#i cannot legally curse hello

[preservationofnormalcy]

Hello. I appear to have been turned into a cat. I cannot open doors. I managed to turn my computer on and am now attempting to get a message sent.

I believe it to be a curse as I accidentally stepped on a frog and a man with a pointy hat yelled at me. Also the sun is out but it is pitch black. May or may not be related. I have an exit that I can use. I have ate nothing but salami for 3 days.

Wow, sorry to hear that. This is actually a crime on the wizard’s part, comes with a pretty hefty fine. Legal Metamorphosis like this requires a pretty ironclad series of contracts, clauses, and legal agreements.

We can send someone to your location, thank you for filling out that part - insurance doesn't cover demetamorphosis like this, but if you can ID the wizard in question we can point you in the direction of criminal case lawyers who deal in wizlaw.

As for advice, after you get back to human, you're probably gonna have some morph sickness. Werewolves will have some advice for you on that, but in this case specifically you may want to pick up some Fancy Feast, for the....cravings. Or salami, I guess.

What's a tumblr meme, Jenny?

[yourbuddy1984]

Hello hello :) Just wanted to drop in and ask; I've been thinking abt watching someone play Buddy Simulator but my usual go to for indie horror games on YouTube hasn't played it. Do you have any recommendations for guys to watch? Ty :>

im happy to hear buddy sims sparked your interest!! i'm sorry to say i've never watched a buddy sim letsplay, i've only ever played it myself. maybe some of my followers have though, so i'm turning this question to them!!! my psionic warriors, help zyremida!!!! aid it!!! help zyremida dot com Now!!!!

if you're having trouble finding letsplays for buddy sim as a whole, here's one by mashe99, each video (many of them) is about 15-20 minutes long. another one i found is by RUIN, who has less videos in their letspay, that vary from 30-60 minutes. they also have a cover of one of the songs from the ost, so im willing to bet they felt Something about the game!! another one - though, its more of a playthrough? theres 2 videos and theyre both an hour long, is by gab smolders. this is the one i'm most familiar with, though only in the way that i've seen their thumbnails a few times lol. i've never actually watched the videos, but this is the one i'd rec most i guess? not for any solid reason though. there's also other playlists i saw out there (jesse cox) (mrkravin) (cadplays) (joystickjams) but those first 3 are the first that stood out to me as something i'd watch. i also cannot promise that any of these people have played all of the game. they may have gotten an ending and never played it again (there's 4 endings).. but if the game interests you enough after seeing an ending, you could watch somebody else get another ending..? there's also walkthroughs without commentary (1) (2) (walkthroughs for all the endings), and what's a walkthrough but a silent playthrough....

i also know that markiplier and call me kevin (dont think i have to link those) played the game - i know marikiplier didnt finish his (for this he will never see the lights of heaven (joking)) .. and .. i am unsure about kevin? he has three (i think?) videos on it, and one of the titles references a lategame thing, so i'm assuming he got at least near the end. i'm also assuming he got the 3rd ending if i remember who he is correctly (the guy that aims to get the worst endings in games, i think???? or is that somebody else...)

i am also legally obligated to say that buddy sim will have a different effect on you depending on if you watch it or play it, i think, as buddy wouldnt be Your friend, but some other guys - but i also understand that the game might not be avalible to you, it might be too much for you (understandable), you're not certain whether it'd be worth the money (if it's this, i recommend watching this 10 minute long spoiler free video on it - i recommend watching it either way, really!! i watched it today and i like it), or any other infinitely more nuanced thing. and all of those are ok!!! i just had to tell you or the curse would get me

[xgummibearx]

Officer Toyomitsu x Reader

(I learned that in vigilantes All Might inspired Taishiro to become a full fledged hero and he was basically the in hero working at the police station before opening the Fat office so I was mistaken in some of my info but...I really like the idea of him having started out as just an officer before becoming a hero so I'm gonna combine the vigilante canon with my own headcanons for this!)

You as the reader are in a hostage situation, and Taishiro knows that he can step in and end this but he is told to stand down. Can he save you at the last possible minute?

~~~~

There were spilled coffees and discarded snacks all over the floor. She kept her gaze lowered, knees gripped tight against her chest. The convenience store was dead, quiet except for the quietest whimpers and shudders of those around them. There was a group, all sitting together behind the shop counter. A hand slammed on the counter, a masked figure growling under his breath. "Silence!" He demanded, the phone was starting to ring. "Hello?" His voice was so calm, it made her blood run cold. "Oh, have you met my demands yet?" He hissed. She could just barely make out the voice on the other line.

"You are surrounded, we advise that you stand down now...those people are not your enemy, let them go and come quietly." The voice was insistent. "We can help you, we will protect you from the media, just please let them go!" The villain laughed, cursing under his breath. He sounded impressed.

"You've got guts I'll give you that." He was chuckling. "But, let the media see! What? You don't want them seeing the cowards that are protecting the world? YOU KNOW MY TERMS!" He roared, "I want ten thousand dollars cash and a truck, no police escort necessary of course." He added, sounding like he was proposing a casual business deal. "and I know where you guys put those tracking things so don't try anything funny." He added. "If I don't see that truck parked outside by nightfall I'll start painting the windows of this place red...one, by, one..." He hissed, hanging up.

Officer Toyomitsu cursed as the phone slammed in his ear. "Sir! He's really serious about this, how should we move forward?" His boss Officer Gi Masayoshi removed his hat. Running his hands along his balding head.

"I'm thinking...we may not have any other option but to meet his demands, I'm sure we can still try to bug the truck and we'll have officers stationed at every city exit!..." He looked at the disapproving stare at Taishiro's face. "Tai, you know there's no other choice! We can't risk sending in troops, he's a maniac! If we do this we can at least get the hostages home to their families!" Taishiro stood, Gi was already knowing what he was going to say.

"Sir, I've been training for this! I know that there's a back entrance that would allow for easy access, it would be an easy take down!" He insisted, a fire in his eyes. Gi shook his head.

"Taishiro, you aren't licensed for hero work..” He sighed, approaching him with a gentle hand. “Legally...you cannot use your quirk unless shots are fired or worse, and I don’t want it to come to that.” He looked furious. “Stupid policies...” He muttered. 

"Yes sir..." Tai sat down with a furrowed brow. He hated this, this was the very reason he had joined the police force. "My quirk is too weak to be a real hero.." He thought, looking towards the store with worry. He couldn’t believe they were conceding to the terms of a monster like that. 

The hours passed and they did as requested. The hardest part was the tracker. They had to overlook all the places they were trained to hide it, and instead sewed it inside the seat and sealed it away so perfectly no one would ever know. At least they hoped. Taishiro watched from behind the police barricades, orange lights illuminating the parking lot as the officers drove the large black truck in front of the store before quickly moving back to the police lines. “Where are you...” Taishiro muttered, his eyes fixed on the storefront. The windows were covered by store shelves and newspapers, he couldn’t see anything going on inside.  Tensions were high, the hostages hardly dared to breathe as the man hung up the phone and then walked up and down the line of victims, who quickly lowered their gaze. Their eyes were all transfixed on the gun that rested lazily on his hip, the barrel glinting in the light outside. (x) looked up slowly, realizing that she was  staring at his boots. As soon as their eyes met a hand gripped her hoodie. “You’ll do.” He had a tight grip on (x)’s arm as she was dragged along with him outside. The cool night air hit their faces as she looked around wildly, screaming as a gun was suddenly pressed to the side of her head. “NO ONE MOVE!”  Taishiro grit his teeth, his eyes fixed on the masked figure then moved to the terrified woman. He looked towards Gi desperately, his hands twitching as Gi shook his head with a warning glance. Tai growled a little under his breath in annoyance, staring down the man as he slowly made his way around to get to the driver’s side. He was smiling as he opened the door slowly, “thank you all so much for your cooperation.” He suddenly tightened his grip, making her cry out. “I still don’t want you getting any ideas of following me...so why don’t little missy here and I go for a spin?” He sharply turned around, tossing the young woman into the truck and hopping in as he slammed the door shut. It only took seconds for him to start speeding away. 

“CHIEF!!” Taishiro roared, his eyes pleading. Gi looked at Tai for a moment then roared to the rest of his men as paramedic filed into the convenience store. 

“All units after that vehicle! I want an APB on a black ram pickup truck, and?” He turned to look at Toyomitsu with a firm nod. “All officers with legally registered quirks entered in our system do have permission to use them if necessary.” Taishiro nodded then took off at a run after the vehicle. His at would give him the stamina he needed. This was after all, the only thing his fat was good for right? Just to be burned off over and over, what use did it have? He could already see the truck in his sights, as he dashed between vehicles that he towered over easily. The Taxi, that was nickname in the precinct. He could chase down just about anyone without tiring out, and would bring them back sticking out of him like a Katamari Damacy. Taishiro leaped onto the back of the pickup truck, his eyes burning. 

(X) was shaking still staring down the barrel of the gun as her captor drove with one hand. “Don’t worry doll...” He turned his face for a second, a grin that could only have been the devil himself. “They’ll find your corpse for mom and dad on the edge of town...” Tears rolled down her face when something heavy suddenly made the back of the truck dip a little. They both jolted, (x) pressed her back to the door shaking under tha angry gaze of the brute behind the wheel as he cursed under his breath. As if this were somehow her fault. “Maybe I shouldn’t of taken the broad...” He grumbled, freezing as a pair of yellow eyes met his in the rearview mirror. Taishiro with one single punch smashed the back window as he shouted at the man behind the wheel. 

“POLICE! PULL OVER IMMEDIATELY!” He ordered, glaring at him with the force of a thousand suns. They could hear more police sirens in the distance, how were they on to him? The truck was bugged, it had to be. Taishiro roared once more into the vehicle, his anger even making (x) shiver. “Would you rather contend with me, or the pro heroes waiting for you at every exit of this city!?” The gun fell from the crook’s hand as he sat trembling. The truck was starting to slow down. “If you’re scared of me, imagine how much worse it will be if you keep this up!” He hissed, “You know you’re in luck! I know for a fact that All Might is on call today.”Taishiro added, reaching in carefully as he slowly pulled. 

“SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH FATSO!” He roared, grabbing for the gun but Taishiro had guessed his thinking.The guy was panicked, quickly removing his seatbelt and trying to make a break for it. Taishiro grit his teeth and launched himself from the truck, immediately in pursuit. Taishiro froze as the gun was fired but to his amazement, he hardly even felt a push in the force from the bullets. Rather, the force seemed to sink into him, right into his body fat. Taishiro sprang up, surrounded by golden light as he leaped towards him and punched him in the gut. He was immediately out of commission and his squadron had just pulled over. He could hear Gi’s voice as he watched the crook get cuffed, as he looked up towards the car he could see (x) wrapped in a blanket, being lead towards a police car for evaluation. 

It felt like hours, answering the same questions over and over as paramedics as well as his fellow officers looked at him with confusion. He looked down at himself with embarassment. All his fat had burned off, leaving him looking like a deflated balloon. His smooth soft belly and smaller build was awkward, hardly legend. He had graduated from Shiketsu, but had chosen to go for a policework intership. Many of his teacher evaluations after having failed the hero license test in his first year, had stated he didn’t have the “build” for a hero. He lowered his head with a sigh. It was true, one punch and he was just a useless pic of flab. He could hear the door open but he didn’t bother looking up. He could tell someone was speaking but couldn’t make out the words until he felt a sharp slap on his back. 

“Excellent work young man!” Taishiro snapped back into reality, and his eyes widened.

 “A-All Might?” He stammered. There he was, standing right in front of him. All Might laughed loudly, patting his shoulder again. 

“Yes, I am here! It’s a good thing you were as well, amazing work! According to witness statements you handled this case with a level of effectiveness and professionalism that even most of us pros fail to accomplish!” He grinned. “Minimal damage, followed every officer quirk use protocol, and acted only in self defense while prioritizing the safety of the hostage. You relied on words, not force.” Taishiro lowered his face. 

“Thank you but really I was only doing as told, I am sure any other officer would have done the same.” All might leaned against the wall. 

“Not every officer or pro hero for that matter can take an entire magazine of bullets and still stand.” He gave Taishirio a wink. “You know, there are public hero license examinations test coming up, and you do qualify for it with your schooling.” He slid a clipboard with a form on it towards him. “This world needs heroes like you Taishiro...it’s heroes with humility, and passion for justice that truly make a difference.” He gave Taishiro a salute then made his way towards the door. “Thank about it...” With that he was gone. 

A few weeks later Taishiro slowly walked towards the desk, his paper work was all filled out, and he couldn’t believe he was doing this. He suddenly froze, as he went to give his form to the woman behind the desk. She looked familiar, and his eyes flashed back to that day. (x) was right there, behind the desk, taking the applications. He cleared his throat, handing the form. (x) didn’t seem to recognize him, she looked up with a warm smile, looking over the form then handing him a large sticker with his examination number and blank space. He was staring at her, confused as she looked over the paper. “You didn’t write a hero name?” She asked looking up. His heart was pounding, staring into her eyes. 

“N-no...no was I supposed to?” He asked. She shrugged, with a gentle smile. 

“It is recommended, this could be your debut.” She added. “You gotta make a good impression.” He nodded slowly, tapping his fingers together. “What’s your quirk?” She asked. “Maybe that will give you an idea.” He sighed, chuckling a little. 

“Well...I mean, I’m fat and...stuff kinda sticks to me?” He pulled some lint off his tanktop. “I...can absorb energy and people?” She laughed softly. Making him feel even stupider by the minute. 

“That sounds really cool.” He looked up, surprised. She waved her hands. “I’m serious! Look...I work with agencies, assigning work to heroes based on quirk types and...I think yours sounds really unique.” He stared for a moment, his face going a little pink as she looked at her notepad. “So...your power is based on your Body mass...but BMI would be very insensitive and not to mention take away from everything else you can do...” She thought out loud. “I’ve got it!” 9X) grinned, turning around. “Fat-Gum!” She exclaimed, then turned immediately red. “no...no that sounds dumb doesn’t it?” He laughed, grinning ear to ear. 

“No...I like it.” He took up the form, and wrote “The BMI hero, Fatgum.” On the top then proceeded to write it on his welcome sticker as well. “Mind helping me get this on my back?” He asked. (X) Nodded, placing it on his back before giving him a thumbs up. 

“You’ve got this!” He nodded, smiling softly. 

“Thank you...you know, maybe if well...things go well, I’ll see you around.” She laughed, her eyes sparkling. 

“A sweetheart like you? They’ll love you Fatgum.” 

[wonderlandleighleigh]

1983

The agreement is that no one goes into an interview without talking to the entire group first.

Ethan, being the oldest, and a talent manager, is well-versed in handling interviews, while Kitty and Esther provide much-needed perspective, to say nothing of legal advice, and Lily, being the youngest, and the sibling most out of the spotlight, generally provides compassionate moral support.

But for whatever reason, Lan has decided that it’s fine to go into this interview without their knowledge. After all, he’s the actor here. He’s the one who started in an enormously successful movie the year before.

He’s got this.

He uh...

It turns out he doesn’t.

Because when the interview releases, they’ve sensationalized his entire family. From his mother’s mob connections to Lenny’s drug problems, to Ethan’s struggles after coming home from the war. They hacked up every answer he gave and warped them into whatever would sell the most rags.

“Fuck,” he grumbles from his couch in LA. “Fuck fuck fuck fuck fu-”

The phone rings and he knows it’s not his agent.

“Hello?”

“Lan?”

“Mama...”

His mother then begins to slam the phone down on the nearest surface (probably the kitchen counter) and curse in Chinese.

“Ungrateful, wretched little monster!”

His father gets on the line then after wrestling the phone away. “Jesus, Mei, go pour yourself a drink.”

“Pop?”

“You fucked up,” his father tells him.

“I fucked up.”

“Yeah. Did you not talk to Ethan about this first?”

“I’ve done interviews before, I can handle it!”

“Clearly not, because they’re calling your mother a mafia princess and one of your answers has been chopped up to say that Lenny is gonna die soon,” his father tells him. “And while that would make my life a lot easier, it makes Midge’s harder and if Midge’s life is harder, that means my life is harder because we cannot seem to get the fuck out of each others’ orbits even though all five of you are adults now.”

“I know.”

“The man’s been clean since 1961, Lan.”

“I know!”

“And the shit they said about your brother? What were you thinking?!”

“I just- the interviewer was so nice.”

“Hot, right? Pretty?”

“...Maybe.”

“Right. Because you’re my son and you fell for the pretty face.”

“How pissed is everyone?”

“Pretty pissed.”

“How do I make it better?”

“Not from three thousand miles away.”

“Then...I guess I’m coming to New York.”

“Fucking right you are.”

Lan gets off the phone and blows out a breath.

“Fuck.“

[eric-the-bmo]

um helloo idk if you noticed from the like spam lmao but your motw oc John seems really cool (also your art is fucking rad) I was curious about the mechanics side of things? I'm guessing teeth + claws for natural attack and feeding for curse but I'd be interested to know what moves he's got if you wanna talk about it :3

AAAA OH MY MY GOD HELLO???? AASHFJ THIS IS SO COOL THAT UR INTERESTED IN HIM OMG ☆♡☆☆

(thank you so much for the spam btw it really made my day /gen)

Thank you so much!!! I am always ready to talk about John lmao

And yes! His main attacks are Teeth and Claws, and he's got the Feed Curse! He also has Unholy Strength and Preternatural Speed, which he started with. So far John has leveled up Only Once, so I used that to increase his Tough Score; I had set a boundary with myself that I wouldn't give him any extreme Monstrous Abilities until after he gave into his Curse- but since he did that last session, I'm thinking of giving him Shapeshifting next! And then Regeneration later down the line, perhaps.

(Shapeshifting makes incredible sense to take next, given what he is in the context of the game's lore- and even before it was revealed what he was, I always really wanted to have him turn into a really messed-up deer.)

Oh! He's also able to use his antlers to fight! The GM decided to roll it as a bit of a reflavored claw attack, since there's not really anything for attacking with horns/antlers, yknow?

When first making John, I had originally entertained the idea of giving him a hunting rifle; however, i did more research about what you can and cannot do without a government ID, and realized he wouldn't be able to obtain one legally (there is so much you need an ID for, apparently). So he started the game with no handheld weapons, although last session Markus gave him their knife! (he didn't get the chance to use it before he Lost It, though)

Oh! And since you're interested in the mechanic side of things, I also have his stats pulled up! (it's in dark mode?? super cool but i didnt do that?? whatever it slaps):

And right now, this monster man is pretty hurt oh my god? look at him:

However! the GM has stated since John is a monster, there's always a chance he can come back. And while I don't want him to die in any way, it would be super cool to have him return as a full-fledged monster the rest of the Neighborhood Watch has to fight off against. And of course, i think MoTW has a few ways to resurrect characters, with there always being a chance they come back Wrong- and man, is that fun to think about!

But im getting off track- I think that's all of the mechanic things I could possibly list! I'm not the best at the mechanical part of ttrpgs, but I'm trying my best ☆

Once again!! You have no idea how excited I was to get this ask- most fans of John are introduced to him because I won't shut up about him in this one discord server I'm in, but?? aaa bro u just kinda Found Him in the jungle of the internet and that's so cool of you, thank you I am giving you a cookie

I hope you have a nice day! ♡☆

[agirlwithbigdreamsforher]

CHAPTER 28

THE NANNY: CHAPTER 28

Pairing: Andy Barber x Annie Johnson (OFC)

Summary: Working and single parenting is not easy. Andy needs to find a nanny for his son Jacob. Annie, an education degree student at Lasell University, comes to their lives just in time for the big changes in Andy’s life.

Warnings: cursing words.

A/N:  Look I know these kind of processes take a lot of time, but this is a work of fiction. And again I do not know anything about law, I’m not a lawyer.

Disclaimer: I do not give permission for any of my works to be copied, used, translated nor reposted anywhere else but here on this blog. Do not steal what you didn’t work for. Minors and ageless blank blogs don’t interact with me or my works. Reblogs and likes are always welcome. Thank you for reading this work of fiction.

Word count: 1854

GIF not mine, if its yours, please let me know to give you credit :)  

                                     ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Day 5. Both Lynn and Andy were stressed, no matter what they did, no matter what they showed, Richard had a comeback for everything.

“I would like to call Andrew Barber to the stand.” Lynn said and Andy walked to the bench. “Hello, Andy. How you been?”

“I’m well, thank you.”

“Excellent. Andy I want you to tell me everything that happened the day Mrs. Cox left.”

“Well, it was on August 20th. That day I woke up early as per usual. Went out for a morning run. When I came back Laurie was preparing Jake a bottle.”

“I’m sorry to interrupt but when you came back did she did or said anything that made you notice she was going to leave?”

“No. I came back, took a shower, we had breakfast together, we kissed before I left.” Andy took a breath, “I went to work. And when I came back, she was gone.”

“Where was Jake?”

“His crying was the first thing that caught my attention as I walked into the apartment. He always was a calmed baby, he only cried when he was hungry, sleepy or dirty. I walked to his room and found him in his crib. I don’t know how long he was alone, but for the dirty diaper my guess is a couple of hours. I gave him a bath, changed him, and then I went to our room. She left a letter on the bed.”

“You can see a copy of the letter in the file provided to you.” Lynn walked to be in front of Andy, “Can you assure this is a copy of the real letter?”

“Yes.”

“Mr. Barber, did you try to look for your then wife?”

“Yes, I called her and surprisingly she answered her phone. She said she wasn’t going to come back and that I shouldn’t look for her.”

“But you did look for her.”

“Of course. She was my wife. I was in love with her and she was the mother of my child. I wanted to fix things.”

“When you finally found her, what did you do?”

“She was in New York. I went there and tried to talk to her, but she was already with somebody else.”

“How do you know she was with somebody else?”

“Her secretary told me.”

“Did you talk to her?”

“No, as I told you she send a secretary to tell me she wasn’t going to receive me, so I left. A month later the divorce papers arrived to my then home along with the letter resigning to her parent rights.”

“You can see that letter as well in the file.”

“Your honor, we already made clear that that letter is not a legal document, therefore cannot be taken serious, and it shouldn’t be taken into account as evidence.” Richard said.

“I’m just showing every paper Mrs. Cox left or gave to Mr. Barber. We know is not a legal document, but whether you like it or not, it is evidence.”

“I’ll allow it.” Richard rolled his eyes, “Please, continue Mrs. Canavan.”

“Do you believe Mrs. Cox cheated on you with her now husband?”

“Objection your honor, leading the witness.”

“Sustained.”

“I’ll rephrase that. Mr. Barber, do you think the reason why Mrs. Cox left, was because she was in love with somebody else?”

“I honestly don’t know.”

“Thank you, Mr. Barber. No more questions.”

“Mr. Anderson.” Judge Choi said, “Your witness.” Richard stood and walked towards Andy.

“Mr. Barber, you were born and raised in Boston, is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“Who did you used to live with?”

“My mother, she was a nurse in a county hospital in Boston.”

“Do you have brothers or sisters?”

“No, I was an only child.”

“Where was your father?” Andy got nervous.

“My father…” Andy looked at Lynn who nodded. “He is in prison.”

“Care to tell us why is he in prison?”

“He raped and murdered a girl. I was a kid back then.”

“Did you and Mrs. Cox ever argue before she left?”

“Yes, we had problems like any married couple.”

“What kind of problems?”

“Money problems.”

“Thank you, Andy. No more questions.”

“Alright,” Judge Choi said, “We will take a break and come back in an hour.”

-----------------------------------------------------------(     )-------------------------------------------------------

Laurie was in the stand, her hand over a bible and the other raised.

“Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you, God?” The deputy asked Laurie.

“I do.”

“Have a sit.”

Laurie sat and Richard walked towards the stand.

“Mrs. Cox. How did you two met?”

“In NYU, we met at a party and we started to date.”

“How long after you started dating did you get pregnant?”

“About six months, we were in our last year.”

“How did you feel when you find out you were pregnant?”

“Scared. I think is a common feeling when you are not planning on having a baby.”

“What were your plans for after you graduate?”

“I was planning to stay in New York for a while maybe travel and then find a job as a painting restorer. I’ve always love art.”

“But then you got pregnant, and moved here with Andy.” She nodded, “Why?”

“Well, Andy was offered a position here, and since we were having Jake we needed something stable, so we moved.”

“Did you ever talk to Mr. Barber about coming back to New York?”

“Yes, but he always said no, he was focus on making a career in this place.”

“We already heard Mr. Barber’s version of the day you left. Would you please be so kind to tell us what actually happened that day?”

“It was August 20th. When I woke up Andy was gone, he used to work out or run in the morning before he left for work. I stood and took care of my baby, you know I cleaned him, changed his diaper, and then I went to prepare his bottle.”

“When Andy came back for his morning run, did you two argue?”

“Yes, I had asked him for some money and he refused to give it to me.”

“What was the money for?”

“Some house things.”

“What happened after Andy left for work?”

“I cleaned the apartment, spend time with Jake. The usual, I didn’t do much since I wasn’t working at the time.”

“Why weren’t you working if Jake was already one?”

“Well, we moved here before Jake was born. I didn’t have a job back then. Andy took care of the bills. I tried to look for a job after Jake was born but in a place like this there weren’t many options for a painting restorer.”

“When did you find out about Andy’s father?”

“Two months before I left. Andy never talked about his family. I met his mom, real nice woman, she was excited for our relationship, but unfortunately she passed away. But, whenever I asked about his dad he always said he was dead, he didn’t know him, and changed the topic.”

“When did you suspect he wasn’t telling the truth?”

“I asked him where his dad was buried and he didn’t give me an answer. I look for the name he had given me once on google and well his case appeared.”

“Were you afraid of him after you read the story of his dad?”

“Yes, I thought that if he had hidden something like that it must’ve been because he was like his dad.” A few tears rolled down her cheeks. Andy just shook his head, she was a pretty damn good actress. Richard passed her a tissue, “I wanted to get out, and I knew that if I confronted him he would’ve been violent, that’s why I left.”

“Your honor as you can hear, my client was afraid of his then husband, and she ran away. That doesn’t mean she didn’t want to see her son anymore.” Judge Choi listened and scribble something in his papers, “How you met Michael Cox?” Richard continued.

“He was a friend of a friend back in NYU. I told him I needed to go to New York and he helped me.”

“Did you fall in love with him after or before you left Andy?”

“After. Michael was nothing but kind and nice to me.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Cox. No more questions, your honor.”

“Mrs. Canavan, your witness.”

Lynn stood and walked with confidence to Laurie.

“Mrs. Cox. You said you and Andy argue before he left for work that day.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“You said you asked him money to buy some things for your house.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Ok, and how is a new pair of shoes something for the house.”

“Well, we all need clothes, don’t we?”

“Yes, of course. But a pair of shoes is not something essential for the house.”

“That’s what you think.”

“Mrs. Cox did you ever love Mr. Barber?”

“He got me pregnant. I think that answer your question.”

“No, not really. You’ll see in this business we always see many women who got pregnant over other things but love. So, I’ll ask you again. Were you, at some point, in love with Andy Barber?”

“Yes, I was.”

“So if you were in love, why were you afraid of him?”

“Did you not listen to what I said? I found out his dad murdered someone! I was not planning to stay with someone with that kind of background.”

“But you knew him, you dated him. I think that if you were in danger you would’ve noticed since the first date. We women know when a man doesn’t have good intentions and yet you kept dating him, you feel in love and then you got pregnant. You married, you moved here, and then you left.”

“I told you, I didn’t know about his father until we were here and Jake was already born.”

“So, knowing about his father made you feel unsafe?” Laurie just nodded, “Honey if he had wanted to hurt you he wouldn’t had married you.”

“Objection, your honor. What kind of comment is that?!”

“Sustained.”

“I’ll continue. I’m a mother of two beautiful girls, I’ll do anything for them, anything.” Laurie stared at her as Lynn walked in front of the stand. “So I don’t understand how a mother will leave her one year old baby with someone she thinks is dangerous. It doesn’t make any sense. As a mother all we want is for our kids to be safe, then why would you leave him with the son of a murdered?” Laurie just stared at her, opened her mouth to answer but nothing came out. Lynn raised her eyebrow and smiled, “No more questions, your honor.”

“Ok, we had heard enough for today. This case is dismissed until next week.” Judge Choi raised and left the room.

“That last part, was really good.” Andy said to Lynn.

“Thanks, she is saying a bunch of nonsenses. I think you might be right, she doesn’t want Jake, she wants something else, and we better find out what before the judge believes her fake tears and wins.”

[unfortunate-arrow]

𝒲𝑒𝑒𝓀𝑒𝓃𝒹 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒢𝓇𝒶𝓎𝓈 → Day 2: The Welcome Ball 2.0

Event by @endlessly-cursed, who also owns Prim (and Adonis)

8:01 pm

“Mr. Devlin, William. You’re the first to arrive,” Prim exclaims, offering him a smile.

“The ball begins at 8 pm,” William responds.

“You’ve never liked when they tell you an event begins at one time, but the expectation is to arrive later.”

“It makes no sense. Why not just say it begins at the later time?”

“Well, have a nice time. And, save me a dance, I suppose.”

“Isn’t that supposed to be my line?”

“That may be, but as I know you, you’ll leave a third of the way through. Do know, though, that I won’t tolerate anyone saying negative things about you, William.”

His lips quirk up in a half-smile. “You cannot control it all, Prim.”

“Ah, I know. But do try to enjoy yourself.”

“I shall endeavor to enjoy myself tonight. If no one makes mention of our dissolved engagement, then it shall at least be partly successful.” 

“Ah, that farce. Do not remind me, but we are to show that it has not impacted relations between our titles. I still cannot believe how long these legal proceedings are taking.” 

“Yes,” William sighs. “I know.”

9:15 pm

Simon surveys the crush as he makes his way towards the host and hostesses, like a good earl and a good third son. He stops for a word or two with many of his fellow peers, asking him about his opinions on this or that. Not that the words of a teenaged earl mean much to them, but they’ll likely spread the word about the reclusive earl of Wexford’s politics. And be repulsed by most of what he decides to champion, not that he has a seat in Parliament as he’s a peer of Ireland and not one selected to serve in government. 

“Lord Gray. Lady Gray. Miss Gray,” Simon says, offering a quick bow once he approaches the family.

“Lord Wexford. How nice it is for you to attend. We missed you last year,” Lord Gray says.

“Ah, yes. Something came up that could not be ignored. I apologize that my regrets came so late.”

“Don’t worry about it, Wexford. I’m sure that everyone here shall find you infinitely fascinating. The reclusive earl of Wexford, finally showing his face at a society event.”

“You grant me too much intrigue. I am not nearly as interesting as one would think. The rumors have gotten a little out of hand.”

Simon doesn’t know how much the viscount or his daughter knew about the rumors. Well, specifically the horrifying rumor that stated that Simon had been the one to set the fire that had killed his entire family. That one was probably the result of Horace wanting to keep Simon hidden… and probably because Horace was still itching to get his greasy fingers on Simon’s title. Therefore, the fewer people knew Simon, the better, in Horace Dormer’s view.

9:47 pm

Minerva slips through the crowd, ducking beneath arms until she nearly runs smack into Adonis Demiurgos’s back. Her arms fly out, as she steadies herself. In that moment, though, Adonis turns around and Minerva loses whatever balance she had had previously garnered. The momentum has her falling forward, but his arms come forward, landing on her shoulders to steady her. 

“Are you alright, Minerva?” he asks, his hands lingering on her shoulders.

“I’m fine,” Minerva replies, studying his face and appearance. There’s something different about him, but she cannot place what it is. “I was going to say hello to our hostess. My mother would have my head if I breached that protocol.”

“How is your family?”

“They’re good. Ned’s at home dealing with something or other. I didn’t pay attention to what it was. Ned rambles too much for my taste when it comes to that.” 

Adonis laughed softly. “Well, I wouldn’t want your mother to have your head, so I’ll let you go… but before you do, could I get a dance?”

“A dance?”

“Yes, you know, what they do when music plays.”

“I know what a dance is, you clodpole.” 

Adonis shakes his head, a small smile forming on his lips.

10:24 pm

“Thank you for adhering to my wishes about the Gryffindor Lynch boy, Prim,” Niamh says, upon finally having a moment with her fellow Ravenclaw.

“I wouldn't pressure you. I admire your dedication to establishing a career first, Niamh. And, the Lynch brothers both declined, something about other plans,” Prim replies.

“I suppose I’m just lucky that my parents are supportive of my plan and aren’t pressuring me to marry.”

“Yes, I’d say you are. What are your plans? I cannot believe we have never discussed that.”

“My plan is to become an auror.”

“Wow. I wish you the best of luck, but I’m sure this type of conversation will come up again.”

“I suppose it will,” Niamh says. “Also, this has been quite a lovely hall. I must admit, though, that I am a bit out of my depths. A Catholic farm girl from Mayo isn’t necessarily someone you imagine at a hall.”

“Thank you. And you fit in just as well as everyone else, even if you are a Catholic farm girl from Ireland.” 

[sjweminem]

hello from a few of the sorority girlies and i 💖

HEY HELLO YOU CANNOT BE ABLE TO LOOK THAT FLAWLESS. LIKE LEGALLY. THERE'S NO WAY. ALSO SORRY I GOTTA POST THESE PUBLICLY CUZ I'M WEED GAY AND EMOTIONAL AND THE WORLD SHOULD WITNESS YOU (bottom right) :)) the puppet master that cursed my dick

[im1nobody]

Meeting Xander

Trigger warnings: Christianity, queer harassment

Xander Character sheet: Age at death - XX XXX-XXX

Xander used to be Alexander, but he’s a disgrace. He’s a fallen angel, a fallen cupid. But he’s not bad. He just didn’t agree. Xander spends his days roaming the human world, watching it evolve. He’s been here watching them evolve for centuries now, he hasn’t kept count. He watched them evolve before though too, when he worked for God. When he was a Cupid, an angel of love.

Xander kept up with the human trends, he kept a lustful outfit with reds and black. A shaggy wolf cut ending around his shoulder of black hair and pink strands framing his face. When he was hidden in his angel form his wings were out, large and rainbow with white hearts on the tip of the feathers. His eyes are a soft pink like aphrodisiacs, and a third eye is placed on top of his forehead that sees relationships and futures. A special power only a few have when born, and it cannot be taken away. Xander often spends nights among humans in nightclubs with his wings hidden and his third eye closed in order to keep an eye on his community and to keep them safe.

All other powers were stripped from him when he fell. When he disgraced God. When he asked too many questions. But what else was he supposed to do when he continued to see the mistreatment of people they made? The people they made, the people who are harmed because of the people they love in the name of God. In the name of sin. Is it fair to let these people continue this abuse against queers because they believe it’s wrong? Because they believe they should pass the judgment of God?

Xander brought these concerns to God, wanting to help the people he truly feels his work is devoted to. God ignored his concerns though, he gave humans free will and they shall do as they please with it. They will have their judgement come soon enough. He couldn’t let it go though. Xander took all the queer jobs and worked hard, bending rules, to keep them safe and happy.

Word got around and Xander lost his bow. God offered retraining to keep his job but he broke. Xander broke and yelled.

 “How can you allow them to do this? It’s disgusting, and to sit back and allow people to harm someone else just because of free will makes you a lousy ruler. Their judgement day may come but someone needs to protect the queers, you made them how they are. What happened to love thy neighbour? Don’t you love all your children the same? How can you let them die, how can you let them be abused and assaulted and murdered because of how you made them!” Xander yelled shaking with rage.

God did not take that well and banished Xander taking his powers and throwing him to Earth. He didn’t mind though, he spent his time wandering and watching his people. Watching the lovers. Helping them when he could such as protests and keeping gay bars safe.

Xander was in his hidden form on a bench watching people walk by smiling softly. The fight is still going but in America, the place where he mostly resides, gay marriage is legalized. There’s much more to do still but it’s better than before. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Xander sees some wings. He hasn’t talked with another angel since he was banished. Xander looked over and recognized her as one of the new guardian angels, he couldn’t remember her name and never bothered to pay attention to God’s workers now. He has no respect for God anymore but many of their workers have no idea what they do and believe.

“Hello, uhm I don’t think I’ve met you before?” she says.

“Probably not, I don’t work for God. I’m fallen.” Xander says watching her curiously.

“Fallen? You used to be an angel?”

“Yes, I used to be a cupid. Not anymore. They didn’t like how I saw things. How I did things”

“You did things differently?”, Adora crinkles her brows. Of course, she had heard of fallen angels and how they were cursed because they did things differently. It was a lesson in her schooling. It was rare though, the main one being Satan whose name was not allowed to be spoken. It’s taboo to talk about any fallen angel.

“Of course, I want to protect people. They didn’t care about the effects their followers had on others. ‘Oh they’ll get their punishment when their time comes’ they said. I think it’s bullshit,” Xander rants.

“What effects I’ve been having some trouble with the other angels. They won’t explain some things to me. I’ve noticed how tensions here have been high, because of the gays. I was wondering if you knew what that was about. No one else will tell me,” Adora explains softly, hoping to finally understand all the hostility going around,

“Some Christians,” he responds drawing out the word as though it was poison in his mouth, “believe that people in the LGBT community are against God. And they decide to take it into their own hands by killing and torturing them,”

Adora’s wings puff in surprise at that statement. Her eyes well up with tears, only her left eye visible. A bright golden colour left her distressed as she silently cried thinking about all the people lost to hatred.

“Well, we have to do something, right? Surely-”

“They won’t do anything” he cuts her off. “You shouldn’t try, you’ll fall too,”

“But that’s not right! They’re being hurt, they’re being killed!”

“I know. But God won’t do anything and if you get in their way, and break their rules you’ll pay for it,” Xander responds sternly. He looks at the new angel and his gaze softens. She truly wants to help it seems, but he can’t trust her until she proves herself. 

Adora huffs wiping the dried tears off her face and flies back to her dorm. Her head hurts with conflict. Everything he has said matches up. And everything she has read and known shows that fallen angels are bad, and they say and do bad things against God, but is that the case?

Adora scrambles to the bookcase grabbing everything she can find that might give her answers. She spends hours reading them, looking for any clue on what to believe, what’s right or wrong in this situation. How to help. Anything!

Adora falls asleep in her pile of books leaving her roommates to find her, curious and concerned. They recognised one of the books on fallen angels and hoped she had not begun talking to him. When somebody asks too many questions only bad things can happen, that is the lesson many angels have learned. They hope Adora will learn it soon too.

[teddyniffler]

Chapter 5: Ominis

Ominis waited on the path just on the outskirts of Hogsmeade, the music and chatter coming from the village could be heard in the distance. While he waited he went over his plan in his mind. He hoped Anne would arrive soon, he was often uneasy in places he didn’t know too well, the ground could hide any secrets from him, such as uneven paths and rabbit holes. The sound of a person apparating near to him startled him out of his thoughts.

“Anne?” He asked.

“Hello Ominis,” came a voice he knew very well. There was a small touch on his arm, the way the twins always used to greet him.

“I am glad you came; I would not have asked you to come here in person with your condition if it was not important.” Ominis said.

“It’s ok, I like distractions these days. I find I am on my own a lot now, with my own thoughts. It’s nice to see this place again.” She said, he imagined she was looking back in the direction of the noise behind them due to her voice fading slightly in volume.

“Are we alone?” He asked to be sure, however his own ears had already told him there was no other living being near them.

“We are.” Anne confirmed.

“I have a plan on getting Sebastian out of Azkaban. It may not work, the chances are not favorable, but I cannot live with myself if we don’t try. As I said in my owl, we will be working outside of the law, I can’t imagine is being legal. It could blow up in our faces more than Garreth’s potions, but I still wish to try.”

Ominis paused, he hesitated in delivering his idea, because it was so childlike, filled with pit holes. Lying? Blackmail? He was worried Anne would return to wherever she had been staying in anger because it was such a silly idea to bother her with.

“Whatever it is, I am in. He’s my brother and I will do anything to get him out. I may be still angry with him, but he doesn’t deserve Azkaban. I allowed my anger to rule my head.”

Anne’s voice sounded so broken that Ominis wanted to reached out to her.

“So, this is my proposal” Ominis started to explain. As he delivered his plan, Anne kept silent. He wished he could see her face to read her expression.

The silence drew on. And on.

He stopped; his last line hung in the air.

The pause stretched on.

“What do you think?” He asked Anne, but to also confirm to himself that she hadn’t just walked off in disgust.

Anne stood there gapping at Ominis. Everything he had just told her had shocked her into silence. She considered everything Ominis just said.

“Ominis, this is the thought process of an unsound mind.” She said honestly.

His stomach dropped like a stone, he had been sure she would understand, perhaps his idea truly was childish fantasy. A foolish hope of saving his friend. He cursed himself for wasting her time, for humiliating himself in this way.

“We are doing this.” She then said. Ominis breathed in fast and looked in the direction of her voice.

“Really?” He asked, his voice for the first time in weeks not heavy, but maybe a little hopeful.

“We are Slytherins, are we not? Are we not cunning and resourceful, are we not determined to get Sebastian out of there, no matter what we have to do?”

He smiled.

Yes, some did mutter about Slytherin house being the darkest house in Hogwarts. How many times did wizards in the street claim most students from their house turned bad, but that wasn’t entirely true. Slytherins were just as loyal and compassionate as their Hufflepuff counterparts, just as brave as a Gryffindor and as smart as a Ravenclaw, but a Slytherin would push the limits or even resort to the lowest means possible in order to protect their friends. Students from other houses would drawn the line much earlier. That is what truly set them apart.

“But Ominis, are you sure? There’s a reason you ran from your family.” Anne asked, he could hear the worry in her voice. “They hurt you, won’t they do it again?”

Ominis knew this all to well. He had been thinking of nothing else himself.

“I will do it for Sebastian.” He said, firmly. He would. He would do anything now to get Sebastian back.

“I must send my father an owl. Will you check over my writing for me once I have finished?” Ominis asked with rapidly growing anxiety, his hands growing sweaty at the thought of reconnecting with his family, but he was sure to speak with command, to cover any of his fears.

“I have no doubt that he will reply right away the second he gets my letter. He is a formidable man. One last time, are you sure we are doing this Anne? If my plan sounds insane, please say, but if not, then we’re doing this”

He felt her take hold of his free hand. He hoped she didn’t notice how warm it was.

“We’re getting Sebastian out.” She confirmed.

They headed into Hogsmeade. The Three Broomsticks would be the best place to write a letter to his family, then they could send it from the post office nearby. The owl would reach his family’s home in no time. They picked out a quiet corner, away from other visitors and away from any portraits that may listen in. Ominis listened to see if any conversations about Sebastian were taking place, but he couldn’t hear anything over his own pounding heart rate. His stomach had started being a little unsettled due to his nerves. He took out his quill and started telling it what to write. The quill started scratching out a letter to the man who had provided him with so much, but who was also the source of his anguish.

Professor Black was not a man who was suited to his role, but he did enjoy the luxury accommodations that came with the job and his wife sure enjoyed the idea of her husband being the Hogwarts Headmaster. With luck, he would have all Mudbloods out of Hogwarts before their children had to mix with them. In this moment though, he believed this job did not pay him enough.

“Tell me you bring me this in jest?” He demanded. There were two children sitting opposite him, but he was only really addressing one of them, the Gaunt boy, he was the only one that really mattered here. The girl was Sebastian Sallow’s twin sister but she held zero interest to him, all his attention was on the blind boy before him.

Right then, the girl bent forward and started moaning in pain. Professor Black really did not want to deal with this.

“No!” She gasped, raising again, her face going red. “The spell lifted just yesterday, I felt it and I just knew. I sent Ominis an owl right away. Aughhh.”

She bent forward as more pain ripped through her stomach. Ominis put his hand on her back, his head still facing Professor Black.

“It is true Professor,” Ominis confirmed. “I also felt it lifting.”

Professor Black’s dark eyes flickered from Anne, still gasping in pain to Ominis, pale eyes gazing deeply into his soul. Did this boy ever blink?

Professor Black’s brain was spinning, this was concerning. He needed to take control of this situation before it spiraled into something that would disturb his peace.

He gathered his composure.

“So you two, you both state that yourselves and Sebastian Sallow were placed under the Imperius Curse by Victor Rookwood, who confronted you down in Feldcroft. Rockwood then killed Solomon Sallow, but forced Sebastian to confess to the murder. Then he ordered you both to falsely testify against Mr Sallow and since then you’ve all been controlled up until yesterday, when the spell just lifted, that correct?” Professor Black asked.

Anybody else he would have laughed at and then expelled them on the spot for wasting his time and for being a bad at lying. He did not believe this cock and bull story at all, these two were Slytherins, he could clearly see the truth here. Anne and Ominis had a fallen out with Sebastian, they turned him in out of spite and now they had changed their mind and wanted their brother and friend back. This was Slytherin cunning in its purest form, he had to admit too, the girl was quite the actress, her ‘pains’ were still coming.

Well, he hoped it was only acting.

He had enough of this game, it was time to catch them out. He couldn’t do anything to them, not really. Ominis Gaunt was not to be threatened under any circumstance and the girl wasn’t currently a student, so he couldn’t expel her. He would scare them, then throw them out of his office.

“So why did you wait until now to come see me? You said the curse lifted yesterday? Why have you waited so long to come report this? I believe you were in Hogsmeade this morning, Mr Gaunt. I do get alerted when my students leave the castle, did you know that? Did you buy anything nice while shopping? Surely, something as important as a dark wizard controlling you should have been brought to my attention with uttermost haste?”

Let’s see them answer that! He waited, holding his smile in. He loved knocking students down a peg.

“We wanted to be certain,” Ominis spoke in his normal tone, for such a young man he had an infuriating superior drawl, all his family did. “We would not have wanted to waste your time Headmaster. I must have sent Anne an owl the very second she sent hers, and her letter confirmed what I had also experienced and felt. Anne was only able to come today. We met in Hogsmeade as it was quiet. Yesterday she was indisposed due to her condition, as you can see before you. However, I was only able to send an owl to my father this morning explaining what has happened to us. Yesterday I was perturbed. I could only just manage to hold my panic down in History of Magic. I believe Professor Sharp can testify my absence in potions, I was so distraught I could not attend his class.”

They. He said it.

Professor Black sat perturbed himself. The boy had told his father? His father… Oh boy. Oh Lord.

The Black family had always held respect, they were a member of the sacred Twenty-Eight pureblood families, they only had magical blood in their veins, and always would. They were proud of their blood status. They had been around for countless generations, right back to the Middle Ages.

However the Gaunts, the Gaunts were a whole different breed. They were not only decedents of the legendary Cadmus Peverell and all that surrounded him and his two brothers, but also of Salazar Slytherin himself. If the Black family considered themselves royalty, then the Gaunt family were emperors. Emperors who could crush royalty under their boots.

Professor Black smiled, shakenly.

“Just a moment.” He said, getting out of his seat he turned and went down the two little steps behind his desk. He poured himself a large brandy, before drowning it down in one go. Then he refilled his glass once more and drank again.

Merlin’s curse!

He returned to the desk. Ominis’ unseeing eyes still watching his every move, it unnerved him to no end. He forced another smile as the girl finally stopped her painful wailing.

“Did your father, um, reply yet?” Professor Black tried to sound casual.

“Not yet” Ominis said “While we do not always see eye to eye, my father still deeply cares for my best interests, my wellbeing, the Gaunt family sticks together, even when we push away. I just know my father will be so concerned for me right now, I will, of course, reassure him that I am okay when he writes. However, the hurt I am feeling right now, knowing Sebastian is being tortured in Azkaban when he’s innocent is eating away at me. I’m sure you will know what to do.”

That little brat.

‘Minister Spavin, sorry to bother you, but the boy you sent to Azkaban was ‘innocent’ after all. He’s clearly not, but as his sixteen year old friend and his twin are threatening my family, I felt compelled to message you to please let him go at once.’

Professor Black smiled again. He knew what was happening here. He was being blackmailed by a sixteen year old boy. It was subtle that the listening headmasters and headmistresses of the past wouldn’t catch it, but it was there.

The Gaunt’s had power. At best, Professor Black knew he could get blamed for allowing three students to be cursed under his watch, one to be carted off to Azkaban for a crime he did not commit. At worse, the Black family would likely be blacklisted from future marriage arrangements among the other sacred twenty seven families, depending on if Ominis told his father that Professor Black didn’t help him. The Gaunts had so much influenced in many things, Ominis may only be sixteen, but Black knew right there if he didn’t help Ominis, then things for the Black family would turn nasty. Barred out of the marriage arrangements, and the Blacks would have to marry brothers or sisters, aunts or uncles or face their family name dying out for good. They would rather die out than marry Mudbloods or Muggles. The boy sitting before him looked innocent and pleasant enough, an excellent example of a young gentleman in the making, but Phineas Nigellus Black in that moment could see Ominis for what he truly was, a serpent. The snake nor the apple truly didn’t fall far from the proverbial tree. He was just like his father.

“Terrible,” Professor Black said carefully, to get a feel of the atmosphere in this room. “If three students were indeed cursed under my watch, and one of these students condemned to Azkaban. They will be an investigation; you shall have my full cooperation. Hogwarts will make sure.”

There was silence for a moment, then Ominis broke it.

“My father will be happy.”

Ominis’ eyes were somehow right on Black’s. Black’s eyes were right on Ominis’ own, even though the boy couldn’t see him. Right now they weren’t student and headmaster, but a boy from a higher house than his own threatening him.

“You are a credit to Slytherin house,” Professor Black beamed at Ominis, but it was painful and very forced. “Now, I’m sure you have homework to attend too, Mr Gaunt. Miss Sallow, it is good to see you are looking better. I would love to talk with the both of you longer, but much for me to do, and it seems I have a letter to the Minister for Magic to send. I bid you both a good day.”

Ominis stood up, as did Anne. They turned and left the room.

Professor Black watched them go, upon his face was the look a child may wear upon being corrected by their parent.

He placed his head down on his desk. What a day. He needed to write to the Minister for Magic at once to save his own skin, to save his own family, and say what exactly?

Professor Black chuckled. He chuckled again. Then slammed his fists into the desk.

This job didn’t pay him enough for this.

“Um, headmaster?” Came a voice from one of the portraits on the wall. Black ignored it, let them watch, it was no secret he was a questionable man. They had all seen much worse, let them all judge.

“Pardon me, Headmaster?” Came the voice again.

“What!” Professor Black snapped.

“Master Gaunt is at the school gates, sir, he wishes to speak with you ‘immediately and with great urgency about my son being cursed and controlled, what else!’ I believe were his exact words, Headmaster. He didn’t sound happy.” The portrait informed him.

“Just my luck.” Black muttered “Just my luck.”

He got up once more, turned around and went back down the steps to pour another large stiff drink.

Anne and Ominis didn’t speak at all as they left the headmaster’s office, they didn’t talk at all as they crossed hall after hall, down staircase after staircase.

“Ohh Anne! Are you coming back?” It was Amit Thakkar, he jogged towards them “Are you better now? I am so sorry to hear about your uncle, it shocked me to my core, I never thought Sebastian would- oh, um, bye?”

Anne and Ominis walked faster, leaving Amit behind. They both knew where they were heading and they soon reached the Undercroft, Anne glanced around, there was nobody there to see them entering the hidden room.

“Clear” She said. Ominis already knew, he couldn’t hear anybody else around.

They both walked through the fake clock together, the door sealing behind them.

“What do you think?” Anne asked the moment they were sealed in.

“I believe the headmaster got the general gist.” Ominis said “His voice told me that much.”

They sat down together, their backs to the wall. For a little while they were lost in the enormity of their lie.

“We wait now and see,” Anne told him. “I would imagine the Ministry will come out to talk with us again. We will need to have our stories exactly the same.”

“We were cursed. The curse lifted because Rookwood had been killed. Our friend must have gotten it wrong, they didn’t kill Rookwood like they thought, somebody else must have gotten him. With his death, the curse lifted. Our friend isn’t here to offer a counterclaim and I don’t think they will come back, not after Professor Fig’s suspicious death. Half the school seems to think they were involved and the other half believes them to be a dark arts user, like Sebastian.” He added glumly.

Anne rested her head against Ominis’ shoulder.

Ominis closed his eyes for a moment and rested his head on hers too. There was a time all three of them would fit into a single bed back in Feldcroft when Ominis had first started running from his home during holidays. They had been younger, but also smaller back then. It was only before the third year had they all grown a little more and Solomon had informed them it was becoming not proper for such things. He and Sebastian slept on a mattress on the floor by the fire, while Anne kept the bed. For a moment, he let himself enjoy the quietness with Anne by his side, maybe some of his home hadn’t been destroyed, but home wouldn’t be whole until Sebastian came back. He hoped they had done the right thing, he knew deep in his soul he could not have left Sebastian to rot in Azkaban, but by starting the lie, he had opened a large bag of Nifflers.

The clock entrance started clicking and Ominis’ eyes flew open again, he sat forward quickly, as did Anne.

“Anne,” He whispered “Who is that?”

His ears strained to listen, somebody was entering the Undercroft but that was impossible, nobody knew it existed. Was it their old friend, the fifth year from last year, had they come back? They knew of this room and how to get in, but something told him it wasn’t them.

Tap, tap, tap, tap…

Footsteps, sure even footsteps of a person who was confidently walking in. This was not a person who had stumbled across the Undercroft by accident, this person walked with purpose.

He felt Anne standing up, he did so too.

“Anne?” He whispered. He was totally lost; he could not see the newcomer and they made no noise as they entered the room. The footsteps had stopped as the newcomer paused at seeing them.

Anne was gazing at the man who had just entered the undercroft. He was very handsome yet eerie. His pale silver eyes zeroed in on her at once, the way he was looking at her was unnerving.

It was as if he were an intelligent predator who hunted not because it was hungry, but for sport. There was an amused look on his face, as if he had expected to find this room empty and had found her trespassing on Gaunt territory.

Like a snake that had returned home to find a mouse sniffing around it’s den.

She knew who this was at once, although she had never met this man before. He was like Ominis, but without the blindness.

Otherworldly silver eyes, the same colour as Ominis’, yet while Ominis was totally blind, this man’s pupils could see the world very clearly, maybe a bit too clearly. He had blonde hair, some of it was very pale as if highlighted from the sun’s beams. His robes were luxurious, she had never seen a man dressed so smartly, not even Uncle Solomon dressed that fine. The robes looked like they cost more than most treasures at Hogwarts.

His lips parted in an amused smile.

Then he hissed.

Anne took a horrified step back, to her surprise Ominis almost did too. There was definitely a reaction from Ominis, but he had tried to hide it as best as he could.

Anne looked from this man to Ominis, not sure what to do, what to say.

While Anne heard a hiss, Ominis heard words.

“My boy. What tomfoolery have you got yourself into now?”

Ominis lowed his head, then thought better and raised it. He straightened his back and tried to act normal.

“Hello father.” He replied, his normal posh drawl coming out as a hiss.

[mythvoiced]

-. wenzhe-core (pt. 2 now with SAD) (main-verse)

will always look younger than he is i've cursed him like this on purpose and yes it is a curse if you're 22 and someone is surprised you're not a minor anymore (i'm talking from EXPERIENCE--)

not a single pen of his has ever made it to an ownership lasting longer than 2 weeks because he loses them all always without fail

holes for earrings, but only studs, and REALLY TIGHT because he will lose them in his bed and if he takes them off instead he'll lose them in his clothes or literally anywhere

taller than most his friends because most of his friends are (cis) girls and because girls gravitate towards him to have a lanky friend to block Bad Men with

love confessions by students (sO ICKY HE FEELS SO ICKY)

reading glasses wearer, 'where are my glasses' he asks while they sit on his head, reaches up to check if they're on his head and knocks them straight off his head

thinking the social network is one of the most tragic love stories he's ever seen

being way too passionate for a supposed ally and never realizing until it's too late

somehow managing to be extremely considerate between one ridiculous one-liner and the next

beautiful handwriting YES but useless because TOO SMALL

never needs to check a grocery list if he's made one he will remember every item

will promptly forget everything he intended to buy if he did not make a grocery list at one point

gets creative with his contacts and how he names them and then forgets who's who

never deletes or blocks a number, he needs to know if a bitch is trying to reach out again, if it is a bitch calling, he'll still pick up with 'hello? who's this?'

he's actually a massive compulsive liar but he's half-self-aware about it because half the time he'll say a lie that did not need to be one, like, he did not have to lie about that, what-- he'll just 'haha lmao anyways-' and follow it up with the truth

his self-irony sense of humour goes from: self-deprecating derailing mental health to narcissist in training, hardly any in between

every time a girl shows him a guy and asks for his thoughts he enters a final fantasy boss-fight in his head, on one side he doesn't want to vocalize if he's shit when he's shit and he can tell because it might hurt her, on the other if he's too positive and approving it sounds GAY--

about a game he has 500 hours on: gosh this game is so fucking stupid

wenzhe cannot legally consume anything with jam.es ch.ee.k in the cast it's bad for his bisexuality

yes, wenzhe does fulfill the bisexual meme of being completely at the mummy (1999)'s mercy

"there's this song i found in a spotify song radio that i think you should listen to" is basically wenzhe confessing his undying loyalty and love (any kind) towards you

can always be roped into handling more of a thing than what would be fair, and he'd do this while being completely self-aware he's being screwed over/he has too much on his plate already

has never had a boyfriend, has had romantic feelings towards men and has ruined friendships about it because he got weird about it

has had girlfriends but doesn't really have his shit together well enough to keep one, he's not a bad boyfriend per se but most people would like a little more attention, affection, initiative, you name it

conversations starting with 'did you know-'

acts of service, remembering your taste your favourites, things like that are his love language

has begun estranging himself from most of his relationships ever since Her death but subtly and slowly enough most'll probably only notice months down the line where suddenly 'hey... wait, has anyone heard from wenzhe lately?'

had an unsent text he wanted to send Her from after her death, the text read 'I'm so sorry'

broke his phone in the breakdown that followed that text, got a new phone, re-added her number to his contacts

hers is the only one he saved with her actual name (虞倩如, Yú Qiànrú)

guys i cannOT stress how close to spiraling he is lmao

[sugarylawliet]

In Death Note, you know the part where the L placed spy cams everywhere within Yagami’s house?

What if Light and his girlfriend start doing the deeds to look like normal hormones teens?

YES OMG i’ve actually thought of this before so i’m so glad someone requested it LMFAO

> warnings: swearing, smut, degradation, sir kink, kind of exhibition??

  Light tossed his backpack onto his bed, loosening his red tie before collapsing onto the bed himself, letting his exhaustion express itself in the most natural way he thought possible. It’s hard to act natural when you’re being watched; you almost forget every aspect of your daily routine, putting excessive thought into typically mindless tasks like walking around your house or laying on your bed to the point of obviousness. 

“Light, wanna play video games?” Ryuk asked, standing before the boy.

Light fell back onto his bed, placing his hands behind his shoulders with a deep sigh. Closing his eyes, he prepared for the performance he’d have to put on. How could he ignore Ryuk without giving off reactions to the shinigami’s words, tilts of the head or instinctive hums of agreement that could incriminate himself in a matter of seconds.

“You listening? Hello?” 

Light only ignored him, grabbing a long beige coat from the closet before heading outside, Ryuk following close behind.

“Hey, Light, what’s with the brushing off? I’m starting to get annoyed.”

He popped his collar and rolled up his sleeves, checking meticulously for any bits of wire or chips of plastic that could be audio bugging him. 

“Light! Hey!” Ryuk wined.

“There might be secret hidden cameras around the house,” The brunette broke the silence, his voice in a slightly raspy lowered tone, almost a whisper, “Or microphones, probably both.” He explained, going on to detail his clever methods of finding out if someone had been in his room- or if someone had opened his door, at least.

“Let’s go on a camera hunt! You got a plan after that?” Ryuk asks.

“Simple, make it seem like I have no idea the cameras are even there, and that I’m just a normal teenager. I’ll probably need some excuse for why I have that paper and lead in my door, they’ll want to know why I don’t want anyone in my room, what I’m hiding, and if the footage reveals I’m hiding absolutely nothing, that’ll look even more suspicious. Every teenager has secrets.”

“So what’ll you do?”

“You’ll see.”

                               _______________________________

“This feels objectifying, Yagami.” 

You walk down the street leading to your boyfriend’s house, accompanied by the man himself as he explains his, quite frankly, pervy plan.

“Objectifying? We have sex all the time, Y/N.”

“Yeah, but nobody plans out when they’re gonna fuck. It’s just weird.”

“Hey,” Light stops walking, facing towards you as he gently lifts your chin with his thumb and index finger. The feeling made you melt, and he knew that very well. The way Light held your face and looked at you like you were the only thing on earth felt exhilarating, he could tell you anything in that position and you’d believe it. And that’s just what he does, constantly. “This is not an option, this isn’t personal business. This is about Kira. This is going to throw suspicion off me, okay? Do it. For me.”

You sighed deeply. He had you the moment he held your chin like that. “And there won’t be any explicit footage of us? There won’t be a camera like, right there?”

“I don’t know where all the cameras are, but there aren’t many like that in my room at all, we’ll be safe.” He lied, a practice that came so easily to him he no longer viewed it as morally wrong. It was just something he did, like going to school and eating dinner or doing homework, he also lied.

“Okay.” You agreed with a smile, prompting him to release his grasp on you and continue the walk home.

“I didn’t realize he went through such great lengths...might there be something in his room that he doesn’t want anyone to see?” Soichiro Yagami remarked, watching Light fiddle with the thin strip of paper in the doorway and the piece of lead in the hinges as you stood patiently behind him.

“Well, considering he’s 17, it isn’t all that unusual. I’ve done it myself, for no reason at all.” L responds, “I am a bit curious, though, as to what he’s hiding so admently.”

You enter Light’s bedroom with him, shutting the door behind you as you watch him toss his bag down besides his bed. 

“Y/N, are you scared of me?” He turns to face you.

“Hm? Why would I be.”

“L, the best detective in the world, thinks I’m Kira when I’m not.”

Oh, Light.

“He makes me out to be some kind of monster,” He continues, “I’m worried you’ll start to believe him.”

“I’m not scared.”

“Maybe you should be.”

“Huh?”

Before you could register his comment, Light lunges for you, tossing you onto his bed before tickling your stomach and sides.

‘L-Light! St-stop! Please!” You cried between giggles.

“Make me.”

Understanding, you connect your lips to his, causing his hands to rub up and down where he previously tickled you. You moaned into the kiss as Light pushed harder into it, his desperation showing. You wished he would take his time, but you knew the real reason you were here. His hands slid down to your lower half, pushing his hand inside your pants and rubbing your clit through your panties. You gasped, hand reaching up to grab his wrist reflexively. He let out a chuckle. 

Impatiently, he stood up straight, unbuttoning your pants before slipping them completely off along with your panties, leaving you in only your t-shirt on his bed.

“I figured,” L sighed, “You can close your eyes if you’d like, Yagami-san, but I’m afraid I need you here for legal purposes.”

Light crouched down onto the floor, lifting your legs to lay bent on his shoulders. Teasingly, he licked a line down your slit, earning a gasp from you. He straightened himself out again, moving towards your face. “L is watching,” He whispered, his hot breath on your ear, “Put on a show.” He smirked.

Watching? Had Light lied?

Light lowered himself back down to push his tongue inside you. His tongue wriggled around, exploring your walls with lust.

“Oh, Light” You moaned, slapping your hand over your mouth to muffle the sound. You knew L, you knew the whole task force for that matter. Your face flushed with embarrassment imagining any of them reviewing this footage and hearing your moans. Hell, Light’s dad worked with L, he could be watching for all you knew.

You jolted at the sudden sting of Light smacking your thigh with an open palm. “Don’t hold back, angel, and don’t cover your mouth. I want to hear all your pretty moans.” He said, removing himself from your core before pressing his lips almost to your ear again, lowering his voice to a whisper, “I want L to see how good I make you feel. Got it?”

You faintly nodded before he returned to your heat, dipping his tongue inside once again while his thumb felt your clit, rubbing it in circles. You knot your fingers through his brown hair, bringing his face closer to your pussy with a moan. He sped up his actions, practically abusing your clit while his tongue hit your g-spot, curling sightly upwords inside of you.

“Fuck, Light, I can’t, I’m gonna...”

With that, Light pulled away, leaving you edged and wanting more. You pouted, sticking your lip out with a whine. Light, having none of it, roughly raked his hand through your hair, forcing you up close to his face by your scalp. “You listen to me.” He growled, the heat of his breath warming your face, “No whining, and no disobeying. Got that?” He yanked your hair with the last syllable for emphasis. You let out a weak “Mhm.” 

He shoved you to the bed chest-first by your hair, never letting his fingers leave your locks. 

“Ass up.” He commanded, you obliged slowly, legs feeling a bit sore from him eating you out.

Hastily he unbuckled his belt before folding it in half, smacking your ass with it leaving a slight red mark. “When I tell you to do something, you do it quickly.”

“Yes Light.”

You yelped as he smacked you again with the belt in the same place, the stinging leaving your ass feel like it was burning. 

“Yes who?” He asked.

“Yes sir.”

“Atta girl.” He pushed his khakis fully down before aligning himself with your entrance, rubbing his head up and down your slit teasingly.

“Sir please...” You begged.

“Please what? Say it.”

“Please, please fuck me sir. I want your cock, please.” 

“Well, only since you asked so nicely.” Light slid himself into you with a groan. Slowly, he rocked himself into you. 

“F-faster, please sir. Faster.” You moaned, gripping onto the sheets.

Light obliged right away, almost as if he was waiting for you to ask for it. He quicked his speed, pounding into you mercilessly. He licked his lips, relishing in the loud slew of moans and curses spilling from your mouth as he fucked you.

“Look at you, you fucking slut. Begging for me to go faster. You’re so goddamn desperate for my cock, you dirty whore.”

You couldn’t help but moan at his words, though degrading, the fact that Light liked you at all made you feel worth something. Light Yagami, Kira, the god of the new world, liked you. Though you’d never admit it to the stubborn boy, he could say almost anything to you, about you, and you’d still love him.

“Fuck, Y/N, you’re so tight.” He knotted his fingers back into your hair for stability as he thrusted into you even faster, burying himself deep into you.

“Oh my god, fuck, Light- sir, it’s so good.” You cried, feeling your orgasm creeping up once again. “I’m gonna...”

“Do it, come for me angel.” He encouraged, bringing his free hand up to play with your clit. The stimulation sent you over the edge. “Oh fuck, oh my god, fuck you feel so good.” You came loudly, only a little before Light did as well.

L watched Light collapsed beside you on the bed, only the sound of your breathless pants escaping the monitor. “Uh, they’re done, Yagami-san. You can...open your eyes again. Honestly, this security footage may be useless now, at the very least we cannot bring it to court, considering your son and his girlfriend are both 17. Perhaps this was his plan along.”

“You’re saying this makes you more sure he’s Kira?!” Soichiro raised his voice.

“Well, it definitely raises my suspicions.”

Light finally stood up, tucking himself back into his jeans. Before you could pull your bottoms back up, he picked up your panties from the floor, playfully spinning them around his index finger. “You won’t be missing these, will you?” He asks sarcastically, tossing them into the drawer in his bedside table. 

“Ah, so that’s what he’s hiding. A valid excuse to not want family in your room but... unexpected, to say the least.” L remarked, still somehow watching the cameras.

[beomglocks]

mr. choi ; c.sb

summary : your new neighbor comes over to introduce himself.

pairing : dilf neighbor!soobin x (legal)!reader

warnings & other : slight SMUT, dont read if youre uncomfortable with age gaps, sexual tension, noninnocent (?) touching, there’s like one curse, happy valentines day

w/c : 1.7k

after hours of locking yourself in your bedroom you finally decide to come out and grab a snack from the kitchen. you vaguely remember the sound of the doorbell being rung and distinct chatter coming from the living room following but you frankly weren't interested in whoever had arrived.

by now though, the chatter had died down to simple conversation and the occasional obnoxious laugh from your mom specifically. you stretch, walking out of your bedroom and completely forgetting that you had a guest.

you barely even walk past the living room when you see a man sitting on the love seat with a simple black tee shirt and slacks on, his jacket draped over the couch's back. his legs are spread open, strawberry hair messy, and head leaning against his veiny hand, listening to your mom drone on about something your older sibling did in their youth.

"oh," you say out loud. suddenly all eyes are on you and you can't help but shrink at the mans lingering gaze on your body. you're suddenly self conscious about the fact that you're wearing booty shorts and a white shirt that was a bit more on the translucent side, that and the fact that you were wearing no bra.

"oh mr. choi, this is my daughter y/n!"

he doesn't answer right away, subtly dragging his eyes down your body as if undressing you while you stand awkwardly at the entrance of the living room. "hello y/n," he says simply, staring back into your eyes.

your body gets hot and you feel a familiar wetness start to accumulate just above your thighs. the way he said your name just felt so right. his voice seemed gravelly as if he'd been yelling all day and just now had a chance to rest his voice with quiet conversation.

you completely forget your snack already finding something even more satisfying right in front of you.

you sit on the accent chair across from him, eyeing him down just as he did you. he smirks, amused by how completely unsubtle your arousal is.

"mr. choi just moved to our neighborhood and i thought it would be a good idea to introduce ourselves as neighbors," your mom explains. you nod, smiling at him.

"choi soobin," he starts. "i worked at a company in another city but was promoted so i had to move here for the new position. the neighborhood is nice, the people too," he says looking at you. you give him a bright smile, "im glad you like it."

soobin leans back in the chair, eyeing you once more, specifically choosing to linger his gaze on your chest. "so soobin-" his deep chuckle cuts you off and you look at him expectantly.

"im sorry... it's just that since i work at a company im used to people calling me mr. choi or... sir," he says, narrowing his eyes at you. "wow you must be at a high position!" your mom excitedly gapes and you have to wonder what her real intentions were when inviting soobin over.

"im quite respected," he says simply, still looking at you as if he's waiting for something. you give him a coy smile, deciding to tease him a little, "well sir, that's an interesting take away."

he smirks, letting out what seems to be a satisfied sigh. he turns to your mom, "is it alright if i have a glass of wine or something? my throat is a little dry from barking out orders all day."

your mom obligates to his request, attracted to the idea that this man was a hardworking businessman. you knew your mom would go find the most aged wine for him because she liked to show out for guests. especially guests that looked as fine as soobin. you also knew it would take her a while to find said wine, keeping it locked away for special occasions.

"y/n keep our guest company," she told you. you happily accepted that offer. yeah, you’ll keep him company alright.

now that you were alone with soobin you wasted no time in playing into his apparent attraction towards you. you open your legs slightly to lean forward on your hands which were situated between them. you saw his eyes flit down to your breast which were squished together due to your actions.

"so sir," you say innocently as if you aren't giving him a little show. "do you have a wife or children?" he shifts in his seat a bit, widening his legs in the process. you swear you can see a slight bulge in his pants if you squint. oh, so he's big.

he laughs at your question, "i don't have a wife, im divorced and yes i do have a son." your eyes widen only slightly. frankly, the thought of him having a son doesn't bother you in the slightest. you decide to ask him how old his son is for conversation purposes.

he hums lowly, "he's 18....how old are you?" you're surprised your mom hadn't told him your age. she probably thought it wasn't information she deemed was necessary for him to know.

"im legal," you say with a smile. he smiles at that and you swear your pussy twitches. he's so attractive and he's barely done a thing! you stare at his crotch while his leg bounces and you can only shamelessly imagine yourself bouncing on his cock.

you wonder how big is. he looks tall as hell so that gives you some ideas. his legs look to take up almost half his body. god, what would it look like grabbing onto his thighs as he fucks himself into your mouth? you can imagine the tears running down your face and runny nose as you look up at him and he looks down at you with the exact same expression he holds right n-

"that's good to know," his voice cuts through your dirty thoughts. he doesn't even address how you were blatantly staring at his crotch because at this point he doesn't even care. he knows you want him but he'll wait for you to say it. even if you don’t say it today, he knows you’ll say it eventually.

you move your hands and squeeze your legs together. you can already feel yourself dripping at just the thought of this man across from you. he's so close yet so far and the sexual tension is killing you.

you get up from your spot, casually walking up to where he sits. he stares at you curiously wondering what you plan to do. you choose to sit right next to him on the couch. just close enough that if your mom walked through at any moment you could recoil and it wouldn't look suspicious at all.

you don't say a word and you place your hand lightly on his knee, slowly moving it up to his upper thigh. "what are you doing babygirl?"

babygirl? fuck. just the pet name coming from his mouth alone has your breath going shaky. you rub your thighs together in anticipation. "nothing sir," you smile.

his hand is suddenly placed atop of yours and he drags it just above his growing erection. "look at what you're doing baby," he moves his head close your ear.

"you came down here dressed like a little slut, i bet you wanted the attention right?" he asks. "as soon as you saw me you probably couldn't wait to have me fuck the shit out you."

the words he mumbles in your ear have you unconsciously palming his dick through his slacks. "sir.." you whimper. he hums, holding back a moan as you continue palming him at your own accord. his hand is now at your upper thighs slowly inching up.

he placed two of his cold fingers pressing onto your pussy through your shorts. "you're so wet that i can feel it through your shorts. did i do this?" he chuckles, now rubbing up and down slowly. you nod, looking up at him through your lashes. "yes it was all you, sir. all you."

he suddenly pulls away completely from you with a light smile. he also removes your hand from him and leans forward on his knees, his upper body effectively covering his boner. you're confused about his actions and kind of annoyed until you hear your mom call from the hallway, "mr. choi i hope you like this flavor, it's one of my finest!"

"im sure anything you have tastes delicious!" he answers, glancing at you. you shy away from his eyes as your mom walks into the kitchen. since the kitchen is too close to the living room to do anything he whispers to you, "shy now?" he laughs a little bit. "you're too cute y/n."

you wish he'd called you a cute petname right then but you'll take what you can get. he places his hand on your knee and you shiver, remembering his fingers on you just seconds ago.

he removes them once your mom walks into the living room with two glasses of wine, one for him and one for her. they talk for a little while more, and you occasionally chime in but really you're too distracted by soobin. the heat he's radiating is too much to handle plus you're still sitting close enough to see that he's still hard.

it gets late and so the night ends for you three. "my son is probably wondering where i am by now, i should go," he says standing up. your mom agrees and you escort him to the front door while she takes the glasses back to the kitchen.

soobin notices your disappointment at not having finished what you both started on the couch earlier but he leans down to whisper in your ear. his voice sends shivers through your whole body and his hot breath tickles your neck and ear. "don't look so dejected babygirl, this isn't the last time we'll see each other." he kisses your cheek as he ascends back up when your mom meets you both at the door.

"say hello to your son for me! oh and next time bring him over so he can meet y/n," your mom suggests just as he walks out the door. he turns around to look at you both and you can tell he isn't too fond of that idea but he still answers with a polite smile.

"maybe! well i had a nice time maam, i'll be seeing you two around," and with that, he leaves and you simply cannot wait for the next time you'll see mr. choi.

[quitealotofsodapop]

Hello idk if you still do wolf among us Headcanons but saw the newest trailer and wanted ask for some Flycatcher (Aka frog prince) ones please.

Just saw newest trailer and I hope they dont do my homies of Oz badly

My interpetation of Twau characters deivate from the comics canon - mostly cus i really hate the sexual violence and fridging of a lot of backstory characters (Flycatcher’s family dont even get names), so my version of Flycatcher is a wee different from the comics.

His legal name is Ambrose Frosch. Is called “Fly” by his closest friends.

Has really bad anxiety and can get “a frog in his throat” when he starts panicking and becomes unable to verbalise.

Is bisexual, though fears putting himself out there due to the memories of the Homelands.

As a modern Fable, he is technically not the same character he was back in the Homelands (none of them really are). He *remembers* that his original form had a wife and children, but cannot remember their names. He still cries for their loss.

Turns into a frog when overwhelmed. He can turn back via a kiss or by throwing him - referencing one version of the tale which he turns human after the princess tossed him against a wall. He prefers kisses

Has a deep dislike for “fellow” former royals. Flycatcher spent a fair amount of his youth eating bugs and sleeping in algae, and is far more humble than Fables hanging onto their former staus. He much prefers animal Fables like Bigby or Toad Jr.

He may or may not have a frog’s tongue. Bigby swears he’s seen Flycatcher eat popcorn with it.

Is surprisingly good friends with Grendel. They share a dislike for loud activities and just want to be left out of the chaos of the Woodlands. They met when Flycatcher offered the use of his sound-cancelling headphones to an overstimulated Gren in the offices. Look up those tarantulas that keep frogs as roommates and you can imagine their dynamic.

Sometimes is at the Trip Trap Bar but rarely drinks - his favorite beverage is sparkling cider. He can be counted on as a designated driver.

After the events of the first game, Bigby made sure he got his job back as a janitor at the Woodlands. He however is currently lacking accomodations since he was crashing at the Tweedles’ office before all the Crooked Man business happened.

Has a phobia of snakes. Its the frog brain thing. Will freeze in place if he sees anything resembling a serpent.

Puffs his cheeks when annoyed. Laughter will only incur angry croaking.

In the “Iron Henry” version of his tale, the Frog Prince had a servant named Henry/Harry with iron bands affixed around his heart to prevent it from breaking from sadness at his master’s curse. Which... isnt how cardiology works, and is a bit intense for someone who’s “just a loyal servant”. Flycatcher realises like decades after the fact that Iron Henry was in love with him and has a bisexual moment of panic.

Unironically owns Kermit and Muppets memoarbilia. He loves the funky little frog dude. Cries whenever he hears “The Rainbow Connection”

Thinks bugs are really cool but will more than offen eat them on instinct. Bigby once called him to deal with an ant problem at his apartment and came back to find Flycatcher on the floor eating the ants like a aardvark

Is the sweetest dude in the entire Fables universe, dont fight me on this

[holidaywishes]

a bit of stress relief

  Requested: 👍

  Summary/Request: Can you PLEASE write about Freddie coming to your work and having a quickie in your office

  Warning: smut, fluff, whiny Freddie

  Author’s Note: REQUESTS ARE CLOSED for a bit. I do have one more in my inbox right now so I’ll add it to my drafts but after I write that I won’t be taking requests for... a while. Maybe a month? I have a few series I want to finish up before I start having requests piling up. I always love seeing my inbox full of requests for different types of fics, so this isn’t forever, just until I’m able to finish my Gally series for sure and possibly my 9-1-1 series. This request was fun and I just couldn’t say no lol. Thanks in advance for your understanding and I hope I’ll be able to get back to requests sooner than later but I’ll keep y’all updated! Stay Golden, loves! <3 

  masterlist

  the other masterlist

xx

  Your boss asked you to go into the office on a Saturday to finish an assignment that she had forgotten to mention earlier in the week. You would’ve argued that you had plans but your boss said it was for a presentation the next morning that they needed the information for

  “I’m sorry, Freddie,” you whined to your boyfriend as he tried to convince you to stay at his apartment, “believe me, I’d much rather be here but I’m not about to get fired...”

  “It’s not your assignment, it’s hers,” he argued, “she made the mistake. Why do you have to do it for her?”

  “It’s my job” you admitted

  “Except when it’s not...” he groaned

  “Freddie,” you sighed, “I won’t be long I promise. I just need to go in and print up some stuff and make a couple calls. Nothing major...”

  “So why can’t your boss do it?” he challenged, “it’s her mistake, so.. she should be responsible for fixing it”

  “I know,” you repeated, wrapping your arms around his neck before kissing his cheek, “but I can’t lose this job. I have loans to pay off”

  “You know I can help with that”

  “No,” you scoffed, “no you absolutely cannot. I don’t want to feel like I owe you anything. That’s not the relationship we have... I’m not your sugar baby”

  “But you could be”

  “But I don’t wanna be”

  “Alright...” he laughed, kissing your nose playfully

  “I’ll call you when I’m finished okay. I give it one, two hours tops”

  “If you’re not finished in two hours, I’m coming down there and taking you home” he teased

  “Okay,” you scoffed, “I’ll see you later.” You got to the office and rushed into your boss’s office to find the information you needed to work on. The office was empty, as it should’ve been, but when you heard the door open and close, you popped your out of the door to see who was there, “Hello?” you called

  “(Y/N)?” your co-worker asked

  “Mason? What are you doing here?” you returned, noticing now that a bunch of your co-workers were walking in

  “We could ask you the same thing” he chuckled

  “Laura forgot to do stuff for the presentation tomorrow, so she asked me to come in and do it”

  “For the conference?”

  “Yup”

  “Yeah,” he replied, “our team is having the same issue. Except they’re saying they ‘lost it’ or that it ‘must have gotten deleted somehow’ so now we have to be here all day trying to fix this”

  “Why are any of this people in charge again?” you asked

  “Maybe they slept their way to the top” he joked before waving you goodbye and heading to his station. You started at this company as an intern, mostly handing out mail and grabbing coffee for everyone, but they kept you around because you had a good eye for graphic design which was important in a marketing firm. However, your boss, Laura, had replaced Debra, the former Head of Marketing, a month before you were hired to be her assistant and she really wasn’t all that fond of you. She claimed that your degree should be in Business or Marketing not Graphic Design and that you’d only ever be an assistant in this industry so ‘don’t hope for more than that.’ You didn’t think too much of her comments though, at the end of the day, you had a job to you and you were going to do it well; even if it meant coming in on the weekend to do her forgotten assignments. When you finally found Laura’s papers, you groaned audibly, realizing this wasn’t going to be quick work

  “Hey!” Freddie greeted you from the other end of the line when you called him to let him know what was happening

  “Hey...” you sighed

  “What?” he groaned, “what’s going on?”

  “It looks like I’m gonna be here for a while. Laura underplayed how much work there was for me to do...”

  “You can’t really be doing this?” he whined

  “Babe, I have to. I told you, it’s my job. But,” you added, hoping it would make him feel better, “it’s not just me! Apparently, all the senior staff forgot to do these super important assignments for the conference. So, a bunch of us are here working until we finish them”

  “You need to quit this job,” he grumbled, “clearly no one is good at what they were hired to do”

  “I can’t quit unless I have something lined up,” you argued, “babe, I’m sorry. I know I promised that we’d lay in bed all weekend because this was the first time that you had free time but I have to do this. I promise, I’ll work as fast as I can but the longer I’m on the phone, the longer I’m at the office. So, I gotta go. I love you and I’ll see you as soon as I’m done okay?”

  “Call me and I’ll pick you up,” he replied, “you shouldn’t have to take an Uber back here...”

  “Okay,” you smiled, “that would be nice. Talk soon. Love you”

  “Love you, too” he said before you ended the call. You took a deep breath and started getting to work. Organizing timelines and trying to understand doctors-note-handwriting from past meetings

  “How can she possibly expect me to be able to understand this?” you thought to yourself. You signed onto her computer and were immediately left in shock at the jumbled mess of her desktop, “holy fuck!” you exclaimed silently, it’s no wonder she gets nothing done, “she’s the most unorganized person I’ve ever seen!” You spent the next 20 minutes opening files to find what you were looking for, closing what was not it immediately so you could legally say you didn’t see anything, and then you had to spend the next half an hour printing documents and running back and forth between Laura’s office and the copy room

  “How’s it goin’?” Rob, one of the other team members who was forced to come in and work on a Saturday, asked when he noticed you rushing throughout the room

  “Oh, you know, I’m sure I’ll have a panic attack in the next, oh, twenty or so minutes” you replied, sighing as you walked back to the printer one last time. You had managed to get most of the paper work done but you still had to make a few phone calls to get estimates on some of the ad spaces needed and whether or not there could be a discount involved for the company

  “Hey!” Freddie said gleefully, walking into your boss’ office like he owned the place

  “Freddie,” you gasped, a slight sneer on your tone, “what are you doing here?”

  “I came to see you...” he replied, furrowing his brow at your response, “when you said you were gonna be longer than you thought, I thought I’d come down and surprise you. Maybe take the stress off a little?”

  “That’s sweet, babe,” you smiled, noticing the look in his eyes and realizing what he was really there for, “but I have to make some calls so I can’t... do that”

  “We can make it work” he teased, biting his bottom lip quickly before pulling you close to him

  “Fred...” you whined, kissing him once before pushing him away from you and walking back to Laura’s desk, “I really do have to work. You can sit if you want but that’s it...” he slumped onto the plush couch against the window and frowned before scrolling through his phone as you started to call the businesses on your list. After about 10 minutes, you noticed Freddie peering up from his phone to look over at you, as if he was trying to get you to hang up the phone just from a look, choosing to walk over to you when you didn’t. “Yes, that’s right. I know you’ve been with us for quite some time and our relationship has helped both our businesses grow,” you spoke as Freddie swiveled you and your chair out from the desk, “we want that relationship to keep growing” you continued before noticing the smirk on Freddie’s face as he hovered over you, kissing your neck as you tried to pay attention to the call. “Mhmm,” you said to the person on the other end of the phone, distracted by Freddie’s lips pressing against the sensitive skin on your neck, his hot breath cascading down your neck, “mhm, sure. I understand” you said again, trying not to let on what was happening. “Laura is so sorry she couldn’t make this call to you herself,” you lied, Freddie kissing his way down to your core, pulling off your leggings quickly and kissing your inner thighs as you spoke, “however, she is excited to showcase your work to those at our conference tomorrow. We all just wanted to make sure the numbers were 100% accurate...” you had to bite your lip and move the receiver end of the phone from your mouth in case any sound escaped when you felt Freddie’s tongue finally press against your clit. “Oh that’s great!” you exclaimed when the partner on the phone added a discount to the quote you’d already been given, claiming that, had he known other businesses would be hearing of his services earlier, he would’ve offered it sooner. “Thank you so much,” you smiled, Freddie’s hands pulling your body closer to his him as his mouth brought you closer and closer to your orgasm, “I or Laura will let you know how everything goes. Thank you again” you said quickly before hanging up the phone. “Fuck,” you cursed breathlessly, “oh my god, Freddie!” your back was forced to arch, as you were pretty much falling out of your seat as Freddie continued to stimulate your clit, only now moving his finger to caress your folds before slowly inserted it inside of you and pumping until you whimpered, tugging at his hair. “Freddie,” you squeaked, trying not to be heard from outside the office, “fuck” you repeated quietly, your grip loosening from his hair as his ministrations slowed and your breathing steadied.

  “How’s your stress now?” he smirked, wiping his mouth casually before standing up in front of you once more

  “You can’t do that” you said, small pants escaping your lips, making Freddie believe you less than you intended

  “I think I can” he teased

  “I was on a business call, Fred!” you exclaimed, pulling your leggings back up, “what if they heard something?”

  “They would only hear something if you let them” he countered and, ultimately, you knew he was right but you still shook your head

  “You can’t do that” you repeated and he scoffed, hovering over you once more to taunt you with a kiss but stopped right in front of your lips

  “We’ll see about that...” he smirked, taking his hands away from the chair and walking back to sit on the couch

  “What’s goin’ on with you?” you asked

  “I just want to be with you,” he whined, giving you puppy dog eyes and earning a scoff from you, “that’s what we were supposed to be doing anyway...”

  “I told you we would when I got home...” you said

  “Come here,” he said, patting his thigh, “come sit on my lap” you chuckled but obliged. You wrapped your arms around his neck after sitting on his thigh, playing with his hair and kissing his nose before he spoke again, “see, isn’t this better than making a few phone calls?” he asked, his hand beginning to rub your back lightly

  “You know I would rather be doing this, or more than this, with you,” you admitted, leaning in and kissing him softly, letting your lips linger a moment before you pulled back, “but I have to do this stuff...”

  “Just a quickie...” he whispered, “and then I’ll go. Then we can pick up at home”

  “This is my boss’s office” you whined

  “All the more reason to do it. We’re in a private spot, secluded from everyone else, it’s perfect” he replied, kissing your jaw before moving down to your neck and you let your head fall back to give him more room

  “Mmmm,” you hummed, melting into his kiss, “I can’t”

  “(Y/N)...“ he groaned

  “Just a few more calls,” you argued, “I don’t have a lot left. Just like, five, maybe six”

  “That’s a lot. How long are each of those calls? 10 minutes? 20?” he asked, “we could do a lot with that time...”

  “Stop,” you smiled, standing up from his lap and walking back to the desk chair, “just a few more calls...” you repeated. He slunk into the couch and angrily unlocked his phone while you picked up Laura’s phone and began dialing. You were able to make three calls before Freddie began sighing loudly across the room and you had to glare at him, which is when the texts started

  “I want you” he sent as you spoke to another advertising partner on the phone

  “Like now” another came through

  “I’m gonna come over there”

  “And make you cum again” you glared up at him and he smiled

  “And again” you shook your head, turning off your sound so the partner didn’t hear the constant dinging

  “And again”

  “And again”

  “Until you can’t cum anymore” you noticed him smile as he thought up more responses and you threw a pencil at him, still paying attention to the conversation on the phone before mouthing ‘stop’ to Freddie but he just shook his head with a teasing smile

  “You won’t be able to walk”

  “Your legs will be numb”

  “Your chest will be heaving because you can’t catch your breath”

  “You’re gonna crave my dick”

  “Every time you move”

  “You’ll have to physically stop yourself from jumping me in public”

  “Because you’re still feeling me inside you” your eyes went wide as you read his messages, heat flooding your face as you ended the call, forcing yourself to dial another number before Freddie could get the upper hand. He slowly made his way to the desk once more and you gulped as you swallowed the saliva that had filled your mouth, Freddie hung up the phone before it ever even really began to ring

  “Seriously, don’t...” you whispered, knowing that you were about to break from whatever move he made next

  “But I want to” he growled, grazing your nose with his and you started to give in when he walked toward the door, “crap” you thought to yourself when you thought he was about to leave but he was only locking the door

  “What the fuck?!” you exclaimed, “that was unlocked this whole time?!”

  “Yeah?” he chuckled

  “Freddie! What would have happened if someone walked in earlier?”

  “They would’ve gotten a great show” he replied, walking over to you, leaning over you but not doing anything. You took a deep breath before running your hands up his arms, tangling your fingers in his hair before bringing him down to kiss you

  “We have to be quick...” you whispered, earning a grin from Freddie before he pulled your leggings off and directed your thighs around his waist so he could pick you up to carry you to the couch. You laughed when he sat down and you fell into him clumsily, “quiet” you shushed him before kissing him slowly and trailing your hands down to his waistband, pushing his pants down just enough to free his erection while his hands lifted your shirt up, stopping to massage your breasts. You heard a laugh outside of the office and stopped what you were doing, “wait,” you whispered, “I think someone’s there” he didn’t listen, kissing your neck and lining himself up with your entrance before bucking his hips to yours; your nails digging into his shoulders to stop yourself from making any sound. His hands gripped your hips as he thrust into you, bringing your attention back to him while your lips found each other in a clumsy rush to muffle the sounds of each other’s moans

  “Fuck,” Freddie moaned first, “fuck” you were about to reciprocate his sentiment when the phone rang and your head jerked back in panic

  “Shit” you sighed, worry mixing with pleasure as Freddie continued to grip your hips tightly

  “Ignore it” he said, kissing your peaked nipple over your shirt before moving a hand to your core, but your head still stayed looking at the ringing phone

  “What if it’s her?” you whined, referring to your boss

  “Ignore it” he repeated

  “What if it’s one of the partners or the vendors? What if it’s one of the really important clients?” you asked, knowing he wouldn’t give any helpful advice other than

  “Ignore it” he said once more, pulling your face back to his before kissing you harshly. The phone stopped ringing and you felt a faint sense of peace course through you as you softened the kiss that Freddie had started, your tongue begging for his lips to part, a muffled moan intertwining with his warm breath as it brushed over your exposed neck. Your tongue danced with his for a while as his fingers circled your clit, pressing down on the sensitive flesh every so often

  “Fuck” you breathed finally, now beginning to ride him faster, feeling his thighs flex underneath you as he welcomed the sensation of you crashing onto him. “Fuck,” you repeated, “shit, oh my god. Fuck Freddie” you felt your climax build as his lips met your neck, his finger still working on your clit while you rode him harder; the loud ringing of the phone the only thing that brought you back to where you were. “Ugh” you groaned

  “Leave it” he groaned back

  “Fuck” you sighed, reluctantly ignoring the phone to continue fucking your incredibly broad shoulder boyfriend

  “That’s my girl” he smirked, watching you bounce up and down his length

  “Fuck, Freddie, I’m gonna cum” you panted, your hands clutching his shirt as your hips began to shake. “Sh-i-it, god fuck! Freddie” you moaned, still trying to be as quiet as possible but knowing that everyone in the office was probably putting on noise cancelling headphones just to try to escape the sounds they were undoubtedly hearing.

  “Almost there, baby” Freddie breathed, clutching onto your waist to assist your movements. Fuck, his hands fit so perfectly on your body, you really hated that this had to end so quickly, but that’s what he came here for. “Fuck, I’m gonna cum in you”

  “Fuck” you breathed, dropping your head onto his shoulder, your body taking over until you and Freddie met your release. Like clockwork, the annoying ringing of the phone appeared and you had to scoff at Freddie while you quickly got dressed

  “That was fun,” he smiled, “you sure you don’t wanna go round two?”

  “Hello” you greeted, picking up the phone to continue the work you had come to do, “I am so sorry about that. I’m not sure what was happening with the line…”

  “So we’ll continue this at my place then?” Freddie teased before and you nodded with wink before shooing him away but not before he kissed you goodbye. You were dreading the walk out of the office if Mason and his team hadn’t left yet but you knew it had to happen sooner or later

  “So, should we hire a clean up crew before your boss gets back?” one of the guys teased

  “Shut up” you said, hoping your embarrassment didn’t show too clearly

  “You do know we put on our headphones as soon as we saw him,” Mason admitted, “we knew there’s no way that he was gonna just show up to say hi”

  “He could’ve,” you tried, exhaling when you realized you were never going to fool any of them, “fine. Just, please, don’t rat me out. I just pulled together a miracle in that office and I don’t need Laura finding out about my office sex-capades — I don’t want that to be the reason she fires me. I’m not that girl…”

  “We know” another co-worker smirked

  “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with us,” Mason assured, “it’s a don’t-ask-don’t-tell policy as far as we’re concerned” you gave him an appreciative smile before heading out to meet Freddie in the parking garage

  “Hey” he smiled as you sat in the front seat

  “Hi” you replied, leaning over to peck his lips

  “Did you get your work done?” he teased

  “Yeah,” you chuckled, “it was a miracle but I got it done” he took your hand and brought it to his lips to press a kiss to it

  “No more quickies,” he whined, holding your hand for the remainder of the ride, until he needed it for one reason or another, “I need more than that”

  “I agree,” you smirked, “now, let’s go home so you can fuck me until I can’t walk

  “Yes ma’am.”

[just-here-for-the-moment]

Paloma, Part II

Series Masterlist - Part I - Part II

Word count: 8900+

Rating: explicit, 18+ only

Outline: Statesman!Frankie "Catfish" Morales, Agent Jack “Whiskey” Daniels, and "You" (OC cis/het female reader, Statesman research analyst, code name “Paloma”; age 26; reader is “blank canvas”/no physical description/no use of “Y/N”)

Warnings: “plot bloat” (trying to get Paloma where she needs to go); fully legal age gap; curse words; alcohol; Whiskey acting like a bastard; a little sprinkling of angst; open-mouth kissing; protected P/V sex; some extra-soft!Frankie

On your third Monday at Statesman New York you led a planning meeting that should have been easy. Jack Daniels made it anything but.

The worst part was that you hadn't even been properly introduced yet. Where Champ had rolled out the red carpet for you at Louisville HQ, Whiskey was a phantom, too busy to meet with you during your first couple of weeks. That made what happened in the meeting even more humiliating.

You started by outlining the research that your team had gathered, the analysis that they had carefully done, and presented the options and outcomes. When you were done, Whiskey threw his copy of your report down on the table and said, "That's horseshit."

You felt your face heat with embarrassment, but you tried to hold your ground. "Excuse me?"

Jack waved his fingers dismissively, "That's alright, I'll excuse you. This isn't the kind of work I expected from our new 'hotshot' team lead. Why isn't there information about the facilities we'll be targeting?"

"There are no 'facilities' at this location, Agent. It's a one-and-done for a drop and extract. There's nothing to raid, nothing to seize, and nothing to see."

"Really?" He arched one eyebrow at you and rubbed his thumb over his lower lip. The sheer cockiness of it made you burn with irritation. "So how come the information we got last Friday tells us that there's a production facility the next block over? You really gonna send our agents halfway around the world without botherin' to target the facility next door?"

You froze. Was he correct? That didn't seem possible. How had your team missed that? You held his gaze with as much assertiveness as you could muster, trying to match his attitude so that you wouldn't appear to be weak. "I don't have information about any facilities."

He cracked a smirk, "Well then, you're not very good at your job, are you darlin'?"

You swallowed hard and tried not to let tears rise. How dare he talk down to you? What the hell was his problem? Another agent spoke up, saying that if new information had come in recently, then you could review it and reconvene later to discuss its impact. The meeting disbanded.

You felt like you had been sucker-punched, and you weren't sure if you wanted to flee to your office, or sit gripping the edge of the table and glare Whiskey down. You opted to stay, waiting for everyone else to file out. Finally it was just you and Whiskey left, sitting at the big conference table and having some kind of a stubborn staring contest. This was not how you wanted to start your new job.

"What the fuck is your problem with me?" You gritted the question out and held his gaze. You knew that cursing at a senior agent, not to mention the one who was the face of Statesman Whiskey and de facto head of the New York office, probably wasn't the wisest way to start your tenure... but neither was backing down and letting him roll right over you.

"Nothin' personal, darlin', but I can't let you give my agents incorrect or missing information. Your team should have known about the facilities at this location."

"It sure felt personal, Agent Whiskey. If you have a problem with my work, you take it up with me privately. I don't mind admitting when I've made a mistake, but it's shitty to treat people like that in front of others." You glared at him, trying to look as fierce as you could.

He finally looked away from you, and muttered something that might have been an apology.

"What's that, Agent Whiskey? I didn't quite hear you."

"I said, 'I'm sorry.' You're right. That was unfair of me."

Before you could stop yourself, you found acid on your tongue. "Well, well, the great Agent Whiskey lowers himself to apologize. No wonder you flash that charm at everything on two legs. Your manners can't stand on their own, can they?"

If you hadn't been so focused on gathering up your paperwork, you would have seen a flicker of hurt cross his face. Instead you stomped out of the conference room and thanked the stars that you hadn't cried. By the time you got back to your office, a cold ball of regret was starting to form just below your ribs. You prided yourself on being able to work effectively with everyone, and you were extremely proud of your track record at Statesman so far. Why hadn't you been less confrontational, or tried to smooth things over? Why had you jumped straight to a pissing contest?

---

"God, what an asshole!"

"I told you, he's kind of a lot to take." Ginger's voice on the other end of the phone came through calm and sweet, as she always was.

You spun your chair to lean back and stare up at the ceiling of your office, trying to keep tears from forming. "Ugh, he's such a colossal jackass. I cannot believe he tried to undermine me like that in the meeting. I could have strangled him!"

"Just stay out of his way as much as you can. I'm sure he'll calm down once he sees what kind of work your team produces. You're doing great."

"Yeah, well... not so great actually. It turns out he was right. There was a report on a facility that came through very late on Friday, and one of my analysts went home sick, so I didn't get it in time for the meeting. That's the worst part: he was right, the bastard."

"Oh, Paloma. I'm so sorry. I'm sure that stung."

You let out a deep sigh. "I'll be okay. I just hope I get the chance to catch him making a mistake, and then I'll shove it in his stupid face. Make him lap it up with that ridiculous mustache of his."

Ginger giggled. "As much as I'd like to imagine that with you, I gotta run. Call me later? I miss you!"

"I miss you, too. 'Bye."

You hung up and spun your chair around, coming face to face with the sight of Agent Whiskey leaning in your office doorway. His arms were crossed casually, one foot propped over the other, looking like he could stand there all day. Your stomach leapt into your throat and then dropped down to your shoes. How much had he heard?

"Oh, kill me now," you breathed.

"Not just yet, darlin’. We have work to do." He popped up from his perch in the doorway and took a seat in one of your visitors chairs.

"How can I help you?" You kept your tone respectful, although it verged on frosty.

"Well, we need to revise the mission plan to include the new intelligence. Then we need to have a talk about civility."

You arched an eyebrow. "Oh, civility? I see. What kind of ‘civility’ did you have in mind, Agent Whiskey?"

"Well, for one, you can call me Jack. And for two, I was comin’ down here to apologize again, but apparently there's something you'd like to shove in my face and have me lap up with my ridiculous mustache?" He twitched one eyebrow up, looking smug and amused by the double entendre.

You closed your eyes and suppressed a groan. Maybe this was a hallucination and you were still in bed at home. Or maybe you hadn't actually left Louisville. You cracked one eyelid open, finding Whiskey’s deep brown eyes still on you. You decided to try to be the bigger person and smooth things over.

"I'm sorry. I was venting to a friend, and obviously that wasn't intended for your ears."

"Well now, I’m a big boy. I've heard worse and survived."

"I apologize. I let myself get irritated by your behavior in the meeting. It wasn't professional, and it won't happen again."

"Well, for my part, if I think you've made an error, I'll be sure to talk with you privately instead of calling you out in front of the team. Deal?" He stuck one broad, well-manicured hand out to shake.

You reached your own out somewhat reluctantly, then warmed to it, feeling how large and soft his hand was when it wrapped around your fingers. "Deal."

He gave your hand one final squeeze. An involuntary tingle ran up your arm, and you found yourself wondering whether he was as talented with his hands as he was smart with his mouth. Oh god, what was wrong with you?

You cleared your throat and pulled your hand away, trying not to jerk it back like he’d burned you.

“I’ll, um, I’ll have my team revise the mission plan to include the new intelligence, and then we’ll reconvene tomorrow. Sound good?”

“Sounds fine, darlin’.” He winked at you and you felt something flutter just below your navel.

---

Despite the conciliatory conversation with Whiskey, you still felt awkward and hurt, not to mention confused by some of the warmer feelings that had popped up uninvited. You spent the next six weeks trying to fly low and avoid Whiskey. You sent your senior analyst as your replacement for every meeting that you possibly could, and when you did have to attend them you timed your entrances and exits so that you wouldn't be in the conference room any longer than necessary. You transferred reports to Whiskey's office electronically, and when a hand-delivery was required you sent whoever happened to be closest to you. It worked great. You hadn't said more than "hello" and "goodbye" to Whiskey in so long, you were starting to feel like maybe you had escaped the awkwardness, the horrific start to your time in New York. It felt like a bad dream from another era.

One late Thursday afternoon, your plan fell apart. You got a request from Whiskey's assistant for a hard-copy file, and the entire office suite was empty. Each of your team members was off doing other things or had left early. You avoided it as long as you could, running to the ladies room to pee and then lingering in the hallway outside your office, just in case someone from your staff came back. After 10 long minutes you realized that you were "it" and that nobody was going to come save you. You sighed and trudged to the elevator. It seemed to move too quickly, depositing you at Whiskey's floor in no time flat.

As you rounded the corner you saw that Whiskey's assistant was gathering her things to leave for the day. After one too many disasters with "pretty young things," Champ had put his foot down and assigned someone to Whiskey who would keep him on the straight and narrow. Mary was what you called a "motherly hard-ass," while Ginger called her a “saint.” Mary had worked for Statesman almost as long as Champ, and she knew her stuff inside and out. Most importantly, she was completely immune to Whiskey's flirtations. He had tried once or twice to charm her, but after finding that her warm exterior concealed a brick wall of professionalism and a razor-sharp wit, he had relented.

"Hi Mary!" You kept your voice cheerful and light, trying to hide the twisting in your gut. "Here's the file he requested."

"Hi Paloma, you can go on in." Mary smiled wryly, "He actually asked to see you if you showed up. Sorry, kiddo, you're a lamb to the slaughter." She patted your back in sympathy.

Your shoulders slumped, "Ugh." Just as you were about to air your disgust in stronger words, Whiskey's door opened.

"Paloma! Glad to see you, darlin'. Come on in."

You shot Mary one last look, pleading for reprieve. She patted your shoulder and bid Whiskey a good night.

You forced your legs to move, and when you got inside Whiskey's office you perched on the edge of the sofa in the visitors area. Whiskey preferred to entertain visitors away from his desk, so he had a cozy corner of the office set up with two large chairs, a coffee table, and a black leather sofa that seemed to take up half the room.

You tossed the file on the table and spoke in a monotone that bordered on rude. "Brought you the file. Need anything else?"

Whiskey gestured to the bar cart. "Can I get you a drink, darlin'?"

"No." You shook your head. "But thank you."

Whiskey shrugged and poured himself something amber in a small glass. You couldn't take your eyes off his hands as they deftly maneuvered around the glassware and ice bucket. They reminded you a little of Frankie's hands: strong and thick, sure and precise in their movements. But where Frankie's hands were warm, work-worn and calloused, Whiskey's were primped and clean, just as manicured as his sharply tailored suits and slick mustache. You bit the inside of your lip to bring yourself back to reality before your brain could wander any farther down the path of what Whiskey's hands could do.

You focused your gaze on the file on the coffee table and waited. Whiskey settled himself into the big chair closest to your end of the couch.

"Paloma, darlin'. Thanks for coming up."

You cringed internally and tried to screw up the courage to ask him to just call you Paloma. The nickname of "darlin'" was starting to grate. For a moment you weren't sure if it was because you found it unprofessional or because you wanted to hear it more. Shit. What was wrong with you?

"What can I do for you, Agent Whiskey?"

"Please, call me Jack."

"What can I do for you?" You refused to give in, drawing your mental line in the sand. You could have a whole conversation with him without calling him Jack, couldn't you?

"Well now, I was hoping we could finally chat a bit - outside of a meeting, that is. You've been here almost two months and I'm sorry that I haven't taken the time to get to know you better." He winked.

You suppressed an eye roll and pursed your lips. "What would you like to know?"

You weren't going to make this easy for him, you decided. If he wanted information beyond your resume, or even a friendly conversation, he would have to work for it. You weren't simply going to open up like a flower under the sunshine of his charm.

"Well, I understand you're from Louisville. Beautiful place." He leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees, trying to close the space between you.

"Yes." You scooted all the way to the back of the sofa and crossed your arms, somewhat amused at the difficulty you were giving him. He hadn't expressed any displeasure yet, but you were certain that he was going to get frustrated sooner or later.

"Well, darlin' I had no idea that we were growin' them so smart down there, not to mention so pretty. If I'd known, I would have lured you up here to the big city a lot sooner." He looked like he was about to wink again, or try to devour you.

"Is that so?" God, he was really buttering you up, wasn't he? You crossed one leg over the other, keeping your arms crossed over your chest for good measure.

"Yes, it is. I was awfully impressed by your analysis on the Rex Smith case ‘bout a year ago. I had no clue there were that many shell companies in the mix. I would've thought three, maybe four, tops. But you found thirteen!"

Your jaw dropped a little at that. Not only had he seen your work on your first case as Assistant Director in Louisville, but he had reviewed the case file thoroughly, remembered such a tiny detail, and was also giving you credit? You were starting to think that you had underestimated Agent Whiskey. His charm and sass were legendary, but you now realized that those traits didn’t indicate anything missing in the brains department.

He smirked at your reaction and teased you gently. "Better watch that mouth, darlin'. You're liable to catch a few flies if you don't close it."

Goddamn him. You closed your mouth and tried not to sulk. You didn't like making mistakes, especially not such idiotic ones. If you weren't careful, he was going to knock you on your ass.

"Can I get you that drink now, darlin'?"

"No, thank you. I need to get going." You uncrossed your legs and stood up. Whiskey stood at the same time, and you found yourself entirely too close to him, your bodies just inches apart as you tried to negotiate your exit from the seating area. Something warm that smelled like cedar and smoky bourbon was emanating off of him, and you were certain it was from the expensive side of the cologne department. His coffee-brown eyes held yours, and you caught yourself staring at him while your brain sent you panicky messages to, “Move! Speak! Leave!”

Whiskey let the moment hang, seeming to enjoy every second that passed like torture for you. His eyes were twinkling so hard you thought you saw sparks. You heard yourself exhale a breath that was far more shaky than you would have preferred. He put his hand out to shake yours, and you found yourself imagining what would happen if you bypassed the polite gesture and wrapped your arms and legs around him, knocked him to the floor and kissed that stupid mustache right off his face.

Instead, you reached out to shake his hand and accidentally brushed the front of his hip, just an inch from his crotch.

"Oh my GOD! That was an accident. I'm so sorry, I'm sorry!" You scrunched your eyes closed and buried your face in your hands. Mortification consumed you as you heard Whiskey guffaw. You felt like you were going to die of embarrassment, and you were pissed off that it wasn't a real possibility. Death would have been extremely welcome.

Whiskey put his hands on your shoulders and squeezed. His laughter died down to a soft wheeze. "Hey, look at me."

You dared a glance through your fingers. His eyes twinkled and his white teeth still showed in a wide smile. "I'm sorry I laughed, I know it was an accident. You weren't trying to take advantage."

You moaned and Whiskey chuckled again. "It's alright, darlin'. You didn't break anything."

“Argh! I’m so sorry. That’s the most embarrassing thing I’ve ever done.”

“It’s okay, I didn’t think anything of it.” He pulled you gently toward him, and you did something you never imagined possible: you let him wrap you into a hug.

“I’ll forget it if you will, darlin’.” His deep voice rumbled against your body and you felt yourself melting a little. Tears of embarrassment pricked at your eyes.

You sniffed and pulled back. Whiskey let you go, but kept one hand on your elbow. He looked at you warmly and smiled. “Really, darlin’. Don’t think anything of it.”

You found yourself staring into his dark brown eyes, warm and shiny with humor. The mood shifted almost imperceptibly, turning him magnetic. Something in you snapped and you wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed him.

Whiskey hummed a surprised noise against your lips for a moment, then opened his mouth to let you in. His mustache was softer than it looked, and hardly tickled at all as you wrestled each other for satisfaction. You found yourself tumbling down to the couch. Whiskey lay over you with one strong arm wrapped around your lower back, keeping you pressed close against him. His lips and tongue were eager and searching, and you responded in kind, nibbling his plush lower lip and flicking your tongue across the back of his top teeth. The taste of his liquor intermingled with the scent of his cologne, and it sent your senses reeling. He tasted and smelled and felt so good, and you wanted to stay there and drink him in forever.

Your lips parted from Whiskey’s and you took a gulp of air, looking into his brown-black eyes above you. The inrush of oxygen kicked your brain into gear and you felt cold; both from the absence of Whiskey's mouth on yours and from the dose of harsh reality that washed over you. This was wrong... wasn't it? As good as it felt, it wasn't right to make out with the boss in his office, after hours, on a couch for God's sake. What the hell were you thinking?

"Oh, shit!" You shoved Whiskey's shoulders up and away, rolling him toward the back of the couch as you slithered out from underneath him. You landed on the floor, then crouched and stood up. Whiskey shifted on the sofa, turning to lay face up on the plush leather and folding his arms behind his head. His grin hovered somewhere between 'Cheshire cat' and 'kid let loose in a candy store.' You groaned at the sight while irritation and the desire to flop back down on top of him fought equally within you.

"Well now, darlin'. You need to be off somewhere?"

"Yes. This was not a good idea." You waved your hands in front of you as if you were trying to erase a blackboard. "I think I need to leave."

"Feel free to come back anytime, darlin'. I'll be right here."

You took three swift steps toward the door and then spun to face him. "I need you to stop calling me 'darlin''. My name here is Paloma."

He cocked one eyebrow at you as you continued. "And another thing, Agent Whiskey: this never happened."

Before he could respond you yanked his office door open and jogged to the elevator. What the hell was wrong with you?

---

"Ginger, you have got to help me. I don't know what's wrong with me." You shuddered out a breath as you kicked your shoes off and sat down at your kitchen table. At your elbow was the biggest drink you could pour without causing a hangover.

"Are you okay? What happened?"

You gulped. "I kissed him."

"What?! Why?"

"I don't know! I just... I was in his office and he was standing really close to me and then I went to go shake his hand but I accidentally touched his crotch and..." you trailed off as Ginger laughed. "It's not funny, it's embarrassing!"

She giggled at you. "That sounds kind of funny. You'll laugh about it later."

"I won't. I wanted to die of embarrassment, but then he was so nice about it and he was looking at me softly and I just- I kissed him! What the hell is wrong with me?"

"Try not to worry too much. You're not the first lady to make that mistake and you won't be the last. He'll forget about you as soon as someone else catches his eye.”

"Yeah, I know." You weren't sure if being one in a long string of women made you feel better or worse.

"… although it does seem like you have a ‘type’ now.”

“What?!”

“Well he is tall, dark, and handsome. If he weren’t such a jackass I’d say he reminds me of Frankie.”

“Oh, hell no. That is not a fair comparison. They’re nothing alike.”

“You’re right, Frankie was a gem. Listen, just avoid Whiskey and keep your eyes on your work. He'll forget about you and it'll be like it never happened. And as irritating as he is, I know he's not a gossip. Don't worry, this won't get around."

You threw back your head and let out a long breath. "Okay. You're right. All I have to do is my job."

"That's right. And you're really good at your job, Pal. Don't let this derail you, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks, Gin. I appreciate it."

"No problem. Listen, I have to go, but I wanted to tell you that I’ll be coming to New York next week. I have to do some training with, uh, a consultant. And when I’m done we can have a girl’s dinner out, okay? Just try to have a good weekend."

"Thanks, I will. You too."

You sighed and finished your drink. The idea of calling in sick tomorrow floated up, and you seriously considered it. But you had already spent six weeks avoiding Whiskey, and your integrity wouldn’t let you call out without a good reason. You could make it one day until the weekend, right?

---

You awoke Friday morning with a pounding headache and a cotton-dry mouth. You were dreading going to work, but duty called. You showered and dressed as slow as you dared, and found yourself dragging into the office only 15 minutes late. Fortunately, there was enough work to keep you distracted, and at your 10:00 department heads meeting you found out that Whiskey was out of the office for the day. Relief washed over you, and you suddenly felt lighter. You could survive until the weekend without worrying.

The rest of your day was uneventful until around 4:00, when an assistant brought you a vase of fresh flowers that had been delivered to reception. You frowned and looked for a card. The arrangement was beautiful, featuring dark yellow daisy-shaped flowers with fuzzy chocolate brown centers, and pinky-purple blooms shaped like bottle brushes. Both types looked oddly familiar. You leaned closer to examine them as your brain twisted in confusion. Were those...? No way... orange coneflowers and dense blazing stars? Who the heck would send you an arrangement of Kentucky wildflowers? Mom? It wasn't your birthday yet.

You felt an icy ball of lead punch you in the stomach as you opened the notecard: "Even though nothing happened, I had a hell of a time. Hope to see you again. -Jack"

That motherfucker.

Just as you were about to sweep the flowers into the trash, there was a heavy knock on your doorway. You looked up, and your emotions spun from anger to elation so fast you almost threw up. Frankie stood in your doorway, looking soft and rumpled in a plaid flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up, his sweet curls escaping the same well-loved baseball cap he always wore.

"Frankie!?" You leapt out of your chair and practically ran to him. He swept you up in a bear hug and pulled you six inches off the ground. "Oh my God, Frankie, I'm so glad to see you!"

"Hey, Paloma. I missed you. How's the big promotion? They make you head of the New York office yet?" His deep voice rumbled into your ear softly, and you laughed with joy. You never wanted to let go.

Frankie set you down and broke the embrace, and you immediately grabbed his hand and guided him to one of your visitors chairs. You took a seat in the chair next to him, turning it to face him and get as close as you dared without looking too desperate.

"Oh my gosh, what are you doing here?"

"I'm doing a quick consulting job for Statesman, helping Ginger train a few folks for an extraction. I have to work on the project Monday and Tuesday, and then I'll be in town until Saturday as a tourist. I took the whole week off, so I don't need to be back in Florida until next Sunday." He smiled broadly at you.

You felt your own face split into a wide grin. "Do you need a tour guide? I've been here two whole months. I can show you my favorite coffee shop and we could go to a few museums."

He smiled warmly back at you, and you felt like you had been wrapped in the world's softest blanket. "I'd like that. Statesman gave me an apartment for the week. Should be close by, if you don't mind showing me where it is?" He pulled a slip of paper out of his wallet and read the address.

You threw your head back and cackled.

"What's so funny?"

"That's my apartment! Statesman owns a few units in the same building." You grabbed the piece of paper from his hand to read the apartment number. "You're literally one floor below me for the week."

He grinned. "Well, shit. If I'd known that, I would’ve just told them to let me bunk with you."

You frowned and handed the paper back. "Wouldn't your girlfriend be upset with that?"

Frankie looked down at his shoes. "She's, uh, not my girlfriend anymore. We broke up."

"Oh, Catfish. I'm so sorry." You reached out to squeeze his forearm, and the feel of his warm skin over ropey muscles made you tingle. You vividly remembered how much you used to love grabbing those forearms as he pounded into you, how good they felt wrapped around you in the shower, how strong and safe Frankie felt at all times. You pulled your hand back and cleared your throat.

Frankie stood. "Listen, I gotta take care of a few things this afternoon, but can we go to dinner later? Nothing fancy, if you know anyplace I can go dressed like this," he gestured to his worn jeans and work boots.

"Unless, uh,” he pointed to the flowers on your desk. “Is there a boyfriend who would be mad if I took you out?"

You stood and smiled, biting your lip. "No. There’s no boyfriend, and I'd love to go to dinner. I'll come down to your apartment and pick you up at 7:00? 7:30?"

"Seven is perfect." He hugged you, and the smell of him spun you right back to Louisville. Frankie smelled like clean cotton and hard work, with a faint whiff of mechanic's grease just under the scent of his laundry soap and Old Spice deodorant. You used to tease Frankie about his habit of buying the same deodorant that he’d been using since junior high, but he always swatted you away with a, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Now the scent of it made you want to buy every package in the world and always have the smell around you.

When you broke the embrace it was so hard to let go, to not lean in for a kiss like you used to. He seemed to feel it, too, lingering just a moment longer with his arms wrapped around you and smiling wistfully as you finally pulled apart. You wanted to stay in his arms for hours, maybe even stow away on his flight back to Florida.

“I’ll see you at seven, Paloma.”

You felt your goofy grin reappear. “Okay. I’m so glad you’re here, Catfish.”

---

The hours until dinner crawled, and you spent more time than you thought wise trying to get ready. You showered and put on your nicest outfit, which was really just the all-black, most-recently-purchased version of your normal work clothes. Your job at Statesman didn’t call for anything very dressy, so you hadn’t expanded your wardrobe beyond work staples. Still, you spent entirely too long arranging your hair, sweeping it one way and then the other, trying to figure out what jewelry to wear, and then changing your hair again for the third time. You were contemplating another shoe change when your phone alarm went off, warning you that it was five minutes to 7:00. Oh, well, too late to change anything now. You brushed your teeth frantically and hoped Frankie wouldn’t care.

You floated down the stairwell and found yourself grinning idiotically as you rapped at Frankie’s door. He opened it looking exactly the same as he had at 4:00 that afternoon, and you chastised yourself internally for trying to dress up. Your irritation turned to pride, however, when Frankie looked you up and down with a low whistle.

“Jeez, Paloma, you look fantastic. Should I change?” He looked worried.

“No, you look fine! We’re not going anywhere fancy, I promise. I don’t know why I changed clothes, it was silly.”

“No, you look amazing.” He opened his arms for a hug. You felt warmth rush to your face as you leaned in. Frankie was always so eager to please and to compliment you, to make you feel good. You had missed him so much.

The walk to dinner was easy, conversation bouncing between the two of you as you made your way to the restaurant. Frankie filled you in on everything going on in Florida, about his friends and his parents and his job. You spoke enthusiastically about your new position and how much you loved New York. You decided not to share information about either one of your run-ins with Agent Whiskey.

Dinner passed in a swirl of giggles and wine and good food. Frankie made you laugh so hard you almost choked twice, and before you knew it, nearly three hours had passed.

“Frankie, I think the restaurant is going to kick us out if we don’t scoot soon. Do you want to go walk around a little bit?”

He drained his water glass and nodded. “Yeah, where to?”

“We can window shop down the street, and there’s a cute little park nearby.” You arched one eyebrow at him, “Wanna go play on the swings?”

He laughed and nodded. “Yes, let’s do that.”

You fought Frankie for the bill before letting him win. “Okay, but the next one is on me, Catfish.”

When you emerged into the summer night, you both took a deep breath, trying to clear your heads of the alcohol haze. You weren’t drunk, just pleasantly buzzed and a little silly. Without thinking, you tucked your arm into Frankie’s and snuggled yourself against him as you wandered along. Store windows were lit up against the dark, and you stopped here and there to look and giggle at displays.

You paused in front of an antique store. The window behind the bars was lined in red velvet, and on each of the little red display pillows sat a piece of vintage jewelry.

You were quietly gazing at an enamel bracelet and a sparkly tiara when Frankie’s voice broke the silence.

“You ever want one of those?”

“A tiara? No. I mean, it might be fun for a hot bubble bath, but I can’t exactly wear it to work.”

“No,” he nudged your arm and tilted his chin toward the far left side of the store window. “An engagement ring.”

You froze and suddenly couldn’t breathe. Your eyes shifted to a sparkly, square-cut sapphire ring sitting on the smallest pillow. You couldn’t form rational thoughts, and you weren’t sure exactly what kind of answer Frankie was expecting.

“I mean- uh, I guess I never thought about it. I haven’t seen anyone since we-” you swallowed hard. “I’ve been single since we broke up.”

You couldn’t bring yourself to look at him, and when he didn’t respond right away you found yourself filling the silence with nervous chatter. “I mean, I tried dating but it never went past a second date, and I don’t know anyone who would propose that early, and anyway I just- I mean I didn’t think- and you left so I didn’t…” you trailed off, realizing that you weren’t making any sense.

Frankie’s voice was low and serious. “I thought about it.”

That broke the spell and you turned to face him. “You thought about it? About me?”

He looked at you, almost shy. “Yeah, I thought about it a couple of months after we started dating. But with your job and my work, and… Well, you know what happened. You were there, same as I was.” He reached out a hand to cup your chin. “I was sorry it didn’t work out for us.”

You sighed and melted into him, “Oh, Frankie.”

He wrapped both arms around your shoulders as you gripped his waist. Your mouths found each other in the dark as if your last kiss had been yesterday. Frankie was warm and solid and familiar, and you found yourself aching to hang on to him, to keep him there with you for as long as you could.

You stood on the sidewalk together for what seemed like hours, exploring each other and passing silent messages back and forth with your lips and tongues and teeth. Slow swirls of the tip of his tongue around yours told you he missed you, and the tiny nips you bit against his bottom lip conveyed an urgency, a need that you couldn't express in words. You found your fingers entwined in his belt loops, pulling him as close as you could, mimicking the kind of connection that really required nakedness and absolute vulnerability together.

You turned sideways to loop your arm around his waist and walk unsteadily back to your apartment building, stealing kisses again and again as you strolled, then paused, then continued on your way. The trip took twice as long as it should have, but neither you nor Frankie was willing to break apart for longer than it took to step down off a curb or glance at a walk signal. You just kept kissing, drunk on each other and wanting more and more; silently cursing the fact that the apartment was still so far away, but reveling in the moments that you could seize right now to embrace each other as you walked.

When you reached your block, you murmured against Frankie’s mouth. “Do you have anything? I don’t have any protection at home.”

He cursed softly, “Shit. No, I didn’t bring…” He didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence as you kissed him again.

“Don’t worry, that’s why I asked. There’s a drugstore right here.”

“I always knew-” he kissed you softly, “... that you were smarter than me.”

You giggled against his mouth and wrapped your arms around his neck. “You’re the one who can fly helicopters. I just stare at data reports all day.”

You walked into the pharmacy holding hands and made it through the checkout line in record time, urgently kissing again when you reached the sidewalk, navigating the final dozen or so yards to your building.

The elevator ride consisted of one long kiss, broken only by Frankie’s urgent, “Mine or yours?” You murmured, “Mine,” and pressed the button for your floor, folding yourself back into his arms. You unlocked your front door while Frankie held you from behind and peppered kisses down your ear and cheek and jaw, distracting you as you fumbled with your keys. When you finally got the door open, you tumbled inside together and slammed the door shut.

Now that you were someplace private, you could undress, fumbling against one another as you struggled to open buttons and zippers and bra clasps in between kisses; to continue your soft caresses while you kicked shoes and pants off and away. Finally you were both standing, wearing only underwear while you continued to embrace. You pulled away from Frankie and picked up the box of condoms where it had dropped, then you took his hand and led him to your bedroom.

You tumbled onto the bed together and continued the makeout session that had started miles away and what seemed like an eternity ago in front of the antique store window. Frankie’s strokes along your ribcage and thighs were light and almost ticklish, so familiar that you wanted to cry. You had no expectations of getting back together and attempting a long-distance relationship, but he was here right now. And that was good, right? It was familiar and lovely and sweet.

Frankie hadn’t changed a bit since you parted 10 months ago, except for a few more grays in his beard and one or two more crinkles when he smiled. You ached and ached for him, even though he was right on top of you, kissing you and touching you and murmuring your name. Your brain kept raising the idea of what would happen in a week when he had to leave, or what might have happened a year ago if Statesman hadn’t demanded so much from both of you. The knowledge that you had missed becoming Frankie’s wife because of shitty circumstances, combined with the threat of losing him again in just a few days time punched you in the throat, and a sob escaped your lips as tears sprang to your eyes.

“What’s wrong, babe? Did I hurt you?” Frankie looked you over, rolling to one side to examine your face with a worried scowl. He propped himself up on one elbow and hovered over you.

“No, I’m just-” You sniffed back another sob. “I just wasn’t expecting to see you, and I’m so glad you’re here. It’s just a lot, that’s all.”

He brushed a tear from your cheek. “We don’t have to do this right now; not if you don’t want to. I didn’t come here with the expectation that you would jump back into bed with me.”

Your heart leapt at that. Same old sweet Frankie, doing everything he could to treat you tenderly, to care for you. You knew that if you tried to explain everything you were feeling, he would probably take it personally. Frankie hated to see you hurting, and doubly so if he thought he was the one who had caused it.

“I might just need a minute. I’m okay, I promise. It’s just been a weird week.”

You decided to joke, to lighten the mood and try to ease Frankie’s worry. “My old boyfriend is back in town, and I just found out that I missed out on him being my husband, and I also kind of kissed my boss yesterday, so I’m not in a real ‘steady’ place right now.”

Frankie frowned at that. “You kissed Bill?”

“Oh, no! No, not my boss-boss.” You paused, unsure of whether or not Frankie would hate you for your next words. “I kissed Agent Whiskey.”

Frankie’s eyebrows nearly leapt off his forehead, but he didn’t sit up or let go of you. He didn’t run out of the room screaming. “Is there something I should know?”

“It was a mistake. I was in his office and I accidentally touched his crotch-” Frankie’s eyebrows raised another impossible inch as you continued, “Truly an accident, a horrible, embarrassing accident. And then I think I just felt really vulnerable and lonely and I kissed him.”

Frankie nodded. “It happens, I guess.” He looked at you tenderly. “Although I’ve never kissed my boss. He always has food in his beard.” You erupted in giggles and tucked your face against Frankie’s chest. He stroked your arm and shoulder, laughing against your hair.

Your giggles subsided, and you rolled away from Frankie, laying on your stomach and folding your arms under your chin. You sighed and turned your face to him. “I am glad you’re here, though. I really missed you.” You paused, trying to formulate your next words.

“It took me a long time to get over you, and I’m honestly not sure I ever did. If we hadn’t both had so much work and conflicting schedules, if things had been different-” Frankie leaned over and cut you off with a soft kiss.

“You don’t have to tell me how things could have been different.” He stroked your temple. “After we broke up I just couldn’t handle working around you. I didn’t hate you, I just had to leave. It hurt too much to stay.”

“I’m sorry, Frankie.”

“No, don’t apologize. It wasn’t you, it wasn’t me, it was just life.” Frankie leaned over and kissed your cheek, stroking your back with feather-light touches, raising goosebumps as silence settled over the both of you.

His touch felt amazing, conjuring electricity where his fingers met your skin. Tingles started to form in your pelvis and you found your breath shuddering in time with Frankie’s caresses. You sat up and moved to straddle him, entwining your fingers with his and pinning his hands to the bed next to his ears.

Neither one of you spoke as you rolled your hips gently on his and stole kiss after kiss, feeling his erection grow and press harder against your vulva, still separated by the fabric of both your underwear and his. Finally you broke your grip on his hands and Frankie reached up to cup your breasts. You arched your back to press yourself into his palms, and your nipples stiffened with the friction and the heat of his touch. You grabbed the backs of his hands and pressed them harder against you, as if you could multiply the sensations that were zipping through your body.

You leaned down for another kiss and then swung your leg off and over him. You stood next to the bed and pulled your panties off, then reached over Frankie to grip his waistband. He lifted his hips to assist you, and when his cock sprung free you nearly gasped at how much you missed him and missed this, the intimacy and the raw electricity and the closeness. You reached out to stroke his length a few times, running the pad of your thumb gently up the underside and over his slit. He was damp there, but not leaking yet, and you let go only to grab the box of condoms and rip it open.

“Here,” you handed him a foil packet and let him put it on. When he was covered you gripped him again and gave him three firm, slow pumps, pulling a moan out of the deepest part of his chest. You straddled him again and hovered over him, making eye contact as you lined up to insert him, taking him into the most intimate part of you. He stroked one large hand from your knee to your ass, then cupped both cheeks and pulled you slightly apart to help guide him in. You closed your eyes and let out a soft hiss as he entered. Everything felt so good and familiar, like no time had passed at all, like he had never left.

When you were fully seated on him, you placed your palms on his shoulders for leverage, watching with delight as the tendons in his neck flexed and his Adam’s apple bobbed, veins throbbing on either side of his beautiful throat as you rode him. He reached one hand down to thumb your clit, pressing and petting it and drawing whimpers from you as the pleasure swelled within you. Neither one of you spoke as you gazed into each other, moving together in a practiced rhythm, increasing the pace and the tempo and the force until you were shaking the whole bed. Then your head spun and you found yourself crying out his name as you climaxed around him. You slumped over him and buried your face in his neck, that gorgeous soft crook between his throat and his shoulder. He braced his feet and thrust up into you. Chills wracked your body as you squeezed and fluttered around his cock. He grunted and clenched his jaw, “I’m coming.” And then he pulled you closer and froze, holding you there as he filled the condom. When he relaxed his thighs and arms, you reached down and gripped the base of the condom to keep it on him as you rolled sideways and off.

You both lay staring at the ceiling, recovering your breath, trying to remember where you were and why anything outside of your shared pleasure mattered.

---

Frankie stayed at your apartment all weekend. The two of you kissed and caressed, showered and fucked, made breakfasts and dinners, watched movies and slept curled together, until you almost forgot how much you had missed each other, almost forgot the fact that he would have to leave.

On Monday you and Frankie walked to the office together and kissed at the front desk, parting ways for the day. You ran into Ginger in the hallway and squealed and gave her a hug. She smiled at you and wiggled her eyebrows. “Did you see who our consultant is for this project?”

“Yes! He came by my office on Friday and we went to dinner.” You leaned over to lower your voice and murmur, “And we spent all weekend together.”

Ginger laughed and you grinned and rolled your eyes. “It’s nice. I don’t know if we’re ‘back together’ or anything, but I’ll have fun hanging out with him while he’s here.”

Ginger bit her lip, “I’m glad. I know you guys really missed each other, but I’m happy you can see him while he’s here.”

“Me, too.”

You and Ginger made plans to have lunch together that afternoon, and your mood was light as you entered your office. It dampened a bit when you saw the flowers from Whiskey that were still sitting there. And it dropped further when you saw a note from one of your staff saying that Whiskey had requested that you come see him when you arrived this morning. You decided that you would just have to treat him like nothing had happened, and keep your head up. After all, you were on cloud nine with Frankie in town, so what’s the worst that could happen?

You found Mary’s desk empty, so you squared your shoulders and knocked on Whiskey’s door. He could try to irritate you all he wanted, but you were going to be cool as a cucumber.

When he opened the door, Whiskey grinned at you and motioned you in. You opted to stand next to his desk with your arms crossed. If this was business, you would keep it businesslike. He walked up to you and raised an eyebrow, still grinning like a fool.

You looked at him and frowned. What was his deal?

He started the conversation cryptically, “Well?”

“Well what?”

“Did you get my flowers?”

You opted for the driest tone you could, “Yes. Thank you.”

He nodded, “Good. Listen, darlin’-”

You interrupted him. “Paloma.”

“Right, Paloma. I’d love to take you out to dinner sometime and apologize again for behaving like a jackass in that meeting a few weeks back.” He placed both of his large, warm hands on your arms and squeezed. “If we could see our way clear to some kind of understanding, I think I’d like it very much if we could-” a knock on his door cut him off.

Mary opened it and stuck her head in. “Agent Whiskey? I have the consultant here for your 9:00 meeting.”

Whiskey hissed out a breath and sounded disappointed. “Right.”

You pounced on the opportunity to escape. “I’ll just get going.”

Mary opened the door all the way and Frankie walked halfway in, freezing at the sight of you and Whiskey standing so close together. Guilt creeped up, even though you had no reason to feel that way, and you fought the urge to apologize to Frankie.

You and Agent Whiskey spoke at the same time, words jumbling together as Frankie approached to shake hands with Whiskey.

“Hi, Agent Whiskey. You can call me Ja-”

“Frankie, hi. I was just-”

“Oh, do you two already know-”

“We used to-”

You found yourself standing next to them as they shook hands and sized each other up. Your own discomfort was so strong that you almost didn’t notice that they were jostling each other as if they were fighting for dominance. A strange energy settled over the three of you as they stared at each other. If you didn’t know any better, you would have said it felt like they were fighting over you.

“Whiskey, this is Frankie Morales. He and I used to work-” Frankie cut you off, something he normally would never do, and his next words mortified you.

“Paloma and I used to date when we worked together in Louisville.”

You groaned. You weren’t embarrassed that you had dated Frankie, but the less information Whiskey had about your personal life, the better.

“Is that so? Well, I didn’t know that.” Whiskey’s voice was as smooth as the leather on his couch, and he cocked an eyebrow at you. Instead of irritating you, it had the effect of sending a flutter to your crotch. You gulped, hard.

Whiskey turned back to Frankie. “Any big plans while you’re here in New York?”

“Paloma and I are going out.”

“We’re what?” Your voice was louder than you had meant it to be and both men turned to look at you. You felt stunned by the double gaze, the two pairs of dark brown eyes, the strong noses and lovely mouths; features so similar to one another now that you saw them together. Maybe Ginger was right, maybe you did have a “type.”

Your brain did a somersault, throwing up the most shocking and simultaneously wonderful idea, and you wished you could banish the thought back to whatever delicious hellhole it had sprung from. You almost burst into tears, thinking that the stress of your job had finally broken your brain. Under normal circumstances, the idea and all of its implications would have been curious, but under the current circumstances it was absolutely ridiculous. The absurd, impossible word had popped into your head entirely uninvited: “Threesome.”

Frankie and Whiskey stared at you for three long, agonizing seconds, then they both spoke the same word at the same time.

“WHAT?”

“Oh, shit. Did I say that out loud?” ---

"Paloma" Series Masterlist Just-here-for-the-moment’s masterlist

Tag list: (Please message me if you're on here and don't want to be!)

@honeymandos @driedgreentomatoes @silverwolf319 @mourningbirds1 @honestly-shite @anaaaispunk @greeneyedblondie44 @spacedilf @maxwell–lord @nicolethered @dihra-vesa @the-queen-of-fools @juletheghoul @anxiousandboujee