#i actually have two jewelry boxes at the foot of my bed but the other one is closed

[estellaestella]

and sometimes you gotta laugh at your debilitating tendencies. like i went out to a party or something in july and i still have a jewelry box (that i took out then) on one end of my bed. I have been sleeping in a fetal position for two months rather than removing the box and putting it in a safe place.

it's actually open. has been for two months.

it even contains earrings inherited from my mum, so i'm terrified of pushing it over the edge in my sleep.

still dont know why i cant just be normal and put things away like a normal person.

real life; shitsville. online: omg, i have never posted stuff to insta this regularly like e-v-e-r

[paradiseismine]

Finnverse love languages headcanons

Pairing: Finn Wolfhard + Finnverse characters x f!reader

Summary: how Finn and each of his characters would display their affection towards you, according to the 5 love languages theory.

Warnings: mostly fluff, a bit of spice 🎀🌶️ (still sfw)

Love note from Nina: I saw y’all in my poll wanting more Finnverse posts. Here you go, lovelies 💕 more Olivia and Mike content coming soon too!

Finn Wolfhard (himself)

Main love languages: quality time + gifts

Being as busy as he is, Finnie considers time to be an important and scarce resource in his life. That being said, he’ll make time for you as much as he possibly can - even if that means taking an early flight and/or staying up all night. When you two are together, he’s 100% yours: barely touches his phone and doesn’t zone out while you two are talking. He loves to take you to cute coffee shops and museums, as well as tennis or basketball games. He’s not very pda oriented, but will hold your hand at all times while you’re out together.

Since he travels so much because of filming, he can’t always be present for special occasions, and feels very guilty about it. So, whenever he comes back from a work trip, he’ll surely show up at your front door with a box of gifts for you. Small jewelry, clothes, exotic snacks, perfume, you name it, he’ll bring it. Sometimes, he’ll even ask you directly for suggestions on what to buy for you (“Babe, I’m going to France next month. What would you like from there? Anything specific?”). He just loves you so much and wants you to feel safe in your relationship, even if he can’t physically be with you as much as he would like (which is 24/7).

Boris Pavlikovsky

Main love languages: physical touch + gifts

Your favorite foreign is naturally quite touch oriented, that you’ve always known, but isn’t something merely sexual - of course, he loves to pin you down on his bed and make you his, loves to grope your body and leave small purple marks on your neck. But he’ll basically never not be touching you. Expect hand holding at all times when you two are out on the street; an arm around your waist when at a party or any social gathering, little pecks to your cheeks and lips every now and again. He likes to trace your features as you lie down on his lap, as well as massaging your hands or your feet when he has the chance. “You’re so perfect, my love, I like to touch because I feel that you are real and not just my dream, yes?”, he’ll say. Ugh, vou love this boy.

Overall, Boris wants his girl to feel taken care of. He’ll always ask if you need anything, if you’re craving any specific food or ran out of any of the beauty products you usually use. He will always look for those in order to get them for you, and if he can’t provide something that you want, obviously, he’ll steal it. He’s been kicked out of a few convenience stores for shoplifting your favorite snacks and cannot set foot in Sephora anymore, but still gets Theo to help him get things for you. You don’t ask him for all this stuff, but he wants to display his love for you in a way that he thinks will make you feel happy. Sometimes he steals random stuff too, like a book or a keychain, just for you to have it, even if it’s something silly or not something you actually need. It’s adorable, you’re just afraid of him getting in trouble for it.

Mike Wheeler

Main love languages: quality time + physical touch

Being the party leader, Mike loves to plan things ahead of time and make sure everything will happen perfectly - that extends and even intensifies when it comes to dates with you. He always comes up with new ideas for you two to spend some time together: stargazing, looking for shapes in clouds, having a little picnic, reading the same book out loud to each other (taking turns in each paragraph), movie nights, game nights, biking around together. When you’re out of town and away from him, he’ll call you every day and keep talking with you on the phone for hours until his mom yells that she’ll make him pay the bill. He’s always looking for fun things to do with you, and can’t wait to tell you about them. He just loves you, and you’re his girlfriend, so it’s not, like, weird, right?

When you two are in the same room, any stranger that comes by can immediately tell that you’re a couple. His arm is usually around your shoulder/waist, or his thumb is caressing the back of your hand gently, or he’s peppering your forehead in kisses. Out of the Finnverse bunch, Mike is the most touchy-feely, and is always looking for an excuse to touch you. If your parents or his parents aren’t home, you are going to casually give each other a call and come over to whoever’s house is empty for a good couch make out session. At parties, there’s always a point in the evening in which the gang will look around and you two will be nowhere to be found - sneaking into a more private area for some intense hooking up is still frequent, and Mike will savor the moment as much as possible, as long as his pretty girl is comfortable, of course.

Miles Fairchild

Main love languages: acts of service + gifts

When you two started dating and Miles gently kissed your hand saying he’d do anything for you, he meant it more seriously (and literally) than you’d expect. In fact, you need to be careful with what you allow him to do for you - you complained about this one girl at school one day and Miles weirdly asked you if you wanted her to vanish. You picked up on what he meant and quickly denied, stating you only wanted her out of your life, not life itself. The girl ended up transferring schools shortly after, but rumor has it she’s still alive (though maybe traumatized). He’ll do anything for you, no matter what or how.

Not being very good with expressing himself through words, Miles also sees gifts as a non-verbal way of communicating: whether it is to express his love for you, apologize or prepare you for something special (meeting Flora for the first time, for example), he’ll shower you in gifts. Expensive ones, mostly. His family’s wealth is at your full disposal, according to him - he’ll sometimes show you magazines with pictures of houses or cars and ask you which ones you like best, which style of decoration you find the most beautiful. He’s crazy for you and intends to marry you as soon as you both finish your education, so he wants to have everything perfectly picked out to cater for your tastes before he even proposes.

Trevor Spengler

Main love languages: acts of service + quality time

Ever since your first encounter ever, you know that if anything happens, you can call Trevor. If your car’s not starting, if you broke the heel of your favorite shoe, if you need someone to help you put together a new piece of furniture. Nowadays, you won’t even have to ask - Trev will notice something’s in need of repair, for instance, and offer to fix it for you. It’s his pleasure to know he’s being helpful and releasing you from any concerning little things that come up. He wants his girl to be able to relax and focus on what’s important - he’ll take care of the rest, no problem.

When he’s not all tangled up in his ghostbusting duties, my dear, this boy is attaching himself to you by the hip. That includes driving you anywhere you need, taking you to the movies, eating dinner at a cute restaurant, anything you want, really. He’ll educate himself on any special interest of yours in order to spend more time with you, whether it’s by accompanying you to any related event or just talking about it in general. All of his friends know you from the very beginning, and his mom and Phoebe are also used to seeing you hang out at their house in weekdays, ‘cause Trev ain’t waiting for the weekend to spend time with his princess. Lucky usually makes fun of him for being so clingy, but you’re not complaining - his company is your favorite, and he’s always on board to whatever weekend activities you have in mind. He’s a “let’s go?” “let’s go!” kinda guy and you love that about him.

Ziggy Katz

Main love languages: words of affirmation + acts of service

Ziggster is pretty vocal on how he feels about you: he’s always calling you pet names, telling you how beautiful you are, saying that he loves you more than anything else in the world. You two exchange hoodies quite often, and whenever he returns one of yours (because it no longer smells like you), you reach for the front pocket - there’s always going to be a little love note in there, something along the lines of “Don’t forget how much I love you (and also that you’re hot as fuck). Love, Ziggy”. He sometimes draws little stick figures and say that it’s the two of you, usually kissing or playing the same guitar. His morning texting game is also amazing, he usually wishes you a good day, says you’re beautiful inside and out and sends a few tiktok videos that he curated for you to watch as you get ready in the morning. You find it adorable, and he never gets tired of making you feel special.

Ziggy also really supports your dreams, and when you told him you’d like to start creating YouTube content, he was overjoyed at the possibility of helping out his beloved girlfriend. He taught you how to set up lights, which microphone you should get, how to write your titles to make more people click on your videos. The editing is on him, you didn’t even have to ask. He got his followers on HiHat to support your channel as well, so you kick-started with a small faithful audience. Whenever you are out in a nice restaurant or something like that, he’s eager to take your pictures - and he’s actually very good at it! He directs you really well and always gets your best angle (“Not that it’s hard, any photo is going to be perfect when the main focus is this beautiful!”).

[ae-neon]

Reading Throne of Glass (35-37)

Recap

Celaena has a puppy she likes and two allies in Nox Own best boy Pelor

Dorian opens up to Celaena and they are definitely much closer. He also saves a puppy for her.

Nehemia loses 500 of her people to a genocidal massacre.

I think Kaltain is a fly trapped in Duke Perrington's web despite her attempt to use him to get closer to Dorian.

Chapter 35

Chaol sad hours

The next evening, Chaol Westfall stood on the second floor of the castle, looking over the courtyard. Below him, two figures slowly wove through the hedges. Celaena’s white cloak made her easy to spot, and Dorian could always be noticed by the empty circle of space around him. He should be down there, a foot behind, watching them, making sure she didn’t seize Dorian and use him to escape. Logic and years of experience screamed at him to be with them, even though six guards trailed them. She was deceitful, cunning, vicious. But he couldn’t make his feet move.

He's getting really sad about how Celaena has lived, especially in comparison to him and Dorian.

Celaena thinks about how Nehemia has basically retreated and locked herself away in her rooms... Just gonna sigh.

(...) despite the three Tests she’d had, the most exciting of which being an obstacle course, which she passed with only a few minor scratches and bruises. Unfortunately, Pelor hadn’t done so well, and had been sent home at long last. But he’d been lucky: three other competitors had died.

1st of all, sjm is so boring for skipping 3 Tests. 2nd of all, PELOR IS JUST GONE??? in an off screen dismissal??? My boy 🥲

“You always wear that necklace,” he said. “Is it another gift?” Though she wore gloves, he glanced at her hand—where the amethyst ring always sat—and the spark died from his eyes. “No.” She covered the amulet with her hand. “I found it in my jewelry box and liked the look of it, you insufferably territorial man.”

Lolol doesn't sjm later make the territorial thing a Fae trait? Dorian was definitely supposed to be the endgame male lead.

He studied the necklace. “When I was a boy, I used to read tales about the dawn of Adarlan; Gavin was my hero. I must have read every legend regarding the war with Erawan.” How can he be that smart? He can’t have figured it out so quickly. She tried her best to look innocently interested. “And?” “Elena, First Queen of Adarlan, had a magical amulet. In the battle with the Dark Lord, Gavin and Elena found themselves defenseless against him. He was about to kill the princess when a spirit appeared and gave her the necklace. And when she put it on, Erawan couldn’t harm her. She saw the Dark Lord for what he was and called him by his true name. It surprised him so much that he became distracted, and Gavin slew him.” Dorian looked to the ground. “They called her necklace the Eye of Elena; it’s been lost for centuries.”

This just makes Erawan look lame.

Later Celaena discovers someone secretly drew a circle of wyrdmarks under her bed. She wonders if this means she's next to be murdered, scrubs them away and leaves for the library. Her guards stay in the main room but she goes to the back section where all the old occult books are and finds Nehemia there.

I knew it! WTF

Okay so she realises the book Nehemia is reading is written in the common tongue and questions it. Nehemia, in the common tongue with a flawless accent, tells "Lillian" she is as foolish as every other person in the castle.

She's literally a princess, why wouldn't she speak the language that most of the people on the continent did?? Especially the language of the superpower that's conquered most of it since she was a child?

I told yall

No, Nehemia couldn’t have played her like that— (...) Because Nehemia was her friend—because Nehemia had wept when her people had been murdered, because she’d come to her for comfort.

What the fuck does crying over the murder of her people have to do with pretending not to speak a language??

It's actually a clever trick. She doesn't have to talk to the people she hates and they in turn feel free to say what they usually wouldn't right in front of her.

Anyways now Celaena thinks it's Nehemia committing the murders.

Chapter 36

It's finally Yulemas. Only 5 competitors remain and the Final Test is coming up in 3 days and the Duel to find the Champion is only 2 days after that.

There was something inherently peaceful about the day, despite the darkness of her encounter with Nehemia. For the moment, the whole castle had quieted to hear the falling snow. Frost laced each windowpane, a fire already crackled in the fireplace, and shadows of snowflakes drifted across the floor. It was as peaceful and lovely a winter morning as she could imagine. She wouldn’t ruin it with thoughts of Nehemia, or of the duel, or of the ball she wasn’t allowed to attend tonight. No, it was Yulemas morning, and she would be happy.

I don't know anything about snowy, winter Christmases - ours are summery, party seasons - but this sounds nice.

Celaena finds a bag of candy with no note and despite everything that's happened doesn't hesitate to eat a whole bunch. As a fellow sweet-tooth, same. But once again this girl is nowhere near the greatest assassin and Pelor is up by 100 points because he could have killed her if he wanted to.

Celaena wonders who sent her the candy. She thinks Dorian. But certainly not Nehemia or Chaol and like okay yea maybe Nehemia is a little preoccupied with THE GENOCIDE OF HER PEOPLE but why wouldn't Chaol send her the candy??

Celaena gets ready to attend temple for Yulemas but finds Dorian waiting once she's dressed.

“Are you my present, or is there something in that basket at your feet?” she asked.

“If you’d like to unwrap me,” he said, lifting the large wicker basket onto the table, “we still have an hour until the temple service.”

He's literally Rhysand's blueprint, tell me I'm lying

Cute exchange over the candy - of course he sent it. He also gives her the puppy he saved for her as a present. a solid + 10 for Dorian

Again, it's a shame sjm lost the ability to write romance beyond physical attraction or magical bonding.

I was talking to my mutual and she said Nessian don't share any hobbies and I think that's true for many of sjm's endgame ships. But after I hated chapter 34 and hadn't thought of tog positively in days, I still immediately thought of Dorian and Celaena being an exception.

“She’s yours,” Dorian said, “if you want her.”

“What shall I do with her if I’m sent back to Endovier?”

wtf, that's such a heartbreaking question and the narrative spends no time on it at all.

“Of course I want her,” Celaena said, then realized what the implications would be. “But I want her trained. I don’t want her urinating on everything and chewing on furniture and shoes and books. And I want her to sit when I tell her to and lay down and roll over and whatever it is that dogs do. And I want her to run—run with the other dogs when they’re practicing. I want her to put those long legs to use.”

(...)

“When I’m training”—she kissed the pup’s soft head, and the dog nestled her cold nose against Celaena’s neck—“I want her in the kennels, training as well. When I return in the afternoon, she may be brought to me. I’ll keep her in the night.” Celaena held the dog at eye level. The dog kicked her legs in the air. “If you ruin any of my shoes,” she said to the pup, “I’ll turn you into a pair of slippers. Understood?"

this has nothing to do with the story, but this reminded me of an account of parental love or affection from the point of view of a woman with anti-personality disorder, or psychopathy.

anyways

Celaena kisses Dorian on the cheek, he gets nervous and chatty and almost falls over as he's leaving.

(...) Celaena was about to see what her new companion was up to when the thought struck her:

Nehemia would be at the ball.

It was a simple enough thought at first, but then worse thoughts followed it. Celaena began pacing. If Nehemia were truly somehow behind the Champions’ murders—and worse, had some feral beast at her command to destroy them—and also just learned about the massacre of her people . . . then what better place to punish Adarlan than at the ball, where so many of its royals would be celebrating and unguarded?

Is Nehemia the Amarantha blueprint?????????????

Fine, she wouldn’t mind if Kaltain and Perrington met horrible deaths, but Dorian would be there. And Chaol. FUCK YOU, KALTAIN HAS DONE LITERALLY NOTHING DESERVING OF THIS LEVEL OF HATERED WTF

all this just so sjm can have Celaena sneak into the Ball but it would have been so much better if she went just because she wanted to go

Chapter 37

Celaena attend the Yulemas service with Chaol

The temple was a beautiful space, built entirely from glass. i wonder if there's gonna be a point to these glass buildings

Two columns of about a hundred rosewood pews stretched beneath a vaulted glass ceiling that let in so much light that no candles were needed during the day. Snow lay piled upon the translucent roof, casting patterns of sunshine throughout. As the walls were also glass, the stained windows above the altar appeared to hover in midair.

Bro's villain origin story is he wanted to be an architect and was forced to become King instead.

SJM loves making female religious figures like mother Goddesses and priestesses but always fails to understand the implications of gender in power systems like religion and how that reflects on the greater society.

The High Priestess walked onto the stone platform and raised her hands above her head. The folds of her midnight-blue gossamer robe fell around her, and her white hair was long and unbound. An eight-pointed star was tattooed upon her brow in a shade of blue that matched her gown, its sharp lines extending to her hairline.

Since everything is connected I wonder if it's a coincidence Ianthe also wears blue and has moons on her head.(idk about Crescent City)

SJM has Celaena tired of the ceremony before the priestess gets through the first sentence, this doesn't convey the length and tedium of the ceremony, it just makes Celaena - in combination with trying to look over people to see Dorian and standing when she needs to sit - look childish and hyperactive, again probably not the traits best for an assassin.

Celaena wandered into the Land of Sleep. Excuse me? The capitalisation implies this is some sort of realm? Why have we never gotten any clues about that or did I miss something??

Apparently Chaol - Captain of the Royal Guard - also fell asleep in the back row with Celaena while Dorian and the Queen were in the front rows. Give me a hundred bucks, two dope addicts and a rabid raccoon, and I could kill the crown prince. Gimme a thousand bucks and Pelor, and I'd take out the whole castle.

Nine blindfolded children each representing a god, randomly pick members of the congregation to bestow that gad's favour on. Celaena gets the favour of Diana Deanna, Goddess of the Hunt and Maidens. Sudden Roman Mythology.

Farnor, God of War, stopped at the front row near Dorian, but then moved to the right, across the aisle, to give the miniature silver sword to Duke Perrington. Not surprising.

Why is it not surprising given its completely random? is Perrington That Guy™? Is he a known warrior? Is this foreshadowing his John Wick level skills?

***

Forgive the delay, I legit forgot I was reading this.

We're sitting at a low 3 stars. The little details are the only thing keeping me going, the overall story is ass.

[zealouscanonindeer]

8. A little time to Reflect

To my utter lack of surprise, I had to remain on the window-ledge for about five minutes, trying to convince the woman to unlock the sash and let me in, before Miss Cartwright - after sprinting up three flights of stairs upon seeing my predicament, she told me later - entered her bedroom and let me in herself. By that time my hamstrings ached ferociously and after Miss Cartwright helped pull me in - her grip was strong enough but she had to brace one foot on the inner windowsill - my legs fairly collapsed from under me as I reached the edge of the bed.

"Don't worry," she told the other woman, "He's fairly harmless. He's investigating the burglary."

"It seems to me he's trying to repeat the burglary," the woman huffed, "Though I expect he's a friend of yours, Emily."

Miss Cartwright smiled in the face of the other's suspicion. "Mrs. Weaver, may I introduce to you Mr. Sherlock Holmes. Mr. Holmes, Mrs. Jane Weaver, my tutor."

"Do you always enter houses through young ladies' bedrooms?" Mrs. Weaver asked sharply.

"I have my methods," I replied as Miss Cartwright returned my waistcoat and coat to me, "I am given to understand, Mrs. Weaver, that you were in here when Miss Cartwright departed for her bath the evening of the debutante?"

"What are you implying?"

I buttoned my waistcoat. "Merely answer truthfully."

"Yes, I was here. I was getting Miss Cartwright's gown ready for the ball."

"Did that include choosing matching jewelry?"

"Of course. I'm in charge of making sure Miss Cartwright looks like a proper lady. And before you ask, no, I didn't steal any of it."

"I didn't think you had. After all, Mr. Cartwright would not have hired you to tutor his daughter if he didn't trust you." I pulled on my coat. "Did you lock the jewelry box and put the key back in the drawer of the night-stand after you had finished?"

"Yes, I always do."

"And the window... was it locked then as I had found it just now?"

"I know it was closed, because of the rain. I didn't have time to check the lock because of the ball... and besides, what sort of a lunatic tries to break in through the second-floor window, especially in the rain?" This she punctuated with a significant glance at me.

"Thank you, Mrs. Weaver. Good day to you."

"You were a bit abrupt with her, weren't you?" Miss Cartwright asked, after Mrs. Weaver left, "After all, you must have scared the life out of her when you knocked on the window."

"You saw that, did you?"

"I figured there had to be somebody inside or else you wouldn't have knocked. I trust you found out what you were looking for?"

"Actually, I discovered several things while I was looking for only one. Whether they mean anything remains to be seen. And there are yet other questions that want answering."

"So what do you plan to do now?"

"I plan to go home."

"You what?"

"This has been a very fruitful day for the investigation. Now, I believe we both need time to rest, and to meditate on what we have discovered. I will call on you in the morning in order that we might look for this child, say, after breakfast?"

"My father won't be happy about this."

"I believe your father will be quite happy once we have recovered your jewelry."

"So you think we're on to something?"

"I am certain of it. But these things cannot be forced. Keep your notes with you, look over them, and we shall compare theories in the morning." I touched her reassuringly on the shoulder. "Try to get some rest."

*****

I settled back in the cab Leopold called for me (with a mere hint of overeagerness for me to be gone), resolving to meditate on the case between the Cartwright Estate and my own lair on Baker Street. To be sure, the very act of rifling a jewelry box two floors above a party, and possibly on the very same floor as the owner of the jewelry box, took patience, precision, and certainly chutzpah. But what of the watch?

I closed my eyes and reviewed the known facts. The debutante is scheduled to begin at eight o'clock in the evening. At quater past seven , Miss Cartwright leaves her room to have a bath before getting dressed for the ball, leaving her tutor, Mrs. Weaver, in the room to lay out what Miss Cartwright would wear, both clothing and jewelry. Mrs. Weaver, after doing so, locks the jewelry box and placed the key in its usual hiding-place in the night-stand, and then leaves the room. This leaves a window of opportunity from approximately 7:20 until Miss Cartwright returns at quarter to eight in which the burglar enters Miss Cartwright's room and steals the jewelry. But did that same person also leave the watch? How did the watch get into his possession, and why did he leave it?

At around half past seven, a maid escorts a small child to the lavatory. His role in this is as yet unknown. It is possible that he climbed from the lavatory window to the bedroom window directly above, and it is equally possible that he had the watch in his possession. However, according to Watson's account of the day he lost his watch, the pickpocket was a very large man, certainly too large to have fit through the window, and likely too conspicuous to slip into the bedroom by more conventional means.

My reverie was broken by the sensation of the hansom slowing to a stop. I opened my eyes, climbed out, and paid the cabby. As I headed inside, I murmured a greeting to Mrs Hudson. I asked if she had heard anything of Watson, and she replied in the negative. I wasn't surprised, but at the same time I worried about him. What must he be thinking? What was happening to him? I sighed, passed a hand across my brow, and climbed the stairs to the study.

I meditated further on the case for four hours, two pipes, and three chemical experiments, trying to fit the facts I currently had into a coherent picture. But of course it is difficult to solve a jigsaw puzzle that is still missing half the pieces. I will not bore the reader with a detailed catalogue of my thoughts that night, except to say that they eventually turned, with a patient inevitability, to the additional mystery of Miss Emily Cartwright herself.

Miss Cartwright was a puzzle in her own right, one that yet defied all attempts at solution. Moreover, she was hot-tempered, incorrigible, precocious, fiery, capricious, stubborn, and apparently determined to drive her father to an early grave with her sheer defiance.

I was looking forward to the morning.

[pheita]

First Christmas Part 2

Yeah, I know Christmas is long gone, even the Orthodox Christians had Christmas by now, but I follow the glorious tradition of fanfic authors here to start the Christmas fic at Christmas and keep on writing. And this will be the last part, I promise. Actually, I wanted to make it NSFW again but well, for a change, these idiots aren't yearning that much lol You can read the first part here

@bloodlessheirbyjacques @catharticallysarcastic @kainablue @chris-the-dragonslayer @queerlilchinchin @ashen-crest @weaver-of-fantasies-and-fables @pen-for-sword @magic-is-something-we-create @contes-de-rheio @violetcancerian @zmwrites

A satisfied smile was on Tali's face as she still sleepily buried her nose in Constantine's shoulder. His very own smell of fresh rain and something she could only define as warm only relaxed her further, that she almost fell asleep again if it hadn't been for his grumbling laugh. He turned on his side and pulled her toward him by the waist. "Good morning." His sleepy voice made her smile even more. She liked that huskiness of what morning brought to Constantine's voice for reasons she couldn't explain either. "Morning," she giggled into his shoulder. His hand wandered over her back, accompanied by the satisfied hum. "Good thing I am prepared." "Huh?" Grinning, he kissed her. "Breakfast in bed?" "Then you'll have to get up..." "Not for long. Here's what we'll do: I'll prepare breakfast and you'll see what your parents' Christmas present is?" "My parents' Christmas present?" He kissed her again, then stood up amid Tali's unruly grumbling. "In your bag, as far as I know." "Would you?" She looked at him pleadingly, still curled up in the thick blanket, while he was already standing at the foot of it, naked, of course. "Of course," he replied, amused, and went to get her bag from the living room, where it still stood since the moment, they had arrived the afternoon before.

Giggling, Tali buried herself in bed as she felt a little guilty for not having managed to get her things into the bedroom, but on the other hand they had clearly been busy with other things. Constantine came back with her bag and had conjured a pair of slacks from somewhere on the side that he was wearing. With another kiss, he set the bag down on the bed. "Breakfast will be ready quickly." "No fresh rolls?" "What do I have an oven for?" Skeptically she looked at him while her arm searched for the bag. Constantine just shook his head with a fine amused laugh and left. Tali rummaged through her clothes and found a small package at the very bottom of the bag. An anticipatory giggle escaped her as she pulled it out and saw that it had clearly been wrapped by her mother, the way the bow was tied around it. Hastily, she pulled off the ribbon and tore open the wrapping paper. As small as it was, she knew it was probably jewelry, but what she found was still unexpected. Inside the box was a set of necklace with pendant, earrings, and two bracelets one of which was larger and had a small note on it. It was the shape of the pendants and earrings, however, that had Tali looking stunned into the box. All of them had the elongated shape of shields. She knew exactly what this jewelry meant. Her hand trembled as she took out the note. Tali had to take a deep breath and steady herself so she could read the note, because the trembling would have made it impossible otherwise.

"My little Tali,

if you're reading this, you probably already know why we made a little secret about your Christmas present and realized what the jewelry was all about.

We don't know what lies ahead for you on your path, but one thing your father and I know for sure is that the ancestors trust you to follow the right path, and whatever they know, they insisted that Constantine get a bracelet as well.

I can only assume that your paths are more connected than we can guess, but if there's anyone I want to know by your side, it's him.

Enjoy the holidays, take it easy, and don't do anything I wouldn't do.

Mom."

The feeling as if everything had just turned upside down spread through Tali as she put the note away. The letter explained the larger bracelet with it, though, even if Tali had already suspected something like that. "Are you all right?" Constantine stood in the doorway with a concerned look on his face. "For today, yes." "For today?" In a few large steps he was with her and took the bag aside before sitting down on the bed. His eyes fell on the box of jewelry and went up to her questioningly. "Is there something I don't understand?" "A few things," Tali chuckled tensely. She picked up the bracelet that was meant for him and waved him closer with her index finger. "Let's start with the fact that this is for you." "For me?"

He was as confused as she was before, but reached out so she could put it on him. The shield form wrapped elegantly around his wrist and closed with the small chain as if by itself. Astonishment was in his gaze as he looked at it more closely. "Why a shield? It reminds me in a strange way of the shields of some Middle African tribes." "Because my family's origins are in Africa," Tali laughed out, kissing him on the nose. "That makes sense then, but I have a feeling there's more to it. She dug a hair tie out of the cosmetic bag still beside her and made a messy ponytail. "When a hyena spirit unlocks their powers, the parents contact the ancestors to learn what the young hyena's path is and accordingly select a gift to welcome the young hyena into the circle of adults. "The jewelry is this gift?" "Yes, it is." The look Constantine gave his bracelet Tali could well understand. He raised his arm a little. "Then why this?" "Only the ancestors know that. You know that all the animal spirits go back to the Tree of Life when we die and reside there as ancestors, acting as advisors to our descendants when needed?" "I have heard of that. It's different for us elementals. We get in touch with nature itself." "Sounds logical to me." Slowly, Constantine pulled her over to him and onto his lap. "What does the jewelry mean?" Tali ran her fingertips over his bracelet and hummed lightly to herself. "The shield itself means that my path, is that of a protector, but do you see the layout? Usually the parent's colors are dominant, and the child's in the center with no additional adornment. Here it is different. The purple stands for me, it's edged with gold and decorated. In the middle, it looks more like a globe, in which the red for my mother and yellow for my father are just borders." Only his chuckle stopped her, then Tali realized she had been talking fast. "In summary, then, it means what?" "The border used to be used only for the guards of the elders, so basically something like Kingsguard? Whatever the ancestors have given away, it means that at some point in my life I will protect something or someone important in some way, directly or indirectly. The weird point is that the ancestors wanted you to get the bracelet, which means there's the two of us in there, and that in turn means they have knowledge from the loom." Taking a deep breath, Tali fell against his shoulder. "Is that possible?" "What?" "Is it possible for the ancestors to gain access to the loom of fate?" "Yes and no. If it's something that affects the Tree of Life they get it. So they have access through three corners, if you want to put it that way." Gently, he stroked her back, causing a comforting shiver. "I'm beginning to understand why you have such a keen interest in the loom." "Thanks, but weren't you going to make breakfast?" Tali grinned broadly at him. "Are you getting impatient?" "Hungry. Or I'll bite you." Playfully, she bit his shoulder, only to end up back in bed a moment later, with Constantine hovering over her, a smirk on his face and a fine wicked glint in his eye. "That should wait until after breakfast." She wiggled her eyebrows, making him laugh as he walked back into the kitchen. Carefully, Tali took the box back and put on her bracelet. In the late morning light, it looked strangely beautiful, even if its meaning worried her a little. The part she hadn't told Constantine about the meaning was that whatever it was to protect would be pretty damn important to world events, and that clearly scared her. Her gaze went toward the kitchen, where the clatter of dishes revealed that there were also scrambled eggs. She got up, wrapped herself in the blanket, and patted her way into the kitchen. Constantine had his back to her, so she could hug him from behind. Chuckling, he looked over his shoulder. "Feeling a little needy?" "A little." "Maybe I can distract you. Look in the living room under the TV."

A mixture of anticipation and mild skepticism accompanied Tali into the living room. She squatted in front of the dresser where the TV was and pulled open the first drawer. Except for the DVD collection, she found nothing. Curiosity grew as she pulled open the other drawer. Her squeal was answered with a laugh from the kitchen as she took out the PlayStation. Inside the drawer were a few more games that she was sure she had mentioned at some point that she had played or wanted to play. "You're having fun?" came from the kitchen. "We will after breakfast," she threw back, giggling. Practiced, she wired everything up and fired up the PlayStation. When the startup screen came up, it surprised her to see that it was a brand-new console that had yet to be completely set up. So busy setting up and updating, she didn't notice Constantine step up behind her until he put his hand on her shoulder. "Breakfast is ready." Tali stuck her head up for a kiss and confirmed the last few things before standing up. Startled, she cried out as Constantine lifted her up and carried her back to bed, blanket and all. "I promised you breakfast in bed, forgot." "No, but I can walk too." Giggling, she buried her face in his shoulder. "I had my worries that I wouldn't be able to get you out of the living room after the surprise worked so well." "I love videogames, but I love you a lot more. And thank you for that." She was gently eased into bed. Everything was already waiting for her at the side, so he wouldn't have to leave again either. "I thought after you gave your PlayStation to your siblings because theirs broke, and you talk so often about showing me some games, this would be a fitting solution." "It is. You even remembered which games I was waiting for." Embarrassed, he smiled and set the tray of breakfast down in front of her. The smell of fresh rolls and scrambled eggs rose to her nose and made her stomach growl. As she tussled, her eyes fell more closely on the tray, and she paused for a moment, only to look at Constantine. He acted as if nothing was wrong and as if it was perfectly normal that there were two different massage oils between the coffee and the scrambled eggs. Once again, she took a closer look and picked the plain unscented massage oil off the tray with her fingertips and set it aside, keeping her eyes on Constantine. "You're extra sweet this morning," he just grinned. "You know how much I love chocolate." His hand traveled up Tali's back like a breeze. "That means it was a good idea to bring the cocoa butter bath bombs, too." For a moment, Tali was tempted to grab his hand and bite his fingers, but decided to go for the scrambled eggs instead. On the other hand, a plan was developing in her head about how she envisioned spending the day, and a long, arousing bath with Constantine was clearly part of it.

[theinfamousdoctorf]

Story time

1/3

So pardon me for a lack of some details both because this happened almost 25 years ago, and also I don't actually remember the name of the person we'd gone to help. Pretty sure it was Tim, so we'll go with that. Suffice to say the whole fiasco was not my idea. My boyfriend at the time, we'll just call him Gemini because he's an ass and doesn't deserve a shout-out. He was a Wiccan, like me, and he had an obsession with riding to the rescue when people needed help with mystical matters. Also he was a massive egotist and slurped up praise wherever he could get it. This was early internet/message board days and he had a lot of friends and acquaintances online that would pass his name along as an 'expert' too. Frequently I got dragged along because he was constantly without a legal drivers license and sometimes entirely without a vehicle. And I was starry-eyed and eager to go toe to toe with whatever was out there.

This particular trip was to Gasconade MO. I don't know how it is now, but at the time it was a very tiny rural town full of KKK members and three pagans in their 20's desperately looking for a way to move somewhere else. At the time it was also several hours drive from where I was. Fun. I packed the car with our ritual equipment and headed for an address that belonged to Tim's grandmother. There was a distinct and nasty change in energies as we drove over a small bridge straddling the Gasconade river. The house was several miles of gravel path off the paved road, literally in a forest. There were no other houses or even turns off this road. By the time we got there it was already late afternoon. Because it's important to the story; I want to make clear that my ride was a shitty late 70s Mustang and this will come up later. All my junk was specifically in the trunk of the car. So Tim introduces us to his grandmother. He apparently neglected to tell her that we were Wiccan and she assumed Gemini was a Christian minister of some stripe. This was very awkward and we decided not to correct her. She told us that she was having issues both inside and outside the house. She had several framed pictures of rather blase art in her living room as well as a small decorative hand broom made of twigs and fake flowers. She said these things would constantly be found on the floor or couch. As if they'd been removed from the walls and leaned against the baseboards and such below. She said that things would mysteriously go missing and she was very upset about it. Also that she'd hear voices outside at night. And that currently she was missing a small jewelry box and very distressed about it. Gemini, Tim and myself agreed to help her look for it.

As a group we moved through the house looking under things and opening drawers. Nothing. When we returned to the living room two of the pictures and the broom were on the floor. I asked if there were other rooms and the grandmother told me there was a small attic about the size of a closet. Gemini insisted on going up with a bright orange emergency flashlight/compass/survival tool I'd brought. He searched the attic and came halfway down the extremely narrow stairs to tell us that he didn't find anything unusual. I was standing at the foot of the steps less then three feet away from him. He put the hand with the flashlight against the ceiling to brace himself and when his hand came down the flashlight was gone. It vanished entirely from his grip in front of me. He was wearing a sleeveless shirt at the time and there was no place it could have fallen. I called it out immediately because I was about to ask him for it. Now a bit angry. Gemini decided to search the house again, this time we found the missing box in a drawer that we'd definitely checked. It was pressed down into a solid mass of meticulously folded bed linens. The flashlight was not found.

1/3

[lemondropdancer]

Grounding Techniques

Mental Distraction Techniques

Pick a category of objects and try to think of as many objects as possible that fit within that category (e.g., types of dogs, cities, types of trees, crayon colors, sports)

Pick a letter and think of emotionally positive or neutral words that begin with that letter

Pick a color and look for things of that color. Notice differences in their exact shades

Say or think the alphabet backwards or alternate letters and numbers (A1, B2, C3, D4, etc)

Count backwards from 100 by 3s, 6s, or 7s or count up by prime numbers or perfect squares

Play "fizz-buzz" with yourself. Begin counting to 100 (or over!), but replace any number that contains the number 5 or is a multiple of 5 with the word "fizz" and any number that contains the number 7 or is a multiple of 7 with the word "buzz." For example, 1-15 would be "1, 2, 3, 4, fizz, 6, buzz, 8, 9, fizz, 11, 12, 13, buzz, fizz." When you mess up, compliment yourself and start over

Think of the words to your favorite song or poem or think of facts related to a specific theme

Pick a word or your name and see how many other words you can make from the letters in it

Describe an every day event or process in great detail, listing all of the steps in order and as thoroughly as possible (e.g., how to cook a meal, how to get from your house to your place of work or school, how to do your favorite dance)

Read something technical or meant for children or read words backwards to focus on the process of reading and not the words

Watch a children's television show or movie or watch cute or funny videos on Youtube; it might help to have a playlist already prepared for this

Look at a current news article that is not likely to be upsetting or distressing

Distract yourself with Tetris, Solitaire, Sudoku, word searches, or other puzzle games

Reorientation Techniques

Say or think to yourself: "My name is _________. I am safe right now. I am _____ years old. I am currently at _____________. The date is _____________. If I need help, I am with ________/can call _________. Everything is going to be alright."

List reaffirming statements ("I am fine. Everything is going to be okay. I am strong. I can handle this.")

Ask yourself where you are, what day of the week it is, what day of the month it is, what month it is, what year it is, what season it is, how old you are, and other present-focused questions

Notice things in your surroundings that indicate to you that you're safe or that you're in the present (e.g., locks on your door, electronics that didn't exist when you were younger, the presence of trusted people, a phone so that you can call for help if you need it)

Describe your surroundings in detail, including sights (objects, textures, shapes, colors), sounds, smells, and temperature

Name five things that you see, four that you feel, three that you hear, and two that you smell or taste, and then name one good thing that you like about yourself

Pick four or five brightly colored objects that are easily visible and move your focus between them. Be sure to vary the order of your gaze and concentrate briefly on each one before moving to the next

Think about a fun time that you recently had with a friend or call that friend and ask them to talk about it with you

Sensory-Based Grounding Techniques

Run cool or warm (but not too cold or hot) water over your hands or take a cool or warm bath or shower

Spritz your face (with eyes closed), neck, arms, and hands with a fine water mist

Spray yourself with your favorite perfume and focus on the scent

Feel the weight of your body in your chair or on the floor and the weight of your clothing on your skin

Touch and hold objects around you. Compare the feel, weight, temperature, textures, colors, and materials

Keep a small object with you to touch or play with when you get triggered. Good examples include a smooth stone, a fidget toy, jewelry, or a tiny plushy

Bite into a lemon, orange, or lime, suck on a sour or minty candy or an ice cube, chew cinnamon-flavored gum, or put a few drops of Tabasco sauce on your tongue. Notice the flavor, scent, and texture

Eat something or drink warm tea, coffee, or hot chocolate, and describe to yourself the taste and texture in great detail

Place a cool wash cloth on your face or hold something cold like a can of soda

Listen to soothing or familiar music. If possible, dance to it

Hum, sing, recite poetry, or make up a silly poem or story as you go

Pick up a book and read the first paragraph out loud

Hug another person (if interpersonal touch isn't a trigger). Pay attention to your own pressure and the physical sensations of doing so

Hug a tree! Register the smells of being outside, the wind, and the sights around you

Movement-Based Grounding Techniques

Breathe deeply and slowly and count your breaths

Grab tightly onto your chair or press your feet against the ground as firmly as you can

Rub your palms and clap your hands or wiggle your toes within your socks. Pay attention to the physical sensation of doing so

Stretch out your arms or legs, roll your head on your neck, or clench and unclench your fists

Stomp your feet, walk around, run, jump, ride a bike, do jumping jacks, or do yoga

While walking, notice each footstep and say to yourself "right" and "left" to correspond with the foot currently moving

Squeeze a pillow, stuffed animal, or ball

If you have a soft pet (dog or cat), brush its fur and stroke it. If you don't, brush your own hair slowly and without pulling too much

Color in an adult coloring book, finger paint, or draw anything that comes to mind without worrying about quality

Write whatever comes to mind even if it's nonsense. Try not to write about whatever is upsetting you until you're more capable of doing so without increasing the upset

Write a list of things that make you happy or look for cheerful pictures to make into a collage

Pop bubble wrap or blow and pop actual bubbles

Dig in the dirt or garden, jump on a pile of leaves, or splash around in puddles or mud

Rip up paper or stomp on aluminum cans to crush them

Imagery Techniques

Picture yourself breathing in relaxation, calm, positive feelings, or strength. Picture yourself breathing out whatever is upsetting you. It may help to pair this with imagery of breathing in soothing colors (usually blue, purple, or green) and out more intense colors (usually red or black)

If you need to relax, envision a soothing white or golden light slowly moving up your body, warming and relaxing every part of you that it touches. You can also think of it as protecting you from negativity or from harm

If the problem is intense or uncomfortable emotions, physical sensations, or memories, picture them being surrounded and neutralized by a bright and healing light, temporarily placed in a mental box to be stored for later, or dialed back by an internal controller of intensity

If you have a clear mental picture of what's upsetting you, mentally change it to something silly or harmless. If you're a fan of Harry Potter, cast a mental "riddikulus" to banish the negativity

Picture yourself calm, focused, and able to tackle whatever problems you're facing. Focus on how that would feel in the moment. What would your expression and posture be like? Make whatever changes you need to in order to make your reality reflect your goal

How to Make a Grounding Box

Get a box or basket

Personalize and decorate it with construction paper, wrapping paper, ribbon, stickers, drawings, paint, photographs, glitter, sequins, or anything else that you like

Keep within it:

A list of grounding techniques that you know work for you

A list of positive affirmations and happy memories

A list of the contact information of trusted friends or family who are willing to help and support you

Small sensory objects such as: scented candles, perfumes, or lotions; hard candies or gum; soft fabrics, a stress ball, a stuffed animal, or a fidget toy; happy pictures of you with friends; a CD with relaxing music or meditation tracks. Try to cover all of the senses

A list of possible distractions such as books to read or movies to watch

Small portable distractions such as a pack of playing cards, a small game, or a joke book

A list of comforting things to do such as taking a bubble bath, snuggling up in bed, or meditating

A small journal or notebook

In the Case of a Flashback

Tell yourself that you are having a flashback and are safe now

Remind yourself that the worst is over, and you survived it. What you're feeling now is just a reminder of that trauma and does not fit the present moment

Remind yourself of when and where you are, who you're currently with, and who you can contact if you need help (use the reorientation-focused grounding techniques)

Breathe deeply and slowly. Count your breathes and make sure that you're getting enough air

Use other mental, sensory, movement, and imagery techniques in order to distract yourself, calm yourself, and reorient yourself within the present

If possible or necessary, go somewhere where you can be alone or with a close friend, where you will feel safe, or where you feel protected or shielded

If there is anyone who you can trust or who will support you, reach out to them, let them know what happened, and let them know what you need, what would be best for you, or what they could do to help

Be gentle with yourself and take the time to really recover. If what helps you to recover is to color, take a bubble bath, hug a stuffed animal, or watch a children's movie and if it would not be disruptive to do such things at that point in time, embrace those options whole-heartedly

If possible, note or write down what triggered the flashback, what techniques you tried to use to disrupt the flashback, and what techniques helped

[adoringhaikyuu]

date night

pairing: atsumu x f!reader

summary: atsumu forgets about date night :/

warnings: a lil sad but not too bad

word count 1.1k

notes: this was inspired by this audio lol

at first you thought that he was just running late––it happened sometimes, that's just how he was. but as you watched the time pass by ––ten minutes, then twenty... by the hour mark, you'd given up.

he forgot. he forgot about the date night that you both planned in advance, weeks ago. atsumu had been so busy for the past few months, you were so excited to just have one night to each other, one night to have him all to yourself.

you dressed up nice, putting on your fanciest, sexiest dress and heels, you took your time to get ready, knowing this was a special night, the first night you'd go out with your boyfriend in a while. and it didn't happen.

the reservation was an hour ago, and atsumu was two hours late. you were contemplating going to bed when the door burst open to reveal atsumu, panting, eyes frantic and apologetic. "baby fuck, i'm so sorry––" he practically ran towards you, throwing off his jacket and kicking off his shoes haphazardly.

he ran his hands through his hair, trying to give you a small smile but you wouldn't look at him, choosing to focus, or rather pretend to focus on the tv. "it completely slipped my mind honey, i promise i didn't mean to blow you off––not that that makes it better..."

he was met with silence and his shoulders sunk as he stepped towards you hesitantly, his feet dragging like a small child. "c'mon baby i would never do that to you on purpose, i mean...look at you, i––god i'm a fucking idiot."

you nodded subtly but he didn't comment on it, his eyes still trailing along your body. your dress fit you perfectly, it accentuated all your best features and your shoes––you rarely wore shoes like that, though they were sexy, he knew they also hurt like a bitch, so the fact that you wore those for him and he didn't even show up? he had a lot of making up to do.

"baby doll please look at me, let me see those gorgeous eyes so you can see how sorry i am." he cursed quietly to himself, looking around for some sort of answer. "please don't ignore me princess."

you kept your eyes trained forward, your tongue in your cheek as you tried to calm yourself down, the frustration and disappointment still lingering in your mind, making your body buzz. you sighed, "i don't know what you want from me, atsumu."

you could see from the corner of your eye that he was pouting dramatically, eyes wide. "wh––atsumu? what happened to baby? or bub?" he got on his knees in front of you and placed his hands on your thighs but you looked to the side, not wanting to give in.

you crossed your arms, your voice quiet when you spoke up again. "where were you?"

you noticed him hesitate and scratch the back of his head nervously. "i––well i was with the boys baby and––"

you nodded your head and he paused, scared that he'd said the wrong thing, he didn't want to mess up even more tonight. "but as soon as i remembered i came running home." you got up, and walked past him but he was quick to stand up and follow you. "but you love the boys don't you?" he was trying to make the situation better any way he could, thinking that maybe if he reminded you that you liked them, and even considered them your own friends, you wouldn't be as upset––shit logic, he knows.

you kept walking until you made it to your bedroom, "yeah i do, but they're always with you, tsumu." tsumu, that was better than his full name. you glanced over your shoulder briefly, the hurt look in your eyes stopping him in his tracks for a brief moment. "i just wanted to be with you, for once. i just––can't remember the last time we had a night to ourselves. i missed you." fuck.

you made your way in front of your vanity, looking in the mirror as you reached up to take out your earrings when atsumu's hand gently wrapped around your wrist in mid-air. "wait wait," he brought your hand up to his face and kissed your wrist, pressing his cheek into your palm. "i'm so sorry babygirl, please don't get undressed, you look too good to let all this go to waste. let me take you out, show you off–"

you shook your head, "it's late."

he felt like crying, "but––"

you shook your head again, letting your hand drop to your side. "i'm tired, babe." you reached for your earrings again and this time he didn't stop you, watching you put them away in your jewelry box.

you walked over to your side of the bed and sat down and atsumu dropped back down on his knees, reaching to take your heels off for you. "i'll make it up to you tomorrow––i'll blow off practice and you'll have me all to yourself all twenty-four hours, promise."

you appreciated the effort but sighed, both from his words and the feeling of his hands gently massaging their way from the heel to the ball of your foot. you hadn't actually walked with them so your feet weren't hurting, but you weren't going to reject the massage. "you can't just skip, you're on a professional team."

he moved onto the other foot, bringing it up to kiss your ankle. "sure i can, i just won't go." he was serious as ever, yet you couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

you ran a hand through his hair and he smiled, content with the affection you were showing him. "you're really not gonna let this go, huh?"

he shook his head and kissed up one of your calves, his hand caressing the other. "of course not." he looked at you earnestly and you could tell he wasn't joking around. "i hurt my girl and i've gotta make it up to her." he leaned up on his knees between your legs and tilted his head up towards you, a hopeful look in his eyes. "kiss?"

you bit your lip and nodded, placing your hand on his cheeks to pull him in for a sweet kiss and he sighed, hands resting on your thighs. it wasn't like your usual passionate ones, it wasn't intense, it was short but meaningful, a reassurance. when you both pulled away, he looked at you, a warm gaze in his eyes. "i love you pretty girl, i will make this right, i swear."

[doctorstethoscope]

The Right Chapter 21 || Aaron Hotchner x Fem Reader

Helloooooo my friends!!! You are going to love this one. I am so excited to hear what you think about it. Hold on to the fluff my loves. 

Read previous chapters of this fic here! 

warnings: food mention, alcohol consumption, discussion of pregnancy (not reader), mild sexual content

wordcount: 1.9k

“Okay, be honest. How many nights have you actually spent here since you moved in?” Emily asked, perched on the couch in your apartment, a glass of wine in her hand, a few empty bottles scattered between you, her, JJ and Garcia throughout your living room.

“That’s not fair! We spend way more nights out on cases than I do at Aaron’s place,” you laughed from across the living room in a lounge chair. 

“You know that’s not what she meant, peach.” Garcia chastises you, and JJ lets out a snort. 

“It doesn’t matter. Her non-answer is answer enough,” she points out, and you all laugh together.

“It’s a good thing,” Garcia reminds you. 

“Oh, absolutely,” Emily concurs. “We’re all glad you finally figured it out. I didn’t know how much longer I was going to be able to stand you making googly-eyes at him during active hostage situations.” 

“I did not!” You defended yourself with a smile, hiding your grin behind your fourth-- or was it your fifth?--- glass of wine. 

“You weren’t that bad. That’s not to say you were good at hiding it, because you weren’t,” JJ assures you. “But you held it together in the field.” 

“See, guys? And JJ’s sober.” You reminded the group.

“Are you sure you don’t want a glass?” Garcia offered her. 

“No, I’m alright,” JJ denied. “Actually, I offered to drive because…. Will and I are expecting!” She announces, and your faces all light up in unison. 

“Jayje!” Emily squeals, practically diving across the couch to wrap her friend in a hug. Penelope is right behind her, and you all take a moment to fuss over her and feel her non-existent bump before settling back into your own seats. 

“Oh, that means you and Hotch are next!” Garcia asserts drunkenly, and you tense, although you doubt any of the ladies noticed. 

“You think you’d want that? Kids, I mean?” Emily asks you, reclining back in her chair. 

“I don’t really know what Aaron wants,” you shrug the question off, averting your gaze to your wine glass. 

“That’s not what we asked,” JJ redirects you, apparently unwilling to accept a non-answer this time around. “What do you want?”

“With Aaron? More kids, definitely more.” You confess. “But Aaron’s older than I am. I don’t know if he feels like he’s done with that part of his life, you know?” 

“There’s no way. He loves Jack more than anything.” Emily concludes. “He seems like the type of guy who’d love to keep you barefoot and pregnant, even if it’s only because he’d get to pull you out of the field and keep you safe at home.” 

You let out a real laugh at Emily’s assertion. “Well, if he ever asks me about it, I’ll be sure to include that in my supporting arguments.” 

“Trust me-- they never feel done with being a dad. How do you think Will and I ended up with baby number two?” JJ reminds you with a wink. 

“Oh, you guys would just have the cutest babies. That dark Hotchner hair and your pretty eyes!” Garcia gushes, her lower lip starting to quiver. 

“Okay, and that’s my cue to get her home,” JJ chuckles, rising from her place on the couch. “Drink some water before you go to bed, okay? And maybe eat something, and take some advil?” 

“Okay, mom,” you rolled your eyes, standing up and giving your friends hugs goodbye as you said goodnight. 

“Hey, someday you’ll understand,” JJ tells you. “It will be sooner than you think, I’d bet.” She winks, and you roll your eyes at her again, smiling as you walked the three of them to the door.

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

“We’re going on a date tonight,” Aaron tells you as the two of you leave the office a few nights later. “Jess agreed to take Jack.”

Your brow furrowed in confusion. “Am I forgetting something?” 

“Only that I love you, and as your boyfriend I reserve the right to take you out whenever I please,” He smirks, placing a hand on your back as he opens the door and helps you into the car. 

You roll your eyes, but you’re not quick enough to come up with some smart-ass comment, so you let him have the win as he drives you both home.

“Should I wear something specific?” You ask as the two of you walk into the house together.

“We’re gonna walk downtown a little, so something comfortable,” he advises. “Do you need to do anything other than change, or are you basically ready to go?” 

“I could use ten minutes to freshen up,” you tell him, and he nods with a smile. 

“Take your time, we’re not in any rush,” he says, kissing your temple and moving into the bedroom to change into something more comfortable as you step into the bathroom, adjusting your hair and makeup just a tad. When you come back into the bedroom, Aaron’s switched into jeans, so you do the same. You go to fish your wallet out of your work bag, and Aaron slaps at your wrist lightly. 

“Stop it. You don’t need that,” he tells you, and you roll your eyes with a playful smile. 

“You’re a neanderthal,” You tease him, letting him guide you out of the house and back towards the car. 

“No, I was raised right,” Aaron corrects you. 

“What if I want a drink and I get carded?” You smirked as you buckled your seatbelt. You were younger than Aaron, yes, but not by that much. 

“If you get denied because you don’t have an ID on you, I’ll stop at the gas station on our way home and buy you a six pack of bud light.” He assures you as he backs out of the parking lot.

“So romantic,” you cooed overdramatically, tossing your head back with a laugh. Aaron takes advantage of the opportunity to lean over the console and press a quick kiss to your jawline.

A few moments later, Aaron parks the car in front of a greasy spoon downtown that you’d never been to before, and you give him an inquisitive look. It’s not that you minded at all-- any time you spent with Aaron was perfect in every way. But his dates were usually a lot higher-key. 

“I’ve got to keep you on your toes,” he shrugged with a boyish grin as he took your hand in his on the sidewalk and walked you into the restaurant. He let go reluctantly as the two of you slid into opposite sides of a booth. 

“So, it’s safe to assume that there’s more to tonight’s date than burgers and milkshakes?” You ask Aaron after the two of you have placed your orders. 

“Oh, absolutely,” Aaron nods, smiling smugly. 

“And are you going to tell me what that might be?” You asked hopefully. 

“Absolutely not,” Aaron confirmed what you had already suspected.

“Not even a hint?” You asked. 

“You’ll find out in due time. Be patient, princess,” he encourages you. 

“I’m willing to beg,” you informed him. You were sure that whatever he had planned would be romantic and wonderful, but god did you want to know. 

“Darling, I’d really prefer if you saved that for our bedroom,” Aaron deadpanned, and you choked on your water. 

“Agent Hotchner!” You chastised, catching your breath. 

“Come on, now you’re just teasing me,” he winked, and you felt butterflies in your stomach. 

“Well, is it working?” You asked, wondering if you could flirt your way into some intel. 

“Not a chance,” he admonished you playfully as the waitress sat your meals down in front of you. 

After dinner, Aaron took your hand back in his and led you out of the restaurant. You started to head off towards the car, but he stopped you. 

“You did want to see what else I had planned, didn’t you?” He asks, facetiously. 

“Yes please,” you smiled shyly. 

“Take a walk with me,” Aaron says, tugging you back into him so he can wrap his arm around you.  It takes a couple of paces for him to find his metaphorical footing, but after a moment, he speaks up again. “I haven’t been clear with you about what my intentions are, and I wanted to apologize for that.”

“Aaron, you don’t have to--” you start, but he cuts you off. 

“Let me, first, please?” Aaron asks of you, looking you in the eyes, and you nod, giving him permission to continue. “I haven’t explained to you exactly how I feel, and because I didn’t do that, you’re having to worry about silly things, like whether or not you have the same amount of experience I do, or whether or not I’m going to run off with Jack’s teacher or one of his friends moms.” 

“Well, I’m less worried about Rhonda now that I’ve met her wife. But Ms. Meadows is still on my watch list.” You tell him, and he chuckles, taking your hand in his and kissing the back of it as he takes you down a side street. 

“Darling, you’ve got nothing to worry about. That’s what I needed to tell you. I’m all in, sweetheart. You, me, Jack, and anyone else we might add to our family-- that’s all I want. That’s my priority.” He tells you, and your breath catches. “So, I got you a little something, just to show you how serious I am,” He says, leading you into a jewelry store. You stop in the doorway. 

“Aaron Hotchner, please tell me you’re not proposing at the jewelers.” You whisper out, not wanting to cause a scene. You would have said yes, regardless, but you were struck by a little bit of shock. 

He chuckles and shakes his head. “No, dear. Come on in, and I’ll show you,” He takes your hand again, and you step into the jewelry store with trepidation. The man behind the counter seems to recognize Aaron, as he produces a bag from the back counter once they make eye contact. Aaron passes the bag to you, and you push through the pink tissue paper to uncover a box, in which you find a single diamond solitaire pendant.

“Aaron,” you start breathlessly, but he’s already taking the necklace out of your hands and maneuvering the clasp around your neck. 

“This is just a placeholder, until you’re ready for the real thing,” Aaron whispers, pressing a kiss behind your ear once the necklace is secure. “But since we’re here, would you want to try a few on? So I know what you like? You’re not allowed to take the real one off, once it’s on. So I want you to be happy with it.” 

You’re sure that you’re dreaming your way through the rest of the evening. You try on what feels like every ring in the store, including the ones you insist are too expensive, but Aaron refuses to listen. You’re practically floating on air during the walk back to the car, and you let out a sigh as you settle into the passenger seat. 

“I know I said you weren’t allowed to take the ring off, and I meant it,” Aaron tells you. “But if you’re not ready to start thinking that way, I understand. This is at your pace. You just let me know, and I’ll pump the breaks.” 

You practically launch yourself across the center console, taking his face in your hands and kissing him. “Does this thing go any faster, actually?” You ask, and he laughs as he kisses you again.

tagging:  @romanogersendgame @wanniiieeee      @zheezs14      @greeneyedblondie44 @angelic-kisses13  @baumarvel @ssamorganhotchner  @ijustwannaread2k19    @rexit-mo @shmaptainhotchnersmain @qtip-blog @averyhotchner  @the-modernmary @itsmytimetoodream @choppa-style @hotforhotchner11 @infinite-tides @isthatme-thatsme @g-l-pierce @bakugouswh0r3 @ssahotchie @sleepyreaderreads

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Head Over Feet (2/14)

After Kurt and Blaine broke up the second time, they went their separate ways, living their separate lives in New York City. Fifteen years later, a retirement party brings them back together into each other’s orbit, with surprising, for both of them, consequences. Are they able to fit each other into their already complicated and messy lives? And are these newfound feelings real? Or just echoes of a past relationship?

Canon Divergent after Season 5.

Ao3 Link

A/N: Since the first chapter seemed to be such a huge hit - I'm dropping this today. This was all originally supposed to be the first chapter anyway! Going forward, I'm going to try to update once a month. Thanks for reading - and I hope you enjoy! :)

Thanks to @snarkyhag for the beta. :)

***

Chapter 2: Loser Like Me (Part Two) 

Kurt Hummel loves sex.  He loves the feeling of strong hands holding his body, rough lips against his skin, and a hard cock buried deep within him.  And that morning he had woken up feeling particularly horny.  He isn’t sure what exactly he had been dreaming about but his dick aches to be touched.  And luckily he shares his bed with a very hot guy who doesn’t mind taking care of it for him.  

He and Ian have been together a little over a year now, though this moving in together thing is new and still taking time to get used to.  Sex, however, is not an adjustment they need to make.  Ian doesn’t seem to mind Kurt waking him up with a hand on his cock, desperate to be fucked.  Ian might be a little slow to wake, but not long after they start, Ian’s already pulling Kurt to a quick orgasm; Kurt spilling all over Ian’s fist as Ian pumps his hips into Kurt from behind.  

The thing is, as much as Kurt loves sex, he’s not one to draw it out.  Kurt finds himself holding steady onto the bed frame, staring at the wallpaper, as Ian takes his time fucking him.  And the wallpaper is incredibly ugly.  Seriously.  He knows that Ian isn’t the one to have picked it out, but it’s a striped puke-green, burnt-orange, and tacky-gold, left over, most likely, from a renovation to the old building from the sixties.  It’s a travesty that it’s remained on the wall so long, and if Ian would just fucking come already, he wouldn’t be forced to stare at it for so long.  

Kurt fucks his hips back a little, hoping that Ian will pick up the pace.  He leans back for a kiss (that wallpaper is seared forever in his head, god) and gives out a little moan.  It’s a tiny bit performative, but it seems to do the trick, and Ian’s hips finally begin to snap, pushing him to his own orgasm.  

“Fuck, Kurt, I could wake up this way every day for forever,” Ian says, sucking a kiss to his shoulder.  

The word ‘forever’ echoes in Kurt’s brain uncomfortably.  Kurt turns in Ian’s arms, quieting him with a kiss.  “Happy to oblige.”

Ian goes in to deepen the kiss, but Kurt pulls away.  Now that he’s feeling a bit satisfied, he wants nothing more than to take a shower and get ready for the day.  He’s got about a thousand things to do, and he’s eager to get started.  Ian tries to keep him close -- he’s always wanting to make out after sex -- but Kurt manages to slip out of Ian’s light grasp.  

“Shower time,” Kurt says, wiggling his eyebrows.  

“Mmm, let me join you.”

The thought suddenly makes Kurt twitch but he tries not to show it.  What is wrong with him? His incredibly handsome boyfriend, with his disheveled dark hair and playfully pleading light eyes wants to join him in the shower for a possible part two of morning sexy times.  But having Ian shoved in next to him in their tiny shower stall makes him feel claustrophobic.  

He pushes past his discomfort to allow Ian to join him.  He even gives in to a little light making-out.  But there’s no way sex is happening in that bathroom.  

They do their morning routine together, bumping into each other in the tiny bathroom.  The sink is covered in bottles and sprays, creams and soaps, razors and combs, and they have to reach over each other to grab what they need.  Kurt is normally a very organized person, and when he moved in, he took the time to organize a side for each of them. But since then, Ian’s stuff has slowly migrated over to his side, and Ian’s slowly been using the products on Kurt’s side.  And mostly, he’d be fine with the sharing if things would just keep their place.  However, he doesn’t say anything, enjoying Ian’s good mood.  

Ian suggests breakfast, wanting to go to the little bagel shop a few blocks down.  He asks Kurt to walk with him but, just wanting a few minutes to check his emails alone, he declines.  Ian throws a look of disappointment but heads out, stating he’ll bring Kurt something back.  Kurt tries not to feel guilty about it, and reminds himself that there’s nothing wrong with wanting a few minutes to yourself.  Besides, Ian’s still excited that they’re living together.  He’ll calm down.  Surely.   Right?  

Ian being gone gives Kurt a few minutes to pick up the apartment.  There are clothes discarded in the living room, where they had been left after starting sex on the couch the night before.  There’s an old pizza box sitting on the coffee table, a few mugs with half-drunk tea, and a scattering of papers.  And underneath a pile of Ian’s sheet music is the mail from the previous week, most of which is Kurt’s.  He clenches his jaw as he goes through it, annoyed that he’s just now seeing it.  

There are a couple of old bills in here that need to be paid, as well as a bright red envelope that looks like an invitation sent from McKinley High.  He looks over the invitation with curiosity, though something else quickly catches his eye.  It’s a jewelry catalogue sent to Ian.  Specifically, a men’s jewelry catalogue.  And Ian doesn’t wear jewelry.  Highly suspect of it, he looks it over, and a growing anxiety starts to spread.  This could not possibly mean…

The door slams shut and Kurt jumps from his spot on the couch.  It’s just Ian home from the bagel shop.  

“I got your favorite, multigrain with that fancy whipped cream cheese that you like,” Ian says.  He hands him the bag and gives him a kiss on the cheek before sitting down next to him.  

“You didn’t give me my mail,” Kurt grumbles, taking the bag.  Then adds a quiet, “thank you.”  

Ian shrugs it off.  “I figured you’d see it eventually.  I’ve been wondering when you’d open that red envelope.  I wanna know what it is.”

“Oh,” Kurt places the bag with his breakfast on the coffee table and picks up the envelope from his lap, opening it.  He gives it a fond smile.  “I guess my old choir director is retiring.  There’s a party for him back in Lima.”  

“Well, that’s cool,” Ian says, grabbing the invitation out of his hand.  “Quaint.  I’m guessing you aren’t going?  I mean, other than mentioning your dad, I’ve never heard you talk about your time in Ohio.  Hell, I’ve never even heard early New York stories.  All I know is one day you walked into my piano bar, a full grown man, mysterious and sexy.”  Ian wiggles his eyebrows.  “Hard to imagine you in high school.”  

“Well, I can assure you I was anything but sexy,” Kurt says.  A flash of a memory crosses his brain - one of a performance in a warehouse, lots of boys in blazers, and a really uncomfortable situation for young Kurt.  He shakes his head, ridding his mind of it.  

“So, are you going to go?” Ian asks, far more interested in the idea than Kurt is.  

Kurt scrunches his nose at the thought.  He hasn’t stepped foot in Ohio for a better part of a decade.  There aren’t even people from high school he still talks to, not on a regular basis anyway.  It’s sweet of Will Schuester’s family to think of him, but maybe he’s better off sending a card or something.  

“I don’t know,” Kurt says, he stares at the invitation, unsure of how he feels about it.  “I don’t know.”

***

Wednesdays mean that Ian is home all day.  He is a classical pianist by trade and his day job is playing with one of New York’s symphony orchestras.  In the evenings, he usually plays gigs at local bars.  But on Wednesday, he has time off from both jobs to be home all day.  Wednesday used to be the day where Kurt spent all his time with Ian.  Now that they live together, Kurt usually spends his Wednesday anywhere but home.  

It usually lands him at his own job, running a small theater that he co-owns with his old friend, Elliott Gilbert.  Technically, Elliott’s rich grandmother’s money bought the theater, and Kurt had been brought on to manage the projects and productions that happened there.  It’s still quite a work in progress, as the building had been nearly condemned when they originally bought it a few years earlier.  But with all their hard work, they’re beginning to draw in better productions, and this might be the first year they actually draw a profit.  

When he gets in that afternoon, he finds Elliott up in the rafters, working on some of the lights.  Kurt watches for a moment as Elliott finishes whatever he’s working on.  It’s hard to say, but he has the toolbox with him, so Kurt can only guess it has to do with the lights nearly coming down the other night.  They really need to get an electrician in, but Elliott’s pretty handy about these things, and will at least try to do what he can before they have to ask for help.  

Kurt watches a good few minutes as Elliott finishes up and comes down the ladder.  

“You’re being quiet,” Elliott says, carefully bringing down the toolbox as he reaches the bottom of the ladder.  Kurt, hands in pockets, just gives a gentle shrug.  “You’re not usually quiet, which means it can only be one of a few things.  Something’s up with your dad.  You want a favor.  Or it’s boyfriend problems.”

“Well, my dad is fine, and I don’t need anything,” Kurt says.  “So….”

Elliott lets out a heavy sigh, and places the toolbox on the ground.  “It wouldn’t kill you to go to therapy, you know.”

“You’re not my therapist?”

“Alright, so this session is going to cost you three-hundred dollars,” Elliott looks at his watch.  “You have twenty minutes.  Go.”

Kurt lets out a laugh as he follows Elliott to the edge of the stage.  Elliott jumps off but Kurt lowers himself to sit on the edge, his legs hanging off.  Elliott makes a shrug for Kurt to get on with it.  

“So, I was going through some mail, and I found this jewelry catalogue.  It had a lot of men’s engagement rings,” Kurt says.  Elliott makes a face as if to say ‘and…?’  Kurt purses his lips.  “I think Ian might ask me to marry him.”  

“Have you guys even talked about marriage?”

“Definitely not.”  

Elliott doesn’t seem at all convinced.  “Maybe it was just an ad then.  I get shit like that all the time.  I somehow managed to be subscribed to a women’s lingerie catalogue for years.”  

Kurt still can’t rid himself of the low-level anxiety he’s been feeling about it all day.  “Even so, I just… don’t like the idea.”  

“I thought you and Ian were doing great?”

“We are, we are,” Kurt says.  Elliott, again, doesn’t seem convinced.  “Ian’s in the honeymoon stage of wanting to do everything together, and I don’t know.  We’ve been together for a year.  We know how we are.  Do we really need to do everything together now that we live together?”  

Elliott folds his arms across his chest.  “Kurt, if this is becoming an issue, why did you agree to move in with him in the first place?”

Kurt stares up at the ceilings.  The old, red curtains have a few fringes and tears, and Kurt wonders vaguely, if they should get new ones or if anyone would really notice.  He kicks the stage lightly as he avoids Elliott’s question.  “I mean, my apartment lease was up, and they were going to double my rent.”  

“Oh, god,” Elliott chokes out.  “Please tell me that wasn’t the only reason.”  

“It’s not,” his voice squeaks a little too much on the words.  “I also, you know, love him.”  

Elliott shakes his head.  Kurt knows judgment when he sees it.  “This is just classic Kurt,” he says.  

“You know, there’s nothing wrong with having an adjustment period with having to live with someone after I’ve had my own place for so long,” Kurt says, defending himself.  

“Uh-huh.”

“I just like my independence.”

Elliott’s eyebrow is arched high.  “Or you like sabotaging your relationships.”

Kurt scoffs, looking off to the side of the stage.  They’re going to need to scrub this whole place down before allowing anyone to do a production here again.  Elliott, however, is not letting him off the hook, and eyes him hard.  “I do not do that.”

“Then why have I seen you more in the past couple of weeks than you’ve probably seen him?”

It’s a fair question, Kurt admits to himself.  “Well, I do find you tolerable.”  

“Kurt, you don’t find any of your boyfriends tolerable,” Elliott says.  He almost sounds annoyed, but he knows Elliott’s limits and he knows he hasn’t reached them.  But truth be told, he’s as sick of himself as Elliott probably is.  “Who was that guy before Ian? That Matt guy? Why did you break up with him?”

He picked the scab, of course Elliott is going to rip open the old wounds.  “Because he wanted me to be ‘a part of the family’,” Kurt replies, using air quotes to highlight his point.  Matt had been a sweet guy, but his family had been his life.  He hadn’t been ready to be a part of any family, let alone one that had been as close as Matt’s had been.  He felt as if he had been suffocating every time they went to visit.  “His family was crazy.  I didn’t need to be a part of that.”  

Elliott nods, continuing on.  “Okay, and Joey was the one before that.  I remember him because he helped clean up this place when we bought it.”  

Kurt bites his lip.  He did feel bad about that.  Joey had been so quick to offer his time.  But Joey also had been there.  All the time.  It had been too much.  “He was super clingy,” Kurt says quietly, though he hates that he’s seeing the trend.

“Sure he was,” Elliott says.  A grin slips onto his lips.  “And then there was Steven.”  

“He wanted to marry me six months into the relationship,” Kurt says.  He snaps a little too loud, his voice echoing in the empty theater.  Elliott remains amused, even if Kurt is not.  “Who knows they want to get married six months into a relationship?  Why are you getting on my case about this?  It’s not like you don’t go through, like, three guys a week.”  

Elliott throws his head back in a laugh.  “Well, I am at peace with my slutty ways.  Look, Kurt, it’s not about the number of guys you go through.   It’s just that, well, honestly, I’ve known you forever.  And I know you’re this old school romantic and the slutty ways will never be satisfying for you.  Did it ever occur to you that the reason it doesn’t work out with these guys is not because you’re this progressive independent, but because deep down you want to be an old school married, and haven’t found the right person to be with yet?”

The gnawing pit in his stomach starts to fade as he thinks about the old fantasy -- the one he had as a kid, where you met your prince, and you lived happily ever after.  Only, real life doesn’t happen like that.  Most guys are not princes, and the ones who are don’t always lead to happily ever after.  He knows better than to be unrealistic, but maybe he’s pushing people too far away.  

“Do you think I’ve made a mistake?” Kurt asks, he begins bouncing his foot against the stage again.  

Elliott goes soft in deposition.  “You know I can’t answer that for you.”

“You’re probably right,” Kurt says.  He thinks of Ian - of his kind smile and good heart.   He shouldn’t be running, even if every ounce of him feels like it’s too much.  “Ian is a good guy, and I’ve been…”

“Difficult?”

“I was going to say myself, but thank you.”

“I do my best.” Elliott playfully taps his knee.  “If you want, though, you can crash at my place for a few days.  I’m gonna be out of town.  Some third cousin is getting married, and Mom insists that everyone be there.”

“No, I’m good,” Kurt insists.  And then an idea hits him.  “You know, I got an invitation to go back to Lima.  Old high school choir thing.  Maybe I’ll take a long vacation and do that.  It could give me some time to clear my head -- reflect on my questionable life choices.”  

Elliott gives a hearty laugh.  “You haven’t talked about Lima in years.  Besides, going back to Lima might force you to dig into your past, and we all know how much you enjoy doing that.”

Kurt swats at Elliott.  “It’ll be fine.  What’s the worst that can happen?”

***

After work, Kurt doesn’t go home right away.  Instead, he opts to walk around the city for a while.  There’s a slight chill, causing him to bundle his jacket a little tighter, and the sky is overcast, threatening a storm rolling in.  He won’t be out too late, but he knows Ian is back home waiting for him and he’s just not ready for it yet.  

His conversation with Elliott plays over in his head.  He does like his independence.  He always has.  Even when he had been a little boy, his parents had let him play on his own.  And after years of rejection from kids his own age, he learned that sometimes being on your own is your best bet.  It’s not that he doesn’t like the company his boyfriends have brought him over the years.  He just likes his space. And his peace and quiet. And his room to move about as he pleases.  And sometimes boyfriends make him feel too tied down.  

But he can’t help but think about what Elliott had said.  The thing that seems to stick in his brain, wiggling to the forefront of his thoughts.  Maybe he wants to be an old married? Maybe he does want that connection, that one person who seems to know him, who understands him enough that there will be days when they’re inseparable, and days when they’re apart.  He likes the idea of coming home to the same face every day to see someone who can read him like a book, who will enjoy the same things as him, who will love him for the insufferable human being he always seems to be.  

But are there really people out there like that?  

Maybe he’s not giving Ian enough credit.  When they had decided to move in together, Kurt thought it had been the most optimal choice.  Living costs would come down.  He’d have a partner to spend his time with.  And the sex.  God, Ian knows how to have sex.  

But permanently?  The buzz of anxiety begins to grow at the thought.  There are too many little things about Ian, too many things about himself that just don’t feel right.  It’s not perfect.  Well -- it’s never going to be perfect, he argues with himself.  But still…  

The storm breaks sooner than Kurt expects, a sudden heavy rain coming down.  Kurt stands on the street corner, looking up at the sky as he gets drenched.  Maybe the universe is trying to tell him something, and he can’t help but laugh as the rain splashes his face.  

Just as he’s about to head home, however, he catches a sign on the corner of a building.  A sign advertising an open leasing on a loft, with a number attached.  For a moment, he’s transferred back in time to all those years ago, when he lived in a loft in Bushwick with four other people all of whom had been trying to make it in the city.  He hasn’t thought about that loft in ages.  Hasn’t thought about those people in ages.  God, what even happened to…  

He tries hard not to think of the name that first pops in his head.  But he can’t help but see the face.  He shakes his head, as if attempting to get rid of the image.  

Nostalgia hits him just then.  

Nostalgia for a place he left long ago, for people whom he never thought he’d miss.  He is going to take that trip to Lima.  He does need a break from Ian.  He does need to get his life sorted out.  But mostly, he feels a soft ache for returning home -- even if he’s not sure where that is anymore.  

***

A week later, Kurt finds himself rolling up to one of Lima’s three motels in a car he rented at the airport.  It’s strange coming back to the city he grew up in and, yet, not returning back to his childhood home.  He had thought about driving past, but he hadn’t necessarily wanted to see through the window to see whatever happy suburban family had bought the place.  Instead, he had driven straight to the motel that he had booked himself the moment he knew he would be coming back.  

There is something surreal about returning to the place you grew up after so much time has passed.  It’s like time has frozen, remaining exactly the same as the moment you left, even if there are new storefronts in the old buildings, expansions where wooded areas used to be, and a real attempt, it seems, to clean the place up.  It feels unchanged, and Kurt can’t tell if that’s a good or bad thing.  It’s just a thing.  

It’s evening by the time he gets in.  The motel room is bland and tiny, and the four channels on the TV don’t offer much entertainment.  He lays down on the bed to stare at the ceiling, thinking if there’s anything he could do.  Most places in Lima shut down before eight, even on a Friday night.  And it’s not like he has anyone to call. He had been texting Mercedes Jones earlier in the week, shocked that her number had still been the same, but she had explained that she wouldn’t be getting in until very late and implied that whatever plans she had wouldn’t be with him.  He had understood, and it’s not like he won’t be seeing her the next day anyway.  Scrolling through his phone, he finds that he doesn’t have a single other contact from high school he could call.  

Maybe he should just text Ian -- but as his thumb hovers over his boyfriend’s name, he remembers that Ian is probably playing a concert that weekend. And even if he waits until later when Ian’s home, he just doesn’t want to ruin Ian’s good time by explaining that he can’t quite quash the crushing sense of loneliness that seems to be his homecoming.  

Why did he think this would be a good idea?

Out of the corner of his eye, he notices a neon flashing light, and through the window he sees a building that he hasn’t thought about in years.  Thinking anywhere is better than being stuck in that sad motel room for the next twelve hours, Kurt heads out into the night.  

***

Scandals is, if nothing else, exactly how he remembers it.  Not that his memories are anything more than fuzzy blips of moments from long ago.  He remembers the same posters being on the wall, in the same tattered state.  He remembers the huge, neon signs lining the walls.  And god, the music even feels strikingly similar.  There aren’t, he thinks with a laugh, any drag queens though.  

The atmosphere is quiet for a Friday night.  There are a few guys out on the dance floor, enjoying each other’s company, but most of the people in the bar are huddled in the darkened corners.  No one looks up from their conversations to notice him come in.  The bouncer is too busy flirting with a denim dressed, bearded guy leaning against the wall to notice him slip by.  

He’s not a few steps in when he realizes coming out to a bar seems like a silly thing to do, but makes a deal with himself to have one drink before he heads back to the motel and to do the sensible thing in calling Ian.  

But as he heads to the bar, he sees something that makes him freeze in his tracks.  

Is that…?

It can’t possibly be…?

Blaine Anderson is sitting at the bar, casually chatting with the bartender as he sips a beer.  Kurt is stunned to see him, his mind reeling at how this is even possible.  There is only one gay bar in Lima.  And he’s probably here for the reunion.  

But still… Blaine Anderson, of all people.  

There’s a tiny part of him that wants to run.  Turn on his heel and walk right back out of that bar and not even worry about the formal meeting they’ll inevitably have tomorrow at the reunion.  He doesn’t though.  

He watches Blaine for a moment, in his element, throwing his head back to laugh at something the bartender said.  It’s astounding to Kurt at how much and how little Blaine has changed.  Age, it seems, has done him well.  There’s less gel in his hair, allowing the natural curls to reveal themselves.  His face is harder, jawbone more defined. He’s wearing a dark sweater vest, but no bowtie, and the shirt underneath is unbutton, revealing a wisp of hair on his chest.  Blaine is no longer that young boy he once knew.  Sitting at the bar is a man.  

And yet… his movements are exactly the same.  The way he crinkles his eyes when he laughs, the way he lightly touches the bartender’s arm while expressing his point, the way casually plays with the napkin on the counter.  That’s still the Blaine he used to know.  

Kurt takes a deep breath, releasing the tension running through him.  He could leave… but he doesn’t really want to.  It’s been a decade since they’ve seen each other.  That’s enough time to let old wounds heal, right?

Kurt takes the plunge.

“I’m guessing this place rarely sees a man as gorgeous as you.  Mind if I buy you a drink?”

Blaine turns around, utterly shocked to see him there.  Kurt’s confidence slips as the silence lingers.  Maybe this had been a bad idea.  But then, Blaine breaks out into a grin.  

“Kurt?” He says his name slowly, as if it’s unfamiliar in a way, but easily slides off his stool, going in for a hug.  It’s awkward -- where do you put your hands and arms? How close do you stand? How do you properly greet someone you once agreed to share your life with?  Someone who is a relative stranger now.  It’s bizarre to him that somehow, Blaine still feels so familiar in his arms. “Please, join me.” Blaine offers the stool next to him as they slip apart.  “I’ll definitely take you up on that drink.”

Kurt sits down, suddenly feeling much more nervous than he had been.  Blaine waives down the bartender -- asking for beer, while Kurt shortly asks for an amaretto sour.  He definitely needs something to calm him down.  How is Blaine being so calm? Is he hiding it better? Or is it that he’s soon to be on his third beer?

“So, what are you doing here?” Blaine asks, placing his head on his hand, now looking amused.  There’s no anger there. No resentment, or negativity.  Blaine genuinely seems to be happy to see him.  Based on how they had left things all that time ago, Blaine could have harbored some ill will towards him.  But they are both adults now.  And it had been a long, long time ago.  

“I’m in town for Mr. Schue’s retirement party,” Kurt says.  He rubs his legs, not sure what to do with his hands.

Blaine nods, finishing off the beer he had been drinking when Kurt had arrived.  “Oh, yeah, I figured that.  I meant, what are you doing here ?” He uses both hands to point down.  

“Oh!” Kurt feels a little silly not understanding.  Thankfully, the bartender brings them their drinks.  Kurt wastes no time gulping half of it down as if it were a shot.  “I saw it from the motel window.  Call me crazy, but I was feeling nostalgic.”

“Huh,” Blaine takes a long sip from his bottle, narrowing his eyes as he thinks it over.  “You’re not staying with Burt?”

“Oh, god, right you wouldn’t know,” Kurt laughs as he stirs his drink.  “Dad retired a few years ago.  He and Carole moved to Arizona to be closer to her sister.”

“Ah, gotcha.”

“I guess I could have stayed with Uncle Andy,” Kurt continues, remaining fixated on his drink as he talks.  “He and his sons took over the tire shop.  But we’re not exactly close.  And he has, like, ten dogs.  I’d rather take my chances with the motel.”

Blaine nods, sympathetically.  

“What about you?” Kurt asks.  “How’s your family?”

“They’re pretty good,” Blaine says, easily.  “Cooper has three little girls.  Here, let me show you.”  Blaine wastes no time fishing out his phone, scrolling through the roll for a picture of three gorgeous young girls who all, clearly, take after Cooper.  Kurt coos accordingly but he can’t help but notice Blaine’s left hand, and the indentation of skin where a ring used to be.  It makes him wonder.

“So, what are you doing now?” Kurt asks, trying to relax on his stool.  He rests his elbow on the wooden bar, and his head on his hand.

“I teach, actually.  New York Institute of Fine Arts,” Blaine says, taking another sip of his beer with a laugh.  “I mean, I still perform every now and then.  But an adjunct professor was needed, and a friend of mine pulled some strings, and I just kind of fell into it.  I love it though.”  There’s no lie in Blaine’s voice.  Blaine had always been a passionate person, but it’s clear by his demeanor that he loves his job.  

Kurt smiles meekly, happy for him.  “A private school, of course.  How very you.  Actually, now that I think of it, that’s not far from my theater.”

“You have a theater?” Blaine’s eyes grow wide with interest.  

“Well, half a theater,” Kurt rocks his head from side to side, as if it’s a silly little thing, and not the pride and joy that he’s sunk most of his adult life into, now.  He plays with the nearby peanut bowl.  “The Gilbert Theater.”

“Oh, I know that place,” Blaine says.  There’s excitement in his voice.  Kurt isn’t sure why this makes him happy.    “I thought it had been condemned.  I mean - I’m sure you’ve fixed it up.”

“Oh we have,” Kurt says, thinking about all the work he’s put into it over the years.  “Elliott and I renovated it.  You wouldn’t even recognize it now.”

Blaine takes another slow slip of his drink.  “Elliott?  Like from college?” Kurt nods slowly. “Ah. So are you guys…”

“Oh, no,” Kurt quickly corrects.   “God, no.  Business partners only.”  It’s such a funny thought to him.  Elliott.  They’re like brothers.  No, he’s definitely not romantically linked with Elliott.  There is someone else… but he quickly pushes Ian out of his brain.  He doesn’t want to think about him. “So this is crazy, right? That we both ended up in the same sleazy place?  Maybe the universe was trying to push us together again.”

Blaine gives an uncomfortable laugh. “Well, there is only one gay bar in Lima, but I suppose…”

An awkward silence grows between them.  Blaine bops his head to the music.  Kurt munches on some peanuts.  They both avoid direct eye contact.  The uneasiness that Kurt had felt when he first walked in begins to return.  Maybe he should go.  

The bartender breaks the silence, asking Blaine if he’d like another drink.  There’s an ease there that Kurt picks up on.  Blaine knows the guy -- like really knows the guy.  Kurt shifts from side to side not sure what to say or do.  He eyes the door, he can still slip out if he needs to.  

“Man, I cannot believe how little this place has changed since I used to come here,” Blaine says, taking a look around.  

“You mean when we were in high school?” Kurt asks.  He’d hardly say coming the three times that they did a lot.  

“No, it was actually after…” he trails off but Kurt picks up on what he’s saying.  After they broke up.  After he broke Blaine’s heart.  Blaine kind of skips past the beat.  Why dredge up all that old stuff.  That’s what the reunion is for, right? Something turns in the pit of Kurt’s stomach.  “When I moved back to Lima, I used to come here a lot.  Thought maybe throwing myself into this place might make me feel better.  Not so alone, you know?”

“Did it help?” Kurt’s voice is small.  

“Maybe,” Blaine says with another laugh.  “I don’t know, it was so long ago.  You know it…” he pauses, thinking it over.  “Alright, if I tell you something - do you promise not to run screaming?”

Kurt’s intrigued.  “Of course.”

Blaine stares intently at his bottle.  “After you and I ended things -- I came back to Lima.  And I sorta, kinda dated Dave Karofsky for a while.”

Of all the things that Blaine could have said -- that is the last thing Kurt expects to hear.  It makes Kurt chuckle into his drink.  He can’t even picture it, it’s such a wild thought.  “Wait, seriously?”

“Shocking, right?”

“A little.  More so that you were into a bear.”

The tension breaks as they let go into easy laughter.  The conversation becomes lighter as they begin to discuss old things.  They talk about Dave Karofsky, and how someone who had once been Kurt’s ghost had turned into a friend whom Kurt sees every few years for lunch.  Blaine mentions he had attended Dave’s wedding.  Kurt mentions he had lunch with Dave and his husband last year.  It’s strange how things can change so much in twenty years.  

They talk about Dalton -- though not about that staircase.  The staircase that will forever be burned in his memory for better or worse.  Instead, they talk about Sebastian Smythe with fondness, though neither could say where he ended up. And about the one time Blaine sang at the Gap to impress a guy whose name neither can remember.  

And for a moment, unprovoked, Blaine mentions his husband.  It’s a startling jolt into reality, but Blaine doesn’t give him any more than a name and a passing story about having to explain to his husband why he refuses to shop at The Gap.  It’s not like Kurt hadn’t heard Blaine had gotten married.  He doesn't remember who had told him or when or even how he had felt about it.  Blaine had wanted to be married.  He got his wish.  And Kurt is happy for him.  He wants to be happy for him.  Still, that missing ring…

As they reminisce, the bartender brings them more drinks.  The room begins to feel warm and familiar.  Kurt isn’t sure if it’s alcohol or Blaine that is making him feel so comfortable so far from home.  They talk about high school and old friends, people whom they’ve lost touch with and people they’re looking forward to seeing tomorrow.  Kurt learns that Blaine developed a surprisingly deep friendship with Santana Lopez.  Blaine learns that Kurt hasn’t talked to Rachel Berry since college.

“I just couldn’t after that show,” Kurt explains.  They’re both giggly from drinking too much - Kurt having to hold his hands up when the bartender offers him a third.  “I mean - not that she even tried to keep in touch with me.  But my god did you watch that thing? It was terrible! She was fine - she was always fine.  But who decided that would be what America wanted to see for a decade?”

Blaine snickers into his drink.  “Well, personally I was offended.  ‘Slaine’,” he uses both hands to make air quotes around the character’s names, “was written out after year two.  I was like ‘fuck that’.  It’s just as well.  Had he stayed on, I might have had to sue their asses for defamation of character.”

“You are not wrong,” Kurt says, unable to stop laughing as he thinks about it.  He puts a hand on Blaine’s shoulder to balance himself so as to not fall off his stool.  

Blaine notices and smirks.  “How drunk are you right now?”

“Less drunk than you are,” Kurt smiles into his glass.  He is buzzed but not at all drunk.  In fact, he feels good and relaxed and happy.  When had he last been this happy?  “Anyway… All I know is that a terrible writer wrote ‘Cert’ as the sassy yet sexless gay best friend.  And he stayed on the show.  The. Entire. Run.  If anyone has the right to sue, it’s going to be me.”  

“Well, for what it’s worth.  I don’t think Cert was anything like you,” Blaine says.  He leans in close.  Kurt can smell the sweet scent of raspberries.   “Personally, I thought you were always sexy.”

Something in the atmosphere shifts.  Suddenly, Blaine is close.  Close enough that he can see the depths of Blaine’s golden eyes.  There’s something there that Kurt hasn’t seen in a long time, and it causes him to break.  

He’s not sure what it is that makes him say it.  He’s not sure if it’s the heaviness of guilt, or the friendliness of Blaine’s demeanor, or the fact that all of this nostalgia is causing him to reflect on his life’s choices - but he can’t help but let the words stumble out.  “Blaine, I’m so sorry.”  

Blaine looks at him, genuinely confused.  “For what?

“For a lot of things, I feel like I owe you an apology for so many things,” Kurt rambles on.  “I was not in a good place and you… I shouldn’t have ended it.  I mean I shouldn’t have ended it the way that I did.  I shouldn’t have hurt you like that.  And I’m sorry that I did.”

Blaine takes a moment to think it over, as if he’s processing everything Kurt’s saying.  “Kurt…” he lets out a sigh. “You weren’t the only one who was a mess back then.  You don’t have anything to be sorry about.  We had a good thing.  We had a great thing, even.  But it’s fine.  It’s all in the past, and I’m fine.”  

Kurt feels a bit of relief wash over him.  Maybe this is why he needed to come back.  Maybe he had just needed to bury his demons.  He feels lighter than he has in, well, a while.  He reaches out for Blaine’s hand and squeezes it.  It feels comforting in his own.  

“Look at us now, all grown up,” Kurt says, a smile sliding across his face.  “I mean, you’re married and I’m…”

“Kurt?”

“Yeah?”

“It���s an open marriage.”

Blaine places his free hand just above Kurt’s knee and squeezes, ever so lightly, he holds it there, stroking his thumb along the side of his thigh.  It’s an invitation.  His cock gets there first, as he watches Blaine’s hand, firm and strong.  His brain becomes fuzzy, but all he can fixate on is the urge to have Blaine’s hand travel up.  This is closure, right?

“Come with me,” Kurt makes the quick decision not to second guess this.  He grabs onto Blaine’s hand with purpose, sliding off the stool and taking Blaine with him.  Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Blaine smirk as he throws out a few bills on the counter to pay for the drinks.  

***

They’re in the bathroom stall, where Kurt vaguely remembers making out once back at the end of his senior year.  They never would have done anything as daring as have sex in a public place, but just kissing, even in a place that accepted it, felt naughty and fun back then.  

Now, he couldn’t care less that there are people who might know what they’re doing.  His desire is too strong, his brain clouded in a haze of need to taste Blaine again; the wonder of if it will feel so good after so long.  The room is broken up into stalls, dimly lit, and smells as if they are the next in a long line of gay men who will use this place to relieve themselves in more ways than one.  Kurt pulls Blaine back to the farthest stall, ignoring that there’s another couple occupying another stall, the panting sounds of their fucking echoing in the room.  It only turns him on more.  

Once the stall door is locked, Blaine looks at Kurt, his large, dark eyes more sure than Kurt is about this.  It almost throws him off kilter but Kurt looks to Blaine’s mouth, and suddenly he remembers all the things that can be done with it.  His resolve broken, Kurt lunges for a kiss.  

Blaine kisses back with force, pushing Kurt back into the wall.  Kurt doesn’t even care that the metal bar for handicap use is pressing against the back of his thighs.  He just wants to feel Blaine.  They kiss deeply, wantonly.  His sense memory returns and suddenly he feels like a teenager again, hungry for Blaine back when he had been first discovering what sex is.  Kurt moans into the kiss that encourages Blaine to slide his tongue against Kurt’s.  

They’re all hands and mouths, wrapping themselves around each other as they make-out.  Kurt wraps his arms around Blaine’s neck, combing his fingers through Blaine’s curls as he pulls Blaine closer to him, enough so that their bodies are sliding against each other.  Blaine brings his hands down to Kurt’s ass and squeezes with both hands.  Fuck.  He doesn’t remember the last time he’s gotten so hard so fast.  

They begin to rock against each other as they kiss.  Kurt can feel Blaine’s hard cock pushing up against his own.  If they keep going at this speed, he is not going to last long, and dammit, he refuses to come in his pants.  

Kurt breaks the kiss, only for Blaine to start kissing along his jaw and down his neck, Blaine’s touch is electric, and Kurt can’t help but feel dizzy with pleasure.  He loses himself in Blaine’s embrace, soaking up the feeling as much as he can.  It’s been fifteen years since they’ve fucked - how can this possibly feel so good?  

Blaine works his way back up to Kurt’s mouth, though this time, Kurt is able to slow it down.  Kurt busies his hands with the buttons on Blaine’s pants.  Blaine takes a slight step back, allowing for Kurt to pull him out.  Kurt takes a quick second to look down at Blaine’s cock; his thick and delicious cock.  If only they weren’t in a bathroom stall right now, Kurt would take his time devouring that cock.  Instead, he takes to stroking it, becoming satisfied with the low moans and grunts that are eliciting Blaine’s mouth.  

Blaine steadies himself against the wall, as he begins to pump his hips in time with Kurt’s strokes, fucking himself into Kurt’s hand.  “Let me,” Kurt says, in a low whisper, biting gently at Blaine’s lips before they fall into a sloppy kiss.  Blaine is close - he knows Blaine is close, he can feel it as Blaine arches further into his hand.  Kurt speeds up his hand, deliberate in his strokes.  It’s a little rough, but Blaine becomes more and more undone, uttering little obscenities as he closes eyes and allows himself the pleasure.  Blaine comes, jolting into Kurt’s hand, and lets out a moan that Kurt covers with a kiss.  

“Give me a second,” Blaine says, breathlessly, holding firmly against the wall as he comes down.  

Kurt smirks, licking the come off his fingers.  His own cock is throbbing with need but there’s something incredibly satisfying seeing Blaine loose and fucked out.  

Blaine takes a second to put himself back in his pants and then goes down on his knees.  This isn’t at all what Kurt had been expecting, and his eyes go wide as Blaine sucks a kiss over Kurt’s clothed cock.  

“You really don’t have to do that,” Kurt says, feeling a little guilty.  Blaine’s legs are sticking out of the stall door and anyone could interrupt them.  

“Shut up and let me blow you, Kurt,” Blaine says, a wicked grin on his face as he unzips Kurt’s zipper.  Kurt’s cock bobs free, and like a man allowed to drink water after years in the desert, Blaine sucks Kurt all the way down in one go.  

“Jesus, fuck Blaine.”  He really doesn’t care if there’s anyone else in there who can hear them.  Blaine had always been good at blow jobs; always so eager to give them, and Kurt’s glad to know that Blaine’s enthusiasm hasn’t changed.  Blaine sucks him down, greedily, and he loses himself in the sensation of Blaine’s velvety mouth on him.  

“I’m curious about something,” Blaine says, pulling off.  Kurt can’t imagine what, but he doesn’t have to wait long to find out.  Blaine begins to stroke him, slowly, drawing it out.  Then sucks a kiss to the tip of Kurt’s cock, using his tongue to swirl and tease it, before he sucks him down once more.  Kurt lets out a heavy groan as his knees nearly buckle.  “Huh. So that really still does things for you?”

Kurt can’t help but give a little laugh.  “Shut up and finish me off, Blaine,” Kurt manages the tease despite him now being desperate to come.  

Amused, Blaine obliges, sucking Kurt into his mouth again. Kurt closes his eyes, taking it all in as he lets Blaine take him over the edge.   He spills into Blaine’s mouth, Blaine being able to swallow with ease -- something, he notes, Blaine hadn’t been able to do before.  As Blaine pulls off, he licks his lips, and remains on his knees for a long moment.  

The atmosphere then shifts suddenly.  Blaine looks down for a long while, and Kurt can’t tell what Blaine’s feeling -- Guilt? Sadness? Regret?

“Thank you for that,” Blaine says, his sincerity layered with something that feels like finality.  Blaine gives Kurt’s hip a kiss before helping put Kurt back into his jeans.  There’s something strangely intimate about it, and despite the fact that Kurt is feeling blissed out from his orgasm it’s now tinged with a heavier, unknown feeling.  Blaine gets to his feet.  There’s a lot going on behind his eyes that Kurt can’t read, but Blaine says nothing, only gives Kurt a soft kiss on the lips.  “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”  

Blaine leaves the stall but Kurt stays, unsure what to make of everything that happened.  A lot just happened.  A lot.  And as the buzz of sex begins to wear off, a sickening gnawing grows in his stomach.  He just had sex with his ex-fiancé whom he hasn’t seen in years.  He just cheated on his boyfriend.  But what makes Kurt feel the worst, as he slides down the wall to sit on the sticky floor because his legs can no longer hold him, is the realization that for Blaine - that might have been his way of saying goodbye.  

[whump-me-all-night-long]

The Jewelry Box: Amber’s Beginning pt. 2

Well, here’s part two to the intro of the series. There’s probably going to be a part three, although when that will get written is anyone’s guess.

Taglist: @newbornwhumperfly @unicornscotty @itsleighlove @whump-scribbles @getyourwhumphere @skunkandgrenade @penny-for-your-whump @lektric-whump @just-a-whump-lover @thelazywitchphotographer @restrainthenmaime @angstyachesplus @lilbitwhumpy @leaderofthebeanarmy @aquard-skaii let me know if you want to be added/removed!

CW: intimate whumper, creepy whumper, collared, multiple whumpees, lady whump/whumpees, referenced death(s), Jess (and Sapphire) continue to have dirty mouths, let me know if I need to tag anything else!

Masterlist here

---

To Jess’ eternal disappointment,  the key was not, in fact, for their collar. Instead the Jeweler - Jess’ lip curled at the name - used it to unhook the chain from the headboard. Once that was off, Jess leapt up, intending to sprint to the door and figure out the rest of their plan from there.

The Jeweler had other plans. As soon as Jess was on their feet, he swept a leg under them, sending them toppling to the ground with a grunt. 

Disoriented, Jess pulled themself onto their hands and knees, a hand holding their head. They were about to try to get back up when a foot pressed down on their back, between their shoulder blades. Their unsteady arms and legs gave out beneath them and they tumbled back down, flat on their stomach. They glared somewhere above them, snapping, “Jeez, dude, can you just not?!”

The Jeweler laughed above them, adding a bit more weight onto their back. “Before we leave this room, I want to make sure we have an understanding. There will be no funny business from you, okay? You will behave and then I won’t have to punish you. Everyone wins.”

Jess scowled into the wooden floor. Dream on, fucker, they thought, but they said, “Okay, fine. I understand.”

“Wonderful.” The Jeweler hauled them back to their feet, making sure to keep the chain wrapped tightly around his hand. When he tugged on it, Jess was forced to follow them or risk suffocation. The Jeweler gestured back to the tray he had set down on the nightstand. “Now, do you want to take it or not? It’ll help you recover quicker, last night was not nice to you, but I won’t force you. Not this time at least.”

Jess glanced back at the tray, noticing that there were a couple inconspicuous white pills and a glass of water sitting on it. Hell no, they thought, shaking their head. “No- no way, dude.” They glanced at the Jeweler, wondering if he was about to get angry and blow his lid off.

But he just smiled, opening the door. “Very well.” He lead them out into a surprisingly normal hallway, with several doors and branching hallways on either side. A few picture frames were hung on the wall.

As the Jeweler lead them, Jess let their eyes wander over the pictures, not realizing what they were seeing until one in particular caught their eye.

It was a figure dressed in bright, rich shades of reds and oranges. Their skin was warm brown and their hair, which fell in waves down their back, looked as if it was almost on fire. Orange-gold flakes decorated their skin and hair, and they looked to be posing on their toes, arms arching out above them. They were quite beautiful.

Jess shook their head and began to move on, wondering why they were thinking that, when they noticed that the Jeweler had stopped too. He was gazing at the photo, with a wistful sort of longing. “That was my Garnet,” he said. “He was such a shining soul. Shame…” He trailed off before looking up at Jess. “He was one of my first Jewels,” the man explained. “But an accident-” his lips pursed at that- “caused him to leave too soon. It was a mercy to put him down.”

Jess felt disgust and horror mingle inside them. This man had killed someone? Jess looked back at the picture, noticing what they hadn’t the first time. Nearly invisible wires pulled at Garnet’s wrists, forcing him to balance precariously on his toes. Bruises, almost perfectly concealed, dotted the man’s body. And his eyes were wide not in excitement, but fear, with tears welled up in them. 

Jess shuddered, not resisting as the Jeweler led them on further. A wave of nauseous dizziness swept through them, most likely remnants from whatever the Jeweler had slipped them. They turned down several more hallways, Jess quickly becoming hopelessly lost. There were no windows or doors that lead outside. Finally, after several tense minutes of silence, the Jeweler stopped in front of a door that looked like all the other doors in the halls. 

Using another key, he unlocked the door, revealing an illuminated set of stairs. The Jeweler cheerfully set off down them, pulling Jess along too. The door clanged shut above them, locking, and Jess swallowed, unable to help the feeling that they were being swallowed up by the earth. 

When they reached the bottom, there was another door waiting for them, this one made of solid steel. The Jeweler unlocked it using a very long pin number and a fingerprint ID. Jess watched on, amazed and terrified at the how well organized this man was. The door swung open after a short beep, and Jess frowned, peering closer to look inside. 

The Jeweler gave a quick tug on the chain, causing them to stumble forward into the room. The floor, ceiling, and walls were all the same plain white tile, and there were several racks filled with a huge variety of objects behind glass cabinets along the back wall. Jess saw everything from workout equipment to swathes of cloth to a number of items they chose not to take a closer look at. But that wasn’t the weirdest part.

No, the weirdest part were the six small cells set into the walls, three on either of the side walls, with large panes of glass acting as the fourth wall and keeping them sealed. Well, that and the humans trapped inside them.

Jess jumped back and stared, wide-eyed and unbelieving, at the five people trapped, one to a cell, with the one empty one glaring out at them.

“What- what the hell is this place?” Jess croaked, turning to the Jeweler.

Before the Jeweler could answer, though, one of the people - a young man, maybe a few years older than Jess, with vibrant blue hair and a scowl Jess could see from a mile away - banged on the glass of his cell, glaring at the Jeweler.

“You asshole!” he yelled. Jess blinked, surprised. How long had he been stuck in this place? “Carn- Carnelian’s only been gone a couple of days! And you’ve already replaced him?!”

Jess took a step back, curling in on themself. Whatever they had stumbled into must’ve been a hell of a lot bigger than they first thought.

The Jeweler just smiled, glancing at Jess. “Ah, yes, this is my new Jewel, Amber. Amber, meet everyone. Everyone, meet Amber.”

A wave of anger swept over Jess and they snapped before they could help it. “I told you, fucker, my name is not Amber, it’s fuckin’ J-” 

They was cut off by a sudden cracking noise and pain exploding in their face. It took them a moment to realize what had happened: the Jeweler had slapped them. They blinked, a burst of dizziness exploding through them. They were one of the most skilled fighters they knew, and they hadn’t even seen the blow coming.

The Jeweler watched them, an expression of interest on his face. Jess felt their lip curling, and forced themself to back off. The Jeweler smiled, as if he could tell what was playing through Jess’ mind. 

He turned, gesturing to each of the people. “This is Sapphire-” the blue boy let out what sounded too much like a growl for comfort- “Ruby-” a short, slight slip of a girl with the most vibrant red hair Jess had ever seen glanced up at them, fear in her eyes- “Amethyst-” a much taller, curvier, paler woman with pastel purple hair watched them with calculating eyes- “Emerald-” a man build like an ox with dark skin and kind green eyes watched without expressing much interest- “and my darling Diamond-” a person with the palest skin Jess had ever seen, white hair tumbling over their shoulders, smiled up at the Jeweler. With how pale and faded they looked, Jess could swear they might be a ghost. They also seemed like the only person who was actually happy to see the Jeweler. Everyone else seemed angry or fearful.

The Jeweler smiled, clearly pleased with himself. “Now that introductions are done, I’ll show you to your new home, let you get acquainted with the other Jewels, and then I’ll be back later to continue your initiation.” 

The Jeweler lead them to the empty cell, which was, of course, right next to the angry one - Sapphire. Jess had never been good with names, so it was a good thing that each of the other people were so obviously color-coded to go with the gemstone they were named after. The Jeweler unlocked the door to the cell, and shoved Jess inside, unhooking the chain and slamming the door back closed, all in a few smooth motions. 

Jess stumbled in, glancing around at their surroundings - a small bed attached to the far wall, an empty nightstand next to it, and a metal toilet across from it (Jess had seen prison cells more luxurious than this) - before turning back to face the Jeweler. They took up their fighting stance, legs planted slightly apart, arms crossed in front of them, and a look on their face that was a mix between a scowl and a smirk - a smirl, they called it - that Jules said could make anyone throw the first punch. 

“So what?” they drawled. “This some psycho dream of yours, kidnapping innocent people and dressing them up as, what are these? Gemstones?”

The Jeweler’s smile twitched, which was one of the first signs of his emotions, but when he replied, his tone was light. “Jewels, actually.” He took a step back, surveying Jess. “I’ll be back later,” he said with a wave of his hand, and before Jess knew it, he was gone.

[hisunshiine]

—𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘥  |pjm|

⟢ pairing: Tattoo Artist!Jimin x First Time Tatoo!reader

⟢ genre: strangers2lovers | smut, fluff | oneshot | tattoo shop au

⟢ rating: 18+, nsfw

⟢ summary: You decided to get a tattoo when the $13 dollar deal is happening and find out it’s because your tattoo artist is celebrating his birthday, which falls on the 13th. His needle penetrates you, then he penetrates you. Happy Birthday indeed. 

⟢ warnings: minimal blood and pain (she’s getting a tattoo)

⟢ kinks: pain kink (from the tattoo) teasing, semi-public sex, thigh kissing, oral f.receiving, fingering, cum eating, unprotected sex, breast play, is there a term for fucking the cum into someone?

⟢ word count: 2.2k

⟢ author’s note: the way they looked at the MOTS ON:E concert really fucked me. Happy Birthday to our cutie sexy lovely Jimin.

“I’m excited and scared at the same time.” You said, bouncing nervously on your toes. Your best friend eyed the display in front of her.

“I think this one is really pretty… Maybe I should get a piercing. I really like this one, YN.” She points out a shiny gemstone embedded in surgical grade silver, and you nod.

“I am so torn. I want to get a tattoo really badly, and today is the 13th, so they’re doing 13 dollar tattoos. But I also want to pierce my cartilage.”

“You ladies need some help?” 

You looked up at the figure that had approached you from the other side of the counter. His smirk as he eyed you up and down left you feeling warm.

“Yes, ” your best friend began without looking up, “she’s looking to get a 13 dollar tattoo, and I’m debating on this piercing.”

Once she finally was done ogling the jewelry, she made eye contact with the man and almost gasped. He was taller than the both of you, roughly 5 foot 8, and lean. His grey/platinum blond hair was loose around his face, showcasing the cut of his jaw and the intensity of his gaze. Dressed in black and silver, you couldn’t deny how hot he was. He quirked an eyebrow up, turning back to you.

“Do you know what tattoo you want?”

“I do,” you answered shyly. “I want a simple one, just the outline of a heart, but, um.. Do you have any… female tattoo artists?”

He smirked again, and you felt embarrassed for asking.

“Bangtan Tattoo Shop doesn’t have any female artists or piercers currently… but I promise, I’ll be gentle.”

Your best friend inhaled again watching the exchange between you and the worker, nearly choking on the sexual aura he was exuding.

“Oh, are you the tattoo artist?”

“The one and only Park Jimin, at your service. We have a couple artists, but they’re all already working on someone and I just finished, so once you fill out the online consents, I’ll take you back.” He passes you a tablet that’s open to a consent form.

“Um, what about piercings?” Your best friend had finally found her voice again.

“I’ll send Hobi over, he’s the best we’ve got.” 

Jimin hands another tablet to your best friends and disappears behind the curtain behind him.

“Please tell me that you saw what I saw.”

“That fine ass man? I definitely did.”

“I can’t believe you’re gonna let him touch you there...” Your best friend hit submit on her tablet and set it back down on the glass display case. 

“It’s not like it’s that risque… it’s small anyways so it’ll be done in no time.”

The sound of the curtain opening ends your conversation.

“Ready, little lady?”

You nod and he motions you around the counter and through the black curtain. As you walk past him, you see a man with several piercings and multiple tattoos on his arms walking towards you.

“She’s right out there, boss. Had her fill out the waiver and everything.”

“Thanks Chim. Happy Birthday again!”

The man, despite all of his jewelry and tattoos, had a cheerful disposition, and radiated a fun energy. He looked tough and menacing, but when he smiled, all of that melted away. You felt confident he would do a good job on your friend.

“Andddd.. Right through here.” Jimin pointed you towards a doorway and you headed inside, eyeing the bed and tattoo equipment laid out. As he followed you inside and shut the door, you turned to ask him where you should sit.

“Alright, before I have you climb up on the table, where do you want this small tattoo?”

“I want it right here.” You pointed at a spot below your hip, right at the apex of where your bikini line meets your leg. You thought it was the perfect place for a dainty tattoo that would only be seen by the men who would be lucky enough to get your panties off of you.

“Ah, I see why you asked for a female artist.. Well, I will have you know that I have tattooed many a half naked woman. No worries. I’ll treat you right.” He winked, and it went straight to your core.

“Let me see the design you want, so I can get that drafted up and ready to draw onto you.”

You showed him a beautiful image of detailed line work that created a flower. 

“This will look so good on you, send this to the email posted above the door.” Jimin pointed at a plaque on the wall above the closed door that listed the wifi information and an email to the shop.

“I’m just gonna have you strip from the waist down, and wrap this towel around you as best as you can to cover all the bits you're worried about, just make sure to leave the area you want done exposed. I’ll print out the design and I’m gonna grab the correct size gloves, they put the wrong ones in here again.”

Jimin left the room with a box of gloves in hand, and you quickly stripped down, winding the towel around your waist and climbing onto the table. Laying back, you tug at the towel, creating enough slack to cover your mound while still keeping the right side exposed for the tattoo. Getting comfortable, you logged into the wifi network and sent the image to the email address as requested. Waiting for Jimin to return felt like it took forever, but you knew that it was just your nerves talking. This would be your first tattoo.

“Ready, baby girl?” Jimin popped back into the room and you jumped, nerves getting the best of you. He adjusted the table so that you were slightly leaned back and your legs dangled at the knee.

“Let me wash my hands and glove up, then we can get started.”

You took the opportunity to eye Jimin as his back was turned to you. The way the black leather pants hugged his ass, showcasing his lean legs that were toned. 

“It’s, uh, it’s your birthday today?” You asked, voice cracking just slightly.

“Yup! The big 2-5. That’s actually why we do the 13 dollar tattoos in October. I offer this rate to celebrate so I can spend the day doing something that I love.”

“Wow, that’s amazing. Happy Birthday!”

“Thank you. Alright, if you’re ready, I’m gonna use this wipe to remove any hair and then place this and you let me know if it’s where you want it or we can adjust.”

You could feel his gentle touch as he wiped the hair removal cloth along your skin before placing the trace of the flower there. Handing you a mirror, you eyeball the location and nod, letting him know that you approve of it.

You take deep breaths as you wait for him to start, trying to ease your nerves. Once the gun makes contact with your skin, you let out an indecent moan. You were expecting it to hurt, and while there definitely is some pain, there is also no mistaking the arousal that leaks from your core. The buzz of the gun is loud, but you’re sure that Jimin noticed the way you formed your mouth into an ‘O’ and closed your eyes. If you hadn’t been instructed to stay still, you might have arched into it, enjoying the way his other hand was braced along your hip, gripping you as he leaned over your lower half to follow the outline. 

Sitting on a rolling chair and positioned between your knees, Jimin was very aware of the way you were reacting to the tattoo. It excited him, finding someone who looked as good as you did who reacted the same way to being tattooed as he had his first time. He tried to ignore the slight hard-on he got from hearing you moan from him decorating your virgin skin.

About 15 minutes later, Jimin had finished the delicate lines of the flower, and wiped away the residual ink. You sat back with your eyes closed, breathing heavily as you calmed down from the rush of endorphins. Jimin looked up at you, admiring the way your lashes highlight your cheekbones.

“Well done, baby girl.”

His breath tickles your inner thigh as he inspects his work, and you look down at him, perfectly positioned to fulfill your wildest dreams.

“It actually didn’t hurt like I thought it would.”

“Seemed like you enjoyed yourself through it.”

“Oh, you noticed that did you?” you ask sheepishly, failing to close your thighs to soothe the ache forming. 

“I noticed quite a bit… This tattoo is gorgeous here by the way. The perfect surprise.” Jimin looks up at you, eye fucking you slowly. “I can see it now, the lucky bastard running his hands like this along your thighs,” Jimin had removed his gloves and placed his soft palms against your thighs. He slides them up, eyes daring you to stop him. You don’t.

“I can see him spreading your thighs apart, kissing up your leg...” He dips his head down and you shiver as his pouty lips make contact with your thigh, soft wet kisses dragging themselves higher and higher.

“Him removing all the clothing blocking you from sight...” Jimin grips the towel and you watch as it glides off of you, revealing your wet folds to him. “Baby girl, I’d really like something sweet for my birthday...”

You nod consenting to his statement, knowing he’s asking to taste you. He wastes no time, tongue tracing your folds as he sucks and licks you, tongue dancing across your clit as your hands bury themselves into his hair. His hands grip your hips, careful not to touch your tattoo. You can’t help the sounds you make, moans rolling from your lips as he pushes your legs farther open before guiding his fingers inside of you. His lips latch onto your clit, paying it special attention as he finger fucks you, but it’s not enough.

“Please, Jimin...”

He pulls away from you, chin glossy with your arousal, but continues to pump his fingers in you slowly.

“I want to feel you, all of you.”

You buck your hips suggestively, and he grins.

“Fuck, baby girl, I’d love to feel you grip me the way you’re gripping my fingers.”

With a lewd, slick sound, he pulls his fingers free, enjoying the way your wetness coats them. He spreads the two fingers that were inside of you and you can see the way the juices cling together, sticky between his digits. He brings them to his mouth, sucking them clean.

The sight along caused you to clench, a small mewl from your throat catching his attention.

“Such a dirty girl… That turned you on?”

Eyes hooded, you nod, biting your lip.

“Fuck, you’re so hot.”

His lips meet yours, and they’re as soft as they looked. You can taste yourself in his mouth, and you tense when you feel the flared tip of his cock sliding against your leaking cunt. He teases your opening before he pushes past, stretching your walls to fit his girth. The angle of the chair allows you to feel him well, the tip of his cock teasing at your g-spot. 

His hands travel up your torso, pushing up your shirt until his hands are cupping your breasts, thumbs teasing your sensitive nipples through the lace bra you wore. He eases his face down until his tongue is lined up with your breast, the wet muscle laving the peak through the material. His hips move steadily, plunging him deeper and deeper with each thrust, and you can feel yourself building closer to climax. 

“Shit, Jimin, you feel so good...”

He giggles, and it’s a beautiful sound, melodic and soothing, and you feel him speed up. A free hand rubs at your swollen nub, infinity symbols drawn against your pink clit. His teeth graze your neck and when you feel him bite you, you let go.

Legs trembling, it’s earth shattering the way Jimin takes you through the crests. He can feel each wave of the multiple orgasms he produced, and he takes advantage of the pulsing walls to join you in this euphoric state. 

He wasn’t planning to fill you, so he pulled out and allowed his cum to pool on your mound. Due to the angle, it began to leak down across your clit and towards your opening, which he watched with desire. He really wasn’t planning to fill you, but he couldn’t resist fucking his seed back into you, allowing your satin core to milk the rest of him into you.

You had fully intended to only get ink on your skin today. Expected a little pain with every puncture. The pleasure of your tattoo artist's cock penetrating your pussy walls was just an added bonus, one you’re pretty sure the birthday boy enjoyed as well.

-

ℍ𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕪 𝔹𝕚𝕣𝕥𝕙𝕕𝕒𝕪 𝕁𝕚𝕞𝕚𝕟, 𝕔𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕖, 𝕤𝕖𝕩𝕪, 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝𝕪

[labyrinthsofyou]

bedside tables and bedsheets

pairing: wong yukhei & female reader

genre: fluff & smut

warnings: blowjob, cumplay, fingering, kneeling, (a) mirror, oral and a little sugary sweet

words: 16, 899

summary: it’s move in day for yukhei.

+

wong yukhei loves his sleep.

he sleeps early when it is possible. he will pull the comforter high up to his neck and curl up into a ball and ignore everything else while his eyes close, his breaths even out and he goes off dreaming.

in the mornings yukhei rather stay in bed. it will take him several alarms ten minutes apart and someone shaking his shoulder and calling his name before he rolls over with a groan. he’ll sit up with his hair messy and eyes squinting at the sunlight filtering into the room and wish he can go back to his dream.

but if yukhei has no schedules he will sleep in. his soft snores will slip from his slightly parted pillowy lips until it’s lunch time or later. he'll catch up on all the rest he has missed in hopes his mind and body forgives him for all he puts it through at times. 

it’s a little different today though. 

yukhei has no schedules. he can sleep in until whenever to make up for not getting enough sleep these past weeks and last night because he slept late. but he doesn’t because he’s been awake since dawn. that one alarm he sets is enough to do the job today and makes him sit up in bed with the morning rays seeping pass the curtains. yukhei gets out of bed and after waiting in line for the bathroom, he greets his friends as they all meet in the kitchen and living room. 

then the seven of them partake in a little of the chopping, stirring, pouring and setting up before the hot breakfast is place on the table. the food is shared with lots of loud laughter and past memories until it’s time to clean up. 

yukhei gets ready soon after. he checks the boxes. he makes sure what he wants and needs are together. 

everything is in place because six weeks have passed since you had asked him that very night to move in with you. each moment free of recording and practices have been filled with well thought out discussions, wondering questions and long lists between you and him together before it had been all figured out. 

he is really doing this with you and a new adventure you will begin together. 

and when the rest of the city slowly wakes on a peaceful sunday morning to enjoy the leisure day, yukhei holds onto two stacked up large containers. each is filled with jackets and coats. he peeks to the side to make sure of the clear path for his feet. he carefully follows you down the quiet floor until you see the familiar numbers on the front door. 

you stop and yukhei nearly walks into you with a short laugh. you prop the box with his t-shirts and sweatpants against the wall as you press in the code on the keypad. once you hear the beep, you open the door and hold it with your foot for yukhei to follow in behind you. sneakers are left on for the moment as your feet move against the wood floors of the short hallway and you make a mental note to remember to clean them later. 

“we can just set everything in the middle of here now. is that okay with you?” you question, standing in the living room. 

yukhei nods. “yeah, that fine. i'll sort it all out when everything is up here,” he says as he gently puts down the containers. you place the box in your hands down next to his and turn to him. 

“how many do you have again?” you ask, stepping closer to him and taking a few deep breaths. 

he faintly shakes his head and places his hands on his hips. “not many. i think we can just take two more trips downstairs and that will be all,” he tells you with a small grin. 

a short nod you give him. “let’s go then,” you whisper, tiptoeing and pressing a quick peck onto his mouth before you begin moving down the hall again. 

it ends up being three more trips though. but you think it’s okay because when the last of the boxes and bags are hauled into the apartment and the sneakers are finally toed off, you and yukhei stare at all he has brought with him. it looks like a bit like mess right now. 

yet it’s a beautiful mess that has your heart skipping and you rambling. 

“so which box do you want to start with first? i can help you sort whatever you need and you can put them where you like. i moved my clothes to the third and fourth drawers on both dressers so you don’t have to bend down too much. you know, in case your back or your waist is bothering you. if you don’t have enough space, i’ll see what else we can do to move some stuff around. or if we really need to, we can pick up another dresser and squeeze it in somewhere. and also-” 

his strong arms suddenly encircle your waist and cut off your words and your thoughts. yukhei holds you close, your back pressing against his chest. you hear the deep inhale he takes, that scent of vanilla from your body wash and shampoo and the floral hints from your perfume you have dabbed behind your ears hit his senses as he lowers his head to rest his mouth alongside your skin. 

and then he chuckles, the low sound tickling you. “calm down, babe.” 

you shift in his arms and turn to face him. almost instantly yukhei presses his forehead to yours and you wrap your arms around his waist. there’s a sparkle in his large eyes and a tender beam playing on his mouth while he stares at the nervous pout on your face. 

“and also i cleared the refrigerator too and we can go food shopping later…if you want.” 

yukhei shakes his head, laughing at you fondly and loudly and bringing a hand up to cradle your warm face. you grip onto his shirt when he bends down to leave a few sweet and affectionate kisses onto your lips. a shy smile little by little emerges out and you let out a slow sigh.

“i want you to be comfortable and have everything you need.”

he lowers his head again and places a quick peck to the tip of your nose. “i feel comfortable, great actually.” yukhei isn’t just saying this to pacify you because he really does. “and if i need anything i will let you know. but as of now i have everything i need, okay?” he quietly reassures you.

yukhei’s staring intently at you then with a little goofy lovestruck smile that illuminates his whole face and your whole heart because his words mean more than just the boxes and bags of his things. his arm around you tightens and his face warms up too fast and you feel the butterflies swarming in your stomach. you stand on your toes to brush your mouth to his. he hums softly in response when you pull back and rest his forehead alongside yours again.

your bodies sway together, melting against one another for a moment before you remember.

“i have something for you.” 

you unwrap his arms from you and yukhei watches you walk back down the hallway and making the short turn to left, only appearing seconds later with something grey in your hands.

“i forgot when you first walked in,” you glance down at his sock covered feet and giggle as you show him the brand new fuzzy grey slippers in your hands. “i know you already have a pair before too, and it’s really not much.” you look back up to meet his eyes and lightly shrug. “but i don’t know, i thought it would be nice to have a new pair since you will be here every day instead of just sometimes,” you tell him quietly, feeling a little ridiculous at saying it aloud. 

yukhei chuckles, his heart warming at all you are trying to do and make him feel. he takes the gift in your hands and gently plops them onto the floor. he slips his feet in and it’s a perfect fit. his gaze finds yours and he leans forward, his smiling mouth right next to your own grinning lips.

“thank you,” he whispers, bestowing you with a short and tender kiss.

there’s a bashful beam on your face. “and we match, too.” 

your words make him look down briefly and you wiggle your foot that is in the fuzzy pink slipper. he’s still smiling brightly and giggling now too before giving you a quick kiss.

“you ready to help me start finding a place for everything?” 

and you grin widely because you are.

you take out his clothes, laying it into piles on the bed and fix any wrinkles that has occurred during the packing process. yukhei places them into the drawers, making sure they fit in neatly. long sleeves and t shirts go in the top drawers. jeans and sweatpants are in the second drawer of one dresser while shorts and all his simple and colorful underwear are in the second drawer of the other. you pull out the new packs of hangers you had purchased. yukhei hangs up his shirts, hoodies and sweaters in the bedroom closet and his jackets and coats in the entrance closet. he drops his rolled up socks into the basket next to yours behind the standing mirror placed in the corner of the bedroom by the window. 

“how much did you leave behind?” you ask, leaning against the door as yukhei puts the small jewelry box with his necklaces and watches on top of the dresser. 

because after the discussions and going through all the scenarios and considerations of his schedules at times, yukhei leaves some things back at the dorms. during promotion periods everything becomes too packed. he barely gets a few hours of sleep. he will always be on the go. it will be best for him to stay at the dorms then. 

yukhei had hesitated at first. he should be staying with you because the whole point of moving in with you had been to actually live with you when he was in the same city. but you had placed your forehead to his while rubbing your hand down his chest. 

“it’ll be okay. you don’t get much rest during promotions and the going back and forth on the tighter schedules will be too hard.” you had smiled reassuringly. “it’ll be like any time you have to travel for filming. so it won’t be always, just sometimes. think of it like that, okay?” you had leaned closer in, your fingertips moving up to graze against his warm cheeks and sharp jawline. “and besides, when you come back, the reunions are the best.” 

a sweet and teasing curl of your mouth and kiss you had given him as the corners of his lips faintly twitched up. and in the end, it had taken yukhei another two days and a long conversation with you and a discussion with his members before he had finally agreed. 

“enough clothes to last me a little over a week. the auntie comes to help with the laundry so i don’t have to worry so much about not having something to wear,” he says while placing his bottles of cologne on the dresser top. “but i left just a little of everything i have here with me that i will need when i am there.”   

you nod and watch as he takes out his glasses cases and a scented candle with notes of jasmine and rose that has been halfway burned away so far from the storage container. he sets them up on the opposite side of his jewelry box and colognes with a smile. 

“i did leave that picture of us though,” he says with his cheeks flushed. yukhei turns and finds your curious gaze. “from the fanmeeting.” you faintly bob your head, immediately knowing the photo he’s talking about. 

the one where his smile beams so brilliantly on his face it rivals the sun. yukhei is hugging you backstage after the event because you had surprised him. he doesn’t remember who had taken the photo. he doesn’t even remember it being taken. he just remembers feeling incredibly happy with his heart so full from the fanmeeting and your unexpected presence, he had been pumping with adrenaline for the entire night.

you tilt your head and your face heats. “don’t you have pictures on your phone though?” 

yukhei laughs lowly, running his hands through his hair. “sometimes it’s not the same as a photo in a picture frame next to you,” he reasons. even if he will not be staying there for the most part, when he does, yukhei wants it to still feel personal. 

that photo will help.

you move to stand next to him, tiptoeing to give him a tender peck against his bashful smile. “you’re a romantic, you know that?”

he nods with a teasing raised eyebrow. “or maybe i just really like looking at your pretty face before i fall asleep.” you playfully roll your eyes and yukhei giggles infectiously and warmly. “i left my toothbrush there too, so maybe we can just go buy one later after we finish here.” 

“i have an extra one in the bathroom closet.” a habit it is of yours to keep an extra of the little things for emergencies. “unless you have a color preference, you can take it,” you suggest while you lean your head against his wide shoulder, staring between the two tops of the dressers.

a his side and a hers side. 

you hum quietly and delightedly at the sight.

yukhei chuckles. “i actually do have a color preference.” 

you angle your head to look up at him, watching a mischievous smile form on his face when he turns to you. “and what color would that be?” you go along with soft laughter and a twitch of an eyebrow.

“well what color do you have?”

you playfully narrow your eyes at him. “it’s green.” 

he lowers his head and brushes his mouth against yours. “hmm, that’s just the color i wanted.” 

you lightly hit his chest while he puckers very sloppy and wet kisses to your cheek that makes you squeal and squirm. when yukhei eventually stops, his mouth rests against your skin and he whispers quietly, “thank you.” 

a smile comes out in front of him. “you’re welcome.” 

and then the unpacking continues on. 

his set of weights is placed right next to your rolled up yoga mat in the corner of the living room. his bath towel hangs besides yours in the bathroom while his extra ones are folded and placed in the bathroom closet on top of yours. the handful of caps, hats and beanies he has go into the closet with the jackets and coats. his rolling suitcase stands alongside yours in the closet underneath all the dresses, sweaters, hoodies and shirts. he lines his sneakers up in rows right besides yours in the shoe closet. the few schoolbags and expensive bags he brings with him hang and sit next to yours in the hallway closet. and the two pictures he brings of him with his members stand right next to the three pictures of you and him on the desk besides the television.

it takes the rest of the morning and lunch of a large order of green onion chicken and beef rice noodle soup with his favorite cola to share to get through it all. 

the floors have been wiped. the containers are stacked up and against the wall inside the storage closet. the bags have been tied up into balls and placed in the cabinet underneath the kitchen sink for future use. the bed is no longer covered in clothes and the middle of the living room floor is cleared. 

everything finds a place and  all the space and nook and crannies in the tiny apartment are utilized.

you stand by the bedroom door and stare. relief is suppose to fill you but you let out a quiet groan. it almost looks perfect. how you could have forgotten it on the list, you don’t know. 

when you had been thinking about him moving in, it had been one of your first initial thoughts and reasons. when you and him had your discussions, yukhei had even stood in the bedroom with you to observe the space just like you had done. he had even noticed it too.

“yukhei, i think we forgot something,” you call once you hear him exit the bathroom. 

he comes to stand next to you, leaning against the doorframe as his eyes scan the room. you count silently in your head to see how long before he sees what is missing. three seconds to a minute and you hear his deep laugh while yukhei shakes his head because he realizes it now too.

to the left side of the bed, his side, is an empty space. 

“we forgot a bedside table,” he says as you close the gap between your bodies. your arm circles around his middle while his wrap around your shoulder. “was it on the list?” 

“i thought i had written it down, but i guess i forgot. we even talked about it, too,” you sigh. “i really thought we could have had everything done today and it’ll be perfect so you could relax and enjoy your first official day in here and not worry about anything.”

you hadn’t wanted him to come back after a long day of practicing and recording to organize or figure out what else he needed. you had wanted him to feel at ease. you had wanted him comfortable without any worries. so when he had been told about this day off, you and him thought it would be best to make sure the moving in and unpacking would be done today. 

you're not certain when he will get his next day off. yukhei isn’t so sure himself either.

“umm, maybe i’ll just keep what i need on the floor for now.” your brows furrow and there’s a pout on your face when he glances down. “or i use a chair.” you shake your head, not fond of the idea either. yukhei places a gentle kiss on your forehead. “so how are we going to solve this little problem of ours then?” he whispers with a soft chuckle. 

you hum softly and turn to the bare spot. you think for a moment before staring up at him with a grinning face. “would you like to go on a little trip?”

yukhei smiles. “i’ll go anywhere with you, babe.” 

and he does.

your fingers are intertwined with his as you enter the store with the familiar blue and yellow hues covering the outside of the building. 

it is quiet for a sunday afternoon and yukhei hugs your waist on the escalator ride up to the second floor. 

“is there a specific color you want?” 

a response you wait for but don’t receive. you turn to him, only to find him staring in curiosity and wonderment as you step off the escalator with the showrooms coming into view. 

“yukhei?” he glances down at you with a tiny grin when you call his name. realization hits you then. “have you ever been here before?” 

the tips of his ears turn pink and he shakes his head. “i remember ordering some things from here for the dorms. but other than that, no, it’s my first.” and that curve of his mouth almost turns shy. 

you reach up with a bright beam to slightly fix his cap so you can see his face better. your hand finds his soon after and fingers are laced together. “c’mon, babe. let's go take some mini house tours,” you whisper with a tug. 

those beautifully staged pictures he has seen on a screen becomes a reality then. 

yukhei walks through the clean and modeled kitchens. he likes the feel of the cabinet doors’ wood grains against his hands. once he’s standing by the stove and stares at you sitting on one of the chairs at the kitchen island, he finds himself thinking about breakfasts and dinners with you.

“what would you like to eat?” he stirs the wooden spoon in the large empty soup pot. 

you throw him a playful wink. “as long as it’s made with love, baby, anything.” 

yukhei saunters into the decorated living rooms. he examines the bookshelves and the lamps. he sits and lays on the soft couches and chairs with a pleased smile. when you take a seat beside his reclining body, quickly kissing his puckered plump lips, he envisions the date night ins of movies and your and his favorite take outs. 

“you know these feel like great make out couches.” he stares dreamily at you. 

your bottom lip catches between your teeth to keep from smiling wide. “i think we should buy what we need before we get banned from coming here.” 

yukhei enters the cozy bedrooms and your hand is firmly in his. he fluffs the pillows and looks into the wide spaces of the closets and the bedside tables that match. he snaps a quick giggling selfie picture with you in front of the familiar standing mirror in the corner of the room. then he catches you grazing and studying the soft bedsheets, he imagines how every morning and every night will be like with you.

“it’s going to be nice to kiss you when i wake up.” he squeezes your hand.

you hum softly and serenely. “it’s going to be nice to kiss you when i go to sleep.” 

and all yukhei wants to do then is to kiss you right underneath the fairylights decorating this space until he can’t catch his breath and you feel dizzy. but you move away too swiftly before his lips brushes yours. he listens to your faint giggles with eyes fixed on your sweet smile while you pull on him to follow you. 

“we’re never going to find what we need if we don’t keep going,” you tell him with a glint flickering in your gaze.

yukhei takes the two long strides to be side by side with you. but he drops your hand within seconds, favoring to hold you close with his large hand settling on your waist. a little more walking and admiring of the kitchen tables and chairs and office desks before you finally come into the section of what he needs. 

his brows scrunch up as he studies the different styles and colors. yukhei looks between the traditional and the modern. he notes the black browns, grey stains, medium browns and white oak. or perhaps he should lean towards the clean white like the one he remembers on the right side of the bed. 

he’s not sure what to pick. 

“should i pick something that matches yours?” yukhei questions while turning to glance at you. 

you shake your head though. “it’s your room, too, baby.”

almost instantly you feel your heart skip then because those words feels different yet extremely nice to say out loud. you watch as a boyish grin gradually spreads across yukhei’s face. to hear the sentence roll past your pretty mouth makes him feel excited. 

“it doesn’t matter to me if they match. just pick whatever you like.” 

and this time you don’t move away when he erases the small distance between your mouths. the kiss is chaste and soft but it still leaves your face warm and the quicken rhythms in his chest. 

it takes a little time sorting out the possible choices and asking for your opinion too before he makes a decision. yukhei ends up almost matching with what you already have. he chooses the same two chest drawer style with clean lines and smooth running drawers but in the black brown instead.

“we have to go downstairs to the warehouse to pick it up,” you inform him while taking a quick picture of the tag for reference. “i still have the tool kit i bought with it last time so we don’t have to worry about that.” 

yukhei takes your hand as you make your way out of the section. you take a look at the shelves and closets he rivals in height. he sits on the couches and pulls you down with wiggling eyebrows so you can test how comfortable they are. when you're looking for the descending escalator, you hear the excited laugh beside you. 

he spots all the pretty and vivid colors and decorations of the children’s section. you feel the tug on your hand and follow him towards all the mini tables and chairs and to so many plushies.

puppies, pandas, elephants, monkeys and more, yukhei laughs and hugs the harmless zoo surrounding him. 

“you know what we should do,” he starts and you hum, turning to look at him when he speaks. he picks up the big lion plush, petting the soft mane and stuffing filled body as if it is real. “we should get this one.” 

your giggle yukhei hears amongst the shoppers around as you place the polar bear in your grasp back on the shelf. “and why is that?” you question curiously, your fingers reaching out to the wildlife in question.

the corners of his lips curl upwards while he looks down at the lion. “so when i’m not there, it’ll be like i am. you can hug him while you sleep and pretend it’s me.” yukhei lets out a short laugh.

for a brief second, you chew on your bottom lip wondering what he is thinking about and having an inkling of what he might be. his gaze find yours and you give him a tender smile.

“you’re not scared of the competition? because i might end up hugging him every night no matter what then.” you quietly tease him. 

yukhei chuckles then, his eyes dramatically shifting between the stuffed plush and you. he playfully and sadly shakes his head and puts the lion back with the rest of them. “sorry, buddy, i can’t share her with you.” 

you close the space between your bodies with a laugh and wrap your arm around his waist. you lean against his tall frame as he waves goodbye to the lion. his hand settles on your hip, two fingers sneaking into the loop of your jeans to press you close.

“in case you don’t know…” yukhei stares down at you, catching the tiny twinkle in your eyes. “i don’t need another lion. just one.” you murmur truthfully. 

instantly he feels the warmth across his face. he presses his mouth to your forehead and you feel the growing smile against your skin. despite the conversations and talking from the people surrounding you then, it’s silent for a minute between you and him as your eyes finish taking in what’s around you. and when you nearly walk around in the full circle of how the store is set up, you remember. you pat his stomach lightly and look up. yukhei turns his attention to you and quietly hums. 

“i forgot to bring you to one of, if not the best place here,” you tell him as you quickly take a glimpse at the signs and arrows and motion him to follow along 

the journey just takes a quick minute towards the up escalator to the third floor and then you hear the faint gleeful chuckle next you because you know him all too well. a way to yukhei’s heart and how to always make him smile is food. and how has he not smelled the food until this moment, he’s not sure. but yukhei definitely smells it now and it smells delicious. 

you pull on his hand to look at his watch and note the time. “this can be our dinner.” the gentle tug on his shirt takes his interest away from the café and he looks at you. “and then we’ll go pick up what we need. how does that sound to you?” 

yukhei smiles and nods in agreement before turning to read the menu in front. it takes a few minutes of deciding and counting the number of dishes he wants to eat. you have to laugh at the amount of food you and he order together because it can feed at least four people.

but he laughs beside you. “don’t worry, i’m sure we’ll figure it out.” 

and you do.

yukhei grins blissfully at the taste of the meatballs and potatoes with the bit of jam. he claps his hands in approval at the pork ribs and fries. he gives you a thumbs up at the fried rice when he takes a spoonful of it. he happily holds the piece of fried chicken to your mouth for you to take the first bite. you laugh, smiling at how relaxed he looks as each plate of the food is shared and gradually disappears into your mouths. and once he tries the slices of blueberry and apple pies at your giggling insistent because of your insatiable sweet tooth, yukhei stares at you with his stomach almost as full as his heart.

“i love you. you know that, right?”

your gaze on him under the bright lights softens while you feel the tugs on your heart. slowly you bob your head and close the small distance between your mouths. apples, cinnamon and a hint of blueberries linger between the gentle kiss and you watch yukhei lick his lips when you pull back. 

you tap on the bill of his cap. “you like the pies?” you mischievously question. 

he hums faintly with a boyish beam that makes the corner of his eyes crinkle and your cheeks warm.

“my favorites, babe.” 

when there are just crumbs left of the desserts and the plates are put away and the table is clean of everything, the mission to finish the reason for this trip continues. you take the escalators down with your fingers tangled to his. your feet land on the polished grey floors and you peek up at the signs. yukhei takes a glimpse at you while your eyes dart to the store transit map too. 

“it says the warehouse is this way. are you looking for something though?” he curiously asks. 

you nod slowly and turn to him. “yeah, i forgot to pick up something before.” you give him a slight pull to the left. “it’ll be quick, okay? and i’ll need your help.”

yukhei raises his eyebrows at your last statement but follows your lead. it takes a few left turns and some right turns and in between getting lost within the light fixtures and the artwork he’s admiring before you stand where you want to be. 

“i didn’t know you needed bedsheets,” he reaches to feel the soft material of them. 

you stare up at him momentarily, your bottom lip caught between your teeth when he focuses on you. “i didn’t know either until we were upstairs looking at the bedrooms. in case you haven’t noticed, my sheets are currently a shade of strawberry ice cream pink.” you shrug slightly with an embarrassed smile as your gaze faces back to the item in question. “i just thought maybe this could be something new, too… for us.” even if he has slept in your bed many times before today, it will be his too. “and it’ll be fitting to have new sheets to make you feel comfortable in the bed.” yukhei laughs at the tiny pun you make and what you also don’t seem to realize. “so maybe you can pick a new set.” 

people around you are talking, but the voice you want to hear is silent. your eyes and touch skim the different colored bedsheets waiting for his answer when yukhei lets go of your hand and his strong arm suddenly snakes around your waist. he holds you close. you feel his warm breath against your ear.

“as long as it’s you in that bed with me, i don’t care what color they are,” he whispers. his voice is low, teasing and honest because it really is the truth. 

the faint squeak escapes your lips immediately and you turn to find his gaze intense and shining at you underneath the cap. yukhei bends down and kisses you tenderly. he pulls back and licks his lips with a charming beam. 

he readjusts his cap. “you still want me to choose one?” his tone is soft and playful. 

you squeeze his forearm and the way your lower lip slightly juts out all the while giving him a puppy stare has yukhei laughing because he gets his answer. he leaves a quick kiss to your temple and turns to the options in front of him. it takes him a moment to remember the powder blue comforter on your bed. then his long finger taps onto the crisp white with an endearing smile. 

“it’ll go with your comforter in case you’re wondering about that, too.” 

his words tease, but yukhei feels nothing but gratitude for you as he presses his lips to the apples of your cheeks. 

then with the set of new bedsheet and matching pillowcases in the correct size tucked underneath his arm with your hand connected to his, it takes another round until you’re reading the signs again. yukhei pushes a cart to stand beside you with the bed sheets already inside. a quick peek you take at the picture of the tag on your phone and the numbers before you amble towards the aisle together for what you want. he locates it first and you watch as he nearly effortlessly pulls the heavy package from the shelf and puts it in the cart.

“is there anything else we might need?” you ask, your feet moving in a slow paced unison towards the checkout. 

yukhei thinks for a minute, eyes scanning the products piled around him before he shakes his head. “no, i think we’re good.”

the lines are short for today and it doesn’t take long before the receipt is in his hand. the sun is going to set when you walk out. there’s a light spring breeze in the air as you make you way back home. and once you step into the apartment with the bed sheets in your arms and the bedside table package over his shoulder, the sky is a mix of oranges, pinks and purples. 

it’s silent in the apartment as yukhei sits on the bedroom floor studying the pieces laid out in front of him and the images on paper. but then he hears the water running from the washer. the new bedsheet and pillowcases will be washed today but they won’t be able to be used until tomorrow when they dry. he glances up momentarily when you walk into the room, noting the jeans you had been wearing all day replaced by a pair of short cotton shorts. you take a seat on the wooden floor and place the toolkit in front of him.

“it looks easy,” yukhei says with a confident grin and threads his long fingers through his hair. “the pictures seem clear enough so it shouldn’t be too bad. how long did it take you to put it together?” he motions to the white one. 

you giggle. “three afternoons.” your answer draws an immediate amused snort from him and he covers his mouth to muffle the loudness of it as you playfully pout and swat his thigh. “in my defense i did it alone and it was my first time putting any kind furniture together,” you reason as he pulls you to him.

his large hands settle on your naked thighs and he gives it a light squeeze. yukhei kisses you softly half a dozen times before your tiny grin surfaces alongside his lips. 

“it’s one more you built than me though,” he says proudly and his words earn him a pleased hum and nod from you. “maybe we can finish this in one and a half nights with the two of us instead,” yukhei murmurs with a teasing smile on his face and a glow in his large eyes. “are you ready to help me?” 

you wrap your arms around his neck and give him a quick kiss. “always, baby.”

but the time that has passed since you put yours together feels too long ago and building it together now feels like a brand new experience. 

your brows furrow simultaneously with his when trying to find the correct pieces in the pictures. his satisfied grin matches yours when the screws are twisted and pushed into their designated places. your laughs mix together while you and him try your best at hammering the nails into the back board without it being too loud in fear of getting complaints from the neighbors. 

it feels nice to work together to put it together. 

and in the end, it doesn’t take you one and a half nights to finish. when the bedside table is standing on the left side of the bed, only three and a half hours have ticked away. the sky outside is dark now and all the streetlights are illuminating the city. the cardboard box is folded up and by the door ready to throw away in the morning. the few extra screws and toolkit you store back away in the storage closet. the bedsheet and pillowcases you have taken out of the washer and it drapes over the drying racks with the humidifier turned on ready to be changed tomorrow. 

you lean against the bed, head slightly turned while the corners of your mouth curl up. you watch yukhei pull open the two drawers. it’s quiet in the bedroom and he watches and listens as the drawers rolls out and back into place smoothly and soundlessly once he pushes it close. 

yukhei turns around to face you. “that wasn’t so bad. we should buy more furniture to build together,” he suggests with a chuckle. he scoots until his back hits against the bed like yours and finds your eyes. “thank you for the help. we make a pretty good team.” 

you hum in agreement, feeling the skip to your heart. you take his hand and thread your fingers through his and lean your head against his shoulder. you stare at his phone and charger and that scented candle he has already placed on top of the space. 

“so what’s going to be the first thing you put in there?” 

yukhei purses his lips. “you have any suggestions?” he asks, nudging you softly. 

thinking for a moment, a giggle abruptly slips from your lips. “i have something.” 

you let go of his hand and push yourself up. his head turns and he watches as you climb onto the bed with your slippers dropping from your feet beside him to you crawl over to the other side. yukhei stares after you, unconsciously  licking his lips at the sight in front of him because your shorts are short. you reach your bedside table and open the top drawer. the rectangular box you want is in your grasp.

“close your eyes, babe,” you instruct. 

yukhei raises his eyebrows at you but does what you say. you take out the box then, crawling back and opening the top drawer of the newly built bedside table to drop it in gently. you push it close and then lay on your stomach, wrapping your arms around his neck. 

your breath tickles his ear as you kiss the shell of it right beside his earring. his hands come up, tenderly grazing his fingertips across your skin. “can i look now?” 

you nod even though his eyes remain shut. “you can look all you want.” 

the chuckle into his ear is sugary and almost seductive while he opens his eyes. his head slightly angles to narrows his eyes at you suspiciously and he notes the mischief in yours. yukhei shifts a little and pulls open the top drawer. his low and deep laugh instantly comes from his chest and he feels the warmth dusting his face when he sees what it is.

the brand new box of condoms he had purchased last week comes into his view. 

always he keeps them here for himself to prevent him from forgetting it every time he comes to see you. always he puts them in your bedside table because it was your space, your home. 

but it is different now. 

you giggle and your arms around his neck loosen to give him enough space to twist his body around so he can look at you better. his expressive eyes shifts between  the sweet and devilish beam playing on your lips to the spark glimmering in your eyes. 

yukhei bites the corner of his mouth and swallows the tiny lump in his throat. “you trying to tell me something?” he whispers dangerously low. 

you nod slowly and lean in to kiss him gently on his soft lips. “hmm, just that i love you.” your tongue teasingly comes out then to swipe his bottom lip. you feel the anticipation and nervousness of what will be in store for you and him. he hears the quiet and tantalizingly noise from your throat. “and that maybe i don’t think i have properly welcomed you yet.” 

a faint groan emits from yukhei. his hands come up and cradle your face and he moves bit by bit forward. “how do you plan on that?” 

he doesn’t wait for an answer because his grinning mouth teases yours before he finally connects them. you smile into the kiss, pleased at the way his thumbs are caressing your cheeks and how he slightly angles your head to deepen the kiss a little. your arms drop from around him as he slowly gets to his knees. you grip on his shirt while your mouth continues to move alongside his with delighted sighs when he rises and pulls you up with him.

yukhei stands on his feet and you’re on your knees on the bed. his tongue grazes your teeth before it gently prods into your mouth. you swallow his groan when your hands travel up to thread your fingers into his hair. his hands descend, sneaking underneath your shirt. his touch is so warm and he squeezes your waist while you leave him with a nip to his upper lip. 

your breaths are labored and so are his as yukhei finds the hem of the shirt you are wearing. you give him a tiny smile and he pulls it over your head and drops it to the floor. his gaze sweeps across your face and travels down to the melon colored satin covering your supple breasts. they look so full and soft and just so squeezable. you let out a breathless chuckle at how he stares and the sound draws his attention back up to your face. he presses his forehead to yours and cups your face. the corners of his wet lips twitch up.

“is this what you had in mind?” yukhei hums while your hands journey to grasp the bottom of his t-shirt. “this kind of welcoming?”

you bite the corner of your mouth but he still hears the little squeal. “hmm, maybe.” your tone is sugary and his chuckle makes your stomach flip. you tug on the material and he gets the hint, helping you remove his shirt. 

once it joins your shirt on the floor, yukhei is certain your eyes are lighting up more than before. your touch grazes down his chest, his tattoo and the muscles of his torso before reaching his sweatpants that hang low enough on his hips to give you a peek of the yellow lettering on the band of his boxer briefs. when your fingers are just about to hook onto the edge of them, yukhei takes a hold of your hands. he brings them up to his mouth and puckers a kiss onto the palm of each of them. 

“lay down,” he breathes out, nudging you back. 

there’s a playful pout on your face he catches because something else is on your mind. he nods and chuckles softly though and lifts your arms to drape over his shoulders. you shake your head and his hands find your hips and his mouth momentarily brushes against your forming grin. yukhei slowly climbs onto the bed, kicking off his slippers too and little by little, moves and lowers you onto the bed with light sweet giggles slipping from your mouths. 

your head hits the pillow and you part your legs for him to settle comfortably between them. yukhei leans over you with forearms resting beside your slightly tilted head. there’s a charming beam on his face that makes you feel shy like the first time being noticed by a crush. the spark flickering in his wide eyes as they dance over your face causes the warmth in your chest to bloom. the tip of his nose tickles yours briefly. your fingers reach to push his hair back and lightly scratch his head. yukhei sighs quietly and delightedly at your soft touches. 

he leans down to give you a small kiss. “you know all day you have been making sure of everything for me to feel comfortable and that i have what i need.” his words are low and calm. “i don’t know if you realize it, but i just need you.” the heat rushes to your cheeks. “as long as you are here with me and you are happy when i walk through that front door, it will be enough.”

a little shy yukhei feels at his confession. but then the tiny squeak that comes from you as you hug him makes it okay that the tip of his ears are red and he feels a bit embarrassed. his arms move to slide under you and wrap around your waist. he buries his face into the crook of your neck, his laugh muffling into your skin as he breathes in the vanilla and flowers again. 

once he raises his head up a minute later, yukhei is met with the beam on your face. it is so pretty and bright and he is left wondering what in the world he doing to be deserving of where he is right now. 

your gaze is a little hazy but your heart is a lot full. you wonder if he will always find a way to make you love him more than you already do.

“you’re such a liar when you say you aren’t romantic,” you whisper as your hands slip to grasp onto his arms. his muscles are strong and hard underneath your fingertips. 

you lift your head, gently connecting your mouth to his. the kiss is sweet but passionate. yukhei lets go of your mouth with faint nibbles to your bottom lip. he releases a deep breath with a boyish and soft smile on his face. 

“but just in case i haven’t said it enough to you today, thank you.” 

and his words make you hum softly. they cause the corners of your lips to twitch. they make your breath hitch in your throat. you feel the rhythm of your heart beat a little quicker yet you feel so calm. you cup his face and he watches as you faintly shake your head. 

“actions speak louder than words, baby.” there's mischief glittering in your eyes. “show me,” you softly and coolly command. 

instantly yukhei lifts an eyebrow and a smirk emerges on his handsome face. you stare at his eyes that slowly turn dark at your challenge. 

the teasing curl of your lips coming out encourages him to make his move. yukhei moistens his lips while his hands begin to slide up your body and your feet glide up the back of his legs. his gaze stays on yours while he gently squeezes your breasts. the whine you squeak out causes the beam on his face to gradually widen. 

yukhei leans down and slowly brushes his mouth against yours. your hold on his face firms a little as the kiss bit by bit becomes a little more enthusiastic and messy. he gives your breasts another squeeze and he swallows your moan. his mouth trails off yours and you turn your head while he leaves the wet open kisses on your jaw. you run your hands into his hair as he sucks on the base of your neck briefly. yukhei continues an excited path down, drawing sighs from you when he dots kisses over your collarbones and the exposed skin of your chest. 

your hands leave his hair and you try to slip them to your back underneath his weight. it takes him seconds to notice your movements and he shifts back a bit, stopping you when you attempt again. 

“let me do it,” he murmurs with a small smirk. 

a soft chuckle escapes. “be my guest.” 

you slightly arch your back and yukhei slides a hand underneath and unhooks the clasp with a simple flick of his thumb and index finger. you raise your arms as he pulls the bra off of you and drops it onto the floor. 

there’s a delighted smile on your and his face at the lost barrier. he runs a hand over his mouth, groaning happily while he stares at how you start pushing and cupping your breasts together. you bite the corner of your lips but he still hears the faint little mewl as you play with the supple flesh in your hands. 

yukhei likes all parts of you. he really does. he can caress, kiss and hold every part of you for hours on end. but sometimes in times like this, he thinks he might favor some parts more than others.

“baby…” 

your needy voice draws him out of the trance. yukhei gently shakes his head with a deep short laugh and soon enough his touch replaces yours. his large hands fits around your breasts so perfectly as he massages and squeezes them just how you like it.

how soft they look never compares to how soft they really feel. 

yukhei rolls your nipples between his fingers as he shifts again and lowers his head. with his eyes connected to yours, he latches onto a hardening tip. he sucks and nibbles on one while playing with the other. you slide your hands into his hair again and tenderly move your fingers, stroking his scalp with every action of his mouth. you moan as his tongue flickers across your nipple for a few moments before he switches to lavish the other with his mouth and tongue. 

when yukhei finally parts from your chest, he leaves appreciative presses of his mouth to your skin. you catch the faint curl of his plump lips but then he lowering his face, kissing a simple straight line down your stomach until he stops at the edge of your shorts. he moves back again while reaching for the last two articles of clothing concealing you. 

but yukhei removes only the shorts though, leaving you only then in the simple lace trim underwear in the same color of your bra that just covers enough of your pussy. he grabs the other pillow besides your head. he gently squeezes and nudges your hips to lift up. you do and he slides the pillow underneath, the added height bringing what he wants closer and higher. 

“you okay?” yukhei asks while his hands grips tenderly at your thighs and you spread them wider. 

a tiny noise comes from you and you smile faintly. “i’m good.” 

yukhei scoots himself down and glances up to find your chest rising and falling steadily as you softly pinch your nipples in anticipation. he lowers his head completely then and turns his attention to what’s in front of him. 

you sigh when you feel him press a kiss over your underwear. he nuzzles his nose into the thin and delicate fabric and inhales deeply. you might not see it, but you sense the smile etching across his face right now. he removes one hand off your thighs and brings it to your covered core. he rubs it, his hand creating a warm friction and you whimper quietly at the stickiness that builds. 

“how wet are you, baby?” yukhei teases even though he feels it himself. 

he finds your gaze for a second and your bottom lip juts out almost innocently when you meet his. “very,” you breath out. 

a quiet hum and sweet smile he gives you in response before his head disappears back down between your legs. within moments you feel soft and slow kisses placed along your left inner thigh. yukhei stops right at the edge of the lace and then switches to the other side and does the same. 

then he spreads your legs a bit more and pushes the fabric of your underwear to the side. his eyes eat up your soaked folds. you sigh in relief at the removal of the sticky material and the air that grazes your core. but it’s short break because yukhei parts your folds gently to slip a finger into you. you moan immediately and he lets out a chuckle. he’s watching with pleasure at how easily his finger goes in your pussy. 

yukhei takes a moment teasing you, his long digit working you before he slips a second one in. your eyelids flutter at how good it feels to be touched and you gasp quietly while your hands begin massaging your breasts.

“baby, you’re so soaked for me,” he coos, while sitting up a little. 

yukhei moves to hover over you, his fingers continuing to go in and out of you at a nice steady pace. he softly latches on your parted lips. you let out a needy moan. your hand comes up to cup his face and his tongue is gently sliding into your warm mouth. once he has you a little distracted from the kiss and his fingers, yukhei slithers a third digit into your core. 

you whimper at the additional stretch to your walls and your mouth drops from his. but you continue to hold onto his face as you get use to the three fingers in you. he watches the satisfied smile gradually come out before him. soon enough your hands descends to grip onto the comforter beneath your heated body as you slowly begin rolling your hips. 

“oh, that feels good.” you let out a breathless laugh. “mmm, baby, your fingers feel so good,” you pant out. 

the sticky slick sounds of his fingers drowning in your wetness makes him grunt. you feel the slight cool metal from his rings and smile and whimper at the thought and image of just how deep he is in right now. 

“can you take one more?” he whispers 

yukhei chuckles at how fast you almost nod and glances down as his pinky goes in too. he feels the pride at the way your eyelids are fluttering and your hips move faster while you gulp for air. yukhei holds down your thigh and curls his fingers then. the high whine you let out and your eyes widening has him smiling devilishly. he does it again and again and the high whine turns to desperate long moans. 

you huff, feeling the dampness on the back of your neck. “yukhei, my god- yeah, like that, baby.” 

he scoots his body back down then with a grin that makes his cheeks hurt and your gaze follows him. you stare as yukhei removes his fingers from your pussy. your cheeks heat when he sticks his index finger in his mouth with a hum to suck your juices. you whimper at the sight and give him a sugary smile. he slowly nods and moves closer, bringing his hand between your mouths. 

there’s a smirk on his face. “here, baby,” he murmurs as you hold onto his wrist. 

your eyes locked and your tongues dart out together as both of you lap up what’s on his fingers. 

yukhei shifts away first after a minute and you take the last lick with a pleased sigh. he groans happily and moves back, reaching to grip onto your underwear with both hands. you raise your hips a little to help him and the tiny piece of fabric finds company with your bra.

you’re naked now and settling your hips back down onto the pillow. yukhei admires every curve of yours for a long moment. he watches with a proud look as you plant your feet onto the bed and spread your legs. your dripping folds are glistening underneath the lights for him. you run both hands down over your breasts and your stomach until you reach your pussy. you rub the sides of your core, just centimeters from plunging your own fingers in there.

“you know what would feel really nice?” the playful but seductive question brings his gaze back to your face only to find your tongue slowly sweeping over your smiling lips. 

yukhei laughs, the deep and low sound making his chest vibrate a bit and you mewl. 

“funny because i was thinking the same thing,” he says as he shifts his body down again and lowers his head until he just centimeters away from your pussy. 

and at that first lick against your very wet folds, the whimper you let out has yukhei so satisfied and smug. 

his hands settle on your thighs, tenderly yet firmly holding them down. he takes another lick and then another, each leaving you craving for a little more. you reach over to put your hands on his head, gripping onto his soft locks. 

yukhei hums softly. “so good, baby,” he murmurs in between kitten licks. “you taste so good for me.” 

you let out a needy sound and yukhei thinks it’s just melodic. all he wants is to hear more. so he dips his tongue into your pussy and it draws a loud moan. the smile on his face is so wide he can’t help but do it again, going even deeper. you bless his ears once more with a desperate and blissed noise and soon enough he begins a steady pace of diving and swirling his tongue into your wetness.

“baby, don’t stop,” you mewl. 

yukhei doesn’t, pushing his mouth into your pussy. you whine and try to close your legs around him, but he stops you. he sucks on your clit then and the action immediately causes you to arch your back. he lets go of your thigh, his large hand splaying on your stomach to keep you down.

“you’re fucking delicious, you know that?” you bring the freed leg to drape over his broad shoulder. he flattens his tongue and drags it up so slowly, the pressure making you squirm. “taste like heaven.”

he’s eating you out to his heart’s content as if you are his final meal. 

you feel the tightness forming in your stomach. “yukhei,” you whine. “baby, i want more. please make me come.” 

he groans at your request and lets go of your other thigh to bring his fingers to join his mouth in your pussy. you whimper loudly and grasp for his hand on your stomach, shakily bringing it up to cup breasts. he moans into your core at what he can play with now too. each lick and swirl of his tongue between the hard sucks to your clit has yukhei rolling your nipples and squeezing your breasts. the stimulations feel stronger with the passing moments. your sounds come out needier and higher while the fire in your stomach is burning.

“fuck- almost. baby, please don’t stop,” you cry. “i’m close, yukhei. fuck, don’t stop, don’t stop, don’t stop.” your desperate pleads has yukhei working twice the speed with so much enthusiasm. 

you come with strangled whines and the corners of your eyes a little wet. both his hands move to your quivering thighs. he’s massaging them as you ride out the wave. you feel the continual gentle touches of his tongue as he cleans you off in between the sweet whispers to take deep breaths.

when the quivering stops and yukhei finally lifts his head and sits back, the smile is soft on his face. his lips and chin have a coat of shine to them and you watch as his tongue proceeds to come out to clean it off. but you hum, pushing your body up to get close to him because you did not get enough the first time. you cup his face and with a enticing smile, your own tongue darts and lightly swipes over your juices that remain. you finish with a tender kiss to his smirk. 

“i don’t think i can ever get tired of your mouth and tongue.” your compliment makes him chuckle softly and a little bashfully. “and i also don’t think i’m done welcoming you yet,” you tell him with a pout when he moves and stands up beside the bed. 

yukhei shakes his head because he’s not going anywhere. 

“really?” there’s the fake surprise lacing in his tone and it makes you giggle. “what else were you thinking of then, babe?” he questions with an all too knowing beam and you gape as he begins  to push down his sweatpants and underwear. 

you shift on the bed to go to him and even if yukhei doesn’t need the help, you glance up at him with a grin and rest your hands over his. each tug down together makes you excited and it isn’t long until his cock is out. it slaps softly against his toned torso and you stare for a moment with your bottom lip caught between your teeth to conceal the squeal. he hears you though. 

even if this scene of you staring at his cock and anticipating it has occurred too many times to remember anymore, it leaves the pride in his chest. 

you still want him as much as he still wants you. 

everything is pushed pass his knees and yukhei finishes the job when his bottoms bunch at his feet. you reach out to hold his hand in one of yours as your other softly grips the base of his cock. you look up briefly through your lashes before you lick the precum covered slit. you hum at the taste and yukhei takes in a deep breath before letting it out slowly. he watches with an amused grin as you get into a comfortable sitting position with your legs bent out before beginning to take kitten licks and pepper kisses along his length. 

“i didn’t eat you out expecting you to suck me off,” he whispers, caressing your cheek with his free hand. 

your head shakes in response, feeling the tugs in your chest. you smile innocently up at him. “well i was about to before, but you had another idea.” your tongue swirls over the tip once and twice before you suckle on it for a moment. 

yukhei chuckles lowly, entranced at how much you are enjoying this. “fair enough then, baby.” 

you spit a little on his cock for a bit of extra wetness. you stroke him with one hand, your wrist rotating expertly as your other remains in his. “and besides, you always taste so delicious,” you tease him and his jaw clenches. “why wouldn’t i want to?”

he gently and affectionately pats your head and you hum softly. the wink you throw his way before your lips descends over the tip of his cock has him moaning. he feels heavy in your mouth yet it’s so comforting. you begin to bob your head for a minute, drawing deep grunts from his parted lips.

yukhei moves his hand to rest behind your head when you suddenly take him little by little more into your mouth. the quick glimpse up to see his head slightly thrown back leaves you thrilled as you feel a rush into your core. his tip hits the back of your throat and you moan, the vibrations making him shudder for a second. your free hand reaches to hold his taut thigh. 

he rolls his neck once before looking down at you. “you ready?”

the faint nod yukhei makes out as you steady your breathing has him slowly starting to thrust. 

your mouth is so warm and it feels like velvet. he groans and your grip on his hand tightens. “fuck, is this what you wanted? yeah, you like how i fuck your mouth like this, baby?” he pants out with a grin while his hips begin to jerk quicker. 

you moan at his words, feeling more of your wetness pool in your pussy again. each thrust follows with your head bobbing and cheeks hollowing. yukhei watches, amazed at how you can take him back into your mouth with such ease. your gaze finds his briefly and the curl of his lips looks too pleased.

he gasps. “you’re beautiful.” how he wishes you can see it for yourself like this.

yukhei pushes your hair back, continuing to push in your mouth deeper and deeper. his eyelids close momentarily and his composure falters for a second at the pleasure flowing in him. you let go of his hand, both of yours now gripping on his muscled thighs and curling your legs underneath you to sit on them for a better stance. 

upon your movements, yukhei opens his eyes and catches the reflection of your ass and the back of your head bobbing in the standing mirror at the corner. he smirks and admires the sight, wondering how he has never fully realized how the mirror has faced this angle towards the bed. he bites his lips, groans still slipping out loudly as he focuses down on you again. he feels the twist in his stomach. the pace of his thrust quickens and tears prickle your eyes. 

“baby, fuck, i’m close. yeah- fuck,” yukhei huffs out. “can you take it?” 

you moan and that close is closer than you realize because it’s barely a minute before he lets out a choked sound and mutters a string of curses. the thick, warm and slightly salty liquid glides down your throat. his hands moves to caress your cheeks once more as you try to catch your breath through your nose. you glance to see his chest rapidly rising and falling while his hip gradually slows. your hands lovingly rub up and down his thighs as you suck and swallow. 

“hmm, you’re too good to me, you know that?” yukhei whispers serenely with a smile.

when you finally pull your mouth off his cock with a pop, a few pearly white droplets of cum flick onto you grinning lips. the tip of your tongue peeks out to clean it up and yukhei leans down to kiss you almost immediately. the pad of his thumb skims your jaw and your arms wrap around his neck. his tongue slides in and he tastes himself. you hold him closer and sigh into his mouth. he nips and tugs on your flesh and parts from your puffy lips. 

his nose brushes yours and you smile teasingly. “do you know what i was thinking of? what i kind to want to try now?” 

yukhei hums as he nudges you back. the bed dips a little with the added weight. he’s sitting on his heels and you move to him on your knees. one arm remains around his neck while you glance down at his cock. yukhei stares with a smile at your fingertips running up and down his length.

“what?” there’s curiosity laced in his voice. 

you swipe your thumb across the slit and the corners of your mouth coil up when your see and feel the faint twitch of his cock. you look up at him then. his gaze on you is loving and soft and it’s hard to miss the mischief in your eyes. 

“i want to try waking you up by blowing you.” 

and you think the opportunities to do so now will be so much more. 

the revelation has his eyes widening and his breath catches in his throat. yukhei wouldn’t need those alarms ten minutes apart. he'll wake up with a grin instead of a groan.

you watch amusingly at how he bites his lip, trying to hold in the moan and failing miserably because the image of being greeted with your warm mouth encasing his cock while your bodies bathe in the morning sunlight looks really good in his head. and as good as the picture looks, yukhei is certain it will feel even better. 

the sugary giggle makes him shake his head and he can’t stop his own chuckles from mixing with those cute sounds of yours.

yukhei feels the blush covering his cheeks. “don’t tease me, baby.” he lowers his head while his hands snake behind you. you squeak when he grabs onto your ass. 

you smile brightly and wrap your hand tenderly around his cock. it’s still a bit slick from your saliva and you slowly begin to move your touch up and down. “i’m not.”

he grunts at the new sensation and takes a deep breath with a pleased and thrilled smile. “then i’m looking forward to it, babe.” he leaves a quick peck on your mouth and rests his forehead to yours. one hand lifts off your ass to cradle your jaw. “hey, do you know what i just noticed?” his voice is so calm and soft.

you simply shake your head, wondering what yukhei has seemed to discovered. there’s a sweet and almost shy smile on his face as he shifts his head back. he juts his chin out and motions to something behind you. your brows furrow for a fleeting moment as you turn your head.

and what you meet is your reflections and the sight of his hand caressing your ass. you laugh softly because that has always been there. that mirror in that corner of your bedroom facing your bed has never changed. you giggle and shift your position a little for his cock, still in your hand, to come into view of the mirror. you watch while his hand lowers a touch and his fingers disappears underneath. you whimper when you feel the faint graze against your folds. his hand on your face descends to cup your breast and your hand over his cock suddenly moves a little faster. 

yukhei shifts his mouth beside your ear, his warm breath fanning your skin. “is the welcoming over yet?” he inquires teasingly. 

he chuckles when you turn your attention back to him with a tiny smile and don’t miss a beat in shaking your head. immediately he leans forward to crash his lips to yours in a messy and fervent kiss. he brings his hand back up to cradle your face for a brief moment before he pulls back.

“turn around, baby,” yukhei breathes out. 

you let go of his cock and do so with happy beam. you sit on the heels of your feet then with your legs parted while your head tilts the slightest. yukhei rests his chin on your shoulder and your stares connect through the mirror. his hands come up from behind you to massage and jiggle your breasts. he moves down to gently cup your pussy, his middle finger reaching to dip a little into your core. you bite the insides of your cheeks as yukhei leaves short kisses along the curve of your neck before he moves away from you.

your head turns to watch him fisting his cock, giving it a handful of quick pumps with one hand as he reaches into that top drawer of the black brown bedside table. he pulls out that box of condoms you had dropped in earlier and you can’t help but turn around fully then. yukhei looks at you with a prideful smirk as his cock is getting heavier and looking bigger with each stroke of his hand. you stare with a watering mouth and rushes to your pussy at how hard he can quickly get sometimes. 

the curl of your lips is sweet as you reach for his cock. “baby, let me,” you whisper.

your touch replaces his hand and even though his cock stands hard and ready to plunge into your dripping core, you can’t resist the feeling of it in your hands. 

yukhei slides a finger under the glued flaps of the box. he tears a condom from the strip and places the box back into the drawer. 

he rips the foil. “so do we keep them in there from now on?” yukhei asks with a quiet laugh. 

you release his cock, your eyes shifting between his glowing handsome face and the condom being rolled on. “hmm, only if you want, babe.” 

a quick kiss you press to his chest before turning back around. his arms wrap around your waist. the tip of his nose grazes the shell of your ear and he takes a deep breath. the activities of what you’ve been doing combining with the scents of your body wash and perfume has him feeling a high.

yukhei exhales slowly. “can you get on your hands and knees for me, baby?” his request is low and soft and he catches the excited whimper from you. 

he watches for a moment as you lift the corner of the comforter and fold it back. the grip on the bedsheet will work so much better with this position. you bend over happily within seconds and crawl up a few inches to get nearer to mirror. the little shake of your ass before you slightly spread your legs has yukhei grunting softly as he follows behind you on his knees. his legs on either sides of yours, he stares with a dreamy smile at how nice your ass looks. 

your workouts are really treating you and him well. 

he brings his hands up to smooth over and squeeze your soft flesh as his eyes find yours through the mirror. 

yukhei licks his lips. “you good?” he reaches between your legs, slipping two of his fingers into your pussy. you see his eyes widen and the satisfaction blooms in your chest.

your grin is near devilish as you clutch onto the bed sheets and jut your ass out against his cock to rub it. “please.” 

he gives his a cock a few pumps and then with one hand gently gripping your hip, yukhei lines up to your pussy. his gaze stay fixed on yours through your reflections as he slowly eases in. you moan at the wonderful stretch of your walls and he groans at how tight you are even after his fingers and tongue. once his cock is fully nestled inside you, his hands run up and down your spine before it stops at your ass. he squeezes it and you whine, wanting him to move already. 

“yukhei.” 

he catches the pout on your face and yukhei chuckles at your impatience when he thinks it should be him that should be the impatient one with what you are giving him right now. 

you see him softly nod and with both hands now resting on your hips, you feel him pull out a little before pushing back into you fully. your instant moan pleases him and he grins, starting with shallow thrusts that draws whimpers from your parted lips. 

“you’re so damn tight,” he huffs out. 

yukhei slowly begins to pick up a steady rhythm. “mmmhmm, yeah, i want more,” you gasps. “yeah, mmm, please.”

your wish he grants because the pace of his strokes picks up a little speed. your whimpers come out higher and in shorter intervals. yukhei looks down, staring with pride at the sight of his cock disappearing into you.

“fuck, baby, you feel amazing,” he groans. “yeah, you’re taking my cock so fucking well.” 

your grip on the bed sheets firms and your back arches while yukhei glances up. he watches you through the mirror as your eyelids shut. 

“open your eyes.” you try your best to do so, to look at him and to just observe at how a mess you are right now as he slams into you with a proud smile. “look at how beautiful you are when i fuck you, baby,” he coos in between the thick gulps of air. 

his hold on your hips tightens. you feel the slight dig of his short nails into your flesh. he's pounding into you at a relentless pace. the room fills with the sounds of skin slapping skin and the strangled words from your throat. 

“oh fuck, yukhei, don’t stop.” you desperately moan. “you feel so fucking good. mmm, go harder, baby, don’t stop.” 

despite what you want, your arms are tiring and you slip for a moment, unable to hold yourself up. yukhei slows down his hips a bit. “you okay?”

you whine, wanting him to continue slamming into you. you try to push yourself up on your arms that feel like jelly.

yukhei catches you though before you completely fall, his arms encircling your waist and his hips stop. he pulls you up onto your knees with his cock still nestled in your warm pussy. you immediately reach to hold onto his arms around you, trying to catch your breath and get comfortable kneeling. he pushes your hair to the side. your very damp back presses to his heaving and very damp chest as your head leans against his broad shoulder. 

you turn the slightest to find him watching you. his eyes are soft and loving and you bite the corner of your lips to keep yourself from smiling too much. 

“hi,” he whispers. 

it'll be a lie to say the colony of butterflies aren’t residing in your chest right now and you feel your face heat for different reasons. 

“hi,” you respond back. 

yukhei tips forward, crushing his mouth onto yours for kiss. it’s wet and eager but the passion and want is there. he pulls back with a sweet peck onto your swollen lips. then his arm stays wrapped around your waist while the other slips under your arm to come up to hold your shoulder, securing you to him. 

you know how he wants it now. he presses half a dozen kisses to your shoulder, then to your neck and lastly your cheek and it draws a light sweet giggle that tickles his soul. one hand grips onto his arm around you middle while you bring your other arm back and around his neck. you turn to him and swallow the lump in your throat.

“i love you.” 

your sweet words and that shy smile on your face makes his heart want to combust with joy. yukhei presses his forehead to yours and within seconds you feel his cock slide out a little before slowly thrusting back in. you whimper at the new angle he hits you. 

unlike minutes before when his thrusts were rough and quick, they’re gentler this time. 

the buildup will be slow but the release will be intense. 

and you will welcome it. 

his hips move languidly as his hand angles down to cup your breast. he pinches and rolls your nipples between his fingers. his mouth settles beside your ear and you hear every low and pleased grunt escaping him. the tantalizing and steady pace has you dizzy and whining at how fucking amazing he’s making you feel. you close the gap between your mouth to kiss him messily.

yukhei releases your lips and puckers an open kiss to your cheek. he turns to stare at the mirror. 

“look at yourself,” he murmurs so calmly. you moan, twisting your head to find his large eyes transfixed on your reflections. “baby, look at how gorgeous you are.” his compliment makes you whine before a small grin slowly appears. “so fucking fucked and gorgeous.”

your heartbeat skips, watching that teasing beam on his face while he squeezes one of your breasts. you let go of his arm around your middle and bring it up to your other breast, your motions on your flesh mirroring his. he smiles delightedly at the scene. you whimper at the slight peek of his cock sliding in and out of you. and slowly then you begin to bounce up and down gently to his deep strokes against your walls. the choked moan escapes from his throat as yukhei briefly throws his head back. it makes you smirk proudly. 

he gulps. “oh fuck yeah, baby, just like that.” the arm around you firms, holding you close to him while he finds your eyes in the mirror once more. “keep going for me, baby.”

for a minute then you continue to move along his thrusts as your eyes stay together. it’s romantic, intimate and you and yukhei feel the calm despite the rushes in your bodies and the fast rhythm of your hearts. 

you grasp his arm again for the balance as you push down harder. the room feels too hot and the sweat on your bodies feels like glue. your mewls and his groans fill up the bedroom and the pit of your stomach gradually tightens. 

your whimpers are needy. “mmm, fuck i’m – i’m close, yukhei.” 

you watch him nod and the arm around your waist loosens. his hand shifts down, finding your clit. then it’s his thrusts and your bouncing and the added stimulations as he rubs small circles quickly on your clit that has your world is spinning. your body is in overdrive. your arm around his neck tightens and your eyes momentarily shut again.

but you sense the shake of his head. 

“look at me,” he tenderly demands. 

it takes you a moment, the pressure increasing bit by bit in your stomach as you finally do so. your gaze finds his again in the mirror. the whines and whimpers come out faster and yukhei licks his lips and struggles to breath deep. the sweet and needy noises from you are making the coil in his own abdomen start.

he moves his mouth to your ear, the friction on your clit intensifying. “come on, baby. come for me.” he encourages softly. 

you do a minute later with a desperate cry of his name and you swear you see stars. yukhei presses a kiss to your skin and his hips stop as the shiver runs through your body. he holds you so closely, crushing you to him that you see the flexes in his arms. you turn your head and his eyes are dark and you nod as your tongue swipes across your mouth and your hands hold onto his forearms. your wave is still coursing through you, but your sweet bounces on his cock start up again and his steady rhythm of thrusts continue once more.

“yeah, you fuck me so good,” you gasps. “mmm, so good, so good, baby.” 

you’re sensitive, your body already gone through euphoria twice now. but the look on his face and that stream of short and heavy grunts tells you yukhei is so close that you don’t care how spent you are. you want him to have another high for the night. your arms drop and move backwards, your grip managing to find his ass.

an innocent smile appears on your face while you coo. “baby, let it go for me.” 

the sound yukhei releases when he finally comes is low and deep and right into your ear. it sends the chill down your spine and you lean your head back because you’re clenching around his cock intensely again. 

you’re whining loudly as your body is trembling and little crescent moons are pressed into his skin. yukhei remains hugging you tight, whispering sweet praises of how well you did and how good you are. he slowly rides out his wave with a satisfied smile and fills up the condom as you take deep breaths and begin to roll your hips a bit. carefully and gently, he latches on your mouth. you whimper and melt into his kiss that is sweet and warm. you reach up, cupping his jaw with one hand while the other settles over his arms. you sigh into him and slowly part as both your hips finally come to a halt. 

it feels like a hot and sticky summer night without air conditioning. there’s a shiny sheen over your bodies and your damp hair matches his. an affectionate peck to your shoulder yukhei leaves you. 

“you okay?” the concern is lingering in his tone. 

humming and faintly nodding your head, the corners of your mouth twitch up and you feel the tugs on your heart. 

always so attentive he is afterwards. 

“i’m okay.” 

two more kisses he leaves on your skin before he gently lowers you. your hands brace onto the bed before you’re laying down. 

his body hovers over you. you hear the deep breath he takes and behind you, yukhei smiles blissfully. you smell so heavenly and inviting, all he wants is to cuddle you right now. his mouth rests next to your ear.

“i’m going to pull out, okay?” yukhei tells you softly. 

you nod again and with one arm still around you, he reaches down and tugs his cock out. you whimper at the missing stretch to your walls. he moves away from you and you make your tired body turn around. slowly you prop yourself on your elbow to watch him sit against the heels of his feet and pull the condom off. he hears the soft hum and looks at you staring at him and his cock. 

“that was nice,” you murmur with a pleased smile. 

yukhei shakes his head and quickly ties up the condom with a chuckle. “that was more than nice. it was amazing. you’re amazing.” 

your giggle is light and bashful but the satisfaction fills your chest and paints across your face. yukhei reaches over to grab a tissue on your bedside table. you watch as he wraps it up and stands, taking the foil wrapper still on the bed with him to drop into the mini trashcan in the bedroom. he turns and makes his way back to you. 

“do you need anything?” 

you shake your head. “just you,” you whisper loud enough for him to hear. 

the warmth spreads in his chest as yukhei climbs back into the bed and reaches for a pillow, laying down besides you. it doesn’t matter if you’re currently at the foot of the bed instead or that your bodies are a sticky mess. he wastes no moment in plopping his head on the pillow and raising his arm for you to curl into his side with a charmed grin. you rest your head on his shoulder and he presses you to him as if you aren’t almost stuck to him. his fingertips are soon grazing your skin. there’s a soft and long pucker of his mouth to your forehead that makes you look up with a tiny delighted beam. 

your hand settles on his chest, your short nails gently scratching him while you hum. “what time does your schedule start tomorrow?” 

“practice is at one.” yukhei lets out a breathless chuckle. “maybe we can have an early lunch… or a late breakfast together,” he quietly suggests with an boyish smile. 

he can’t remember the last time he had breakfast with you. there are the occasional lunches every now and then when he has a day off. there are the dinners whenever schedules end early enough. and then there are the late night dinners when he and you have missed each other for too long and you wait up just to eat with him. 

breakfast together is a rarity. 

his idea makes your stomach flip while you slowly bob your head. “breakfast sounds nice.” you softly brush your mouth at the end of his collarbone. 

it's quiet for a minute, the peacefulness enveloping you like his touch. one hand moves to rest on your thigh as you bring it over his. the other takes your hand on his chest and he brings it up. yukhei’s staring, entranced almost at your hand in his. you watch in silence as he threads his long fingers through yours and his thumb lightly caresses back and forth. once he finally stops, he presses kisses along your knuckles. 

you chew on the inside of your lip briefly. “what are you thinking about?” you whisper alongside his skin. 

the question is simple but it still causes you to feel a bit nervous. 

and yukhei contemplates his response for a moment because as easy as the question is, what he will say to you will mean so much.

“right now…” yukhei turns to face you. the corners of his mouth are coiled up and there’s a sparkling glimmer in his eyes. “i’m thinking about what we can eat for breakfast tomorrow.” his words bring an instant smile to your face and laugh into his ears. he leans closer to yours. “i’m thinking about how much i love you. i’m thinking about how much i’m in love with you.” his voice dips and it’s so deep and calming. “i’m thinking about how i am really happy and really excited to be here with you, start this with you.” he licks his lips and takes a slow deep breath. “and i am thinking about how much i don’t want to mess up.” 

you don’t miss the faintest crack in his words. you feel the immediate tugs on your heart. 

yukhei loves you and he doesn’t want to hold back from you. 

a brief smile comes out momentarily.

you shift, moving up the slightest to lay your head right besides his. you lean over, brushing the tip of your nose to his while his arm encircles your naked waist. yukhei lifts his hand up to cup your face affectionately. you clear your throat as a fond and tender beam appears before him.

“do you want to know what i’m thinking about?” you question quietly. 

he chuckles lowly and shakes his head slowly. “tell me.”

you softly hum. “i’m thinking about a  pre breakfast snack before the actual breakfast.” his sudden laugh is infectious as you give him a teasing smile and he recalls your desire on how to wake him up. “but there are eggs and ham in the refrigerator and i have the milk bread that you like....” the grocery trip with him will wait another day. “so we can have that if you like.” 

yukhei nods at the idea and smiles brightly. “is that all you’re thinking about then, babe?”

“no.” you shake your head. “because i’m also thinking about how much i love you. i’m also thinking about how much i’m in love with you.” the curve of his mouth widens. “i’m also thinking about how i am really happy and really excited to be here with you, start this with you.” you tip forward and rest your forehead to his. “and i am also thinking about how much i don’t want to mess up, either,” you finish honestly because you want him to know too.

soft and relieved chuckles about your confessions are rolling pass your lips and his. he slides finger under your chin to bring your mouth to his. it’s a sweet and chaste kiss that leaves you satisfied and him grateful. 

yukhei stares at you for a long minute before bobbing his head faintly. “let’s make a deal then.” he clears his throat in the quiet bedroom. “if there is a problem, i want you to talk to me.” there will be adjustments and some getting used to with living together he is sure. “but whatever it is, we’ll figure it out together.” his tone is gentle yet strong. “even if schedules are hectic, even if i cannot be physically here at that moment, i want you to tell me. i want you to know i’m there for you. and if you think you need a moment to just think and collect your thoughts alone, tell me. i will still be there for you and i will wait until you are ready.” 

you nod slowly, hearing the heartfelt genuineness in his voice. he lets go of your face and you giggle lightly when he’s holding up his pinky in front of you.

so many qualities you admire about him and how he always makes an effort to do the best in every aspect of his life is one that you love the most about him. you clear your own throat and hold up you own pinky then next to his. yukhei immediately and cutely chuckles at the size difference and finds your gaze.

the smile gracing your face is affectionate and sincere and for only him.

“that’s the same for you, too, okay?” you whisper, watching him softly nod. “if you’re stressed or tired, i don’t want you to think it’s a burden when you walk through the door. tell me how i can help. whether it’s wanting me to sit or lay with you or you need some quiet… even if it’s just food you want, let me know.” he laughs shyly, loving how much you know him. “if it feels like you don’t have the space for something, be honest. this place is yours now, too.” a light kiss you press to his cheek. “and when you go away for schedules…” yukhei stares at you with wide eyes and a boyish smile. “as long as you leave me a sweater, i’m good, okay? so i want you can stop thinking about that too.” you end with a sweet twist of your lips.

your pinky shifts and you hook on his that curls down instantly. 

“i will leave you all the sweaters you want,” he murmurs as he closes the distance between your mouths.   

you melt into the kiss and him. breaths are heavy in between the slick sounds of saliva. his tongue sweeps across into your parted mouth. yukhei hugs you closer and you turn your body slightly for your chest to press against his. he lets go of your pinky, cradling your face as your fingertips grip onto his shoulders. after a minute he pulls away first with a dreamy beam as air flows into his lungs.

once he finally catches his breath, yukhei hums when you reach up to brush his hair. 

“it’s you and me, baby.” 

your movements stop and your face heats at the words he remembers from that night you had asked him to move in with you. you nod faintly in confirmation. 

“yeah, it’s you and me,” you whisper confidently.   

you bury your face into the crook of his neck. but it’s not quickly enough because he catches the smile you are trying to hide from him. yukhei laughs and  turns his head, kissing your temple once and twice before resting his mouth against your skin. 

it stays like this for a while and yukhei thinks he can get used to this every day. even if everything will not always be perfect, having you near him when it’s night and being next to you when it’s morning, is more and better than he can imagine for himself. 

yukhei grins. 

but right now he thinks it’s pretty perfect and he will enjoy you in his arms as he listens to your breaths. his fingertips draw circles on your soft skin while your eyelashes tickle his when they flutter shut. 

his heart is so full, he is certain the seams will burst.

he feels the sudden yawn from you. you do your best to cover it even though you are caged in his embrace. “you’re tired, baby?” yukhei laughs lightly. 

you hum softly. “a little,” you mumble into his neck. 

the day has been a lot. and how tired you are, even if a little, you are sure he is twice as tired. his first day off in weeks and he has not stopped at anything until now. you don’t know how he does it, how anyone in his position does it. you leave a few short puckers of your lips against his neck before you lift your head. 

“aren’t you?” you question while his hand comes up to hold your jaw and the pad of his thumb strokes your cheek. 

yukhei hums too. “a little.” 

a tender and serene smile appears before your eyes and you can’t stop yourself from kissing it. 

“i love you.” 

“i love you more.” 

you playfully roll your eyes that unexpectedly turn a bit glassy at his cheesy words and smile. taking a deep breath to calm your rapidly beating heart, you turn to look at the clock on your bedside table. you blink a handful of times to see the bright red numbers clearly.

it’s after midnight now. 

your attention returns to yukhei, chewing on the inside of your cheeks for a second before speaking. “your first official day has ended. did you like it?” your eyes glisten with the tears and love for him and that cheesy smile on his face grows into a lovestruck beam that the corner of his eyes crinkle. 

“it was better than i could have ever imagined it to be. i don’t think i’ve ever felt so welcomed before.” yukhei winks at you teasingly and you feel the heat creeping onto your cheeks. “but do you know what we should do now?”

you shake your head with a sugary chuckle, curious what he is going say. 

yukhei brings your face closer to his. noses touch and hearts beat slow and steady together. his mouth stops just centimeters away from yours. 

“i think we should go take a nice warm shower to clean up…” his voice is soothing and gentle and he playfully raises an eyebrow to see what you think. he lets out a breathless chuckle when you grin faintly and nod, wanting him to continue on. “then afterwards we can come back in here, into this comfy bed with these pretty pink sheets…” an infectious giggle escapes from you. “and go to sleep for my first official night here.” he brings his arms back around your waist and hugs you to him. his eyes glow and you feel his warmth and love radiating off of him. “and if you want, i’ll even hold you like this as you sleep. how does that sound to you?” 

you slowly bob your head again and then tilt it. “that sounds good,” you whisper, your face glowing. 

and yukhei gives you a quick yet sweet kiss to make the plan official.

you move off of him and push yourself up. he follows within seconds and you get off the bed and stand. your hand you hold out for him to take and he does. his hand is warm and strong and you chuckle and help him out of the bed. you expect for fingers to lace tightly together but they don’t. 

instead yukhei lets go to stand behind you, pulling you to him. your laugh is sugary and contagious because he’s laughing too. your back is pressed to his chest and his arms loop around your shoulders. slippers are forgo and bare feet slowly make their way out the bedroom and across the wooden floors.

it’s so much harder to walk with the extra weight attached to you, but you don’t mind. you reach up to grasp his arms and bend your head to press your mouth to his skin. you’re almost to your destination when your steps suddenly freeze.

“why are we stopping, babe?” yukhei chuckles and you turn your head to glance up at him. 

your heart skips a beat. “you’re going to smell like vanilla. is that okay?” 

you had remembered putting away an electric shaver for him. you had unpacked a bottle of hair gel. you had counted two combs. you had opened the new green toothbrush and placed it in his rinse glass next your pink toothbrush in your rinse glass. but there had been no shampoo, no conditioner and no body wash because he shares them at the dorm. 

and it takes a moment for yukhei to connect the dots before his chuckle turns into laughter. under the lights, the pink on the tip of his ears is apparent and his cheeks are flushed. he takes a deep breath and lets it out slow. with his smiling lips grazing yours, yukhei delightedly nods before kissing you softly.

“yeah, it’s definitely okay.”

then with a gentle nudge, your feet begin to move again. yukhei follows right behind you with the smile on his face spreading. he nuzzles against your warm cheek while his arms tighten around you. and within seconds wet and sweet puckers of his pillowy lips are pressing onto your skin. your laughter and squeals soon surround him. the pretty sounds seep into his heart and flow throughout the tiny apartment. 

vanilla he will smell like but home it already feels like.

[firstfrostfall]

A Cold Lament - Chapter Two

a tommy shelby fanfiction

In the winter of 1918, the Shelby brothers returned home from a war-torn France. In the winter of the following year, the middle brother, Tommy, recognizes an opportunity for his family to move up in the world, and it came in the shape of a misplaced crate of weapons.

In the meantime, per the request of his aunt, he gives a struggling young woman a job.

Little did he know, that like the smell of snow on the wind in late autumn, everything was going to change, and it wasn’t just because of some stolen guns.

Takes place during Season One.

Somehow, Anna had collected quite a bit of jewelry in her twenty-three years of living. She never necessarily went out of her way for it- it would just find its way to her. She was enamored by shiny things. You know, the things that glimmered when you held them in the sunlight the right way. Stones, sea glass, gems. Really whatever she could get her hands on. But she was especially fond of sea glass. She always loved sea glass.

It started off with small things at first, like sea glass, when she was a little girl. Because of this love, Magpie was the nickname her grandmother had given her.

Her grandmother would say things like, be careful, you’ll cut your hands on the sea glass, my little Magpie.

When she got older, more so into her teenage years, she would be gifted with various pieces of jewelry for her birthday or other special occasions. Each piece was beautiful, surely. She couldn’t deny the appeal that came with a pair of diamond earrings, those certainly caught in the light well, but she would’ve been just as happy with a particularly glossy stone from a rocky beach. Jewelry, or whatever stone it was, didn’t have to be expensive, she just liked how they glinted in the light. Like a magpie. She felt quite silly about it.

Nevertheless, she preferred sea glass to anything.

Growing up, she kept her entire collection in an ornately carved hope chest at the foot of her bed. There was no organization, no rhyme or reason for the placement of any of it. Of course, she kept the most expensive pieces tucked away in a separate gaudy jewelry box, nested in swaths of black velvet. The hope chest, on the other hand, was entirely in disarray. Anna liked it that way. It was her big box of things.

She brought the hope chest with her when she went to live with her aunt. It was a nightmare to travel with, surely, but it was hers. For the past year it remained at the foot of the bed she shared with her five other cousins. Living with her aunt and cousins under one tiny roof was an adjustment for her. It was different. The war changed a lot.

The war changed everything.

A family torn apart, and a girl sent packing off to her aunt’s home in an unfamiliar factory city hours from the only home she ever knew.

Anna remembered the day vividly. It was in the middle of summer, 1917, and the trip was dreadfully rainy. She traveled by train and cab to get to Birmingham.

When she eventually arrived at her aunt’s doorstep, she was soaked. The brim of her hat drooped under the weight of the rainwater. She knew her aunt was barely scraping by, she had so much on her plate already, she didn’t need the additional burden of a niece added to that roster. Her aunt had five children of her own, a husband away at war- but Anna had nowhere else to go.

So she stood there, surrounded by luggage and suitcases and trunks full of whatever she had left, waiting for her to answer her pleading knocks. When her aunt did open the door, she quickly ushered her niece in and helped her get settled with all of her belongings.

A few weeks later, word reached them that her uncle died in France. Her aunt was frantic after receiving the news, and understandably so. Not only had she lost her husband, but another source of income for the family. There was no one coming home to work in a factory.

Anna began selling whatever items she could to make extra money to cover the cost of a sixth mouth to feed. She sold dresses, silver hairpins, and combs, shoes, miscellaneous books. She sold almost anything and everything. Her belongings were finite, however, and soon enough, she had sold as much as she could.

Except for her jewelry, except for the hope chest.

She had accumulated enough valuables in the chest to scrounge up a few months rent for her own flat. A shabby little place, not too far from where her aunt lived. She even had a little extra money leftover to tuck away for her family, just enough to help them get by for a little while longer. There would be more space at her aunt’s house now that she was gone, too. More room for her cousins in their bed, one less mouth to feed, one less body to clothe.

It pained Anna to look at the chest. It pained her even more to open it. Almost everything she had collected was gone. Of course, she kept a few things, the items that were the most precious to her. An opal ring, a pair of diamond earrings, a golden bracelet, a jar full of sea glass. Each unrelated, but with their own meaning.

There was no point in moping around about it. She could spend another twenty-three years collecting more shiny things.

She was learning to make do with what she had.

Of course, now with her own expenses, she was also learning that her money was finite as well. This made her aunt worry for her terribly.

Finding a job had been difficult, to say the least. She spent hours reading through newspaper after newspaper, clipping away at any job advertisement that she thought she could even remotely qualify for. Most of the time, she wouldn’t receive an interview or would be flat-out rejected on the spot.

It was discouraging- but made sense to her. She really was just a girl, from a village barely anyone had ever heard of before, with a resume that was, to put it plainly, terrible. She never held a job before, and her only experience came from a few accounting courses from a couple of summers back. Truthfully, the courses were something to pass the time, to keep her from boredom while the days were long and hot. She never expected to actually need those skills.

One morning, however, there was a series of frantic knocks at her door. It was no one other than her aunt, giddy and exclaiming that she may have found her a steady job.

“I have a friend from church who can help you,” Her aunt said. “She set up an interview for tomorrow, three o’clock. You’ll be speaking with her nephew. She’ll pick you up from the house. She’s a good woman.”

Anna hugged her aunt tightly at the news, a wave of relief washing over her. Until, she realized, that she wasn’t sure what exactly she was interviewing for. That was when the panic started to settle in.

But alas, when fortune drops something valuable on your lap, it’s best not to question it.

That was where she found herself currently, a few days after the interview, staring at her reflection in the cracked bathroom mirror while she got ready for her first day. She was brushing through her hair, smoothing out the curls from the rollers she had slept in. The wan morning light made it a soft auburn that curled down past her collarbones.

She had been ready for work since dawn, and truthfully, even before then. She had a hard time sleeping and chalked it up to be a culmination of nerves for the day ahead of her, and the fact that her flat didn’t feel like a home just yet. In time, she hoped it would.

All throughout the night, the floors creaked, and the pipes hissed. She barely had any furniture, except for a wire bed frame and a hand-me-down mattress she had gotten a deal on. She was also pretty sure that the lock on the front door was broken, so she propped up a chair against the knob and hoped for the best.

Despite all of this, for better or worse, this place was her own. It eased the burden on her aunt.

Anna stood by the window while tucking her cream blouse into the waist of her maroon skirt. She spent the better part of her morning ironing out her clothes, desperately trying to ensure that the linen was fine and creaseless. Her iron was one of the things she couldn’t part with. At the very least, she could look her best with it. Or at least try to.

She glanced at the window one last time before slipping her shoes on by the front door, watching as tiny flurries of snow began to fall onto the city below. She smiled.

It was early this year.

Anna promptly knocked on the door to The Garrison at nine o’clock that same morning. The snow was still falling, each flake thick enough to catch in her hair, a contrast of white on red, but soft enough that it would not stick to the ground, instead, it melted on contact with the muddy pavement. Harry, the barkeep, answered the door.

“Miss Caldwell, good morning.” He took a step to the side so she could enter. His face and nose were flushed red, he must’ve arrived not too long ago himself.

“And to you, Mr. Fenton.” She smiled, her breath turning into clouds as she spoke. “Quite the weather we’re having.”

“I’ll say,” He closed the door behind her and turned the lock. “Haven’t seen snow this early since I was a boy.”

“It’s good luck,” She replied while shrugging her coat off. “They say an early snow brings good fortune.”

“I’ll keep that in mind when my toes are freezing off in the morning,” He gave her a lopsided grin. “Follow me, you can leave your things in the back room.”

Once Anna was settled, she stood behind the bar with her own apron tied around her waist, (already stained, mind you) given to her by Harry. The remainder of the morning was another lesson in “making do” for her. The pub wouldn’t be officially open until noon, so this extra time beforehand was for her to get a feel for everything. To put it plainly, it was additional time to practice.

No matter how hard she tried to mask her nerves and keep her composure, it was like she had two left feet. Spilling drinks, forgetting the difference between vodka and gin, pouring a pint incorrectly, and causing the foam to rise over the rim of the glass.

Despite the extra time she had spent on her appearance, smoothing out any wrinkles on her skirt, curling her hair, and flashing a smile at all times- she couldn’t have felt any more out of place, and painfully unprepared. There was so much on the line for her. She had her own place and an aunt who needed financial help. She would keep trying, she didn’t have any other choice.

Harry was kind to her, and as patient as he could be, but it became quite obvious that she was a terrible bartender. Embarrassingly so. Terrible enough that he insisted that she just watch him for the rest of their shift, assuring her that it was for the best.

“It will be a slow night,” He said, wiping down the remnants of the third pint she had spilled. “A good way for you to learn the ropes. Nice and easy.”

Anna nodded, accepting her wounded pride. In the late afternoon and early evening, business was slow. It was quiet, a few patrons here and there ordering a drink or two. She was able to observe Harry interacting with the regulars and took mental notes of what people seemed to like. She thought it was quite pleasant.

Until it wasn’t a slow night.

Evidently, there was a football game earlier in the day, and all of the men came trailing in afterward. The pub became boisterous and loud. It was overwhelming, to say the least.

“Just work on collecting the empty glasses,” Harry motioned with his head to the cluttered tables from across the bar. “I’ll take care of everything up here.”

Anna nodded, typing the apron around her waist tighter. She weaved through the crowds, deftly trying to avoid any leering gazes or comments. Of course, she made quite a few spills, and mentally kicked herself for being so clumsy, for letting her composure waver. In the beginning, she was slow going back and forth from table to bar, but eventually, she was able to get into a rhythm.

She placed the last few glasses on the bartop, exhaling heavily. The pub was finally empty. She glanced down at her blouse. This morning, the linen was freshly pressed and the color of cream, but this evening, however, it was stained with splotches of beer and other liquors. She frowned.

It was late.

Harry wiped a forearm across his brow. “You did well.”

“You’re very kind,” Anna wiped her hands on her apron, shaking her head. “I did terribly.”

He laughed, quite loudly.

“I’ll finish cleaning up here,” He nodded. “You go catch a breath in the back.”

“No, no, let me help with the clean-up. I made most of the mess.”

“You had a long enough day today, and you’ll have a longer one tomorrow.” He smiled, waving her off with his hand. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Thank you.”

Anna walked into the back room and sighed, collapsing onto a chair. She held her face in her hands. Her body ached, her feet especially, and her head throbbed. But more than anything, she was embarrassed. She was tired and wanted to weep. It was silly. Her first day of work and she wanted to cry. She swallowed sharply and stood up, untying the apron from her waist and tossing it over the back of the chair.

There was no point in crying, she would make do.

When she stepped back into the main room, Harry wasn’t alone anymore. It was the man who she spoke to a few days before, Mr. Shelby, standing by the bar with a glass in front of him. A cigarette dangled between two fingers, the smoke curling in the hazy lights above the bar. He didn’t notice her at first, and if he did, he didn’t make it known.

It wasn’t until Harry cleared his throat, that he tilted his head toward her.

Anna glanced down at her beer-stained blouse and grimaced. She certainly felt like a mess, she could only imagine what she looked like. With a sheepish smile, she combed her fingers through her hair and smoothed it all over one shoulder.

“Miss Caldwell,” He nodded.

“Good evening, Mr. Shelby,” She smiled, folding her coat over her forearm.

“Heading home?” He turned away from her.

“Yes, just about.”

“Mrs. Gray instructed me to walk her home on these late nights,” Harry quickly interjected. She could've sworn Mr. Shelby scoffed at that.

“Ah, waiting on me then?” The other man raised an eyebrow.

“No, no, of course not Mr. Shelby.” Harry’s voice wavered. Anna noticed his eyes widening, like he was nervous, almost.

“I’m sure you’re both tired,” He finished the rest of his drink in one swig, and then fully turned to her. “First day, wasn’t it?”

“Yes,” Anna could feel her face flushing. A disastrous first day, she thought. “Harry was an excellent teacher.” She could see Harry beaming at that comment.

“Ah,” Mr. Shelby nodded, stacking a few coins beside his empty glass. He placed his cap on his head and tipped the brim to the barkeep, “Goodnight.” He paused for a moment, and then he tilted his head toward Anna. “And to you, Miss Caldwell.”

“Goodnight, Mr. Shelby,” She smiled, her cheeks growing warm. “Thank you again, for this opportunity.”

He hummed in response, shrugging on his coat as he walked to the door.

By the time Harry and Anna had locked up the pub and were outside, Mr. Shelby was halfway down the street. She watched as he walked away, unable to tear her attention away from his retreating form.

As if on cue, it started snowing again. The little white flecks looked more like the ashes that spewed from the factory chimneys.

“This way, Miss.” Harry’s voice interrupted her musings. She blushed, feeling silly for mooning over a man she hardly knew.

Just as she was about to look away, she saw Mr. Shelby stop short. Anna’s heart skipped a beat when he turned around and looked at her from over his shoulder.

All was and quiet and cold.

[peterxwade24]

Into the Mari-Verse

For Maribat March 2021 day 12 prompt Second Chance (sort of. if you squint hard enough).

I know this one is late (like four days late) but i hope you enjoy it regardless.

Enjoy ~

Ever since Marinette was little she’d always wondered if there was more than just her universe. Her parents had always chuckled at her, simply letting her get wrapped up in what they believed to be an obsession with science fiction.

When Marinette was ten years old she’d already consumed nearly all of the media about other universes or realities. She decided instead to begin writing about her own reality. She simply let her mind wander, writing down everything that crossed her mind.

She was eleven when she met a kind, if opinionated, old man who didn’t tell her that her ideas were useless and better suited for boys like her Nonno Roland. She could look past his opinions on how she dressed and how she acted so she could have someone who didn’t think her stance on the multiverse theory was dumb. His name was Master Wang Fu and he taught her different methods of meditation.

---

Three months after she turned eleven, one month after she met Master Fu, she woke up in a place she’d never been in before. Luckily she had her phone on her so she could quickly search for her parents’ patisserie.

The first article she found was about a fire. The fire took not only her home and her parents’ business, but also her parents. The second article she found was about what happened to her after. She learned that she’d been shuffled around from home to home for a while before some American billionaire, Bruce Wayne, took her in and legally adopted her, giving her several siblings as well as a new grandparent and an aunt.

She was drawn out of her thoughts by a large dog, identified as Titus by a family photo on one of the newspapers’ websites, jumping on top of her and a call of “Copycat?” from her doorway. She turned to look at whomever was at the door, a boy maybe one year older than her identified as Damian by the same family photo.

“Hey, Damian.” She could tell from the way he was looking at her that she usually called him something else.

“Did you hit your head? Should I retrieve Todd?” Damian turned on his heel and went in search of ”Todd”.

Marinette looked at that same family photo, taken by a Ms. Lois Lane, to learn who exactly “Todd” was. She learned his name, Jason Todd, and put a face to the name. Her vision started to get cloudy and she felt herself slump forward.

The last thing she heard was a distressed call of “Pixie?!” before she woke back up in her bed above the patisserie.

---

It had been nearly two months since she had woken up in the Wayne home, having done her research on them in the time since, when she woke up in a different room in the manor. She glanced down, seeing dark skin like Damian’s from her last visit, before searching out a mirror. She looked at herself in the mirror, seeing features she vaguely remembered from Damian prominently displayed on her own face. She glanced down, seeing a black outline of praying mantis peaking through the neckline of the shirt she wore. She decided to get dressed, figuring this other version of her would appreciate the forethought when she woke back up in her body. She pulled on a dark purple high neck shirt with a matching dark purple high-waisted skirt over a pair of gray sheer tights and a pair of purple heeled boots, in an outfit inspired by Starfire.

She left the room, striding through the house as though she owned the building. Her thoughts were cut off by a call of “Man-eater?”

Marinette recognized the voice from the last time she was in the manor. “Jason.” She didn’t get to see the surprise on his face as in the next second her vision was clouding over and she seemed to fall into the wall.

---

The third time Marinette woke up in Wayne Manor, Damian was wrapped around her while their turkey, Jerry, was asleep at the foot of the bed. She gently ran her fingers through Damian’s hair, noticing that their skin tones were almost identical this time, and smiled. She looked up at a barely there sound by the bedroom door and saw a man who she figured would look nearly identical to Damian if he was asleep. She dug back through her memories, recalling that the man in the doorway was named Bruce (the same man who’d adopted her the first time she’d woken up in the manor) while another man, similar to Bruce, appeared just over his shoulder with a smile on his face. Marinette smiled back at him before several sets of too loud footsteps sounded behind the two men, causing her to clap her hands over her ears.

She didn’t hear anything they said as she faded away from this reality, having put together after the first time that she was traveling between realities and inhabiting that reality’s Marinette.

---

The fourth time, Marinette woke up in her bedroom in the patisserie, or what she assumed was her bedroom. She ran her hand through her hair, finding it much shorter than she remembered and when she pulled her hand away there were dark red strands of hair caught between her fingers. She figured maybe she wasn’t Marinette Dupain-Cheng this time simply from the red hair, but she also knew she wasn’t related to Damian due to her pale skin. She watched as her phone lit up with a notification from Chloé, followed by a notification from Nino and finally a notification from Kim before her vision grew cloudy and she drifted away from this reality.

---

The fifth time, Marinette jolted awake in her bedroom, a scream dying on her tongue. She looked around her, seeing a sickly green coloured broken heart floating beside her head. She also noticed the teal colour of her hair, figuring that something had happened to cause her to want to change her hair. She looked at her phone as it lit up with a notification from Chloé, which was one of two common things between this reality and the last. She faded quicker from this reality than the last few, not understanding why until she talked to Master Fu about it.

---

Marinette sat across from Master Fu in the main room of his massage parlor. Her head was bent while she waited for him to finish his tea.

Master Fu looked at Marinette, could see the residual magic from the Rabbit miraculous left on her being. He raised an eyebrow as he caught a glimpse of reisual magic from the Snake miraculous around her head and frowned. “Do you believe in magic?”

Marinette nodded, looking at the older man. “Of course. One can’t believe in alternate realities that run parallel to their own without acknowledging the existence of magic.”

Master Fu suddenly got up and moved to an old looking gramophone, pushing a series of buttons until an ancient looking jewelry box rose out of the gramophone. Master Fu carried it over to the table and opened it to reveal sixteen animal themed pieces of jewelry.

“These are- where did you find these?” Marinette looked up at Master Fu, her eyes shining a pale indigo.

Master Fu smiled at Marinette. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Despite never having come in contact with these jewels you seem to have tapped into the abilities of some of the beings held in this box. It is my sworn duty to protect them. Will you join me in protecting these jewels from harm and reclaiming the two lost jewels?”

Marinette nodded, holding herself back from reaching out for the jewels. “I will join you.”

---

Marinette awoke in Wayne Manor again, this time wearing an ouroboros snake bracelet with yellow citrine eyes, and she instantly knew something was different. “Sass, scales slither,” she uttered as she looked around the room seeing nothing beyond the darkness.

She was cloaked in an aqua green light and when it vanished her eyes glowed yellow allowing her to actually take in her surroundings. She uttered “second chance” as she turned her bracelet engaging her ability as she waited for the sense of wrongness to approach.

Her vision clouded over once again as she faded from this reality, wondering where she’d end up next.

Vipère awoke in her place, her eyes flicking from left to right, before she sighed and slumped back down onto her bed. “Sass, scales rest.” Vipère was cloaked in an aqua green light and when it disappeared, Martha was in her place. “Sass, is anyone else in the room?”

“No Guardian. There isn’t.” Sass responded.

“Thank you Sass.”

@maribatmarch-2k21

[prettyboyjackhughes]

-Maybe it wasn’t meant to be- |J. Hughes| [Part 2]

Jack lay in bed, by himself, for the first time in weeks. They had won last night in a shootout, Jack having the winning goal and winning the series. But it still didn’t feel like enough. He still felt empty. Whether it was because he didn’t have her or because he knew she didn’t care or love him anymore, he wasn’t sure. The fact that he still blamed this feeling on Charlie made him sick to his stomach. He rolled over, grabbing his phone off the bedside table and ignoring the 3 text messages from Mallory, the model he had been hooking up with. He had a few texts from family, telling him congrats on the series win. But the one text he was most concerned about was from Alex. Jack had seen the news about Alex’s trade and had been meaning to text him but with all his “extracurricular activities”, he had forgotten and never texted him. So seeing Alex’s name in his phone brought a smirk to Jack’s face.

Alex-I just got done talking to Charlie

Alex-What the hell did you do to her

Jack’s stomach dropped again. He sat up in bed, his sore muscles complaining. Alex had gotten traded to Colorado, meaning Charlie was in Colorado. With Alex. Jack didn’t even think twice and pressed the call button. It rang a few times then Alex’s voice broke through the silence.

“What the hell are you talking about, Turcs?” Jack says, trying not to snap at Alex.

“I guess you got my text huh?” Alex says. Jack shifts, crossing his arm over his chest and grabbing onto his shoulder.

“Obviously now please explain to me what the hell you’re talking about. Charlie is in Colorado?” Jack’s chest tightens as he says her name for the first time in 3 years.

“She’s in Colorado. Tell me what you did to her.” Jack swallowed hard and let his head fall back against the headboard of his bed.

“I messed up Turcs. I made her feel like she wasn’t enough and that I didn’t want her. I was confused and wasn’t sure that I wanted to keep all the promises I made to her. I wasn’t sure that what we had was love, I mean we were only 18. But I look back now and I know, she’s the only one I can ever love like that. She’s the only one. But it’s too late.” Jack’s stomach churned. Alex was silent on the other end of the phone.

“So you’re telling me, you gave her up? And since she didn’t want to get hurt, she left? She ran away from you, Jack.” Jack’s head dropped.

“I know. And I shouldn’t be holding on to her after this long. She’s probably forgotten about me and moved on. I wouldn’t blame her if she did. I deserve that.” Jack said, running a hand through his hair.

“Jack, you made her drop all of us. She shut everyone out of her life that reminded her of you. The last time I had talked to her was 3 years ago! None of knew what happened and then you started to spiral. We had all figured you guys had broken up when she disappeared. I mean, come on man. This wasn’t just about you.” Alex’s words played in his head over and over again.

“So what are you saying? Do I try and reach out? Should I text her?” Jack asks.

“I didn’t say that. It’s been 3 years. She told you not to come after her, which was a stupid move you idiot. I’ve watched enough romance movies with Madi to know that when a girl says that, the guy is supposed to go after them.” Jack smiles a little, thinking about all the nights Jack, Alex, Charlie and Madi, Charlie’s best friend, would spend in the basement of his parents’ house back in Plymouth when he and Alex were in the NDTP, watching every movie from The Notebook to Miracle. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

“I was a stupid kid then. If I had the chance to go back, you know I would go after her.” Alex moves the phone to his other ear and clears his throat.

“Jack, I think you need to think this through before you do anything. I’m going over to Charlie’s later. I might try and get her to talk about all of this. I know she talked to Madi about it at the beginning but with Madi being in Germany for the last year and a half, they haven’t talked much. Who knows, she may just shut down if I even mention your name.” Jack nods, agreeing with Alex. It had taken him 3 years to even say her name. When she had first left, Jack had gone back home for a week. It had worked out that the team had a 3 game series against Detroit. He had sat in his childhood room, looking at the pictures on his walls. Most of them had her in them. They had been friends since they were kids. He had fallen for her the day she had looked at him, rolled her eyes and bet him 3 dollars and a piece of gum that he wouldn’t eat the sucker they had found stuck to the pavement in the cul-de-sac. That had happened when they were 11. She had been his neighbor, 3 houses away from his on the cul-de-sac, since he was born. Their families became friends because of the two of them. Charlie’s older brother went to college at the University of Michigan with Quinn, actually finishing his degree, unlike Quinn who ended up going to the NHL. Charlie’s younger brother played hockey with Luke for a couple seasons before deciding he liked baseball better. Every memory he had, she was apart of. Every birthday party since he was 7, every school dance; every little memory that he had from his childhood and into his NHL start, she was there. He didn’t want to let go of her because he thought it would make all those memories even harder for him. But sitting there, in his childhood bedroom, crying over something he had messed up, his mom had walked into his room. She had sat down on his bed, rubbed his knee and comforted him as best she could. But out of all the things she said, one thing still stuck with him, even now. She had picked up the picture of them from homecoming their freshman year. Homecoming had been about 3 months after Jack had asked Charlie to be his girlfriend.

“I see how you two are there. So happy and definitely in love. You loved her, and she definitely loved you. But honey, sometimes people love someone but it isn’t the right time for them to love each other. It’s just, right person, wrong time.” And that’s what he had held onto. That he and Charlie were just the right person, wrong time. Maybe they’d find each other in the future and things would work out.

“I guess it’s really her move. Not anything I can do. You can talk to her if you want, you don’t have to. I’ll talk to you later, Alex. Thanks for listening and letting me know. See you next time we’re in Denver.” Alex says bye and Jack ends the call. He falls back against the pillows and stares at the ceiling.  

Charlie looked down at the pictures and clothes scattered around her on the floor. The day she had left, she had thrown all of the stuff she had of Jack’s into a box. Every picture, every sweatshirt and t-shirt, every piece of jewelry that he had gotten her since she was 14. At first, she couldn’t even bring herself to look through the box or to even have it anywhere she would see it on a daily basis. But now, she was getting better. The box had moved from the hall closet to the corner of her room. When things got really bad and all she could think about was Jack, she would pull something out of the box, usually one of the sweatshirts or t-shirts, and think back on how things used to be. She knew she still loved Jack but how long could she go on loving him? Did he even remember her? Did he still think of her as much as she thought of him? Honestly, she probably would never know the answers to those questions, which hurt, but there wasn’t anything she could do about it because she wasn’t going to go after someone who had pushed her away all those years ago. He had decided she wasn’t worth it and never came after her. As she sat on the floor, staring at the promise ring he had given her when they were 17, Alex knocked on the door to her apartment. She quickly threw everything in the box and got up, running to open the door. She threw it open and Alex looked up at her from his phone with an amused look on his face.

“Excited to see me?” He says as he walks into the apartment behind her. She shuts the door and locks it behind him.

“Oh hush, Turcs.” She says, rolling her eyes. She and Alex had fallen right back into how they were before, with him constantly teasing her and her taking it but giving it right back.

“So how do you like the new apartment?” Charlie asks, walking in front of Alex who follows her into the living room. He sits on the couch as she collapses on the floor.

“You always liked sitting on the floor better than the couch, you weirdo.” Alex says, nudging her with his foot. She laughs and gets on her phone. Charlie scrolls through instagram, pausing for a second on a picture of Jack from the All-Star game a few weeks ago. Alex watches over her shoulder, trying to decide whether or not to tell her about his call with Jack.

“Hey Char...I talked to Jack before I came here.” He says, tapping on her shoulder. She stiffens for a second then turns to look at Alex.

“You...You talked to Jack. Did you tell him...that you talked to me? That I was here?” She asked, something that looked like fear but was more concern and interest than anything.

“I mentioned I had talked to you and that you were here. We talked about what happened.” She picks at her lip and watches Alex. Alex is being careful with his words, trying not to cause a breakdown.

“As in...why I left? You guys talked about why I left?” Alex nods, moving down to the ground to sit next to her.

“We talked about it. He explained what he thinks he did to cause you to leave. It all makes sense, Char.” Charlie nods, her head staying down.

“I know it makes sense Alex. Why do you think I did it?” She says, pushing her hair back out of her face and looking at him hard.

“It wasn’t the right choice though. I loved him and I knew he wasn’t going to hurt me. Why did I think it was a good idea to let him go? If we’re being honest, I still love him.” Alex’s eyes stay on Charlie, trying hard to hide his slight excitement.

“Charlie, have you ever thought about maybe trying to reach out to him? I mean, you two were friends before everything. You were best friends.” Charlie shakes her head.

“Alex, I can’t. I decided I wasn’t going to go after someone who had pushed me away all those years ago. He had decided I wasn’t worth it and never came after me.” Alex places his hand on her knee gently, distracting her from picking at her fingers.

“Char, you told him not to come after you. If he loved you, you told him not to come after you. So I understand what you were thinking but you wanted him to come after you, didn’t you?” Those words shatter Charlie. She starts to cry and Alex pulls her into a hug.

“All I wanted was for him to come after me. I wanted him to show up in Colorado and take me back home with him. Say I belonged with him, in Jersey. I wanted the whole dramatic movie reuniting. But instead he never came and I stayed in Denver, heartbroken. I don’t understand. I thought he loved me.” She chokes out the words, sobbing into Alex’s shoulder. Alex hugs her to his chest, his heart breaking for his two best friends.