#i've been staring at this for too long to tell but sorry if the proportions are... less than accurate

[chronocrump]

Hello Chronocrump, I recently stumbled upon your art the other day, and I couldn't stop staring at your gallery.. It makes me realize there is so much thats lacking from my art that I really want to improve on. I felt desperate to contact you, but wasn't sure if it would be rude. I wanted to try to ask you, how do you approach drawing? Do you structure it first, or start with a gesture drawing? Focus on the form or perspective first? Etc My other question might seem strange, but I wanted to ask how do you hold your pencil? Ive learned that different pencil grips can drastically change the quality of someone's art. Thank you for your time. I'm sorry if my message is to long, or you don't want to respond back. I wanted to atleast try, but also let you know that your work has been very inspiring for me to keep trying.

I'm glad to answer your questions, it's seriously no problem. I wanna start by telling you how amazed I was when I checked your profile to see your work. I know you have a huge lack of confidence in it, but your art is genuinely beautiful, and frankly, looking at it, I found it hard to believe that you would be asking me for advice...from my perspective, you're way ahead of me. You're certainly better with color; you might notice I really only post sketches lol. I really don't want to dismiss or downplay your feelings about it, but I have to let you know how I felt looking at it. To me it seems like your brain is telling you your art isn't good enough when it very, very much is.

Anyway, enough gushing from me lol. On to your questions.

Usually when starting a drawing, I very loosely and lightly sketch the overall form of the pose I wanna do. Very rough basic shapes/forms to get everything in its right place before I start really drawing it with confident lines. Even then, all the lines are subject to change; nothing is sacred. To be honest tho, I usually mess up the proportions and have to fix them a bit lol. I try to sketch cleanly and concisely, meaning I try not to draw a lot of lines in a spot that could really be done with just one or two. I'm not super strict on that tho, at the end of the day while I try to draw efficiently, I also want to draw comfortably. So with something like a big circle for example, I'll draw that pretty sketchy. In terms of perspective, I'm trying to get better at it, but when considering how I want to use it in a drawing, it's part of the initial image or idea I have in my head, so I lay it out from the beginning. I do also draw structure lines on the face, just a simple cross to plan where the center of the face will be. Lately I've also tried taking more pictures of myself for pose reference and it works well.

Most of my practice comes from studying my favorite artists and trying to emulate the specific ways they structure their drawings. I should actually be doing dedicated practice sessions with that, but I digress. Recently I've been trying to practice from photos first thing in the morning, tho I'm finding it hard to commit to doing it daily. I just go on pinterest and find cool poses, then draw them, trying to get down the basic shapes and prominent features more than focusing on minute details. I've posted some of these practice sketches on here but there's a few more on my twitter if you wanna see what I'm talking about.

In terms of my pencil grip, I'm not sure...since I was little, I've always had an unusual grip. Looking it up, I guess it's like the "dynamic quadrupod" grip, but with my forefinger farther back. Really the most I try to do is draw less with my wrist and more with my forearm. Some say you should "draw from the shoulder", and that sounds right...I guess it's all about avoiding straining your wrist and getting carpal tunnel lol.

Anyway, I'm flattered that you would ask me for advice. To be honest, it makes me feel like I should have more confidence in my own art. And you should too! I can say that, objectively, your art is very good. I hope my advice was actually helpful and not generic stuff you've heard before lol. Good luck in your art journey.

[youwouldntlietopapa]

Betrayal Most Foul

(Also available on AO3 ) +18 MDNI Includes: 992 words, Papa III/Reader, Terzo/Reader, Domestic fluff, fluff, fighting, betrayal, spouse betrayal Notes: I'm gonna level with you. This is the dumbest thing I've ever written. I am very sorry.

____________________________________________________________

“Cara mia!”

You nearly jump out of your skin. Terzo wasn’t supposed to be back for another day. He certainly wasn’t ever supposed to know about this. You grab the covers and try to hide what you’ve done as if it were any use. “Terzo! You’re early!”

“Cara mia, I can’t believe this!” He says with such betrayal and hurt, you immediately feel sick.

“It’s not what it looks like!” It’s a weak defence and you’d surely give him a better one if you had it. But facts are facts. You know you deserve his scorn.

“What sort of fool do you take me for?” His face hardens, looking a little too much like his older brother. “You think Papa is blind!? And in my own bed!”

“No, Terzo! I’m sorry! It was a mistake! A stupid mistake!” But you know that scowl too well to think begging forgiveness will be enough. Terzo maybe the least serious of his brothers, but if you make the mistake of getting on his bad side, he is very quick to prove that he has earned his position of Papa.

“A mistake?” He snaps. “That is what you have to say to me? No, no, no, foul beast. You will explain!”

Lucifer save me… There’s no escaping his accusing glare, his mismatched eyes practically flaying you on the spot. “You were away so long, Terzo! Please! Try to understand! I have needs!”

He makes a disgusted noise and pulls himself up tall, looking down his nose at you. “So this is my fault, eh? Papa must go on tour and now it’s Papa’s fault that you betray him so? You think I would do this to you while I am away? As soon as Amore turns her back, I am betraying you so unforgivably?”

That is a step too far. You know your arrangement with him regarding tours. You’ve never said a word. You pull yourself up with indignation. “As if you’ve never! I know you! What you’re like! You’ll get what you like wherever you like, and do I complain?”

Terzo stares at you like you slapped him. “How dare-… I would never!”

“That’s not what Dew tells me.” You say a little smugly.

“He is the worst sort of liar!” He fires back.

“He’s not the only one I’ve heard it from!” You’re sure that anyone in the hallway can hear you, if not the whole Abbey. If anything is true about Terzo it’s that he is not a quiet fighter.

“You could have done this anywhere, but you chose in my own bed! This is to hurt me, no? I see how this is! You make a fool of Papa in his own bed and think he’ll never find out! Your little secret!” He yells as much with his hands as with his mouth.

“You are blowing this completely out of proportion, Terzo! It was just this one night!” You never intended for things to get so out of hand.

“Is that so?” He says coldly, sending a shiver down your spine. “Only tonight eh?”

“Only tonight, Terzo! That’s all!”

He walks over and grabs the bin, plucking out something with two fingers as if it might bite him. Turning back with a dark triumph burning in his eyes, he holds up his evidence from the garbage. “Then you explain these!”

Terzo lifts his hand, holding out the three other frozen pizza boxes that you’d meant to have put out with the trash before he got back.

“… shit.” You sigh and hang your head in shame.

“Amore, how could you!? You make all of Italy ashamed and you shame me! You buy this… this… shit and you bring it in here! Where I have to live! Knowing the space is forever tainted! Do you know what will happen if my fratelli find out about this?? I will never live this down!” He paces and curses in Italian so rapidly it’s hard to catch every word.

“Terzo… please… I’m so sorry. It will never happen again. I swear. On my life.” You step closer, gently catching his arm and looking at him with your biggest doe eyes. “Please. Punish me, Papa. I know I have been bad. But please… forgive me.”

He still looks disgusted, but it fades. Slowly. Until he huffs and pinches the bridge of his nose. “Amore, I taught you better than this, no? I take the time to teach you what real pizza is. Why do you do this to me?”

You stick out your bottom lip just a little. “I know Papa… but the real pizza makes me think of you. And then I am sad you’re not here to share it with.”

Finally his face softens and he sighs. “… I forgive you. But, only this once. And that all goes to the trash right now. No more of this. We find you something better for when I am away.” He narrows his eyes at you. “And there will be punishment.”

You take his hand in both of yours and softly kiss his knuckles. “Thank you, Papa.” When you look up at him however, your expression is suspicious. “Tell me the truth, I know you ate some unholy trash while you were away.”

His mouth curls up into an impish smile. “I see it on tiktok.”

You groan loudly. Nothing this man has ever said after those words has ever been good. “Papa, no…”

“You take the…” He flails for a second. “Hot pickle in a bag. And you wrap it in cotton candy.”

You yank your hand away like his hand is red hot. “Terzo, Satan below! Why!?”

“Dew dared me.” He shrugs. “It was not so bad.”

“You are getting punished for that one. That is disgusting! I think your tongue is broken!”

He grins wickedly, lifting you clean off the floor, tossing you onto the bed.

“I know a good way to find out.”

[quirkle2]

a boy and his bunny-owl-moth :)

[hotcoffeetransformation]

Jason swore loudly and had to resist the urge to throw his controller down, pissed that he kept dying cause of the game's stupid glitches (Also known as own mistakes). Still, he regained his composure, and smiled before saying

"Alright chat, we're gonna finish up this one and then we're gonna move on to another game. There should be a poll on top for what we do next"

Jason was a moderately successfully game streamer, averaging about 200 to 300 viewers a night, entirely based on his wit and skill. He knew for sure that they weren't coming for his looks, given his weedy, thin frame, overly pimpled face and large, nerdy glasses. Still, it was enough for him, and he was happy with the progress that he'd made.

As Jason got himself set up for the next game, he heard a shocking sound from above him. The victory theme from one of his favorite JRPGs was blaring through the speakers, and he came up, staring at the screen in shock. He knew what that sound meant. That meant someone had tipped him one thousand dollars, completely out of nowhere.

He looked in shock at the notification on the stream, seeing that it was from someone named JockBro69, with the simple message "Can't wait to get to know you better, cutie~"

Jason was completely stunned. Not only had someone actually redeemed the donation goal that he set as a joke (That being that whoever was stupid enough to tip 1000 dollars got to have a 15 minute private chat with him), it was also someone that he'd never seen in his chat before.

Thoroughly weirded out, but knowing that he had to honor his commitment, he sent the guy a quick private message.

"Dude, I don't know how to thank you enough! Guess I'll see ya pretty soon!"

With that, he sent the man his private zoom link, and said goodbye to the chat, who were still going wild over this turn of events, before pausing,the stream and hopping over to discord for the call.

Not two seconds after his stream stopped, he got a requested video call on discord from the guy, and he opened it up, giving a second for the video to load, but when it did, he was completely dumbfounded again. He was expecting the mysterious donator to be some fat, sweaty silicon valley nerd with too much and money on his hands, but instead what met him was possibly the hottest man he's ever seen, standing up and looking down at his webcam with a friendly expression.

"Fuck, bro! Its so good to finally fucking meet you, I've been such a big fan for a long time, and this is a really big deal for me~

The man had a deep, rumbling, pleasant voice, that shot straight down Jacob's spine and left him feeling strangely... inadequate. Like the fact that his voice wasn't as smooth or melodic as this guy's was his fault, and he should be ashamed of that fact. Still, this guy was pretty pleasant to look at, Jason had to admit. He wasn't gay, definitely not, but he could acknowledge when another guy simply looked good.

Jason scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, not entirely sure of what he should do or say. Still, this guy spent 1000 dollars on this meeting, so he had to try anyway.

"So, umm.... I see your username is jockbro69... What's your actual name thought? I don't think I've ever seen you in chat before..."

The other man actually laughed at this, before looking confused and saying

"What are you talking about bro? Its me, Ethan! I'm in your chat all the time! Man, I guess what they say about playing games so much is true, huh?"

At this statement, Jason actually went pale with shock. THIS was Ethan? This was the guy who's username used to be runningLink? Who was an active fan of the zelda series, constantly begged Jason to play them, and bemoaned the fact that no would date him? It just didn't seem right...

Still, Jason, ever the semi professional, continued on, pretending that he wasn't shocked at the news.

"Well, thanks for supporting me so much! Seriously, this means a lot to me... Ummm... so I guess tell me some of your favorite things about the channel then!"

The man laughed again, the sound coming out in a slow, dumb chuckle, before saying

"What's my favorite thing? Do I even have to say, bro? Its the amazing piece of eye candy I'm looking at right now. You're super hot, bro~"

At this, Jason was shocked, but he chuckled awkwardly while blushing, and said

"Really? I don't think I've ever heard a single person say that before. I guess I consider myself slightly below average..."

The guy looked confused at that, before pressing on

"Really, bro? You look super hot to me, you got those bright, blinding blue eyes that you can just get lost in~"

At this point, Jason knew the man was just messing with him. His eyes have always, and will always be a dark, muddy brown, hidden behind his massive frames. Jason was about to respond, when Ethan continued

"Yeah, and you got that super stylish haircut too, really makes you look super masculine~"

Now Jason was REALLY confused. The guy was right, he did always get complements on his eyes, the bright, shocking blue visible and striking even through his huge glasses. But his hair was always a long, unkempt greasy mess.

"Ethan, are you sure you're okay, you're not just seeing things? Cause I don't know what you're talking about"

Ethan ignored the comment, just continuing to press on

"And you've got that hot, manly face, with your strong jaw and amazing profile"

Jason was confused again. Sure, his stylish haircut did help him look much better, but his face had always been pretty androgynous, with hints of baby fat still present in his cheeks. Again, before he could interrupt, Ethan continued,

"And you've got that smooth smooth skin, that hot stubble, that sexy smirk of yours. You're the full package bro~"

Jason laughed at this. Ethan was clearly being way too complementary. Sure his face had a great shape to it, with strong cheekbones and a square jaw, but his skin was still acne marked as hell, his smile was crooked and awkward, and he'd never been able to grow any facial hair, no matter how much he tried.

"I really have no idea what you're talking about Ethan. Sure I've got some good features, but the overall package isn't much to write home about~"

Ethan smirked again, his eyes lighting up with humor, as if he knew something I didn't.

"Nah, bro, you're underselling yourself. Plus, you've got that body~"

"What about my body? I think its pretty average, though I guess I'm a bit on the skinny side..."

Jason looked down at himself, trying to contemplate what Ethan meant. Sure, he'd been blessed with an attractive, manly face, but it didn't change the fact that his body was still below average at best.

"Again, bro! Putting yourself down. You really think those massive logs you have for arms are below average?"

Jason looked down at his skinny arms, and said

"More like logs than twigs man, seriously."

"And what about your legs? You've spent so long working on em, you've got thighs and glutes to kill for~"

Jason laughed again

"I dunno man! Most people say the exact opposite. They say I spend too much time on arms and not enough on my torso and legs. What can I say though? I love having big, beefy arms."

"Of course you do, bro? Who wouldn't? Especially when right in between em, you got your big, pillowy chest, your sexy abs, and your super toned back~"

Jason was seriously starting to wonder if Ethan was on something. Anyone could clearly see from first glance that Jason's body was badly proportioned, his arms and legs being massive from months to years of work, while he neglected his back, pecs and ab muscles. Still, he thought he looked pretty alright honestly.

"And I especially love how you're not only super sexy, you know it and flaunt it~ I don't think I've ever seen you once wear a shirt. The most you'll wear is a necklace, and even then, not like that covers anything, bro~ Only makes you look sexier"

Now here Jason had to disagree. He knew that he had cultivated and developed an amazing body over his years of going to the gym, but that was all for his own personal satisfaction. He never flaunted it unnecessarily, especially not during a stream.

"And I love the fact that you're such a fucking bro, bro. Every other word out of your mouth is bro and dude, you can't go even five minutes without flexing and thinking of fucking, or going to the gym, or hanging out with your other hot bros. We all know that your brain is basically only good for working out and looking hot. No smart's up there. And you've got your deep, sexy voice, too. Makes it even hotter that you're a gay bro, just like me"

Jason HAD to laugh at that. What the guy was saying was just so ridiculous.

"What the hell are you talking about? Look, I know that I like to show off my sexy body a lot, but that doesn't mean I'm some kind of dumb jock. And I'm definitely straight, dude. Don't know why you'd think I'm gay"

Ethan pressed on, completely unabashed by Jason's last comments.

"But you know the best fucking part, bro? Its that power of yours. The fact that any weak ass nerd who looks at you and your huge fucking muscles grows into a hot, dumb bro like us within seconds~"

Jason was busy flexing, staring at his own bicep in awe, as if he was shocked by him impressive he was. He looked up at Ethan blearily, saying

"Sorry, bro, what'd you say? I guess I got a bit fucking distracted. Huhuhu. But who could blame me~"

"Nah, it was nothing bro. You don't need to worry about it. Now should head back to the stream?"

Jason gasped in excitement, having forgotten entirely about the fact that there was a whole stream audience full of lame ass nerds, just ready for him to make as sexy as he and Ethan were.

"You got it bro~ This is gonna be so fucking hot~"

Jason left the call, going back to the stream and restarting, glad to see that a full 300 people were still watching, even through the extended break. The second he turned his camera on, he could see that people were confused for some reason, saying a stranger broke into his house. How stupid could these people be? How did they not recognize him? Still, not like it would matter for long...

"Hey bros! How're we all fucking doing? Welcomes to today's stream..."

He trailed off, looking blankly at the camera, before saying

"You know what? Fuck video games! Who needs them when you can do this~"

And as his pecs bounced and bounced hypnotically, the chat slowly transitioned from messages like "What the fuck is happening?" or "Who is this dumb jock?" to "Fuck, bro! Your pecs look so fucking hot today!" and "Huhuhu, I love making my pecs bounce like Jace's~"

And so the stream continued, Jace showing everyone all the amazing things his body could do, while anyone that was watching, whether they wanted to or not, began to copy him exactly. And as the stream went on, the viewer count rose, and rose, and rose...

[myafterlifeisbetterthenyours]

Dominante Imp S/O x Millie & Moxxie.

Meeting the boss.

(This is a continuation of my previous dominant imp x M&M.)

In the five or so months you'd been together youd gotten a very mixed idea of who there boss was. Millie painted him as a lovable goof who would push boundaries on the regular.

Moxxie on the other hand, spoke as though he was a pervert Stalker who had it out for him.

Of course you challenged both of them, asked where he'd been for the last five months of he were a stalker and why Moxxie hated him so much if he were a harmless goofball.

Moxxie tells you Blitzø had been unusually busy as of late, with both work and Stolas.

Which was lucky, because Moxxie wasn't sure how you'd react if you found a strange Imp in the apartment.

So instead they decide it would be better if you met him properly, instead of finding him hiding in your fridge.

So the next day they bring you along to the I.M.P offices. Both Millie and Moxxie had mixed feelings about this meeting.

They weren't sure how Blitzø would react, and then they weren't sure how you'd react to his reaction.

Making it to the office, the two gave you a series of warnings about how to approach the subject.

You dismissed there concerns, I mean you could easily take on six sinners at once without breaking a sweat. If Blitzø wanted to dance, youd dance.

So entering the office, you were met with the young hellhound'et that you instantly realised was the source of so much of Mixxie stress.

You swallowed a scowl before going up to greet her. 'You must be Loona. I've heard... a lot about you.'

Loona barely gave you a glance before going back to her phone. Millie came up besides you and asked if Blitzø was in yet.

Loona just gave a lazy nod towards a door to her right.

Millie thanked the hellhound before giving you a kiss and going to find him.

That seemed to get Loona's attention, looking at you she raised an eyebrow.

'Wondering what that was?' You asked nonchalantly. Loona glanced over the Moxxie and smirked. 'Oh yeah.'

Turning to her you smiled back, 'Well im not one to kiss and tell, but basically, for the past five or so months I've been the third partner in our little party.'

'No. Fucking. Way.' She said incredulously before bursting into laughter. 'So Moxxie really is a cuck.'

You instantly soured at her words before slaming your hands on her desk. 'Lets get something clear, young lady. Me, Moxxie and Millie are a couple, eh, I mean triad. We are in a relationship, alright.'

Reaching into your coat you pulled out a long yellow envelope. 'Simply put, I'm going to be around frequently as of starting immediately. And from what I've heard you relish in making the lifes of others as hard as possible.' You waited a moment for Loonas reaching. The hellhound just kind of nodding her head.

'So in order to keep our relationship civil, I'm going to bribe you.' Loona perked up at that. 'Bribe me with what?' She asked, eyebrow raised.

'This' you told her, handing over the envelope.

Taking the envelope, she pulled out two pieces of paper. Her eyes bulged 'Holy shit are these-'

'F#ck you dad, tickets? Yes.' You cut in, Snatching them out of her hands. Twirling them around your fingers you told her 'Not just tickets, VIP tickets.' You held the tickest up, showing the Gold film over them.

The feminine hellhounds eyes growing to animated proportions.

'I was gonna take the pair out, but couldn't find an extra ticket. So there all yours. IF. You play nice. Do we have a deal?'

Loona thought for a long minute before reply. 'Fine. I'll try to play nice.'

'You do more then try.' You told her as you handed her the tickets.

Just as you let them go, the door to your left burst open.

'Alright where is this guy' the imp that you could only assume was Blitzø.

You stepped forward, Blitzø's attention falling on you. 'Okay, so Millie here says she wants to introduce me to someone important and I'm guessing that's you.'

Sticking your hand out you told him 'Yes I believe so. You must be Blitzø, ive heard... Interesting things about you.'

Blitzø took your hand, giving it a hearty shake. 'Well im a pretty interesting guy.'

You chuckled at that, before Millie came up behind you and wrapped her arms around your chest.

Going ridged you were about to turn around and ask what Millie was doing, when you felt someone grab your hand.

Looking to your right you found Moxxie holding your hand, an innocent little smile across his face.

You were about to ask him what he's doing when it strikes you. Looking over to Millie, you find her wearing a devious little smile. Looking back Moxxie you find him wearing a similar, if not slightly more anxious smile.

'Oh you little bastards, didn't want to make it too easy for me aye?' Millie whispered back in that sexy southern drawl, 'Nope.'

Chuckling you tell them 'You are gonna pay for this tonight.'

Looking back to Blitzø, I find a very confused Imp staring at me. 'Whats going on?' He asked, obviously suspicious.

'W-well, you see. For the last five months or so Me, Millie and Moxxie have kinda... sorta... been in a relationship.'

You leaned back a little, waiting for his reaction. It takes a minute before he screams 'What!'

You pull back, putting yourself between Blitzø and the pair.

Shrugged of the pairs touch, you repeated yourself. 'Me and your two employees are in a relationship.'

Blitzø balled his fists before slaming them the table. 'For fucks sake!' He screamed. 'Three years and this fucker lives out my fantasy.'

You look at the Imp unsure how to respond, but before you could you heard Moxxie speak up. 'Fantasy?' He asked behind you.

Blitzø chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. 'Well I mean, surely it's not a secret I've kinda had a thing for you guys for a while.'

'Eww' Loona muttered, looking up from her phone.

Turning around you were quickly pulled forward, Blitzø wrapping his arm around your neck.

'So tell me, Uuh, what was your name again?' He asked. '(Y/N)' you replied.

'Aah, yes of course. So (Y/N), tell me what's it like? ' you raised an eyebrow, unsure what he meant. 'What's what like?'

'You know, the two of them... in bed?' He wagged his eyebrows at the end. You instantly sobered up.

Pulling your arm off your shoulder you stepped away from him. 'Sorry buddy, but that's between me and the two of them.'

Blitzø blew it off, wrapping his arm around your shoulder again. 'Come on, just give me a few details. Tell me, Is Moxxie a total bottom or can he dom.'

At this point you were done with his antics and practically threw his arm off of you.

'Listen, I get it, Moxxie and Millie have both told me you don't really do "Boundries" but our relationship is just that, Ours. You wanna hang out at work or go out for drinks, no problem.'

You turned serious 'But in our home, unless your invited. I don't wanna see you there.'

Blitzø wore a smirk , a smirk Id seen a hundred times over. The cocky little shit was gonna test me.

'Really?' He asked, smirk growing. I chuckled back, 'Yeah, really.'

Turing to him you told him 'I get it, your a killer, assassin for hire i get really. You kill people for a living.' You slipped a hand into your pocket, 'But do you know what I do?'

Blitzø just shook his head. 'I'm a bouncer, ya know what that means.' You ask him.

'You bounce things?' He asked dripping with sarcasm. You gave a dry chuckle back before gripping the back of his neck.

'My job is to put smartasses like you in there place. There place being on the curb, missing a few teeth.'

Blitzø's smirk grew a little larger, a little anger in his eyes. And before you knew it, he swung at you. His left arm swung in a sloppy haymaker.

Of course you were to quick, and easily dodged it, only to return with a proper haymaker. Although your haymaker came with a shiny set of brass knuckles, courtesy of your right pocket.

Blitzø went down, with one punch, like a sack of rocks.

You stepped back, taking a look at the now unconscious Imp. You could see a large bruise beginning to form on the left side of his face.

Moxxie and Millie came up besides you, looking down at the Imp. 'Bout time someone knocked some sense into him.' Moxxie grumbled.

'Mox he's our boss!' Millie scolded her husband. 'No. He's right.' You cut in, 'play stupid games, win stupid prizes and your boss chose to play a very stupid game.'

It took about an hour before he woke up, still on the floor he released a long groan before sitting up.

You walked up to him, coffee in hand before squatting down and checking his cheek.

'Hey there champ, good nap?' You ask, feeling particularly smug.

Blitzø rubbed his face, groaning out 'You get the make and model on the that Truck that hit me.'

You chuckled, 'No I did not. But I'm sure it would be happy to come right on back, unless that is, you've learnt your lesson?'

Blitzø looked up at you, the implications of your words sinking in. His eyes shifted across the room, then onto you.

'Yeah' he said, nodding his head 'lesson learnt.' Handing him the coffee you helped him to his feet.

'Good boy.' You told him before calling Millie and Moxxie over.

Steering the two towards the door you turn to Blitzø and ask, 'Its alright if they take the day off, aye Boss?'

Blitzø just gave a weak little thumbs up before turning and heading for his office.

Turning back to the pair, you leaned into Moxxie's ear and whispered 'Now who do I need to punish for that little scheme back there.'

[lezziemanville]

Can you do a part 2 of Barbara and Melissa weekend away together pls I loved it

( Oh man I'm gonna regret this and it's probably not what you had in mind but ... )

Part 1 here

It takes a long time for Barbara to fall asleep. She reads a book with the bedside table lamp on and Melissa squints up at her. "Oh my god, how long do you read at night? The light is blinding."

"Oh, sorry. I've fallen really behind on this novel I was hoping to finish." Barbara places the bookmark back into the page she hasn't turned since beginning to read over an hour ago.

"You in a book club or something?" Melissa raises up a little, tucks the heel of her palm against her cheek and wrinkles her nose as she blinks against the light.

"Something like that," Barbara answers and reaches for the lamp, taking far too long to figure out how it turns off. Hotels make everything more difficult.

"What a mysterious answer." Melissa chuckles and Barbara can hear her laying back down against the pillow in the dark. " Hey, just in case I forget to mention it - thanks for letting me tag along."

Barbara smiles, is warmed by the gentleness of Melissa's voice against the pillow.

"I should be the one thanking you. I like coming to these conferences, but having you here makes it infinitely more enjoyable."

Barbara can feel Melissa pressing her cheek or forehead against her shoulder. It's not a gesture she expected.

"This is nice! I don't have a lot of girlfriends you know? I'm friends with a bunch of guys that like to watch sports and ride Harleys and talk about all the women they've probably never slept with." Melissa's hair brushes against her chin. "I just like being friends with you."

And that's it, isn't it? Melissa likes having a friend. A friend she can trust to be there for her in a platonic way, not someone who's silently pining after her or one who's inappropriately aroused at the sight of her. How has she become this person? How has she let herself fall into this sitcom proportioned predicament?

"Barbara?" Melissa asks in the dark, making her realize she's been so lost in her own thoughts she hasn't noticed if the other woman has said anything.

"Mmm?" Barbara asks, as though she's sleepy and may have nodded off.

"I don't know, you didn't say anything. I thought for a second that I weirded you out or was too touchy-feely or something."

"No, not at all. I love being your friend, you know that."

She can hear another rustle of sheets and pillows and she thinks for a second that Melissa is going to hug her. But the sound softens and falls away and in the moonlight, Barbara can see she's only turned away.

"Goodnight Melissa," she says after a few moments of silence.

"Goodnight." Melissa answers, and Barbara spends the next hours replaying the conversation in her head.

--

The next day is a series of lectures that the two attend, some together and some apart. There's a few that speak to second grade teachers that interest Melissa and several for just very young students, much more aligned with Barbara.

Barbara's not herself, not since the night before and she suspects Melissa's caught on when the redhead sits across from her at lunch.

"What's going on with you? You're barely touching your food." Melissa says the words around a mouthful of salad, gestures with her fork for emphasis.

"I don't know just a little tired."

"Nah that's not it," Melissa shakes her head, sets her fork down. "I know you Barbara, and I can tell something's wrong. Are you bothered that I'm here?"

"Of course not--"

"You've told me for years how much you love these conferences but ever since we came to this one, you just don't seem like yourself. I can't help but feel like the problem, but I have no idea why."

"It's not having you here, I've just been distracted."

"No shit, but why though?"

Melissa is staring at her expectantly and Barbara has known her colleague long enough to know that the woman isn't going to be placated. Melissa has her faults, as does everyone, but one thing she can't be accused of is being naive.

"I don't want to tell you what I'm thinking because it could change things between us."

"Okay now you're scaring me." Melissa says, but her gaze never falters. "I thought we were at a place in our relationship where you could talk to me. I tell you all kinds of things that probably make you think differently about me, but I say them. Because I thought I could trust you to be open with me back."

"I am open with you, but this is different." Barbara stares back now, feeling her own dander begin to rise.

They stare at each other in silence until finally, it's Melissa that looks away. "Alright, well, listen I'm just gonna head to the next lecture."

The redhead balls up the cloth napkin from her lap and drops it by her plate. She's standing when Barbara says, "Melissa--"

"I think it was a bad idea that I came. I get it, you know this is your thing. You probably want it to stay your thing and then I came in and took that away from you."

"Don't be ridiculous, I don't feel that way at all!" Barbara stands too, casts a glance around quickly to make sure no one's watching. It's the hotel bar and no one is within ear shot, most tables empty as the lectures continue in the conference rooms around them.

"I'm going to see if they have another room tonight. Maybe someone checked out, give you some space."

"I don't want space!" Barbara says firmly, the voice she's commanded students with in the past that have brought full rooms of chaos to dead silence in seconds. "I have feelings for you."

It's impulsive. She shouldn't have said it, regrets it immediately but it was drawn out of her. Melissa's face is as shocked as she'd expect.

"But before you say anything, I'm not going to risk our friendship over this. I just need a little time to think this through logically and to dial these emotions back. We've been under a lot of pressure lately with the end of the school year, and the pandemic, and God knows all else... and this is a momentary lapse in mental sanity."

"Barbara, I don't know what to --" Melissa starts but Barbara is collecting her bag, embarrassed by the admission.

"Nothing. We say nothing, and just move on from this. We're both late for lectures, can we just do what we came here to do?"

Melissa presses her lips together, brows worried and Barbara wants to turn back time to the car ride yesterday, or before then even. Back to months ago, when they truly were just friends, before Barbara let herself get carried away during too many budget brainstorming sessions with Melissa in her classroom.

Barbara leaves first, her nerves one edge and feeling more out of control than she has in years. Being a teacher for 20 years sets you in a kind of schedule that feels certain and unchanging. Falling in love with your best friend and co-worker when you're a married woman - well now that's another thing entirely.

The afternoon passes by quickly. Barbara can't remember a single word that was said in any of the lectures and when she gets back to the room, she finds Melissa already there, sitting on the bed drinking what looks like a glass of whiskey.

Taking a deep breath, Barbara sits down beside her, watches as Melissa drains the rest of the glass and sets it on the bedside table.

"I'm sorry, for earlier."

"You don't have to be sorry," Melissa says quietly. It doesn't make Barbara feel any better about any of it.

"I meant it what I said, I don't want to ruin our friendship. This thing I'm going through is a problem I have to deal with, not something we both do."

"Yeah but it kinda is my problem," Melissa says, turning her body to face Barbara. "After my husband cheated on me I hated the other woman. Couldn't understand how someone could be like that. Could break up a marriage like that..."

Barbara listens, watching the lines drawn across Melissa’s forehead.

"...and for the last two years, I've begun to understand it." Melissa's eyes find hers and set there. "Because if you'd ever shown any interest in me, I wouldn't have thought twice about your husband."

"Melissa --" Barbara can't believe what she's hearing, the weight both lifted by the admission and yet somehow heavy like an unsolvable problem.

"What do we do?" Melissa asks, and she genuinely looks like she needs an answer. "Because neither of us should feel this way."

Barbara doesn't trust herself to take Melissa's hand, to feel the warmth of her skin.

So they sit next to each other in silence in the dim afternoon light of the hotel room, their worlds upside down.

[bumblesimagines]

Green Thumb

Part 15

Request: Yes or No

Nebula and Tonys friendship was v cute and we deserved to see Tony be a dad to her. This feels v short so I'm sorry

~

"Maybe some company will do you good, (Y/N)." Natasha said softly, rubbing your arm. You stayed silent, staring at the table. Rhodes had offered you your old room back but you couldn't give him an answer. Your gaze shifted to the glass of water, brows furrowing when the water in the glass began to move. Natasha followed your gaze.

"I'm not doing that." You said softly, glancing at her. Steve entered the room, heading towards the exit.

"Something's coming." He called. Rhodes and Bruce quickly followed him out. You stood up, doing the same. You walked out onto the field, seeing Pepper staring up at a ship. You watched the woman set it down, looking back at you all. Steve ran forward, helping Tony off the ship. Pepper sobbed, running forward as well. You turned, walking back towards the facility.

"Great, the douchebag survived." You muttered, opening the door and sitting back down. You knew loss would come with trying to save the world but you didn't expect to lose everyone you loved. Clint and Natasha were still around but they were grieving as well.

"(Y/N), this is Carol Danvers, a friend of Fury." Natasha said as she entered the room. You turned to look at the blonde, giving a small nod. You watched as Rhodes pulled up images of everyone who had been lost to catch Tony up. Your gaze dropped onto the table when you saw your friends images appear.

"World governments are in pieces. He did.. He did exactly what he was planning to do. He wiped out.. 50 percent of all living creatures." Natasha explained, voices getting softer. You took in a shakey breath, sitting up and glancing at everyone. You made eye contact with Tony. He was skinny and weak but he held sadness in his eyes.

"Is Barton..?" Tony trailed off.

"Clint survived... Laura and the kids are gone." You told him, voice threatening to crack. Tony inhaled deeply, nodding.

"Where is Thanos? Where is he now?" Tony asked, looking at Steve. Steve frowned.

"We don't know. He just.. Opened a portal and walked through." Steve said, staring down at the floor. Tony hummed, turning to look at Thor.

"What's wrong with him?"

"He's pissed. He thinks he failed. Which, yeah he did but so did the rest of us." The talking raccoon, Rocket, said. You didn't have enough energy to question how a raccoon ended up in space, much less question how it could talk.

"Honestly, until this exact last second, I thought you were a build-a-bear." Tony said, looking at him.

"Maybe I am." Rocket muttered in a tired and defeated tone.

"Thanos has been missing for three weeks now. We've got nothing. Tony, you fought him."

"Who told you that? No, he wiped my face with a planet while the magician gave away the stone. That's what happened. There was no fight-"

"Okay, okay.. Did he give you any clues?" Steve asked. Tony blew some raspberries, shrugging. You sighed at his childish response.

"I had a vision. I didn't want to believe it.. Thought I was dreaming-"

"Tony, I need you to focus."

"-And I needed you. As in past tense. That trumps what you need. You know what I need?" Tony knocked over some glasses, standing up from his wheelchair. "I need to shave."

"Tony, Tony, stop." Rhodes approached him as Tony ripped off his IV needle.

"What we needed was a suit of armour around the world! Remember that? Whether it impacted our precious freedoms or not." Tony looked over everyone.

"Your project got Sokovia destroyed and ruined." You reminded him, finger running over the rim of the glass cup. Tony began stumbling as he argued with Steve, stumbling towards him. He ripped off the Arc reactor, putting it in Steve's hand before falling to the ground. He fainted afterwards so Rhodes and Steve got him to the medical unit.

"This is such a shitshow. I'm going home." You said, standing up and picking up the glass. Natasha turned towards you.

"Stay for a little longer-"

"For what? So I can be told nothing's gonna bring back by family? My best friends? I had nothing then I had something and now I have nothing again." You flinched when the cup shattered, pieces of glass and water landing on the ground. You sighed softly, taking the shards stuck in your skin out.

"Sorry. I'll clean this up." You mumbled, using your other hand to get the water off the floor. Carol blinked, watching in surprise. You opened one of the cabinets, pulling out the first aid kit. You turned your head when Carol stood beside you.

"Hey." You breathed out, running your hand under water to wash away some of the blood. Carol picked up the antibiotic cream, using a cotton ball to dab it onto your cuts. You didn't really feel like healing yourself.

"I'm sorry you lost so many people." She said quietly, picking up the bandages and wrapping them around your hand.

"Well, shit happens." You looked at your bandaged palm, sighing softly.

"I lost two best friends." Carol said, leaning against the counter.

"Nick and Monica, the daughter of a good friend." Carol looked at you, arms crossing.

"Sams' sister calls nonstop and I don't know what to tell her. She has two toddlers, both parents passed away, and she's a widow. How can I tell her that her older brother turned into dust and I couldn't do anything to save him? Dad and I can't even look at each other without noticing how empty the house feels. I wake up everyday hoping it was all a nightmare but then I don't hear Laura telling the kids to get up or Clint going on about teaching Lila archery." You looked away from her, eyes watering. Carol placed a gentle hand on your arm, giving it a light squeeze.

"You did what you could. What you have to do now is be there for the people who are still here. Your friends sister needs you. She needs someone familiar. Someone close to Sam and someone who was there in his last moments." Carol said, watching you.

"You'll never get back up if you keep knocking yourself down." She said softly. You let out a shakey sigh, nodding and sniffling. Carol offered you a napkin, patting your back before she walked away. You wiped away your tears and splashed some water on your face, patting your face dry. You turned and grabbed the broom and collector, taking care of the glass. You put the first aid kit away as Carol re-entered the room with Natasha and Steve following.

"Hey, we usually do things as a team here." Natasha said as Carol spun around to look at her.

"We realize up there is your territory but this is our fight too." Steve added.

"Do you even know where he is?" Rhodes asked, head tilting. Carol shrugged lightly.

"I know people who might."

"Don't bother." You looked at the blue android girl, Nebula.

"I can tell you where Thanos is." She revealed. The humans glanced at each other before gathering in the office to hear what she had to say. You leaned against the doorway, semi interested.

"Thanos spent a long time trying to perfect me. When he worked he talked about his great plan. Even disassembled I wanted to please him.. I'd ask where we would go once his plan was complete. His answer was always the same." Nebula turned her head to look at everyone. "To the garden."

"That's cute. Thanos has a retirement plan." Rhodes mumbled as Rocket climbed onto the table, making a hologram of Earth appear.

"When Thanos snapped his fingers, Earth became ground zero for ridiculously high cosmic proportions. Nobody's ever seen anything like it." Rocket said, making the hologram change to a different planet.

"Until two days ago on this planet." Rocket motioned to the planet shown. Nebula nodded, leaning forward.

"He used the stones again." Natasha whispered. Everyones attention shifted onto the planet.

"You can count me out. I have a therapy session soon." You called, turning around and walking down the steps.

"You go to therapy?" Rhodes asked, brows furrowing as he turned to face you.

"Yeah, it's called napping."

~~~~~~~~~~

You entered the house, taking in a deep breath. Neither you or Clint dared clean up the place. Everything was left exactly how it had been left after Thanos snapped his fingers. You entered the livingroom, gaze landing on the metal on the ground. You sighed softly, picking up the monitor. Clint had broken it. Clint not following the rules of his house arrest was probably the least of the governments problems. You tossed it onto the couch, walking to the kitchen and opening the fridge.

"Beer, beer, beer, leftovers, beer." You mumbled as you sorted through the fridge. You shut the fridge, looking at the drawings and pictures pinned to it with magnets. You swallowed, leaving the kitchen. You stepped over the Legos on the ground, going to the front door. You watched as Clint drew an arrow, shooting it at a target in the distance. All Clint did was practice. Probably to get his mind off things.

"Should I head into town for food?" You called out. Clint stayed silent so you took it as a no. You took out your phone, looking at the contact.

Sarah Wilson

You watched it ring, guilt creeping into your heart. You sighed, licking your lips and answering.

"Hello?"

"Oh, thank god! I've been trying to reach you for the past few weeks. I haven't heard anything yet about Sam and the others. How is Sam? Is he with you?"

"Sam.." You started, biting down on your lip as you shut your eyes. You let out a heavy sigh, taking a seat on the stairs.

"I should explain everything in person, Sarah. I'm not gonna make you wait until I get to Louisiana. Sam.. He, uh.. He didn't make it. I'm s-sorry." You sniffled, hearing a soft gasp leave Sarah.

"Oh, God.." She whispered.

"I-I'll stop by. I tell you everything but.. Sam.. Sam was a hero until the end." You said softly, hearing the kids in the background. You were relieved she wasn't completely alone.

"C-Could you just stay with me on the phone?" Sarah asked softly.

"Yeah, of course." You replied, answering her softly cry.

"What the hell am I gonna do now? Half the folks in town are gone and.." Sarah sniffled. You listened to her soft sniffles and sobs, sighing softly.

"I'm not gonna leave you, Sarah. Sam would have my head if I did." You smiled softly, hearing her chuckle.

"Thank you."

[yunho-es]

Member/s: Seonghwa (ATEEZ), Namjoon (BTS)

Genre: soft/angst

Warnings: swear words

Words: 2133

"May I take your order?"

"Chocolate croissant and orange juice, please." I say, handing back the breakfast card to the waitress. "Namjoon?"

The man in front of me lifts his look from his card. "I will have blueberry pancakes, please." he gives back his card and smiles politely at the waitress. She smiles back at us and leaves with our orders. "I heard your little boyfriend is in town." he coughs.

"Little baldie is here?" I reply calmy, ignoring the fact that he calls him my boyfriend. He laughs and slaps his hands at my words. I know his laugh is coming from his heart when he does that.

"Why baldie?"

"Since he became a little famous on YouTube with his singing he behaves like a kpop idol; dyeing his hair 3 times a month." I roll my eyes and look over at the kitchen door, waiting for my meal to come out.

"So... He's behaving like me?" Namjoon raises his eyebrow.

"You can make fun of me but at the end of the day you are the ones that will end up bald." I can't help myself so I start laughing and he joins. "Also, he's not my boyfriend."

"If we ask you, of course he isn't." the brown haired boy looks towards the kitchen door too, ignoring my suspicious look. Then he takes his phone and starts texting someone.

"What do you mean if you ask me? Who else do you ask?" I know who, but I want to hear the words from someone else so I can be sure. But Namjoon pretends he doesn't hear me and continues to type on his phone. I look down on his screen trying to read the person's name. "Typing on the phone while you're with someone is considered rude, in case you didn't know."

I lean back in my chair and watch his face, waiting for a reaction. But he doesn't move anything except his fingers. Finally, I saw the waitress coming towards our table.

"I swear I'm gonna eat all your pancakes." he smirks and leaves his phone.

"If you do that, it will be your last meal." he says with a wink. The waitress put he croissants and orange juice in front of me, then the pancakes with a glass of water in front of Namjoon. Just as she was about to leave, he stops her. "One medium vegetable omelette and sausages too, please. Thank you."

I give him a confused look. "Don't you have to watch what you eat?" he looks at his pancakes, then at me, then back at his pancakes.

"What are you talking about? I am watching what I eat." he proceeds to stare at his plate. "And it looks delicious." as soon as he said that he stuffed his mouth with the blueberries first, then pancakes.

"You're so funny I forgot how to laugh. Sometimes I miss you when you have a busy schedule but I get tired of you real soon."

"Isn't she a delight?"

I turn around quickly as I feel a voice near my ear. "Holy sh*t!" I jump and the person laughs.

"Nice to see you again." the blonde haired boy said. Just two weeks ago he had blue hair and a different clothing style. "Hi, Namjoon."

"You made it! Unfortunately I'll have to go as soon as I finish this but you have your little girlfriend here." Seonghwa sits next to Namjoon on the opposite side of me and smiles. "You two enjoy. I ordered what you told me." so that is why Namjoon was on the phone the whole time.

The two of them start a small talk and I find myself staring at Seonghwa. His look changed, but his facial expressions and body language didn't. I know exactly how he reacts when he's surprised, angry, happy or sad. I know his eyes very well. Speaking of his eyes, I noticed him giving me a few quick glances. My boyfriend, says Namjoon. I can't wait to find out what that is about.

***

"Kids, it was nice seeing you, but Hoseok told me I have to leave soon to catch them on the bus." Namjoon takes his jacket and puts his sunglasses on. Then he does his little handshake with Seonghwa and hugs me. "Enjoy your meals!"

"How old do I have to be for you to stop calling me a kid?" the blonde boy complains.

"I don't know. All you can do is wait and find out." finally, he gets up and leaves the cafe. Now I'm left with one chocolate croissant, half glass of juice and a boyfriend. They say that based on your morning, that's how the rest of your day will be. Let's see.

"Hi." he speaks first. "I'm sorry I didn't ask if you were comfortable with me coming here. I know that you're not a big fan of me." I notice one of his movements when he's nervous: playing with his fingers and rings.

"Says who?" I can be rude towards him sometimes, roasting the h*ll out of him just to have a good laugh. But as time passes I realise that while I'm getting the laugher, he's getting the embarrassment and lower self-confidence. Today I will be the best I can. "Just because I make a few jokes sometimes that doesn't mean I can't stand you."

"I wouldn't say a few jokes..." he grabs the fork and starts picking the remaining vegetables on his plate, then continues. "Are you still working in the same place?"

I explain to him that our boss had a case in her family and gave all employees three days off. He nods his head at my words as a small sign that he understands. "What about you?" I finish the other croissant, together with the juice and lean back into my chair, ready to listen to him.

"I have a few days off too. Not because something happened to my boss, but because I accidentally set the studio on fire." he replies calmly. I stare at him wide eyed, waiting for him to laugh or at least say that he is joking. But when I see that he doesn't even look at me I realise he is serious.

"Even though I'm really curious about what happened, I have another question."

I decide to ask him about Namjoon's words. It is a joke, but there must be something that created it: a situation, or a person. Seonghwa finishes his plate as well and takes a sip of his water. Then I decide that we should rather take a walk. We've been too long in this place and I need fresh air. I will ask him about it outside.

***

It is a warm, sunny day, just like they said last night on TV. Seonghwa decided that a nearby park was a perfect place to sit and talk, and I agreed. So here we are, sitting on a wooden bench, listening to birds.

"Look, I wanted to ask you-"

"Namjoon told you, didn't he?" he interrupts me. As usually, he avoids to look at me and instead just looks around the park. I turn my body towards him, putting both of my legs on each side of the bench.

"He didn't tell me much. If you want, I can pretend that I don't know anything and you can say what you wanted instead of him." I try to speak as calm as I can. With his hands in his pockets and his lip under his teeth, he still refuses to look at me. I never saw how pretty his side profile is. He truly looks like an idol: with his clear skin, sharp jaw, almost perfect face proportions.

Finally, he sighs and turns his head towards me and catches me staring. "I think I have feelings for you." he goes straight to the point. My mouth suddenly gets dry and I try to think of my next words, but when he sees that I'm trying to speak, he puts his hand up as a sign to stop. "Let me finish. Believe me when I say that I have no clue when this started, and how it started. You always made fun of me and my dreams, but I laughed with you. You always refused to go out with me anywhere, and when you did go out with me, suddenly a third person would join. In case you didn't notice, I found a job in a studio on the other side of the city, just to be far from you. That way I could help both of us, but it didn't work. I still have no f*cking idea how I fell for a person like you, but I'm-"

"A person like me?" I raise my eyebrow. "What is that supposed to mean?" the blonde haired boy laughs at my words, making me even angrier.

"From all of the things I said, that's what you decide to ask me? Yes, a person like you. A mean person. A person that would embarrass anyone just to give the crowd a good laugh, even if it meant breaking the person. You know what? Forget it. I'm going back to the hole which I came from and I'll continue working hard on my stupid and impossible dreams, as you say. I don't even know what I expected from you." with those words, he gets up from the bench, not giving me a single look. Then he starts walking away. It takes me a few moments to replay all of his words in my head, and I get mad at myself for getting mad at him. He has every right to be like this, but one thing I still can't understand.

"Hey, idiot!" I slap myself mentally. Was it hard to call him by his name? It stayed as a habit, I guess. As expected, Seonghwa doesn't turn around, so I'm forced to run towards him. I grab his arm and stand in front of him, thinking of my next words. A sorry is all I can say. His gaze is killing me. From the look on his face I can see that he is remembering all the moments I let him down. I've never felt more ashamed and bad. He laughs sarcastically again and keeps walking. "No, please! You have no idea how sorry I am. All I wanted was to fit in I didn't even think about-"

"That's the thing. You didn't even think." he interrupts me for the second time today. "I hope you feel at least a little bit like I felt most of the time."

He's trying to look angry, but every few seconds his gaze softens. I used a boy with dreams to impress people I didn't even know. As a result, I broke him.

"But still, my mind and my heart are so tired and broken that I still wish to grab you and kiss you right here, hoping that you won't push me away." the words leave his mouth as a soft whisper. My hand is still holding his arm and I can't seem to let go.

All the words he said to me made me see him in a different light. I always saw him as that guy with good grades, but too big dreams, as the guy who could take all the jokes and even make jokes about himself. But right now, in front of me stood a grown up man, confessing everything so bravely. And his wish became true; I did feel a bit like he did. Humiliated and ashamed, but ashamed of my behaviour, not my dreams.

As we stood like that in the middle of the park, I didn't notice that he closed the gap between our bodies and gently removed my hand from his arm. "I really want to kiss you." he admits and waits for a response.

"How can you kiss a person like me?" my eyes are slowly starting to get teary as I keep replaying all his words in my head. He doesn't respond to that. Instead, he grabs my face gently with both his hands and presses his soft lips on mine. I close my eyes with a sigh and allow myself to return every kiss he gives me. I melt into his touch and find myself asking for more. After a few very short kisses, he pulls away.

"How can I not kiss a person like you?" he smiles. "You did make me feel miserable, but that didn't stop me for developing feelings for you. And I always believe in second chances when it comes to people. So please use it well."

[gabriel-agreste-has-no-rights]

Rating: G

Summary:  An offhand curiosity leads to Ladybug and Chat Noir riding his baton up as high as it can go. Or, as high as it can go before they get distracted. (It's just nerves about the height that has Ladybug's stomach in knots, she swears.) Ladynoir oneshot for @lovesquarefluffweek, dedicated to @rosekasa who made me a ladynoir stan

Word Count: 3511

XXX

Marinette rested her hands on her hips, watching in amusement as her partner finished wedging his staff in the crack in the dilapidated rooftop.

“This is a horrible idea,” she said idly.

His tongue stuck out as he tried wiggling the stick, ensuring that it was secured fast.  “Come on, Bugaboo, none of your ideas have ever been horrible.”

Strictly speaking, this wasn’t her idea. She’d only wondered how far Chat’s baron could extend, if its length was as infinite as her yo-yo’s string.  It was her ridiculous, adrenaline-junkie partner who wanted to ride the baton up as far as it could go.  

Not that it was that dangerous, really.  They’d done it a few times to scout for some akuma or another during attacks.  Besides, it would be nice to see the city from such a height without a threat looming over them—or below them.

“It wasn’t an idea. It was a question,” she still said on principle. “I didn’t think you were actually going to test it.”  

He rested his chin on the top of the baton and grinned.  “How long have you known me? I’m not majoring in Physics for nothing.” 

“You’re not majoring in Physics.”  She leaned in to flick his nose, which only made him grin wider.  “Not for another two months, and not ever if you become a pancake by pulling some stupid stunt before then.”  

“How could I hurt myself?  I’ll have my amazing partner right there to catch me if I fall.”  He winked.

Her stomach twisted like pretzel dough—from nerves about the height, that was all.

“Don’t go treating me like a parachute, kitty.  I’ll be more likely to rip my arm out of its socket if I have to yo-yo us out of this.”  

Or she’d have to use Lucky Charm and hope for an actual parachute, but it probably wouldn’t come to that.  Silly as her kitty could be, he never let her down when it mattered.

“Don’t worry.  I’ll be extra careful, I Pawmise.”  He crossed his heart with one claw, still grinning like he was already on top of the world.  

Ridiculous or not, this idea was worth it just to see him so excited.  He’d been bouncing all night since she’d agreed.  

“You’d better,” she warned, though her voice was warm.  

His grin reached Cheshire proportions as he wrapped one arm securely around the metal staff and extended the other to her.  “One catapult, going up.”

“Oh no.”  She laughed.  “Points for the pun, but please don’t tell me you’re going to launch us.” 

“I already said I’ll be careful.  Don’t tell me the fearless Ladybug is actually scared?”

“Pffff, you wish.  You just want me to hold on tighter.”  Her fingers threaded through his teasingly before slipping out just as he tried to kiss her knuckles.  

His lips pursed in a pout.  “You know me too well, my Lady.  ...But seriously, please hold on. I know you can catch yourself if you have to, but I’d really rather not drop you in the first place.”

“That makes two of us.”

She wrapped one arm around his waist and secured the other at his shoulder.  His feet lifted off the ground to brace against the staff, leaving his thigh as a comfortable seat.  

Enjoying this, huh?  She almost expected him to tease as she snuggled closer—because she did want to be safe.  It was almost disappointing when he neglected to quip though.  Maybe she wasn’t clinging tightly enough after all.

“So high do you think we’ll go?”  He asked, holding her by the waist as she finished getting settled.  “Think we’ll be dodging planes tonight?”

“I doubt it.  Even if we technically could go that high, we shouldn’t.  It’ll be freezing up there.”  

“What, afraid I won’t be able to keep you warm?”  He teased with a gentle nuzzle to the size of her head.

Had it always been this difficult to keep from leaning into his touch?  Not that she couldn’t, but, well—if she gave into his jokes, he’d have no reason to continue.

“Why don’t you just focus on getting us up there at all.”  She kept her voice flat, hiding any trace of that brief thought.

“Whatever you say, Bugaboo.”

For all his earlier joking, their ascent started fairly slow, more like an elevator than a catapult.  It gave her plenty of time to take in the sights below—the warm lights flickering from windows, divided by the dark swath of the Seine.  Streets radiating out from the Arc de Triomphe like spokes on a wheel, cars inching their way down them like little lightningbugs.  And of course, the Eiffel Tower, sparkling in the distance, a homing beacon that never failed to bring a smile to her lips.

Paris.  Their city.

“Pretty amazing, huh,” Chat breathed beside her. With their arms around each other and the glittering lights below, it was easy to pretend they were rulers surveying their kingdom.

...Chat had must have been calling Marinette Princess too much.  Or else his My Lady’s were going to her head.

Royal daydreams or not, though, there was no one she’d rather have beside her—no one else she could have beside her. And not just because it was his baton that held them aloft, his embrace that made her feel as secure as if she stood on solid ground.  She would have been crushed under the weight of her superhero mantle if he weren’t there to share it.  Staring down at just how many people depended on them, it was impossible to forget that.

“Does it ever feel like too much?”  She whispered the doubt that had been nagging at her more and more lately. She tried to stay strong for the team’s morale, but when it was just her partner and the hushed sky, her necessary barriers wore thin.  

“Does what feel like too much?”  He replied just as quietly.  His face turned to hers, emerald irises glinting in the moonlight, closer than she’d prepared herself to handle.

The pretzel twist in her stomach made a reappearance, but she was hardly thinking about the height.

“You know.  All of this.”  She couldn’t let go to gesture to the glowing city beneath them, but he seemed to understand anyway.  “We’re the only ones standing between all of them and two adult supervillains. And even after all these years, we still haven’t found them.”

Her voice cracked a little on that last sentence. The uncomfortable truth they’d been dancing around for the last few months—longer, really, but it became more and more urgent as lycee ended and they prepared to go to University. Most of their team of miraculous wielders (not Chat, of course) would be leaving Paris. This was the last summer they would be together, and the last summer they could be kids, only they hadn’t really been kids for four years now thanks to Hawkmoth and Mayura—

And maybe that was why she agreed to this crazy idea.  Because they were kids, dang it, and she deserved to do something silly and dumb with the one person she trusted more than anyone in the world.  She wanted to spend time with him outside of taking down Hawkmoth’s villain of the day.  She wanted them to just be together.

Wait.  Not together, together—just, like, as friends.  Who could spend time together without wearing magical suits and masks.  She wanted to sew them matching shirts, and text him cat memes at two a.m., and kick his butt at video games.  Which she could do as Marinette, but—she wanted him to know it was her, too.

The sheer force of that longing took her by surprise, and only multiplied her hatred for Hawkmoth a hundredfold.

“Hey, Little Bug,” Chat said softly.  His arm tightening around her dissolved the complicated web of her thoughts.  “We’re going to find him.  And it’s not just us anymore.  Pegasus is analyzing all the data Rena’s collected, remember?  And we’ve got her and Carapace alternating patrols with Ryuuko and Viperion.  We can even call in Queen Bee or Bunnyx or King Monkey if we need to.  We’ve never been closer to taking Hawkmoth down.”

He was right.  They weren’t alone.  They never would’ve survived the combined powers of Hawkmoth and Mayura if it weren’t for their team, especially since sentimonsters started regularly joining the fray two years ago.

Still, there was something about sitting with Chat among the pinprick stars that brought her back to before then.  When it was just the two of them against the world.

Was it weird that she sometimes missed that?

“I know,” she murmured.  Her forehead leaned against his chest, where the steady thump-thump of his heart calmed her own.  “Sorry, Chat.  I shouldn’t worry.”

“I don’t think anyone could stop you from worrying.”  His chin rested on her head, his warmth and familiar scent cocooning her.  Roses and leather and cheese, juxtaposed in a way that was so uniquely him.  “I doubt Paris would still be standing if you didn’t worry.  But it’s going to be okay.  I promise.”

The rational part of her brain wanted to ask how he could say that.  The newspapers cried out against them at every mistake, at every day that drew them closer to the fifth anniversary of Hawkmoth’s appearance.

But the other part of her brain, the part that had worked in tandem with him long enough that trusting him was second nature, calmed at his reassurance.  

“Who knows,” he continued.  “Maybe we’ll kick Hawkmoth’s butt before summer ends, and then we can throw a party before everyone splits for University.  The whole team can show up.  We’ll get Multimouse to bring the pastries.  Carapace can blast us some sick tunes.  I’m sure Queen Bee can get us a venue…”

Marinette giggled at the thought of all the miraculous wielders, unmasked and just hanging out like normal friends, no more worries than what they were going to do in University.  Alix and Kim would probably (definitely) end up in some kind of competition, powered by their miraculouses or not.  Luka would serenade Kagami with his guitar instead of Viperion’s lyre.  Speaking of which, Marinette wondered if Adrien’s brief stint as Aspik would mean he would be there… and how he would get along with Chat Noir.  For some reason, she had a feeling it would be odd to see them together.

Regardless, it was a dream worth fighting for.  A dream worth hoping for.

“I’m sure Multimouse would love that,” she said, hiding her smirk against his collarbone.  By the time such a party could happen, Chat would know the truth about her dual identity, anyway.  “I know I would.”

“There’s only one thing that would make it better.”  Chat’s voice turned teasing.

“Oh, yeah? What’s that?”

He didn’t answer as they passed through a cloud, the dampness much colder and all around wetter than she was prepared for.  She shivered and sneezed, feeling her pigtails cling to the back of her neck.  Chat chuckled and brushed them aside.  His claws lingered for the briefest of moments on the sliver of skin between her suit and hairline.

“A private party,” he said softly.  “Just the two of us, before everyone else.”

She pulled back just enough to see his eyes again, intending to tease him about what kind of party he was asking for—but the sincerity and softness in his features stopped her short.

“Y-yeah?”

“Yeah.  So we can… I mean, I know I want…” he swallowed for a moment before quietly finishing, “I want you to be the first one to know who I am.”

They didn’t talk about revealing their identities often—mostly because she made it clear that they couldn’t, and she already thought about it enough without tempting either of them by saying it out loud.  He was Chat Noir, her partner and best friend, no matter who he was under the mask.

But maybe they should talk about it more, if he thought she would want anything else.

“Of course, Kitty.”  Carefully, since they were hundreds of kilometers in the air, she moved the arm at his waist to wrap around the back of his neck instead.  A few of his damp locks tickled her fingers even though the suit.  “I’ve always wanted you to be the first, too.”

His smile could’ve powered the whole city below.  “Then it’s settled. Pegasus finds Hawkbutt next week.  We storm the castle, Queen Bee Venoms him and Mayura, you rip their miraculouses off, we pound it, and we throw the biggest party Paris has ever seen.”

His optimism, if unrealistic, was contagious.  She felt the hope untangling knots in her chest as she laughed again.

“I should’ve left the planning to you, Chaton.  Maybe then we’d have beaten Hawkmoth already.”

“Nah, we all know you’re the brains of the operation, Bugaboo.  I’m just here to look pretty.”  He flipped his soggy hair, and his bangs hit his forehead with a fwap.  

She couldn’t help the laugh that burst from her.  “You’re such a dork.  I love you.”

He froze solid as one of Style Queen’s statues.  She half expected him to turn to gold, for his warmth to bleed out like the color currently draining from her face.

She said— 

She’d said she loved him.  

She’d said she loved him, and the words had come out as easy as breathing, as sure as the pounding of her heart.  How—why?  She didn’t love him, not like that, she couldn’t couldn’t she’d told herself that long ago—

But any denials caught in her lungs, trapped like the dark butterflies snared by her yo-yo.  Only when the words were fully purified were they released again.

“I—I love you,” she whispered.  

She hadn’t meant to say it once, much less twice—but with the repetition the truth of it snapped firmly into place.  She didn’t know when her kitty had snuck past her defenses, slipped past her blinding crush on Adrien, dodged all the logical reasons she had for not falling for him.  

But he had.

She loved Chat Noir.  Of course she did.

“You—but you—is there an akuma?”  He stammered, eyes wide and disbelieving.  She’d been turning down his off-and-on (mostly on) flirting for four years now; of course he wouldn’t assume she was serious.

“No, Kitty.”  Her laugh felt suffocating.  After all this time she’d been trying to confess to Adrien, and now, when her target was her Kitty, her mouth didn’t give her a choice.

Maybe that was for the best.  She would always have a special place in her heart for Adrien, but Chat—Chat was her home.  Her partner, her friend, her everything.  

The twisting in her stomach finally unwound, swelling into something that she could hardly contain.  His face was so close, his lips still parted from the three words she’d dropped on him.  It would be so easy to lean in and kiss the shock from his face, until he melted in her arms, until they both believed this was real.

But Chat had always respected her boundaries, and she would do the same for him.  Besides, what if he didn’t feel the same anymore, if his flirting was just habit?  And she’d just blurted out her feelings before even she realized them—what if she ruined the comfortable companionship they shared?

No.  No, she knew better than that.  Even if he didn’t feel the same, nothing could tear the two of them apart. 

“I know I’m late, but—if you still want me—”

“My Lady.”  She felt more than heard the tremor of emotion in his voice.  “I’ll always want you.  I always have.”

Was this real?  How had she gone from flirting with her partner to baring her heart to him?  The liquid moonlight washed aside her walls. His golden hair was spun silver in its glow, and her hands ran through it involuntarily.  She was lucky Chat had returned his grip to her waist, because otherwise she might have accidentally slipped off him.

As much as his words made her feel like she could fly, it was best not to test that theory.

“Thanks for waiting for me, Chaton.”  She rested her forehead against his, still shaking with the realization and love and longing and—how had she ignored this feeling?  How long had she wanted him to kiss her senseless before her mind would admit it?

It didn’t matter.  She knew now, and the electricity that sparked between them wouldn’t let her forget anytime soon.

“You know I’d wait forever for you.  I love you.”  His breath fanned across her cheeks, soft and hot and everything she hoped his lips would be.  “I love you so so much, Ladybug, I—”

He might be willing to wait forever, but she wasn’t.  Her lips consumed whatever it was he was going to say next— 

And all she knew was that he tasted like coming home.

He matched her passion with a surprising sweetness.  It wasn’t the intense kiss she was expecting, but maybe that was for the best.  He was the only thing keeping them from plummeting to the ground far below, and distracting him probably wasn’t the best idea, but frankly after that first touch of lips she was so gone they could’ve fallen and she wouldn’t have noticed— 

He yelped against her mouth.  Had she done something wrong?  She hadn’t kissed a boy since Luka two years ago, but she couldn’t be that bad— 

Oh.  She hadn’t noticed.

Gravity really wasn’t supposed to be tugging in that direction.  And the wind wasn’t supposed to be blowing up.

And Chat’s baton wasn’t supposed to be slipping through his fingers.

Gah!  She barely had time to think as his arms tightened around her middle so he was hugging her from below.  What was he thinking?  Did he expect to cushion her fall?

Jolting out of oh-my-gosh-I’m-kissing-Chat mode, she threw her yo-yo from her hip and lassoed the still-upright baton.  Only miraculous magic could be holding it steady, especially when she yanked them towards it—

And in a jumble of limbs and string, she promptly tangled them against the metal length.

She heard a sharp crack, followed by a dizzy groan. 

“Chat, oh my gosh, are you okay?” The world was still spinning; she couldn’t turn to see him. Mostly because her back was pressed flush against his chest.

“Purrfectly fine, my Lady.” His laugh sounded near her ear. “I always knew you’d sweep me off my feet.”

She rolled her eyes, unsure if she wanted to laugh or groan.  She was so stupid.  Making out with Chat with nothing but a pole holding them up?  Yes, that sounded like something from her romantic fantasies (which she wasn’t supposed to have with him, but—shh), but she should’ve known better in real life!

“You’re never going to let me live this down, are you?” She muttered.

He hummed thoughtfully. That sound should not have made her shiver, she was just—it was just cold. Even though his body was hot against her back.

Yeah, she wasn’t kidding anyone.

“I could be purrsuaded to forget,” he said to her surprise.

“Oh, yeah?” 

“Mm-hmm.” His chin rested on her shoulder. “For the low price of fifty more kisses.”

“Fifty?” She choked, face heating. Fifty brushes of his lips on hers, of his laugh filling her lungs— “I—I don’t know. Actually, you’re the one who let go of the staff. I might’ve kissed you first, but you’re the one who should be getting teased.”

“Fair enough. A hundred kisses, then. Fifty for me to forget, and fifty for you to forgive me for dropping you.”

“Bold words from a guy who couldn’t even handle kissing me once.” She would’ve flicked his bell if her arms weren’t trapped over his around her middle.

“Ah, it just means I need more practice!”

She twisted her head just enough to stick her tongue out at him. “You won’t get any practice if you don’t get us down from here.”

“Oh. Uh. About that… I can’t reach the button.” He laughed awkwardly. “You mind untangling us?”

The magical properties of her yo-yo meant she could still retract the string even tangled as it was, but it would take a minute to lasso them back to the baton properly this time.

“Only if you don’t mind falling again.” 

“For you? Never,” he said with a quick kiss to her cheek.

She shook her head.  She refused to be distracted by him this time, even if his smell was everywhere, more dizzying than their brief fall through the clouds.

“You’re such a dork.”

“But you love me,” he practically sang.

Despite the fact that they were hanging in an awkward position hundreds of meters in the air, her nerves vanished completely.

“Yeah, Kitty. I do.”

(That truth was far more important than learning how far Chat’s baton could extend, anyway.)

[And then next week they beat hawkbutt and ship him and nathalie off to jail and everyone in the whole team comforts Adrien and he and marinette live happily ever after with a hamster]

[dontreadthistrashgarbage]

G O T 7 PT.8

Guerin had found a dog friendly bar and currently sat on the patio with Eneoji sipping at a beer as she waited for JB. Guerin had opted for an oversized black shirt with mesh shoulders and lime green biker shorts. A black lipstick perhaps gave her more of a dark energy than she usually managed to exude. She was leaned back, one leg tucked up under her as she listened to music through headphones with her eyes closed, petting her dog with her free hand. She felt her fluffy companion shift and stand suddenly, prompting Guerin to look up. JB had entered the patio area, raising his hand in greeting as their eyes met. She smiled, sitting up more and taking her headphones out.

"I took the liberty of getting started." She said half apologetically as she gestured at the table. His dark gray button up shirt was half tucked into beige slacks and per usual he seemed to have missed more buttons than necessary. She briefly wondered if she could ever get used to being in the presence of people like him and Jackson, they seemed to always suck the air out of the area.

"Sorry I'm late." He said, sitting in the chair next to her and Eneoji.

"Next round is on you." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Alright alright." He said, pouring them each shots of soju, handing her one. After their shot he refilled again and cracked his own beer, lounging back into his own chair, "I talked to BamBam about the rest of the video. We don't need more shots of Mihi but he'd like to get more film of us if you'd be okay with that."

Guerin inhaled and nodded. She wasn't thrilled about being on camera again but she had already committed this far. It would seem a shame to back out now. "Short of me falling into the river and drowning it's unlikely to end as poorly as last time." She laughed at he lame attempt of a joke.

"Sorry..." JB said awkwardly, unsure of how to react.

"It's fine. I'm sorry. It's not your fault. It's just been a weird day." She shook her head and focused her attention on Eneoji who leaned into her mom's chair for more attention.

"Ah..." JB started to say something else but he was interrupted by Guerin's phone ringing. Jackson was finally done with his schedule for the day and called as he had promised.

"Sorry JB, can you give me a minute?" She told Eneoji to stay and answered her phone, walking to the far end of the patio that was fortunately mostly empty, "Hi Jackson." She said, making an effort to sound more upbeat than she felt.

"Guerin, I'm so sorry it's late. Are you okay?" Jacksons voice and his obvious concern made her smile. He managed to give her some energy even speaking over the phone.

"I'm fine. I already told you. It's not a big deal." She reassured him.

"She really is just a friend. She works for my label and we see each other a lot." He explained further.

"Jackson, I believe you. It was just a hug. You're allowed to hug people." She smiled and turned, leaning against the railing. JB had been looking over at her and the two made eye contact. She grinned, pointing at her phone and rolling her eyes. He nodded, looking a bit uncomfortable and took a sip of his beer as he looked away. Guerin was under no false pretense that he couldn't hear her side of the conversation but he must have felt a bit like he was eavesdropping.

"I shouldn't though, I just told you how I felt. I should be more reserved." He argued. Guerin frowned.

"That's silly. Platonic affection is fine between friends. I hug my friends too. This really is being blown out of proportion." She frowned, her momentary energy boost was ebbing away.

"Really? Who are you hugging?" Jackson asked. He seemed to be making an effort to not sound like he cared a lot but Guerin furrowed her brow at the question.

"My friends." She repeated, "Jackson I'm sorry to cut this short but I'm out with Eneoji and JB right now so I can't talk long. I just wanted to let you know it's fine." She started to head back to her seat.

"Wait, you're out with JB? Just the two of you?" Jackson sounded worried.

"No, Eneoji is with us too. And I dont think you're in a position to be upset by that." She said, suddenly annoyed with his double standard as she sank into her chair.

"You're right, I'm sorry. I'm having to apologize a lot today. Tell JB I said hi." Jackson corrected himself readily.

"Thank you Jackson. And I'll let him know. Have a good night." She felt a bit guilty for her comment but chose not to address it just yet and hung up after Jackson's farewell. "Sorry JB. Jackson says hi." She took a shot of soju not waiting for him. He leaned forward and automatically refilled it for her, holding up his so they could do the next one together.

"Sounds like that article did cause some problems." He mentioned it for the first time this night. Guerin had wondered if he was aware of everything. She shook her head, closing her eyes and furrowing her brow.

"Honestly it's not even the stupid hug that's the problem." She pinched the bridge of her nose.

"We don't have to talk about it." JB shrugged.

"That would be nice actually." Guerin was grateful. She had hoped the phone call would clear things up but instead she felt tired and conflicted.

"What were you listening to when I got here?" JB asked, ready with a new topic as though it had been planned. Guerin smiled in appreciation.

"HEET. I really do love their music. I'm so grateful I can work so closely with a group I can be a fan of." She gushed excitedly.

"Byoungjin worked really hard composing songs when I knew him." JB nodded with a smile.

"He and Tobio work together well. Both he and Minhwan had good things to say about you." JB's eyes flicked up to hers, "Well, all of you really. But he said you especially taught him a lot about music composition." She shrugged and broke eye contact, taking a sip of her drink.

"I should treat them to a meal sometime." JB said trying to disguise the act of fondness as something cool.

"You are so soft." She giggled into her beer.

"Soft? What does that mean?" JB raised his eyebrows, eyes widening slightly.

"It means despite you trying to be so cool all the time you're actually a cutie baby." She teased him.

His mouth dropped open as he feigned offense, "Ya." He started to protest through Guerins laughter. Their conversation stayed light for another beer and two bottles of soju. Guerin suggested they take Eneoji home and continue drinking from the garden on her rooftop. They stocked up on some drinks from the convenience store, and Guerin grabbed her bluetooth speaker from her apartment along with a blanket and two throw pillows. She and JB set up with their samoyed companion who was allowed free roam of the space.

"Are these your plants?" JB asked curiously at the odd mix of botanicals in pots and planters.

"No, I'm not good with plants besides the couple in my apartment. But everyone here adds their own and we all get to appreciate it." Guerin said, selecting a playlist and quietly starting music as JB poured each of them a somaek. Despite the duration they had been drinking Guerin was starting to teeter from tipsy to drunk, so she sipped this new drink more slowly. The two sat quietly enjoying the night and music, talking at random intervals but neither feeling pressured to keep a conversation going. Suddenly Jackson's song "Bullet to the Heart" came on and without speaking the tone changed.

"You know." Guerin said suddenly after the first verse, "The article and the hug really didn't bother me."

JB nodded slowly but didn't say anything as he waited to see if she wanted to continue.

"But I've been in such a weird mood all day. I've just been kind of tired and more irritable than usual. I couldn't figure out why. But I think it's just that I had to -deal- with it. I had to hear about it over and over again and keep assuring the same people over and over again that I was fine." She sighed, running her hands through her hair.

"I know everyone means well and they care but it also makes me feel strange for being unbothered. Like I have to justify to people why I'm okay with it." She stared at her somaek, avoiding eye contact with JB.

He waited a few moments before speaking, "A lot of times people say they're fine when they aren't." He saw her start to protest but held up his hand, "Not that you aren't! But that happens. You have a legitimate reason to be upset and if you aren't people might think you are just trying to avoid the problem." JB shrugged.

"A legitimate reason to be upset? It's a hug." She protested.

"A hug between a man and a woman." JB added in.

She scoffed and said in English, "So heteronormative." He raised an eyebrow at her and she shook her head, "I don't know the korean phrase. It just references the ridiculous idea that relationships between opposite sexes are the norm and dismisses same sex or other types of relationships." She shrugged.

He nodded but seemed at a loss, "Okay..."

"Later. It's a big topic." She shook her head feeling a pang of disappointment.

"All I mean is that in Korea it's normal for someone to be upset by a hug with someone else." JB picked his words carefully.

"Would you?" Guerin asked suddenly.

"Ah..." he struggled, "I think I would be..." he answered honestly. Guerin chewed the inside of her cheek thoughtfully, another pang of disappointment silencing her. They sat like that for a few moments before he spoke again.

"But I could work on it." He added with a thoughtful nod, "I've worked on a lot of things. I don't see why it couldn't be one more."

Guerin let a small smile escape. Maybe he was just paying lip service but in that moment she appreciated it. Throwing caution to the wind she downed her drink, deciding that was quite enough serious talk.

"Hey. This topic sucks." She said bluntly, "Let's do something else."

JB laughed, killed his drink off too and went along with her clunky subject change. They played games until they finished off the booze and decided to head downstairs. Eneoji perked up as they folded up the blankets and grabbed pillows.

Coming into her apartment she kicked off her shoes, "I'm hungry. You want some ramyeon?" She asked.

He did a double take and poorly hid an immature laugh.

"Stooooop." She laughed, hitting him playfully in the shoulder, "You're such a kid."

"Ya, I'm not a kid, I'm a man." He protested, turning to face her. JB knew how to turn on the sexy act which he utilized in full force, meeting her gaze with hooded eyes and biting his lip with a smirk.

She was speechless for a moment as it very obviously worked, her alcohol addled brain not allowing her the reaction time she needed to recover. She blinked furiously and licked her lips subconsciously, causing his gaze to flick down to her mouth. His expression became suddenly less playful as he stepped closer to her. She panicked, putting a hand on the center of his chest as her breath hitched in her throat.

"Y-you keep missing these buttons." She stammered, lifting her other hand and shakily doing up a couple more buttons on his shirt. He didn't move as she worked, watching her face and his playful smirk came back. She didn't make eye contact with him again, positive she wouldn't survive, "Only kids don't know how to button their shirts." She muttered in an unconvincing attempt to be playful again. She pulled away and headed into the kitchen, JB allowing some distance before a big grin spread across his face and he stuck his tongue out excitedly, winking at Eneoji who watched them, unimpressed, from the couch.

Charlie sleepily blinked her eyes open before sitting up blearily and looking around. It took her a moment to remember where she was until her eyes landed on her boyfriend laying next to her, just beginning to shift himself. He didn't seem to be wearing a shirt which she could appreciate even in her half awake state, but after a beat or two she also realized she wasn't wearing anything either. Just as Jinyoung opened his eyes she dropped back down, pulling her covers up over her.

"Mmm no..." he grumbled, his voice low and gravely from sleep. He reached across her body, pulling her against him as he nuzzled into her affectionately.

"No what?" She asked after clearing her throat.

"No hiding." He said simply, placing a kiss to her jawline.

Her urge to escape was diminished as soon as his arms went around her, but evaporated completely as he continued to be sweet and snuggly with her. Instead she turned in his arms to face him, cuddling up close and tangling her legs into his.

"Mmf. Better." He grunted with a self satisfied smirk, kissing her forehead again, "Good morning." Charlie couldn't imagine anything feeling better in that moment than their skin contact in that moment. Well, until she remembered the night prior. A blush crept onto her face and she tried to hide her smile by pressing her lips together tightly. Jinyoung also must have been having similar memories, but his body responded differently from just a blush. He not so subtly cleared his own throat and rolled onto his back, reaching to the nightstand for their phones, handing Charlie hers. She chose to allow him the distraction this time, but only because she remembered she hadn't checked to see Guerin's response.

Charlie was relieved to see her friends initial response, but that quickly turned to amused as hours later the messages had clearly become drunk texting. She giggled and covered her mouth. Jinyoung peered over her shoulder to see what made her laugh.

"Hey, this is private." She chastised him lightly, moving her phone and rolling away slightly.

"Jagiyaaaa." He pouted reaching for her to pull her toward him again, "I just want to see what's making you so happy." He rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Do you think being cute is going to get you what you want?" She teased him, trying to hide that yes, him being cute would get him everything he wanted.

"Maybe." He sulked, then suddenly snatched at her phone. She yelled and pulled it just out of his reach in time, causing the two to wrestle around in the bed playfully. He finally got his hands on her phone but it had timed out and was locked so he couldnt read it.

"Jagiiii." He whined, "What was funny?"

Charlie was distracted, as they had wrestled the blanket had come off them and she was now looking at Jinyoung in his full glory. She tried to regain her composure.

"It was just Guerin... drunk texting." She said sounding very not casual at all. Jinyoung noticed her distraction and feigned being offended, taking the blanket and pulling it across his body.

"Charlie." He scolded her, but she had seen his body begin to betray him again. This time she had other ideas and she sat up, pushing him the rest of the way down, pulling the blanket away and throwing her leg across him so she was straddling him. Jinyoung was legitimately surprised by the bold move, but he recovered quickly, smirking up at his girlfriend.

"I'll take my phone back now." She held out her hand.

He laughed, tucking his hands behind his head, looking up at her. He might be an excellent actor but Charlie could feel him under her and see the expression in his eyes change. "What if I say no?" He said, determined to keep up his act.

She moved her hips against him, causing him to break character as he blinked rapidly and bit his lip to keep from gasping. Now it was Charlie's turn to smirk. "I can be convincing."

Jinyoung licked his lips before he acted quickly. Holding her hips in place he sat up, shifting to keep her in his lap, he leaned forward and nipped at her neck, "Do your worst." He challenged her, hands holding her in place as he bucked up against her.

In their power play her phone lay lost and forgotten amidst the sheets as the couple managed to distract themselves.

Jackson came back into town with the same energy as when he left, a party. This time he had rented a private residence and hired caterers and bartenders to take care of his staff and friends. His new album had proven to be successful and his staff had worked hard so he wanted to show his appreciation. In addition he had invited his ex-trainee friends, including Byoungjin and Minhwan of HEET, along with their band members, as well as Guerin and Charlie.

"Hey drunky." Charlie said in English as she sauntered up to her friend by the pool in the backyard with a playful smirk.

"Hey... sex person." Guerin offered back laughing at her own inability to make a witty retort.

"Hey, you can't just assume things!" Charlie protested, looking around to make sure no one else was nearby.

"It was only an assumption until your blush and furtive stares confirmed it." Guerin said taking a sip from her drink.

"Are you seriously already drinking again?" Charlie asked incredulously to change the subject.

"Oh hell no. This is water. I'm still not recovered. I drank way too much last night. This old body doesn't recover like it used to." Guerin sighed. "Sorry about those drunk texts."

"Oh don't be. That was hilarious. I expect more in the future." Charlie laughed. "So did you and JB... did anything happen?"

"No, thank god." Guerin shook her head.

"Why would you be happy about that?" Charlie asked in disbelief.

"I do NOT want my first sexual encounter with JB to be while I'm wasted. That would be so sad." Guerin made the mistake of not picking her words carefully.

"Oh? Your first time? So you want to have multiple rounds?" Charlie's knowing grin looked a bit evil.

"Hey. Come on. I'm hung over, go easy on me." Guerin groaned in protest.

"Okay... but does that mean you're ready to give Jackson an answer?" Charlie asked more seriously. Guerin hesitated then nodded slowly. "Are you going to tell him tonight?"

"I'll have to if he asks. I told him I'd give him an answer when he returned, and I don't want to string him along." Guerin looked forlornly at her water then sighed, "Maybe I do need a drink."

The two were interrupted by the sliding glass door opening and an excited voice calling out, "Noona!" Looking up, Guerin spotted Seungbin of HEET, behind him the rest of the group including their manager Insu had all just arrived and were greeting others at the party.

"Baby boy!" Guerin cried out with a happy grin, holding her arms open. The adolescent boy bounded up to her and they hugged. She lifted the slightly taller boy and spun him around happily before setting him down and releasing him. The rest of HEET had started to follow their maknae out and Guerin introduced them to Charlie.

"I like your hair." Seungbin complimented Charlie with a sweet smile after he bowed in greeting. Charlie had already been smitten with the cute behavior exhibited by the boy so she couldn't help be a little extra moved by his compliment as she thanked him.

"Sorry we're late." Tobio said with his usual straight face.

"We came from practice, but it went a little longer than we thought." Minhwan added.

"Don't be silly, I'm sure everyone will be super stoked to see you!" Guerin waved their apology off. "You must have been working hard, have you eaten?"

"Insu bought us some snacks while we were practicing." Byoungjin said pragmatically.

"Snacks are not dinner." Guerin said reprovingly, "Come on let's get you boys some real food." Her brood followed her inside to the party, Insu falling behind looking concerned.

"She always feeds you so much." He said worried.

"It's okay hyung, it's just one night." Gabriel said with a big grin, patting their manager on the shoulder.

"We're on a break anyway. I'll make the team work it off tomorrow. Just enjoy the party hyung." Minhwan reassured him as they followed after.

JB arrived characteristically late to the party as well but with much less fanfare than a small group like HEET had. He located Jackson first and went up to greet and congratulate his friend. Jackson let out his trademark happy squeal when he saw his hyung and embraced him happily. JB grinned with his friends infectious mood and the two began catching up.

"Ya, punk!" An elevated voice drew their attention. JB and Jackson looked up to see Guerin with icing smeared on her cheek and, presumably the culprit, in a headlock under her arm, "You wanna go for a swim?" She scolded, unable to sound believably angry through her laughter. Charlie, Minhwan and Seungbin were laughing, Tobio had raised his eyebrows in surprise while Byoungjin shook his head disapprovingly and Insu looked worried. Guerin carted the cackling troublemaker outside, giving him a noogie on the way out. The others followed, offering apologies.

Jackson and JB exchanged glances and laughed, Jackson much more enthusiastically.

"She manages to cause trouble wherever she goes." JB commented drily.

Jackson nodded, his smile fading a bit, "Has she answered your confession yet?" He asked suddenly.

JB looked surprised and somewhat uncomfortable, before shaking his head, "You?"

"No. She said she'd tell me when I get back. I'm gonna ask her tonight." He looked serious, "I'm worried. She said she wasn't bothered by that news story but I think she is just saying that. She gets annoyed if I bring it up."

"Don't." JB said simply.

"Don't what?" Jackson asked, confused.

"Don't bring it up. If she tells you she's okay then believe her. Trust her word. If she has something to discuss she'll bring it up." He looked over at Jackson who was watching him with a strange expression, "What?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Nothing. You're right." Jackson said, shaking his head and sounding thoughtful. A sudden splash from outside interrupted them again. Charlie poked her head in as people had moved to the door to see what caused the commotion as more splashing and yelling could be heard.

"Um, are there some towels?" She asked struggling to speak through her laughter.

The rental property had fortunately been stocked with towels and bathrobes. Guerin, Gabriel and Seungbin had all rinsed off, bundled up and were sitting in the master bedroom with their wet clothes drip drying outside. Insu had left to get a change of clothes for the boys while Jinyoung had offered to drive Charlie to get clothes for Guerin.

Guerin was embarrassed, she knew it looked like she had been the one to cause the whole incident by threatening Gabriel when dragging him out. She hadn't actually intended to follow through and had even let him go. Unfortunately the youthful Seungbin got caught up in the comedy of it and snuck up on Gabriel to push him in. Double unfortunately, Gabriel responded by grabbing Seungbin to drag him along. Triple unfortunately Guerin had tried to grab the two of them, but had been off balance, somehow one of them had latched onto her thinking she was the other boy and down she went with them. The next few moments were a blur of laughter, splashing and yelling as she processed what had happened and how it would be perceived. Fortunately for her her phone was in a lifeproof case since she had accepted her life was a series of disasters, and the boys didn't have personal phones yet so there was no lasting damage.

Youngjae's loud laugh still rang in her ears. All she could think of to say was "It wasn't me." As she held up her hands defensively, prompting more laughter from the accommodating types in the crowd. Some had surely looking on in disapproval but there wasn't much she could do about that. She spotted JB and Jackson throwing their heads back and laughing at the sad picture of a shamed dripping grown ass woman and two boys. She couldn't help but laugh too.

Insu arrived after Minhwan had finished scolding the boys despite being one of the people who had laughed the loudest. Guerin had been spared since she was older, and perhaps he was afraid he might get a dose of the pool himself if he tested her.

Seungbin had apologized sincerely, worried about Guerin being upset, but she assured him she wasn't. Gabriel apologized less convincingly considering he still seemed to think the whole interaction had been quite fun, though he hadn't intended it to go that far. Tobio had checked on Guerin a few times to make sure she really was uninjured and not too cold. After their apologies the two boys left to change and everyone left Guerin on her own.

A soft knock sounded at the door. Thinking it was Charlie, Guerin called out, "Come in!"

Instead she saw Jackson poking his head in, covering his eyes with his hand as he said, "It's me!"

She laughed despite a worried pang in her stomach, "Jackson you can come in, I'm covered."

He closed the door behind him, peaked through his fingers, the let out a scandalized gasp seeing her in her robe and covering his face again. He dropped the act as she let out another laugh and threw a throw pillow at him. "Ya, careful getting physical, look what happened last time!" He chastised her.

"It wasn't me!" She protested again indignantly.

"I know, I know." He approached her and she was reminded of just how good looking he really was. She became uncharacteristically aware that she was in fact not wearing anything other the bathrobe and had to resist the urge to adjust it just to be sure. He moved one of the plush chairs closer to her and sat in it, resting his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward. He looked nervous but serious and Guerin had a sinking feeling she knew what was coming. She struggled to meet his gaze as he tried to maintain eye contact, "I don't want to pressure you. I was worried there might not be a time to talk one on one. I hoped maybe you had been considering us while I was gone. If not I wanted to say I can wait longer. Things got weird and maybe we can try while spending time together."

The corners of Guerin's lips twitched and she bit her lower lip. The beautiful man in front of her waited as patiently as he could in the few seconds before she found herself responding, "I don't need to think anymore." She said in a choked voice. She took a deep breath and Jackson visibly braced himself. She reached forward and took his hands affectionately, "You're so amazing, I'm happy you're in my life and spending time with you brings me joy. You're one of the kindest, most thoughtful, hard working people I've ever been blessed to know." He seemed to know what was coming and his expression made her choke up again, her eyes stung as they watered and she blinked rapidly to stem the threatening flow, "Ultimately I don't see us working out romantically. The worst part is that it's not a reflection on your character. I just think us together like that would clash. I hate it because I do like you so much Jackson, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I understand if you don't want to see me again, but I hope we can keep being friends if you can forgive me." Her tears began to fall seeing his crushed expression and watering eyes.

He sat for a moment before speaking, his already deep voice slightly more gravelly than usual, "And handsome."

"What?" She asked unable to piece together the context.

"You forgot to mention how handsome I am." He joked.

"Oh, stupid me." She put a hand to her head and rolled her teary eyes. "Super handsome. Ridiculously handsome. So handsome it should be illegal really." They both laughed through their pain and awkward encounter. She wanted to offer him a hug but wasn't sure if it was the right time.

A knock at the door halted further action and they let go of each others hands. Guerin wiped her face on the sleeves of her robe quickly before she answered, "Come in!" She said as Jackson stood and turned to the doorway.

Charlie poked her head in, not reacting as her eyes flicked to Jackson and then back to Guerin, before holding up a bag, "Some clothes!"

Guerin stood and walked over, "Thanks so much Charlie. Will you let Jinyoung know I said thanks as well?" Charlie nodded and dutifully disappeared from the doorway.

"I'll let you change." Jackson said, raising his hand in a small wave as he disappeared through the door. He didn't seem angry, but he did seem eager to part ways. She understood, and was partially relieved by the abrupt end herself. She focused instead on getting dressed and pulled the clothes out that Charlie had grabbed.

"Oh goddammit. I thanked that bitch too soon." She half groaned half laughed at the chosen ensemble.