#by liking this post you give me permission to come sliding into your DMs

[honorhearted]

// Plotting call! I have a fair amount of mutuals I've never written with before, so feel free to like this post so we can get something started!

[mavrellover91]

Babies with Seb: Part one

Hey, guys sorry I have been MIA for wow months but life literally turned to shit and I have had to find my creativity again. I hope you enjoy my new series.

Pairing: Sebastian Stan x Female reader

Warning: Agnst, fluff.  Smut flashback:  P in V, unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it, guys). Dirty talk.     

Word count: 3806 (I may have gotton carried away) 

A/N: I give no permission for my work to be copied, translated and or posted anywhere else online.

Oh God, why, oh why did he have to be running in the park this morning? All I wanted was to go for a quick walk in Central Park before it got too hot in the summer sun, but I should have known that with my luck that he would be here. I just stand there as his steel blue eyes move down my body and land on my stomach. Fucking Sebastian Stan is staring at my huge pregnant stomach, thanks to the twins I am currently carrying. After staring at my belly for what seems like forever his eyes flick up to mine with so many questions in them. Fuck why does he have to look so fucking good all sweaty from his run? It has been almost four and a half months since we last saw each other after a night of hot drunk sex that changed my life.                      

 “Y/n…Umm hi”

“Hi Sebastian”

“Is it….” He stops himself from asking the question that he really wants to know as his eyes flick around our surroundings remembering that we are in a public park.

“Do you want to come back to my place?” I offer as I can see that he is uncomfortable about talking about this in the park. “Umm yeah sure, give me a minute” he tells me before running off to a group guys standing off to the side watching us. Fuck, great Don Saladino and their friends are watching us. This just adds another level to this nightmare. I’m not sure why I am so embarrassed by this whole situation I mean I did try to contact Sebastian when I found out I was pregnant but my only opinion was to DM him on Instagram, which I knew wasn’t the best way of contacting him but he didn’t leave me with no other choice. I mean was a drunk one-night stand and I knew that going in. I was lost in my head I did not even notice that Sebastian had run back to me until he was in front of me “lead the way” he tells me as he sweeps his arm in front of me. We start walking back to the closest opening of the park.

 I fight the urge to look around us, to see if anyone is watching us. As we reach the road my luck seems to change as a taxi pulls up and lets a couple out, Sebastian walks ahead and catches the driver's attention before he could pull away. Sebastian holds the door open as I slide in. After climbing in himself I give the driver my address and he takes off. We sit in uncomfortable silence as the driver weaves his way through traffic to get to my place. The driver tried to break the awkwardness by asking how far along I am and went I say four and a half months I feel Sebastian shift in his seat. The driver not understanding how awkward the two of us are being goes on about his wife’s pregnancy. I thank God went we put up to my apartment. Sebastian pulls out his wallet and pays the driver, before opening the door once he gets out, he holds out his hand to help me out. We walk into my building and the elevator. Once we are in my apartment, we just stand there looking at each other waiting for the other one to start talking. “Is it mine?” he asks.

 Wow, I want to get mad at him for asking, even though I knew the question was coming, did he really think that I was that big of a slut that I would jump from one guy to another in a short amount of time? God, I remember telling him that I do not normally do this type of thing. God, I hate one-night stands, just the thought of them leaves me feeling gross. “Yes, they are yours,” I tell him in a tight voice trying hard not to let my emotions get the best of me. “They?” he asks, “twins” I reply. I watch his face as he realises that he is not only going to have one baby with a stranger but two. As if his legs give out on him, he sits down on my couch, the same couch these babies could have been conceived on. God just thinking about it makes me wet stupid pregnancy hormones.

 Remembering how we could keep our hands off each other in the Uber back to mine from the bar, how after closing my front door he pushed me up against it attacking my lips as if he wanted to devour me. I remember how I placed my hands on his chest pushing him back until the back of his legs hit the couch, before giving him one last kiss and pushing him back so that he falls onto the couch. Then standing in between his legs I grabbed the bottom of my dress and pulled it up over my head, letting it fall to the ground leaving me in just my panties. His hands then move to my hips pulling me onto his lap. As I straddled his thighs, I start started rubbing my hot wet core against his hard cock through the layer of our clothes, as his mouth reclaimed mine. I then reached between our bodies, pulled his shirt off and ran my hands over his abs to his pants. Undo them and slide my hand between his body and the waistband of his boxers to wrap my hand around his thick length.

  I remember him moaning into my mouth as I pulled his cock out and started pumping my hand up and down the length of his cock. As his hands roamed over my body down my stomach to my pussy. Pushing my panties to one side he moved me closer to his body. Holding his cock in my hand I moved it up and down my slit collecting my juices before guiding it to my hole. We moaned into each other’s mouths as I slid down his cock until he filled and stretched my pussy. I remembered how I bounced up and down his length as he rubbed my clit. I remember him whispering in my ear how good my pussy felt around his cock, how I was his good girl, how I was his dirty little slut and how he was going to fuck me until I milked him dry. I remember him moaning that he was close and for me to be his good girl and cream on his cock and how as if I were waiting for his permission, I came so hard as he bucked up into me and painted my walls with his cum.

 Shaking my head to get rid of the memories of us together, I walked over to the fridge and grab the ultrasound I had done last week. While at the fridge I grab myself a bottle of water “would you like something to drink” I asked Sebastian. He brought his head up a looked at me for the first time since he sat down, making me wonder if he was also reliving what happened that night. Looking at the bottle of water in my hand he replied, “water would be lovely, thank you.” Grabbing another bottle, I walked back to the couch and sat down next to him placing both the water bottle and the ultrasound photos down in front of him. Sebastian reached for the ultrasound and picked it up looking at them. “How far along are you,” he asked quietly not taking his eyes off the pictures of our children. Swallowing the lump of emotions swelling up inside my chest as a watched staring at the photos “18 weeks and 4 days”. He then looks into my eyes and then down at my bump with longing in his eyes. I grab his hand and place it on my stomach where one of the babies was kicking. His eyes widened and then start to water as he feels the little feet press against my skin. “Wow, that’s amazing.”

 We stay like this for a good 10 minutes laughing and smiling at each other as I move his hand around my stomach as the babies kick. “I must ask...” he says shyly as if he doesn’t want to ruin the moment and risk me being mad “why didn’t you try and contact me?” Moving away from him trying hard not to get mad “I did, I DMed you through Instagram as you didn’t leave a number or anything” I reply. I watch his face as he works through all his emotions. “I do not go on Instagram often and I do not read any of the DMs. Fuck Y/n I am sorry I left the way I did. I should have given you my number I mean we had unprotected sex three times that night” “four” “what?” “We had unprotected sex four times. Once on the couch, twice in my bed and then in the shower,” I tell him. He stares at me and smiles as he remembers that night “your right four times” he starts to laugh. “God that was the best night of my life, I lost count of how many times I came inside you.” “The best night of your life?” I ask in a small shy voice “Yes, baby! The best night of my life and could not stop thinking about you. Hoping we would run into each other again. I even went back to the bar the following weekend hoping that you would be there. God, I wish I had gotten your number. I could have been there from the start instead of missing four months of your pregnancy” I just stare at him not sure what to say or do.

  Tears start rolling down my cheeks “oh baby, please don’t cry” he tells me as he wraps me in his arms bring a hand up to my face wiping the tears off my cheeks “if you will let me, I want to be part of your and our children’s lives. I want to hold your hand at your appointments, I want to help build and decorate the nursery. I want to watch our children come into this world. I want to hold you as you sleep, and most importantly I want to protect all three of you from the horrors of the world.” After he stops talking all I can do is stare at him not sure what to say. I want to jump into his lap, let him hold me and let him be there for me and our children but I am scared to let him in only for him to realise that we are more than he bargained for and then leave me to be a single parent. “Can we take it slow? I mean not too slow?” I say as a wave my hand around my stomach. “I need time and I need you to show me that will stick around and that you not just saying these things in the heat of the moment. You just found out that you are not only going to be a father but a father of twins. You need time to wrap your head around that” I can see in his eyes that he wants to argue but I stop him by saying “I have my 20-week scan in two weeks. Take these two weeks to think about what you want and if that is us come to my appointment and we can figure it out from there.”

  I slide my phone out of my pocket, unlock it, and place it in his hand “put your number in here and I will text you with the details of the appointment” I watch as he puts his number in my phone and then texts himself. “I know you think you want us now but please do take this time to think about what it is that you want. Having children is life-changing, I took time to think about if being a parent is what I wanted, and you also need time as well.” I get up and walk to the door, he also gets up and follows me “I will take the time you think I need and think about everything but know this I will be at that scan, and I will be by your side” he says as he pulls me into his arms and kisses my forehead. As I close the door behind him, I really do hope he means what he said. I text him the appointment details and hope he will show up. He replies see you on the 10th beautiful. Sighing I cannot help but wonder if I just fucked up my only chance of having a family for my children. “I really hope daddy is going to show up,” I tell my children as I rub my hands over my bump.

 Two weeks later I am sitting in the waiting room at my doctor's clinic watching the door hoping Sebastian walks through those doors and is ready to be a father. We texted on and off the last couple of weeks with him checking up on me and the twins. We talked about work and how I was handling working as a PreK teacher. We talked about our families, and how I was handling being so far away from them. It seemed like he did care about me and did want to be part of my life. As the minute until my appointment ticked by, I became increasingly worried that he was not going to show up and that I would once again be doing this all by myself. As the nurse called my name and get up and walk over to her, the front doors burst open and Sebastian runs up to me “I am so sorry I am late, my meeting ran late and then I was stuck in traffic. Please tell me I did not miss it?”

  I stare at him with a big smile on my face pulling him into my arms, telling him “No Seb you are right on time.” The nurse looks a little shocked at who is standing in front of her rubbing his hands over my belly and arms. Pulling herself together she directs us to an exam room where she weights me, takes my blood, asks for a urine sample, and tells us to wait for the doctor. After peeing in the cup and leaving it on the little shelf in the bathroom. I sit down next to Sebastian and just look at him. He is here, he is here sitting next to me as we wait to see our babies. Tears start rolling down my face “Oh y/n baby please do not cry. I cannot stand to see you cry” he tells me as he wraps me up in his arms “their happy tears Seb, I am so happy that you are here. I thought that you decided that you did not want us when you were not here before the appointment” I cry into his shirt leaving tear strains on the front of it.

 “Oh, baby there is nowhere else I would rather be than here with you. I am sorry I could not be here earlier like I wanted to be, but this morning was a shit show meeting with my management team and a director for this new project that we have been trying off the ground” he starts rambling on nervously. “It’s ok you are here now and that is all that matters,” I tell him as I lean into him placing my hand on his cheek. Turning his face and pressing his lips into my palm “wild horses couldn’t keep me away.” He places one of his hands on my neck and the other behind my head bringing his lips to mine as he kisses me lightly as if the check my reaction just as I open my lips to deepen the kiss the door opens as the doctor walks in “oh so sorry I did knock and through I heard you say yes” she says looking a little bit flustered. She did hear me say yes but not to her but to Sebastian’s lips being on mine.

 Pushing aside any embarrassment we were feeling Doctor St James introduced herself to Sebastian “Hi I am Doctor St James, and you must be the dad. Nice to meet you” looking proud Sebastian replies “Yes, I am dad, Sebastian Stan. Nice to meet you too” Doctor St James looked at me probably remembering how I told her that the father was not in the picture but being the professional that she is, she pushed that to the side and starts asking all the normal questions. “So, Y/n how have you been feeling? Do you still have any morning sickness? No pain or discomfort? No more bleeding?” At the bleeding comment, Sebastian looks at me worried. “No more bleeding since that time when I first found out I was having twins at 8 weeks,” I tell them reassuring Sebastian that everything is fine “I am still a little nauseous in the mornings but no vomiting for the last two weeks. Here is hoping it stays that way, I really hate vomiting. A little bit of discomfort in my hips and ribs but I am guessing that is because the babies are growing putting pressure on them.” As I answer all her questions I grab Sebastian’s hand and give it a little squeeze reassuring him that we are ok.

  “That is great to hear about the bleeding. If it does happen again, please do not hesitate to call me. I am sorry to say that with twins the vomiting and nausea does stay around a bit longer than a singleton pregnancy due to extra hormones but hopefully you are on the other side of the morning sickness. As for the discomfort in your hips and ribs, you are right about the babies putting pressure on them. The discomfort in your hips could also be from your pelvis starting to move getting ready for you to give birth.” She asks me some more questions and then asks if we had any questions. To which I look at Sebastian and then ask “I have a question about sex” Sebastian quickly turns and looks at me slightly embarrassed.

 Doctor St James smiles at me “what’s your question Y/n?” “Those are silly questions but is it safe to be having sex? Can sex hurt the babies? When having sex should we be using protection?” Doctor St James smiles at us “let me start off with there are no silly questions Y/n. Ok, it is safe for you to have sex as long as you are comfortable and have no pain however when you get into the later stages of your pregnancy there will come a time when I advise you to stop having sex to avoid going into preterm labour but as you get to that point I will let you know. Sex will not hurt the babies as the penis can not get passed the cervix. As protection, I recommend that my mother’s use it if they are having sex with more than one person or there is a chance of STIs. I hope that answers any of your questions. Please remember if have any more later do not hesitate to contact us. Ok, are we ready to see our babies? Are we finding out the sex of the babies today?” “Yes,” Sebastian and I answer at the same time.

 We look at each other and smile. Hopping up onto the exam table and lifting my top over my belly, the doctor quickly takes measurements and pushes on my stomach. “Ok let us get to the fun stuff and have a look at these babies of yours,” Doctor St James tells us as she moves the ultrasound machine closer to the table “all right Y/n you know the drill this might be cold,” she tells me as she pours the gel onto my stomach “yup that’s cold” I laugh. Hold out my hand for Sebastian who brings his chair closer to the table and takes my hand. “Ok, here’s baby A” Doctor St James tells us as she pushed buttons on the machine and the most magical sound in the world fills the room, the sound of one of our babies’ heartbeat. She moves the wand around taking measurements and pictures as we watch the screen. I turn my head and look at Sebastian who cannot take his eyes off the screen, watching the baby on the screen with tears pouring down his cheeks. After a couple of minutes, Doctor St James moves the wand around to find the second baby. “There you are” she exclaims when she finds baby B “baby B wanted to play hide and seek today” she laughed at her joke. Once again, the heartbeat fills the room making Sebastian and I give each other watery smiles.

 After she finished taking all the measurements and photos, she needs she then turns to us “are you guys ready to find out what you are having?”  “Yes” I exclaim “Ok baby A is a boy and baby B is a girl, congratulations you're going to have one of each” the doctor leaves us to have a moment to ourselves tell us that she will have pictures printed off for us when we are ready. As I wipe the gel off my belly and pull down my top, I have tears running down my face. Once my top is in place Sebastian helps me to sit up and pulls me into his arms and kisses me “God Y/n that was unbelievable hearing our babies’ heartbeats was magical. I can not thank you enough for this beautiful gift and I cannot wait to meet them. God a little girl who is going to look just like her mama” “and a little boy who is as handsome as his daddy” I finish for him. “Let’s get out of here and back to your place so we can talk and celebrate,” Sebastian tells me as he holds out his hand and opens the door.

 “Let’s go home,” I tell him I take his hand and let him lead me out to the front deck where we get our ultrasound photos and head out to his car. As I used Uber to get to the appointment I hop in the front seat of his car and we head back to my place, hopefully, soon we will have a place together to call home.

[plantamagicae]

permanent relationship/plotter call

hello everyone! i figured it was high-time to make something like this for willow. if you're interested, please take a peek at willow's application and stats page.

if you're liking this post, you're giving me permission to sneaky slide in to your dms to plot -- and you're just gonna have to deal with me being an idiot all the time now. also, friendly reminder.... willow is 15. so no sexy stuff

okay... here we go!

friends: willow is very easy to befriend, the only difficulty is keeping her as a friend. she's been hurt quite a bit in her past by so-called "friends," so it may take a bit for her to really call you a friend.

enemies: who doesn't love a fun bully? willow sure doesn't :) that's what makes it fun. so, for this, you have to do something really despicable, otherwise she'll still see you as a possible friend. wanna piss her off? make fun of her but be an ass about it.

found-family: back on the boiling isles, willow has two very loving fathers whom she cares about very deeply. being in spirale is kind of tough; she thinks about them often and misses them very much. willow is very family-oriented, but she also considers extremely close friends her family. she's always looking for people to add to this inner circle.

romance: willow never really... thinks about romance or thinks that she's capable of romance. she has the idea that she doesn't deserve to be loved stuck in the back of her brain, probably due to all the "half-a-witch willow" remarks. she's grown since then, but not by much (that comes later in season 3 oops). this will require a LOT of plotting -- you have to become extremely close with willow before even considering this. also, she's not good at showing her emotions. she's real good at keepin' that shit in and letting it grow until it eventually explodes.

etcetera: if there's anything that i don't have listed here that you think would be a good time, feel free to message me!! i'm down to clown.

[stayarmytinyzenmoa-l]

YES I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU TO OPEN REQUESTS AGAIN! Can I get the infatuation boys reacting to them being YN's first 😏

Hello, love, yes, yes you can.

Also, for those who don’t know, the four infatuation boys are Jaemin, Jungwoo, Sungchan, and Johnny

The Infatuation Boys React to Being Your First

Infatuation AU

TW: Possessive Behavior, Suggestive (But Nothing Explicitly Written), Dom/Sub Dynamics, Praise Kinks

Y/N Pronouns: Female (She/Her)

Genre: Romance, Suggestive

[Requests Post] | [Main Masterlist] | [Infatuation Masterlist]

Word Count: 0.7K

A lot of GIF creators have expressed varying levels of discomfort when their creations are used on Yandere posts or otherwise darker things so I decided not to use one for this, I hope you all don’t mind!

Na Jaemin

Oh man. It would start as a simple kiss, just one that you had easily stolen from him, but when you separated and simply looked into each other's eyes, it would start to escalate from there. When his thumb hooks under your waistband, that's when you'd tell him and, good god, he's going to make sure you have the best first time. He'd take it slow, asking you for permissions all along the way and reassure you that you were doing just fine, he'd try a few things to make sure you were relaxed and, if ever you asked him to stop, he'd listen to you always. You're his first priority, always.

"How does that feel? Should I go slower or faster? You're the boss tonight, but don't get used it."

Kim Jungwoo

You were both about to go to bed when you started to press small kisses down his neck. With soft words you'd tell him "I'm ready" and he'd have to stop himself from going all out on you right there. You had told him before that you had literally no experience when it came to the more intimate aspect of a relationship and he respected that, so now that you told him that you were ready to try you'd best be prepared for the night ahead. He'll make sure you can't forget it. He's been patient for this long. He'd take it slowly at first, of course, but once you start getting comfortable... Let the corruption begin.

"Ah... how long I've waited for this. Just listen well and I'll make sure you're fine."

Jung Sungchan

Oh thank god because you're his first too. You'd both move at a gentle pace, vanilla isn't even the right word because neither of you knew what you were doing, you were just doing what felt right. Gentle touches that came from uncertainty would pursue, each of you asking the other if they were feeling good, if they liked this or that, it was something you were both learning together. But, as you'd soon learn, he tends to be better at following directions rather than giving them. Tell him he's doing a good job, he loves it.

"Is this how you do it? Sorry, I... wait... can you do that again? Please?"

Suh Johnny

Oh, he knew, definitely. He'd be guiding you the whole time on what to do because, as you should know, he comes first. Both literally and metaphorically. If you listen well then he'll be gracious in return and when it's finally his turn to pleasure you? You were through the roof. You were sure that it was through experience that he was just this good but how is it that he made it so that you didn't want him to stop? He knew exactly what to do to make sure you never felt bored and... why's he sliding a pillow under you?

"Good girl, you're doing so well. Just trust me to take care of you, alright? I know you can do that."

General Tag List: @vickylamore @deobis-moon @mizzdivagirl7-blog @sehunnies-hunnie96 @yangsrose @bat-shark-repellant @cloudreads @raeincitizen @here-aeth @lune1897 @gaiyofanfiction @jaeminsespresso

NCT Tag List: @jungwoosswhore @eggoyu

Infatuation: @beefchippp @nawkamoto @shiningstar-byulxx @treasuretaeil @jaesspresso

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

[hotchseyebrows]

thoughtfulness in little things

a derek morgan x penelope garcia fic

a/n: can you believe that is my first ever full length morcia fic? me? resident morcia nut? wow. what a world. anyway!! i hope yall like this (and if you noticed it was already on ao3 earlier today shhh this is a scheduled tumblr post im Sleeping rn) and hopefully i dont take 4 months in between posting fics again, but i make no promises!!! my brain is Evil

thank you @blkantigone for being my beta and thank you @derekmorqan for letting me barf 1k of this in our dms a while back, i love you both sm

they do kiss a fair bit in this (it is, in fact, a first kiss fic) and its a little steamy, but by no means explicit and is rated teens and up on ao3 :)

read it here on ao3!!

Penelope splutters. “Sugar, you don’t have to stay here with me, it’s really not that big of a deal.”

He shrugs. “How am I supposed to party when my best girl is stuck at work?”

-

Everything changes during a late night in Penelope's batcave. But really, nothing changes at all.

word count: 3000

Friday nights without a case are a rare treasure for SSA Hotchner’s highly sought after team of profilers. Normally, Derek and Penelope would be taking advantage of the freedom by dancing all night, but sometimes the universe has other plans. 

Penelope used this week’s case-free time to put the finishing touches on an antivirus and security software of her own creation. The personal information of her beloved BAU babies was a hot commodity well worth the additional protection, and she’s always looking for a reason to fiddle with Quantico’s servers. It ended up being a whole production, taking the entire afternoon and then some. Apparently, she still doesn’t have all of the permissions required to make certain adjustments which means that she’s fiddling and bending her way into all of the things she needs to do. If that wasn’t bad enough, the whole damn thing crashed around 4:00. She managed not to pull her hair out, but it was a close thing and it set her back at least an extra hour.

Derek stops by a little after 5, his jacket slung over his shoulder. “Baby girl, I can hear the bottles of DC’s finest vodka and Hennessy calling our names, are you almost ready to leave for the day?” He pauses in the door, taking in her furious typing and furrowed brow. “Whoa, Mama, what’s the matter? You’ve got Hotch’s eyebrows.”

She throws her arms up. “The entirety of the FBI and also the world is getting on my nerves!” He walks over to her, leaning on the side of her chair and turning her away from her monitor. His hands gently grab both of hers and he rubs a soothing circle with one of his thumbs. 

“Explain, baby girl.” 

She does, eventually just ranting and raving about how annoying it is to still be put in metaphorical handcuffs by the FBI as if she can’t just do what she wants anyway. “I’m not even breaking any rules, technically, they’re just making things annoying and long winded.” She sighs, moving her hands to interlock their fingers. “But now that it’s started, it would be doubly annoying to stop it and come back later. So I’m stuck here until it’s done, which might take a while.”

He nods, thinking. Then he straightens up, grabs the extra rolling chair, and sits down. 

Penelope splutters. “Sugar, you don’t have to stay here with me, it’s really not that big of a deal.”

He shrugs. “How am I supposed to party when my best girl is stuck at work?” She blushes, turning away to hide it on instinct. 

“You cheeseball.” She spins around to lightly push on his arm. He just smiles. 

They sit together for 20 minutes in relative silence as she continues her work. It’s a comfortable silence; his occasional humming soothes her rising annoyance at how needlessly long this is taking. She can hear him playing with one of the fidget toys she keeps on her desk behind him. When she gets to another point of sitting and waiting, she turns towards him and asks him about his day. He tells her about how Prentiss helped him get Reid back for a prank by distracting him in the break room while he switched out the keyboard of Reid’s computer with an identical one with a grass garden planted inside. “It’s a long con for sure, but I’m hoping it sprouts this weekend.”

She laughs. “How long did it take you to set this up, dumpling?” She already knows the answer, but it’s nice to see his slightly sheepish but proud look about his dedication to his prank war. Her computer beeps at her, and she spins back around to begin working again.

He rolls closer, avoiding her question and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “You getting hungry yet?”

She relaxes, leaning against him. As if on cue, her stomach grumbles. “Yes, I’d say so.”

He leans over and moves a strand of hair out of her face. “Okay baby girl, I’ll go grab us food and be right back.” She nods, lifting her cheek on instinct to meet the kiss she knows is coming. He stands and sure enough, leans down to kiss her cheek. “I’ll be quick. Be good.”

“How can I do anything else if you’re not here?” She bats her eyes up at him. 

He grins. “Oh, I’m sure you’d think of something.” He brushes his knuckles against her cheek. It makes her shiver.

She watches him leave, catching the kiss he blows at her from the door. Turning back to focus on her work, it feels like she blinks and he’s back. A glance at the clock tells her it’s been over a half hour. He puts the bag of food onto the table before coming to pull her away from the computer. 

“One minute, I promise, I’m so close to just letting this thing run for a little.” He twirls her hair around his fingers before dropping his hands onto her shoulders, rubbing away the tension. A minute and a half later, she leans back in her chair with a sigh. She tilts her head back and sticks her tongue out at him. He smiles at her. 

"Come eat, baby girl. Don't think you're getting out of eating my hard won dinner." He moves to the table and pulls out her chair. She follows and sits.

"Hard won — mon cher, you didn't tackle a wild animal and lug it home to our log cabin in the woods, you drove your car 20 minutes."

He kisses her temple, handing her a pair of chopsticks. "Yeah, but I would lug home whatever you needed anytime, so the sentiment is the same."

She smiles and knocks their feet together under the table lightly. He moves his chair, so they are sitting right next to each other on the same side of the table. The heat from his arm is palpable.

Derek grabs a box from the bag and splits the vegan pad thai within onto two paper plates. He opens the box of spring rolls and places it in between them while she places napkins in front of them both. He pops the cap off of her bottle of lemonade without her asking, and sets that in front of her too. “Thank you, handsome.” He smiles in response. They start eating and the comfortable silence returns. 

She talks him through what she still needs to do to fix everything in between bites, even though she knows he doesn't really understand her technobabble. But Penelope can feel his eyes on her, and without looking, she somehow knows that something has shifted in the air around them.

"What?" she asks, turning her attention away from gesturing at her computer with the chopsticks. "Do I have something on my face?"

He chuckles. "Actually, yes, c'mere." He brushes away a stray spot of sauce on the corner of her lips with a gentle swipe of his thumb. The rest of his hand stills on her cheek. She shivers. She can see him notice it, his attention focusing in on her. Penelope's blood is thundering in her ears as he glances in between her lips and her eyes.

She leans purposefully into his hand. His thumb brushes over her lips again and her mouth falls open a little. 

"Penelope, I-" he cuts himself off with a hard swallow. "Penelope." His eyes flicker down to her lips and back up to her eyes quickly again.

She can only blink at him for a moment. "Yes, Derek?"

"I don't kn- um. Can I-" She's never seen him flustered and unsure like this. But they've never been out of sync before and they aren't about to start now, so she nods, bringing up a hand to rest on his. A smile grows on his face before he starts to lean in. His hand slides along her cheek to more firmly grip her face- it makes her gasp.

He pauses, thinking something is wrong. "Penelope, are y-" Her heart swells at how careful he is to take care of her always, and she meets him in the middle, pressing their lips together in a soft, purposeful kiss.

For a moment, all is still. The world boils down to just the place where their lips are touching. Their lips barely brush against one another, but already Penelope feels light headed. Derek separates their lips for a moment before kissing her again, a firmer touch this time. She sucks in a breath through her nose. His lips are incredibly kind- that’s the only word for it. He doesn’t seem to know the word “take” right now because all she can feel from him is “give.” As he presses into the kiss and gently cups the side of her face, her brain wildly spins through thoughts about how of course he’s like this even when kissing her and how good he smells and how she can’t believe they haven’t done this sooner.

He draws her closer against him, pressing into the kiss more insistently before bringing his other hand up to her face and holding her. His fingers move to cup the sides of her neck and she tilts her head to the left a touch, letting her mouth fall open in a sigh. He makes a soft noise before tentatively sliding their tongues together. A full body shiver runs down her spine and through her limbs. Another small noise falls from the back of his throat. Her stomach swoops like they've just dropped down the side of a huge arch in a roller coaster. She places both hands on his chest, pressing forward. He moves with her, chair squeaking underneath him as he presses closer, one arm snaking around her back. Penelope’s heart pounds even louder. His tongue is gentle even in its insistence as their kiss turns slightly desperate. 

It feels like someone has lit a fire underneath Penelope’s chair, warmth washing over her whole body and radiating out from everywhere they touch. One of his hands tangles into her hair as he gently tilts her head back. If she wasn’t sitting her knees would have buckled so long ago, but now she would absolutely be on the floor. It’s no surprise that Derek Morgan is an incredible kisser, but knowing something and knowing something is so different. 

He pulls back, letting their foreheads rest together. Her eyes stay closed, tingles radiating from everywhere his fingers are tenderly holding her face. She tightens her grip on his shirt. He kisses the tip of her nose. "You still with me, baby girl?"

She nods, breathless. She slowly opens her eyes and smiles at him. "Hi." It's the first thing she thinks to say. 

He laughs. "Hey you."

She has so many questions- how long have you wanted to do that, can we do that again right now, can we do so much more right now, right here- but before she can ask any of them, her computer beeps loudly. "Oh!" She jumps at the sudden noise. He drops his hands and leans back, looking far too much like the cat who got the cream. "I should- right, I should deal with that," she says, standing on shaky legs. Heels were never so precarious. Of course, there is no hiding from a profiler.

He grins up at her. "Need some assistance?" His eyes are shining like he's hiding a joke. She scrunches her nose at him, biting back a smile.

"Oh, hush you. I’m perfectly capable of walking 3 feet, thank you very much." Her tenacity is a little undercut from the way her hands are trembling a little as she smooths her skirt, but still. The point remains.

He raises his hands in surrender. "Alright baby girl, go on then."

She walks over to her computer and stays standing to fiddle with the wires behind it before bending over at the keyboard and reading the report on the screen. "It shouldn't be much longer now, it just needs to run the last new anti-virus- what?" He's leaning back in his seat and staring at her, a small smile dancing on his lips.

"What, Mama?" But he knows what, clearly evident from the way he is trying to school his expression into something innocent.

She blushes. "Derek Morgan, I don't know what I'm going to do if you keep looking at me like that."

"Oh, I don't know. I might have some ideas."

She sucks in a sharp inhale through her nose. Playing nonchalant, she turns back to her computer. "Well, I might have to hear your ideas out."

"Yeah?" 

She glances at him out of the corner of her eye and he's grinning.

"Yeah." she says, not trusting what will come out of her mouth if she elaborates (probably something along the lines of “I’d listen to all your ideas, do your ideas include any semblance of forever, if you keep grinning like that I'm gonna lock the door and do something reckless”).

They sit in relative silence, just the sounds of her typing filling the room. When she finishes, she spins her chair around. "Hi," she says again.

"Hi baby," he responds.

Her fingers twist and curl the hem of her skirt. "So, uh, well, that's gonna take at least another 30 minutes to finish running."

He raises one eyebrow. "30 minutes, huh?" 

She nods. "Might be a good time for some of those ideas." 

He stands and walks across the room to her. She takes his offered hand and stands as well. They stay there, inches apart and holding hands as the charged atmosphere around them seems to crackle. In the same breath, they lean in to kiss again. Both of her arms wrap around his neck as he tucks his around her waist. He pulls her against him, fully pressed together as the soft kiss deepens into something heated and desperate.

He bites her bottom lip gently before the kiss turns open mouthed and slick. She arches against him as they slide into a slow rhythm. She feels fluttery, like his arms are the only anchor point in the whole world and if he let her go, she’d simply float away. He tastes like lemonade, sweet and alive. She hums as he tracks his hands in a slow circle at the base of her spine. Her knees really do buckle a little as he attempts to tug her closer, but he holds her steady. She rests a hand on his cheek and grounds herself by using the other to grip the back of his neck. She’s utterly swallowed up by him, his arms and his mouth and just him surrounding her in their own little cocoon. He separates their mouths to kiss across her jaw and down her neck, hands flattening on her back. He places a line of long kisses down to the crook of her neck. She lets out a sigh, letting her head fall to the side to give him more room. He sinks his teeth into the same spot lightly, and she shudders. 

"Derek," she whispers. She can feel his smile against his skin as he kisses the same place again.

They slow to a stop, tucked against each other. He rests his face against her neck and mumbles something against her skin. "Hmm honey?" she says, hand rubbing a circle on the nape of his neck.

"I got us that Talenti ice cream you like," he says, only moving enough to be heard. “Chocolate peanut butter cup, and the color changing spoons are still in the break room.”

"Oh Der, that's so sweet, you didn't have to do all of that." Her heart skips a beat. 

He shrugs, kissing the side of her neck. "I wanted to."

She is half tempted to haul him in for another kiss, but as if on cue, her stomach grumbles. He picks his head up and smiles at her. "Come eat now," he says before giving her another quick peck. 

She lets him pull her to the table, but before they sit, she pulls him in again. He chuckles into the kiss.  "Eat, you menace." He mumbles against her lips. Pulling back, he plants a kiss on the apple of her cheek as he guides her into her seat.

She bites a retort about how she was trying to but he sees it on her face anyway. 

"Later, baby girl. Dinner first."

“Then dessert?” She tilts her head and gives him a flirty smile. 

He runs his thumb along her bottom lip. “All the dessert you want, Penelope.”

Much the same as before, they eat in comfortable silence. Except this time he rests a hand on her thigh, and traces a slow lazy circle with his thumb. The conversation picks back up and turns to unrelated things. Derek muses about possible retaliations from Spencer once he notices his new desk plants as he casually offers her a bite from his plate. She takes it, humming.

Something Penelope did not realize had lost its footing resettles in her chest. Nothing is different, not in any way that would scare her or be a loss. They are just the same as they've always been, but also more. (Though she'd be hard pressed to think of a time when this wasn't the way they were. Maybe things are just being unveiled, not changed.) 

When they finish eating, he goes to get the ice cream and two of the fun spoons from the break room. They split the pint and laugh far too loudly for how late it is. The computer beeps for a final time, software finally fully uploaded and settled. She still has to run tests and double check that everything is working, but that can wait. Derek offers her a bite of ice cream, and if he kisses her again to remove the ice cream from her bottom lip, she can't say she minds.

[missmonsters2]

*Announcement*

Hi everyone 👋🏻👋🏻

It has come to my attention that recently I had a fic stolen/plagiarized from me. The fic in question was Wicked Lips . I don’t feel the need to disclose the perpetrator as the fic was deleted before I had to confront them. I want to thank everyone who has let me know through my asks and dms as I may have not noticed otherwise.

That being said, this has been a repeated incident. I have let past incidents slide on giving benefit of the doubt, but it has been becoming too much as of late. I understand that as people come across stories or authors that they feel inspired by and want to use them as a reference for ideas. But it is important to know where the line draws between inspiration/reference for idea vs rewritting a fic and posting it as your own. These actions are hurtful because it’s a type of plagiarism that is harder to prove amongst our community. Not even to mention how hurtful and disrespectful it is to the author who has put in the time and effort to come up with it. 

Please know that authors are not flattered by this behaviour. For myself, I am not flattered by people who choose to copy me. While on one hand, I am always happy to share my resources like gifs and paragraph dividers, or even writing style if you’re just beginning to write and need a reference point--to an extent with permission. But I will always respect fellow writers more who have the tenacity to create their own content and aesthetic. That is the type of content I am always excited to consume from people.

With that, these repeated incidents have quite put me in a difficult spot and have lowered my drive to write. At this time, I am choosing to put Between the Lines on an undetermined hiatus and it will not be updated until I finish writing the rest of the chapters to avoid sporadic updates in between. On top of that, once Between the Lines has finished, it may be the last fic I write on this blog for an undetermined amount of time. I am sorry it has come to this as I’ve shared upcoming projects I wanted to post after. 

I am a very reasonable person when it comes to content as I understand not every idea is an original. But going forward, any incidents of plagiarism of my stories will be confronted once in private via dms and proof, then if needed, escalated in a public manner. Worst case scenario after that will be taking down stories to private. 

Thank you again everyone! I hope this won’t be the last time we share stories and connect 💘💘

[chuckbass-love]

Hey! Chris x reader slow burn? I don’t have a clear idea but.. just slow burn, OMG.

I’ve not done much slow burn. I mean my Andy series was kinda, my Ransom fic was and my new ransom series has been kinda. But yeah i love this. Slow burn is some of my fave stuff to read. 

Reader is going to be a singer/actress in this! 

I hope you love this as i’m feeling very insecure about it. Let me know, feedback is always welcome.

Disclaimer: My work is not to be posted anywhere else other than MY Tumblr, Wattpad and Ao3 without my permission. However, reblogs are welcome.

Pairing: Chris Evans x Reader

Warning: Slow burn, fluff and smut...MAYBE 😉

Word Count: 5,694

Summary: You and Chris are about to become co-stars in a new movie. You meet him when you attend the Oscars and from the second your eyes meet, a crush develops on both parts. But it’s not as easy to admit your feelings. 

GIF NOT MINE!!! Credit to @itsagentromanoff go check them out ❤️

Worth The Wait

As an actor, Chris Evans is used to women fawning over him and pretty much throwing themselves his way. He’s got the ladies right where he wants them. He’s no heartbreaker, not intentionally anyway but he has been around the block a couple times.

When it comes to you on the other hand, your the polar opposite. You’ve only had one serious relationship. Sure guys ask you out or slide into your DM’s but you pay them no mind. You prefer to focus on your career. 

You’re currently on track to release some new music. You’re also preparing to start shooting scenes for a new movie in the next couple of months. A romance movie. As soon as you got the part you found out about who would be your love interest. It’s Chris Evans.

As an actress and a woman in the industry, you obviously know who he is, you don’t live under a rock. He’s been in lots of movies that you’ve seen. He’s also very handsome, you can’t deny that. But you won’t be the one to fall at his feet. That isn’t your style. You prefer the subtle approach.

Tonight is the first time that you’re attending the Oscars and to say that you’re nervous would be the understatement of the century. It’s a day in the hairdressers chair with a makeup artist in the afternoon and a nail tech too. Your dress is at your house, hung up on the rack ready to put on last minute.

“So what are we going for today?” your hairdresser asks, you show her some images and she gets to work on what you requested. It has to be perfect. You have to make a good impression.

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

4:30pm

Makeup done, nails done, hair done. Time for the finishing touch, your dress.

Your car pulls up to your house, ready to take you there, the nerves are flooding your body but you have your best guy friend with you, Jason. He’s your date tonight.

“Calm yourself, you’ll be fine” he’s always reassuring you whenever your anxiety hits full force.

“I just don’t know what to expect” he rests his hands over yours before handing you a glass of champagne. 

“Get this down you, it’ll help” you can’t help but giggle, taking the glass and drinking all of the contents in it. 

Whether you’re ready or not for the red carpet, you’re here. No turning back.

As you step out, your friend helps you. You’re wearing a full length red dress with black heels. You’re bombarded with flashes and shouting. Photographers calling for you to look their way. 

You walk onto the carpet, posing with your friend when you stop for the cameras. He wraps his arm around you and you smile as he whispers in your ear about all the camera men getting excited thinking that you two are a couple. He already knows the questions that you’re going to be asked. 

‘Is he your boyfriend?’

‘How long have you been together?’

You have the perfect response ready if that happens. He steps out of your way briefly so you can get some solo pics taken, this isn’t actually that bad. Posing for the cameras that is. It’s quite annoying with everyone shouting at you to look at them but aside from that, you’re enjoying it.

As you walk further up the carpet you hear everyone screaming “CHRIS OVER HERE” 

It’s Chris Evans. The leading man for your new movie. He looks good. More than good. He’s hot. But you won’t let that show. 

Chris pulls Scott back to him when they finish taking solo pictures. Ready to take more with them two together. Scott starts laughing at something the photographers say before noticing Chris not paying attention.

“Earth to Chris” he snaps his fingers in his face, following his eye line, that’s when he discovers what’s got his brother so distracted, or should he say who.

You’re stood there, laughing your head off with a guy, your smile is the type of smile that has everyone around smiling along with you. 

It’s infectious, just like your laugh. You look absolutely gorgeous. 

He knows exactly who you are, he’s heard your music and the movies you’ve done. He also knows that you’re playing his love interest for his new upcoming movie. Now he’s seen you in person he can tell he’ll have no trouble with intimate scenes. 

He watches you until he feels Scott tugging at his arm and just before he looks away, you look up, your eyes meet. For a split second. 

And in that second, he feels something. A crush developing. It sounds crazy, he doesn’t even know you but he feels some type of way.

Your eyes meet his blue ones, only for a second but it has your heart beating fast. He really is beautiful. You’re looking forward to working with him. 

All of the celebrities make their way into the building ready for the event to start, you’re guided to your table.

You’re sitting with the man himself. It’s like there’s a god up there plotting all of this, forcing you together. You can’t complain though. 

“So, you’re Y/N then?” he pipes up, rubbing his hands together before lifting a glass to his pink lips, they look so soft. You wonder what it would be like to kiss them. But remember, you need to keep it subtle.

“Yeah, i heard i’ll be working with you soon” he nods his head “Indeed, i look forward to it” Scott and your date look back and forth between the two of you, the chemistry is painfully obvious between you and Chris. 

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

Since both of your plus ones have left to go to the toilet, he moves over to sit next to you. Not caring about how it looks to everyone around.

“How long have you and Jason been together?” you can’t help but giggle, you knew people would assume things.

“He’s not my boyfriend, he’s my best friend. I’m single by the way if that’s what you were trying to find out” he sighs at his failed attempt.

He can’t believe that you just sassed him. It makes him like you more. He’s intrigued, he wants to find out more. Whether that’s going to be possible in this setting is the one question on his mind. That and the question of asking you for your number before the others come back.

“Listen, i don’t usually do this but since we’re going to be working together anyways. I just wondered if maybe i could get your number. We can try and find time to hang out, get to know each other a bit better before shooting starts” you bite back the smile that tugs at the corners of your mouth, giving him your best poker face.

“I mean, i suppose that could be handy. Sure” your voice normal, your facial expressions are dead serious as you type your number into his iPhone. 

He grins as he moves back to his seat and minutes later Scott and Jason return. They both take their seats and the show resumes. Cameras are rolling so you try your best to look good in case you’re caught in the footage, checking yourself out in your pocket mirror quickly.

This night is going really well so far. 

You like Chris of course you do, he’s handsome, charming and polite. But as much as you’re looking forward to kissing him and getting close you have to admit that he’s not your usual type. You also have your reservations about ever going there with him if he tried it.

You don’t date co stars, not whilst you’re filming with them anyways. It’s unprofessional, a rule you’ve not broken so far but will he make it difficult for you? That’s another thing entirely.

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

It’s a Wednesday afternoon and you’re chilling at home today. Shooting for your movie starts next weekend and you’re taking all the time you can to work on some new music and take some much needed pamper time.

You sit there in your studio, writing lyrics and figuring out a beat when you hear your phone ringing. There’s a huge pile of sheet music in the way, you start moving it to find your phone sat there. Chris’s name on the screen.

“Hello” you greet

“Well hello to you too, someone sounds very happy to hear from me” he chuckles, making your heart flutter. 

“Oh, can’t you tell, i’m jumping up and down from all the excitement” he can’t hold back his laughter, trying to stop it so he can actually speak.

“What are you up to today?”

“Currently, i’m song writing. Yourself?” he hums in response “not a lot, i was wondering if you wanted to try and hang out? Get to know each other, shooting starts next weekend and i barely know who i’m going to be kissing” he’s cheeky and very flirtatious, you gotta give him his props. He knows how to woo the ladies. But you’re not buying any of this. He probably does this with all of this leading ladies.

As much as you want to swoon and give in, you have to stay professional and protect your heart. He’s dangerously handsome, the dream personality that every girl wants a guy to have. He’s perfect but you could get hurt if you step over that line.

You decline his invite, making an excuse about getting this song done. He sounds quite sad as he hears your rejection. 

“Well, i guess i’ll leave you to it then. Maybe we can do it another time” you agree, hanging up the phone.

You feel silly for declining his invite. But you have stuff to do, you also know that if you start hanging out, you’ll catch feelings. 

Little do you know, catching feelings for one Chris Evans is inevitable. It’ll sneak up on you.

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

“Chris and Y/N to set please” the director shouts, summoning the two of you. It’s your first scene with him. He spots you and smiles as you get closer.

“Oh if it isn’t miss unavailable” he mocks, you shove him playfully “Or maybe i was just trying to shake you off” he rolls his eyes. You both check over the script before the cameras start rolling.

Your character is sat in a cafe when his character strolls in with his friends. He looks around when his eyes fall on you. You’re sat there reading a book, sipping at your coffee when you hear them all making a bunch of loud noises. 

You look up and your eyes meet and in this moment, it doesn’t even feel like acting. It feels real. 

“You guys go ahead, i’ll catch up” he practically rushes his friends out of the door before sitting across from you.

“Wait, people actually read nowadays?” you scoff at his attempt to be funny, finishing up your drink and packing your stuff away. 

Just like in real life, he can’t catch a break with you. You aren’t giving him the time of day.

“I didn’t mean to offend you” you roll your eyes, turning back to him. 

“If you think some comment about books is going to offend me then let me just say that you’ll have to work a lot harder” you storm out of the building, away from him. 

The director yells cut. You head over to him for some feedback. He seems very happy with how the scene worked out. He gives a couple of tips for the next scene. He wants your character to bump into Chris’s character at work, leading him to mock you and get cocky about you stalking him.

You take a couple of sips from your water bottle before continuing. Shooting the next scenes. He keeps messing up, causing you to be there longer. Shooting the same one over and over. Next take he gets it, you don’t mess up once. You feel quite smug about it. He’s the professional, you’re the amateur and he’s the one messing up his lines. How ironic.

It’s time for a break, you head back to your trailer, sitting down and flicking through your phone. You hear a knock on your door. “Come in” you call out, he enters. 

“Following me around i see” you giggle

“Nice sarcasm. Very funny. Have i done something wrong?” you furrow your brows in confusion. 

“No, why?” maybe your stand offish attitude and poker face expression has clearly been too good.

“You just seem really off with me. Rejecting any invitation i made to hang out last week. Rushing off set when they called for a break. Seems like you don’t want to be around me” you shrug him off.

“There’s no issue, i didn’t mean to give that impression. It might just be my nerves. I’m sorry” you feel awful. You never intended to take your professionalism too far. Clearly you’ve come across as a stuck up bitch. Like you’re too good for him, that’s not the case.

“It’s cool. Look if it helps with the nerves, i was the same when it came to Captain America. I almost turned the role down and missed out on it because of my anxiety. But you just gotta take a deep breath and remind yourself that you’re here because you’re talented and clearly the best woman for the role” 

You feel taken back by him. He’s really down to earth. A quality you didn’t expect to be real in him. You’ve seen interviews and heard lovely things about him before but a lot of celebrities have a way of acting one way in public and another behind closed doors.

That very clearly isn’t the case for him. He’s real. Genuine and very soft in person. 

The fact that he took the time to come and see if you were okay and to squash any tensions. He didn’t have to but he did. It’s nice and endearing to see.

“Thank you, honestly i appreciate it. I’m just a bit off my game. I’ve not done much in terms of movie roles and this is only my 3rd role so i’m trying to get better with nerves” he flashes you a reassuring smile before standing up.

“I’m going to get some snacks, you coming?” you throw your phone in your bag and head out with him, accepting his offer this time.

“So what music are you working on?” he asks, shoving some fruit into his mouth.

“Just music, i don’t want to give too much away and risk boring you with the details” he waves it off “you could never be boring” your cheeks heat up but you continue to eat to ignore it.

“Seriously, you can’t just sing me something?” he begs, giving you his best puppy dog eyes. 

“Guess you’ll have to wait for that Evans”

“What’s your deal anyways?” you ask as you finish up with your food and head back to set. 

“What do you mean?” you shrug “your relationship status duh. I mean i think i’ve shared a lot with you today. It’s your turn” he nods “I’m single unfortunately. 39 and still single, quite pathetic i know” you stop walking, turning to him.

“Dude, snap. You’re not pathetic don’t worry. I feel the same occasionally being 28 and still single when all my friends have kids and are married but it happens. Love works in mysterious ways. It’ll happen when it’s supposed to” 

It’s true. As much as you feel lonely, you know things will fall into place soon. So you try not to stress to much.

You get back to set and continue with filming. It’s gonna be a long day.

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

You make your way back to the trailer, preparing to get some sleep but you feel your phone buzz when you pull the covers over you. 

‘I can’t sleep, fancy watching a movie?’ 

This screams trouble. You already spent some time with him off set today. 

Fuck it.

‘Sure, come over?’ 

You don’t get a response but a knock at the door distracts you.

“You brought snacks” you chirp, spying the chocolate in his hands. He walks in, kicking his shoes off and making his way to the bedroom area. 

“Someone’s making themselves at home” he grabs the remote, flicking through your Netflix that you set up on the tv. 

“How about a horror” you suggest, he agrees and clicks on IT. 

You both sit there, chatting whilst barely watching it. 

He tells you about his dog Dodger, showing you pictures and videos of his cute pup. 

“I just want to cuddle him, he’s the cutest” you coo as you urge for him to show you another. You move closer to him, a bit too close as you watch. 

Once the video finishes you look at him, realising that your face is inches away from his. You instantly back away. Almost as if his presence gives you an electric shock. 

“Longest relationship” way to change the subject.

“6 years” you respond, the memories of it all come back. He motions for you to elaborate.

“The relationship wasn’t all bad. It was good for the first year or two. Then it just got boring, we both stayed because we got comfortable. Relaxed. I guess It was easy to be with someone who despite me not loving him, we both knew one another inside out and there was no need to make too much effort. Eventually we both realised that it had to end. There was no hard feelings, we’re still friends. He’s married now with a son” 

You feel a little sad that he managed to find his soul mate, his person. the woman he truly loves. And yet you’re stuck in this rut. 

“How about you?” you change the subject before he can comment on how bothered you look.

“5 years, it wasn’t a bad break up either just didn’t work out i guess. It happens and now here i am. Single too. Just going about my life. Wondering if i’ll ever marry and have kids” he chuckles, you can see the embarrassment in his face. The way he’s looking down to avoid your eyes. 

He feels a sense of sadness too. He wants a family, this isn’t new information. You’ve seen the interviews. He’s always said he wants a big family. But he’s still alone and no closer to achieving that.

The more you talk to him, the more you like him. He’s so genuine and sweet. He’s got a heart of gold, you can see it so easily. Not a bad or mean bone in his body. 

Why on earth is he single?

He’s the dream boyfriend, the guy that pretty much most girls want. He’s sensitive, romantic and sexy. 

This will forever be a mystery after tonight. You feel like you know each other inside and out now.

It’s nice.

As time ticks by, it’s getting later. It’s now midnight and you’re focusing on the movie, you turn to make a joke about one of the scenes but he’s fast asleep next to you. You throw some of the duvet over him before lying down yourself and turning the tv off. 

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

The sunlight almost blinds you, forcing you awake. You desperately reach to shut the blinds but a voice stops you dead in your tracks.

“Wakey wakey” It’s Chris.

“We’re needed on set in half an hour. So get up sleepy head” he teases, throwing a pillow at you. You jump up out of bed, chasing him with said pillow. Ready to throw it back to him.

“Oh you are a grumpy one in the mornings. I shoulda known” you can’t even be mad, he’s so positive and smiley. You just toss the pillow to the ground and head to shower.

You step out to find him in the lounge area, coffee cups in his hands. He hands you one. 

You check the time to see you have 15 minutes left to get ready. You waste no time in downing your coffee and rushing to change before heading out with him to hair and makeup. 

The women both get to work on the two of you. Chris starts cracking jokes and playing music to lighten everyones mood. It works.

You only have two scenes today before you’re free to do whatever you want. Chris however has 4 scenes.

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

You finish the final one, you messed up a couple times but it’s all good. It was just a mixture of nerves and not remembering lines. You soon perfected it though.

A smell of bacon and fresh fruit fills your nose. Food time. You head into the kitchen to grab some and halfway through, Chris joins. He plonks himself down on the bench opposite you, a huge grin plastering his face.

“What do you want?” your voice laced with suspicion “nothing just wanted to eat my lunch with my new best friend” you giggle, stuffing pineapple in your mouth and starting a conversation with him about politics.

He’s really into his politics and you figured you should get into it too. You should really start paying attention and taking an interest in what’s happening around you.

He gets onto the topic of his new project A Starting Point. Telling you all about it and everything he has planned for it. It’s refreshing to hear. A guy that’s sexy, smart, sensitive and romantic. He really is the full package. 

If Chris is being honest with himself, he has a huge urge to kiss you right now. The way you’re taking an interest in his new project, asking him questions and really making an effort. It’s a turn on for him for sure. A huge one. It’s obvious that he’s attracted to you, everyone can see it. Everyone but you that is.

You’re not showing any signs of reciprocating the same feelings or even that you’ve noticed how he feels. But that’s what makes him like you more. You’re so chill around him. You treat him like a normal person not a celebrity. You want to know normal things rather than about his career as an actor.

“I can’t believe you saw me in the morning, i must have looked rough” you laugh, covering your face with your hands.

“You could never look rough so shush. You looked cute” you feel your cheeks heat up at his compliment. You can’t help but feel shy.

He’s saying all the right things. 

This crush is going to be the death of you.

----------

Filming has flown by. You’re on your last two days and you feel emotional. The only scenes that are left are the intimate ones. The sex scenes. It’s daunting to film but you have to face it head on.

Your crush on Chris and his crush on you has really developed. You’ve spent weeks flirting non stop but nothing much has come of it. Just that you’ve gotten closer. It’s friendship only as far as you both know. Neither one of you have admitted these secret feelings. Both of you unaware of the other feeling the same.

You walk onto set ready to face this scene head on. He flashes you a reassuring smile as you start the scene at the directors call. 

“Can you ever forgive me” 

“I don’t know” 

“What if i was extra nice from now on” 

He stalks closer to you, his hands snaking around your waist, pulling you flush against him.

He lowers his head down, kissing at your sweet spot, biting too. A soft moan escapes your lips and he stops. He lifts his head, his eyes meet yours and a smile grows on both of your faces. 

The director yells cut and you both have a quick drink before resuming.

No direct kissing happens yet, just some teasing neck kisses and flirtatious comments.

Once the day draws to a close you head back to your trailer, not realising that Chris is hot on your heels.

You shut your trailer door but it opens again. He rushes in like there’s an emergency. 

“You okay?”

“I’m good, i just wanted to talk to you about the scenes that we’re doing tomorrow” 

You gesture for him to take a seat, you sit down beside him, letting him talk.

“They are quite intimate and raunchy should i say, i just want to make sure that you’re comfortable with doing that with me” 

This is cute. He cares to check that you’re comfortable.

You reassure him that you are.

“Chris it’s fine. Thank you though, i appreciate this. But i’ll have no trouble doing those scenes with you” your eyes widen. Way to put your foot in it.

His eyes meet yours, a questioning look on his face but you find a way to change the subject.

You escaped that one by the skin of your teeth. He’s bound to bring it up again.

Hopefully he doesn’t.

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

Final day of filming has just begun. The scenes are seconds away from starting. 

Your character and Chris’s character are sitting on a couch. The energy right now has your pussy quite literally throbbing. He smells so good and he looks even better.

“You know the effect you have on me right” he says, barely above a whisper. 

“Why don’t you prove it” 

He picks you up, pulling you onto him to straddle his lap. His hands rest on your waist before gliding to grip your ass. 

Another moment where you don’t think this is going to be acting for you.

This is all you’ve wanted since you met the guy.

“You sure?” you nod your head in response to his question before he crashes his lips to yours. You can see fireworks.

It’s passionate, all consuming and he’s quite literally taking your breath away.

You continue to make out, moving positions so he’s standing up, carrying you. He leads you to the bed in the same room. As he lays you down, he breaks from the kiss, looking at you like he’s looking into your soul. 

The director yells cut and you both pause to get feedback before continuing. The heat between the two of you is evidently clear. It’s not acting. It’s real. It’s like all of the flirting and sexual tension has built up and is finally coming out in this scene. At least the chemistry will be believable to the viewers.

Once you finish the scene. It’s a wrap.

You’re relieved. The last couple months has been pure torture. Acting with him. Fighting urges and temptations. 

Everyone claps as you all hug.

You have one more night in the trailer before heading home tomorrow.

It’s not a boring night though, you’re too distracted over that kiss earlier to care about being in complete darkness.

You fall asleep shortly after, eager to get back to L.A.

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

It’s home time and you bend down trying to shut your suitcase. A couple of groans and sex like sounds escape your mouth.

“Knock knock. Oh shit” he chuckles, stepping inside to find you bent over, packing.

You stand upright, turning immediately.

“Sorry did i interrupt something?” he holds his hands up “not at all. Just this suitcase testing my patience” he walks over kneeling down to help. 

“Sit on it for me” he instructs, you listen, sitting down.

He starts pulling at the zip and it budges slightly but not properly. He pulls harder and as he’s leaning back he bumps into you, knocking you backwards and onto the floor. You burst into a fit of laughter. He kneels down next to you to help you.

You’re a ball on the floor, laughing and snorting as you try to get up, you fail and probably look ugly but to him you’re beautiful. He brushes a strand of hair out of your face, bringing you back down to earth. You sit up and eventually zip your suitcase up. 

You turn to walk away but he pulls you back to him.

Chest to chest. Eyes locked on his. His breath fans your face. He smells incredible.

“I um, should probably get going. My ride is here” you gulp. His hand rests on your waist before his grip loosens. 

His time is up.

“If you ever want to hang out though, we don’t live far from each other. It won’t be hard to keep in touch” he starts but you finish it “sure, i’d like that” and with that, you leave him standing there alone.

----------

You’ve been back in L.A for a week now, still no text from him. It is what it is though, he doesn’t owe it to you.

The day goes quickly. You lounge around the house all day, bored with nothing to do. That’s when your phone buzzes.

‘Fancy hanging out? I’m going out of my mind here’

‘Sure’

He offers to pick you up, to hang out at his place. He can’t leave his dog alone. You give him your address and wait for him to arrive, setting your alarms and running out to meet him. He had a lot of security to get past just to get to your house. Luckily with him being famous too, he has the same precautions in place. 

You get into the his car and head back to his place. The chat on the way is mostly about what you’ve both been up to and turns out you’re both massive introverts and have done sweet fuck all.

It doesn’t take long to reach his place. Just as he pulls into his garage he warns you about Dodger.

“Just so you know, he’ll be hyper. I’ve not had anyone over in a while. Especially a woman” you shake it off and the second you step foot into his house Dodger comes running, jumping up and tackling you until you fall to the floor.

You don’t care though, you love dogs. And Dodger is just the cutest ever.

He licks your face and you pet him, settling him.

“Dodge, come on boo boo” he whistles and the excited pup sits, wagging his tail.

“He’s all good don’t worry. I had dogs growing up. I’m used to it” he leads you to the kitchen, offering you a drink to which you decline. 

You start wondering through his house, not realising that he’s following closely behind. 

“You’ve got such a nice house you know”

“I tried with the decor but had to call Scott in for help”

“It’s nice th-”

“I’m sorry i can’t do this” he let’s out a deep breath.

“Do what?”

You get closer and he crashes his lips to yours.

You kiss him back, your arms wrapping around his neck loosely. His hands fall to your ass again.

His tongue swipes across your bottom lip, nudging you to part them and make way for him. You happily oblige. The kiss soon gets heated. He taps the back of your thighs. You jump and he starts walking, carrying you to what looks like his bedroom. He lays you down onto the bed.

You break away, panting.

“That was so worth the long wait. God i’ve wa-”

You pull him down by the collars of his shirt, connecting your lips back to his. His hands lift your shirt off before removing his own. Your hands fiddle with his belt buckle, rushing to get him naked. He spots your need, standing up to help you out. 

As he does, you rid yourself of your clothes, laying there in nothing but your panties.

He looks down, examining you. In complete awe of the sight.

“Please” you beg, he slides your panties off.

He knows what you want, he doesn’t have to even guess.

This is just what you wanted. From day one. 

All the sexual tension is coming out to play. He slides a condom down his hard length, sliding into you straight away.

Your pussy stretches around him, making room.

He’s the biggest you’ve ever had that’s for certain.

“Feel good?” he asks, you hum, wrapping your legs around him.

“You’re so tight baby” he grunts, picking his pace up slightly. You pull him down and kiss him before breaking away and propping yourself up on your elbows, watching as his cock disappears inside of you.

It feels so amazing. You don’t ever want it to end.

“God, just like that. Fuck” you bite at your bottom lip, your eyes locked on his as he fucks you. He kisses your leg as he holds them up.

Soon enough, as you’re getting used to the mind blowing pleasure, he switches things up.

He flips the two of you over so you’re straddling him. 

You start bouncing up and down, grinding as he bottoms out. He pulls you down so he can take matters into his own hands. 

His pace picks up again, getting quicker than before. 

“Shit” you groan, head falling into the crook of his neck.

“Come on baby, cum for me” he encourages, whispering naughty things to you as he holds your body like it was made just for him. 

“Oh god Chris” your pussy starts to throb, your walls flutter around him. You’re falling over that edge, that sweet release consuming you.

“Just like that baby. I’m right behind you”  and with that. He twitches and groans. His mouth falls open as he reaches his. 

He looks so sexy like this. You’re both naked and vulnerable.

This isn’t like any sex that you’ve had before. This was romantic and intimate. It was sexy and nasty too at some parts. It was perfect.

“You know, i’ve wanted to do that since that night at the Oscars” you chuckle, agreeing with him.

“Me too. I’m glad we didn’t though. Clearly all of that build up helped us act better” you both burst into laughter. You’re not wrong.

You don’t know where this leaves you but for now you just want to live in the moment.

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

General Tag List:  @deadlymistress24 @coffeebooksandfandom @princess-evans-addict @chris-butt @holtzkinnon @mychemicalimagines @llamadelreyx @haus-of-bitch-talk @buckstaybucky @thewinchestergirl1208 @chrissquares @patzammit @adriannajackson @dummiesshort @cevans-fics 

Just Chris & His Characters Tag List: @onetwo3000 @persephonequeenofthedead

REQUESTS ARE OPEN!!!

[dam-mango-cheese]

ok hi I just wanted to come on here to say that this fandom really needs to get our shit together. it's not just about the toxicity and stuff, it's the rude and toxic things we've normalized to the point that we don't even notice when someone does it. so here goes a list of stuff we need to stop doing also I'm pissed rn sorry if I come off as rude. this is also not directed at anyone in particular so please don't take offense.

uh giving credit????? "giving credit who??" you may ask. well. let's start with artists. if you repost someone's art, pLEASE for the love of god give credit. it's not that hard. if you find art on google, pinterest, etc. and don't know who to credit, then don't post it??? it really is that easy. or you could do a reverse image search, if you don't know how to do that on your device, google it. if you don't know what google is?? go back to that rock you were living under before thanks.

moving onto the second part of the giving credit point. CHECK THEIR PROFILE BEFORE POSTING. many artists don't allow reposts. or sometimes they want you to ask for permission first. some artists also allow "normal" reposts but not for example in video edits. so please do check their bio and/or any highlights titled "important!" or something similar.

next we have the way of crediting. please do tag the artist in the actual post. so many people tend to just mention them in the caption. some even do it with the @/username instead of directly tagging them. I know for a fact most people prefer to be tagged in the actual post so please do. it's literally not that hard I don't see the problem?????

now pls remember to credit people who make textposts or memes too. an artist might spend more time on an artwork then your average meme maker spends on a post, but it's still important to credit them. even if we don't spend AS much time on our posts, doesn't mean we don't spend time on them. we take time out of our personal life to make posts for your enjoyment and if you think my post is good enough to repost you should certainly have the decency to at least give me credit tyvm.

now if you found the post on tumblr, twitter, etc. and don't know who to credit??? don't post it. or at least search their @ on instagram to see if they have the same/similar instagram username. you can also dm them on tumblr/twt/whatever and ask them if it's ok that you repost their stuff on instagram and if they have an instagram @ they would want you to use. if you don't do any of these at least write their username from another platform in the caption and mention to those who see the post on which platforms they can find whoever made the posts. that was a little messy but i hope it made sense.

i also wanna point out that the tagging point stands for memes, textposts, etc. too. it's really annoying when people can't bother to tag someone in the actual post. it's literally easier than tagging them in the caption what's the fkn problem?????

kinda like the last point but please tag both artists and other credits. like I'll see people who tag the artist on the first slide and then only tag textpist credits in the caption or just not credit memes and stuff at all???? like why?? if you know how to give credit to artists why is it so hard to do the same for other content?

finally moving on to something else. let's address the opinion stuff. this one's gna be short because my brain is empty rn. just let people have their own opinions. there's no need for you to go and state yours under someone else's post. usually all it does is to stir up drama, and believe me, no one wants that. this is especially to the people who can't state their opinion respectfully. if your opinion involves dragging someone else down or making them feel bad for what they think?? don't say it. don't. it doesn't make anyone feel better about anything and it's just rude and disrespectful. stop. thank you.

to the hardcore, toxic percabeth shippers: no <3. it's not cool of you to be 🤪the most hardcore percabeth shipper ever™️🤪. it's not a competition. it's just annoying. someone makes a perachel post??? big deal, none of your business. why does it matter that they ship perachel and you don't?? it's literally not a big deal let them have their opinion pls. someone says they ship pipabeth???? "NO PERCABETH IS THE ELITE SHIP FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!" 🤌throw your device across the room to release your anger🤌

now I've had this in my drafts for a while and one time I accidentally posted it, someone saw it before I had time to delete it and dm'd me to ask if all of this also applies when you reblog/retweet. obviously if you screenshotted someone's post or art all of the points above still stand. but if you just reblog or retweet, the original posters username will automatically showed and accessible so it's totally fine!

[peaceisadirtyword]

Rumors (Modern!Ivar/Reader)

A/N: I got this request some months ago and I loved it💜 I wrote it a few times, and I should have posted it on Monday, but when I was finishing it... I didn’t like the ending at all, so I had to postpone it until @ivaravi​ helped me💕 so thank her bc I really didn’t know how to continue😅 

I hope you like it! Thank you anon for the request😘

Warnings: Ivar...👀 mentions of sex and... I think that’s all

Words: 3381

gif belongs to @honestsycrets​

Was it him or you looked even more beautiful that day?. When you entered the classroom with a couple of friends next to you, laughing at something one of them said, Ivar could swear you moved in slow motion. Like in movies, when the pretty girl is introduced. 

Ivar tried to look away from you, try not to look like a total creep by watching you. It was nearly impossible, to be honest. 

You said goodbye to your friends as they sat down on their usual seats and asked them to wait for you after the end of the class so you could grab lunch together. And, as always, you walked over to the seat next to him. 

Ivar remembered the first day of class. You were completely alone, being new in town, and sat next to him, asking for permission with a soft blush and a nervous smile. He was so surprised you actually wanted to sit down next to him that he just stared at you for like a minute. 

Since then, and though you had made a few more friends around university, you always sat down next to him in Scandinavian History. 

"Hi" you left your bag on the seat next to yours, sitting down and smiling brightly at him "How are you?"

"Hi" he cleared his throat "I'm... Fine, you?"

"I'm glad" you didn't stop smiling. Ivar hated the fact that he had the urge to smile whenever you did it "I'm fine too, but stressed with exams" you sighed.

"Don't be" he frowned "Just study as much as you can and do them" he shrugged "If you pass, nice, if you fail... Well, you have another chance"

You looked at him with an eyebrow raised. 

"Yeah, that's easy to say for you, you're the smartest here" you rolled your eyes smiling playfully "Anyway, I'm not worried about Scandinavian History, I know your notes will be more than enough" you giggled. 

Ivar never gave his notes to anyone. In fact, he barely had notes. Only the subjects he was more interested in. But you could ask him with that smile and, though he'd protest a bit, he'd give them to you. 

You winked at him when he glared at you, annoyed, and turned around to look at the teacher, who was already writing dates on the blackboard. 

Ivar bit his lip and looked at you again, nervously. He had decided to ask you as soon as the class ended. It would be better for when you said no, and he wouldn't have to sit next to you after you rejected him. 

Damn you, Ubbe, he thought taking a deep breath. His brother had been insisting he should ask you out, ever since you came to say hello to him one morning as he was smoking next to his brother's car with Ubbe and Hvitserk. They didn't stop teasing him about it since then, and he had to agree to ask you out so Hvitserk would stop threatening to slide into your DMs. 

"Just tell her you'd like to invite her to dinner or something like that, to talk to her, relax a bit..." Ubbe had said, shrugging.

"Or to the cinema" Hvitserk added, chuckling "If you sit on the back row, you can..."

Ubbe and Ivar had interrupted him then, groaning and rolling their eyes at the same time. Only Sigurd found that funny. 

"Yeah, you should take her to the cinema, Ivar, if you actually talk to her during the date she might realize you're an asshole"

Ubbe had to intervene then. 

The lecture was over too soon. He hadn't paid any attention, but he had already read the book twice, so he didn't really mind. His heart was beating so fast he was scared you'd heard it, and he hated himself for not being able to control his own emotions. 

You were already standing, collecting your things and muttering how long the day was and how you needed a two-year holiday. 

"Y/N"

You turned around to look at him again, an excited smile -probably because it was lunch time- on your face.

"Yes?" 

Ivar took a deep breath, and trying to hide his blush, he looked at you in the eyes. 

"Would you like to go out?" He said quickly, clearing his throat "You know... With me" 

You blinked a couple of times, surprised. Then you had to held back a huge smile. 

"I... Like a date?

Ivar frowned. He felt stupid for asking you, of course you would say no, what the hell was he thinking? And... Were you holding back a laugh?

"I... Don't know, do you want it to be a date? It can be a friendly date, if you prefer..." 

"No, I mean... I'm fine with a normal date" you blushed, trying to hide your excitement. Your fucking crush was asking you out, and you needed to sit down and have a glass of water. 

"Really?" Ivar widened his eyes.

"Yeah, it could be fun" you smiled at him "So... Where do you want to go?" 

"I... Know a place, it's near my apartment" he shrugged "We could go there and have a pizza or..."

"Yeah, okay, I'll be there tomorrow" you nodded, the beautiful smile on your lips made Ivar gulp again "Text me the address, okay?" 

____________________________________

Your friends didn't seem as excited as you. 

They listened to you as you told them excitedly that Ivar had asked you on a date. In fact, you barely ate lunch, too excited and already worried about what the hell you were going to wear. 

"Wait" your friend interrupted you "You're not actually thinking about going to that date, are you?" 

You raised an eyebrow, looking at her confused. 

"What?" 

"We're talking about Ivar" she shrugged "Maybe he will fuck you after the date, but you won't hear from him again" 

"What are you talking about?" You chuckled in disbelief.

She sighed, leaving her fork next to her salad and looking at you again. 

"I know you're new here, Y/N, but you heard the rumors, right?" 

"What rumors?" You bit your lip "Sorry, I don't know what you're talking about" 

"Ivar is not so good with women" she shook her head "He treats them really bad" 

You blinked a few times, with your lips parted and your lunch already forgotten. 

"What do you mean? I mean, Ivar is not the nicest person in the world, I know that but..." You shook your head "He has never treated me like that, and I have never seen him..."

"Remember Margrethe?" She raised an eyebrow.

"The blonde girl that dated his brother? Yes, what about her?" 

"His brothers" she emphasized with a small smile "She hooked up with Ivar too, she told Sigurd he couldn't... Get it up" 

You pressed your lips together when she coughed to hold back a laugh, glaring at her. 

"It's not funny, that happens to a lot of people, and what does that have to do with anything, anyway?" 

"After that" she had the decency to stop laughing, at least "He started sleeping with lots of girls, God, he was even worse than Hvitserk... They always said the same: that after fucking them, he would literally kick them out of his house and ignore them forever" she rolled her eyes "Others said he couldn't even perform, you know" 

You widened your eyes, pushing your plate away. You weren't hungry anymore. 

"Wow" you muttered "I could never imagine he would do something like that..."

"And he's rude, he treats people like trash, Y/N" 

You looked away, frowning a bit with a pout on your lips. 

"But... Who told you all of this?" 

"People" she shrugged "I can't assure you it's completely true, but... I think it is, you can judge by yourself"

______________________________________

You stood just outside the lovely little restaurant. You could see him sitting on one of the tables, talking on the phone, and you felt awful. You nearly didn't come to the date, thinking about calling him and telling him you were sick, scared of what your friend had told you about him. What if it was true? The mere thought of him being such an asshole with girls -girls like you- made your stomach turn, but at the same time... It was pure gossip, and it might not be true, he deserved the chance to explain himself.

You took a deep breath before entering the restaurant. Ivar's eyes looked up when he heard the door, and he muttered something on the phone and hung up quickly, clearing his throat and giving you a small smile. 

"Hi" you smiled back at him "Sorry I interrupted your call" 

"No, it's fine" he shook his head, blushing a bit "It was my mother, don't worry" 

Your smile widened. It was truly hard to believe those gossips when he blushed and looked away in that way. 

__________________________________

"God, this place is amazing" you groaned taking another bite of your pizza. 

Ivar smiled, raising an eyebrow at you. It amused him how fast you could eat a pizza bigger than you. It reminded him to Hvitserk and he immediately knew the two of you would get along very well. 

"Yeah, it's good" he nodded "In the morning they serve breakfast too, the best pancakes in town" 

He remembered you telling him how much you loved pancakes. 

"Really?" your eyes widened. 

"Yes" he chuckled "I'll invite you for breakfast one day if you want to" 

"Oh, I can invite you" you smiled shrugging "But yeah, sounds nice"

Then, you both stayed in silence again. 

Ivar shifted on his seat uncomfortably. His plan was to talk to you about his feelings, as Ubbe advised him. Hey, Y/N, you know, I have like this huge crush on you since I met you and I would love to keep going out with you and see if we can be more than... Friends? Classmates? Whatever the fuck we are now.

Well, maybe for Ubbe that things worked, but for him... Not so much. 

He was terrified that you would reject him, and in front of everyone... He already noticed the stares he got since you sat down with him, and the whispers. There was a group sitting on a table at the end of the room that didn't even try to hide their giggles and their whispers. 

Gods, if you rejected him he wouldn't ever go out of his bedroom, ever. 

You finished your pizza without any effort, drinking a bit of water afterwards while fixing your eyes on him. 

"So..." You cleared your throat "How's everything going? I feel like we never talk about anything that isn't university and classes" you pouted.

"It's... Going well, I think" he felt shy again. Ivar hated that feeling, to be vulnerable and shy in front of people. 

"Everything good with your brothers?" You asked casually, remembering he often came to class annoyed at them "Do you still fight every day?"

"The day we don't fight, I'll stop acknowledging them as my brothers" he raised an eyebrow and you chuckled "But today I only fought with Sigurd" 

"Well, that's a step" you shrugged with a smile on your lips "Hvitserk followed me on Instagram this morning, by the way, he liked all my pics... Is that normal?"

Ivar sighed, rubbing his eyes. He had been teasing him with it during breakfast, but he had ignored him. 

"Yeah, block him" he scoffed, and you laughed. The group on the table at the end of the restaurant looked at you, startled.

"Nah, it was fun" you smiled "Hey, I'm going to pay and then we can go for a walk or something... Are you okay with it, or do you prefer to do something else?" 

He blinked twice, confused, and then shook his head. 

"What? No, no, I'm paying" 

"Ivar, come on" you whined, pouting "You showed me this place and sent me your notes for Scandinavian History, it's the least I can do" 

"But I invited you" he frowned. 

"Then, invite me again" you winked at him before getting up, with your wallet on your hand and walking over to the counter. He sighed, holding back a small smile as he looked out to the window. 

It was raining. 

___________________________________

You entered the Lothbrok's apartment with your hair wet but a big smile on your lips. Even though a walk around the park sounded nice, you were very curious to enter that mysterious apartment that a lot of girls (and boys) on campus wanted to visit so bad. Besides, you were in the mood for a blanket and a good talk, and you were nearly sure that, if the Lothbroks had blankets, you would have both. 

"Sigurd is out" Ivar announced as you took off your coat and your shoes "He left this morning after we fought, and he usually doesn't come home until two in the morning, and Ubbe is working" he shrugged "The only one who could be here is..."

"Hey, Ivar, how was the date, did you fu...?" Hvitserk entered the living room, stopping when he saw you "Oh, you brought her here" he bit his lip and smirked "Hello"

Behind you, Ivar glared at his older brother with his jaw clenched. He'd love to be an only child sometimes. 

"Hi" you cleared your throat, holding back a laugh "I'm Y/N, nice to meet you"

"I know, I stalked your profile this morning" he winked at you and you raised an eyebrow "I had to see if you're good enough for my little brother" he chuckled.

"Hvitserk, weren't you leaving?" Ivar hissed, and you giggled. His older brother rolled his eyes with a big smirk and shook his head as he put his shoes on. 

"Have fun, but don't do anything I wouldn't do" he patted Ivar's shoulder "I left condoms on your bed"

You turned around and pretended you hadn't heard anything, blushing and with your heart racing. Ivar hadn't insinuated he wanted to do anything with you but... What if he actually expected you to have sex with him? It wasn't that you didn't want to but... You were still thinking about what your friend told you, and you'd like to have maybe a couple more of dates with him before getting into bed, right? 

_________________________________

"Ivar, can I ask you something?" 

You knew you had ruined the mood. You were having so much fun playing video games with him on his living room that you had forgotten everything about that stupid rumor. Until then.

"Sure, tell me" he shrugged, taking a sip of his beer. He was much more relaxed than he was in the restaurant. You supposed it was easier for him to relax when there was no one around. 

"I heard... Something yesterday" you bit your lip, your hands playing with the PS4 controller "About you"

Ivar turned his head to look at you. You could see how he got defensive as soon as you pronounced those last words. 

"Yes?" 

You cleared your throat, looking anywhere but him, not sure of how to ask the question. 

"I really like you, Ivar" you started, chuckling nervously "I mean, you're that kind of mysterious guy that no one talks to in class because he looks dangerous, so I liked you since the first day" you muttered, shrugging and blushing "I never thought you could like me back, so I was fine with being your friend, and when you asked me out... I freaked out a bit, to be honest"

Ivar was left speechless. He had gotten nervous and maybe a bit defensive when you said you had heard something about him. He definitely didn't expect you to be so... Direct. He nearly expected you to start laughing and say it was all a joke. Because all of that had to be a joke. 

"But yesterday, when I was all excited about today... My friends told me you have quite a bad reputation with women"

He scoffed, looking away from you with his jaw clenched. Of course you had heard that. He nearly screamed at you, full of a sudden rage that surprised him. 

"And you believed them, didn't you?" 

You frowned, startled by his harsh tone. You expected him to maybe roll his eyes and say it was just a rumor, or explain himself calmly and not giving it too much importance. 

"No, I figured I would talk to you about it first... I thought it was just gossip, but I wanted to ask you" 

"What did you hear?" 

"Just that... You have sex with a lot of girls and then ignore them" you muttered, blushing "And that sometimes you can't... You know" you cleared your throat. 

Ivar glared at you, scoffing before shaking his head. 

"Do you think Hvitserk would give me condoms if I couldn't use them?" He spat, rolling his eyes. 

You looked at him in shock, a bit taken aback by his reply. 

"I... Uh..." You frowned, not really knowing what to say. 

"Look, Y/N" he sighed, rubbing his face "I'm not proud of that, okay? And it's not like I fucked the whole city" he rolled his eyes again. 

"Okay, sorry" you muttered "I shouldn't have said anything... Do you want me to leave?" 

He glared at you again, but held himself back from snapping at you again and took a deep breath to calm down. 

"I don't want you to leave" he softened his tone "Look, you're the first..." He growled "Fuck, you're the first person I really like, Y/N, I've never felt something like this for anyone before you..." He narrowed his eyes, looking at his feet and blushing "Everything started when I tried to have sex with Margrethe... And yes, I couldn't get it up" he pressed his lips together "I told her to shut her mouth, but she told Sigurd, and Sigurd told everyone... Poor Ivar, useless legs and useless cock" he scoffed again, shaking his head softly. 

You listened to him, holding yourself back from hugging him and kissing his cheek.

"So I started sleeping with any girl that would sleep with me" he shrugged "To prove everyone they were wrong, that I could have sex... It was stupid, okay? I know that, and maybe I should have been nicer to them but... How can I be nice to someone that literally was disgusted by my body? I saw their faces when they looked at my legs, that's why I stopped taking off my pants, because they looked at me with pity, with disgust" 

His voice broke a bit, and you bit your lip with teary eyes. 

"They didn't like me" he shrugged "None of them would have wanted a real date with me, they didn't even talk to me afterwards... So yeah, I was an asshole, but I prefer that than being nice to someone who literally hates me" 

"Ivar..." You said softly, a small smile on your lips "Did you ask them?" 

"What?"

"Did you ask them if they wanted a real date with you?"

"No" he frowned "I just knew they didn't"

Your smile widened. 

"Maybe one of those girls was crazy for you" you chuckled "But you were too busy being a dick to even realize"

This time Ivar was the one blinking in confusion. 

"I understand you" you shrugged "I get it, I was just worried I was just another fuck for you, you know, I was scared you brought me here to have sex and then wouldn't talk to me anymore"

"No, I wouldn't... I wouldn't do that to you" he muttered "I like you" 

"I like you too" you tilted your head with an excited smile on your lips.

He smiled a bit, and you giggled before leaning in to kiss him softly. He looked surprised, and his eyes widened as you broke the kiss, blushing and chuckling. Then his hands cupped your face and he kissed you again, smiling against your lips. His arms sneaked around your waist and pulled you closer, making you straddle him as you deepened the kiss. 

"So... do you believe me or do I have to show you I can use those condoms?"

___________________________________________

Tags:  @mblaqgi​ @alicedopey​ @lol-haha-joke​ @hallowed-heathen​ @naaladareia​ @tephi101​ @captstefanbrandt​ @love-hate-love​ @titty-teetee​ @readsalot73​ @moondustmemories​ @thevikingsheaux​ @therealcalicali​ @chimera4plums​ @blushingskywalker​ @awkwardfangirl02​ @gruffle1​ @justacripple​ @love-dria​ @heartbeats-wildly​ @letsrunawaytotomorrow​ @inforapound​ @sallydelys​ @hellogabysblog​ @winchesterwife27​ @hecohansen31​ @youbloodymadgenius​ @xinyourdreamsx​ @funmadnessandbadassvikings​ @eteramfools​ @tgrrose​ @flokidottirsstuff​ @scuzmunkie​ @didiintheblog​

I hope I didn’t forget anyone!😅 thanks for reading😘

[stillchaoticlogic]

Falling

Pairing: Raihan x Reader

Falling in love is easy...

It's falling out of love that's the hard part.

As you try to run from old feelings you meet someone who is determined to bring the spark back into your eyes. Raihan isn't sure what happened in the past and he doesn't care. He's got one shot to make you his and he's going to take it.

Begin at the End

You gaze in disbelief as, with a final fire blast, Hau’s Incinaroar sends your Ninetales to the ground. Your eyes widen and you summon her back into her Pokeball robotically. You smile at the new victor and you know, for the first time in three years what freedom tastes like. You walk towards Hau, no longer a boy of fifteen, but a young man of eighteen, and Alola’s new champion. You feel nothing but relief as you shake his hand and congratulate the shell-shocked male in front of you. 

You can practically feel the world jump to life as a new champion joins the ranks. You walk out of the arena for the last time. You wish you could say it’s bittersweet, but all you can feel is the joy of escape.

The hallway leading to the locker room is long and dark. You notice a figure leaning against the wall near the end, you don’t pause just keep walking until his voice pierces the silence. 

“Did you throw the match?”

You stop and turn towards Kukui, your friend and co-worker, the man you had fallen in love with. The man you could never have. 

“No.”

“Don’t lie to me…”

“It doesn’t matter if I did or I didn’t… I’m no longer the champion of the Alola region. As far as I’m concerned I’m a free woman now.”

“You make it sound like we’ve been holding you prisoner.”

“I came here to escape the limelight and yet you were determined to throw me into it all over again. I did as you asked! I built your league, I chose and trained your gym leaders and I put Alola on the map. I would like to be left alone now.”

“(Name)... what happened? I thought you liked it here… You’ve been so distracted lately… and now your loss…”

“Hau will be a great Champion, he grew up on the islands and his grandfather will help him. He will be a wonderful leader and a shining light to trainers here. Don’t worry, your league will be fine.”

“But-”

“Kukui I need to go. I can’t stay here anymore…” You mutter forlornly as you continue on your way leaving him to his thoughts in the darkness. 

That night as you sit gazing at the TV screen a ping on your phone alerts you to a new message. 

Hello (Name)! 

This is Leon, Champion of the Galar region! It has been brought to my attention that another champion has taken over your mantle. Your final battle as champion was absolutely smashing, by the way! The Galar League would like to invite you to consider heading our own league. We are aware you helped to build The Alolan League from the ground up and after the recent loss of our own chairman we are looking for someone to take his place! We believe you would be perfect! We understand that this is a large commitment, so we would like you to come to Galar to get a feel of our League. All expenses will be paid by the committee, of course!

I look forward to your reply!

Leon 

You gaze down at the email before you and you can’t help but feel desperation come over you. A way out! A purpose! A distraction! Better than all of that… An entirely new region away from the man you aren’t supposed to be in love with. 

Your reply back is simple: 

I’ll leave tomorrow.

(Name)

Your escape from Alola is quick and quiet. You are dressed in a pair of ripped blue jeans, with a black top and a blanket like ruana along with your combat boots. You board the plane that almost no one is on and sigh in relief as the plane takes off. Perhaps you will feel more guilty about running off without an explanation later, but right now you need the solitude. 

***The Galar Region***

Raihan can hardly believe his eyes as he watches the replay of the championship match. The (Name) (L.Name) lost to some kid? Raihan is mad about her and had looked up to her for the last couple of years. She is cool, confident, and funny with this cunning wit that he loved. He loved to watch her battle because it was always wild. He could tell that she had grown up battling with these intense strategies and insanely powerful pokemon. They were all powerhouses in their own right; his favorite though, is definitely her Garchomp.

He had noticed the last few months things had been different. She seemed bored in her battles and where she had always been quick-witted and charming during the post-battle interviews, she was now short with her answers. He was a little worried about her, but he had also never met her before, so it’s not like he can just slide into her DMs and start asking personal questions. This last battle had confirmed his suspicions though. She looked relieved when she lost. The champion that he looks up to would never be relieved to lose. Raihan frowns over his eggs as he continues to watch the report. 

The distinct ring of his phone woke him from his musings. Raihan would normally ignore a call so early in the morning, but it’s Leon and he had been helping him look for someone to replace the chairman. 

“What could you possibly need this early?” Raihan asks as he answers the phone. 

“Raihan! She’s coming! She’s on a plane and she’s arriving this evening!”

“Who is?” 

“(Name) (L.Name)!”

“What? How?” he asks in bewilderment. 

“I sent her an email last night! She replied while I was asleep and she said she’s leaving today! It’s a ten-hour flight from Alola! She’s going to be here tonight!”

“She lost her title yesterday! How is she already getting on a plane!”

“I don’t know! But we need to book a room and arrange tours and dinners! You know she would be perfect to run the League! And we’ve been looking for months!”

“I know man… I know… Let’s just take this one step at a time…” Raihan says with a sigh as he leaves his uneaten eggs on the table and heads to his room to change. He hadn’t been expecting his idol to arrive in Galar tonight, but he’s not complaining about it. 

***Later***

You pull the ruana closer around you and adjust the sunglasses. Your steps are quick and sure as you head towards the front of the airport. The nice thing about being a champion is the perks it affords you as you flash your credentials. You walk over to the luggage carousel and pluck your bag from the belt when it comes around. 

You notice a small crowd formed around a couple of people. Upon closer inspection, you see Champion Leon and the eighth Gym Leader Raihan. You walk closer to them and only stop when you hear a small gasp. You look down at the small girl and smile as she squeals.

“Y-you’re- (Name)!!”

“I am! And who are you? You ask as you bend down to speak to her. You don’t notice the silence that has taken over the crowd, or the awe in which they look upon you. 

“I’m Claire! You’re my favorite!” she declares in excitement. 

“Why thank you! Do you have a favorite?” you ask indicating the pokemon on your belt.

“Aurora!” she squeals. 

You tap the top of one of the Pokeballs and Aurora pops out. She gazes around at the crowd before addressing the 8-year-old girl in front of her. You smile at the look of wonder and awe on her face. 

“She’s...beautiful!”

Aurora sits regally beside you then yips at the little girl and bowing her head. Claire looks up at you, you give her a nod of permission then she takes a hesitant step forward and gingerly touches the soft fur on Aurora’s head. 

“She’s fierce in battle, but a total sweetheart otherwise.” 

Aurora lets out a soft cry as she looks back up at you. You run your fingers through her soft fur. 

“Thank you!” Claire says as he gazes up at you in wonder. 

“You’re welcome!” you say as you pull a card from your pack. You sign it before you hand it to her making her gasp. 

“This the best day!” She exclaims as she rushes back to her parents. They look over at you with gratitude before beaming down at their daughter. 

Aurora taps her Pokeball with her nose and a moment later she is nestled inside against your hip. 

“That was...really cool of you to do,” Raihan says as he walks up beside you. He takes the bag from the floor beside you silently offering to carry it for you. 

You shrug in reply, “She’s sweet and how can I turn down such a face?” 

 “I wasn’t expecting you so soon, but I’m glad you could make it! I’m Leon!” Leon says as he steps forward. 

“I’m sorry it was such short notice, but I need a break from Alola. I know I didn’t really give you any time to prepare anything, so just take your time with things. I’m in no rush.”

“Well, I’m sure you’re hungry! There is a great steakhouse near here if you would like to go? My treat of course!”

You give Leon a soft smile, “That’s very kind of you to offer, but I’m tired from the flight. Perhaps something quicker?”

Raihan, who had been letting Leon do the talking and silently psyching himself up, interjects, “What about pizza?”

“A man after my own heart…” you say as you give him a smile, he happily returns it.

Sitting at the pizza place you feel yourself relax a little bit. Leon is doing most of the talking and Raihan seems to be shooting you glances every now and then but doesn’t speak much. 

“I was thinking that you could take a day tomorrow to get adjust, maybe we could show you the town. Then we will start the tour of the gyms and give you a breakdown of the League.” You rest your head on your hands as you listen to Leon. You can tell both of them are nervous, most likely due to the upcoming Gym Challenge. Their former chairman has been stripped of his title and is currently atoning for, well almost destroying the world. They need someone to run things, and you can tell from the bags under Leon’s eyes that he’s been burning the candle at both ends. 

“Don’t be so nervous, I think this will be a good fit for me. I’m mostly curious about the challenges and your gym leaders. My understanding is you don’t have an elite four? You do a challenger competition then a tournament leading up to the championship battle. It’s a little different than what I’m used to, but I can roll with it,” you say with a shrug.

Leon’s shoulders sag in relief, “I’m glad you think so, things have been crazy trying to figure out what needs to be done for the upcoming challenge. I don’t think I can coordinate that and fulfill my champion duties. Raihan and several other gym leaders have been helping out, but they won’t have time for long. I think you would be a great fit and I hope you think so too.”

“No, of course not, you all have things that need to be done for your own gyms. Also, I’m not trying to be presumptions but it sounds like the job is mine if I want it.”

“It is,” Leon says with finality. 

“I think that was the easiest job interview I’ve ever had,” you say with a smile as you take a bite of the pizza in front of you. 

Both men look relieved as they bite into their own food. 

The next day dawns with a text message from Leon stating he’s got some business to attend to, but Raihan will be showing you around. So you’re not surprised when Raihan is waiting in the lobby for you with a cup of coffee and a danish. 

“Did you bring me coffee and food? Watch out… I may decide to marry you on this tour.”

He laughs as he hands the treats over to you, “I wouldn’t be too opposed to that…”

You pretend not to see his wince and the silent chiding he gives himself. 

“Oh? So you like getting married to women you just met?” you say with a smile over your coffee cup, teasing him. 

“Ehh more like getting married to women I admire. I’m kinda a huge fan of yours…” he trails off and looks down obviously embarrassed. 

You smile as he attempts to hide his face from you, “I think that’s awesome that you’re a fan. You’re a really amazing trainer so it’s an honor that you like the way I battle.”

He looks up in surprise, “Really? You’ve seen me battle?”

“Of course! I don’t want to play favorites or anything… but I’ve been hoping you’d take the title for a few years now. You’ve got a… wildness… that Leon doesn’t have. Kinda reminds me of...me…”

“I’m not going to lie… Several of your strategies have inspired a few of mine. That battle you had with Lance a few years ago… That was intense!”

You laugh, “Lance is an old friend, every time we get together I goad him into a battle. He taught me a lot about dragons and battling in general, he’s a little stiff, but he’s great at what he does. He mostly just thinks I’m the little sister he never wanted.”

“You know a ton of great champions and trainers don’t you?”

You shrug as you head off down the street towards the taxi he called, “It comes with the territory… When you make champion I’ll make sure you meet the right champions to further your career.”

“When?”

“We both know it’s going to happen… You have too much passion and drive for it not to.”

Raihan stops at the casual way you proclaimed his victory over Leon as if it had already happened. As if it’s set in stone. Do you really have that much confidence in him? 

“Well if you keep talking like that then we just might have to get married today,” he says with a laugh as he bumps your shoulder. 

You giggle as you climb into the taxi, and for just a moment you feel light and free with the giddiness of hope that this is where you need to be.

Notes: 

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my Raihan fic! I think it’s an interesting dynamic and it’s going to be fuuunnnn! I basically just want awkward yet smooth Raihan flirting with me making me feel like a queen all day. Come at me....

Anyway! Please let me know your thoughts!! Also, do you like the thought of certain parts being told from his POV? Let me know and I’ll play with it if you do!

[mysterycheerio]

Happy FFWF! What advice do you have for writers who are just starting out writing fanfic? It can be anything from the writing process itself, to learning how to post on AO3/tumblr/other sites, or even just encouraging words to remember!

hi, sorry I'm just getting around to this, my mental state sucks at the moment.

firstly, i would say dont give up. it can be daunting at first but it takes a hot minute to develop a writing style unique to yourself, meaning that it'll take a while for you to be happy with your work, but keep at it.

second, write what you want to write. if you're only writing to please others, then you're not making yourself happy, so just do whatever the fuck you want, and most likely people will like it.

now, heres a big one... 📢YOU📢MAY📢THINK📢YOUR📢WORK📢IS📢SHITTY📢BUT📢I📢📢PROMISE📢YOU📢IT'S 📢 NOT📢... besides ive probably read worse...

ALWAYS WRITE YOUR WHOLE WORK BEFORE YOU START POSTING THE CHAPTERS ON AO3 YOU WONT FINISH IT I CAN TELL YOU THAT WITH 100% CERTAINTY (for a reference, see my work, titled 'what if we rewrite the stars')

i would say get an instagram/tumblr for your ao3 account, so you can make friends and discuss writing, and post what you want outside of ao3

^ plus, having a friend with a 500+ following who is willing to rec your work does wonders for your growth

try to come up with original work, however you should still stick to common tropes. ik that doesn't make sense, but if you're new to ao3 your work is more likely to be found in a popular trope like age regression/field trips/hydra au etc, but make it your own as well. no one wants to read someone else's work in different words. believe me.

use thesaurus.com. trust.

if you find a word in a fic that sounds cool or is more advanced, try and work it into your everyday vocabulary. then you'll sound cool 😎

and most importantly... if you like an idea that someone's already written ASK THEM FOR PERMISSION. you dont have to do this with tropes but if its a specific prompt, for the love of God ask the creator. they'll most likely day yes, as long as you give them credit.

FOR INSTAGRAM, BECAUSE I POST THERE TOO AND WHY NOT:

(this is more for editors)

1. try and get friends willing to repost your work on their story so you get more outreach

2. again, find your specific style. it can be similar to others, but try and find something that's unique if you can

3. once your comfortable with your editing style, enter in games/edit wars to help make friends (not everyone remains friends after edit wars, but my first edit wars gave me some amazing friends)

4. try not to post twice in one day, because in my experience, it limits the interactions you get on your posts

5. if you can, have a set posting schedule. this one is optional tho, i don't.

6. don't be afraid to just slide into someone's dms and be like 'hey, can i be your friend' because they'll most likely say yes

7. don't use fancy texts in your bio

8. speaking of bio, try and stick to the common editor layout, which, admittedly, varies, but goes something like this:

(Name)

(Quote)

(who you are/what type of editor you are/"not impersonating")

(Pronouns & timezone)

(Little message/shoutout friend)

so, for example

"S - author

- 'you didn't see that coming?' -

marvel editor - fanpage

he/they - canadian

safe space for all - @/example is my wifey"

heres mine:

or this one

it just makes you seem more professional, but you can play around with it as well!

i hope i helped you!

[dadadaemovedagain]

sometimes i really want to write things for people, whether a starter or a drabble. sometimes i want to draw or even make graphics. most of the time, i’m too scared to do these things without any prior warning, because i’m worried about overstepping boundaries...and the rest of the time i’m still scared that it’ll be strange to ask out of nowhere if i can do something for you. basically, from time to time it can be really hard to gauge interest. that’s where this post comes in! clicking the heart gives me permission to—

send asks or memes without prompting (the exception being ones you specifically list as “not accepting”)

post starters involving our muses whenever an idea comes to mind

write you the rare, elusive drabble (short or long)

cobble together graphics for you, because i really need that practice

draw things for you, because sometimes pictures work better than words

tag you in posts that remind me of our muses

slide into your DMs for any of the above if i have ideas i’d like to discuss or just feel like chatting!

keep in mind that this isn’t any kind of binding contract; you’re free to unlike this post at any time if you change your mind. further, just because i send you something spur of the moment doesn’t mean i expect you to give me an instant response or reaction! you can treat it like any other activity, leaving it in your queue for later, or even not doing anything at all if you’re too overwhelmed! anyway, this has been a message from your local chevalier.

remember: you’re golden, drink water, go to bed on time.

[drabblemeister]

the Promised Guide

Author: DM/Ladelle <-- click for Ao3 Pairing: JayTim Summary: Raised in the Golden Temple, Tim knows three truths to be absolute: he has a great power inside of him, is fated to save the Great Empire, and is meant for one person and one person alone - the heir to the Gray Throne. Lines begin to blur when his caravan is raided; he certainly doesn't expect to be saved by Jason Todd, a man who claims no allegiances and whose very presence seems to bring Tim's magic to life. It's impossible, Tim thinks, to be drawn anywhere but where the oracle prophesied. The magnetism, however, is even more impossible to ignore. Author’s Notes: I've has this idea for forever and even though I came up with it for JayTim I have often thought it would make an amazing original which is why I've never really posted anything I've written for it. Coming out of a year of writer's block, though, I thought to write what I felt like and as I came across a prompt labelled, "And so our heroes did what anyone would do, they stopped to get a bite to eat at a local tavern. However, this is where everything took a turn for the worse." It felt like the perfect time to write about the boys attempting their first night together having come across a town, shortly after Jason and Roy happened to rescue Tim. /D *~* “Looks like brown-eyes over there’s takin’ a liking to you,” Roy said, sliding onto the bench next to Tim. He’d been tasked with retrieving ale and when he clapped two mugs onto the wood-laden tabletop, thick foam spilled over their rims and onto his fingers.

Tim stared in both fascination and disgust as Roy licked them clean. After, he watched those same fingers slide one of the ales his direction. The sour smell of the liquor tickled Tim’s nose.

“This was a terrible idea,” he stated, though his voice was swallowed by the clamor surrounding him. The tavern was packed – crowded with travelers and townsfolk, the space hot and humid with body heat.  Voices bellowed and dishes clanked and men and women alike disappeared upstairs, lured with come-hither fingers and whispers of promised debauchery.

As Roy drank, ale escaped from the corner of his mouth. His eyes were on fire – lit by the excitement around them. He was a man who came alive around people, and when his eyes danced sideways, catching Tim’s, he tipped his tankard back and said, “You gotta learn to lighten up, your highness.”

Tim didn’t hide his frown. At the same time, someone bumped him from behind. His stomach leapt to his throat when his hood threatened to lift; he’d never moved so fast, tugging the fabric tight to both sides of his face, quick to hide the slender gold chains that dangled from his ears, bubbling with raindrop-gems. He was nervous his sleeves would slip low enough to show the jewel encrusted cuffs he wore on his forearms. In Roy’s too-big boots, he could feel the golden bracelets he’d been gifted shifting awkwardly, pressing bruises to the skin of his ankles.

His heart pounded with the fear of discovery. He asked, “Where’s Jason?”

He’d been gone for a while. Too long, Tim thought, if he was simply securing a room for the night. Though it wasn’t as if Tim had travelled before, much less learned the customs of inns that lined the seedier parts of town. Out here, he had no concept of normal. The only thing he could trust - the only seemingly tangible thing – was Jason’s greed.

There was a reward, of course, for Tim’s safe delivery to the Royal Summit. A big reward. And Jason, having stumbled upon Tim doused in golds, jewels, and mineral-spun fabric, knew that he’d happened across an opportunity too good to pass up.

Tim was worth a lot and Jason, from what Tim could tell, favored money over anything else.

“Well?” Tim tried again, after Roy ignored him the first time – his eyes’d been darting across the room, lingering on the tables taking bets and wagers.

With a sigh, Roy shifted, dragging his gaze back to Tim. In a limber, fluid motion, he threw a leg over the bench they were seated on, coming forward to straddle it. His arms stretched like long strokes of a fine-tipped brush and Roy’s hair, unkempt in an unravelling braid, was the color of the firestone agate.

“Look,” Roy said, leaning into Tim’s space. “No’ne here gives a shit ‘bout anythin’. They’re ‘ere to get drunk. Or laid. Or both. So stop worryin’ and have some fun before you get shipp’d back to yer hoity-toity little castle, and—”

“Stop saying things like that,” Tim interrupted curtly. He didn’t want it to draw attention. Also, it wasn’t true. He wasn’t a prince like Roy had assumed.

He was a gift for one.

A belligerent sigh droned from Roy’s lips and he simply pushed the untouched tankard of ale closer to Tim. “Of course, yer majesty,” he said and with that, he tipped his head back and made to gallantly finish off his own mug.

Tim took the dismissal in stride. The elders had warned him about commonfolk; their priorities were themselves. To them, there was no bigger picture, an concept that grated on Tim, since he knew how important his union to the Gray Heir was.

It meant the end of the war.

Deciding to leave Roy to his own devices in favor of locating Jason, Tim stood – only to feel eyes follow him. He ached to lift his gaze and find the source, but he didn’t want anyone to actually see him. To notice him. His elders had warned him about that, as well: those with darker magic were drawn to Guides – and he could feel it now, simmering in the cacophony – the low pulse of a hell-dealer.

Tim moved with haste. He was agile, ducking between patrons, weaving around servers. He skimmed the room for Jason, heart pounding now that he knew the source of his fear. Someone bad had picked him out of the crowd. And, Tim – well, he didn’t have permission to protect himself.

There was a reason he’d been raised in seclusion – he was meant for one person, and one person alone. He’d been taught that his powers weren’t his – they belonged to the Gray Heir. He couldn’t use them for himself – he couldn’t let others know what he was capable of. It was bad enough two vagabonds like Jason and Roy had seen his presentation attire and the broken sigils inked on the underside of his wrists – thank the gods they weren’t learned or more astute – that they didn’t know what he really was.

It put them all in grave danger.

“Gods’ sky,” Tim muttered, feeling panic set in. “Where…” He trailed off with a turn, hoping he’d look back to see Jason with Roy, having somehow slipped past. His sight didn’t make it that far. A figure blocked his path.

Tim made the mistake of lifting his gaze.

Hell-dealers were a terrifying breed. To most, they looked normal. This man had a foot on Tim; his eyes were an earthen shade of brown and his hair folded in char-colored curls against his high-set rise of his cheeks. He had the build of a fighter, and presence.

Commoners would call it charisma. Tim knew it to be something else. He could feel it – cool tendrils of hellfire that curled out and around him, tracing his arms, legs, and neck like too-long fingers.

“What an unexpected surprise,” the man said, voice lilting. Tim lifted his chin as a wisp of hellfire forced it. “What’s a pretty little magi doing here, all alone?”

Tim had to concentrate on breathing. While his sigils swore an alliance to the elements, hell-dealers pulled their magic from beyond the veil. On the other side, there was only hunger, and so Tim could feel the hellfire sipping from his own wealth of power, tasting the energy he had coursing through his own veins.

“Unhand me,” Tim demanded, narrowing his eyes. He didn’t dare draw on his own power to fight – not with so many people around them. But he’d always struggled with controlling his emotions; even if he didn’t use his own abilities in a panic, the elements tended to react on their own.

When the man smiled and the hellfire pressed against Tim’s stomach, he snapped, “Stop,” in the language of the arcane, and around him, multiple tankards split and shattered, ale erupting everywhere.

The hellfire loosened, but only out of surprise. Tim took a step back, eyes wide, only to feel an arm wrap around his waist from behind.

“Can I help you?” came a drawling voice, and Tim, who’d frozen, immediately sagged in relief.

Jason.

The hell-dealer’s gaze left Tim, more interested in the newcomer. Around them, patrons of the inn danced around their tables, trying to towel up the mess and decipher just what had occurred.

“You should endeavor to be a better shepherd,” the man replied, tilting his head enough that his curls spilled over each other. “It would be a shame if you lost your sheep to the wolves.”

It was a threat, and one that Jason laughed at. For the second time, Tim felt something in him – a dark static, something he couldn’t place. It was as indescribable as a hum, lost the moment Tim tried to find it.

“You’re right, it would,” he said. “But also, I do love to hunt.”

The words sat for a moment; a thick tension building. Tim felt his heart begin to race again, wondering if this meant there’d be a fight – if he’d be forced to intervene. But the gravity broke the moment Roy sauntered long-limbed into the conversation, making a show of accidentally bumping into the hell-dealer as he drifted past.

“You say somethin’ ‘bout huntin’?” he questioned, and Tim felt a chill when he witnessed Roy’s eyes dance the stranger’s direction, narrowed and lethal.

Tim felt the hellfire withdraw. Aside from the obvious warning, eyes from surrounding tables were on them.

And then the man grinned. Tossing his hands up, he took a step back, laughing jovially. This time, his eyes did drift back to Tim – the hunger was still there.

“My apologies,” he said, but Tim felt the hellfire tug at him once more, just before dissipating.

“Told you brown-eyes had a thing for you,” Roy said.

Tim leveled a glare that never quite met its mark. Instead, Jason’s arm fell from his waist and linked around his arm, and before he knew it, he was being tugged out of the inn and into the night.

“What are you—” Tim said, stumbling to keep up. Jason was taking long, angry strides and since Tim was a good deal shorter, it was a struggle to keep pace.

“We’re not staying here,” Jason snapped, and it was as if all the calm he’d had before had faded, replaced by rage.

Roy, who pulled up the rear, said, “You spooked that bad? He was big, but all he had was this knife.” As he said it, he revealed the blade he’d pilfered from the cuff of his shirt and tossed it idly in the air, the moon catching the metal with a silver glint.

Jason rounded on him – Tim getting yanked in the process, which gave Tim incentive to shake himself free from Jason’s iron grip. He rubbed his arm, turning just in time to see Roy catch the weapon and dance backward, smiling nervously as Jason descended on him. And then Tim noticed the weapon – caught and held tight in Roy’s nimble fingers, held an inscription.

Tim’s stomach climbed to his throat. Panic filled him to such an extent that he thought the elements might come again and rip the blade clean from Roy’s hands.

Jason beat them to the chase. He smacked Roy’s wrist hard and unexpected and the weapon clattered sideways on crusted dirt.

“If you wanted it you could have—”

“It’s a Chaos Dagger,” Jason said, which caught Tim off guard. From what he knew, normal folks didn’t know about Chaos and its curses. He was right, though; Tim’s attention drifted to the weapon and he swallowed thickly.

He’d only ever seen one before. It wasn’t a pleasant memory.

Roy took a step backward, looking spiderlike in the shadows. “A what?”

Tim said, “A Chaos Dagger,” and then added, “It keeps the souls of the people whose lives it claims.”

This time, Jason’s eyes slid Tim’s direction. Tim ignored it. Instead, he asked, “Is there any place here that is safe for us to stay?”

Under the glow of the moon, the angles of Jason’s face found light. He had grown unshaven, which gave him a rugged quality – though his eyes had and aged look that once again brought back the hum of energy Tim couldn’t quite place.

Roy said, “I got an idea, but our princess here ain’t gonna like it.”

Next to Tim, Jason’s head lulled. “I think we’re thinking the same thing.”

Tim followed Jason’s eyes down the street, finding it focused on one particular sign, painted in bright pastels and doused with glow-flowers.

He went rigid.

“You are out of your mind.”

“Security and privacy,” Roy ticked off an imaginary list.

Tim stated, “It’s a brothel,” like it was a curse.

Jason said, “That it is.”

Tim felt the wind nudge him from the side; an elemental response to the dread that had filled him. The noise it made sounded a lot like laughter.

[astrologyangelmediums]

Here is my unsolicited advice on how to avoid & also spot these scammers so they can get taken down. Also, check the slides. A girl is tired. I have reported astrologyangellmedium several times to @instagram & have tried to get verified but they ain't about it. I keep reporting & stating this person is impersonating me & they don't care. Here's my list of how to spot a fake: 1. The name is off. 🚩 Example: @astrologyangemediums - close enough to seem like the original but slightly different. This makes it hard for those just glancing at the account & recognizing it as a fraud. So, check the name. 2. They request to follow you. 🚩 If you've been following an account & then click on the imposter, only to notice they aren't being followed by you or they request to follow you out of nowhere - then maybe it's a scammer. 3. The content is all new. 🚩 The pictures usually have no captions, they've all been posted all out of order, they just popped up within the last few days/hours - & some even a week. With many business accounts being public, anyone can screenshot the content - but many creators do write captions or tag. Some even download videos and post them! 4. They slide in the DMs to shoot their shot with your wallet. 🚩 If anyone comes into your DMs talking about ancestors, spirits, or that they feel called to give you a reading AND you didn't ask or give them permission - just delete + block them. All of the businesses on social media have ways for you to purchase as you would like - many through websites, links in bio, or even shopping directly on that platform. Don't just Cashapp/Venmo/PayPal some random account who is bothering you first. 5. They try to bully you into a "reading" - right on the spot.🚩 Many biz owners on here are busy, so don't have immediate openings to go bother potential clients in the DMs. They usually won't be out there trying to coerce you into a session. Be safe out there. https://www.instagram.com/p/CdEvkl7O8hl/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[thebachelordiaries]

The Shit Show..I Mean ‘The Bachelor’ Finale Recap

Editor’s Note: I wrote 90 percent of this recap right after the finale came out. Did I post it? Nope. Why not, you ask? Because I just didn’t, ok? One of my friends even called me out on it/ shamed me for not having my recap up. (Hi Feroze, this post is dedicated to you.) Anyway, I’m posting my recap now because I have an inkling the cast list for The Bachelorette is coming out soon and I want to have this posted before that happens. I like to plan in advance. I’m a very organized person. Clearly. Without further ado, read my recap of The Bachelor finale and weep....

No matter what happened on The Bachelor finale, you’ve got to admit that it was good television.

Becca Kufrin is am amazing woman who would make the best wife.

And that’s why Arie chose her.

But he went against his heart when he was so obviously in love with Lauren. 

And now he’s paying the consequences.

I honestly can see why he was so torn. I recently watched Bachelorette Canada (great show, please watch it) and Jasmine had to choose between Kevin and Mikhel. For those who don’t know, Mikhel is an amazing dude who would make the perfect husband. He’s sweet, handsome, emotional, smart, blah, blah, blah. Jasmine knows this, but her heart wanted to go with Kevin. And that’s what she did. She got a lot of slack for not going with the ideal man (Mikhel), but maybe following your heart is the way to go. Arie proved going with the logical choice didn’t work out so well. (And let’s just ignore the fact that Jasmine and Kevin broke up like nine months later...that’s irrelevant to my point.)

Oh my gosh there is so much to say about the finale! I’m overwhelmed.

Meeting The Parents

Lauren B goes first. While she’s not a big talker, Arie’s parents seemed to really like her. 

But Arie’s sister-in-law asked a question that got Arie reconsidering things: “Could you stay up all night talking to her?” His response showed he wasn’t so sure Lauren could do that.

You know how I know that Arie’s parents liked Lauren? Because they couldn’t stop talking about her to Becca. Poor Becca was obviously bothered by it, but at the end of the day, she’s the type of girl who “crushes” meeting the family. 

Arie’s family came to the conclusion that Becca was more “wifey” material and would challenge him more than Lauren. While I don’t think their opinions should matter that much after only spending two hours with the women, a conflicted Arie definitely took it into consideration. 

Fun fact: Ben Higgin’s mom actually preferred JoJo but admitted it was just based on first impressions and didn’t matter much. Ben convinced production to not air that part on the show. However, it did end up as a deleted scene.

After meeting the parents, Arie was suddenly on Team Becca.

That is....until his next date with Lauren.

Final Dates

Despite knowing he isn’t going to pick her, Arie goes hiking up Machu Picchu with Lauren. Here, they have such a good time that he changes his mind...again. 

Plus, Lauren finally opens up and starts to become more vulnerable with Arie. In an ITM he said he fell in love with her early on and couldn’t explain why (sounds like Ben Higgins.) He says if he could propose this second, it would be to Lauren.

However, he has one more date with Becca. And he once again changes his mind...again. Surprise, surprise. 

Another surprise: I don’t remember what Becca and Arie did on their date. All I know is that Arie changes his mind for the final time. 

Engagement Day

This was hard to watch. I think Ashely I. said on her podcast that the woman who got rejected by Arie would be the most led on in Bachelor history.

Each girl was so confident going into the end because I think Arie truly didn’t know who he was going to pick. He claims his final decision was made that morning.

Arie dumped Lauren and said he gave their relationship “all he had,” whatever that means.

This man is holding the woman’s hand he dumped up to his heart.

Here are the three sentences Lauren said after she was dumped:

“I’m extremely confused.”

“Why did you do that?”

“I still love you.”

In the limo, Lauren said Arie chose the easy route. And I completely agree. 

Takeaway: I guess this is a lesson for all of us that we should follow our hearts and not our minds.

Arie then proposes to Becca K. I’m not sure whether it was because I knew it wasn’t going to work out, but I didn’t feel any passion in this engagement.

I also barely looked at the ring, which is like, very out of character for me.

Becca and Arie say they’re going to start making babies that night, acting all happy and stuff. However, we knew the [upcoming] truth. 

Apparently right after they left Peru, Arie started regretting his decision.

Happy Couples Weekend

First and foremost, ABC does not record happy couples weekends. Yet Becca was somehow convinced that nothing was out of the ordinary that weekend. The devil works hard but Bachelor producers work harder.

Becca and Arie got engaged in mid-November. From there, they got to see each other every-other weekend at a “safe house” typically in LA with no cameras involved. Just them. 

At this time around mid-January, a producer tricked Becca into believing they were doing a “happy couples update” or something. But instead of an update, Arie dumps Becca for Lauren, and we have to watch Becca’s heartbreak in real time, sans editing. It was hard to watch. Mainly because Arie was so awkward, showed little empathy for Becca and stayed long past his welcome.

On top of “feeling like [her] future was ripped away” from her, Becca was sent home and sat in the middle economy seat back to Minnesota. Brutal.

Virginia Is For Ex Lovers

Now that Arie is free of Becca, he travels to Virginal Beach to win back his woman, Lauren B.

But let’s be real here. Arie knew Lauren would take him back before he even broke up with Becca. 

Despite having a panic attack before meeting Lauren at her parents’ house in Virginia Beach, she jumps into his arms without hesitation. I know she probably had more questions when speaking with him on the phone, but she took him back a little too easily in my opinion. Make this guy sweat a little. Like, he led you on more than any other person in Bachelor history, broke your heart and got engaged to another woman because you weren’t “marriage material” enough; make him beg. 

BUT ALSO: He did ruin his public image for her.....how many men can you say would do that for YOU?

So, while some people would rather die alone with lots of regret than take someone back who broke their heart, Lauren sucked it up and forgave Arie. I give her major props.

A Timeline of Arie’s giant fuck up:

Mid-November— Arie proposes to Becca

Late November to December— Arie starts missing Lauren (apparently he posted an IG story wearing socks Lauren gave her. (Wait, is Arie 21-year-old me giving subtle signs on social media to the guy I like?) Lauren watched the video and says she was “confused” by it.

New Years Day— Arie slides into Lauren’s DMs (with Becca’s alleged permission)

One Week Later— Arie dumps Becca in front of cameras.

Mid-January— Arie travels to Virginia Beach to get back with Lauren.

Mid-March— After The Final Rose airs live. Arie asks Lauren to marry him in a very cringeworthy proposal (don’t worry it wasn’t the same ring.) 

Still Mid-March— Becca pretends to be over the breakup so she can be announced as The Bachelorette. Becca meets five men who will be vying for her love. America loses their shit.

Did Airing The Breakup Cross The Line?

Most people felt that Arie’s “real time” breakup with Becca went too far. After all, nothing like this has happened before on the show. Becca went from happy, to shocked, to upset, to utterly heartbroken in front of our eyes. Somehow she didn’t curse out Arie or smack in him the face, which by America’s standards means she exudes class.

I agree that airing the breakup was messed up. But it had to be done. How else would Becca become The Bachelorette? No one would understand her storyline. Everyone would complain that she wasn’t emotionally ready to find love again. To be honest, it probably is too soon, but after watching Becca have her heart broken, America is emotionally invested in her love story. We all want to see her happy. And I will argue she has the best storyline of any Bachelorette in the history of the show.

So, to answer my own question: Yes, but it was necessary.

Do You Support Arie and Lauren’s Relationship?

I disagree with the argument that he loved Lauren and Becca equally, regretted his decision and then went back to Lauren. 

He always loved Lauren more. He just went with the “on paper” choice.

Based on what was shown of the season, Arie was completely infatuated with Lauren. I wrote this in one of my recaps without knowing any spoilers.

I am clairvoyant. 

Arie RUINED...RUINEDDDDD his public reputation to get Lauren back. He is hated by America now. This man decided that having Lauren was more important than being liked by millions of people. That takes some balls. Politically correct Ben Higgins would never. Nick “put me on another reality show” Viall would never. Farmer Chris Soules will allegedly kill someone, but still, would never.

You can hate Arie all you want, but you gotta respect him. He literally destroyed any speckle of pride he had left to get back with Lauren. Find you a man who will throw away all his pride to be with you. 

I hope they last and have lots of Arie and Lauren babies. I find their love story really romanic. Sue me.

[michaelfallcon]

Allegations And Apologies Rock La Marzocco

In addition to a standard postscript disclosure, this feature requires additional disclosure. The following reporting involves an advertising client on Sprudge Media Network, La Marzocco. It also involves multiple Sprudge contributors: Jenn Chen, Michelle Johnson, and Alex Gable. Thank you for reading Sprudge.

A series of allegations, recriminations, comments, and counterclaims have rocked the coffee landscape over the last week related to La Marzocco, the international specialty coffee machine manufactory based in Florence, Italy.

Let’s start at the start. On Monday, June 1st La Marzocco USA posted a notice of charitable donation and protest support on its Instagram page. LMUSA is the United States branch of La Marzocco International, one of dozens of field branches worldwide and tasked with sales, product support, and community outreach as part of the global La Marzocco brand. This post happened against the backdrop of a historic moment for civil rights here in the United States, and indeed worldwide, sparked by the police murder of George Floyd and pervasive, systemic racism across society, including the criminal justice system.

Responses to LM USA’s donation notice varied and included both critique and praise. But one response, in particular, drew considerable attention, the fallout from which is still rippling across the American, Italian, and global specialty coffee industries.

This comment was made by Alex Gable, an American coffee professional and journalist based in Milan, Italy. He is, in particular, an enormously talented wine journalist and photographer, whose byline has appeared on Sprudge Wine and other international wine publications. Gable was briefly an employee of La Marzocco International, working from January 2018 until May 2018 in the role of Accademia Coffee Specialist.

Here is the comment in full:

Reaction was immediate and included additional comments demanding an explanation on La Marzocco’s Instagram post, as well as screencaps of the comment appearing soon thereafter on additional social media outlets, including Twitter and Facebook. The two individuals mentioned by name in Gable’s allegations, Jenn Chen and Michelle Johnson—both also enormously talented and widely respected journalists—have vocally responded to the commentary via public social media posts. This is a brief selection of just some of the public reaction, which is included here with permission.

While I do not have as much power as a giant, decades-old company, I guess I have enough influence to have made it as a reference point over there. And you can be damn fucking sure that unless things are made to be different, I will not be working with the company.

— Jenn Chen (@thejennchen) June 2, 2020

My statement for @lamarzocco but also I want to add in that the entire marketing department needs to answer for it. And I do not want the apology if it’s half assed or lip service. Don’t bother sending anything out. @LaMarzoccoHome @lamarzoccousa pic.twitter.com/920HzUMlDH

— Jenn Chen (@thejennchen) June 2, 2020

.@lamarzocco Please answer for this. Quickly. pic.twitter.com/0NDZjEnyY9

— i said what i said (@meeshal) June 2, 2020

Johnson’s call for a response was echoed across social media. Shortly after making his initial comments, Alex Gable deleted them from La Marzocco USA’s Instagram account.”It was quickly after I posted it out of consideration of names I wrote without permission,” Gable tells Sprudge. “I did not want to create a distraction from the horrifying acts of violence happening in the US and reacted in the moment not having realized that it was about to seen by a lot of people online.”

Indeed, screencaps of Gable’s comments continued to be shared widely spurring additional discourse, including repeated calls for public statement coming from several prominent members of the American and international specialty coffee community.

La Marzocco then did indeed release a public statement. At 11:30 PM PST on Thursday, June 3rd—that’s Thursday morning, June 4th in Italy—the following public statement was issued by the official international La Marzocco Instagram account.

View this post on Instagram

Dear Friends, ⁠ ⁠ La Marzocco has always valued its culture and openness to the community as a whole. This week, one of our former employees reported that racist and offensive statements were made by more than one of our employees. We are investigating the assertions made in the post and will take appropriate action based on our findings.⁠ ⁠ Regardless of our review, we deeply apologize to the black community, the coffee industry and to the community at large for the alleged statements by La Marzocco employees.⁠ ⁠ La Marzocco is sorry, moreover, for the undeserved emotional stress caused to the individuals in the post including Jenn Chen and Michelle Johnson. We will be reaching out to them directly.⁠ ⁠ La Marzocco is open to all, independently of race, religion and gender, and adheres to and promotes values of equality, diversity, and respect. La Marzocco agrees with and stands with the movement taking place in the USA, which aims to dismantle racism. La Marzocco welcomes all to visit at any of its locations around the globe to engage in open conversation with us. La Marzocco is committed to developing sensitivity programs and reinforcing its policy.⁠ ⁠ Here are the steps we are committed to today and moving forward:⁠ ⁠ We have opened an internal investigation to determine where issues may exist with the aim to find solutions to ensure any findings are addressed.⁠ Evolve policies with actionable and enforceable consequences regarding the conduct and behavior of all global La Marzocco employees.⁠ Appoint a high-level committee trained in diversity and inclusion with authority to develop reviews, hiring practices and training for global La Marzocco employees.⁠ Implement Diversity and Inclusion training courses at all global locations.⁠ Develop an ongoing review of our Diversity and Inclusion actions to ensure we are consistent with our values now and into the future.⁠ ⁠ Thank you for your business and support. It is because of you that we have had our success and we feel the responsibility to continue to earn your trust and respect moving forward.⁠ ⁠ Guido Bernardinelli,⁠ CEO La Marzocco

A post shared by @ lamarzocco on Jun 3, 2020 at 11:38pm PDT

An identical message was posted by the La Marzocco USA Instagram account shortly thereafter, and the statement has been published additionally on La Marzocco International’s official website.

The reaction has been wide-ranging, with members of the international specialty coffee industry voicing both praise and critique. In particular, several commenters demanded to know what steps specifically La Marzocco would take regarding the proposed investigation, and when the public would be informed of follow-up. NYC-based coffee professional, podcast host, and Black Coffee panelist Ezra Baker summed up this sentiment succinctly, commenting: “Well peeps Now you have to show it.” La Marzocco’s official account replied to this statement directly by saying, “Thank you for giving us the opportunity.”

A sentiment of continued accountability was echoed in the public responses of Michelle Johnson and Jenn Chen, along with skepticism.

I am not taking the Italy call but I will talk to the US office. @meeshal & I received texts from the US last night with a heads up on the statement and an offer to talk to Italy. Did not receive any direct communication from HQ beforehand. Did not preview the statement. https://t.co/5DET2jXW9u

— Jenn Chen (@thejennchen) June 4, 2020

From what I see on the Instagram post, there are no responses from LM managing the comments from employees. That should have been step one in making amends. They do not deserve any more free labor or advice from me. I’ll take payment for the extra therapy session I had to sched.

— Jenn Chen (@thejennchen) June 4, 2020

I’ll take payment for the years of unpaid labor trying to educate this entire industry they’re supposedly the leader of and an Linea Mini setup in Chocolate Barista purple.

I think I will also only talk to the folks in the US. https://t.co/rp7dpcxbxX

— i said what i said (@meeshal) June 4, 2020

La Marzocco has not issued any further official public statement as of press time, and have continued to reply to select comments on social media. But one member of La Marzocco staff named in the allegations, Marta Kokosar, has issued a rebuttal statement to her public Instagram, in which she calls Alex Gable’s account of her quotes and statements are “very serious and false allegations.” In this statement, she writes, “A judgment was made about me personally, built without any foundation, without any evidence and absolutely no checking of the facts. My personal and professional history is made of clear choices and strong positions against racism, homophobia, sexism; in words and in practice. Always. I do not intend to contribute to controversies that distract attention from what is happening in the United States.”

Many members of the wider coffee community in Italy and abroad have made additional comments on social media, with some reaching out directly to Jenn Chen via direct message. Chen has shared one of these messages on Twitter:

Hello everyone. I’m going to make this very, very clear. I do not accept @lamarzocco’s apology because of many reasons. I am friends with some on the US team and I do not envy the work they will have to carry.

HOWEVER do not fucking slide into my DMs @aripoz with excuses. pic.twitter.com/FeMj5E1KYc

— Jenn Chen (@thejennchen) June 5, 2020

Reporting a feature like this naturally involves including a broad range of public comment; it is a story that has played out widely in the public sphere, on social media, against a backdrop of history. In the course of that reporting we’ve additionally reached out to all parties involved—La Marzocco’s US and international teams, including individuals working for La Marzocco named in Gable’s comments, as well as Chen, Johnson, and Gable themselves—and offered the opportunity to make an additional comment.

La Marzocco International has offered the following statement as an additional comment, in a quote from CEO Guido Bernardinelli:

“Recent events have prompted us to think of how privileged we are. We must make time for reflection as important social changes are happening around the world. The world is ever-changing and we must make sure that we evolve, not only as individuals, but also as ambassadors of those changes while honoring our origins that are based on equality, diversity and respect. La Marzocco is built on transparency and we welcome you – with open hearts and open minds – to visit at any of our locations around the globe and engage in a genuine conversation with us.” — Guido Bernardinelli.

Alex Gable has offered the following statement as an additional comment:

“There’s a common sentiment here in Europe, similar to the US, that racism is only defined by a conscious hate, and that use of racial slurs is okay. I will continue to fight that idea.

There is never a good time to stay silent about hate or even about other people’s silence towards hate, even if it’s brushed off as casual workplace humor, and no matter what country you are in.

I would like to sincerely apologize for identifying certain people that were targets of other people’s prejudiced comments before asking their permission to do so. I am now aware that this is not the best approach, and will be devoted to learning more.

I hope that by speaking out about past experiences, there will be practices put into place to foster a truly open work environment.” — Alex Gable

Jenn Chen has offered the following statement as an additional comment:

“I do not accept La Marzocco‘s apology.

It is wrapped up in PR speak and tied off in this nice little bow of all promises and no actions. Where is the accountability? When will the investigation be complete? Is it going to be conducted by a third-party?

I have long admired La Marzocco for their innovation, research, and dedication to the community. And because of this, I am severely disappointed at not just their statement but also the handling of the situation.

I hold no grudge against Alex [Gable]. In fact, I think he was incredibly brave to speak up. I hope he and the other ex-employee mentioned also receive personal apologies and offers of support.

This has been an unexpectedly, emotionally draining and angering week in many ways. The blatant and insidious racism many of us have been shouting about and working on for years are buried in companies like this. I hope La Marzocco and the coffee industry learn from this situation.” —Jenn Chen

Michelle Johnson has offered the following statement as an additional comment:

“I said what I said. Do better or be left behind.” — Michelle Johnson.

This story is developing.

La Marzocco is an advertising client on Sprudge Media Network.

All Jenn Chen bylines on Sprudge.

All Michelle Johnson bylines on Sprudge.

All Alex Gable bylines on Sprudge.

Jordan Michelman (@suitcasewine) is a co-founder and editor at Sprudge Media Network and the winner of a 2020 James Beard Award for digital journalism. 

Allegations And Apologies Rock La Marzocco published first on https://medium.com/@LinLinCoffee