about it. plus, we’re even now.” you add, gesturing towards the prize.

hopping off the stool, you wave at him as you start to walk away. “...happy valentines. i'll see you around, mikage. maybe. er, probably not.”

“wait!” he hurriedly jumps off the stool as well, clutching the plushie in his hand as he follows after you. “i… let me drive you home.” the words stumble out before he even realizes what he's saying. you're probably just using him, and you're dangerous, and you see right through him, and he should stop wasting his time because his actual valentine's date is probably three seconds away from storming out the restaurant he's booked at—

so why is he doing this?

“drive?” you repeat, because of course he’d have a driver. damn rich people, you think internally. “nuh uh. it's like a ten minute walk, and i’d rather save the environment.”

“then i’ll walk with you.”

“you do realize i’m done dragging you for the day, right?” you quirk a brow up, amused; you could've sworn he was itching to get the hell away half an hour ago. “you're free. you can go home if you want.”

reo smiles, a more genial one this time. “i know.”

“so, you into popular guys now?” 

“hell no.”

nagi narrows his eyes at you. “you’re just into reo, then?” 

while you expected to be grilled first thing in the morning by random people about your apparent relationship with mikage reo (to which you simply replied, “i don’t know who that is, sorry,” and proceeded to run away), you didn't expect to be interrogated by your apathetic best friend as well. 

usually, nagi prefers to be completely silent during the 1st period (and actually all the way through lunch), not bothering to utter more than a few words, but today, he seems uncharacteristically on edge, waiting for you at the corner of the gym with a wrinkle between his brows.

“why are you on a first name basis with him?”

“everyone calls him reo.” he shrugs. “why him?”

“i never said i was into him.”

“then what's all that partner thing about?” he asks, which confuses you a bit. you doubt that reo would go around announcing to everyone how you teasingly called him ‘partner’ and practically dragged him to a date against his will, but it's not like him and nagi are close either, so you wonder where nagi has heard this information from. then, you suddenly recall back to yesterday, where you saw the curtain of your neighbor’s bedroom window swinging side-to-side, as if it was drawn close a mere second before you looked up. 

it seems that your mind wasn't playing tricks with you after all, and that a certain someone was eavesdropping on your conversation with reo as he walked you to your door.

“fake partners, you mean? and it was a just a joke—i met him that day.”

“that day? why are you acting so close if you've just met that day?”

“you're awfully talkative today, seishiro.” 

“i know. it's making me exhausted, and it's all your fault.” he then presses his weight against you, leaning his forehead on your shoulder—as he always does when he's tired and you're within reach. your eyes widen immediately, darting around the gymnasium to see if any of your classmates has noticed.

you don't want people to get the wrong idea about you two. it's not because it kills your chances with anyone due to the assumption that you aren't single (which you still very much are, by the way), or even because of potential issues of being a two-timer due to a certain rich boy—it's just that whenever you get asked if you and your best friend are together, you can't help but flinch from the idea, like ice is being poured inside the back of your shirt. you don’t really know what to call it, but you do know that you've answered the question a hundred times and you're positively sick of it.

“i told you to stop doing this in public,” you hiss, trying to push the giant, clingy sloth off you. “and stop whining, nagi. i’m not going anywhere. besides, i’m not even looking for a relationship or anything like that. not after… you know, what happened during our first year.”

he lifts his head up, frowning at you. “don’t call me nagi. just ‘cause you met a new guy doesn't mean you get to call me nagi.” 

you raise an unimpressed brow. what’s his problem? “only if you stop whining.” 

“…‘m not.” he slurs his words together, only proving your point.

“yes you are!”

“why do you have to be so annoying? you're such a pain,” he sighs, now walking away from you.

“i'm the annoying one?! and don't call me a pain, you—!” without hesitation, you promptly snatch a red ball from the steel ball cart beside you before swinging your arm at him, slamming the dodgeball right to his head. well, you tried to, at least; even with his back facing towards you, nagi only takes one step to the side to avoid it.

“your shitty aim sucks balls,” the tall male comments unenthusiastically, his white fringe falling over his eyes as he gazes at you over his shoulder. his nonchalance only spurs you on, now hauling multiple dodgeballs at him.

“how about you suck my ba—”

“give it up already. you're never gonna hit me.” and nagi actually has the audacity to yawn mid-dodge. of course, it only fuels your irritation even more. you eventually run out of balls to throw, so you mindlessly grab the nearest object to your right and chuck that as well.

…which unfortunately, happens to be nagi’s phone that he's snuck inside the gym, peeking under a face towel on the bench.

“oh, fu—” 

because of your (rightfully) so-called shitty aim, it swung way up high to the left, a few steps away from nagi. in less than a second, he realizes what you have flung at him, and his body moves instinctively; he throws himself towards it, swinging his leg upward and trapping it with his foot with perfect ease before it has the chance to plummet down on the floor.

“why are you making me move so much…” he sighs. “what a pain.” 

“you’re supposed to move anyways, we're in PE. you're welcome,” you smugly reason out. and then not even a second later you fold, shoulders curling inwards as you glance toward his phone; if it weren't for his godly reflexes, you would've broken it. with a small voice, you meekly add, “sorry.”

nagi shrugs in response.

when he saunters over to place his phone on the bench again, a silver glint catches your eye. a small charm swings lightly, small beads of white and black strung haphazardly together attached to the side of his phone case.

“wait, this is…” a phone charm crafted by hand, which is your birthday present for him four years ago. “i didnt know you still had that.”

“why wouldn't i?”

“where was it this whole time? this wasn't here a few days ago.”

“i just kept it in my drawer ‘cause i don’t wanna lose it.”

tilting your head to the side, you ask, “so why'd you suddenly decide to attach it to your phone now?”

he looks away, scratching the back of his neck. “…dunno.” 

eyes dropping into slits, you mutter, “you know, that kinda sounds sus—”

“hey! that was amazing! nagi, right? you should play soccer with me!”

nagi and yourself both turn to the direction of the sudden voice, seeing a familiar figure running towards you, vivid purple eyes gleaming under the gymnasium’s stark white lights.

“mikage?” you exclaim.

ever so slightly, nagi sharpens his usual droopy eyes. “nah.” he immediately says, turning on his heel.

“seishiro? wait, weren't you supposed to be looking for a club?”

“don’t really care.” you follow him, lightly jogging to keep up. as soon as you catch up by his side, the taller male glances at you as he asks, “will you join too?”

is he seriously asking you that… “no?”

“then i won't.” nagi concludes as he continues to walk away from reo.

“hey, wait up!” reo calls out, placing a hand on your shoulder. “ah, i was completely shut down… say, will you help me convince him?”

your brows shoot up as your gaze flicks down where he's casually touching you. after your initial confusion of who he is yesterday, you then recognize him after learning his name—the most popular boy in school, known for his good looks, charisma, and most especially, his wealth. he gets along well with literally everyone, and acts genuinely close with them even if they aren't.

“uh, why should i?”

“remember that limited edition merch you like? i can get you the rest of the collection. in fact, i’ll even buy out the whole place just for you.”

“wha– seriously?” you feel your eye twitch. damn rich people. “it was limited edition. they all ran out of stock already.”

“i have my ways.” well, that's not shady at all. he flashes a grin at your skepticism, winking at you, “anything for my partner.”

and you now understand why he's earned his title. this is probably how he always gets what he wants—with a smile like that, anyone would drop to their knees and do whatever he’d ask. two years ago, you would've keeled over for attention like this, but now, you're nothing but indifferent.

he places his hands on both of your shoulders now, completely stopping you from taking off. wide violet eyes scrutinize your own, making you scrunch your nose at the close proximity. “shouldn't you be begging him and not me?”

“yeah, but...” reo swears he feels an air of animosity radiating from the white-haired male, and that's why he has decided to turn you instead. “you wouldn't leave your partner hanging, right? as partners, we help each other out, riiiight?” he says, dragging his words out.

you lean as far as you physically can from his grip, but he doesn't seem to care, excitedly looking at you with stars evident in his eyes. “mikage, you—” he smiles at you, bright and blinding, and you find yourself withering under his intense gaze. “okay, fine, just—”

“well, that's settled then! they’re joining the club too, nagi seishiro. they can be our manager.” you briefly wonder why he didn't outright offer to have you join the team, but he probably saw how you threw the dodgeballs earlier… though it's not like you have to use your hands in soccer, so what the hell, this is kind of insulting.

“says who, mikage?”

“you're gonna come watch all our games?” he negotiates.

“why don’t you offer that i join the team?”

“ahahaha. haha. hah.” he laughs awkwardly, swinging an arm around your shoulder and ultimately evading your question.

because you were too busy trying to shrug him off, you miss the way nagi’s eyes zero on to reo’s arm around you, wordlessly observing the whole interaction with his lips pressed taut.

you still don’t know why reo hasn't moved away; he's so close that you can see the dark amethyst specks in his irises, the long strands that frame his face are lightly tickling your cheek, and if you lean in even just an inch, you can practically—

“you said anything i want, right?” your voice drops to a low whisper, and reo nods slowly, still seemingly oblivious to the lack of space between you.

“then... what if i said i wanted a kiss?”

reo’s smile drops immediately, recoiling away from you as if you've slapped him, his whole entire face heating up all the way to the tips of his ears. finally out of his grasp, you erupt into boisterous laughter, shaking your head as you leave the flustered boy alone and catching up to nagi.

likes/reblogs/feedback appreciated ♡

[theprettynosferatu]

One would think once the heart has beat its last and everything grows gray, when year by year, decade by decade emotions dull and what was once vibrant feels so far away, that tedium would also have the decency to become muted, a shadow of the real feeling. Belladonna was very aware of the fact that, of all things, tedium was the one that remained. It’s just business, she told herself as she flashed a carefully measured smile. Not too inviting, not at all threatening: the perfect smile that seemed to say hey, I’m just like you, I’m on your side, so why not hear me out?

We’re all together in this. In this house. In this gated community. In this business. In this world inside the world, away from the day to day of hundreds of thousands of schmucks that had no idea how reality worked, of the value of handshakes and conversations in back rooms, of the dance secreted away from their sight. I’m one of you. You can trust me.

It worked. Of course it did. Belladonna had practiced it, perfected it. She wore a thousand faces like so many dresses. Everyone wore masks, of course: at the office, at home, in bed with a lover… but only a handful of beings in the city truly knew the importance of a pleasant, believable deception. Only a few beings knew their survival depended on it, not just their prosperity. Only a few dead glided among the living.

She shook the man’s hand. Her servants could finalize the legal details. She politely declined a platter of pastries being offered by some anonymous waiter. She had what she had come for, and yet she had to stay, to keep up appearances. Such banalities were unbearable. In another age she would have killed the time luxurying in the looks of the men and women around her, in their barely concealed desire. Her dress was certainly one that called the eye, and she was well aware of the effect her long, red hair and her pale, smooth skin had on the cattle; but now she saw sex for what it was: just another tool in her extensive arsenal. Too much attention was a danger all in itself, and toying with people could lead to unexpected and unwelcome attachments. She was older now. Wiser. 

Belladonna wished others of the kind understood things like she did.

Something was off, however. Sure, she wasn’t courting attention but some degree of fawning was inevitable. And yet, on that night, eyes weren’t on her. Interesting. Who, she wondered, could be stealing the light?   

Ah, a latecomer. Belladonna looked for a secluded spot. Peoplewatching was as good a way to while away the dull hours as any other, and much safer than some.

A few things stood out immediately. Belladonna couldn’t quite put her finger on a certain… air. The young woman had a way of moving, a manner of holding the gaze of everyone around her, both seductive and challenging, almost like she knew herself to be a prize that only the very best could win. Her dress certainly was a calculated affair: classy, perfectly tailored, without a single detail left to chance, even in those moments where a less educated mind could believe it saw an accidental flash of thigh. Nothing about this woman was accidental. But no matter how carefully she wore her mask, Belladonna had decades of experience ready to pierce it. 

Poor foolish men, groveling around the newcomer. They couldn’t know, of course. The brunette beauty did a marvelous job hiding it, but to Belladonna she might as well have been wearing a neon sign. This woman was not interested in men, unlike her companion. Oh, silly man, trying so hard to feign attraction, to posture as what some idiots called an “alpha male”, to show off the beauty hanging on his arm. Absolutely pathetic. Even if some could not see his true self, anyone could realize that next to her, he was completely, hopelessly outclassed. 

Intriguing. Something to burn a few hours on, at least. Such things came rarely enough, and were not to be wasted. Belladonna moved slightly to catch the ensuing conversation.

It took her less than five minutes to map out the dynamic. This girl was good. Suspiciously good. The men were like silly peacocks, trying oh so hard to impress her, to be worthy of her attention, to earn a look, perhaps even a word or, in very measured cases, a slight smile. And in trying to impress her they bragged. They spoke and spoke and soon weren’t measuring their words, letting small morsels of information drop at her feet, like offerings before a goddess. That much was common enough- many men, in her experience, were often eager to worship, to cast away the role of masters of the universe to bow and be stepped on. No, what was remarkable was her reaction.

She was training them.

The brunette rewarded information with tilts of her beautiful head, with a sidelong glance, with a hint of a smile. She punished obvious tall tales with indifference. And all the men around her were wrapped around her fingers, dancing for her without even knowing they were being drained slowly, skillfully, hoping against hope for a treasure they would never, ever lay their sweaty hands on. Like conditioned dogs, they picked up on what worked and what didn’t, revealing more and more of themselves, of their supposed accomplishments, their deals, their holdings, their secrets.

It was beautiful.

One predator knew another. This woman was a predator, even if it wasn’t in the way Belladonna was a predator, which raised uncomfortable questions.

No one was that good without training. And Belladonna knew all the operators in Montevideo already, so this girl, with her pretty accent, was a newcomer. Not kindred. Maybe a ghoul? If so, whose? Belladonna quickly made an inventory of the players who could have imported a first-rate spy. “Could” was a long list. “Would”, however, was a much smaller category. The Montevideo Camarilla kept things local as much as possible. The city stood because it had been born and molded by the will and vigilance of the Prince, and she wouldn’t allow some outside actor to just wander into town.

Belladonna watched the unknown figure brush her hair under her ear and launch a look at a boy that might as well have been a nuclear strike. He would be spilling every dirty secret he had before the night was done, and she wouldn’t even let him lay a single finger on her smooth, pale skin. She would haunt his dreams for years to come, maybe for the rest of his life- and he would be, to her, another faceless, nameless mark.

Professional admiration aside, Belladonna knew she had a duty to her kind, to her sect, to the one that made her. Perhaps a little personal curiosity as well, but the point was clear. This woman could not go unwatched, but so far there wasn’t anything to throw up the chain, to the Prince or the Sheriff. It only made sense that Belladonna took on the issue herself.

She listened in for a second and heard it. Drusilla. The woman went by Drusilla.

  

Dru had only been at this particular elite social gathering for just under thirty minutes, and already she could tell that she’d been to dozens, maybe hundreds, just like it. She slid into the all-too-familiar rhythm.

The social elite here were just like the social elite back in the States: obsessed with appearances. It was therefore important that she kept up her own. That was, after all, why she was here. She was there with the son of some… corporate bigwig or other, as the poor boy’s date. She was on the job.

She had been hired by the boy’s mother to be seen accompanying him at numerous events and gatherings in order to hide the fact that he was, in fact, a homosexual. Such deceptions as that were child’s play to her. After all, had she not successfully hidden that fact about herself all these years?

Despite herself, she couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly as this thought crossed her mind. Indeed, even now, she had several men fawning over her for a chance at winning the privilege of her attention. A few of them, she could see, believed themselves capable of coaxing her into their beds that very night, the poor fools. They were so adorably pathetic.

It was in the midst of playing one particularly eager and foolish young heir to some such family empire, carefully filing away all the little details the loose-lipped idiot threw her way in the vain hope of impressing her, that she noticed the beautiful redhead in the room. Something didn’t add up, although she couldn’t say exactly what. The woman was somehow in the party and outside it, above it. She was holding down conversations, making everyone feel special, while also keeping an eye around, sometimes almost tilting her head as if she was listening to music only she could hear. Her mind was hard at work even as her smile, her gestures, her every movement entranced those around her. They would all feel as if they were the only one in the room to the redheaded woman, but Drusilla could tell her true attention was anywhere but on the gaggle of courtiers that had suddenly accumulated around her.

Who was this woman? Drusilla would have to do a bit of discrete digging.

“...a great patron of the arts…”

“...real estate, I believe…”

“...inherited lands in the countryside…”

It made no sense. Everyone seemed reluctant to talk about her, and everyone had their own theory of exactly what she did, who she was. Most of the men she had asked had given her a look of befuddled confusion, as if she was asking about the moon, or why the stars shone at night. This woman was a given to them, her presence not only expected but welcome, even if no one could articulate precisely why. In a world where everyone kept a mental folder about everyone else—if not a literal one—such fuzziness on the details, such a laissez-faire attitude was impossible to explain. If she was a player, and she clearly was, why was no one following her every move? How could someone be both a sun and a shadow?

Drusilla’s date gave her the signal. It was time to go. His social obligations fulfilled, he had no desire to spend one more second pretending. Dru faked relief, while silently lamenting the sudden stop to her real work, her discreet gathering of information. Well, at least she had gotten something valuable. 

The redhead was named Belladonna.

Coming home felt, to Dru, like the clock had struck midnight and suddenly she was surrounded by pumpkins. Gone were the lights, the art, the beautiful dresses. As expected, Luis was loitering in her block. Old City was not her kind of place, but the social dynamics were simple to map out, and it had a certain code of honor. No one hurt someone from the barrio, unless gangs or drug deals were involved, and Luis was very firmly planted on the “user” side of the drug equation. She bitterly thought about that sort of proletarian chivalry: up there, in the world of big deals and luxury, no such rules were in place. Luis, reed-thin and almost shaking, asked her for the usual “whatever you can spare”. She felt a mixture of disgust and pity, seeing this man, this creature reduced to something that approached a human but didn’t quite get there. Pitiful, sure, but she didn’t intend to part with a single cent of her hard-earned money.

At least her apartment felt like something close to herself: an oasis of taste in a sea of gauche misery. What it lacked in location, it made up for in size. Still, it was only a stepping-stone. She had no intention of lingering in the lower bowels of this new city. In fact, doing some quick math, she felt she was a few events—or one big blackmail—away from ditching the apartment for something better suited to her status. At least she had a view of the sea—or rather, the port—through her bedroom window. The living room window, however, offered a different kind of entertainment, as it overlooked two competing drug houses. That window had been her education on the finer points of low-class diplomacy. She had studied the comings and goings, the relationships between the rival dealers, even the secret rendezvous that the sister of one dealer had with the cousin of the other, in some sort of crass parody of Romeo and Juliet. Amusing, but not worth the annoyance of their late-night music and occasional street fights. Dru couldn’t wait to get out.

She sat cross-legged on her bed. She closed her eyes and started her work: sorting names and faces, relationships both stated and hinted at by looks, body language, simultaneous absences from the party, errant comments. It was a detailed filing system that left no trace, no evidence. It existed only in her mind, blessed by an outstanding memory and years of diligent training. It was there, in the sifting of the information, that real gold could be found, if not now, then probably later, when just the right seemingly innocuous tidbit or rumor made everything fit together in the shape of a dagger to be wielded.

However, Dru found herself having a hard time focusing. She had no reason for the feeling, but she couldn’t shake it: that subtle, needling sensation on the back of her neck, as if she was being watched.    

Belladonna slotted the SD card into her laptop. She hated this—hated feeling like a child, needing to learn the latest computer formats and lingo. She had always prided herself on not being one of those old timers that still marveled at the combustion engine, but lately… trying to follow technology was like trying to paint on a running river. She detested that culture seemed to be gathering the same mind-numbing speed. Fads and backlashes and the backlash to the backlash to the new normal just before a newer, shinier normal took hold. It was all a blur. Time used to be measured in decades. The twenties, the thirties, the forties: that made sense to her. Now, however… a year might as well be a decade, and anything five years before might as well be prehistory. It was darkly humorous: the efforts she was going through proved their own necessity.

She had called in too many favors in places too dark to admit she had done it for reasons beyond any rational interest. It had started as curiosity, sure, but it had quickly evolved into something else, something she couldn’t put a word to, almost like an echo of an emotion she would have felt long, long ago. Before she knew it, she had been building a case for this girl, had found herself rehearsing how she’d approach her own maker with the request to…

No. This needed to be played carefully. The risks were too great to rush it. And yet, she knew, deep down, that she was rushing. Every report, every video, every bit of intelligence her associates sent her reinforced the urgency of the matter. She needed Drusilla in her life– no, she needed her by her side. She watched the latest batch of videos, the captured phone conversations, the photographs. She read the hour-by-hour report of the girl’s activities. That the most interesting parts were not included was a testament to Drusilla’s potential value.

The girl never wrote anything down. To the creeps following her, she was just a particularly talented high-end escort. But Belladonna could tell there was a different game being played, a complex web of actions, seductions, smiles, relationships carefully monitored and calculated, all in her head. Even seemingly random encounters only furthered the girl’s goals. In two months she had moved up from the Old City to a respectable Downtown apartment. A stranger in a new land, she moved inside society with the deadly elegance of a shark on the hunt. Even when she did pull the trigger on a crucial piece of information, she didn’t outright say anything: the playful hint that she might know something, a choice of words, a smile was enough to make others act as if she had them in a vise—which she often did, even if she didn’t state it. It wasn’t just effective. It was elegant. Drusilla danced where others punched.

Her value was evident. But was she everything she seemed to be, or was Belladonna perhaps putting a bit too much of herself into her evaluation? She couldn’t say. Distance made everything less certain, and Belladonna had made it a point not to appear at any functions Drusilla would attend. Why? Another element that, if she looked at herself coldly, revealed that her own judgment was not to be trusted. She needed something more solid, a controlled, tangible proof of Drusilla’s talents.

What was needed, she decided, was a test.

It would be hard to engineer, and that only made it more interesting. Soon, Belladonna was smiling like she hadn’t done in decades.

In purely pragmatic terms, Dru didn’t have to attend the party. She had built her own network of confidants, fools, and lovestruck, pitiable people. Her new apartment was beautiful, and she kept collecting secrets, keeping them close like beautiful crystals in a necklace of opportunities. She only dropped one of those gems when she was absolutely sure it would lead to the right payoff, and her eye for openings was impeccable. Some members of the higher classes saw her as a charming conversation partner; others like something more akin to a friend; a few as an occasional paramour. She only liked women, of course, but every now and then she would take on a male client if the price was right and, more importantly, if the client moved in the right circles: it was in the small talk after they had their fun that the real rewards were hidden, and that made pretending to enjoy the act almost bearable. People tended to lower their guard after sex. Perhaps that was why she agreed to go to this latest party: even though she didn’t need to help the poor closeted man that had been her introduction to the hermetic world of the elite, she felt a pang of pity for him. She knew, after all, what it was to fake attraction to people and it was, in the best of cases, exhausting.

It was a smaller affair than she had expected, with fewer guests than usual and the luxury taken to an almost comical extreme. It bordered on being tacky, without actually crossing that invisible line of taste. Still, something felt slightly… off. She filed this fact away as she did all others. One never knew what seemingly useless observation would turn out to be the key that opened many doors.

There was one notable presence. Hovering on the margins, engaging as little as possible in the banality of the whole thing, was the woman. Belladonna. Drusilla hadn’t seen her for almost a year. Interesting.

Drusilla entered the battlefield with special zeal. Armed with smiles, furtive looks, seemingly innocuous questions, fake ignorance and the kind of looks that birthed dreams, Dru did some of her best work. She knew Belladonna was watching, and she wanted to impress this woman, this riddle at the center of so many webs, this seemingly invisible pillar of so many schemes, deals, falls from grace. Of course, that wasn’t the only reason. The redhead was alluring in a different way, one Dru couldn’t exactly name. It wasn’t just aesthetic attraction, although that certainly was part of it– it wasn’t even desire, exactly. Whatever it was, however, felt overwhelming. As much as Drusilla knew she was performing, it felt too good to stop. There was an element of dance, of theater, of the peculiar joy that came with knowing the eyes of someone fascinating were on her.

It was when the party was winding down and a few guests had excused themselves that a nondescript man in a suit approached Drusilla. One look told her all she needed to know: this man was dressed to blend in, his expression unreadable, his movements designed to deflect attention away from himself. He was one of those invisible men that often worked as the hands and mouths of the truly powerful. 

“You are cordially invited to a drink in the study,” he said. He didn’t need to say who issued the invitation. Drusilla’s heart skipped a beat. Finally.

She followed the man through a few hallways, beyond doors once locked, now opening for her. Soon she found herself in a room lit entirely by the silver moonlight entering the window.

Drusilla’s body froze. There was a maelstrom of contradictions raging inside her. The alabaster beauty in a black dress, her legs crossed, her green eyes seemingly glowing in the penumbra, called to her, told her without a word that this was a good thing, that everything was okay, that everything would always be okay. And yet another part of her, a lower part deep down in her lizard brain, screamed for her to flee, to seek shelter, to get out immediately and never look back. She found herself trapped between two opposing impulses, and she felt something like loathing towards her own fear. Hers was a world of beauty and strategy, of calculation and play: the panic in the pit of her stomach felt to her like the bestial intrusion of instincts she had no intention to acknowledge. Then Belladonna smiled, and the fear was washed away like so much dirt during a cool spring rain. She almost laughed at her own fear, so silly when contrasted with the calling of that smile, those gestures, those deep, green eyes.

“Drusilla, it is such a pleasure to be able to speak with you. Please, make yourself comfortable. We should have done this sooner!”

“Thank you. Belladonna, right? I’ve heard so much about you!” 

Not the most elegant start, but it would do. Dru felt the heat on her cheeks and knew she was blushing. She sat across from Belladonna and suddenly felt slightly self-conscious. It was alien to her, but looking at this woman, her poise, her almost perfect stillness and class only made her every movement feel superfluous, fidgety, clumsy.

“Quite a motley crew our host has gathered tonight, don’t you think?”, said Belladonna.

“It’s certainly a very interesting group.”

“Interesting? Good choice of words. Agreeing with me without revealing any true feelings about your fellow guests. But surely you must have more to say than that. After all, you were quite the social butterfly out there tonight.”

Drusilla felt a strange sort of relief. This was a player talking to another player, not a mark to be fooled. It felt invigorating to sense someone seeing the world through the same lens she did. It also felt like a challenge, an invigorating bit of sport. Might as well throw up a big flare, raise the stakes.

“Oh, I’m a bit tired. Many stimulating conversations. And your hand must be tired as well.”

 

And there it was, just for a second, a flash cracking through the mask. It wasn’t quite a smile, but Belladonna’s expression had spoken volumes. She was taken aback by Dru’s boldness, and delighted by the surprise. 

“My hand? What do you mean?”

“Well, it seems to me directing the whole choreography is more tiring than just being another dancer. And your hand… small gestures, but they relayed their messages well enough. People suddenly excused themselves to leave room for new conversation partners, dull men introduced this guest to that guest, a waiter interrupted a talk at just the right time… all because of those seemingly innocuous, subtle hand gestures.”

“Fascinating theory. But this isn’t even my party.”

“True. But whose party did we attend? Our dear host welcomed the guests, gave a rather lackluster toast to all present… and then might as well have vanished. His demeanor was not that of a man comfortable with his surroundings. Indeed, it felt as if he barely knew any of the guests, let alone enjoy the company of anyone there. Nor was he shaking hands and making deals. He was adrift. Whoever crafted the guest list, it certainly wasn’t him.”

“I see…”

“And then there’s the matter of the decor, the menu, the whole aesthetic dimension.”

“Oh?”

“It was tasteful… and it wasn’t. It went almost too far, to the point that I gather some people might find the symbols of prosperity a tad… gauche. But it didn’t go far enough to be an aesthetic choice, it wasn’t decadentist but it wasn’t measured. It was a party at odds with itself. Like a painting with two radically different authors. If I had to guess, I’d say you found yourself in a conundrum. It had to look enough like it was his party, but he is, at heart, a man devoid of good taste. You couldn’t abide by all his choices and added some measured class to what, I suspect, would have been a gold plated monument to excess. He had to be the face of the party, the name on the invitation. But it wasn’t truly his event. It was yours.”

Belladonna threw up her hands and smiled, the rehearsed gestures of a child caught in mischief.

“Guilty. I can’t throw my own parties, I’m afraid. Too many people get offended if I don’t invite them, or scrutinize the guest list to glean what my future… endeavors might be. I must say, I’m quite impressed, Drusilla. I see your socializing was indeed time well spent. I trust, of course, that you’ll keep this little fact between us–”

“I’m terribly sorry, but… I wasn’t done.”

“Oh? Did you manage to find some more tasty secrets?”

“Too many, in fact.”

“Too many? What do you mean?”

Drusilla took a deep breath. Time to go all in.

“Let me tell you what I don’t get. Why would you invite the head of the company that got the license to repair the toll roads and his former business partner, whom he stabbed in the back? Not to mention that partner’s secret lover, who in turn had to share the party with her former friend from university, who also happens to be the one person that knows about her bisexuality? And why was that friend’s former professor present, who just so happened to have slept with her while she was her student? And why was that professor’s wife present when she is putting on a brave face despite her secret illness? And speaking of illness, it appears you invited the doctor who misdiagnosed her five years ago, costing her valuable time. And the lawyer who managed to bury that same doctor’s malpractice accusations. Not to mention the one man who was, as far as I can tell, an intelligence officer. Now, I didn’t learn all this tonight. I did my research beforehand, and had many of my suspicions confirmed by their words, their looks, their silences. But like I said, too many secrets. What are the odds that such a concentration of betrayals and shadows would happen naturally? Close to zero, I would say. No, the guest list was curated… but why? Why would you create this… nexus of threads?”

Belladonna’s face seemed like a statue’s. Not a hint of emotion.

“You know why.”

“I don’t. I mean, surely…”

“Just say it. Your instinct is correct.”

“It was for me. A puzzle. A chess riddle with living pieces.”

Belladonna rose to her feet. Somehow, she appeared taller than she was. She seemed regal, intimidating and strangely comforting in her expression. She gently put her cold hand on Dru’s cheek.

“So beautiful… so full of potential… so… now.”

Drusilla felt a chill run down her spine. It wasn’t just how cold the goddess’ hand was. There was fear and a strange, deep longing she couldn’t entirely comprehend, and something else, something she had been trying to hold back since the moment she had first entered the room. Desire. Her body wouldn’t be denied any longer, and Dru had to make a titanic effort to keep from squirming. When Belladonna sat beside her, Drusilla felt every inch of her skin screaming for more of that cold touch, begging to be taken.

“You were right, of course. I needed to be sure, you understand.”

“Sure? Sure of what?”

“That you are all I thought you were. Oh, and you are. All I believed and so much more… Ah, but I’m rambling. My apologies. What I mean to say is you have so much potential, and you are doing so, so well… On a rather limited stage. But you can feel it, can’t you? You are ready for more. You know it somewhere deep inside you: there’s something else out there. In the shadows. And I might be mistaken, but… you don’t have to do it to survive. The gathering of information, the deductions, the seduction. You could just be an escort. But you need to do it. It’s more than your livelihood. It’s part of who you are. You enjoy it. You like knowing, and holding that knowledge like a weapon, even if you rarely use it. You feel that power… intimately.”

Dru felt naked. Vulnerable in a way that normally would make her panic. But Belladonna’s tone was… gentle. Genuine. There was no judgment there, no self-interest, not even a slight hint of malice. Drusilla was being seen, truly; and for the first time, she wanted it. She felt something odd, something she hadn’t realized she needed before. She felt less lonely. She felt dazed, desired, intrigued.

“What do you mean, a… what was it? A limited stage?”

Belladonna looked down.

“Ah. That… You are ready to see the grander game. But to do so… you need to trust me. I know you’re just made for it. And all will be worth it in the end. Do you think you can trust me to guide you?” 

It was phrased as a question, but to Drusilla it was everything but one. It was a certainty. She could trust this woman. She wanted to trust her, to believe her, to be guided by her. She could sense a truth behind the words, vague as they may have been. Beyond that, there was no way she could even think of denying the woman anything. Not when her green eyes were on her, not when they were so close that she should have been feeling her breath on her face. She needed to follow her, no matter where the path led. The destination would be worth it. Belladonna had said so. Words failed Drusilla, and she noticed she had forgotten to breathe. Instead, she nodded. Yes. Yes. She would give in. She would follow, heart and soul.

The kiss was inevitable, predictable as a hurricane slowly moving to shore and no less powerful. Belladonna’s lips were suddenly warm, and the world around them faded like a castle of sand caught in a storm. Dru couldn’t tell where she ended and the perfect woman began. They felt as one, as if Belladonna’s inexplicable brilliance was inside her, reflected by her, filling every inch of her. She felt loved and desired, seen and contained, safe and wild in a frenzy of freedom she had long denied herself. There was no need to hide, no need to pretend. No masks, no witty deflections, no artifice. She was at once on fire and perfectly still, like a star in the night sky. She was the center of Belladonna’s universe, and Belladonna’s body was the one guiding point, the place she had always craved without knowing, the home she had always been meant to return to. 

Their hands explored each other, setting skin ablaze with each touch, with every gentle brush of their fingertips. Drusilla’s ideas of the power of independence evaporated in an instant. Companionship. Sharing. Support. Their value asserted itself as Belladonna moved down her body, kissing her neck, her clavicles, her breasts. Drusilla felt every kiss as a gift and a reward. Part of her knew she didn’t deserve to be treated as a queen by this goddess; part of her felt it was her due, her right, the just compensation for her beauty, her skill, the many, many nights of hard work. When Belladonna went on her knees and kissed her legs, Drusilla felt at once like a sovereign and a servant. She nodded, an unspoken agreement between them. Yes, you can go higher.

It was like being caressed by silk. Belladonna went slowly, savoring every inch of Dru’s skin, playfully kissing, nibbling, licking. Even on her knees, she exuded power, and Drusilla’s body was like a musical instrument played by a master. No matter how much Dru wanted to scream, to beg for Belladonna to go faster, higher, to quench the need between her legs, the woman kept teasing her, denying her, keeping her in the most beautiful of agonies.

Then came the sting, right on the inside of her right thigh. It lasted barely a whimper, and everything changed. Drusilla had never partaken in drug use, but she felt the way she imagined the best heroin might make her feel. She was both floaty and perfectly aware, enveloped by a sense of intimacy deeper than anything she had ever experienced before. She felt Belladonna deep inside her, and herself fading into her, a welcome dissolution of the self into something greater. There was no her, not really. There was only the peace and pleasure of a comforting us. Every sensation was shared, every possible wall shattered. She drifted in that oneness, letting go of her vanity, her pride, her loneliness. If all were one under God’s gaze, then Dru felt she had found her private heaven, with a beautiful divinity all for herself. She felt special, chosen, valued… and also ravaged, taken, conquered. And it all felt simply right, almost obvious. This was what she existed for. 

When it stopped, Dru felt like a newborn being torn from her mother’s arms. She also felt faint. Dizzy. Barely holding on to life. And still, if that sensation had been a herald of death, it was death she desired more than anything.

Belladonna looked different. Flush with life. Calm, yet concerned.

“Drusilla… stay with me. Don’t let yourself drift off,” she commanded. With a graceful gesture, Belladonna opened a small cut on her own breast. She put Drusilla’s head on her lap and leaned over her, the bright red wound right over the brunette’s face.

“Now drink,” she said.

And Drusilla did.

She suckled on that breast and her body tensed up, suddenly invigorated by a red, golden light. The Universe shrank down to a single, perfectly brilliant point. Everything else was out of focus, irrelevant. Where once death had taken a slothful hold, life, or something like it, coursed like lightning. It was more than intoxicating. It was necessary. Vital. All that could ever matter, all that could ever hold any value. Power, beauty, success… they were pale imitations of the sheer overwhelming sensation of complete dominion over the fundamental power of existence itself.

But this too had to end. Belladonna, firmly but gently, pulled back and held Drusilla tight. She knew what would come.

Pain.

It would have been too much, if not for Belladonna’s embrace and her words; words Drusilla couldn’t comprehend but reached her somewhere deep in her chest, as if from another world. In the comfort of her arms, Drusilla felt she could endure this… whatever it was. She could endure anything.

And so it was that Drusilla died.

Then, she opened her eyes.

It was like she was seeing for the first time, as if she could now hear a music she had been deaf to, notice a color invisible to her before. Only then was she truly aware of Belladonna’s true beauty, of the dance-like grace of her every movement, the real hue of her deep eyes, which held galaxies within them. It was almost enough to distract her from the hunger. Belladonna made a quick call while Drusilla looked around herself, taking in the real perfect aesthetics of the room. She barely noticed she was shaking.

Belladonna held her hand.

“Don’t be afraid. Sustenance is coming,” she said. “Welcome to the grand stage,” she added with a smile. Drusilla couldn’t help but smile back.

When a servant walked in, veins coursing with blood, heart loud as a drum, Belladonna gave her a reassuring squeeze. Drusilla smiled a new smile, the smile of a predator.

She knew exactly what she had to do.   

Did you enjoy this story? You can support my work at patreon.com/prettynosferatu

[lucigoo]

Bagginshield Fic Rec List

So, here I will add all of the amazing Bagginshield fics I adore. I hope you like at least one, they all deserve love 💖💖💖

And as always, if its your fic, or you know whos let me know so i can @ them, they all deserve to be recognised!

Below the Belt - LordOfTheRazzles @lordoftherazzles

A Complaint A Day... - birdkeeperklink (speculating) @birdkeeperklink

Of Blacksmiths and Blackberries - littlebrownshoe (Wolfy_Tales)

He loves me, he loves me not - Alse_the_hobbit @hobbityalse

(Take Me Back To) The Night We Met - LordOfTheRazzles, MiraHerondale - @lordoftherazzles @consultingpacha

Fuck Thy Neighbor - LordOfTheRazzles @lordoftherazzles

An Almost Perfect Christmas - Ticklesivory @tickles-ivory

A King's Bond - mordelle @mordellestories

(Almost Believing) This One's Not Pretend - diemarysues

Lost and Found - Ticklesivory @tickles-ivory

The Danger In Missing You - Fantasyinallforms @fantasyinallforms

Child's Play - Anonymous - The Hobbit (the Company as kids, gen fic)

Letters from the Mountain - Middle_Earth_Mama @middleearthmama

Beyond the Pixels - Ticklesivory @tickles-ivory

Hold Me Down Until The Madness Ends - licha_nick

“I’zigh ‘Akshith” (War Surprise) - Ticklesivory @tickles-ivory (The slow burn is beautiful and the idea is so clever and unique imo)

327 Blossom Street - Ticklesivory (Tickles does modern Bagginshield so well)

Slow Dance: A Bagginshield SMAU - Ticklesivory (Modern day social media fic, its awesome)

The Bunny Saga - alkjira - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, its so cute and clever) Sweet Synthesis - Ticklesivory - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, another craker from @tickles-ivory, with Cyborgs!) A Passion For Mushrooms - Chrononautical - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, beautiful world building and pining idiots) Behind the Money - SunnyRose - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, @sunnyrosewritesstuff wrote an adoarble tea ahop AU) No Small Amount of Courage - SunnyRose - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, another wonderful fic from @sunnyrosewritesstuff where Bilbo loves so hard its enough)

A Hobbit's Gamble - CQueen - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, Arranged Marriage Au in Erebor, and its precious, from start to end)

Wings from Ravens - IShipGayShit_SueMe - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, BAMF Bilbo, with wings. Need I say more)

Wild Wings - DomesticGoddess - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, As always everythign DG worites slaps so hard. This was my first ever wing fic read and i became obsessed its that good)

A Black-feathered Omen - birdkeeperklink (speculating) - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, another wing fic, and sad, loely Thorin who needs a hug, or a hobbit...)

Let The Waking Morning Find - sunryder - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, this is legit one of my fav Bagginshield fics ever, its clever and emotional and the thought of the One Ring gaining a body and becoming fixated on Bilob is spine chilling)

I don't belong (and my beloved, neither do you) - FrozenBrownie - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, mpreg, its heartbreaking and beautiful and a hea all rolled into one) None So Blind - Chrononautical - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, Beautifully writte fic, woth Blind Bilbo and aftermath of BOTFA) the world is sleeping (my world is you) - katheneverwrites (mandolinearts) - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, Thorin as a sweet Hades is just so precious) An Unexpected Friend - smoltimidturtle - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, Bilbo gets a pet, its adorable, Thorin doesnt think so, a really cute reshirement fic) My Sister's Boyfriend - DomesticGoddess - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, as always DomesticGodess hits the spot you didnt know needed hitting. Jelous Thorin is perfect!) Now You Know - Arkan_Sonney - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, Its very cute and fluffy and Frodo needs all the hugs)

Sansûkh - Chapter 1 - determamfidd - Multifandom (Multiple LOTR pairings, not sure if it eeds any interoduction, other then EPIC!)

Planting a Hobbit - northerntrash - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, The dwarves are adorable and its just a wonderful fic,)

May Your Forge Burn Bright - LordOfTheRazzles - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, once again @lordoftherazzles wrote an amazing fic, the world building and relationship between Bilbo and Thorin is stunning)

Bad Blood - Conkers - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, a clever little What If fic fom @conkers-thecosy, BAMF Bilbo is best Bilbo and OCnkers did it perfectly.)

If I could give my breath away (I would) - StupidFatPenguin - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, even with having lost his memory, Thorin is so precious in hiw quikly he falls in love Bilbo.)

(s)wiped out - I_did_not_mean_to, sandwich11213 - The Hobbit - (undercurrent of Bilbo/Thorin, the Bagginshield is subtle, but beautiful, and worth the entire fic to get to it this is a work of art, both the fic and the actual art)

Worlds separated by a garden fence. - TheCuriousCat - The Hobbit (Fem Bilbo/Thorin, one of my fave series, Durins are fae and Bilbo is BAMF!)

Guardian of Kings - SunnyRose - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, another excelent work by @sunnyrosewritesstuff, and im sure most bagginshielders love a bit of BAMF Bilbo and cultural misunderstanding, I know i do!) Summary: The Company has been having a good laugh as the story of their quest spreads through the mountain and more and more retellings makes Thorin out to be Bilbo’s damsel in distress. It stops becoming funny when Thorin’s honor is challenged, and it’s up to Bilbo to defend it. Thorin may be ready to smuggle his hobbit out of the mountain, but Bilbo will do it. For Thorin, he would do anything.

The Gift of Hobbits - MoroseBarnacle - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, and its just SO good!) Summary: The gift of hobbits is a secret not known to dwarves. Bilbo’s gift saves the Company—repeatedly—and they don’t even know it until after Smaug is dead. But by then, just about everybody knows there’s a hobbit in Erebor, and the invading orcs decide to keep Bilbo and his otherworldly gift for themselves.

Home - SunnyRose - The Hobbit (Gen fic, Written by the wonderful @sunnyrosewritesstuff an adorable look at Uncle Thorin. )

Summary: Being an uncle doesn't come instinctual to Thorin. He loves his nephews with all his heart, but he doesn't quite understand them. However, when Dís needs far across the distance - LinguisticJubilee - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, this one is lovely imo) Summary: Balin blinks, shifting backwards. “Laddie, it’s—it’s been a year. Bilbo has returned home, to the Shire.” He looks at Thorin, then says more gently, “I did not realize you counted the hobbit among your treasures.”

Guardian of Kings - SunnyRose - The Hobbit by @sunnyrosewritesstuff (Bilbo/Thorin, one of my favs from Sunny, its clever and the world building, its just delicious) Summary: The Company has been having a good laugh as the story of their quest spreads through the mountain and more and more retellings makes Thorin out to be Bilbo’s damsel in distress. It stops becoming funny when Thorin’s honor is challenged, and it’s up to Bilbo to defend it. Thorin may be ready to smuggle his hobbit out of the mountain, but Bilbo will do it. For Thorin, he would do anything. Prize Enough for Me - StrivingArtist - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, BAMF Bilbo for the win, need I say more?) Summary: After falling in love months earlier with the Dwarven King, when Bilbo sees Thorin stabbed on Raven Hill, he decides to find vengeance. mercy and death on swift arrows fly - authoressjean - The Hobbit (Gen, hinted eventual Bagginshield, another BAMF Bilbo, but also, hes just lovely no matter what) Summary: Hunger Games AU with slow burn Bagginshield.

Not All That Glitters (Is Good For Your Health) - comatosecombat - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, post quest for Erebor) Summary: In his attempt to distract Smaug from attacking Lake-town, Bilbo accidentally destroys the One Ring of Power, saves the day and brings peace on Middle-Earth.

When it comes to him and Thorin, that resolves absolutely nothing. An Unexpected Addition - karategal - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, this whole series is pure gold imo)

Summary: All of the dwarves survive the Battle of the Five Armies, but Bilbo must return to the Shire to sort out his old life and make way for a new one in Erebor. Over one year later, Bilbo comes back to the Lonely Mountain with a recently orphaned Frodo. King Thorin isn't quite sure what to make of this new, tiny addition to his Company. far across the distance - LinguisticJubilee - The Hobbit - (Bilbo/Thorin, schmoopy Thorin has my whole heart)

Summary: Balin blinks, shifting backwards. “Laddie, it’s—it’s been a year. Bilbo has returned home, to the Shire.” He looks at Thorin, then says more gently, “I did not realize you counted the hobbit among your treasures.” far across the distance - LinguisticJubilee - The Hobbit - (Bilbo/Thorin, schmoopy Thorin has my whole heart)

Summary: Balin blinks, shifting backwards. “Laddie, it’s—it’s been a year. Bilbo has returned home, to the Shire.” He looks at Thorin, then says more gently, “I did not realize you counted the hobbit among your treasures.” What to do when one has died? Dig of course. - DBlack13 (Bilbo/Thorin, Afterlife fic, I repeate Afterlife fic (not that i have a fav trope or anything .....)

Summary: After death, Bilbo is bored. He misses his adventures, and although Yavanna’s Garden is everything a hobbit would wish for, Bilbo can’t help missing his friends in the Company, and above all, a certain blue-eyed leader… Makes the Whole World Blind - Chrononautical - The Hobbit (Bagignshield, I love when they are feral for one another)

Summary: Bilbo Baggins has been kidnapped. Thorin Oakenshield considers a proportional response. Nori Needs a Burglar - SunnyRose - The Hobbit @sunnyrosewritesstuff (Bagginshield, this is so clever and Bilbo getting caught in shennanigans accidently is *chef'f kiss*) Summary: In charge of distracting Bilbo from their party plans, Nori tells the hobbit about a problem they've been having in the treasury. Of course, Bilbo being Bilbo, he managed to stumble upon a conspiracy against the Crown. Unbreakable - Fantasyinallforms - The Hobbit @fantasyinallforms (Bagginshield, ngl, im not usually fond of the sex pollen trope as a personal prefrence, but this one is done so well and its all about the feels, its wonderfuly written) Summary: Bilbo and Thorin are captured coming back from a diplomatic mission to the elf king's halls. Their captures have no intention of killing the great Thorin Oakenshield outright; instead, they seek to break him and attempt to use Bilbo to do it. Bruises on the Heart - thehufflepuffhobbit - The Hobbit (Bagginshield, oblivious idiots, i'm looking at you Thorin, is always such a delicious plotline) Summary: 5 times Thorin noticed his soulmate’s bruises and 1 time he gave them one.

With a tie not easy to break - MiraHerondale - The Hobbit (Bagginshied woth alternate first meeting, this amount of sweetness isnt good for my heart) Summary:

“Finally”, said the hobbit, frowning despite his rushing heart. “I was worried.” The smial was deadly silent behind him, which was surprising, considering how loud the dwarfs had been moments prior. Yet he refused to turn around and check. “Worried? I thought we were angry.”

Fic for Thauc with the prompts "Bilbo and Thorin met before the Quest, fell in love and got married (in secret or not). How does that affect the Quest?" and "Thorin and Bilbo having an awkward and terrible hookup in Bree several months before the quest and then meeting at the quest." Clue-finder - TheGrayKnight - The Hobbit (Bagginshield, Bilob being accidently BAMF is brillaint) Summary: Bilbo originally asked to meet with Balin to discuss what he could do to help restore Erebor. He had no idea Balin would turn it around and talk about dwarven courting customs.

[neontoad]

“Here!”

Dazai is grinning from ear to ear, proudly showing Chuuya a handful of chestnuts he’s collected from the ground, and this is such an unexpected view, that Chuuya has to do a double take. 

He’s not mistaken. 

Dazai is smiling. 

A chestnut falls on the ground, - no wonder, Dazai's hands are overflowing with them, - and Chuuya picks it up, his eyebrow raised with scepticism.

When he reluctantly agreed to hang out with Dazai after a mission, he didn't expect him to start running around under a chestnut tree like a rabid squirrel, collecting chestnuts with such zeal as if they were no less than precious diamonds.

“You id-”

Chuuya doesn’t get to finish the sentence. His eyes meet Dazai’s, and the uncovered eye’s shine is hypnotic, its colour perfectly matching the chestnut’s, the dull colour turned into a rich hue of brown Chuuya’s never seen before.

On second thought, collecting chestnuts doesn’t look like such a lame idea. 

They start frequenting the park, and every time their pockets get filled with chestnuts, and their hearts with warmth.

Suddenly, autumn is not about gusting winds and rainy days anymore. For Dazai, autumn is about the fiery foliage of the trees that complements Chuuya’s hair so beautifully, and even though clear skies are a rarity in this season, Chuuya’s eyes are blue enough to make up for it. 

For Chuuya, autumn is about the deep brown of chestnuts, the colour he never knew was so warm - as warm as Dazai’s hand in his, as warm as the way he looks at him with timid adoration, as warm as the lively spark in his brown eyes. 

For them, autumn is about prickly husks leaving scratches on their hands, hot chocolate in paper cups, and sharing an umbrella on a rainy day, and always, as years go by, it’s about collecting chestnuts. 

It’s always about chestnuts. 

Their first kiss under the chestnut tree when they were 16. Their first “I love you” at 17 as they were lying on the grass, breathless, after relentlessly bombarding each other with chestnuts, smiles on their faces lighting up the gloomy Yokohama sky. 

Autumn is about chestnuts, warm hands and love.

Until it’s not. 

Chuuya is 18, and he doesn’t go anywhere near the park anymore.  

Seeing chestnuts in the grass doesn’t feel like a treasure hunt, but rather a bitter reminder of what he used to have. Frankly, he’d pay all the money in the world to cut down every single chestnut tree in this godforsaken city. 

Autumn is a shit season, if you think about it. 

Years pass, but Chuuya still can’t bear seeing a certain shade of brown. Much to his annoyance, it’s everywhere - in the colour of his desk, in the leather of his car seats, in the fallen leaves in the puddles of water on the ground. 

When he sees that shade again - the shade, as he looks Dazai in the eye in the Port Mafia dungeon, he tells himself he didn't miss it. He tells himself the colour doesn't look even more striking now that he can see both brown eyes looking at him with such longing, that he even lets himself reminisce for a split second.

One day they are heading to the ADA office after a joint mission. They aren’t speaking - they don't have anything to talk about. Not anymore. With the corner of his eye, Chuuya sees a familiar tree - it grew taller, but the way its leaves show off their autumn dress is the same as it used to be when they were younger. Before Chuuya knows it, Dazai is gone, running toward the tree with his trench coat comically fluttering behind him. Chuuya just rolls his eyes. Such a manchild. 

“Here!”

Dazai is grinning from ear to ear, his hands are full of chestnuts, and the way he’s showcasing his treasure to Chuuya wakes something up inside of him. Something that was dormant for so long. Something that he, deep down, missed so much.  

“You idiot,” Chuuya mumbles, intently looking at Dazai’s lips.

The chestnuts fall on the ground. 

It feels like their first kiss all over again. It’s chaste. It’s sincere. It’s perfect.

“Can we start again?” Dazai whispers into Chuuya’s ear, his warm embrace defeating the chilly September afternoon. 

Autumn is about forgiveness, warm hands and love.

Autumn is about them.

Autumn is about chestnuts. 

It’s always about chestnuts. 

[paracosmic-murdock]

Tell me what are my words worth ; Benedict Bridgerton x Reader

Chapter 21: "Cordialement, Y/N et Benedict"

Pairing: Benedict Bridgerton x fem!reader

Summary: It has been two years since your secret was exposed and you had to leave London. Two years with deep buried misery and in which you missed everything you used to have. However, neglect, novelties, and letters made sure to give you more than one reason to return to claim someone who is as rightfully yours as your estate and your people: Benedict Bridgerton.

Warnings/tags: idiots in love, eventual smut, mutual pining, (kinda???) enemies (fake, this is just pride) to lovers (surely), bisexual benedict bridgerton, feminist themes, historical inaccuracy (for the sake of the plot), inspired by mulan (1998), song: the lakes (taylor swift), other tags to be added

Chapter summary: You and Benedict return to London with a wedding invitation and more shocking news for the family.

Word count: 2.7K

❁ Series masterlist

❁ mila's paracosm (main masterlist)

“Ma chérie, when did this happen?”

You cleared your throat. “Uh, during my first trip to London, my Lord.”

“This is unexpected, but… I shall speak to the council about this,” Lord Monet replied. “We believed you and the Prince of Monaco-”

“No,” you firmly denied. “He was a mere suitor, but Mr. Bridgerton is my love match.”

He raised his eyebrow, giving him a despective look. “Is he now?”

You two nodded.

“Is he also fit to be a duke?” he questioned. “Because if you do not marry the Prince, you must marry a man fit to rule the region, at least.”

“Even if he wasn't, and I am not saying he is not fit, I must be the one to perform the ducal duties,” you answered. “Not a soul knows this region better than I. Since my father passed, as you know quite well, I have been the one to take care of Burgundy, the winery, and the state. Therefore, I should be the one who continues doing it.”

“What is your cousin for, then?”

“Nothing, my Lord,” you sighed. “And once I marry and have children, the region shall stay in good hands. Always in our family.”

He sighed. “What is his background, then? His family, what?”

“His father was the late Viscount Edmund Bridgerton. My father's friend from Oxford, if you can recall,” you replied. “He is his second son, and his older brother is Anthony Bridgerton, the now Viscount.”

“You come from a good family, it seems.”

“I do, yes,” Benedict spoke for the first time. “I have seven brothers and sisters. One of my sisters, Daphne, is the Duchess of Hastings.”

“Well, you sound like a good man,” Monet smiled slightly. “Have you decided on a date for the ceremony?”

“The sooner, the better.” Benedict said.

“Why the rush?”

“As I am sure Lord Cartier might have mentioned, there have been issues with my grandfather,” you answered. “He found a bastard child of Father's to take my rightful place. The sooner I marry, the safer I will be, you know? Protected by marriage.”

“As long as the rush does not mean anything else, I believe two months from today will be perfect so you can have everything ready.”

“Will the priest be available?” you asked in concern.

“I'll make him available provided he isn't. The Duchess of Burgundy's wedding must be a priority for the Church,” he replied. “I might as well have the Pope himself marry you.”

You chuckled. “That will not be necessary.”

“The fourteenth of September, then?”

Benedict looked at you with an enamored smile. “Yes.”

Dearest Bridgertons,

We are most delighted to reach out to you with the news of our engagement and upcoming matrimony, which will take place on September 14th at the Palace of Versailles. However, before that, we are pleased to invite the whole family to the engagement ball on August 5th at the Château du Clos de Vougeot.

Additionally, we would be honored for Lady Violet Bridgerton to stay with us until the ceremony to assist us in its planification and keep us beloved company.

We are grateful to all of you for your support and, unbelievably, for meddling in our love. We would not be here today without your carefully schemed and loving interventions.

Finally, we announce our stay in Versailles until July 20th, when we shall start our journey back to London for some days. We are expected in Vougeot by August 1st at the latest (in hopes that you join us), in Dijon on August 28th, and in Versailles on September 2nd. The former information was provided to inform you of our whereabouts in case you wish to join us someday.

Sincerely,

Y/N & Benedict.

You and Benedict were having breakfast when Antoinette arrived at the dining room. Her expression gave you an insight for whatever the unfortunate announcement would be.

“My lady, your grandfather is here. And he brought unpleasant company.”

Your lips formed a fine line, and you looked at Benedict in utter worry.

“Please, inform him we are breaking the fast and take him to the sitting room to wait for us,” you replied. “Tell him we do not have much time to receive him as we are leaving for London within the hour.”

“What should I say if he asks who is ‘we’?”

“Tell him I mean my fiancé and myself.”

She nodded. “Of course, my lady.”

“If you wish, I could ask him to leave,” Benedict proposed when he saw your maid leave. “You will not have to see him if you don’t want to.”

“I will not show him any sign of intimidation, my heart. Plus, I must extend our invitation to the engagement ball in person and have my guards take that misfortune of a brother to the dungeon he belongs to.”

Benedict smirked. “You are a devious young woman, aren't you?”

“This particular trash will not take itself out, so I must make sure someone does,” you replied. “And if it has got to be me so I know it is done properly, you know I will.”

“My darling, you are an unstoppable force of nature.”

You rolled your eyes with affection. “You are a silly man, Your Grace,” you noted. “You better kiss that attitude goodbye by the day of the engagement ball if you want the King of France to approve of you.”

He smiled and finished the last of his breakfast. As soon as you finished, he helped you stand up and walked to the sitting room alongside you.

“Good morning, sir,” you greeted him. “Raphaël, I thought you would be in a dungeon right now.”

Benedict cleared his throat. “Good morning.”

Your grandfather raised his eyebrow arrogantly. “What is the meaning of this, Mr. Bridgerton?”

“Were you not informed?”

“Of what?”

“Y/N and I are getting married mid-September.”

Raphaël frowned. “Married?”

You looked at the engagement ring in your finger and showed it to them. “September 14th, to be precise.”

“You can not marry this man. He is a mere artist! He is not fit to rule the region!”

“And this bastard is?” you questioned, looking the man up and down. “The only person fit to be Duke or Duchess of Burgundy is me, and not even over my dead body somebody else will take my place.”

“No one is asking for your permission, Y/N,” he said. “Either you leave soon, or I'll tell your cousin, the King, about your London shenanigans.”

You frowned. “Are you aware that I could be killed for that motive? Are you truly capable of causing your granddaughter's death?”

“You have brought it upon yourself.”

Benedict watched the scene in bewilderment. “I beg your pardon?”

“You might be engaged to her, but this is a family matter and none of your concern, Mr. Bridgerton.”

“Anything in regards to the mother of my child is of my concern, and I will not allow you or anybody to disrespect her.”

You opened your eyes in the widest astonishment.

You were certainly not with child —at least not just yet—, but you couldn't deny that was a smart move from him.

“Are you with child?!”

You cleared your throat, looking at your grandfather in awe. “Yes.”

The anger in his features was unmatched, and for a second you thought he would have a heart attack at the news. A short second that resulted in the slow-motion scene of him attempting to hit you but his hand landing on your fiancé instead.

Both you and Raphaël gasped loudly as Benedict returned the punch with all the strength of his body.

“Oh, my Lord!”

“Stop!”

“I will kill you with my bare hands for doing that to my granddaughter!”

“Is she your granddaughter now?! You get away from her or I swear to God you will not make it to the engagement ball!”

“You dishonored her not once but twice, and you dared inform of her condition as if it was the most normal thing on Earth to have a lady with child before marriage! Mr. Bridgerton, you are the furthest thing from a gentleman that there is, and you, Y/N, must learn your place! You are acting like a-”

“Speak of her badly once again and I will make sure to break your face.”

“You know what? I am out of here right now.” Raphaël rolled his eyes and exited the sitting room, tired of you and the chaos that surrounded the Dukes of Burgundy.

Your grandfather looked you dead in the eyes. “See what you caused?!”

“Whatever do you mean?!” you questioned. “Leave our property right now for I do not wish to see you again, sir. Perhaps the King should know of my faults and my condition and see how He assesses the situation.”

“For as long as I breathe, I will make sure you never rule this region. I will not let you tarnish my daughter's sacred name.”

“You are welcome to stop, then.” Benedict finished, to then yell for the footmen to take your grandfather out of the Palace.

And then there was silence.

“I will get killed, Benedict.”

He shook his head. “For all the Ton knows, everything was one of Lady Whistledown's rumors. Nobody has actual proof apart from witnesses we can trust in and mere hearsays. We will find Lady Whistledown and have her say it was all a lie or a misunderstanding.”

“Penelope Featherington is Lady Whistledown.” you replied.

“What?!”

You nodded. “She told me herself in an attempt to get my forgiveness so I wouldn't expose her to the Queen. I can only assume Eloise told her the truth, that the Queen and I were looking for her, and she decided to come clean.”

“Did you tell the Queen? Because Lady Whistledown hasn't published anymore, and the Featheringtons are in an economic crisis. The only thing keeping them alive is my family's support.”

“I did tell Her,” you replied. “I confessed to Penelope and Eloise that I was Antoine, and Penelope used that against me to have some sensationalist novelty for her ridiculous scandal sheet. She exposed Eloise's friendship with Theo to save herself because the Queen was getting close to her. Penelope saved herself at the expense of all of us instead of facing the consequences of her actions. It was only fair for me to return the favor.”

“Why would she do that to you?”

“When I was going through Eloise's stuff to find something about Lady Whistledown's identity, I saw that she exposed Miss Marina Thompson's pregnancy right after she got engaged to Colin,” you replied. “She surely was not aware that you and I were the couple and must have known about Colin's intentions to court me and the constant flirtations.”

“My heart, are you completely sure about this?”

“I am, and if her actions keep threatening my life and peace, I will make sure she pays for it even if it's the last thing I ever do,” you swore. “She was responsible for two years of my suffering. If it weren't for her, I would have been able to tell you myself about Antoine and I wouldn't have lost you. Nobody would have found out about anything and my grandfather would not be trying to ruin me. My life would not be hanging by a thread. If I must live in fear for as many moons as I have left, so will she.”

He sighed, kissing your gloved knuckles. “We must tell the family everything as soon as we arrive in London, my heart.”

“We must,” you conceded. “Along with a few other things.”

“Oh, my children! Welcome!”

You and Benedict looked at each other with a smile, and then at his mother again.

“We have been eagerly awaiting your return.” Kate said with a graceful smile.

“We sure have.” Eloise smiled widely.

“Now that you're here, we are finally ready for dinner!” Colin exclaimed. “I am so very happy for the two of you.”

“You better be, Brother.” Benedict teased him.

You cleared your throat. “Uh, before we do, we would like to speak to you. Adults only.”

Anthony nodded in surprise. “Of course. Gregory, Hyacinth, wait for us in the dining room.”

They complained but reluctantly left the sitting room.

However, before getting started, a maid appeared and announced Penelope's arrival to Bridgerton House.

“If you'll excuse me, I must receive her and we shall join you right away.” Colin commented happily.

“We would be grateful if the conversation could please stay within the family.” You looked at them with shyness in your tone.

“But Pen is like part of our family.” Eloise frowned.

“Well said, Sister: like.” Benedict conceded.

“Benedict…” Colin warned him.

Anthony cleared his throat. “There is no need to make a fuss out of this. If Y/N and Benedict's topic of conversation weren't confidential, there would be no issue in her being here. Since it seems to be as such and it is important that it stays between us Bridgertons, then you must respect their wishes, Colin.”

“If she cannot hear it, then perhaps it is none of my concern either.”

You rolled your eyes. “It's just that I personally would not want to see what I have to say on some scandal sheets tomorrow morning, Colin. Though I do not think she would expose herself, will she?”

The room fell silent, and you could see Eloise's offense at your comment. Despite Colin's tension caused by your gaze and words, you did not hesitate to continue.

“But if you do not want to hear what we have to say, it is fine. Less chances of Lady Whistledown finding out about my life if you do not tell her yourself, Colin.”

“Are you implying that Miss Featherington is-” Anthony began, but couldn't bring himself to finish the statement.

“... Lady Whistledown?” Kate continued for him.

“This cannot be true, and I kindly suggest you stop making such accusations, Y/N, for you have the reputation of a liar already and cannot deal another blow to your name.”

You stopped Benedict from interfering. “Eloise, am I lying?”

“I-” she blurted out, but couldn't form a sentence in her favor.

“El?” Colin asked, but she stayed silent.

“Eloise, did she or did she not expose Miss Thompson's condition in order to keep her away from Colin? Is that not the same thing that happened when she said that I was dressing as a man to go to the Academy when the only people who knew for sure were you, her, and my maid?” you questioned. “Did she not expose you and every single one of your family's matters to save herself and have something to say, respectively?”

“This is a serious accusation, dear…” Lady Bridgerton noted. “Are you… are you certain?”

“She told me herself,” you answered. “Trying to get my forgiveness after, I can only assume, Eloise suggested she tell me due to my plans with the Queen.”

“Did you, Eloise?” Anthony asked.

Eloise chuckled nervously but you spoke before she could. “At the end of the day, it was never her secret to tell,” you murmured. “But, for those of you who didn't know, I could get killed if word of it reaches France, so forgive me for not wanting her here.”

“Oh, this is too much to handle…” Lady Bridgerton sighed.

“Colin, have Penelope return home. She is not welcome here.” Anthony demanded.

“But, Brother-”

“Even before being Benedict's fiancée, she has always been the daughter of Father's dear friend, so we owe her our support,” Anthony stated. “And if not for her, do it for our sister Eloise regardless of how fine she is about it currently. Think of how she has affected our family, even Daphne… We are withdrawing our support to the Featheringtons effective immediately.”

Everyone looked at each other in silence.

“You cannot do this, Anthony.” Eloise retorted. “We have known them for-”

“Exactly. If she did not care about that when she used us and took advantage of our crises in her numerous issues, then we shouldn't either,” he spoke firmly. “It should be you or Colin whoever breaks the news. Decide or I'll do it myself tomorrow after breakfast.”

Colin left the sitting room, and Eloise shot you a look of disappointment before doing the very same.

“Let's not make Gregory and Hyacinth wait any more time. They must be starving.” Anthony said before leading the family to the dining room.

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[demonicbaby666]

The bar opening

One shot | Criminal Minds Masterlist | Masterlists

Fandom: Criminal Minds

Pairing: JJ x fem!Reader

Genre: Smut & Angst

Words: 3k+

Warnings: jealous JJ, top!JJ, bottom!reader, fingering, alcohol mentioned, public toilet sex, possession.

 Summary: Y/n and JJ had previously had a on and off relationship. JJ didn’t want to tell anyone on the team, or progress past casual hook ups. Y/n broke things off a couple weeks prior and since them JJ had been giving her the cold shoulder until one night at a new bar opening where her jealously becomes overwhelming.

A/n: I’m completely new to writing one shots so please bare with me. If there are typos I apologise. Im willing to take requests so throw them my way! Without further ado, enjoy🧡

Emily and y/n made their way into the crowded bar searching for the two blondes they’d planned to meet at the new bar opening.

Then she saw her. JJ leaned against the bar, waiting for the bartender to make her drink. She was wearing a pair of tight-fitting jeans and a sheer black blouse with a black lacey bralette underneath. Y/n drank up the view in front of her stopping as her eyes settled on JJ’s taut abs. She hungrily licked her lips.

“Pick your jaw off the floor idiot,” Emily whispered.

“You’re here!” Penelope excitedly shouted over the noise of people talking and started to run over to hug y/n and Emily.

JJ stayed at the bar waiting for their drinks but her eyeline followed Garcia, stopping as they reached their target. Her breath hitched and her throat suddenly became dry, she needed that drink asap.

Y/n was wearing a tight-fitting black dress, accompanied by a leather jacket and booted heels. Her hair was done to perfection as was her makeup. She looked jaw-droppingly good.

Y/n sauntered towards the bar; JJ’s eyes unapologetically remained on her. The women half-heartedly hugged y/n to keep up appearances.

Y/n broke away from the sorry excuse of a hug and ordered her drink. She noted the bartender clearly had wandering eyes, shamelessly checking her out whilst taking her order, delivering her martini before she even started making the other ladies’ drinks.

JJ caught the hunger in the young bartender’s eyes, she clenched her jaw, and her stomach began to churn. Once the drinks were ready the four women made their way to a circular booth and began chit-chatting. The conversation took an unexpected turn.

“She was totally checking you out y/n!” Emily teased gesturing to the bartender. “You should go talk to her.”

“Emily, don’t start,” y/n said shaking her head.

“I think she practically undressed you with her eyes.” JJ retorted openly rolling her eyes.

“Ohhhhh. That’s why you got your drink first?!” Penelope gasped. “She’s cute, I agree go talk to her, maybe we can get some free drinks.”

 JJ plastered a fake smile on her face as everyone joined in on psyching y/n up, one hand curling to make a fist under the table and the other gripping her glass, her knuckles now noticeably turning white.

 The bartender was undeniably attractive; dirty blonde hair, dark lipstick, and adorned in a tight-fitting shirt and mini skirt. It was the idea of flirting in front of JJ that just didn’t sit right with her.

The pair had called it quits, more so y/n than JJ. Though it seems more than mutual and there was no fight from JJ in the matter. Y/b was sick of being used for what she believed to be meaningless sex and hidden apartment dates. The sex was definitely enjoyable, it was mind-bending, but being called at absurd times of the night and avoiding the topic of dating with friends was taking its toll. She wanted more and when JJ wasn’t keen on the idea of letting people know about them and going public, enough was enough for y/n.

“Maybe later, I came here to spend time with you guys, not to flirt.” She proclaimed. She looked to the petite blonde in front of her, who had found a sudden interest in the liquid in her glass. She kept her eyes glued to her trying to get JJ to look at her. No luck there.

Emily and Garcia had dubbed y/n the ‘drink orderer’ in an attempt to get her to talk to the bartender, each time she returned quickly with their drinks. Despite the pair purposefully ordering at different times, she refrained from engaging in conversation with the gorgeous bartender. JJ offered to get her own drink, though that was so she could give the bartender a death stare.

After an hour y/n made her way to the bar to order everyone a third round, refusing to get them individually from now on. JJ’s eyes never left her as she walked up to the bar. Y/n could practically feel them boring holes into her back.

“I could be wrong, but I have a feeling your friends over there have an ulterior motive to continuously getting you to order.” The bartender gestured to the group. When y/n turned around all their heads whipped back around, and laughter erupted from the table, more so from Emily and Garcia.

“I think they want free drinks,” she laughed.

 “I tell you what, things are getting more and more hectic so how about you come behind the bar and help me make their drinks?” She asked with a wink. “They’ll be on the house.”

Y/n couldn’t resist, mainly because it seemed like it’d be fun more than anything, though the idea of making JJ envious echoed in the back of her head.

Smirking y/n replied, “Sounds like a fair deal.” She made her way behind the bar and did as she was instructed by the blonde.

Anger pulsed through JJ’s veins as she sat watching the bartender snake behind y/n, one hand on her waist. She grabbed the alcohol bottle and poured the contents into the mixer in front of y/n. JJ had seen enough and adverted her gaze anywhere other than the bar.

A few minutes passed before Garcia whisper and shouted as she gawked at the view in front of her, “OMG!”

 JJ shot her eyes now filled with fire in the direction of the bar, y/n started slowly licking the salt off the back of the bartender's hand causing JJ's whole bottle to freeze up. Y/n head bent back at a slight angle as the bartender started to pour tequila from the bottle into her mouth.

Y/n winced slightly as the alcohol made its way down her throat. The bartender then placed a lime wedge into her own mouth maintaining eye contact as she urged y/n to pry it from her mouth.

Y/n was hesitant to do so, but the alcohol took won over, inebriating her judgment. Fuck it, if JJ didn’t want to do anything like this with her in public she could watch as she did it with someone else.

The blonde’s blood was now boiling, her jaw clenched tightly. Her grip on the glass was deadly tight that it almost cracked under her unyielding grasp.

Everyone sat by the bar started to cheer and y/n burst out laughing at the show she’d unknowingly put on for them. She made her way out of the bar and took a bow. She brought the free drinks over with help from Emily and the bartender. They also received some free shots on the house which no one complained about.

“She seems fucking pissed,” Emily whispered into y/n’s ear as the two sat down. Y/n’s eyes landed on JJ who was sat directly across her, impressively avoiding eye contact but the rage in her eyes was unmissable. Y/n tried not to seem too proud, JJ didn’t want anything like this so she had no right to be jealous. Y/n didn’t belong to her.

“What’s her name?” Garcia asked, clearly the alcohol had taken its hold of her. “D-did you get her numbaaaa?”

“Her name’s Erika, and yes, I gave her my number after making it clear that I’d love to hang out as friends, which she was cool with.”

“That’s a shame, you two looked like you hit off,” Penelope said with a sad pout, “Sure you didn’t feel anything?”

“I’m not interested in her in that way,” Y/n said smiling sympathetically, Penelope was most definitely drunk and looked like she was going to cry.

“Clearly.” JJ scoffed quietly with a tight-lipped smile. It may have been said quietly but y/n heard it loud and clear.

“You can’t choose who you fall for I guess,” Emily said her eyes darting between JJ and y/n. JJ felt her heart drop at the comment. Reaching over she took Penelope’s hand.

“Come on, let’s get you some air.” She said a sudden shift in her tone which annoyingly warmed y/n’s heart. How could someone be so cold yet so kind and caring? It perplexed y/n and she hated that after everything she still wanted to understand how the cogs turned and worked in JJ’s mind.

Emily and y/n decided to head over to the small dance floor, it was more populated now than when they had first entered the bar. Erika finished her shift and asked if she could join them, her answer was provided in the form of Emily pulling the woman in to dance with them.

After two songs Penelope and JJ came and joined everyone on the dance floor. Y/n watched JJ dance from the corner of her eyes, she bit her lip as she noticed how her shirt began to cling to her from all the sweat. Her whole torso was on display through the sheer material of her shirt and it was driving y/n crazy. All she wanted was to feel the blonde on her again.

JJ watched the space between Erika and y/n get smaller and smaller as Erika pretended to pull y/n towards her with an imaginary fishing line. As much as it pissed her off, she couldn’t take her eyes off of y/n, her hips swaying in time with the music, it was mesmerising and turned her on.

Y/n moved her hands up and down her own body sensually sensing JJ’s eyes on her, unashamed of the fact she wanted to taut the blonde further. JJ felt heat rise between her legs, her heart began to race as she pictured all the things she wanted to do to y/n.

Erika’s hands snaked around y/n’s hips and pulled their bodies together. Y/n was practically grinding on her, her anger took hold yet again and she’d seen enough, storming to the toilets.

Y/n heard JJ’s heels, watching as she shook the earth beneath her with the force of her strides. She couldn’t stop herself from going after her. She swung the door open. “I spend too much time with Derek.”

JJ was leaning against the sink taking deep breaths whilst looking into the mirror. Her eyes shot up as she saw y/n appear through the door.

“Are you okay?” y/n asked her voice laced with worry. It was hard not to care after everything they’d been through, feelings like that don’t just disappear. Walking over she placed her hand on the small of JJ’s back trying to provide some comfort.

“Do you need to be such a flirt for fucks sake, her hands were all over you.” she choked out through pursed lips, looking up at y/n with a mixture of anger, sadness, and confusion plastered on her face.

Y/n sighed, retracting her hand from JJ’s back, she ran it through her hair in frustration. JJ confounded her, did she want her or not? It was all too much to understand with alcohol freely swimming through her bloodstream. She knew only one thing, and that was that she’d had enough of JJ’s bullshit.

“JJ, I don’t know what you want from me. These last few weeks you’ve given me the cold shoulder and everyone’s noticed it, so don’t fucking tell me they haven’t. You didn’t want to tell anyone about us, but they know something happened and I can’t say shit. I’m trying to get over this but you’re making it impossible. I’m not going to be your dirty little secret and plaything for when you’re horny. I fucking love-“ y/n caught herself before continuing, “loved you, I loved you. I thought we had something which you made abundantly clear didn’t. You can shove your jealously where the sun doesn’t shine because you don’t own me and I can let whoever I want touch me, when and where I want. So tell me, what is it you want from me Jennifer.” She let out a breath of relief feeling lighter now the truth was out there, it was exhausting playing these games.

JJ turned her whole body to face y/n, no longer leaning on the sink she was slightly taller. She placed a finger under y/n’s chin and lifted her head up so that she could look at her properly.

“JJ, please.” Y/n pleaded slightly taken aback by the contact.

In that moment JJ saw what she had done, she was responsible for making y/n feel this way, she’d given her so many mixed signals in a misguided attempt to protect her that she ended up hurting her in the process. She knew it was pathetic that she didn’t want to let y/n fully into her life. If she let her into her heart she could lose her, she’d been through so much and the hurt she carried would be too much for anyone.

She moved her hand from y/n’s chin to her cheek. The young woman relaxed and closed her eyes, focussing only on JJ’s soft fingers against her skin. She resented her body for becoming less tense by the light touch.

“Y/n.” JJ stepped closer and leaned forward so their foreheads were now touching, keeping her hand planted firmly on y/n’s cheek she finally responded, “I don’t know.”

Y/n felt JJ’s breath tickle her lips, the space between their bodies no longer existed, and somewhere amidst everything JJ’s other hand found its way onto her waist. JJ moved her head slightly back their faces were now millimetres away from each other.

“We can’t do this anymore. I can’t do this anymore.” Y/n tried to push away, though her legs refused, JJ’s hand on her waist held her firm and she felt herself getting lost in the moment and the piercing blue eyes staring directly into hers.

They stared at each other before both gazes drifted down to their lips. JJ’s lips came crashing onto y/n’s. She grabbed hold of y/n’s waist with both hands trying to pull her closer. The younger woman didn’t fight back and let herself be taken by JJ. The woman had so much power over her and she wasn’t ready to let it go.

Y/n felt a tongue glide again her bottom lip asking for permission to be let in. Y/n conceded once again and opened her mouth slightly, allowing JJ to explore freely.

She grabbed a fistful of JJ’s blonde hair as she was pushed backward. Both refused to pull their lips apart as they went crashing into a cubicle. Y/n was wedged between the wall and JJ’s body as hands began to explore her body. She moved her tongue into JJ’s mouth, and she felt JJ moan deep into her throat.

JJ moved y/n’s hair to one side and pulled her lips away, before y/n could protest the loss of contact, JJ brought her lips back down, now placing them on y/n’s neck. Waves of pleasure washed over her whole body and her core tightened. JJ moved one of her hands further down her body. Y/n pulled her dress up and felt JJ smirking against her neck at the act of submission. She bit down lightly on y/n’s sweet spot.

“Fuck.” she quietly moaned

“Who do you want?” JJ demanded.

Y/n didn’t want to give in, she knew JJ had full control over her, but she didn’t want to admit it.

JJ lightly stroked over her underwear and y/n sharply inhaled. She traced the hem of y/n’s underwear.

“Who?” JJ bit down harder on y/n’s neck demanding an answer.

Pain coursed through y/n’s veins but quickly subsided to pleasure.

JJ kept teasing the younger woman as she moved her hands to her inner thigh. 

“Jayje, please.” her breath was shallow, and not having JJ in her became too much, she needed the blonde to fill her. “You, I want you JJ, please just fuck me.”

In one swift movement, JJ shoved her hand into y/n’s underwear and inserted two fingers into her, slowly pumping them in and out. Y/n gasped as JJ curled her fingers slightly, hitting her g spot perfectly. Y/n’s moans started to get louder. She tightened her grip on JJ’s hair pulling her back up and the two met in a fiery kiss.

Y/n let have her whole, she gave herself to JJ completely and relinquished any hopes of having control when the blonde knew her body so well.

“Do you want Erica to fuck you like this?” JJ taunted as she slowed her pace.

“No, only you JJ. Please don’t stop. I only want you.” It was driving y/n crazy, all her dignity flew out the window wanting to chase her orgasm. She was instantly rewarded as JJ's thrusts sped back up and she plunged her fingers into y/n harder and impossibly deeper.

“Good girl.” She whispered into her lips and deepened their kiss once again. She opened her mouth slightly, swallowing every single one of y/n’s moans.

Y/n placed her free hand under JJ’s shirt, running her hand along the bare skin, she felt her orgasm steadily approaching, but not fast enough. She began grinding her hips back and forth, and JJ kept pumping her fingers in and out of her. The blonde pressed her thumb against y/n’s clit and began to draw tight circles.

Y/n moans were nearly screams and she was certain people could hear from outside the toilets, but she didn’t care, not when JJ was pushing her into a euphoric state.

“Only I can make you feel like this y/n. Say it.”

“F-fuck, only you can, fuck JJ, I’m-.” she whimpered against the blonde’s lips. Her legs began to uncontrollably shake, and JJ was practically holding her up. She dug her nails into JJ’s back earning a raspy groan, the sound itself threw her over the edge.

Her back arched against the wall, and her head back was thrown back from the power of her orgasm, she let out a loud and final moan. She was gasping for air as JJ slowed down but didn’t stop until y/n rode out the full length of her orgasm.

JJ peppered kisses down her jawline to her neck and finally pulled her fingers out. She brought her head back up and leaned it to y/n’s. Finally catching her own breath she spoke up.

“I want you, I want us y/n.”

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[flyiingsly]

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Square : Cody

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Wordcount : 5.6 k

Summary : You are send on a very special undercover mission to ensure Senator Amidala’s protection. It was unexpected, but at last it gives you opportunity to spend some time alone with your favorite Commander afterward.

A/N : My thirteen submission for the @clonexreaderbingo ! Oh well, this one turned out to be longer than expected, I got a bit carried away I guess ! Not gonna lie, I had this prompt on my mind for a long time now, and it was the perfect occasion to bring it to life 😄 (Also, I was greatly inspired by Dress by Taylor Swift for this one, because the first time I heard this song, I immediately went "OMG ITS FITTING THAT PROMPT SO PERFECTLY AND THE VIBE IS INSANE 😭😭" so yeah, I listened to it a lot while writing this ahah) Enjoy ❤

Disclaimer : I'm still struggling to understand English grammar properly, English is not my native language and even if I have proofread my writtings several times, there is probably still typos in it. I'm very self conscious about it and I apologize for it in advance, but I'm doing my best to do better and I'm actively working at improving my writting skills !

So if you spot a typo, feel free to point it to me so I can correct it, it will be much appreciated :)

Today was a very special day for Senator Amidala. An important treaty has just been signed with a previously neutral little planet from the Outer Realm in order for it to join the Republic, thanks to her. She personally negotiated it with the head of their government, a close friend of her from when she was Queen.

As a tradition to celebrate the friendship between the two nations as well as the signature of the treaty, a special gala was organized on Coruscant that night, in one of the reception halls of the Senate. Numerous Senators were invited alongside the Chancelor himself as well as the planet’s delegation members and their families.

Unfortunately, the Trade Federation wasn’t really pleased to hear about it. Such a decision meant that the opportunity for them of taking advantage of and privatizing the planet’s rare resources was now ruined, and all on the fact that said planet had very close bonds with Naboo. So now both the Senate and the Jedi Council were concerned about the Federation sending some bounty hunter to attempt at Padme’s life as a revenge.

You, too, were particularly worried about the security of your dear friend during this event. But despite the understanding between the Republic and its new ally, its people still weren’t very fond of the Jedis nor the Clones. They agreed to trade their resources and to follow new laws, but not to engage in the war. So its representatives especially asked that no armed forces showed up at the party, and they made it a serious business.

That’s why you had to found some less conventional solutions to ensure her safety.

***

“Ho, wow ! This one looks perfect on you !” Padme lets out enthusiastically as soon as you get out of her suite’s bathroom, wearing a long, close-fitting, flowy burgundy dress with a square neck and long puffy transparent sleeves.

“Are you sure ?” you hesitantly ask.

“Of course !” she excitedly answers, “Every dresses that you tried suited you, you know, but this one, it really accentuates your figure, you’re stunning in it ! Plus, the color matches with mine, I think it will add credibility to your cover !”

You walked to the big mirror hanging on the wall of the room and paused in front of it. You stayed still for a moment, before turning around several times, running your hand across the heavy fabric, examining the unusual attire from every angles.

“Yeah, I think you’re right, it’s beautiful … Ok, I choose this one then !” you quickly conclude, smiling cheerfully.

The idea came from Anakin. In his opinion, the best possible person to protect the Senator can only be a jedi. He was very frustrated about the fact that this person, in this situation, couldn’t be him, for his face was already known as part of the Order by the planet’s delegation, and his presence would only create a huge diplomatic incident.

That’s when he suggested sending a jedi that the representatives had never met before, a woman preferably, and pretending that she was one of the Senator’s favorite handmaidens. It was public knowledge that Padme was very close to her companions, and often brought some of them at events along with her, so it was the perfect excuse.

Ahsoka was too recognizable to, and as you were close friend with Padme and a complete stranger to the guests, you ended up being the chosen one, much to the Nabooian’s joy.  

You were nearly the same height and size as her, so she happily offered you to borrow one of her many dresses. You weren’t used to that kind of fancy and expensive outfits, for you were rarely letting go of your conventional jedi robes. It was a unique experience for you. You were nervous as ever, a bit uncomfortable, but excited at the same time. Each piece of Padme’s wardrobe was a work of art, and being given the opportunity to wear one of them was a huge privilege.

She was really supportive with you, trying her best to make you feel beautiful and comfortable. You both knew it was supposed to be a protection mission as well as a diplomatic event, but at the same time, you both internally knew that it was the perfect excuse to spend some good times together.

Once the trying on was done, you still had a couple hours to wait before the beginning of the party. Padme had a few meetings to attempts with others senators until then. You didn’t had anything much to do, so after dressing yourself back into your usual clothes, you decided to go visit General Kenobi and Commander Cody, who you knew were just back from their last mission.

You didn’t get the time to see them yet since they returned, but you heard from Anakin that the mission had been a success, and that only a few and minor injuries were reported. It was a really reassuring news, for you were spending most of your time with Obi Wan’s battalion, and just like him, you grew very fond of these men. Especially Cody. You couldn’t help but worry about them when they had to go on a mission without you, like for this one.

When you entered the aircraft hangar, you soon met a few troopers who greeted you warmly and told you that their superiors were in the commanding room debriefing the mission. When you entered it, Obi Wan was the first to notice you, smiling at you instantly.

“Hello there (Y/N) ! I knew that you were going to find us soon !”

Cody rose his head from the table to look at you, and his face seemed to suddenly enlighten when he saw you.

“Hey” he gently addresses you with a soft smile.

“Hey ! I’m so glad to see you ! It seems like an eternity since the last time you’ve been here … I heard that the mission was a success, congratulations ! I hope you’re planning on celebrating that !”

The cheerful remark made the two men chuckle.

“The news is fast to spread as I see !” the jedi amusingly replies, knowing perfectly well from where you got the information.

“Yeah, of course we’re gonna celebrate ! We have at least three days off until the last departure, and our men really deserve to take a break and relax.” The Commander was looking at you in the eyes, and his voice was reflecting his relief to be back from that mission safe and sound. And most of all, he was glad to finally be reunited with you.

“But first,” he adds in a more bored tone, “for the two of us, there’s plenty of paper work to do, that report is gonna be a long one, and I don’t know when we’re gonna finish it …”

“Actually, not today Commander.” Obi Wan suddenly interrupts him, starring at him with an insistent and meaningful look.

“Ah, yes, obviously ! I nearly forgot about that !”

They soon noticed your confused expression, to which the jedi answered with a grin.

“We heard that a party was hosted at the Senate tonight, and we also heard that you were taking part of it, for a professional purpose, of course.”

Your raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, the news is really fast spreading, indeed” you mumble, knowing perfectly from where it was coming from as well.

“Oh, you noticed that too ?” he sarcastically lets out before pursuing, ”It’s gonna be a really big event, and since most of the Senators will be gathered here in the same place, the Chancellor asked a part of the 501st to support the Senate’s guards. I’ll be there too. We’re not allowed to enter the ballroom where the party will be hosted nor the main access corridor, but we’ll be all around the building and the senator’s quarters to ensure that no unexpected visitor could break inside. We will watch over the senators and escort them to the main hall, but not after that point. We’re gonna need to be discreet to not bother our guests.”

“I’ve always wondered why they are so uneasy around jedis and clones …” you whisper to yourself.

“Cody and Anakin will escort you and Padme from her quarters to the main hall.” he adds, “You’ll wear an earpiece in case you’ll need to contact them, they’ll stay near in case of something happen or you’ll need help. The Chancellor still gave us the permission to step in if something go wrong.”

“Great then, we have nothing to worry about with these two courageous men by our side !” you say, looking at Cody with a teasing smile.

His eyes widened and he blushed slightly, looking away quickly from you as a little nervous laugh escaped his mouth.

Then, you got closer from Obi Wan, and mutter in his ear quietly enough for Cody not to hear.

“Let me guess, Anakin volunteered for that, didn’t he ?”

Of course, he did, you knew him well enough to know that, and you knew about him and Padme for a long time now.

In fact, Obi-Wan and Rex knew too, probably half of the Jedi Order had noticed it, and you were pretty sure that a lot more people were suspecting something. You couldn’t blame them, they were two of your best friends, and the last thing you wanted was to cause them trouble. You knew the Jedi Code like the back of your hand, but after all, they weren’t doing anything bad, and they seemed happy together, and that was the only thing that really mattered to you. Plus, you knew way too well that not getting attached was a hard thing to do.

“Well”, he mutters back, “they both volunteered.”

It was your turn to widen your eyes. You briefly glanced at Cody, who didn’t seem to understand what it was all about.

“Ho really …” you muffle, looking back at a mocking jedi who apparently found your surprised expression very funny, “that’s great” you add, trying not to look too flustered.

Yes, not getting attached was very hard, even for a jedi. Obi-Wan had learned it the hard way in the past, and he couldn’t help but unconsciously notice the little signs of growing attachment in anybody he was close too by now. The little exchanged glances and smiles, the little attentions, the complicity … He could sense the worries and the fondness for one another, the bonds getting stronger. He witnessed friendships turning to love many times. He was very good at feeling that kind of things.

So of course, he knew for a long time that something was eventually going to happen between Cody and you.

“Well, I have to go, I need to meet the council, they want to see me before tonight.” He turns toward the officer, ”Commander, I’ll join you in your office later, we’ll still have time to at least start that report before your special mission !”, then he looks at you with a teasing smile, “(y/n), I’ll see you tonight, I can’t wait to see you in civilian clothes !”

“Yeah, it’s gonna be a real special occasion for sure !” you laugh, ”See you later !”

He greeted you with a nod before escaping the room, leaving you and Cody alone.

The clone quickly turned toward you with a questioning look, getting closer in an instant.

“What exactly did you whispered to him before ?” he asks with curiosity.

“Ho, nothing, just jedi’s things …”

“Yeah, jedi’s things, of course …” he repeats suspiciously, not buying it.

“Hey,” you let out after a moment, in a more serious yet soft tone, ”how are you ? That mission was a long one, you must be exhausted …”

“It was long, indeed”, he sighs, “but I’ll be fine. As long as my men are safe, everything will be fine now.”

“Are you sure it’s gonna be okay for tonight ? I mean, it’s gonna end very late, and waiting here for hours will be exhausting too … You can still ask to stay in your quarters, you know. The 501st and the Coruscant Guards will be here, and I’m sure that Obi Wan will understand, he could replace you … Maybe you should take some rest, you deserve it too.”  

Although you now knew that he volunteered, you were still worried about him. He looked tired, and you didn’t want to make it worse.

“It’s gonna be okay, don’t worry. As the General said, we have a couple of days off to rest, and nothing except some paper work to do tomorrow. I’ll be able to sleep for the entire morning, and even for the next one if I want !”, he tries to reassure you, “Plus, I don’t want to miss out the opportunity of witnessing your theatrical skills at playing the senator’s handmaid !” he adds with a mischievous grin.

“Stop making fun of me, I didn’t ask for any of that, and I’m sure that your “theatrical skills” are no better than mine anyway ...” you grumble, rolling your eyes and feigning annoyance.

“You’re right”, he chuckles, “I’ll be completely frightened if I were you, but I know that you’re gonna make it, and I’m sure that you’re gonna look great wearing something else than those robes ...” his grin has turned into a fond smile as he was speaking, and the feeling of his gaze settled on you made your heart beat faster.

“Well, thanks, I hope so …” you briefly answer, praying for your cheeks not to start blushing too much.

When you left the commanding room soon after, your chest was pondering with a mix of nervousness and excitation. You couldn’t help but replay his words about your evening’s outfit over and over again in your head. You were impatient for him to see you in that dress, but at the same time, it was making you very anxious and self-conscious. What if you weren’t that good looking you thought ? And what if he’ll find it disappointing ?

As you were trying to get rid of those poisoning thoughts, you didn’t notice the long and desirous look that Cody was sending your way as you passed the door. Whatever you were going to wear this evening, he knew that you will be beautiful anyway.

***

There were now just a couple minutes left until the moment you were supposed to attempt to the party. Padme and you were finishing to prepare yourselves, adjusting your clothes, styling your hair and applying some makeup on. You had never been one for the makeup before. Although the eccentric dresses had always intrigued you, makeup wasn’t that appealing to you. But Padme did a great job at corrupting you into at least wearing some mascara and lipstick, to accentuate your “beautiful lips and expressive eyes” as she said, and you absolutely bought it, allowing her to apply those on you herself.

You were looking at you in the mirror, fully dressed up and ready to go, when a knock ringed against the door. You jumped in surprise and felt your heart starting to race, thinking about what was waiting for you on the other side. About who, more precisely.

“Come in !” Padme’s joyful voice answers the knock, causing the door to immediately half open, revealing a smiling Anakin.

“Are you ready, Senator ?” he asks, trying to sound as formal as possible, but still wearing a smitten look on his face at the sight of his beloved.

“Yes, we’re ready ! Just a minute, please !” The door closed again as she came toward you, gently settling her hands on your shoulders, squeezing them slightly in a reassuring gesture.

“There’s no need to be nervous, you’re beautiful ! I know you’re supposed to be on a mission, but you still have the right to enjoy the night, you know.” Her smile was so warm and kind that it instantly made you feel better.

“Thank you, Padme, I’ll try !” you chuckle.

“Great then, if you don’t mind following me ...” she offered you her arm with a wink, and you took it without hesitation.

“Ready ?” she asks, a hand on the doorknob.

“Ready !” you let out enthusiastically, taking a deep breath.

The door opened in a muffled swoosh, showing a couple of blue armored clones forming a guard of honor on both side of the corridor. Your eyes widened at the view, and you looked around you in surprise. You weren’t expecting that much attention. In addition of the troopers were, on the right, near you, Obi-Wan and Rex, and on your left, near Padme, Anakin and Cody.

Your eyes instinctively went in search for each other’s, and when they met, everything and everyone that was around you seemed to disappear. It was so intense that you could nearly feel his look piercing thought your skin, for he was devouring you with his gaze right now, completely mesmerized by your gorgeousness.

Obi-Wan’s voice pulled you out of your thoughts when he called your name, and you barely catched it up on time to answer him without looking too distracted.

“ … right, (y/n) ?”

“Yes, of course !” you nod, without even minding what he was talking about, breaking the eyes contact with his Commander.

“Great then, everything is on point, let’s escort you to that party, Senator !”

He opened the way, leading the group toward the main hall. You threw a last look at Cody, that he returned with a soft and encouraging smile, before putting his helmet back on, just in time to cover the heavy blush that was starting to appear on cheeks.

You went down the corridor in a cheerful and relaxed atmosphere, and even if you were all trying to keep it as professional as possible, you still caught a few fond looks between Padme and Anakin, not knowing that, carefully hidden under his bucket, Cody was sending you the exact kind of enamored glances.

“That’s where we leave you.” Obi Wan says when you reached the entrance of the hall. “You’re in charge now, (y/n)”, he told you, looking at you right in the eyes, ”you know what to do if anything happen.”

“Of course I do, General Kenobi !” you mockingly exclaim, causing him to roll his eyes.

“I should have asked Padme to keep an eye in you instead of the contrary.” he teases. You only answered was a tongue out, which made everyone around you cackle. It had always been that way between the two of you, teasing and affectionately bothering each other.

Cody internally flinched at your bold gesture, wondering what it would be like to taste your lips, if only he could try right now ... But he couldn’t, so he just bites his own instead, trying to brush off all the unholy thoughts suddenly taking over his mind.

As you headed toward the entrance of the ball room, both you and him were thinking about the same thing : the moment when the event will finally be over and when you could see each other again.

***

The party was amazing, it was like entering a whole new world, and you were doing your best to act as natural as possible with the other guests. Even if socializing never really was your thing, you still managed to have lots of very interesting conversations with very interesting people during the evening.

But the most important thing to you was that nothing appeared to be threatening Padme’s safety. And by the end of the night, when everyone was starting to go back to their quarters, you were among the last ones to still be here.

As you and the Nabooian crossed the main hall again to head toward the corridor leading to her room, you soon caught a glimpse of a jedi’s robe and a clone’s armor waiting for you just around the corner.

“Hello there !”, you greet them enthusiastically, “Where are the other ?”

“Rex is out there securing the main entrance of the building, and Obi Wan is watching over the senator’s quarters aisle.” Anakin replies you, “So there’s just the two of us left to escort you now, if you don’t mind !” he adds with a grin.

“Haha, no, I think that will do !”

“So, how was the party ?”

“Well, it was great, nothing strange or suspicious to report, anything happened just as it was supposed to, except that I am a bit thirsty now.” You joke, looking teasingly at Padme, who was a little tipsy from the several glasses she had, while you had to stay sober to keep your reflexes and senses fully functioning.

“Oh, it’s not that late in the night ! You could still try that champagne, there’s plenty left in the Senate’s kitchen, the Chancellor always orders too much drinks for that kind of events, and I’m pretty sure that nobody will notice if a bottle or two goes missing !” she giggles.

“Ho really ? Sounds interesting !” you mischievously commented.

“Sounds like you’re trying to encourage a jedi into stealing from the Republic, Senator.” Anakin lets out with an amused smile.

“Me ? Really ? How dare you ? You know that I’m absolutely incorruptible !” you took a falsely offended expression, giving him the most outraged look that you could possibly do.

“Well, Senator, I think it’s time for me to take you back to your room, don’t you think ?” he then declared, still chuckling from your remark, looking at her with a not so subtle meaningful look.

“Yes, I think you’re right, Ani, I’m starting to feel a bit exhausted to be honest.”

“Commander”, the jedi turns to face Cody, “I let you escort (y/n) to the Temple.”

“Yes sir !” the clone answers, trying not to let his still visible happiness show too much.

As Anakin offered his arm to Padme, he looked at you with a smirk “And please, make sure that she’s not gonna rob the senate’s kitchen on the way !”

You gasped, looking even more insulted “How dare you, again ! What a shame !” you placed your hand on your heart to emphasize your shock, as if his words had awfully hurt you.

They both laughed at your imitation, before wishing you a good night and disappearing behind one of the corridor’s walls.

You smiled as you watch them walk away. They were cute as hell together, you thought.

“So, what do you want to do now ?” a voice pulled you out of your thoughts, “I bet you don’t really want to go back to the Temple already, don’t you ?”

He was right, you weren’t tired, and you still wanted to enjoy what was left of the evening.

“You may be right …” you look at him right in the eyes, grinning, “To be honest, I’ll gladly try that Champagne, don’t you ?”

***

“That city is definitely more beautiful at night …” you sigh, before taking a mouthful from your glass, eyes lost in the field of artificial light spreading in front of you.

After sneaking into the Senate’s kitchen to borrow a bottle, you both agreed to climb to the building’s roof to savor it. It was your idea, for you knew it was the only place where nobody was going to bother you, and the view was spectacular from here.

“I’ve never liked big cities”, you go on, “I’ve always had a hard time dealing with crowds … It’s kind of impressive, right ? Being in the middle of so many people, it’s nearly frightening … I get overwhelmed pretty quickly when I’m surrounded by so many moving bodies …”

“But you appear to be one of the best generals of the GAR at the same time, how surprising … You have to deal with thousands of men on stressful situations, and you’re doing absolutely great, who could imagine that crowds could make you so anxious ?” Cody jokes, looking at you with a playful smirk on his lips.

“Are you making fun of me, Marshal Commander ?” you reply, raising an eyebrow at him, trying to sound as serious as you could.

“Me ? I could never !”

“You di’kut …” you spit, bringing your glass to your lips and turning your attention to the city again.

He started to laugh at your harsh word. He knew it was affectionate.

He took a sip too, eyes still locked on your face. You looked beautiful as ever, just as he expected. He had always found you beautiful, even in a full set of armor, with exhausted features and blood and mud on your face after a battle, even in your large and not suggestive jedi robes, you were always beautiful to him. Whatever situation you appear to be in, you were always the most mesmerizing being he had ever seen.

The alcohol had started to strike at you and you were both feeling dizzy by now. You liked that sensation, it was blissful, and the context made it even more pleasing. It was just the two of you, finally sharing some time alone together with a bottle of one of the best champagnes in the galaxy. What could possibly go wrong ?

A blush passed on his cheeks as he thought about how all of this could end if he was courageous enough to make the first move. But he quickly shook his head, pushing the idea away. He may have been brave enough to lead an army, but that kind of things was beyond his abilities. Plus, the possibility that his feelings could not be mutuals was scaring him.

“You okay ?” you ask after noticing his flinch.

“Yes !”, he answers with all the composure he could gather, “Of course I am, I couldn’t have whish for a more perfect way to end that night !”

You looked at him with a sympathetic smile on your face. He sounded nervous, and you noticed that something seemed off with him since you were on that roof, but you put the blame on the alcohol and his tiredness.

“Well, you’re right, and the best thing about it is that the night is far from being over.” You whisper, making him blush even more.

A silence fell upon you as you both stared at the wall of buildings in front of you. The night wasn’t usually that dark due to the various street and traffic lights, but the Senate’s roof was high enough to be above the light pollution that was blurring the sky. It was bright enough so you could see each other, but still very dimmed, creating an intimate atmosphere around you.

As you were both pouring yourselves another glass, while cheerfully relating to each other your silliest and funniest mission’s stories, Cody couldn’t stop to think about what you had just said right before, not sure about the implied meaning of it.

Was that an invitation ? An encouragement to make his first move ? Or just a meaningless remark stating the fact that it wasn’t, indeed, that late in the night ?

When another silence grew between you, his heart started to race in his chest. He couldn’t take it anymore, and with a little help from the disinhibition caused by the alcohol, a sudden rush of courage hit him. “Kriff it” he thought, for it probably was his only opportunity to try something without being disturbed by anyone else.

Ignoring his apprehensiveness, he slowly stretched his arm toward your hand, that was settled on the floor and on which you were leaned on, your other hand being busy with your glass. He did his best to stay furtive, only throwing little side glances your way without turning his head. And even though you felt that something was about to happen, you kept your eyes locked on the horizon, your own heart slowly starting to beat faster in anticipation.

He hesitated for a second, trying to keep his ragged breathing and trembling limbs as steady as possible, before finally crossing the remaining gap. It was only a slight brush at first at the tip of one of your fingers, and it was still possible to go back, still possible to pretext a clumsy movement if you ever came to ask him about it.

You had fully noticed the contact, but you couldn’t move, completely frozen on spot, waiting for what could happen next, desperately hoping for it to not be a bad move.

Another brush met your skin, but this time, his fingers stayed on yours. Now he knew he couldn’t turn back anymore, and with a strike of confidence, he started to gently caress the back of your hand.

Your eyes were still lost on the city, but they couldn’t see anything anymore, for you were deeply focused on the sensation, overwhelmed by the feeling of his touch.

Still without saying a word, he slowly took your hand in his, squeezing it softly. You carefully squeeze it back and time seemed to instantly stop. Nothing else but the warmth of his hand on yours mattered to you anymore in that instant.

It took you a few moments and a deep breath to overcome your shyness and find the courage to look at him. When you met his eyes, they were glowing, and you suddenly felt like if he was staring at your very soul.

You were only a couple inches away from each other, and without a warning, he leaned toward you, closing that space to gently place his lips on yours. Your eyes widen in surprise before closing as you answered the kiss.

All you could do when your lips parted was to look at him in awe, stunned and a bit lost, not really sure if what had just happened was real. You both stayed quiet for a while, unable to move at first, awkwardness and embarrassment plastered on his blushing face as he was suddenly realizing what he had just done.

Without taking your eyes off of him and without really thinking about it, you slowly settled your glass on the ground to free your other hand and wrapped your arm around his neck, pulling him in for another kiss.

You felt a relieved sigh escaping from him as he instinctively slid his arm around your waist, pulling your body closer to his. It was more intense this time, and you both made it last longer than the first one, savoring every second of it like if you were afraid that it could never happen again.

He only broke it when he came out of breath, panting and the beating of his heart ringing through his ears. Then he rested his forehead against your, looking at you with sparks in his eyes like if he was looking at the most precious thing in the whole galaxy.

“Did I told you how beautiful you are in this dress ?” he softly whispers.

“Thank you …” you mutter, felling the heat raising to your face.

“Can I tell you a secret ?” he then nervously asks.

“Of course, you know you can tell me anything.”

“I’ve been waiting for that moment for months to be honest … But I wasn’t sure about how you’ll react, I was afraid that every little thing I’ve took as signs of affection toward me were just you being the kind and thoughtful person you are … But still, a part of me wanted to believe that maybe, just maybe, there was chance that it could be more than that, more than just friendship between us, so … I wanted to ask you, was I wrong about it ? Did I misread the signs ?”

His fear of rejection was so strong that it was palpable through the air, and it was breaking your heart.

“No, you didn’t …” you whisper, “To be fair, I was hoping for all of this to happen someday too, but I didn’t know how to make you understand it. I’ve never been very good at expressing my feelings so … I’m sorry if I failed to deliver the message correctly !” you chuckle anxiously.

“But now that I got the opportunity, I think that I need to tell it to you once and for all …”, you paused, gathering your courage, before going on with a shy and trembling voice, “ I … I love you, Cody, and I may not know how to show it properly, but I don’t want you to doubt it anymore.”

He gasps at your answer, emotion taking over him and overwhelming his tipsy brain. He couldn’t say anything, but instead, he leaned toward you and crashed his mouth against yours once more. His whole body was shaking, and his embrace was tight and warm around you.

“I love you too, mesh’la, more than anything !” He finally breathes out with watery eyes and a wide enamored smile on his beautiful face.

You stayed on the roof for one more hour at least, cuddling and kissing in the fresh night air, before he invited you to spend the rest of the night with him in his personal quarters at the GAR building.

You didn’t hesitate a second before accepting his proposition. You weren’t the only one to not sleep at the temple anyway, and you knew that nobody will notice your absence. That undercover mission had been a real challenge for you and you were both exhausted by now, but it was worth it.

You weren’t expecting the event to turn out that way, but after all, he was right, that night couldn’t have ended better than that.

[hrefna-the-raven]

Another friendly one?

Masterlist

Words: 1215

Summary: Eskel learns the difference between an unusual and friendly mount and a beast

Notes: after ignoring this WIP for almost a year, I finally finished it 😅 while writing this, I had Netflix!Eskel in mind, because 🥵🔥 but he has the soft personality of Game!Eskel, because let's be fair here, Netflix did our witcher dirty in their show

Eskel had been on the road for days, Scorpio carrying him through the vast meadows. The sun had begun its descent, casting a warm golden hue across the landscape. Just as he was about to end his search for the perfect place to set up a camp for the night, he saw something unexpected, a huge griffin landing gracefully on the meadow next to his path, ruffling its majestic raven feathers and mane. Intrigued and cautious by how careless and relaxed it seemed to be, Eskel dismounted from his horse, his silver sword drawn, gleaming in the fading sunlight. He knew he had to be prepared for anything, so he slowly crept closer to the beast, trying to steady his breath and relying on his heightened witcher senses. With each step, he mentally prepared himself to unleash his magic as a last resort. Ten meters away, Eskel steadied himself, his sword poised to strike, held firmly in his grip. In one swift motion, he sprinted towards the creature, his eyes fixed on its powerful wings and razor-sharp claws. But just as he was about to launch his attack, a sudden surge of a potent spell struck him, sending him sprawling backward through the air.

Confused and disoriented, Eskel struggled to regain his bearings. And then, a commanding voice pierced through the air, demanding attention.

"No!" a female voice shouted, "Talon is my mount, not a monster!"

Eskel looked up to find you standing beside the griffin. Your bright amber eyes were filled with concern and frustration as you defended your companion, your hand holding your own sword tight, ready to draw it if needed. Talon, seemingly intrigued by the commotion, looked from Eskel to you and back again, its eyes filled with a mix of curiosity and confusion before finally slumping down in a curled up position and closed its eyes.

The witcher's initial confusion turned into a mix of awe and admiration. He had encountered countless beasts but this encounter was unlike any other. The usual ferocity he had expected was replaced by a surprising harmony between the griffin and you. Silent questions swirled within Eskel's mind. Who were you and why in the name of Melitele's tits did you ride upon a creature typically feared and hunted? What kind of bond did you share that enabled such a display of trust and friendship? Eskel rose from his position, sheathing his silver sword and calling for Scorpio while cautiously approaching you, his palms raised.

"I mean you no harm", he stated calmly, "I just sought to protect, I'm-"

"A witcher", you interrupted him, earning a chuckle from Eskel.

"Is it that obvious?"

You affectionately stroked the griffin's head before continuing to unpack, preparing to establish a small camp for the night.

"You tried to attack a grown griffin so there are only two options", you smirked, glancing at him, "you're either an idiot or a witcher."

"Well I suppose I should be grateful that I don't look like an idiot", Eskel laughed, "I'm Eskel."

You playfully curtsied before the witcher, theatrically announcing your name with an air of mock elegance.

"Formidable huntress, whether with a blade or through magic", you chuckled as you conjured some firewood and ignited it, "care to join me for the night?", you offered.

Eskel felt the heat rising in his cheeks, shifting uncomfortably on his feet as his hand anxiously rubbed at his neck.

"I meant set up camp here together", you said with a playful grin, finding amusement in his understanding, "it's safer that way."

The witcher let out a sigh of relief. He couldn't deny your beauty but he knew better than to take chances, especially after he'd gotten his ugly scars in the face. He had learned from painful experience that passionate encounters, if not paid for, often led to feelings of disappointment and sadness the following morning. As he was about to remove his swords from his back and set up his sleeping bag next to the fire, the griffin suddenly perked up, its head lifting in agitation as it peered into the surrounding darkness. A piercing cry shattered the stillness of the night, growing louder and closer as another griffin, larger and more imposing, descended onto the meadow.

"Another friendly one?", Eskel asked hesitantly.

"Oh no no no", you exclaimed, raising your hand and tracing a symbol before releasing a blazing fireball towards the ferocious creature, "not friendly, not friendly!", you shouted as you swiftly darted towards the left, signalling Talon to stand back.

Eskel stumbled backwards, unsheathing his sword and sprinting towards the right, attempting to outmaneuver the menacing beast. With swift reflexes, he leaped aside, narrowly avoiding the razor-sharp claws. The griffin, with its magnificent wingspan and piercing eyes, had clearly marked Eskel as its prey. The witcher's piercing blue eyes locked with the griffin's fierce stare, a silent challenge between predator and prey. He conjured a swirling vortex of fire, hurling it towards the griffin with a thunderous scream.

Sensing an opportunity, you charged from the opposite side. Distracted by Eskel's attacks, you managed to clash your sword into the griffin's side, digging it deep into its flesh as it screamed in pain. The creature fought back with unmatched strength, lashing out with its beak and talons that you barely managed to dodge by casting a protective spell.

Eskel and you fought valiantly, blow after blow, spell after spell, the battle raged on until the beast's once-mighty wings faltered and it let out a final, guttural cry. The creature, exhausted and defeated, collapsed onto the grass, its life force fading away. Exhausted from the ordeal, you made your way back to the warmth of the crackling fire. As you glanced over at the witcher, a silent understanding passed between you, assuring each other that neither of you had been harmed. In response, he offered you a reassuring smile, prompting you to truly take in his appearance for the first time. There he stood, tall, his ripped and bloodstained tunic clinging to his chest as he breathed slowly, the flickering flames danced across his scarred face, casting a soft glow. His wavy brown hair was haphazardly tied at the back of his head, while his piercing blue eyes seemed to radiate with an inner light. Despite the deep scars that marred his face, he possessed an undeniable beauty that remained untouched and you quickly averted your gaze back to your backpack. After searching around, your hands eventually located the object of your desire. 

"Let's share", you offered, presenting a bottle of exquisite wine to the weary witcher. 

"Talk about impeccable timing after an intense battle," he laughed, taking a generous swig from the bottle before returning it.

"You know," you said, giving him a quick glance and a warm smile forming at the edges of your lips, "I can't help but wonder if the tales I heared about witchers were entirely accurate."

"About us being mutants, monsters, snatching children away, and never being satisfied?" Eskel inquired, attempting to mask a hint of sadness in his tone.

"Yes, although," you playfully nudged his arm, "I must admit, I'm not entirely convinced about the last one. Perhaps that particular rumour could benefit from a more thorough examination."

[thikkiesixx]

Eddie Munson Fic Recommendations

I have so many fics in my likes and i really just wanna share my favorite ones with you guys.

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** means smut, if it doesnt have ** before the summary, theres no smut.

Multipart Fics~ most are still ongoing

junie baby ~ summary:  you’re a single mom living three trailers down. eddie thinks you’re the prettiest girl he’s ever seen. queue smiley face oatmeal, grossly misused power tools, desserts on the living room floor, a haircut, and an abundance of nerd metaphors. written by @luveline (i am so obsessed with this one it hurts, everything by this writer is so good.)

tear you apart ~ **summary: He knew every single button to push to piss you off. He was arrogant, obnoxious, and impossible. You were cold, unavailable - a nightmare. So why couldn’t you keep your hands off each other? written by @idiot-parade

seeing stars ~ **summary: A new girl with a mysterious air to her and a questionable past comes to Hawkins. She’s armed with a gauntlet of jewelry and the sharpest wit Eddie’s ever come across. After a chance encounter at a party, Eddie becomes a bit smitten with her. The problem is, she’s an unreadable brick wall when she’s sober. Will Eddie’s attentive persistence help him break down the walls she’s put up to protect herself from not getting hurt? Or will Eddie be the one who ends up with wounds to hide? A story about learning lessons the hard way when it comes to letting people in. Vulnerability and honesty will always be rewarded. Even if it doesn’t feel that way at first. written by @boogiewrites (personal fav, the smut is so good, and its so well written.)

take me on ~ summary: Your first day at Hawkins High sees you paired up on an English assignment with the apparently infamous Eddie Munson. With a heart still aching from the circumstances of your move, you eventually come to find that this unexpected partner of yours might be exactly what you’d been needing. written by @softmetalhead

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One-shots

move me, baby ~ **summary: Cheer tryouts are right around the corner. A wrench in his plans makes Eddie see you in a new light. He just hopes others haven’t noticed too. 6.7k words. written by @cryptidcasanova

do it yourself ~ ** summary: about how fucking sexy mechanic!eddie is and how he’d be a greasy mess and would either not want to get you dirty and have you do everything or he wouldn’t care and get you so so messy. 2.4k words. written by @maladaptive-day-dreams (im a whore for mechanic!eddie)

dumplin' ~ summary: : the stress of a new baby has your relationship at the worst it’s ever been, and eddie’s past childhood is worrying him sick about becoming a father. written by @rainylana

"looks like im going to prom" ~ **summary: he doesn’t want to go. he thinks you don’t either, until he catches you staring off into the distance with that look in your eye. written by @rainylana

"do you want to have sex" ~ **summary: after a long day of pointless arguments and a game of who has the biggest balls?, you find yourself face first into pillows and hands tied to a headboard. written by @rainylana (obviously i like this writer, good shit there)

so what is wrong with another sin ~ **summary: a random hookup at a bar that you haven’t been able to stop thinking about makes another appearance in your life in the most unexpected way. 6.4k. written by @augustslippedavvay

baby, when i think about you, i think about love ~ summary: you surprise eddie with tickets to see his favorite band live. 2.5k words. written by @augustslippedavvay

not alone tonight ~ summary: Life's weighing down on you more than it ever has before, but it's the middle of the night and there's only one person and revelation capable of easing your mind. 3.5k. written by @majestyeverlasting

downpour ~ summary: Eddie had been in love with you since the summer before freshman and came up with a perfect way to confess to you the summer after graduation. Too bad there's a rain storm coming. 3.5k words. written by @siempre-bucky

menace ~ summary: Telling a guy at a party that you have a boyfriend doesn't seem to deter him. Probably because that guy is your boyfriend and you're too drunk to realize. 4k words. written by @retrobutterflies

velvet kisses ~ summary: Your shitty job has you turning to your almost-boyfriend for help, making both of you admit the full extent of your feelings. 4k words. written by@ retrobutterflies

dead channels ~ summary:  Eddie finds dead channels on a walkie-talkie to vent about his feelings and everything he goes through. One day, you happen to stumble upon his frequency. 11k words. written by @robiin-buckley

outloud ~ summary: When you and Robin pass notes in class about Eddie Munson, the teacher calls you both out for it, confiscating the notes. To make matters worse, she reads the notes out loud catching the attention of the very special freak. written by@ iheartyouyou

good boy ~ **summary: good boy: she’s the girl next door. eddie is the metalhead freak who’s just barely clearing his name after a whole town fiasco. opposites attract but certainly not like this, and certainly not in the back of eddie’s van. 7k words. written by @peterthepark

insatiable girl (pt 2 of good boy) ~ **summary: following the events of good boy, eddie finds himself conflicted about your relationship. when he catches a case of the jealousy bug, eddie just has to show you how much you actually mean to him. written by @peterthepark

wrapped around your finger ~ **summary: when you see something you weren’t supposed to jealously pays you a visit. eddie can’t believe what’s gotten into his usually quiet girlfriend, but he has no problem reminding you that he’s yours. 7k words. written by @lilacletter

new sensation ~ summary: The flirty friendship you’ve always had with roommate!Eddie is threatened when a game of spin the bottle gets a little out of hand. Bed sharing, mutual pining, light angst, fluff, everyone is 21+. 8.4k words. written by @darkdarkroom (roommate!eddie is my FAVORITE trope, hits every single time.)

thick with desire ~ **summary: When your boyfriend Eddie’s shirt doesn’t fit, you start to feel like you don’t deserve him. But Eddie is having none of it, not when he finally gets to see how beautiful you are. 7k words. written by @gothbitchshit

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i have so many more if anyone would be interested in another post like this, like i said, ive read HUNDREDS of them LMAO.

[raccoonfallsharder]

nemotia.⋆☁︎ :･꧂ preview [est feb 29] ✩

18+ only | rocket x f!oc | 1/?? | wip | word count: pending.

She sits with them and presses the heels of her hands deeper into her eyes, and she tries to imagine the scent of the flowers, the feel of the grass between her fingers and toes. She traces the letters and the tops of the stones, smooth and sharp-edged.  And then, on the back of one bare shoulder, she feels that burn again: hot, scalding. Before she can even look around, the escaped wisps of curls at the nape of her neck suddenly shift. Her head snaps up and she whirls on one hip, nearly falling off the edge of the bed. “Who’s there?” Maybe no-one, she reasons — but if that’s the case, there’s also no-one to mock her for her fear. She knows she looks afraid: eyes big in her face, lips parted. She should hide it. She should. Instead, she holds her breath, and waits, but only the thunder answers in the dark. Then the light shifts on the floor, and she realizes the rain sounds different. She tears her eyes from the dark corners. The window is open. How? She’d traced every edge, looking for a crack or crevice, a lock, a lever — but now it’s open, swinging lightly on its hinges. Fear unfurls in her chest, and it’s so warm that she presses her icy fingers to her sternum automatically. “Who’s there?” she repeats, and her voice trembles. Thunder again, rumbling — but this time, when it fades, another sound remains behind: a chuckle, dark and low. Dark and low, and very, very close. Her head snaps toward the sound, and she catches the flash of something out of the corner of her eye. “Were you watching me earlier?” she asks, and that fear licks out from her sternum to the edges of her ribs, down to her shoulders and hips. “You shouldn’t be here. It isn’t—” It isn’t safe, she had been about to say — but then something grazes between her shoulderblades, like a paintbrush on her skin. Her head whips to follow it and she twists, eyes wide, lungs desperately trying to haul in air like stones up a mountainside. “You can’t — don’t touch me. It’s—” Dangerous. Another flick of the terrifyingly-soft thing again, on the back of her hand this time.  Something is moving around her in the dark. Something is stalking her. What to do? The door is locked. The closet is an open mouth of blackness in one wall, but she can’t barricade a sliding door. The open window had been a nice fantasy and she’s not ruling it out, but her curiosity is at war with her fear and she wants, more than anything, to make sure this creature or person gets out.  She knots her fist in the draping silk, gaze sifting through the shadows. Another flash of something her eyes can’t follow. She rises slowly to her feet, and reaches for the candle, and lifts it high. For a moment, there’s nothing. And then, in the dark shadows at the corner of the room, two perfect points of brilliant red gleam in the darkness: flat glowing coins, clouded with crimson. Twin blood-moons. Eyes.

chapter one [est 2/29] ✩

꧁･:☁︎ ⋆. cicatrix .⋆☁︎ :･꧂

wyndham’s bride lands on counterearth in time to prepare for her wedding. an unexpected guest arrives. warnings: discussion of non-sexual child abuse and grooming. brief mentions of suicidal ideations. animal/pet death. canon-typical violence.

inspired by mary shelley’s frankenstein; or, the modern prometheus. a freakish little monster visits the high evolutionary’s bride on her wedding night. an adventure of intergalactic proportions ensues. aka raccoons make plans; the universe laughs. 

enemies-to-lovers (as per frickin’ usual, only one of these idiots think they’re enemies, and tbh the enemy part is pretty short-lived.) while the beginning of this fic is dark (please check warnings for each chapter), we always get happy endings here. most chapters will contain super-smutty commentary at the very least. this fic is a longform expansion on wyndham; or, the galactic prometheus (day 31) of °˖✧♡kinktober 2023.

much like Window Across the Galaxy ✧*:･ﾟ , this fic is pure wish-fulfillment. i'd like a sexy space raccoon to rail me and then let me be stupid-sweet to him.

WARNING for dubcon/hate-sex (at the beginning), mentions of childhood grooming & abuse (no CSA), and brief suicidal ideations. please pay attention to all ao3 warnings/tags for every chapter.

if you’d like to join my fanfiction taglist, please comment or send me a message or ask! ♡

some explicit statements or references ✩ abbreviated explicit sequences ❤︎ detailed/prolonged explicit sequences ❤︎❤︎

[anna-thesimp]

My love is mine all mine: Valentines day special (Late!)

Valentines Day was today and lots of couples came into the bistro. Vince put out a special for today and it was about the only thing sold that day. Once the bistro closed Vince was making sure everything was put in place.

  "Doing anything special today?" Rody was still here whichever shock Vincent but his expression didn't change.

  "No I'm not, you doing anything?" Vince was genuinely curious, but the tone and his face expression said otherwise.

  "I would, but my girl isn't picking up the phone, so I won't today." Vine thought for a second, but his words spilled out his mouth before realizing it.

  "Come over to my place for Valentines day."

  "What?" Vince tried to come up with something to cover up his awkwardness. Thank God his face was turned away from Rody, a splash of was on his cheeks.

  "This day isn't the best day be alone, and its your birthday, so come over to my place." Hopefully Rody didn't notice the nervousness in Vince's voice.

  "Sure what time?"

  "7 sharp."

  "Got it seen you then!" Rody's smiled left the building, pink was slapped back on Vince's cheek.

  Get yourself together Vincent you shouldn't act like this!

  He then left to go to his apartment.

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6:59. Vince wore an all black outfit, his hair looked slicked back. Then a knocked on his door, Vince went to open it and there was Rody, he looked out of breath, and wearing his casual outfit.

  "Did...I....make....it?" Vince looked at the time.

7 o'clock

  "Barley, Idiot, get inside." Rody step in and shut the door behind him.

  "I made some meatloaf, if you want anything." Vince nod his head to the meatloaf on the counter. Rody passed on it.

The two sat in awkward silence.

  "What do you usually do on your birthday?" Vince tried to break the awkwardness.

  "I would go out with my girlfriend for dinner and just talk with her." Vince face looked a little pissed.

  "Anything else?"

  "Oh! We dance! Have you ever danced Vince?" Rody's question answered with a head shake, there was a sad look on the gingers face.

Rody got up and looked around the apartment and saw a record player and looked at the Albums.

  "Do you mind?"

  "Not at all." Vince poured a glass of wine. Rody grab and album and carefully pulled out the record and set it carefully on the player. Then her put the little hand on the record as music plays.

(Play song here)

Rody walks over to Vince and put his hand out.

  "May I?" Vince felt the blood rush to his cheeks but it didn't appear that much. Putting his glass down and took Rody's hand..it felt warm as the sun, Vince's hand felt cold and freezing.

  "I'll take the lead in this one ok?" One hand was in Vince's, others on Vince's hip. Vince's hand was on Rody's shoulder. They started doing a waltz as Rody leads Vince's body.

"One-two-three, one-two-three," Rody counts in his head. The two were barely touching the ground at this point. Vince was shocked how good Rody was at dancing. Out of nowhere Rody Spins Vince's body like it was nothing Rody's laughter filled the air.

Baster. Vince had a smile on his face as he was drop to the ground again, clearly dizzy Rody held onto Vince, their faces where inches apart.

  "You good?" Rody double checks on Vince just to make sure he was ok.

  "Promise not to quit after I do this."

  "What?"

Cold lips found a pair of warm lips.

If it wasn't perfect nothing was at that moment. Vince hand cuped Rody's cheek as they pressed their lips against eachother. Unexpected Rody was push back into the couch a small chuckle left Rody's lips.

  "Do you wanna continue?" Vince immediately placed his Lips back on Rody's for a moment...Nothing matter.

After a few minutes they released eachother from their arms. Sitting back up in the couch Rody and Vince where getting their gasp of air.

  "I made some Cake if you want any." Rody nods as they enjoyed a slice.

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

Fuck. Vince woke up the pink painted on his cheeks. It was just a dream....why did it feel so real?

------ 717 words

Note this chapter is a special and not part my story i just wanted to make it :)