#it’s just i’m really excited about this second chapter i’m posting tomorrow

[pimosworld]

The story of us chapter 5

Triple frontier boys x f!reader

Summary- Set before you and the boys are officially together and how you came to be.

Chapter summary- Frankie takes you flying and your relationship to new heights.

CW- 18+,MDNI, to avoid spoilers I will be posting a link for warnings. Link

WK-6k

Notes- See story Masterlist for full chapter notes. This chapter was so fun to write, my first time writing a solo Frankie. He starts off shy but quickly gains his confidence.

Not beta read

[Series Masterlist] [Main Masterlist]

Chapter V Flying without Falling

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11:54 pm

  Frankie can’t sleep as he lies awake staring at the ceiling fan. Every creak and noise the house makes has him on edge. He shouldn’t care this much but it’s starting to get under his skin and root itself deep somewhere he dare not explore. Before he can fully run away with his intrusive thoughts he hears the front door open and close. He breathes a sigh of relief knowing Benny actually came home after your date. 

  Maybe Santi was right,he shouldn’t be this jealous of his best friends going on a date. But jealousy doesn’t seem like the right word either, he wants to be included, he couldn’t possibly go on as a spectator if you decided to have a relationship. It’s entirely too late for all these thoughts and he’s getting way ahead of himself.

  He would call you normally when his thoughts ran wild. Why would now be any different? The only difference now is that he knows you’ll pick up. Over the last several months that certainly wasn’t the case. Before he can second guess himself he picks up his phone and calls you. 

  ****

You’re seated on your couch staring at the blank screen of the tv replaying the night in your head. You really should go wash your face and get some sleep but you can’t stop thinking about that kiss. You can’t stop thinking about everything he did for you. The feeling was so alien being treated as if you were a Disney princess. Ben was always sweet but this was a side of him you’ve never seen. You could definitely get used to it. 

  Incoming call Francisco

  “Hey Frankie, is everything okay?” Your voice is laced with concern at this late hour he’s calling.

  “Ugh…ya I’m sorry I called so late.” I just wanted to hear your voice. “I just needed to talk to you about something.”

  “Okay.” At midnight? You wait patiently for his response. 

  “So how was your date?” Jesus Francisco you just couldn’t help yourself. He thinks you're silent for a little too long, maybe he can just hang up and pretend this never happened.

  “It was really nice actually, but is that why you called?” You don’t want to give too many details, it just seems odd to talk about with him right now. 

  “No…I guess I should just spit it out. I got my license back and I start in a few days but I’m nervous.” He has to hold the phone away from his ear before he goes deaf at your excited squeal. 

  “Frankie, that's amazing, how come you didn’t tell us yesterday?” You can hear indistinct rustling on the other end. 

  “I didn’t think it was appropriate with everything going on…last night didn’t exactly scream tell everyone your good news.”

  “That’s sweet of you but I would’ve genuinely been excited with all the drama that went on. Life doesn’t revolve around me and my shitty dating life.” It kind of pains you that he put off such a happy announcement to not take attention off you. You know how hard he’s been working to get his license back and this means everything to him. Losing his license was like stripping his identity from him.

  “Listen hermosa, I know it’s last minute but I remember you saying you have tomorrow off…would you be willing to be my first passenger. I don’t want to be rusty in front of the clients on my first day.” He knows you know he’s full of shit. He is the most competent pilot and there’s no way he’s rusty. You’ve seen him in the deadliest situations somehow be cool, calm and collected. 

  “Of course Frankie, I would love to.” You’re certain he doesn’t need any practice but you decide to play along, it’s adorable when he’s nervous. 

  “Meet me at our house around noon and I’ll drive us to the site.” 

  “That sounds like a plan…you should get some sleep if you’re gonna be flying us safely tomorrow.” A little teasing goes a long way with him and you just can’t help yourself. 

  “Very funny, I’ll see you tomorrow Honey good night.” 

  “Goodnight Francisco.” 

  Sleep would not come easily for either of you that night. 

  ****

  Frankie’s not sure how much sleep he got last night, tossing and turning thinking about you. Trying not to think about how his life ended up the way it did. It was hard not to be in his head about his setbacks and inadequacies. He’s a grown man living with his two best friends. He should be able to afford a place on his own and be more independent, but he managed to fuck that up with this coke charge and losing his license.

  He really needed to relax and not let his thoughts run away with him. It wouldn’t be any help today. 

  He rolls out of bed suddenly more aware of every ache and pain in his body, it’s hard to say when he noticed himself getting older. He’s been ready for some time to settle down but had all but given up on finding something worthwhile.

  He pads down the hallway already hearing  the clanking of dishes and the strong smell of coffee.

He enters the kitchen to see the two fit shirtless blondes, one more thing to be insecure about. 

   “Mornin’ Fish.” Will looks up at him from his seat at the table. Frankie gives him a half smile as he slides into the seat across from him. 

  “Rough night?” You could say that 

  “Ya, didn’t sleep much. I was up worried about today.” 

  “What’s happening today?” Benny joins at the table sliding a cup of coffee to him. He scrubs a hand behind his neck deciding what approach to take with the news. 

  “Well I’m flying today. I got my license back.” Will looks up from his phone wide eyed as Benny jumps up nearly knocking the table over.

  “Holy shit man that’s amazing, why didn’t you say anything?” 

  “I was afraid it might not happen so I wanted to wait…I found out Friday and ugh Saturday didn’t seem like the right time to mention it.” Ben and Will exchange glances, neither of them needing to say why.

  “So you start today,what’s your schedule like?” Will stands from the table to refill his coffee.

  “No…I start tomorrow. I’m taking Honey up today to practice.” Lies 

  “Bullshit.” Ben leans back in his chair crossing his arms as Will tries to contain his laughter. Frankie mimics Ben's posture as he stares him down. 

  “You and I both know you don’t need practice.I do have to admit though, a helicopter is a nice move.”

  Frankie relaxes a little at the teasing Ben gives him. The younger man is obviously not bothered by it, he almost seems happy for him. 

  “We’ll Benjamin we can’t all have rock hard abs, some of us have to pull out other means of flattery.” 

  “Well Fish I’m happy for you and I hope you enjoy your date.�� There’s no tone of sarcasm or anything to suggest that he’s lying.

  Will stands there in awe and shock at the absurdity of it all. How could they possibly be this chill about dating the same woman let alone you?

  “Speaking of dates, how was yours?” He raises an eyebrow at him playfully. 

  “I know you’ve been dying to ask. It was great, we saw a movie and went to the diner for burgers and shakes and then I dropped her off at home.” He’s not sure if he should include the last part. The conversations have been going well so far. 

  “What a modern day romance and you even had her home by curfew.” Ben flips him off as he stands from the table. 

  “I was gonna let you off easy but since you want to tease, I did get a good night kiss.” Will grabs his chest in fake shock. 

  “Good for you bud.” Frankie pays him on the shoulder as he stands. He can’t help but grin thinking about what he heard when you were in the shower. A sudden burst of confidence flows through his veins. 

  “As much as I’d love to watch this sad pissing contest, we need to get to the gym Ben.” 

  “Alright coach.” He pulls Frankie into a hug before heading down the hallway. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” He calls out from over his shoulder. 

  Will just rolls his eyes as Frankie retreats back to his room on the opposite end of the house. 

  Maybe this could work out after all. 

  ****

  Here you are again, tossing clothes about your room undecided on what to wear. This is supposed to be a casual day with Frankie and you can’t seem to get your head on straight. Let’s not add to the fact that you can’t be late. 

  It’s a beautiful sunny day in Florida so you decide to throw on some jean shorts, your army tank top and some black slip on vans. There’s no time to overthink this as you run out to the door to head to their house. You left yourself enough time to stop and grab something for Frankie, you were technically celebrating getting his license back and you wanted to surprise him.

  You pull up to the pristine suburban home they all share, you know Will had every attention to detail to keep the Miller family home in great condition. You have a slight panic when you see that Ben's truck is still in the driveway, you weren’t quite ready to confront what it is you were doing. To be honest you weren’t entirely sure if you knew yourself. 

  Frankie sees you pull up, he’s been pacing around the living room unable to relax. The excited nervous energy coursing through his veins at the thought of flying again and seeing you. 

  You can see Frankie leaning in the doorway with his arms crossed, he has a well fitted black shirt and blue jeans with his signature cap on. He’s just smiling at you as you make your way up the path to their house. 

  “I’m not that late am I?” You’re swinging the small gift bag back and forth on your finger as you hold it out to him. 

  “No but I saw you pull up and got excited.” He’s practically beaming at you. The happiest you’ve seen him in a long time. “I hope whatever’s in that bag is not for me.”

  “You’ll just have to open it and find out.” He grabs the bag from you slowly peeking inside, a medium size black box reveals some brand new aviator sunglasses. 

  “You didn’t have to do this.” You can hear the slight quiver in his voice and you’re so happy with your choice. 

  “I’m getting a free tour in the sky, it’s the least I could do.” He pulls you into a tight hug and you inhale his fresh woodsy scent, you recognize it as the body wash you bought him because you insisted he stop using the 3in1 crap that Ben used. 

  You’re standing in the doorway, neither of you wanting to break the hug, you lightly scratch your nails as you rub his back and a low growl emits from his chest on your cheek. 

  “We need to go before I change my mind.” He grabs your hand and places a kiss on your fingers before turning around to lock up. 

  Ben must not be home, thankfully you can deal with that later and just enjoy your afternoon with the old Frankie who seems to be making an appearance. 

  Frankie jogs ahead of you when you head towards his truck to open the door, he already has his sunglasses on and you curse under your breath a little at the sight. You’ve inadvertently made this day even harder for yourself now that you have to try not to ogle him, but the way his muscles flex in his shirt and the way his jeans are fitting you find your resolve breaking little by little. 

  You hop in the front seat and just before he closes the door he stops and stares at you. “I forgot to tell you how good you look today.” Fuck you’re not gonna make it. 

  The ride to the airfield is mostly spent in comfortable silence as you both trade glances at each other, it was so easy with him to just be. No expectations or insecurities. You often wondered how women didn’t realize what a catch he was, you’re glad in this moment no one has stuck around long enough to see what a massive failure it was to let this man go. 

  ****

  You were making it so hard for him to focus as you made your way to the chopper he was using for the day. The army tank top and short shorts doing nothing to hide your curves. 

  He could tell you were carrying yourself differently than the other day. A part of him was grateful for your date with Benny that seemed to bring some peace to your otherwise chaotic weekend. 

  A helicopter used to bring the sight of hell for the both of you, going on missions unsure if you would make it out alive, but now the way you turn and smile at him, practically bouncing with excited energy he thinks it may be heaven. 

  “We’ll see if I remember how to fly one of these.” You can almost see the faint wink behind his aviators as he holds the door open for you and you climb into the comfy leather seat. He buckles you in tugging on the straps to make sure they’re secure. He’s desperately trying to keep this as professional as possible but he sees the way you’re looking at him and he just wants to lean in and kiss you. He tears himself away closing the door behind him before he loses all form of concentration. 

  You wanted him too, and he almost did but you know he needs to focus. Even though he’s flown much larger aircrafts than this countless times, he still doesn’t want to jeopardize his second chance at life. And if you’re correct about your assumption there would be plenty of time for that. 

  “You know I have strapped myself in a few times.” He’s focused on the task at hand but you can see him smirking as he flips to switches and waits for the all clear to take off. 

  “I know you have hermosa but I’m supposed to be practicing so just pretend you’re a passenger. 

  What is it with these boys and pretending? You’ll play along since it worked out in your benefit the last time.

  He hands you a headset before doing a final once over and you can feel that familiar drop in your stomach as you lift up. The thrum of the blades all you can hear at the moment. He always made it look so easy and he’s all but confirmed how little practice he actually needed. 

  Something about finally being in the sky again has his confidence soaring. He can feel it in his bones, the man he used to be trying to make an appearance. He’s trying to focus but he can’t stop looking at the way you smile when you see something you like. He misses seeing you like this, happy to be in the air. Although he doesn’t miss the reasons why you used to be in a helicopter.

  You’re trying to take in the sights, but you can’t help but stare at Frankie. The way he’s controlling this massive machine with ease. You can see it in the way he relaxes. His shoulders seem less tense. That smile you loved so much has returned without the slight underlying sadness. It’s intoxicating seeing him like this.

  “I missed seeing you in that seat next to me.” He glances over in enough time to notice you smile to yourself.

  You fly for a while just taking in the sight below, this was a version of your city you’ve never seen before and it’s truly mesmerizing. It breaks your heart knowing what he had to go through to get back to this place. Everyone has dealt with their demons in their own way. His demons almost took the most important things in his life away from him. 

  He doesn’t think he’s been this happy flying, seeing your face light up when you spot something you recognize or the fact that you so willingly agreed to come with him and make this day as special as possible. 

  “You’re pretty good with your hands Mr. Morales.” He raises an eyebrow at you wondering if the altitude has gone to your head. He needs to be safely on the ground if you’re going to call him that again.

  “I’m a pretend passenger, remember.”

  “My real passenger is an 80 year old man, I hope he doesn’t comment on how good I am with my hands.” You snort into the headset before erupting into full blown laughter and there it is again, that laugh that would bring any man to his knees.

  “You mean to tell me you’ve never flirted with a passenger?” He glances at you nervously playing with your straps over your chest as you look out below.

  “There was one time.” 

  “Well I hope it ended well for you.” You can see you’re almost back to the airfield and your heart drops a little at the day coming to an end.

  Let’s hope it does end well for me. 

  ****

  “So,what are your plans for the rest of the day?” He didn’t want to assume as he awaits your answer, suddenly so focused on the road as you make your way back to their house. 

  “I don’t have anything planned, I wasn’t sure if you had things you needed to take care of for tomorrow?” He looks a little confused and you can’t help but laugh at the deep crease in his brow. 

  “You know your first day back at work.” 

  “Oh, everything is all squared away. Although I was hoping you might want to stay a little while, I can make us lunch.” He sounds a little timid again but when you grab his hand not placed on the steering wheel and kiss his palm all his worries are washed away. 

  “I would say these hands have done enough today but I would be stupid if I said no to anything you cook.” He has other plans for you and his hands but he needs to focus on one thing at a time first lunch. 

  He already had a full plan for lunch that would’ve turned into Will and Bennys dinner if you decided not to stay. The conversation flowed easy as you both enjoyed grilled shrimp tacos and homemade ceviche. You hadn’t spent this much time together in months, it seemed you had a lot to catch up on. 

  You both confided in each other, it was so easy to talk about life and issues without being judged. The more Mike pulled you away left a gaping hole in both of your lives. You couldn’t possibly go back to that again. 

  Frankie’s washing the dishes, your plates having been completely cleared and has to stop what he’s doing at the sound of your obscenely loud yawn. He can’t help but laugh at your wide eyed expression, you obviously just as surprised by it as he was. 

  “I’m sorry, I’m just so content after that meal and honestly I got no sleep last night.” He dries his hands and makes his way over to you seated at the kitchen island. A mischievous glint in his eye. 

  “I have a bizarre request and you can say no if you want to. Seeing as though we both got zero sleep last night, do you want to take a nap?”

  “Yes!” You groan internally at your enthusiastic response. 

  He had a surge of confidence at your response as he got impossibly closer, stepping between your legs as he rubbed his hands up and down your thighs in a soothing motion. He leans in and you close your eyes bracing yourself for a kiss when you suddenly feel his lips brush your ear. 

  “Bed or couch?” You’re not certain you can breathe with the way his voice drops to a low register. His hands are like fire on your exposed thighs so close to where you want him to touch you. 

  “Couch?” It comes out in a breathy whisper as you attempt to clear your throat. “I think the couch is safer.” 

  He hasn’t so much as moved an inch and with his close proximity you’re afraid he can hear your heart beating out of your chest. 

  “Couch it is, but I’m not sure if it’s safer.” He takes your hand and guides you off the stool and it feels like you’re floating as you make your way to the living room. He sits in the corner, defaulting to his favorite spot despite having a choice of anywhere. He practically pulls you down with him as you settle in facing him with your head resting on his extended arm. Many a movie night you’ve fallen asleep in this exact position, but this feels different. 

  He pulls the blanket off the back of the couch to cover you as sleep already threatens to claim you. The sound of his steady heartbeat and the smell that you could only describe as him lulling you to sleep. 

  He doesn’t even think you realize you’re rubbing his back as you muzzle deeper into his chest, the feeling so domestic it makes his chest hurt a little. It’s like a knot that’s formed over time trying to loosen itself the further into sleep he goes. He only remembers the smell of your shampoo and your slow breaths before exhaustion takes him under. 

  ****

  The house is quiet…so quiet that he knows Ben and Will definitely aren’t home yet. The sun is still up but casting the orange hue that tells him it’s late in the afternoon. He doesn’t want to move too much because you’re still sleeping so peacefully. He is aware however that you have moved in your sleep, draping your leg over him like he’s a human body pillow. 

  Perhaps it’s a wicked Pavlovian response that his body betrays him in the moment as you're pinned against him. He’s growing harder in his jeans and every attempt to move you only causes you to stir further, involuntarily grinding your hips into him in a steady slow motion. 

  You’re having that dream again but this time it feels so real, too real as you feel the hard press of Frankie’s cock against your core. This time when you wake it’s not like a bucket of cold water being thrown on you. It’s softer, more intentional. 

  “Honey….honey?” It’s a little disorienting, but you can still smell him and see the light coming through the windows. You must not have slept for very long. You can feel his thumb tracing lines across your cheek and slowly register him saying your name. The sensation you were feeling in your dream hasn’t dissipated and you don’t dare look down as your haze begins to lift. 

  “I think you were having a dream.” His sleepy voice barely above a whisper. “You kept saying my name.” It seems you’re both in a predicament, him more so than you since he’s not actually in your head and you can feel evidently what’s pressed against you. 

  You hope maybe a change in subject will make him drop it or at the very least get the hint. It didn’t seem like the appropriate time to tell him that you can’t stop having sex dreams about your best friends. 

  “You know…you didn’t seem like you needed any practice today.” You shift on the couch to look up at him.

  “Maybe I told a little white lie.” He’s staring at you, a question hanging in the air of do you want this? He hasn’t moved his hand from your face as he slowly tilts it up further and leans in for a tender kiss. He’s been waiting all day, resisting the urge to kiss you the moment he opened his gift. 

  He’s waiting for you to pull away or say you don’t want this but that moment never comes as the soft kiss turns into a fight to get impossibly closer. His patience wore thin at the way you were saying his name in your sleep. Your hands are in his hair as he deepens this kiss, both of you trading moans in between breathing. He grips the thigh that’s slung over his hip as he pins you beneath him, the heavy comfortable weight of him grinding you into the couch. 

  You hate your brain for making you aware of your dry humping session being in the shared residence of the man you were also dating?

  “Wait…wait, I have a confession.” He stops suddenly hoping he hadn’t totally fucked this up by going to far. The moment feels like an eternity as he lets you catch your breath. 

  “I kissed Benny.” You’re bracing yourself for the moment he rolls off you and asks you to leave but he drops his head to your shoulder as he chuckles in your ear. 

  “Well just consider it even, since I’ve kissed Benny too.” Oh now he wants to make jokes. 

  “Yes I’m aware but it wasn’t less than 24 hours ago.” He raises an eyebrow at you and you silently curse yourself for assuming. “Unless it was…”

  “I’m just kidding, I had to mess with you a little.” You swat his chest playfully and breathe a sigh of relief. “Let’s just say Benny and I have come to a friendly agreement. 

  You’re not entirely sure what that means but you couldn’t care less as long as they know what’s going on even if you didn’t. 

  You try to pull him towards you again but he braces his right arm beside your head to stay upright, his left hand not having left your thigh throughout the interaction. 

  “I suppose if we’re being honest…I have a confession.” His tongue peeks out on his bottom lip as he mulls over how to approach, he has no idea how tempting it looks. 

  “I was going to wake you up yesterday but you were already in the shower.” Your throat is suddenly dry and your shoulders tense. “ I thought you were crying so I hesitated and then…I heard you say my name.” 

  There was no playing this off, not like your dream where he knew you were sleeping. This was perhaps the most mortified you’ve ever been. You wish you were anywhere but pinned under his literal and figurative gaze. 

  “I can explain.” No you can’t 

  “Tell me.” You try to move out from underneath him but he doesn’t budge. 

  “Frankie this isn’t fair.” 

  “No hermosa, you know what’s not fair.” His hand is slowly making its way up your thigh and your breathing is ragged. 

  “You had to take care of yourself when the hands you wanted to touch you were just on the other side of the door.” You don’t know when you lost control of the situation but here you are, stuck under him. He’s waiting for you to tell him to stop but your body has other plans and your lips won’t move.

  “Now tell me.” It’s not a question and this side of him has you faltering. 

  “Tell you what?” He leans down to kiss your lips but pulls away just as fast. 

  “What you were doing when you said my name.” He can’t be serious

  He’s searching your eyes for any sign you want this to stop but all he finds are your lust blown pupils. He decides upon seeing your excitement to try a different approach. 

  “Show me.” He waits to see if he made the right choice and you slowly move your hand from around his neck. No one has ever made you this nervous and excited at the same time. His confidence awakened something in you that you didn’t know existed. You slowly start to unbutton your shorts, never breaking eye contact. You can see his chest rising and falling, his resolve breaking a little spurring you on. 

  You dip your hand under the waistband of your lace panties, thanking yourself for being a little too optimistic about where the afternoon might lead. His eyes trail down your front as he battles with watching your face and watching where your hand has disappeared. He shifts to the side to give you room as you  slowly circle your clit with your middle finger. A small whimper escapes your lips and any embarrassment has been replaced with chasing this high. 

  You drag your finger through your slit as you dip a finger in trying to reach that spot at this awkward angle, you whine in frustration because your fingers aren’t enough with the way he’s been subtly working you up all afternoon. 

  He grabs your wrist and gently pulls your hand out of your shorts, you're wrapped in his every movement as he brings your fingers to his mouth to lick and suck every last drop from them. 

  “Let me show you.” His hands seem so much larger than yours as they make their way down your breast and across your abdomen, his trail painstakingly slow but you wouldn’t dare rush this moment. 

  He dips his hand into your shorts, dragging his fingers across your soft lace panties. “Frankie please…” You're hanging on by a thread and you need him to stop teasing you. 

  “You’re so sensitive, I’ve barely touched you.” You’re having deja because he’s said that before…or was that your dream. He dips one finger into your entrance as you arch your back. It’s too much and not enough as if he senses your frustration he plunges a second finger in slowly pumping in and out. 

  You drop your head onto the pillow as you softly moan his name. You can feel his cock grinding into your hip as he picks up the pace. He swallows your moans with his lips on yours. His name has never sounded sweeter than it does now as you chant his name. You’re ratcheted too tight as you feel the coil build, his fingers press down on the soft bundle of nerves and your toes curl in a blinding orgasm. You’re not sure when you gripped his hair like a lifeline as you slowly untangle your fingers while you come down from your high. 

  “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the way you said my name.” He’s placing soft kisses on your neck as he removes his hand, you’re suddenly feeling a little bold as you can feel how patient he was being. You palm his bulge through his jeans and he bucks his hip, groaning your name. 

  The sound of car doors slamming have you both looking at each other wide eyed. He grabs your hand and places it around his waist. “I need you to pretend to be asleep.” You open your mouth to speak but he shushes you with a kiss as he flings the blanket back over you both. Your pants are still unbuckled and he’s still very hard but right now as the keys jingle in the door you figure you can deal with it later. 

  The front door opens and you bury your face into his chest to hide your laughter at having to pretend once again. Ben’s yelling about something per usual as you hear Will shush him. 

  “Awww they look so peaceful.” You can feel Frankie squeeze your hip and it’s taking everything to calm your breathing. His chest is rising and falling steadily as he squeaks out a fake snore. He may seem peaceful but you can feel his rapid heartbeat against your cheek. 

  You hear footsteps getting further away and voices trailing as they make their way to the kitchen. Frankie can hear the fridge open and close and the sound of the water in the sink running. 

  “Can you button your shorts without moving too much?” He whispers into your temple. You nod your head as you slowly move your hand down to button them again, you try your best to avoid his problem that seems to be less obvious. When you’re finally decent you sit up peeking over the back of the couch. You signal for him to sit up and he hears footsteps approaching. He raises his arms above his head dramatically, stretching as you do your best-I just woke up eyes. It’s all ridiculously hilarious 

  “Good evening sleepyheads.” Ben plops down next to you on the couch and you sit up fully now in the middle of both men. 

  “Do you ugh…want some water?” Frankie’s standing to stretch now, his little belly exposed as his shirt lifts and you notice he’s still got a slight bulge but nothing that couldn’t be explained by how close you were sleeping. 

  “Yes please.” Your voice is a little hoarse from your nap or moaning Frankie’s name for too long. 

  He leaves you two on the couch and heads to the kitchen as Benny pulls you into his side and places a kiss on your temple. This has to be a record for times getting deja vu in one day. 

  “How was your date?” So they must’ve come to an agreement like Frankie said because he just called it a date without any malice in his tone. Just genuine curiosity and care. 

  “It was great actually.” Frankie returns with your water and sits back down next to you on the opposite side. He doesn’t seem bothered at all by you cuddling up with Ben and it’s bizarre territory you’re wading into. 

  “Well I hope you showed our girl a good time.” You’re sputtering your water as Frankie hides his amused face behind his hand. Ben is patting your back as Will enters the living room with beers in hand. 

  “Are you okay?” He hands the beers around as he tries to offer you one but you wave him off. 

  “I’m fine…but I really should be going. I have work early tomorrow and I really should get some sleep.” You all stand from the couch unsure of how to say goodbye. 

  Frankie pulls you into a hug and places a kiss on your forehead. “At least you got a nap today.” He winks at you and you pinch his side knowing he can’t make a sound. 

  “Don’t hog her, she was with you all day.” Ben picks you up as you yelp, he couldn’t resist that sound. He carefully sets you down and leans in to kiss your cheek. 

  You turn to see Will in the loveseat sipping his beer with an amused smirk on his face. “I swear to god Will.” He holds his hands up in mock surrender as both men are snickering beside you. 

  “I didn’t say anything sweetheart.” You make your way towards the door to grab your bag off the hook and you can feel all eyes on you. “ I’ll see you Friday to fix that hole in your wall.” 

  “Will…”

  “Don’t argue with him, it'll only make your life harder.” Ben knows his brother all too well so you decide to take his advice and drop it. 

  “Fine, I’ll call you later.”

  “Okay.” They all say in unison and erupt in laughter. 

  As you close the door behind you still hearing the faint sounds of your boys you realize how completely and utterly fucked you truly are.

Prev/Next

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Tagged a few extra who might be interested.

[awrkive]

[TEASER] LOVE LESSONS, pt. 2 (M) — JJK.

jungkook and you talked about the deal more, escalating it to new heights.

PAIRING jungkook x (fem) reader

GENRE smut, kind of fluffy tbh, r18+

WORD COUNT 816 words for this teaser but the final chapter word count is 8.9k 

WARNINGS/MISC virgin!reader, kinda spoiled brat!!reader lol, childhood friend-ish!jk, college!au, jk college course reveal 😁 explicit sexual content. again, (awkward?) first times 

NOTES  im so excited to be posting this! i also did not realize that its been almost a year since part 1 was posted lol. click read more to see important note in the end!!

[ READ PART 1 HERE ]

FULL VERSION OUT NOW. READ HERE !

"Uhm, do you really wanna do it?" You asked. Again. For the second time that night. "Because, it's totally okay if you changed your mind."

Jungkook arched his brow. "I already said I would do it."

"Yeah, but maybe you were just saying that to get me off your back."

He rolled his eyes. "You and your assumptions…"

There was a fat pout on your lips after hearing those words.

"I said I'll do it and I will. I was just thinking that maybe we can establish some rules? Some boundaries, for you and I, both. Just so we know that there's no one taking advantage of the other. Like, I don't want you to think that I'm in on this because I'm some – perverted guy preying on your lack of experience, you know?"

Your heart melted at that. Jungkook was fairly annoying at times. He was such a perfectionist, a stickler to rules, always playing your bodyguard, always telling on your father of things you did that he disapproved of. But thinking about it, he never really overstepped. Yeah, he was a perfectionist. But that was because he knew exactly what he wanted and that was great. He was a stickler to rules but he was never a killjoy. He only stuck his nose to business he was personally involved in… and admittedly, he only ever told on your father when you did (again, admittedly) stupid things. It was even more accurate to think that maybe, you were the annoying one. Always pushing at his buttons… being stubborn… and he tolerated that. A lot of times throughout the years you've known each other.

"That's really sweet of you, Bunny."

The nickname earned you a groan from him. And it was perfect! Because you were feeling mushy all of a sudden but you didn't want to and so calling him the nickname he loathed gave you the opportunity to ease the mood again.

Jungkook grunted your name and rolled his eyes, and you only laughed at the scrunch of his face because it was always funny to see him so disgruntled by that nickname. And he looked extra cute with his fluffy, overgrown hair and prescription glasses. He wore it often nowadays. To add, the nickname was just as adorable, so you never really understood his demise. You, on the other hand, would like to be called bunny…

But anyway, he made a pretty important point.

"I don't think you're taking advantage of me. Do you think I'm taking advantage of you?" Because it was more accurate to put it that way. You were the one who came to him suddenly proposing something crazy.

He shook his head. "Definitely not. So, about rules? Do you have suggestions?"

You leaned back and passively watched the scenes playing out before you on the television.

"All I can think of right now is that you can stop it any time soon. Like, if you wake up tomorrow and think you don't want this anymore, then just tell me. Or like, you're dating someone…" Like, maybe, Eunseo? That was what you thought of after you said the word date. You chose to omit that part. You looked at him. "Okay?"

Nodding, Jungkook mirrored your action on the couch. "That's a good one. You can, too."

You hummed. "Also… I don't really know anything. I wasn't kidding when I said I never watched porn, not until now, anyway. I'm actually, really, serious when I ask you questions, even though they're kind of stupid sometimes."

Ah, there it was. Even though you liked to believe that this was all lighthearted for you (which is, for the most part, anyway), it was kind of a sore spot. Your lack of experience was an insecurity, although you try to hide it a lot. You didn't want to tell Jungkook that, afraid he might think it was stupid. Or laugh. Like he did sometimes… you were 20 years old.

But it was like he read your mind and then suddenly, he took a hold of your arm so he could look right into your eyes.

"Hey, they're not stupid. I'm sorry if I laughed at them, you can, like, punch me anytime if I do that again. Deal?"

You looked away and sighed. "You're patronizing me." You pouted.

"Okay, sorry. I'm not. Just saying I don't mock you for not having sex yet," you still weren't looking at him and so he continued, "Alright, I'm going to be honest. I really was genuinely shocked when you told me you haven't done it before."

You finally looked at him, confused. "Why?"

He let go of your arm and smiled. "You're attractive, is all. So I just thought…"

Arching your brow, you crossed your arms. A defense mechanism because you liked being called pretty and he can't know that. "Really?"

"Yeah," he looked down. Unintentionally. "And you have nice boobs."

YOU CAN NOW READ THE FULL VERSION OF PART 2 ON MY PATREON PAGE !! heres the post about the tiers and the link to the part 2 of love lessons <3 to my followers, it is def not an obligation to avail any of the tiers as i will still post my stories publicly. on the other hand, to anyone who subscribes, thank you so so much!!

© 𝐀𝐖𝐑𝐊𝐈𝐕𝐄 2022. all rights reserved. copying, editing, reposting and translating any of my works are not allowed.

[yourlocaldilemma]

Golden thoughts {part 5} (ln4)

Lando Norris x fem!sprinter!reader

Word count: 2.2k

Part 5/7 part one part two part three part four

Warnings: none really, Charles is kind of a dick sorry

A/n: sorry this took so long to get out 😭 school is so busy. This is more or less a filler chapter, but the next one is going to get spicier i promise. As always, feedback is appreciated

—————————————————————————

The night time city life of downtown London glows and rushes beneath you. The view from your top floor penthouse gives you the perfect vantage point of the thousands of lives intertwining and bustling on the ground.

Great Britain was definitely one of your favourite meets of the season. The city, the views, the bright people and homey food. You would argue it had always been this way, that you had always had a sweet spot for the British air.

Your friends on the other hand, would argue that it was a recent development, caused by a sweet spot for a British boy.

You would be lying if you said Lando hadn’t become a pretty regular part of your days, but he was just a friend. Another person who got the Jetlag, the pressure, the constant training. Nothing more than a late night “how are you’s?” and sarcastic exchanges from across time zones.

After a personal best and first place finish in Monaco, you had made your way to Great Britain for the 10th track meet of the year. Your eyelids were heavy with the day of travel, but you had strict instructions keeping you up for another three hours so that you were ready with a full nights sleep for training tomorrow.

This was only your second year sprinting professionally, and the reality of it was still partially unfathomable. Sometimes you’d lie awake late into the night, insomnia from a deep fluttering joy keeping you from drifting off because finally, finally, your reality was better than your dreams.

The phone lying hot in your pocket vibrates against your leg. When you scan the notification, the edges of your lips flit up into a small smile.

Lando: I see you’re in GB huh? Need a tour guide?

He attaches a screenshot of your instagram post from earlier today, a picture you took in the airport and captioned with the U.K’s flag. You roll your eyes at his eager message.

Sent: Hi Y/N, how was your day? I know flying is stressful for you. Are you excited for the track meet this weekend?

Lando: sorry

Lando: how are you?

Sent: I’m absolutely lovely Lando, thanks for asking

Lando: how come when you use sarcasm it’s ok but when I use it I’m “immature”

Sent: Because I said so :)

You click off your phone and turn it face down on the nightstand. The wood floors and expensive looking tile echo your steps sleekly as you walk into the huge master bathroom.

Water flows from the articulate gold tap as mascara runs down your face, mixing with your foundation before dripping off your face in a swirling mess of makeup. Once you’ve washed the evidence of the day down the sink, you turn to the all white shower and let the water run until the glass is steamy enough to write on and just hot enough to scald the airport off you you. The hotel soap leaves a heavy scent of Eucalyptus in the bathroom as you cover yourself in thick suds from head to toe before working shampoo through your hair. By the time you’re done, and clad in a heavy white robe, the sun has completely set and you have to stumble through the pitch black bedroom to find the light switch.

Flopping down onto the bed, you pick your phone up again. You groan at the one and a half hours until you can let sleep take you before scrolling through your socials to pass time. You empty out your inbox, responding to a few important emails before selecting multiple instagram posts to respond to and posting a message about the race weekend before you.

Lando: How long are you here for?

You swipe the notification off the top of your screen. You have not even half enough energy to deal with the cheeky comments about taking you out that you knew were going to follow.

Lando: Y/N

You ignore the text again, but smile slightly at his boyish persistence.

It’s not minutes before an instagram notification comes through.

Lando Norris: Y/NNN

Your smile grows wider and you open the message, only to close instagram after making sure Lando would have gotten the notification that you read his message. Not even 20 seconds later, a twitter notification pops up.

Lando Norris: Y/N I know you’re reading this you little shit

You leave him on read again, practically kicking your feet with laughter as you picture Landos face pinched together with annoyance. You wiggle deeper into your pillow, preparing to spend your last conscious hour this way.

WhatsApp comes next.

Lando: Y/N don’t make me call Charles

Then comes a FaceTime request, which you let ring 6 times before accepting with defeat.

“Hah!”

“Low blow Lando.”

“I’m not as stupid as you think.“

You smile sweetly at him, the light from your phone illuminating your face in the mostly dark hotel room. His smile softens as he takes you in.

“You look cute.”

“Cute?”

“Yeah all wrapped up and sleepy in your robe like that.” He clears his throat as you don’t say anything back to him. “You never responded to my tour guide question.”

“It’s not my first time in the UK.” You rest the phone on your knees and stomach, bring your hands up to your eyes so you can slowly pick the polish off your nails.

“But it’s your first time with me.”

“Don’t you have a race to be getting ready for? I don’t think your team will be happy if you waste your precious training time showing some random girl around.”

You can hear Landos phone scuffing against the desk he’s seated at as his head dips out of the frame. When he returns to the picture, he has earbuds in.

“You’re not just some random girl.”

“Then what am I?” You raise one eyebrow and quirk the other, making eye contact with Lando through the phone.

“You’re Y/N.”

“That is insightful. Merci.”

The simple French makes him scrunch his nose up. “Mhmmm?”

You smile. Lando smiles back, running a hand through his curls.

“Silverstone isn’t until next week anyway. I have time. Anyway -“

He gasps, a drawn out, high pitched noise in the back of his throat.

“Y/N! You should come to the race!”

“The F1 race? I don’t think so.”

“Give me one good reason why not. You’ve been friends with Charles forever. I’m actually surprised you haven’t been to one already.”

You wince slightly at the second reminder of Charles. You hadn’t been on the best terms with him since you became friend with Lando, which was hard for you both. You had been friends for longer then you were able to remember and to not text each other every day gave you a sinking feeling.

The same sinking feeling, that you felt grow in your stomach when you thought about those small little moments with Lando. Braiding his hair, cooking dinner, falling asleep on him. The moments you never talked about, but continued to happen none the less. You hadn’t seen him in person since Monaco, but one too many late night conversations had ended with a comment a little to boyfriend-ish.

“You know exactly why Charles never invited me to a race.”

“Because he’s a selfish French asshole who keeps you under lock and key because he knows that he treats you like shit but wants you for his own?”

“Good god Lando.”

Just then your phone buzzes, the vibrations pushing it off its precarious balancing point on your body.

It’s the last person you expect to be texting you right now, seeing as Arthur Leclerc was currently on the other side of the world for a training camp.

“Earth to Y/N? What happened?”

“Um wow,” you whistle under your breath, “Arthur just invited me to the race. Courtesy of him and Charles.”

“The race as in silverstone? You’d go for Charles but not for me?”

Your mind didn’t have to capacity to handle Landos comment. You had half a mind to turn on the news, to check if the sky was caving in.

The Leclerc brothers had never even contemplated inviting you to a race. There were good reasons as to why, and it worked just fine for all of you.

“Why would he be inviting me?” You mumble. Landos eyes soften.

“I don’t know princess.”

“What do I say?”

“Do you want to go?”

You take a moment to really think about the offer. You love F1, you love the Leclerc’s, and while you’d dreamt of going to a race it had never became reality. Something about the offer sat sour in your mind though, because the hesitant feeling in place of what should be excitement had you with the judgment to turn the offer away.

“Something about it feels off.”

Lando just nods in agreement. Feeling like you’re reading his mind, you think back to what he had said about Charles earlier, when you were safe and protected and drunk on the night. The words echo around your head.

“Charles knew that anyone who met you would never want to leave you alone, meaning he would lose more of you. So he kept you to himself.”

“Princess?”

You scrunch your face at the name drawing a laugh out of Lando.

“I don’t think I want to go. I think you’re right, what you said about Charles, and if it’s because he’s scared then we can work through that, but now; if he’s inviting me to a race to prove a point,” you pause. “Then I don’t want to go. Right offer, wrong reason.”

Lando bobs his head in agreement through the phone. He open his mouth like he’s about to say something important before decisively closing it again.

“Spit it out Norris.” You tease with a grin.

Your relationship with him has seemingly gone in reverse order, becoming more and more platonic as you grow closer. So when Lando open his mouth again, the words that fall out of it come as a shock.

“What if you accept Charles’ offer, his tickets, but in your mind you’re there for me?” He meets your eyes. “I would offer you my tickets but I don’t know if you want that and I’ve already promised them to my family, of course.”

The silence between you grows louder the longer you toss the idea around in your head without saying anything.

“Isn’t that using him?”

“It’s using your recourses. Plus, you’ll still be watching from Ferrari hospitality. In your heart you’re still there for Charles.”

“But I’ll also be there for you.”

“So you’re coming?” The precious gap between his teeth show as Lando smiles at you through FaceTime.

You groan and end the call.

~~

6 days later, with the temperature rising steadily throughout the week, the paddock is unbearably hot. A concrete jungle of cars and people and buildings, your hair was sticking to the back of your neck as you sit in the Ferrari hospitality. The small balcony had no shade cover and you could practically see the heat coming off the metal railings.

You hadn’t seen Charles all day, and Aurthur had barley talked to you, preoccupied with asking endless questions to the engineers.

You were fine to be there alone. You spent most of your time like that anyway, and you were finally at an F1 race. The atmosphere was electric and seeing all the drivers preform was amazing. The camera could never capture the true speed of the sport.

Your phone vibrates on the table.

Lando: I’m assuming you’re not busy, seeing as Charles is down here on his phone.

You could sense his distaste.

Lando: come meet me down by the media pen

You had half a mind to tell Lando he had better things to be doing, but you were getting a little restless waiting for the race. And plus, he needed his braid right?

Sure enough, when you found Lando sitting in a bench in front of the empty media pen, he greeted you with a smile before stating “I need a braid.”

Giggling, you sit down beside him. There are bushes on either side of the bench and the ground is dark from the shade of a looming building to your left. As you begin pulling his hair into a braid, you see Charles walk over your way. You feel Lando tense in front of you as Charles meets your eyes.

You can see him look at you with a hurtful amount of disgust before walking away again.

“Just ignore him.”

You tie off Landos braid. “It’s just a little tough.”

“You’re allowed to feel that way.”

Someone in a bright McLaren shirt emerges from behind a trailer, head spinning around, quite obviously looking for something.

“Shit. I have to go.” He stands up and offers his hand to you. You better be cheering for me today.”

“I was actually planning on cheering for Yuki”

Lando flips you off with a laugh and a wink before heading off in the direction of the McLaren employee.

“Podium?” You call after him.

“For you princess? Seven days a week and 62 times on a Sunday.”

—————————————————————————

TAGLIST: @laneyspaulding19 @ssararuffoni

[millersdjarin]

I Only See Daylight - 20

Chapter Twenty

Pairing: Din Djarin x F!AFAB!Reader

Rating: E (18+)

Warnings/Tags: smut, SUPER loving sex, skinny dipping, piv sex, tenderness, found family, mentions of scars/insecurity

Chapter Length: 8k

Previous Chapter | Series Masterlist & Info | Full Masterlist

notes: if you've seen any of my recent tumblr posts or updates on the fic tag, you'll know i've been having MAJOR tech problems, as well as various Life Problems too! hence why this took an ABSURD amount of time to update! i am SO sorry, i can only apologise and offer this new chapter that i hope was worth the insane wait. thankfully i have my laptop back and didn't lose any of the fic, so all is well again. (i'm still sick tho). anyway, enough from me - let's get to what you're here for! enjoy ♥︎

recap: reader and din are on the run from the cult that raised her, and they're escaping to D'Qar to hide out while they wait for the aid of boba fett, who is hoping to make a deal with the cult for reader's freedom.

and now i see daylight, i only see daylight

There’s nothing but green as you fly over the jungles of D’Qar. Despite living in forestland for years, it’s never lost on you—the beauty of it.

Din finds a tiny clearing to just about fit the ship in. It’s beneath the cover of a mountain, tucked away in a huge cove of rocks, rivers, and waterfalls. When you first see the space, you’re not sure he’s going to be able to manage it; it looks so small. But he knows the size of his ship, and he knows exactly how to manoeuvre it, so he lands just perfectly on the flat, rocky ground in the clearing. 

It’s only a few hours until sunset, Din says, but you and the kid are excited to get out and have a look around. So as soon as everything’s secure, you lower the ramp, instantly hit with the warm, humid atmosphere of the jungle surrounding you. It’s somehow loud and quiet all at once; rushing water is close by and all kinds of wildlife are tweeting, chirping, croaking, whether in the trees or in the brush. The late evening sun is lowering, casting a golden-red glow through the tall, evergreen trees that surround you. 

A river runs underneath the ship. It’s only small, probably shallow enough for even the kid to stand up in. But it’s running quickly and downhill, winding around damp rocks covered in moss. The waterfall feeds into the lake just ahead; this is probably one of the offshoots from it.

“You like it?” Din’s modulated voice says over your shoulder. 

You turn to him, the kid in your arms. “We like it,” you confirm, smiling. 

Grogu is leaning over towards the river, making grabbing motions at it. He seems fascinated by the running water. He probably also wants to look for fish and frogs to eat in it, too. You know him well.

“Not tonight, kiddo,” you tell him apologetically, straightening the collar of his robe. “We can explore some more tomorrow. We’ve been travelling a while, haven’t we?” 

His ears turn down sadly. He looks at you, gives the Pleading Eyes.

As cute as he is, you’re not as much of a sucker as Din. (He’d never admit to it. Ever. But you know that he is, when it comes to Grogu.) You give him a little smile and a shake of your head. “Sorry, kid. Your dad and I are tired. We can explore all you like tomorrow, though; we’re here for a few days.” 

Grogu looks to Din, like he’s asking for a second opinion. 

He sighs, long-suffering. “Kid,” he says, so rueful it’s almost comical, “sorry, but I agree. I’m not gonna go against her word, you know that.” 

Your heart swells.

Grogu looks significantly less pleased by Din’s words, though. 

And, boy, does he let you know it. 

You’d been hoping that maybe you and Din could have some alone time tonight. Really take your time, enjoy it, make each other feel like nothing bad in the Galaxy will ever touch any of you again. It’s what you both need right now.

But Grogu has other plans. 

He refuses to settle. 

In hindsight, it makes sense. You’ve been in hyperspace for days with no fresh air and no opportunity for him to use up some energy. And he’s been so good with sleep all this time, despite the fact that his days have been pretty dull and routine. Really, he was overdue a hyperactive night. He’s just a little kid, after all, and he’s done this a few times while you’ve been with them, especially since extended periods stuck in hyperspace have become a thing. He usually crashes and falls asleep where he stands by a few hours before the day cycle begins.

But, kriff. You’re so tired. You hadn’t realised just how much sleep has been helping you heal until it’s been six hours since the moons rose, it’s four until they set again, and you’re not just exhausted but starting to ache. 

As you remove Grogu from one of the power line tunnels for the seventh time, you feel a soft hand sitting on your shoulder. Plopping Grogu back down on the floor, you look up to find Din beside you with a mug of something steaming in his hand. “You should get some sleep,” he says quietly, then takes Grogu in his arm and hands him the mug. You realise it’s his favourite: a malty, chocolate hot drink that Din always gives him when he’s scared, tired, or he can’t sleep. 

Grogu takes it eagerly. He wiggles to get out of Din’s arms, so Din puts him down in his hammock and sits down beside him, resting his elbow on the top of Grogu’s cubbyhole. 

“I’m fine,” you lie, suppressing a yawn. 

“No, you’re not. Go to bed. He’ll settle soon.” 

You look at him. At the tired tilt of his body, leaning against the little door. You can hear the tiny slurps of Grogu enjoying his drink. On nights like these, Din knows the exact right time to give Grogu his hot cocoa, timing it with the oncoming energy crash. It helps bring it sooner, when he does it right. 

“Cyar’ika,” Din says softly, calling your attention back to him. You hadn’t even realised that your gaze had slipped away, your eyes blurring over with tiredness. “I mean it. Get some sleep. I’ll come and hold you soon, once he’s settled.” 

You sigh. “Alright. But tomorrow, we’re taking him out there, and we’re tiring him the fuck out.” 

A tired chuckle comes through the modulator. “Agreed.” 

“I’m taking him swimming. He wanted to do that.” 

“He’ll love that. Don’t talk about it too much, though, or he’ll think we’re going to do it right now.” 

You chuckle, too, even though it hurts. Pushing yourself up from the floor with a groan, you then walk over to Din, and lean down to press a kiss to his helmet. “Call me if you need me, okay?” 

He takes a hold of your hand and squeezes it. “Promise.” 

You’re asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow. 

You don’t know how much longer it is until you feel Din slide in behind you, still wearing his armour, gently wrapping his arm around your waist. “I’m here,” he whispers, quiet enough not to wake you if you were asleep, but loud enough that you’d hear it if you stirred. 

Which you do. Just enough to shuffle back into him, take hold of his hand, and fall asleep again. 

When the day comes, Grogu wakes with it.

Which you expected. But, still. 

Din is already awake and taking him upstairs for breakfast. Tiredly, you follow them, and it’s only because you know him so well that you notice the way Din is standing differently. The way he only does when he’s exhausted.

“I’ll take Grogu out this morning,” you say to Din while he cooks up breakfast for all three of you. “You can catch up on some sleep.” 

Din shakes his head. “I want to come.” 

“You don’t have to. We won’t go far.” 

“I want to come,” he says again, in that tone of voice that says Thank you, but I’m not going to change my mind. 

Knowing this, you nod, and sit down at the table beside the kid. He looks bright-eyed and innocent, like he didn’t spend over half the night trying to tear the ship apart. 

“Are you going to swim with us?” You ask Din, smiling teasingly. 

“I think the beskar might weigh me down,” he replies, and you can hear the smirk in his voice. 

“Who said anything about beskar?” 

“You asking me to scar the kid for life by going in naked?” 

“Fair point.” 

“What are you going to swim in? And the kid?” 

“I figure we can change his robe afterwards; this one needs cleaned anyway. And I’m going in my shirt and underwear.” 

His helmet tilts towards you for a second, glancing at you. “I’m definitely coming.” 

You giggle, and feign shock, “Get a hold of yourself. Not in front of the kid, Mando.” 

Chuckling, he dishes up breakfast, and slides two plates across the table for you and Grogu. He takes his own plate, and tells you he’s going to eat in the cockpit. He’s still getting used to eating in front of you. Hell, he’s still getting used to having his helmet off in front of you, period, but he hasn’t eaten at all without it yet. You understand, and it doesn’t bother you. You’re just lucky to have any part of him at all.

The waterfall is just behind the trees a few metres along from the ship, pouring down over a sheer cliff face a ways up the mountain. Green vines and long tree branches hang over it, colourful flies dancing in the rainbow water spray before it hits the lake below. The lake is big, curving around the base of the mountain before it runs down over a rock and splits into little rivers. The water is clear but looks blue and green with the small pebbles and soft, mossy plants that coat the bed of it. It’s hot out here, but pleasantly so, the sun shining brightly in the late-morning blue sky. 

Grogu is cooing excitedly in your arms. You’ve got a towel wrapped around your shoulders and a smaller one over one of your arms for him, along with a spare robe. Din follows closely behind.

You stop by the shore of the river, watching as Din lays out a blanket on the ground to sit on. As you turn to look at him, the sun glints brightly off his armour, the bright green of your surroundings reflecting in the beskar and making him look like he’s one with nature. Or, as close as someone covered in metal could look to being one with nature. Your heart swells with warmth as you’re reminded of the first few days you spent together; when so much of your mind was occupied with how he’d look in different lights, in different worlds. 

It hits you, for a second, that you’re getting to see it. That you can not only admire the way he’s somehow never looked more silver, but also looks green and brown all at the same time; but also you can tell him how you feel. You can touch that armour, touch him. 

The poor kid is trying to get a good look at the water, trying to get you to put him down. But you’re too transfixed by the sight of Din. By the fact that this is everything you ever wanted, since the first moment you heard his voice. 

“Cyar’ika?” Din questions, stepping closer. “You okay?” 

You snap back to the moment at hand. Finally you put the kid on the ground, and he runs towards the water in an instant. “Sorry,” you say, and glance back at the kid, “Can he swim?” 

Din shakes his head. “He won’t go deeper than he can handle. He likes to just splash.” He steps closer again, close enough to put his gloved hand on the underside of your elbow. “Where’d you go, in your head just now?” 

Your hand finds his chest plate. You look down, see your reflection in it, the green trees behind you. A smile is on your face before you realise. “You’re beautiful,” you say instead of answering his question. When you look back up at his helmet, it’s tilted slightly, quizzically. “We’ve come a long way,” you whisper. 

His thumb rubs over your arm. “I’ve loved every minute.” 

Your heart lurches. If you could, you’d lean up and kiss him. 

“Kid’s waiting,” Din says, nodding his head over your shoulder. 

When you turn around, Grogu is standing in the very shallows, only an inch of water above the hem of his robe. He’s looking at you with a tilted head, his ears turned in a way that asks you a question. You chuckle at the sight of him. “I’m coming, kiddo. You wanna go swimming with me?” 

Grinning, he jumps up and down on the spot and waves his hands around a little. Water splashes up around him. 

You hear Din chuckle from behind you, then feel the towel start to slip from your clothed shoulders, his hands following in its wake, slowly rubbing down your arms. He hooks his helmet over your shoulder. “Go on,” he says lowly, “I’ll keep watch.” 

You turn your head and press your nose into the hollow of his helmet’s cheek, then give him a sunny grin before you run towards the shore, towards the kid who’s looking increasingly excited. 

Happiness is warm in your veins, like the sun in the sky, like the feeling of the water on your skin. 

After a long swim and a hike around the surrounding hills and forest, the three of you are well and truly hungry. You’d let the warm air dry you out as you walked and picked berries and herbs for dinner, gathering them in Din’s satchel. Grogu started tiring an hour out from the ship, but you coaxed him along with promises of finding some nice insects for him to catch; which he did, and enjoyed every single one. 

Now you’re back at the ship, and Din is cooking up some fresh meat with the herbs you picked, while you make a little fruit salad from all the fruit you found in the forest. The sun is setting, Grogu is watching his HoloNet show, and he’s looking very sleepy. 

Dinner is what gets him truly ready to sleep. He’s snuggling into Mando’s thigh by the end of it, looking about ready to drop off right there and then and make it his bed for the night. With a soft chuckle, and a knowing glance towards you, Din lifts him up from the sofa and cradles him in his elbow. 

“Night, kiddo,” you reach out and run your hand over Grogu’s cheek. His ear twitches in response, his left eye opening just enough to look at you. Din reaches out with his spare hand to tuck a lock of your hair behind your ear, then he turns, and heads down the ladder. 

You follow after a minute, anticipation stirring low in your belly as you hope for the much-needed night alone with Din. Absently, you listen to the soft sounds of him putting the kid to bed. It doesn’t take long. 

Before you know it, Din’s standing in the bed chamber doorway. “He’s out. Like a light.” 

“Mission accomplished, then?” 

Din nods. “He’s snoring, so we know he’s really asleep.” 

You chuckle softly, letting your eyes roam over Din now that you know you have him to yourself. You reach out your hand towards him. “Come to bed?” 

He takes your hand, but doesn’t climb into bed. Instead, he smoothes his thumb over your knuckles, and says, “I thought we could go for a swim.” 

Oh. 

You weren’t expecting that. Somehow, it’s better than what you were expecting, which you didn’t think was possible. 

“Yeah?” You just about manage to say, your voice coming out as a squeak as anticipation spikes higher in your chest. 

He nods. “It’s a nice night. Moons are out, kid’s asleep…” 

You nod, too, and bite your bottom lip. “Din,” you whisper, “are you asking me to go moonlight skinny dipping?” 

A lovely chuckle comes through the helmet. He steps closer, reaches out his other hand to brush it down your cheek. “Yes, Mesh’la, I am.” 

“Well,” you push yourself up from the bed without another moment to waste, “don’t have to ask me twice. Will the kid be OK?” 

“Like I said, he’s out of it. I’ve put a live commlink in there with him, just in case,” he fishes said commlink out of his pocket. Then, with a smirk in his voice, “It’s waterproof.” 

Oh, he has planned-planned this. You could not be more thrilled. 

It’s still so warm outside. The moons are full and bright, casting a white light over the entire jungle. It reflects on the lake, glimmering in ripples of water and illuminating the waterfall as if it’s made of light itself. 

Din has taken off his armour, leaving him in just his flight suit and helmet. You’re wearing the shirt you wore to swim earlier and underwear beneath it. Din reaches for your hand as you pad towards the lake; you’ve never held hands while walking before, and it’s strange, but nice. Definitely unnecessary outside of a situation like this, but, still. 

He stops by the shore, and you stop too. The waterfall is loud at the other side of the lake, but calming. 

Then, Din starts to take his flight suit off. You’re too distracted by the slow reveal of his skin at first to realise that you should probably be getting undressed too. He just looks ethereal beneath the moons’ glow; it reflects from his helmet and makes his skin glow as he strips off his suit and lets it fall to the floor. He glances at you, knowing you’re watching, and when he pulls off his helmet there’s an amused smirk on his lovely lips. 

“You’re looking at me like I’m a show,” he says, leaning down to place the helmet carefully on the grass. 

You smile. “You are to me.” 

He leans down and kisses you, just once, chaste. Like he can’t help it. Then he takes off his boxers, and he’s naked before you, glowing white in the daylight-like lights shining in the sky. Now you’re really distracted. If you thought naked Din was perfect all wet and tousled in the shower, this is something else entirely. He’s not even wet yet. You can’t wait for him to be wet. 

As if reading your mind, he places a kiss on your forehead before whispering, “See you in there.” And he’s off, wading into the water. 

Your teeth sink into your bottom lip while you watch him go. The muscles in his back shift as he walks so casually into the lake, brushing at the surface with his fingertips. They leave diagonal trails in the water, like skimming stones. His back is so broad, so muscular, all highlights and shadows in the light. 

And his ass. Kriff, that’s the Ass of the Galaxy right there. Glowing under the moonlight, curved just right, muscles shifting with each push of his legs through the water. It’s a shame when he gets in deep enough that it covers him. He turns around when he’s waist-deep and raises an eyebrow.

“Are you coming?” 

Probably in more ways than one, yes. 

You quickly strip off, feeling self-conscious standing here on the shore in front of him, and wade over to meet him. The waterfall is close now, just on the other side of the lake, rushing down from the mountain. If you get any closer, you’ll probably feel tiny droplets of spray. 

You reach your hand out as you approach Din, and he takes it with a soft smile. As you come to a stop in front of him, you look up into his eyes, and all the breath falls from your lungs. Somehow, looking at him like this overwhelms all the other senses in your body. The water is warm around you, and the lake floor is a strange combination of soft and rocky, some plants tickling at your toes. The air is a little humid but nice, comforting, something you’ve not felt before. And the sound of rushing water is all-consuming, covering all noises of the jungle wildlife and even the wild beating of your heart.

And he’s here, naked, his bare and damp skin on show before you.

But his eyes are what holds you. They are what make you feel weak in the knees, what make your fingertips tingle. Especially when he looks at you like that. 

Like he knows you. 

Like he loves you.

“You are so beautiful,” he says into the space between you, his voice somehow coming up clearer than anything, even above the noise. 

You stroke your hand down his cheek, leaving a wet mark there. Then you move to his chest, running through the chest hairs, smiling when his skin rises into goosebumps. You wonder how many times it’s done that when you can’t see it; when it’s hidden behind his armour. 

“You’re perfect,” you tell him. 

It’s not really quiet enough to talk. Thankfully, you don’t need to.

He pulls you in by the waist and presses your bodies flush together, all warm and wet and bare here beneath the two moons. His arms wrap around your middle, and yours around his neck as you stand on your tiptoes to hook your head over his shoulder. Your hands are wet as they tangle in his hair, press against his shoulder blade, feeling his lips so hot and gorgeous against your neck. He mouths lazily at your skin. Doesn’t suck or bite or even really kiss; just touches you with his lips and his tongue, like he’s trying to take as much of you as possible, like he wants his breath to go into your skin and make you his on the inside, as much as leaving a mark on the outside would.

You let him. You let him, too, when he pulls away and takes your hand, leading you over to the waterfall. 

Your eyes don’t leave him the entire time. They don’t need to; he’s guiding you, and you don’t need to watch where you’re going. 

He stops in front of the rushing water and looks down at you expectantly, his hand still in yours. You raise an eyebrow in question, to which he responds, “We’re going under it.” 

Your eyebrow raises, too. “I love to shower with you, but I think this shower’s flow might be a little too strong.”

He grins. His skin is shining with water spray, making him sparkle. “We just have to go under for a second, then we’re going behind it. Trust me, it’ll be worth it.” 

Always trusting him, you nod, and follow when he tugs on your hand again. 

The waterfall is pretty intense as you walk under it; you do it as fast as you can, worried at first that it might hurt you, but it doesn’t. It’d probably feel pretty good against your tired muscles, actually, if it weren’t for the still-healing wounds on your back. Din seems to enjoy it; he stands under the flow for a little longer than you, letting it run over his back and closing his eyes for a second. (You make a mental note to give him a massage one of these days. You don’t know how you haven’t thought about it before.)

Standing behind the waterfall, you’re in a strange sort of cave area, a metre or so in between the flow and the cliff face behind it. The rocks are shining, glistening in the moonlight that comes through the water. When you turn to look out where you came from, you’re amazed by the sight: the bright white of the moons is shining through the wall of water that encases you in this little haven, making each large droplet look like a light, a white flame rushing down towards the lake. It’s like a cascade of stars too dense to see each individual one before it falls. 

When you look to Din, the light and shadow from it is dancing across his face. The water that you stand in is sparkling, too, casting a rippling reflection on the skin under his jaw. You’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s beautiful. He’s beautiful. 

“You like it?” He asks you, his voice surprisingly loud as it echoes from the wall. 

A smile stretches your lips. “I love it,” you tell him with a nod of your head. You reach out and hold him again, this time wrapping your arms around his neck and leaning up to kiss him, soft and sweet. “It’s like our own little hideaway.” 

He trails his lips over your cheek, your jaw, down to your neck. His wet hands sit gently on your waist. As he kisses your bare shoulder, paying special attention to the curve of your clavicle, your hands run down over his pecs, fingertips catching on his hardened nipples. Yours are hard, too; you can feel them where they press against his chest. 

You close your eyes as he starts to suck a mark at the place where your shoulder meets your neck. One hand runs down his chest, towards his belly button, the other back up into his hair. A pleasured breath releases from your mouth when his hands slide down your body, around to the small of your back and eventually landing on your ass, one hand on each cheek. He squeezes, just lightly. A soft gasp from you is rewarded with an even softer whimper from Din, breathed right into the crook of your neck as he continues to nip at your skin. 

“Din,” you whisper, not the start of a sentence, but a statement. Because you’ll never get tired of saying his name. You tighten your hand in his hair, pull on it a little, earning another one of those lovely, soft moans. You feel it vibrating in your neck. 

Then he’s moving down, his face coming to rest between your breasts. It feels colder without him pressed right against you, but he’s still close enough for you to touch him just the same, the hand on his tummy running back up through his chest hair, then down his arm.

You gasp as his mouth closes around one of your hard nipples. Your hand in his hair tightens in response, pulls him in even closer, urges him to do it again. 

He does, and he sucks it into his mouth. The pull is fucking gorgeous. He’s never done this before; you don’t ever want him to stop. His mouth is so hot and wet, a contrast to the damp sheen on the rest of your skin that’s leaving you with a bit of a chill. You feel his tongue lapping at the underside of your nipple. The texture of it has just the right amount of roughness. 

He moves to the other breast and continues his job there. You’re whimpering, barely even hearing yourself, just feeling your chest moving in his mouth as breaths escape your throat. 

“Din, that’s…that’s so good…” 

He hums his approval. When he pulls his mouth off you, you can just about hear the pop, and you definitely feel the string of spit that connects your skin to his mouth for a second. “If the water was shallow, I’d get my head between your legs, too, Mesh’la…” he breathes as his mouth finds yours again, not giving you a chance to say anything in response before he’s kissing you again, all open-mouthed and hot and breathy. You just moan, surprised and pleased. Your arms wrap all the way around his neck and pull him down into you. 

He’s so warm. He’s so him. 

His tongue is on yours in a second, pushing and pulling with each give and take of his lips. You let him guide you, pinning him to your face with a firm hand on the back of his neck. His arms are around your waist, holding the rolls of flesh in his palms. It feels so good. He feels so fucking good. 

You want him to know that. You need him to know how much you love to look at him, to touch him, to feel him. The coolness of your skin as the night air dries droplets of spray is the most beautiful contrast to the heat of his hands, his mouth, his breath. It’s intoxicating and you will never get enough of this. If his body wasn’t so irresistible to touch, you’d pull back and just stare at him. All kriffing night. 

Instead, though, you let your mouth fall from his in favour of trailing your lips across his jaw. They leave a wet trail in their wake. He doesn’t seem to care; in fact, his hands tighten against you when you start to suck at his neck. You use your teeth, pulling his skin into your mouth so hard that you hear it spluttering against the suction of your lips. You want to mark him, too; make sure his skin never forgets the way you feel. 

“Cyare…” he groans as you move your face to his chest. Your nose nuzzles into the hair there, one of your hands sliding down to play with his nipple. You suck at the other one and he’s got one hand on your breast now, cupping it in his palm and squeezing with each pull of your mouth. He tips his head back and if you weren’t so occupied with getting his nipple as hard as it can possibly get, you’d lean up and kiss the expanse of that gorgeous neck and mark it up until there were no doubts that he’s yours. 

By the time your lips are at his belly button, the water is starting to tease at your chin. You’d go lower if you could. 

You tell him as much. 

To which he responds with a desperate groan and a hand on the back of your head, bringing you back up to his face. “I need you,” he whimpers, pressing his nose into yours, “I need you, Mesh’la. Please.” 

You stroke his face. “You have me. Any way you want me.” 

A moan slips past his lips. He falls into you, kisses you slowly for a minute. 

“You wanna take me against this rock wall?” You ask him, letting your nails run over the side of his neck, just hard enough to pull a gasp into his throat. “Or take me back to land, fuck me on the shore?” 

“Kriff, Mesh’la,” he’s falling apart, his voice just a broken whimper as his hands find purchase on your ribs again and squeeze at the plump flesh. “Whatever you want. I’ll—do whatever you want.” 

You smile softly. “As much as I’d love for you to take me here in the lake, the footing isn’t exactly stable, and you know I like it rough…” 

Another moan. Good. 

You press kisses to his neck, catch the fall of his Adam’s apple as he swallows heavily. “Let’s go back to shore.” 

Desperate, he nods, and leads you under the waterfall. “You okay? Does it hurt?” He asks. 

You shake your head and smile at him, always appreciating that your comfort comes first, even when he’s this desperate to fuck you. “No. I’m good.” 

He practically throws himself onto the grass bank when you’re back on land, pulling you down on top of him. You can’t help but giggle at his eagerness. It’s so fucking cute and really kriffing hot that he wants you so badly he’ll just collapse on the riverbank, beneath the silver glow of two moons, completely bare for you and out in the open air, if it means you’ll give him what he wants. 

Which you will. You always will.

You lean down over him, palms pressed to the grass on either side of his head. You’re both still wet, dripping into the ground below. Your breasts press into his chest, hair falls into his face. He pushes it out of the way and holds it there, like he doesn’t want anything getting in the way of his view of you.

“Kriff,” he curses softly. You can hear him better now you’re out of the waterfall; can hear the desperation in his voice, how even his breathing is starting to sound like a series of whines. “You’re so fucking beautiful. Look at you…” 

“Look at you,” you counter with a smile, feeling your chest bloom with warmth at his compliment. “Under the moonlight like this. Kriff, Din. Don’t you look pretty?” 

Breathy, he laughs. He closes his eyes for a second, shakes his head. “Don’t tease me.” 

“I’m not. You do look pretty,” your fingers run through the sparse hair on his jawline. And then, it escapes you in a sigh, an expel of breath like it’s releasing some kind of something by saying it out loud, “Kriff, I love you.” 

His eyes open at that. Right into yours, all glowing and watery and adoring. You could look at him like this forever. His hand strokes down your cheek. “I love you,” he tells you. Soft, shaky. Still just a hint of desperation there. 

As much as you could look at him like this forever, and stay like this for just as long, there is a distinct throbbing between your legs and a wetness there that definitely did not come from the lake. You’re sure he can feel it; your core is pressed right up against his hips and you can feel his cock there, hard and wet and ready for you. 

As if reading your mind, Din’s hand runs down your ribs, over the curve of your hips, then presses between your legs. He dips his fingers into your folds, separates them. “Kriff, you’re so wet already,” he says, gazing up at you as though he’s amazed by it. By you. 

“You do things to me,” you tell him with a grin and a shrug, to which he laughs, tipping his head back for a second. You just watch him, warmth not only spreading between your legs but around your heart, too. 

His lips kiss messily at your neck as he slips his finger inside you. It’s heavenly; a warm, slick glide of the one digit sending something hot and comforting all the way through you. Your eyes flutter closed when he slowly thrusts in and out. He’s not even trying to achieve anything; he’s just feeling you, appreciating every inch he can get his finger on. 

“Din,” you say, already feeling breathless, “more. Please.” 

He’s never turned you down. His thumb finds your clit, pushes back the hood and presses gently. Pleasure courses through you again, a jolt for each circle he makes around the bundle of nerves. His other finger joins the first after a moment, but you’re so kriffing ready for him that it’s not enough, you can feel his cock against the inside of your thigh and it’s so close but not close enough—

“Din, I’m ready for you. Are you ready?” 

He meets your eyes. He’s looking up at you like you’re the stars in the sky. It sends a shiver down you that has nothing to do with the two fingers he’s pushing in and out of your soaking heat. He nods, then, and says, “Please. I need you. Need to be inside you.” 

You nod, too, leaning down to give him a kiss. “Mind if I stay on top?” 

“Whatever you want.” 

“Mm. Are you gonna beg tonight?”

“If you want me to.” 

“You could try it,” you say with a smirk as you slide down his body, lift yourself up on your knees above him, “See how I like it.” The ground is damp below you, grass tickling at your skin. You take his cock in your hand, and it’s still wet, but you can’t wait to make it properly wet. 

Like it’s an instinct, he reaches out to take hold of your hips. He gazes up at you, and says, “Please, baby. I need to feel you.” He’s so vulnerable like this. Underneath you, naked, bathed in moonlight. He could, of course, overpower you—or anyone who got on top of him—if he wanted to. You never imagined The Mandalorian lying on his back like this for anyone; would never think that it was a place he could feel comfortable, safe. His whole life has been about fighting. About making sure he’s one step ahead.

And yet here he is, spread out before you, so open, bare underneath you, completely at your mercy. Because he wants to be. Because he trusts you.

You line him up at your entrance, but don’t slide onto him right away. You’re enjoying the desperation on his face just a little too much; the wrinkles in his forehead, his brows drawn together, bottom lip pressed under his teeth. With a grin you take a moment to admire in him in the moonlight and, with your hand wrapped around his cock, you slide him up and down through your wet folds. 

The look on his face is priceless. His neck strains, he swallows so heavily you see the movement all the way through it, and a whimper comes from him, even better than the ones he’s given already. 

“You look so pretty like this,” you tell him, still teasing him. You brush the head of him over your clit and, fuck,that feels good. His hot dick, already leaking and wet from your slick, rubbing over the bundle of nerves like his finger would, but different. Bigger. Rounder. 

“That feel good?” Din asks, and it’s only when you hear the smirk in his voice that you realise your eyes have closed. You’re focusing on the feeling, the roundness of his head. Before you know it you’re grinding on it, desperate to feel more of it. 

“Kriff,” you gasp, suddenly breathless, “that’s really fucking good.” 

“Keep going, if you want.” 

You could. You’d love to. The very fact that he’s offering this to you, knowing that it would only delay the part where he’s inside you and getting what he wants, turns you on even more.

But you know how desperate he is. And your heat is practically begging for him to be inside you. 

“Feels good for me, too,” he tells you as if sensing your hesitation. 

You smile at him. “Later,” you decide. “I want you inside me now.” With one last swipe of his head over your clit, you sigh, and then move your hips up so he’s lined up with your entrance again. Then, you sink down onto him, and kriff, it’s fucking delicious. 

The stretch, his heat, the way his dick caresses your walls like they’re something precious as they pulse and throb around him. 

He tips his head back and groans. His fingers tighten on your hips and you fucking love it. Love looking at him like this. Stretched-out, lit from the bright light of two moons, the jungle surrounding him and water still sheening over his chest.

You run your hands through his chest hair and sigh as heaven pulses through your core. “Feels so good,” you whisper, biting your lip, “Feels so good, Din.” 

“Mm-hm,” he nods and looks back at you. “You’re so beautiful.” 

Bracing yourself on his chest with your palms flat against him, you start to move. Instead of thrusting or bouncing, at first you just grind, swaying your hips in circular motions over his cock. It hits against that spot inside you with each circle, and somehow it feels like he’s going deeper than ever before, the tip of him a constant pressure against your cervix. It’s not rough like it usually is, and yet it feels just as good. 

One of his hands finds your clit and works it in time with your movements. Heat is already burning inside you, starting between your legs and smouldering up into your stomach and ribcage. You’re losing yourself in your pleasure in an instant, your eyes falling shut as you work yourself on him. 

Each grind lifts him in and out of you just a little, just enough for both of you to have some much-needed friction against your walls. But you’re still going round in circles, and it feels so fucking good, having him swirling inside you like this, coating every inch of you on the inside. 

“Fuck,” you curse in a whisper, one hand lifting from his chest to grasp at your breast. You squeeze it, remembering how your nipple felt inside his mouth. “Fuck, Din, that’s so good.” Your eyes are closed again, head tipped back towards the sky.

“Yeah?” He says. “You look so perfect. Take what you need, Cyar’ika, you can have it.” 

You’re too lost in pleasure to respond. It’s not even sparking, it’s burning, boiling, running over you in a hot wave over and over and over again. He’s so hot inside you, the contrast of his heat to the coolness of your skin just setting everything alight. The head of his cock is pushing against the highest point inside you, just like you like it, but instead of a fast, unrelenting beat, it’s stroking, so slow with each circle your hips make. His finger is still on your clit, so much slower than usual. In rhythm with your movements like he’s just going off of whatever makes you feel good.

“Kriff, Din, baby…your cock feels so good, I’ve never…it’s never been…” 

“Feels good to me, too, baby,” he promises you. 

When you open your eyes, he’s gazing up at you with such adoration, such universe-shattering perspective, that you could swear you see Galaxies in his eyes. Galaxies that you have yet to find, that you want to dive into and never leave. 

“I love you,” you whisper, leaning down so that your damp hair falls around his face, frames him like the piece of art that he is. 

His hand comes off of your hip and reaches out, stroking back a strand of hair. He rubs your cheek. His mouth is open and his breath is hot against your lips. “I love you,” he says back. His voice is raspy, low, so fucking perfect. “You look so good like this. Just using me to make yourself feel good. I’m so deep inside you, Cyar’ika, feels so good…just want to stay like this forever…” 

You nod, desperate, and lean in to kiss him messily. “So deep,” you breathe into his mouth, “so fucking deep inside me, kriff, filling me up so good, Din, you just fit…” 

His hand finds the back of your neck and holds you to him. The new angle brings the pleasure inside you to a new level; you’re leaning forward and down over him, and his cock is heavy, almost pulling at your walls as you continue to grind around and around and up and down. He’s pressing his thumb to your clit, his fingers closed around the flesh near your hip, holding tight. Holy kriff, it feels so fucking good, all hot and beautiful and just pleasurepleasurepleasure—

“Din,” you gasp, “gonna come…” 

“Come for me, Mesh’la, please, I need it…need to feel you come around me like this, so good…” 

Bracing yourself on his chest, you keep yourself at that lower angle and chase your pleasure, feeling it coiling low in your belly first but soon exploding through your entire body. It’s a flame, a roaring fire, a wave of lava through your veins. 

“Ride it out, baby,” Din tells you, and you do, you ride him until the drop comes and you’re just chasing it, chasing that high, wanting it to last forever. Wanting to be here forever, in this moment, just the two of you. Beneath the moon. Din inside you, as deep as he’s ever been. So fucking good it’s like you’ve never felt it before. 

“Oh, fuck, Din,” you pant as you come down, your aftershocks pulsing around his cock. You can’t even say that you came hard. Because it was the furthest thing to violence you’ve ever felt; it was soft but sudden and beautiful but terrifying. “Din, kriff, I love—I love you—”

His hips are starting to stutter. Like they want to thrust, but he’s holding himself back. 

You plant your elbows on either side of his head and lean down to kiss him. “Come in me,” you tell him, “please. Use me, fuck me. You made me feel so good, want you to feel the same too.” 

He strokes your cheek with his thumb. “You sure? You’re not too sensitive?” 

You shake your head. “Feels so good still. Please, wanna feel you, baby.” 

He nods, and starts to move. He shifts so his feet are planted firmly on the ground behind you, knees bent a little and pressing into your back. The hand on your clit moves and instead sits behind him on the floor so he can sit up and use it to prop himself there. Your body follows him, leaning back as he leans up. His breath is so hot on your face, your hair falling against his damp cheeks. 

You push it away, kiss his mouth. “Fuck me, baby,” you tell him, “feels so good.” 

Using his hand and both feet for leverage, he starts to thrust. Slow at first, testing the waters. His face falls in ecstasy, a broken moan leaving his lips and falling onto yours. You hold his face in both your hands, anchor him to you. 

“That’s it,” you praise, “fuck me just how you want. Come for me, Din, I wanna feel you. You’re so perfect, I love you…” it feels like it’s going to be hard to ever stop saying that. 

“I love you, Mesh’la,” he says, and it’s the last coherent thing he manages before he starts to thrust harder into you, finding a good rhythm. It’s not as rough as it’s been before—it would be pretty hard, in this position and out here on the wet grass—but it’s just perfect. He still hits the highest point inside of you, even guides your hips to do the circle thing again, like he knows that’s what feels good for you. 

It does. Kriff, it’s just as good as it was before. The aftershocks are already turning into new desire, heat bubbling low again. You bring one of your hands from his face and press on your clit. Fuck, fuck, fuck, it’s so good.

It takes you by surprise. You gasp, pulling your head back and tipping it, granting him access to your neck; access that he makes full use of, immediately leaning in and attaching his mouth to your skin. 

“Oh, fuck, Din,” you almost laugh at the feeling because it’s so unbelievably good and you’re probably going to come again and it’s so soon after the last one and you weren’t expecting it—“Fuck! Din! Baby, feels so fucking good like this…” your tits bounce against his chest, almost pressed completely into him. 

He’s mouthing at your neck and his thrusts are getting faster, more urgent. “Baby…I think I’m going to…” 

“Come for me,” you request to the stars. “Please, Din, come inside my pussy.” 

That does it for him. 

He spills inside you, his chest heaving with desperate whimpers and moans and breaths that sound like something from a different realm, panted into your neck and against your shoulder—

Then you’re coming, too, clenching around him so hard that it almost hurts. Your thighs are burning from holding yourself up, the pleasure coursing through you only adding to the strain in your muscles. But it feels so fucking good. He feels so good, chasing his orgasm for as long as he can, fucking up into you as if it’s what he was put in this Galaxy to do.

“Oh, baby…” Din says as he starts to come down. He’s kissing your neck again, all wet and messy and lazy. His hands slide up your body. Caress you like you’re something precious, a map he wishes to memorise. Eventually they settle on your back, his palms pressing into your shoulder blades. 

You realise, then, that this is the first time he’s seen you while you’ve done this. Seen all of you. Nothing separating his eyes from your scars, your stretch marks, every insecurity you’ve ever had. 

It feels earth-shattering and unimportant at the same time. Because it’s a big step, it’s huge, something you never thought you’d have with anyone, ever. But it’s also…right. Din isn’t looking at you or holding you any differently. He sees more of you than just that, and it doesn’t matter. 

You’re breathless at the realisation. Even more so, when you realise that it actually feels really fucking good to be naked with him like this. To have nothing separating you. 

Your lips meet after a moment. He kisses you so softly, so tenderly. Your hands tangle in his hair, feeling the lingering wet from the waterfall. You think about saying something, about telling him how good that was, about how much you love having him like this; you think about saying I love you one more time, just for good measure. 

But the words won’t come. Instead, you just press your forehead to his, let your breaths mingle in the humid air between you. You’re both still panting. His cock is twitching inside you, probably a little overstimulated as your walls continue to pulse and beckon him further in. But he never pulls out too soon. Even if it’s too much for him. 

He holds you like that, staying inside you beneath the moons, the sound of rushing water and wildlife all around you. He holds you like he knows. Like he knows how you feel, and wants you to know that he feels the same, too.

If you could, you’d stay like this forever. And yet, even a moment will do.

notes: ahhhh i'm so sorry for the long wait.

i can't believe we've only got 2 chapters left. the last 2 are some of my favourites so i'm excited for y'all to read them! thank you for being here as always, i know it's been such a long time. please do leave a comment if you can, and reblogs are always appreciated <3 love u <3

taglist:

@toobsessedsstuff @granillx @keepingitlokiii @shoe1412 @quentinor @yourunstablegf @moonknight-s-cumdump @senassn @samanthacookieone @local-fanfic-addict @your-slutty-gf @whenpugzfly @elsasshole @moony-toasts @julesjewelss36 @mxlsmith @indec1sive @lordhavemurthy

@booktvmoviefangirl @brokenghostgirl1@competitivedust@lostinsideourminds@gloryekaterina@uncle-eggy@astronymity@leithatnight@domaniquessidehoe@dancealongthelightofday-blog@loveslide@peqchsoup@jaguarthecat@starrynightsforever@djarinxore@rexamongthestars@babygirlrex0504@dindjarindude@prentissluvr@hotchie360@beskarandblasters@space-cowboy-like-me

[aouiaa]

UPDATE

Hellooo silly billies, long time no speak. I have a few things I’d like to mention before I continue posting for the strike that starts tomorrow. First, I will be returning to writing a few days after the strike ends! Second, My birthday is on the 21st (which is during the strike) so I won’t be posting about Palestine as much as I’d like to. Lastly, I have exciting things I want to bring to the table when I do return BUT Ima let you decide on what it’ll be! Either I can post chapter two to Reflect orrrr announce an entire new fic, I’ve been working on. OR I can just surprise you.

Whichever option does win this poll, I’ll post the other one a few weeks after!!

And with that out the way, I really am excited to be coming back to writing! andddd I’m excited what you’ll choose!!!!!

SIDE NOTE - I wont stop posting about Palestine when I do return to writing. I will continue spreading the word about the ongoing situation.

[the-conversation-pod]

The VIIB Awards 2024: Top Tings

Continuing with Part 4 of 5 of the Very Important Internet BL Awards, we are handing out our awards for our favorites!

We will be awarding our Best GL, Best Genre Romance, Best Workplace Romance, Best Second Chance Romance, Best High School Romance, and BL of the Year.

Join us today and for the rest of the week as we continue tomorrow with our Special Class Awards. Tell us your winners in the notes!

Timestamps

The timestamps will now correspond with chapters on Spotify for easier navigation.

00:00 - Welcome 01:23 - Introduction 02:29 - Interlude: The very best in nosy neighbors from Big Eden (2000) 03:02 - Best GL 05:03 - Best Genre Romance 10:18 - Best Workplace Romance 16:02 - Best Second Chance Romance 21:20 - Best High School Romance 34:45 - BL of the Year 40:09 - Outro

The Conversation Transcripts!

Thanks to the continued efforts of @ginnymoonbeam as transcriber, and @lurkingshan as an editor and proofreader, we are able to bring you transcripts of the episodes.

We will endeavor to make the transcripts available when the episodes launch, and it is our goal to make them available for past episodes (Coming soon thanks to @wen-kexing-apologist). When transcripts are available, we will attach them to the episode post (like this one) and put the transcript behind a Read More cut to cut down on scrolling.

Please send our volunteers your thanks!

00:00 - Welcome

NiNi

Welcome to The Conversation About BL, aka The Brown Liquor Podcast.

Ben

And there it is. I’m Ben.

NiNi

I’m NiNi.

Ben

And we’re you’re drunk Caribbean uncle and auntie here sitting on the porch in the rocking chairs.

NiNi

Four times a year we pop in to talk about what’s going on in the BL world.

Ben

We shoot the shit about stories and all the drama going into them. I review from a queer media lens.

NiNi

And I review from a romance and drama lens.

Ben

So if you like cracked-out takes and really intense emotional analysis…

NiNi

If you like talking about artistry, industry, and the discourse…

Ben

And if you generally just love simping…

NiNi

There is a lot of simping on this podcast…

Ben

We are the show for you!

[fanfare sound]

01:23 - Introduction

Ben

And we're back. It is now time for the final segment.

NiNi

That's the Top Tings, and I know that you just said the final segments and not the Top Tings because you can't say “the Top Tings.” It makes you feel weird. [laughs]

Ben

I feel like I'm making fun of my cousins to the south if I say it!

NiNi

You get a pass this one time. [laughs]

So, we have changed, actually, our entire Top Tings segment from. Last year, we did awards by country, and we had a long discussion this year about what would be the most effective way to award the best of the best. Based on just the sheer volume coming out of Thailand, it would neither be fair nor appropriate to segment this section by country. So we have revamped and reworked the segment. We’re looking at sub genres within the BL genre.

02:29 - Interlude: The very best in nosy neighbors from Big Eden (2000)

Widow Thayer

“Yes, that, that Thanksgiving business.”

Bird

“You're wasting your efforts, Pike.”

Pike

“My efforts? My efforts! I'm just cooking food here!” 

Jim

“If only that were true.” 

Pike

“[sighs] I… I just want things to be… nice for him. I—I know it sounds foolish, but I just want things to be nice for him.”

Jim

“Thing is, Pike, uh. We want things to be nice for you too, buddy.”

03:02 - Best GL

NiNi

We start with a sub genre that is not in the BL genre, but it's still an important genre to us, and that is Best GL. 

Y’all, we were so excited for GL this year and then basically, very little GL actually happened, so there isn't actually really much to award this year. We've got one award to hand out—no runner up. 

So the winner of the Best GL this year is GAP the series? [fanfare sound]

Ben

It really is the only show.

NiNi

It was the only GL this year that we saw that we truly thought made the grade, that took the genre seriously. So GAP, what can I say about GAP? We cried. We laughed. We cackled towards the end. Ben suggested that somebody use somebody else like a bat. It was just so much fun, and that was what I wanted out of the first big GL to come out of Thailand. I wanted to have some fun. I wanted the girls to be gorgeous. I wanted all new tropes that had nothing to do with BL. And we got all of those things in GAP.

Ben

We did. We got “Let me taste the lipstick that I just put on you.” That's great. Good job, girls.

NiNi

Fantastic. No notes. [laughs] 

GAP was so fun. It was so fresh. It felt so different. It didn't feel like a BL in GL clothes. It felt like a GL. And, so, it wins the Best GL of the year. 

Hopefully next year we do better.

05:03 - Best Genre Romance

NiNi

Moving on. Our next category is Best Genre Romance, and this is a category to award romances in the action, horror, mystery, sci-fi and fantasy realms. 

The runner up for best genre romance is Be My Favorite. [applause sound] 

I am the resident Be My Favorite cheerleader. Ben likes the show, too, but I am the resident Be My Favorite cheerleader of this podcast. Really, what sells this is how Be My Favorite utilized its core conceit: its time travel element. It was so legible. It was simply designed, and it tied into both the structure and the characterization.

Ben

For me, in a genre story, the conceit matters to the way the story is going to unfold. It can't be an incidental part, and the way that time travel mechanic informs the story that's unfolding is really one of the stand out plot devices of the year. They never use it as a cop out, and I think that is one of the reasons why I was positive about the show more than anything else.

NiNi

It's not a cop out. It's not a deus ex machina. It is a Macguffin, but it is not a useless Macguffin. It is an incredibly impactful mechanic. There's two points in the story where it really stands out as an excellent use. The first one is when Kawi goes forward the second time, and his life is completely changed and he's miserable. And the second time that it's used, I think to incredible effect, is when Pisaeng travels back in time. The time travel mechanic itself and the way it was used in the story really resonates. 

So the runner up for best genre romance is Be My Favorite in the sci-fi subcategory for its time travel mechanic. 

Ben, who's the winner?

Ben

The winner of best genre romance this year is The End of the World With You [fanfare sound] because they used an impending apocalypse story as a way to do a really fucked up second chance romance. 

The world is ending and the characters we have are so messed up that they don't care or despair about this at all, because they have all stopped living in one way or another. They have given up, and so the fact that this story is about those characters choosing to live while staring into the abyss… It's just really so, so good. 

I really like that The End of the World With You uses this really well-executed end of the world coming soon setting to force these characters to reckon with the harm that they inflicted upon each other and themselves, and recognize that they don't just want to give up on life because they had a bad run of it. Your first losses can be really, really difficult. I don't want to ever downplay anyone's pain or suffering. But we're still here. This is our shot. You gotta take it. You have to get up. I don't know what getting up looks like for you, but you gotta get up. It's not over.

NiNi

Just thinking about The End of the World With You always makes me incredibly emotional because it is about the desperation of hope. It's so easy to just give up, and to give up in the face of what feels like absolutely impending doom, and then instead to say, “Actually, no, I'm not going to give up,” and then to have that work.

Ben

It's funny because we award Be My Favorite for doing, like, hard science fiction really well, by having a very straightforward conceit and following the rules of that conceit. But here we're awarding this show—we're kind of doing, like, a soft magic thing, where it doesn't matter what the rules of Yuma’s powers are. It's just he is a teenage boy with the ability to rewrite reality, and helping this teenage boy manage his own angst is how you save the world. [laughs] So fun.

NiNi

Save the world by becoming gay dads to a teenage boy who, along the way, falls in love with somebody experiencing gender. It's fantastic. No notes.

10:18 - Best Workplace Romance

NiNi

We're looking now at Best Workplace Romance, and I gotta say, I think 2023 was kind of the year of the workplace romance. There were a lot of them this year. Some worked well, some did not. [laughs] But I think what we have here is two of the best, and again, I'm going to engage in a little propaganda for one of my favorites. 

So for me, the point of setting a workplace drama is that you're either gonna be examining power dynamics, diverging goals and motivations, or queerness at work. To me, the best workplace romances in the BL genre deal with all three of these, and that's how I picked the winner. But before we get to the winner, I'll let Ben talk about the runner up.

Ben

So the runner up for this year is going to be Love in Translation. [applause sound] I generally do not like that most workplace romances are about the power differential between the boss and their employee. It irritates me to no end. It's a form of wish fulfillment that feels a little grounded in a dynamic where men make more money than women, so you're trying to romance your boss to kick up your social status a little bit. It feels a little heteronormative in BL, and it's rare that I feel like the queer dynamics of this are explored well at all. 

Love in Translation really works for me because the show goes out of its way to make the two characters equal by using Thai law to make that happen. And the two of them have to work together to make this functional. Working towards the goals they have for why they even agree to be part of the business enable them to grow closer with each other, and recognize that the thing that they're finding in each other is probably what's more important for them at this point. And the show ends by turning the whole franchise into a worker collective. How cool is that?

NiNi

I enjoyed Love in Translation and I definitely understand what the things are that you're looking for in a workplace BL, but for me, if you're not examining what it means to be in a romance at work, then the workplace just becomes a setting. It's not integral to the subgenre at that point. It's just a backdrop. I appreciate that, of the three things that I said that I'm looking for in a workplace romance, what Love in Translation does explore is this idea of divergent motivations, because they both want the store to succeed, but they have different means of doing that and they have different reasons for doing that. And sometimes their reasons, butt up against each other. That to me was a fascinating workplace element of setting this in their little store. I thought it was really neat. I thoroughly enjoyed that, and I think it absolutely deserves the runner up. 

The winner—the controversial winner—of the Best Workplace Romance Award. It's gotta be Step by Step. [fanfare sound] If we're talking about these three elements: examining power dynamics, looking at divergent goals and motivations, and looking at queerness at work, Step by Step does all three, and I think it did them remarkably well. In fact, the parts of Step by Step that I thought were really well done were the parts that had to do with the workplace dynamic. 

The workplace dynamics and the workplace setup of Step by Step mattered. The fact that this romance was happening at work, it mattered. The way that work came in between Pat and Jeng in the end, that mattered. The way that for Pat and Jeng to reconcile, they had to move away from the workplace, that mattered. That resonated, and I think that that was all incredibly well done, and that's before we even get to Chot. What Chot represents in the workplace. 

One thing I will say about Tee—of that darling angry little man. When he wants to talk about queerness and capitalism, queerness at work, power dynamics and queerness, he gets it. And so, to me, the Best Workplace Romance for 2023 has to go to Step by Step. Flawed as it is—and we did give it a Girl You Tried award this year—it was still the best workplace romance that we saw this year.

Ben

I'm giving it an award as a workplace show, not as a workplace romance.

NiNi

[laughs] Ben’s in the corner here, grumpy.

Ben

We had a lot of discussion about this particular category, because there are quite a few shows set in workplaces this year. We ended up eliminating them for specific criteria reasons, but I do hope that the workplace becomes a more effectively used setting going forward. I'd like to have a different conversation next year about shows set in workplaces.

16:02 - Best Second Chance Romance

NiNi

Our next category is Best Second Chance Romance. Second chance romance was also a pretty hot topic this year. Usually when we get into the second chance romance well, it is time fuckery versus head fuckery, but it is all head fuckery here at the top. Second chance is really also divided into. Romances where people didn't take the first chance, and romances where people fucked up the first chance. 

In terms of romances where people fucked up the first chance and our runner up, it is The End of the World With You. [applause sound] As a second chance romance, I find this incredibly powerful. Masumi and Ritsu had such a rending when they broke up. Masumi's entire life has been conducted in the wreckage of Masumi and Ritsu’s breakup. Masumi hasn't really been living since then, and Ritsu has been—we find out at the end of the show—living with serious regrets about what he did to Masumi. The way that the apocalypse gives them both the space to, in a way, seek each other out because, again, we find out at the end of the show that Ritsu deliberately went to the library because he knew Masumi would be there and he might run into him. And I think that Masumi subconsciously went to the library because he told Ritsu that that would be what he did if it ever came to the end of the world. I think that these two wanted to find each other again. I think that they wanted something to give them the space to reconnect and the apocalypse did just that. There's so much in the structuring of The End of the World With You. We know that Yuma technically caused the impending apocalypse, but there's also some argument as to whether Masumi and Ritsu brought it on. as well. 

It's an incredibly good writing of the second chance romance trope and the way that it ends up playing out in terms of how these two come back together, how they make their apologies, how they forgive, and how they reconcile. I just think it's so cool.

Ben

Moving on to our winner, the Best Second Chance Romance this year is Our Dating Sim. 

[fanfare sound] 

This was the winner. There was gonna be no debate about that. Second chance romance is the gayest subgenre of romance because gay people have to have second chance romances because of homophobia. It's Lee Wan’s inability to believe that Shin Ki Tae could feel what he's feeling, and then he panics in the moment and runs away. Under BL considerations, Wan is the uke who wants to be pursued by Shin Ki Tae. And he essentially punishes both of them because he confesses, which is not his role. The seme, realizing what he was supposed to do late, does not give up on the uke and spends seven years looking for him, and then meets again and then aggressively pursues this time. 

From a queer standpoint, Shin Ki Tae was not necessarily fully aware of his feelings for Wan when they were kids, but then discovers it very quickly after Wan runs away. Struggles with this realization and then resolves to find him again. What happens when people who were together once before get back together, they kind of regress a little bit, and they start going back into the dynamic they had before to try and figure out what was there. I really loved that the end of one of their dates was them hanging out and playing video games and reading manga because that's what they did as kids. And they talked about how there was maybe a gay thing going on even then and exploring what that means and revisiting some of the earlier moments that they have with each other properly. There were a couple of attempts at second chance romance this year that spent way too much time in the angst of it all and not in the second chance of it all. This show, with the least time, did it best for me. Particularly because it doesn't pretend that everything is okay. One of Ki Tae’s issues is that he has a fear of abandonment when it comes to Lee Wan that he will be working through for quite some time, and I love that the show played that out. 

This was an excellent example of what gay second chance romance should look like that also plays with some BL trope expectations.

21:20 - Best High School Romance

NiNi 

Moving on to Best High School Romance. Now, it seems like BL is always in here, but when we look back, BL doesn't actually touch on high school that much. I feel like a lot of the reason that people think that there's a lot of high school BL is because they tend to flash back to high school? That is a pretty well-worn trope. I think that a lot of people have conflated those flashbacks with high school romance stories. 

Ben 

Almost every goddamn BL [laughs] flashes back to high school at one point or another.

NiNi 

Exactly! And I feel like that gets conflated with these things being set in high school. It gets tarred with the brush of, “Oh, there's too much high school BL,” when actually there isn't that much. Anyway, all of that to say, one of the reasons we wanted to do a high school romance category is we think there were some really good ones this year. 

High school is becoming more fertile ground for some good romances. As a person who had a fairly typical high school experience and feels the nostalgia, I guess, radiating off of some of this stuff, I enjoy high school romances. Ben has slightly different views, I think. 

In terms of what I'm looking for in a high school romance, to me, a high school romance requires some of the coming-of-age, loss-of-innocence elements to be included, along with falling in love. And it's supposed to feel outsized—big dumb love. That's what I am looking for in my high school romances. 

Ben, what's your criteria when you're looking at high school romance? 

Ben 

So…I went to an all male Catholic school and I was a refugee for a full year of high school. I was also deeply in the closet. I don't remember high school fondly, particularly when it comes to romance. The bubbly version of high school is not what I remember? I remember the angst. I remember the crises I was having about what this truth about myself meant for my life. The bubbly version of high school is 100% fanciful to me. Sometimes it hurts to watch that—you go, is that what I was supposed to have? Why didn't I get to have that? 

So, we went into this category with very different lenses. We ended up really struggling with awarding in this category. The things that NiNi is connecting to are very different from the things that I am connecting to with the two projects we ended up settling on when we were trying to decide who to award. 

NiNi 

I think this is the first award that we've ever come down to where we genuinely considered a tie [laughs] just because what we were looking at was so different and not really reconcilable. But in the end, we did choose a runner up and a winner. 

So Ben, I will let you tell us. Who is the runner up for Best High School Romance? 

Ben 

The runner up for High School Romance goes to I Cannot Reach You [applause sound] from TBS in Japan. Many pointed out that we don't get a lot of high school romances in BL, actually. We also do not get friends to lovers that often. Most of the time the boys are not really friends, they're just dating. The big thing with friends to lovers is that there are stakes. The friendship you have is an important relationship and wanting romance and or sex from that relationship. does strain it. In the concept of BL, you're talking about people being gay, being gay is going to change the way you interact with the world. Part of why I Cannot Reach You works for me so much, is Yamato doesn't want to inflict queerness upon his friend, despite how deeply he wants to be with him. And it's very rare that a show captures that properly. 

The show has Kakeru’s exploration and accepting of Yamato's feelings and what that means play out in a way that is really earnest. And even though there's this whole breaking point with them where you can't go back, Kakeru later admits that he wasn't upset about it. He was just surprised, which is also a very real boy conversation. And I like that the show ends with things they get together, but they fight a lot, because they're friends. They are still going to be sorting out their relationship for a while. Because they have other baggage they bring to it from just how they've gotten used to knowing each other. 

I Cannot Reach You and our winner are two really special projects from this year in terms of actually exploring what it means to be young and trying to deal with some of this shit. I am always going to be more sensitive to the shows that are willing to stare directly into the hellishness of being gay and young. Because I try to be fun and entertaining for all of you, but I was a very sad little stressed boy throughout my adolescence, and I like when BL is cognizant of what it means to actually be gay and young and trying to sort your shit out. 

NiNi 

Ben is right that the best high school romance takes you back to what it felt like to be young, and to be dealing with this shit. For him, that skews in one direction, and for me that skews in entirely another. 

Our winner of Best High School Romance is My School President. The realism for me, from my perspective, of having a group of friends at the end of high school. There is so much coming down the pike, but you got one last year that one last chance to just be a bunch of dumb fucking kids and maybe, maybe have a dream come true before you go out into the real world and it kicks you around. To me, that is what My School President captured. 

I mean, these kids are idiots and they are still allowed to be idiot kids at this point in time. That's not gonna last forever. There's a sense of things being there and not at the same time, of this idea of youth slipping away slowly and quickly, all at the same time—this idea that things will never be like this again and so you kind of have to grab what you can—that permeates My School President. And I found it just the quintessence of what a high school story should be in that regard for me, anyway. That wave of love and nostalgia that takes you over that sense of impending doom that's happening at the same time, that excitement for the future and at the same time, the fear of it looking back at the things that you may have done or not done, because this is sort of the first big reflection point of your life, coming to the end of high school. And for that to be happening along with the first real love. They cooked that shit up in a lab just for me. 

Gun and Tinn, to me, are the perfect high school romance because it is that mix of innocent and serious, that sense of them being kind of playful puppies, but at the same time there are these very deep, very real, very serious feelings that need to be treated in a deep, real, serious way. I tend to talk about how important I think love is—if you are a person for whom romantic love is important—how important it is at every stage of romantic love at every stage of life and every way that romantic love happens to you. And again, if romantic love is something that is part of your identity. People tend to dismiss first loves, young loves and all of that because these things don't tend to last very long. But to me, just because something doesn't last, just because it is a short lived, beautiful thing, doesn't make it any less real. 

And one of the things that I really appreciate about the couples in My School President, particularly Gun and Tinn, is that Tinn has had this crush for a really, really long time on Gun. Gun is in a journey of self discovery, and he finds something in terms of how he feels for Tinn. And even if this doesn't actually pan out, even if this doesn't last the summer, even if this is something that doesn't go beyond or too far beyond the end of high school. It's still real. It still matters. Everything that they felt, everything that they said to each other, it's still all there. It still all matters. It's still all incredibly real. I really resent young love and first love being treated as less important. I think actually that your first love is incredibly important. Because it sort of sets up how you are going to conceive of love going forward. And I think that in terms of setting up particularly Gun and Tinn, and to some extent, Sound and Win, as first loves, you kind of get a sense of how the future trajectory of these characters’ individual love lives will go, whether they stay together or don't stay together after high school is less relevant. What happens with the romances now? What happens with them in high school? How they fall for each other, how they talk to each other, how they treat each other? These are all things that are being set in them for the future, and to me, that's, like, the big part of high school romance. You're learning how to be in love. You're learning how to treat somebody in love. It’s bubbly. It makes me feel good. They're so cute. Cute as a big part of high school romance to me as well. It has to be adorable, and My School President was. It's a winner. 

Ben 

With Gun and Tinn, part of why I am amenable to My School President is Tinn is doing the thing that little gay overachievers [laughs] always do. He doesn't know how to romance Gun except by just trying to support him. And I think that that is genuinely really sweet. The question for you always is why are these two little homos gonna be together. Tinn just likes to see his little loser boyfriend try really hard at the things he likes, and is willing to go out of his way to help him with those things. And he likes the determination that Gun brings to the table, and I could appreciate that. And I like for Gun that part of his journey is accepting that he will need someone else in his corner besides his mom. There's a sense that since he lost his dad, he's been missing someone else in his corner. 

I liked both of these shows, and it was really tough to award this particular category. 

34:45 - BL of the Year

NiNi 

Moving on to BL of the year. Whoo! We argued a bit. 

Ben 

For, like, months! We've been arguing about this since April. 

NiNi 

And we were arguing, really, right down to the end. And in the end, the reason that the winner wins is because I went back to last year's BL of the year. And I listened to how we conceived of and discussed BL of the Year. So the main crux of the argument that we had this year about the BL of the Year is about whether this award is about the past or the future. Is this an award about pioneering? Or is this an award about perfecting? The award, in the end is really about influencing the future of the genre. 

The runner up for BL of the year is My School President. [applause sound] Everything that BL has been doing from Love Sick in 2014 until now, this first decade, has come to a head and been truly perfected in My School President. I think all the churn, all the experimentation, everything that BL has done in the last decade came down to this. This is the first wave BL. This is the proto BL and that's why for me it was the runner up for the BL of the Year. 

So Ben, who's the winner, who has pioneered their way into winning BL of the year this year. 

Ben 

Let's talk about the role of pioneering here. I come from a queer cinema lens. The genre is always advancing. My School President doesn't exist without the work that came before it that pushed the genre to be something other than it was at the time. I like to focus on the work that I think is challenging the genre itself the most. 

The winner of BL of the Year for pushing the genre is La Pluie. [fanfare sound] La Pluie is special for me because it's the only show this year that pushed me to write every week for eight weeks beyond just doing my normal Stray Thoughts reactions. I felt a need to advocate for this show. One of the struggles that I've watched long time fans have is we bring too much genre expectation to it. La Pluie was so legible. More than anything, La Pluie was asking about the nature of romance itself. 

So much of what's wrong with all the characters in this show is romance itself. Tai is a goddamn mess because the boy reads too much romance. He's got too many issues about his parents not having the perfect romance that they were supposed to have. This also impacts Saengtien, as well. He's kind of got similar hang ups about how he thinks things should go. Maybe he doesn't express himself the way he should because he also brings a lot of presumptions to this. But La Pluie asks you. Are you willing to do the work to be in the romance? Like, if you see the tropes lining up for you perfectly and you're vibing with somebody? Are you gonna show up and do the work to be in that romance with them? Or are you just gonna get mad at them for not doing what you expect them to do because you've watched 200 BLs [laughs] and now you feel like you understand romance and what human interaction should look like? 

My favorite thing about La Pluie this year was they never faked out when it came time to deal with sexual tension. Like, and then, the fact that they were releasing the sexual tension led to more interesting complications and things to unpack in the relationship. It is so much more interesting when we let the characters have a little bit of sex and then deal with the outcomes of what that means and what the sex signified to those characters. In a show that's about romantic desire that plays around with sexual desire, that is super important for me. 

So congratulations to the entire team at La Pluie. I saw what you all did and it was fantastic.

40:09 - Outro

NiNi

Hoo! So Ben, we've gotten through our Top Tings. I think that the people will have noticed that there were a few things missing from the awards. That's not because we didn't see these things or we're not going to talk about these things. We've got a bunch of Special Class awards coming at you tomorrow—again, if the editing holds up—tomorrow [laughs], we're going to be talking about our Special Class awards in three categories. We've got Honorable Mentions, we've got a very special actor award to give out. And we have got our Standout Queer Narratives of the Year. 

Look forward to that coming at you tomorrow. Until then, we out! Say bye to the people, Ben.

Ben

Peace!

[footballffbarbiex]

Blank Space. Chapter One

player: antoine griezmann words: 1214 summary: being a single mom isn’t easy, more so when it’s plus one season and invites are through your door on a monthly basis but with no-one to take. Tired of the pitying glances and coming up with excuses, you decide that a plus one is just for the night, and that can be bought. But what if that hourly booking isn’t enough, but the boyfriend experience comes at too much of a cost? series warnings: sex work (male escort), single mom client, swearing bc it's me, unrequited love (OR IS IT?), angst (bc apparently i like to put Anto through the fucking wringer.) probably more but i can't think straight rn.

I can’t remember if I shared this here, but I’m really excited for this series. Lemme know what you think. 

-

The door has barely had time to close when you’re already dropping your bag to the floor and shrugging out of your coat. You toe your shoes off, knowing that you’ll hate yourself a little tomorrow when you see the creases in the back of them but you’re too tired from work to care right now. You scoop your bag back up and drape it over a coat hook before scooping up today’s post from the doormat and heading down the hallway and flicking on the heating without missing a step.

James won’t be home for a while, the childminder isn’t due for another two hours, giving you the chance to finish off dinner and get a bath ready for him. Stepping into the kitchen, you breathe in the scent of the contents of the slow cooker and the rumbling in your stomach reminds you of the lunch that you skipped earlier. Skipped or forgot because you were so rushed off your feet? No matter the reason, the result is still the same and this has you reaching for a snack while you check over the envelopes and leaflets that have come.

Trash. Trash. Trash. Trash.

They fall to the counter top one by one as you look over them. Some are promising guaranteed credit card acceptance with an extortionately high APR, some are designed to look like letters but are concealing house buying promises from estate agents. A few are small booklets with the latest deals from stores begging for you to spend money. And one, in a carefully tied envelope that can only mean one thing.

You pause chewing as you turn it over, the edges perfectly sealed but the bottom of the envelope flap has been secured anyway with a small return address sticker. You knew because of the handwriting on the front and your stomach drops at the thought of attending another event alone. It’s opened within seconds, a careful slice to the top with a knife, even though you have a letter opener somewhere that your neighbour gave you after she saw you do exactly this.

You scan the information, take in the intricate details and know that these were professionally made. Not that you expected anything different, the bride-to-be had always been anal about details and making sure everything was just so, the wedding would be no different. The wedding invite falls on top of the pile and you push away from the counter as you debate what to do.

Of course stepping through the doors is easy. Mixing with others, especially those that you know, is simple. But summoning the energy, putting on a fake smile when people ask “so, bring a plus one?” and you can see the hope in their eyes that you’re bringing someone who isn’t a friend? That takes some doing. Having to explain why you haven’t yet found that “special someone” is draining. It’s not that you’re not happy for those whose weddings or baby showers you’re invited to, it’s the constant justification of why you’re surviving without a man.

You’re too hungry to think about this on an empty stomach and the need to get out today’s clothes is strong.

-

With dinner consumed and your favourite glass of wine in hand, you’re browsing every streaming site you subscribe to. James is sleeping soundly upstairs, his heavy breathing borderlining a gentle snore. He’d come home, boisterous, loud and chaotic in all the ways a little boy can be. He’d returned home with tales from nursery, little things that had made him laugh and stories he’d wanted to remember tell you. He’d gobbled up his food, his feet swinging in the gap between the seat and the floor. He’d barely left anything on his plate, slurped up his juice before playing a little before it was time for bed.

After kisses, cuddles and with a nighttime story read, James had fallen asleep before you’d reached the last page. You’d brushed his hair aside and given him a kiss on his forehead before ensuring he was fully tucked up and asleep before making your way back downstairs and getting comfortable on the sofa.

Selecting something as more background noise than anything, your mind drifts back to the invite. You weigh up the pros and cons of both attending and refusing to go. Both have their own perks, but very different outcomes. One would leave you feeling almost less than a person, again, and the other would leave you happy to be at home but judged and most likely shunned from any events in the future - even if you had someone to accompany you.

Humour, almost sarcastically really, has you reaching for your phone and loading up the web browser and typing “where to loan a plus one”.

You didn’t believe for a second that you’d get an actual hit. Of course, almost everything has a result, but more often than not it’s not what you want. But instead, you find yourself with several pages of results and all of a similar nature. You weren’t a prude or at the thought of being behind by several decades, but you hadn’t expected to see the options for this kind of question being from escort agencies.

Intrigue had you clicking and reading over the information there. Some of it was new. You’d genuinely believed that booking an escort was mostly for one thing. Here it details many different options and prices, ranging from hourly rates, 6 hour blocks, overnight stays which can include “the relationship package”, or dates.

You found yourself clicking on what counted as a date and found that many bookings, for all their escorts, were for work events, weddings and anything else that required a plus one. You’d never considered this as a possibility. Didn’t know if you were considering this as an option now. Wouldn’t it be easier to just not go than pay for someone to pretend they’re interested in you?

You’re already here so there’s no harm in clicking on a few profiles as you hypothetically pick out a date. You can see why people would pay for these men, they were beautiful. On their profiles, they have sections which state their expertise. Some are given glowing reviews for their boyfriend experiences, for their ability to put their clients at ease. Some are incredible with their hands or mouth, some exceed in oral. Some are listed as “above average” and some have preference for plus size. There was truly something for everyone. In a way, there was too much choice.

You’re about to click off when a picture gets your attention. Blue eyes under beautiful lashes. Soft dark blonde hair that begs to be touched. A kind and handsome face which, as you flick through the available pictures for him, turns into far more gorgeous when he smiles. His reviews were good. Better than good. He was the perfect choice for a boyfriend experience, would always be on time for event plus ones and took the time to do his research for them - not wanting to leave anything to chance and reveal that this was a very different situation to what you’d claimed you would imagine.

You weren’t considering it before, but this man, this profile, it made you question everything.

[canonicallyobserving911]

WIP Wednesday

Fanonwriter2023 on AO3

Where CANON and FANON collide!

Season 7 FANON Speculation

I wasn’t tagged by anyone but I wanted to share two snippets from Chapter 5 of my multi-chapter fic titled “I’m still in love with you but... I needed to learn how to love myself too!”

The closer I get to completing chapter 5, the more excited I get because things are getting even more angsty than they already were for Buck and Eddie.  My goal is to finish this chapter and edit it soon, so hopefully, I’ll be able to post it by the end of the week. ___________ Here are two snippets from chapter 5 because Eddie’s still in El Paso and Buck just arrived in Hershey. ___________

Eddie

“Like you said Eddie, it’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other.  I almost didn’t recognize you yesterday but I knew it was you after I heard your voice. What have you been up to?  Do you still live in El Paso?”

Eddie shakes his head no and echoes his answer.  “No, I live in Los Angeles.”

“Really, you live in L.A.?”

“Yeah.  I’ve been there for almost six years now.”

“I guess that old saying about time flies is true then, huh?”

Eddie nods.

Dorian looks at him then asks, “What do you do in L.A.?  For a living I mean.”

“I’m a firefighter and a medic with the LAFD.  And you, what do you do?”

“I’m a real estate broker and I dabble in investments, mostly Cryptocurrency as a hobby but I also own a couple of stocks listed on the S&P 500.”

“Ok, that’s interesting.”

“Yeah, it is.  I never thought I’d end up in real estate but El Paso is growing and for the last 10 years, the population has surged tremendously.  There’s a new subdivision not too far from here that my firm was hired to handle all the sales for.  It’s called “New Beginnings”.”

“Really?”  Eddie asks as his eyebrows go up because that’s the same subdivision where he looked at an open house last week.  

“Yeah, it keeps me busy.” Dorian takes a sip of his water. “After two years of non-stop work, I finally decided to take some time off so I could spend time with my kids.”

Eddie chuckles and says, “This is my first vacation ever.  I mean I’ve taken time off work before but it was for doctor’s appointments for me or my son but this is my first time taking more than one or two days off at one time”.

Will Eddie make the decision to move back to El Paso after he has dinner with an old friend from high school?

___________

Buck

Buck finds and empty barstool, he sits and after a few seconds, the bartender asks, “What can I get for you?”

“Uh… vodka on the rocks.”

The bartender nods and within 2 minutes, a glass with his preferred drink is sitting in front of him. He throws it back and motions for another.  After his third round, someone sits down next to him on the barstool to his right that was recently vacated but he doesn’t look over at them.

He can feel their eyes looking at him but he doesn’t look over until he hears, “Evan Buckley.”

He pulls back because he recognizes the voice but he’s hoping it’s not the person he thinks it is. He turns his head and it’s him, Jared Persons, the quarterback of his college football team.

He plasters on a fake smile and says, “Jared?”

“Yeah man, it’s me.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Well, I don’t live too far from here and I come to this restaurant sometimes to sit at the bar, drink a few shots and let off some steam.”

After he looks Buck up and down, he continues.  “But I think the real question is… what are you doing here because last I heard, you left Hershey several years ago?”

“Um… I’m only here for one day and then I—I’ll be gone.”

Buck watches as Jared looks him up and down again with parted lips and a sparkle in his light green eyes like he wants to devour him.  He’s not naïve and he remembers everything they did one night after one of their big wins but he wonders if he should turn into Buck 1.0 again if only for one night.  He considers just doing it to relieve some of the stress he’s feeling before he has to face his parents tomorrow.

He thinks Jared can tell he’s remembering the night they spent together when he leans in close to speak into Buck’s ear.

Jared whispers, “There’s a hotel across the street and if you want… we could, you know for old times’ sake.  One roll in bed while you’re here for one night, one day or whatever.”

Buck moves to the left, then he interrupts him.  “I’m good Jared.  It was nice seeing you again.”

Will Buck accept the proposition made by one of his old college football teammates? 

_________

Fic Summary: Months after Buck and Eddie were hit by the same lightning strike; they’re still struggling with the aftermath of it.  But before they make their love confessions, they’ll spend time getting to know themselves as individuals first. Eddie learns to enjoy the simple things in life as he participates in activities on his own and with new friends while Buck learns the rest of the 31-year-old deep dark family secret about his conception and birth. Their journey to forever is still a work in progress but once they finally admit they’re in love with each other, everything that follows their love confessions will be cataclysmic.

__________

Chapter Summaries

Chapter 1 - Eddie makes a new friend while Buck receives devastating news regarding the sperm donation he made for Connor and Kameron.

Chapter 2 - Buck does a lot of research to learn more about the abnormalities found in his red blood cells and Eddie starts a new therapy journey that’s all about him and not the traumas he’s experienced.

Chapter 3 - After more than a month, Buck and Eddie finally spend time together outside of work but it doesn’t end well and they part with a lot of uncertainty regarding their places in each other’s lives.

Chapter 4 - Eddie has a few realizations about his life which causes him to consider moving back to El Paso, TX while Buck continues to be reminded of his past which causes him to take an impromptu road trip across America.

Chapter 5 - Will be posted soon.

__________

I’m enjoying writing this fic because it’s giving me the chance to unravel the mess that was 6x18 for Buck, Eddie and Chris.  Also, it’s taking them places the show refuses to go including Buck being put on Paid Administrative Leave from the 118 due to Taylor Kelly’s book being released along with Eddie doing a self-evaluation journey which currently includes him trying to decide if he should move back to El Paso.

__________

Buddie Multi-Chapter Fanfic - Hiatus Reading

Read chapters 1, 2, 3 & 4 on AO3.

No pressure tagging: @spotsandsocks​​ and @shortsighted-owl​.

[mynameismckenziemae]

So I’ve been refreshing your page every 30 seconds waiting for more of Jake and Reese in All of Me lol. how’s the next chapter going? No pressure, I know you’re a mom and a wife and a real adult 😂

I’m dying and honestly so flattered that someone thinks I’m a real adult 😂🙃😭

I actually had a pretty boring weekend but I haven’t really written much until today…I just wasn’t feeling it for some reason.

I’m about 400 or so words into the next part (most edited parts I post are between 1,600-2,400 words). Depending on where I end this one, I have a feeling it’ll be a longer one but we’ll see.

I’m hoping 🤞🏻 that I’ll have it up by tomorrow night but no guarantee-tomorrow is the first day back after a long weekend at work and it’s usually busy, then we have a meeting over lunch 🙄 and then I have to do volunteer work for my son’s baseball league tomorrow night 😩

I loveeeee that you’re excited about it though! Makes it easier to write when I know people are looking forward to it.

[archiveikemen]

'Tamed By A Beastly Love' Story Event — Chapter 01

Ibuki Route 🔞

I do not own any of the Ikemen Series content being uploaded on this blog, everything belongs to CYBIRD. Please support them by downloading and playing their games.

read this before interacting with my posts

It was a cold winter night —

Yuno: Nn… stop.

Ibuki traced his fingers across my body, which had been drowning in so much pleasure that I could no longer stop myself from trembling in ecstasy.

Ibuki: You really thought that’d be enough to make me stop?

(Damn it.)

His crafty smirk deepened as I realized that I had made the wrong choice of words.

(Seriously… this feels too good, I don't think my body can handle it any more.)

Ibuki had been pleasuring me non-stop and it was so intense that I could barely catch my breath.

Ibuki: It's way too early for you to start complaining. You’re still able to make those noises, right?

Yuno: You’re… so… mean…

Ibuki: I take that as a compliment.

(Hyaaaa)

Ibuki pulled me closer into an embrace and our bodies overlapped again.

Ibuki: Being “mean” to you was no longer enough to satisfy your body from the very beginning.

His low voice echoed in my ear as a heat coursed through my body.

Ibuki: I’ve been pleasuring you so good every night that it’s driving you crazy — right?

While whispering those words that made me want to shut my ears, Ibuki’s fingertips pinched the sensitive nubs on my chest.

Yuno: Nn…! Aaaaghhh

He was torturing me even harder than just now, making my thoughts turn hazy.

(This feels so good, it's scary.)

I reached out my hand as I desperately needed something to hold onto.

Yuno: Help me… Ibuki…!

Ibuki: —

Ibuki suddenly stopped moving when I clung tightly to his warm body.

But that only lasted a split second —

Ibuki: At the end of the day, you’ll still be clinging onto me. You cute little thing.

Ibuki gave an amused smirk as he traced a finger down my neck suggestively.

Ibuki: The pathetic look you’re giving me right now just makes me want to torture you even more.

Yuno: W- Wait…

Ibuki: What makes you think I’ll wait?

Ibuki’s hands firmly gripped my waist…

Ibuki: Go ahead, cling onto me and moan as much as you want.

(I really don't think I can take any more— aahh…)

Before I could respond, my mind was filled with Ibuki again as he continued torturing me.

The night went on —

(T- That was intense.)

It was past midnight by the time I was freed.

I sighed as I laid on my Ibuki arm pillow, and heard a stifled laugh come from above me.

Ibuki: Is my arm not a good enough pillow? You don't know real luxury, do you?

Yuno: That’s not it. You know what I mean.

Ibuki: Well…

The beautiful demon’s lips lifted into a smile as he scooped up my hair from the bed.

Ibuki: I love it when you rely on me.

Yuno: Ibuki, you’re horrible…

Ibuki: I know, and this is the kind of demon you’re so in love with. How do you feel about that?

(... I can’t say anything.)

Ibuki chuckled when I averted my eyes.

(Mm…)

His large hand gently carrassed my head.

Yuno: … Ibuki.

Ibuki: Yeah?

The way Ibuki looked at me and touched me made me feel so special.

Yuno: Mmm nothing.

Feeling blissful, I rubbed my cheek against Ibuki’s arm.

Ibuki: Not going to sleep?

Ibuki: We’re heading out early in the morning tomorrow. You should get some rest.

(Hm?)

Yuno: I didn't know we were going out tomorrow.

Ibuki: Your demon boyfriend is asking you out on a date. You won’t refuse, right?

Yuno: Well…

Ibuki grinned when I tried to imitate him.

Ibuki: I heard there’s going to be a great event in town. I’m looking forward to it.

(Of course I’m glad he asked me out, but…)

(An event even Ibuki is looking forward to? I’m getting worried.)

The next day, I was feeling both excited and nervous to find out what Ibuki’s “great event” would be.

Ibuki brought me to the town where the event was being held.

Yuno: Oh…!

In front of me as my eyes widened in surprise, Ibuki was leading a group of little animals with a smile on his face.

Ibuki: We’ve got the best of the best with us. … So, what do you think? Is it not the greatest event?

Ibuki: There's going to be a cat competition! Worth the trip, no?

(A cat competition!)

Ibuki spoke while petting the cats.

The “Cat Lovers Show” was a large event for cat lovers from all around the country to gather and show off their cats.

Yuno: There’s even food carts set up over there. This event is booming!

Ibuki: Of course. Because it’s a cat event, right?

As we chatted away, Ibuki picked up a cat that was rubbing itself against him and stroked its soft fur.

Ibuki: This little one has lovely fur. It must've put in a lot of effort to get it to look this good.

Cat: Nyaa! Nya!

Ibuki: I see.

Cat: Naaanya! Nyan!

Ibuki: Good luck with the competition. I’d be pampering you with goodies right now if I were your owner.

(He’s having a conversation with the cat… very typical of Ibuki the cat lover.)

The man standing before me looked so different compared to that charming meanie from last night.

(It’s frustrating that I find Ibuki pretty adorable right now…)

I couldn't help but smile at my own silliness.

(Oh, but…)

Cat: Nyaa

Ibuki: Amiable, aren't you? You’re so lovely and brave.

Ibuki showered the cute animal in his arms with praise.

For some reason, I could feel a slight tinge of jealousy rising inside me as I watched them.

(If I were a cat, would he pamper me like that too? … Wait, what am I thinking?)

Just as I was having that ridiculous thought, I looked up suddenly and our eyes met.

Ibuki: There’s another kitty over there.

Yuno: What?

Ibuki: Do you see it? There’s an adorable little spoiled kitty longing for my love and attention.

(He noticed it…!)

My cheeks heated up as I felt delighted that he could understand my feelings, but at the same time I felt embarrassed.

Ibuki: You want my love too, don't you? Just like that cat.

Yuno: N-No! But… erm…

Ibuki: You don’t have to hide it.

(Wah…!)

Ibuki put the cat on the ground and pulled me closer to him by my waist.

Yuno: Wait Ibuki, not out here…

We were in the middle of a crowded town.

I wanted to stop him, but I got distracted by his well-sculpted face approaching and his hand snaking up my waist.

Ibuki: Want to see just how much we can do in public?

Yuno: Wait, wait, wait. Are you being serious?

(Is he really going to kiss me in public…!?)

[north-blue-hearts]

Heart of Gold

CisFem Reader x Trafalgar Law

CW: ptsd, trauma, depictions/implications of suicide and suicidal ideation, language, violence, blood, canonical character death, mature themes and events 18+

Chapter 14: Travels

You stayed at your current island for a couple of days. The crew needed some shore leave for starters, and as long as the marines didn’t make a nuisance of themselves there was no rush. Someone stayed on the Tang with you – which was pretty standard for the crew. There were always a couple people available to move the submarine out of harm’s way if trouble caught up to them.

Law left with Shachi and Penguin at one point to tear the town’s library apart. Figuratively, he assured you. Sometimes knowledge had a way of hiding in small out of the way places like the islands he meant to visit, and there was a possibility that they could find something useful.

Whether that information was about his devil fruit, your ability, the seer’s prophecy, your current predicament, or even the One Piece, it was impossible to say.

There could also be nothing.

They returned with something, however, but it wasn’t something they could verify themselves.

You had shown Law some of the language that you’d translated for him before. The King’s tongue. By rights you were probably the only person who knew how to read it.

At the very least you might be the only person who knew how to read it that wasn’t a Celestial Dragon.

You flipped through it when Law handed it to you, skimming over some of the pages.

“It looks like a journal.” You state, paying closer attention to the page you’d randomly turned to. “It’s… kind of crude, but not impossible to read.”

“Crude?”

You tilt your head. “It feels like someone writing in a second or third language, and not their native tongue. It’s stilted in places, some particles are incorrect, but the concepts are complex, not childish. It’s not a child’s journal, and it feels too… motherly to be a teenager.”

You close the journal and smile. “I can read it in my spare time and see if there’s anything useful. I can imagine an anthropologist or archeologist would be interested in the contents, even if they don’t turn out to be directly useful to us.”

“It was a bust then?” Shachi moans.

“Mm, no, we don’t know yet.” You correct.

“Ah, sorry, Bell, it’s just… we were so excited to find that language.” Penguin explains. “And it’s a journal. That’s kind of boring to a pirate.”

“Robin-ya would be excited.” Law says, looking between the two.

“She doesn’t count, she’s an archeologist.” Shachi grumbles.

“She’s… one of the Straw Hats, yes?” You question, running over the list of your supposed allies. Law nods.

“Careful when you meet her,” Penguin rubs his arms. “She has, uh, a unique sense of humor.”

You smile. “I’ll keep that in mind. Anything else happen?” You ask, looking between the three of them.

Law shakes his head. “Scanning didn’t find anything. Admittedly, I’ve never really used it to scan an island, so I’m still making a lot of assumptions. I’m hoping we can find a book or two on geology on the next island, but everything here was basic.”

“On to further adventure then?” You question, quirking an eyebrow at him.

“Tomorrow,” he admits. “There’s a small… er…” His sentence trails off and his frown deepens.

“Festival?” You prompt, letting a small sigh escape you. “Alas.”

“Once everything is sorted out, we’ll take you on a festival tour!” Penguin offers, Shachi joining in with him. They’re trying so hard to cheer you up, and it’s appreciated.

“We can start at the Grandline Metropolis,” Shachi adds. “There’s festivals in all the quads, and once we’ve seen more of them we can do an island tour.”

“That sounds very… post everything else.” You admit a little sheepishly, but manage to put on a truly bright smile. “But something to look forward too, certainly.”

A soft metallic bang is heard from below decks, a call to a meal, and you all head down to eat.

You give one last glance to the island, curiosity and frustration in equal measure, before descending to the mess hall with everyone else.

The meal went well, and a couple hours later you were in your room, beginning to read the journal while you enjoyed the setting sun, when there was a knock at your door. Setting the small tome aside you opened the door and weren’t entirely surprised to see Law standing there.

“Busy?” He questions, eyes flitting to the book by your bed.

You shake your head. “Barely started. What can I do for you?”

He’s silent for a beat before shaking his head a little. “The festival’s fireworks might be visible from the deck.” He looks away, the default frown on his face twitching a little. “I thought you might enjoy seeing them.”

You smile. “It’s worth a shot. Are fireworks… um… Well, actually, what are fireworks?”

Law offers his elbow, and you take it. There’s a devious grin on his face. “All those technological advancements of days gone by, and there weren’t any fireworks?”

You feel your face flush. “I, well, the word may be different, is all.” You stammer a little, suddenly far more aware of his warmth than usual.

“They’re effectively colorful bombs.” He says, describing them as you ascended from the lower decks. “Fired into the air and packed with flammable minerals and chemicals to produce colorful light shows in the night sky.”

“Huh.” You’re really beginning to hope there’s a clear view available from the ship. “I’ve… never heard of such a thing. Colorful, recreational, bombs.”

“Fireworks.” He offers.

“So you say.” You step out onto the deck as the last few rays of the day’s light disappear under the horizon. The moments after the sun set were always your favorite. The world slowed for a time – man and beast alike, and it was easier to breathe.

The moment just before dawn was often the same, but days were often more hectic for you than nights, and so there wasn’t the same sense of peace to be had.

Law goes to the far side of the deck, leaning against the railing, and so you do the same. The world is quiet, and comfortable. So are you, standing against the rail on the deck of the Polar Tang, watching the sky steadily darken with a man beside you who had no desire to unnecessarily fill the quiet with words.

“Captain.” You begin, and see the scowl deepen.

He scowls when you call him captain, and the realization of why hits you like a bolt. At first you thought it was because you were teasing him, or maybe the tone with which you said it rankled him. But then you called him Law, and he didn’t scowl.

(Y/N)-ya.

Bepo, Shachi, Penguin, Ikkaku, Jean Bart, Clione, Hakugan, Uni.

(Y/N).

Robin-ya.

You tilt your head, and Law looks over at you in mild confusion. You had started to say something to him before you’d gone quiet and now he was waiting for you to get on with it. But your initial question was gone from your mind and replaced by something new.

“Why do you call people that?” You question, and there’s complete confusion on his face. “The ending you put on names, but not all names. You don’t use it for your crew, so I can’t imagine it’s a term of endearment. You used to put it on the end of mine, but now you do not.

“But when you referenced Nico Robin, you called her Robin-ya.” You’re too lost in your own thoughts to notice the expression on Law’s face. “Is it a statement of distance then? Like the tonal difference between sir dependent upon -.” Your concentration is broken as you hear a whistling sound.

You instinctively turn to it, eyes wide, taking in everything you could, and are relieved by your observation haki to realize it must be the firework that Law had mentioned. The colors were beautiful, the first and second time that you saw them. The distant pop that followed was barely enough to make you flinch, but it was followed by another whistle.

The sound of the bombs being launched into the air.

“Oh.” You murmur quietly, eyes glued to the sky as more explosions of color filled the air. “It’s like… flowers of light.” You say softly.

You stay still and quiet for a long moment, watching the bursts of light in the sky, soft gasps and awe-filled laughter, barely breathing the sound out into the air. Law watched you quietly, a small smile on his face. A softness in his features that you didn’t see.

At least, not at first.

You turned toward him after a particularly colorful display, smile wide on your face, and caught the look on his face. Your delight shifts to surprise, and the fireworks are no longer important. His eyes go a little wide, and the color that darkens his face gives him away before he looks away.

There’s no way you slept for centuries to fall in love with a pirate.

You slept for centuries for some purpose decided by the seer. You slept for centuries because you hadn’t managed to die when you tried. You slept for centuries because fate deemed it thus.

You slept for centuries because you’d been caught.

Falling in love with a pirate, was simply something that had happened.

You move to him, standing in front of him, eyes on his hands for a brief moment. The colors of the fireworks tremble over him softly, the subtle different colors lost due to the distance, little more than a soft blur of pale light.

You reach out, running your index finger along his, twining your fingers into his as he reacts to your initial touch. You’ve never felt so warm in the cool night air like this before, and part of you wonders if the soft light against his shirt isn’t from your own face, and not the distant light display. He reaches out with his hand, mimicking your actions and you twine the fingers of your other hand with his.

Looking up you see the soft expression from earlier. A tender smile you mirror on your own face.

He puts your hands on his waist, putting one of his own arms around your waist. His other hand comes up along your neck, fingers brushing over your skin. The gentle hand cups your jaw and tilts your head up.

You could step back easily. There’s a soft rush of anticipation and embarrassment that almost moves your feet, but it would be against your will.

Your lips press together as your eyes meet his, head dizzy with hope. You’re trying not to look ahead with your haki, but your heart seems ready to burst out of your chest.

“Law.” You say his name softly. There’s no purpose for it, no question behind it. A correction, perhaps, for having called him captain earlier.

The soft smile is more defined, and the shape of your name dances along the lines of his lips as he closes the small distance between you both.

The sky was awash with colors, and you were partially aware of the volley of explosions behind you, but the fireworks were mostly forgotten. Another time, perhaps, and they would have more of your attention.

Right now, there was warmth against your lips, and hot hands against your skin. Relief in your heart, and a rush of pleasure through your chest. Later, there would be words, but for now there was nothing to be said.

For as busy as your lips were, there was little else for them to do.

[cloudsandcrescents]

What’s your publishing schedule looking like?

That’s a great question. I have no clue (kidding but also not?)

Kidding…not kidding lol…send help pls. But seriously.

Rough Schedule (As it Stands)

I’m currently working on a follow up to Relinquish that sort of fell by the wayside. That is nearly done (75-80%) and it will be up before the end of week (ideally today or tomorrow). This will just be added as a second chapter to the original.

Leather Black I’m actually planning to post more frequently on because that’s meant to be a short series similar to how I did Empty Rooms. I’m planning to resume updates for that this week/weekend with weekly updates but will ideally be more like every 2-3 days depending on my schedule. I really like this one so I’m eager to update for it but I think I just started tackling it at a time where there was a lot going on in my personal life that messed up my schedule quite a bit.

After Hours is reaching its end with maybe another 2-3 chapters (the last likely being an epilogue) so I’m trying to wrap it up by getting back to (at minimum) a biweekly update schedule. Max I’m giving myself to finish is through end of January since that’s around when I first started it. Should have an update to this by the end of next week.

Similar to After Hours, I intend to wrap up Promise Me very soon as well with, likely, another 2-3 chapters. The alternating updates really worked well for me as I would just toggle between which one was the previously updated fic. (Unrelated) Promise Me I’ve actually been debating on because I already set the layout for a sequel in my head. I was thinking about whether I wanted to just keep it going or create a separate fic for it and right now I feel like the latter so we’re surprisingly wrapping that up soon. Should have an update on this in about two weeks if not sooner.

I want to lighten the load before I tackle anything further so I think this is the point where I kind of stop the addition of any new fics until I get a better handle on my current WIP. That said, I most likely won’t be updating Hour of Need or When We Serve until I finish After Hours and Promise Me. Encore is there as well though I’m feeling a little iffy on whether or not I want to come back to that but we’ll see. HoN and WWS will likely follow the pattern of alternating biweekly or even weekly updates between the two once After Hours and Promise Me are done. We’re going to give these a hopeful return in early February but may come sooner.

I’ve gotten several Tumblr requests in my asks that I do see and will definitely get too. I have a tendency to overload myself and I’m very susceptible to burnout so those are just a little behind but I’m hoping to add a few into my update schedule resuming in Mid-Jan/Early-Feb if not sooner once I wrap up Leather Black and my other two bigger fics.

As always, thank you everyone for being so patient with me. I hope that I’m fortunate enough where I can eventually just write for a living and just play with words all day. Until then, I most resume my normal day to day life which isn’t nearly as exciting but keeps me equally busy. I write most of my fics on my phone but also try to sit at my computer to write which tends to motivate me more. Unfortunately, my computer has been inoperable for a few months now as I’ll likely need to replace the CPU I’m pretty sure I broke lol. It’s had to take a backseat to a few other things but I’m planning to get a replacement in mid January and hopefully that’ll help with a lot with my productivity.

I hope this provides anyone looking for their particular favorite of my works, a bit of relief knowing that updates are coming soon. Thank you all for being the best part of getting to do this, truly. 🩵

[wiseatom]

hi, here’s an update!

as i am sure you have gathered from my posts over the last week, i am. simply not having the best time right now, which is fine! it’s the busiest time of the year where i work, and so i came back from my time off and just got Slammed, and it’s been a lot. i am mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted, and it’s not creating a great atmosphere when it comes to writing certain fics — or, specifically, the second part of call my bluff, call you babe.

i am trying really hard, but i keep overestimating myself. i’ll write 2,000 words and be like cool 😎 i can get this done on my day off tomorrow 😎 and then my day off comes and i just lie in bed for hours and catch up on the sleep i’m not getting. i am just not in the right headspace for it right now, and if i force it, i know it’s going to come out bad, and i already feel that way about the first chapter. i really, really appreciate how much love everyone has shown this fic, and how many excited messages i’ve received, and i’m sorry to disappoint with the constant delays, but i really need to put my energy into things that make sense for me, and this fic doesn’t fit there right now! and that’s okay!

my current plan is to split the second chapter in half, so there will actually be 3 total chapters of cmbcyb instead of 2 (the reoccurring theme for this fic is Thea Bit Off More Than She Could Chew, lol). i will get those chapters up as soon as possible, but i’m not going to give any timeline on when, bc idk if u’ve noticed, but timelines are sometimes my downfall lol. all i will say is hopefully soon :’)

i still want to write, so i will probably work on the next fic in my lineup of ideas, just so you’re aware that i might post that before posting any more of cmbcyb. thank you for your continued patience as always! i promise i Will finish this fic, just not now. love u <3

[spnhunter4life]

End Up Here Chapter 5

Chapter Summary: When the weekend rolls around again, Dean and Emily go on their second date.

Word Count: 3.8k

A/N: Thanks to everybody who has been keeping up with this story! I know it's a little slow and probably boring compared to some of the other things I've written, but I just really enjoy a chill, drama free story every now and then. I know that's not for everybody though. I'm getting this ready to go on the same day I posted chapter 1, so I have no idea what the response will be, but hopefully there's a few people enjoying it!

Masterlist Series Masterlist

I didn’t hear from Dean on Saturday, which I was disappointed about. But I reminded myself we’d gone out just that morning and I shouldn’t expect him to message me so soon. Nothing from him on Sunday either. No problem, I assured myself. It was still way too early to worry about it. When he still hadn’t contacted me on Monday, I had a harder time convincing myself not to stress about it. Which was ridiculous anyway. I barely knew the man. If he never talked to me again, what was I really losing?

But when I got a text message during my lunch break on Tuesday, the hopeful anticipation I tried to ignore but nonetheless felt every time my phone went off recently was finally validated. I couldn’t contain my grin. Jackie, Hannah, and Morgan, who were all eating with me, noticed my reaction.

“You look awfully happy. Who’s texting you?” Hannah asked.

“Yes, Emily. Whoever could it be?” Jackie added with a teasing smile.

“I’m not sure what you’re implying, so you might as well just come out and say it,” I told her. I was still smiling though as I answered his text. It was just a simple ‘how are you doing’ message, but I was just thrilled to finally hear from him.

“It’s that guy I saw you with a few days ago, isn’t it?” Jackie said more than asked. “He was cute.”

“Yes, he is very cute,” I agreed. “As everybody keeps pointing out.”

“Well it’s not like we’ve had a chance to talk to him. Cute is all we have to work with,” Morgan said.

“If that’s your way of asking to meet him, you’ll be disappointed. I just met him. We’re not exactly at the introducing to friends and family phase yet.”

“Of course not. We’re just all so happy to see you so excited about a guy. It’s about time,” Morgan teased.

We’d been texting back and forth at irregular intervals – just whenever one of us had a free minute – ever since. 

Now it was late afternoon on Thursday and I was sitting at my desk with Ziggy curled up asleep in my lap, finishing some paperwork while I waited for the last class of the day to finish so I could go home. It was Lauren’s class, not mine, but as head instructor and the only person on staff who was PATH certified, I was required to be around for all the classes, whether I was teaching them or not. 

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I finished the file I was working on before taking it out to check it. I smiled when I saw that the text was from Dean. My smile grew even bigger when I read what he’d said.

I think I’ve had enough of all this texting. I’d rather talk to you in person. How does tomorrow night sound?

“Ooh, is that Dean again?” Hannah asked, noting the look on my face as she walked into the office. “What’s he saying?”

“He asked if I want to go out tomorrow night,” I told her. She gasped.

“That’s so great! I’m so excited for you!” She squealed.

“What? What happened?” Morgan asked, jogging in from the other room.

“Emily has a date with Dean tomorrow!” Hannah informed her.

“That is great news! What are you guys doing?” She asked.

��I don’t know. I haven’t had a chance to even answer him about going out yet.”

“Well answer him!” Hannah ordered me. “And then tell me all about it tomorrow because unfortunately I need to leave. I’m supposed to pick up my niece from daycare and I can’t be late.”

“See you tomorrow!” I called as she walked out the door. 

“So? What are you gonna tell him?” Morgan asked.

“I’m gonna say yes, of course,” I told her.

Then Lauren opened the door and walked in with a big sigh. 

“Paperwork at the end of a long day. My favorite thing,” she said. “What are you guys talking about?” She asked when she was sitting at the desk the other instructors used to fill out rider files.

“Oh, nothing.” Morgan smiled. “Just Emily’s upcoming date with Dean.”

“Shut up. Really?” Lauren asked. “When are you going out? What are you doing? When did he ask you? Tell me everything!” 

“There’s really nothing to tell,” I said, standing up from my desk. I set Ziggy down on the floor and put the file I’d been working on back in the desk drawer. I heard sounds of protest from Lauren as I walked around the room collecting my things. “Seriously. He only asked me like five minutes ago. That’s all the detail I have.”

Then I walked out of the office, holding the door open for Ziggy to follow and throwing a goodbye over my shoulder. A quick peek through the window saw Lauren sticking her tongue out at me. I just laughed and walked to my car. Once alone, I pulled out my phone to text Dean back.

That sounds great! What did you have in mind?

Once my message was sent, I connected my phone’s bluetooth to the radio and drove home, spending the trip trying to decide what I would wear tomorrow.

~~~~~

The next day seemed to drag on way too slowly. The morning wasn’t too bad. Rose taught the three classes before lunch and I always used the time to catch up on other things that needed to be done. I easily kept myself busy and distracted. 

I ate lunch with Rose and Jackie. We discussed how classes were going and the upcoming trip for our local Special Olympics.

“I think I want to get Justin off of Trixie and onto a bigger horse,” Rose was saying. “Not until after Special Olympics, obviously. I’m not going to put him on an unfamiliar horse just before that. But he’s starting to outgrow her.”

“Yeah, I think so too. He’s outgrowing the saddle too. The stirrups are just barely long enough for him. Which horse are you thinking of switching him to?” I asked.

“I haven’t decided for sure. I figured I should check with you and see what you thought, but I was leaning towards Blaze. She’s still a relatively small horse so it won’t be too drastic of a change for him. And she’s really tolerant of squirmy, noisy riders.”

Trixie was our smallest horse, a cute little bay pony that all the small kids wanted to ride. Blaze was – in my opinion – our best horse. With 12 years of work here, she had been here longer than any of our other horses. She was just a couple steps up from being a pony herself, a great size for small to medium riders, and she was the most patient, even tempered horse I’d seen in my life.

“Yeah, Blaze would definitely work. Or maybe Captain.”

“Oh yeah, I didn’t even think about him. Justin would probably love him.”

Somehow, by some miracle I wasn’t going to question, neither Jackie or Rose brought up my date with Dean tonight. I was grateful because keeping my mind off of it was the only way to keep time from dragging. 

But the later in the day it got, the slower time seemed to go. By the time my second to last class rolled around, I was itching to get out of here for the day and found myself checking the time more frequently than I should. 

Just an hour and half to go, I reminded myself.

Dean and I had talked more last night to figure out a plan. I told him I wouldn’t be available until 7:30, maybe a little later. He assured me that was fine. Our plan was to grab something to eat at Applebee’s and then play some mini golf. It wasn’t anything fancy, but I preferred it that way. Simple and fun.

I had just said goodbye to the last riders of the day and was getting ready to put everything away for the night when Hannah and Morgan walked out.

“We’ll get everything put away tonight. You just go ahead and get home to get ready for your date,” Morgan said.

“Are you sure? It’ll just take me a few minutes,” I said.

“Exactly. Just a few minutes. We can spare a few minutes,” she answered. 

“Ok. Well, thank you!” I told them as I headed for the office.

I would once again have to do class notes another day, but I did jot down a couple things I didn’t want to forget. Then I gathered up all my things and went home to get ready.

~~~~~

I pulled into the Applebee’s parking lot feeling like I was overflowing with nerves and excitement. I spotted a big sleek black car parked a few spaces down. This had to be Dean’s car.

He beat me again then, which obviously wasn’t a bad thing. I just hoped he hadn’t been waiting for a long time. I was only five minutes late though, and I’d warned him while I was getting ready that I might not quite make the agreed upon meet time, despite my best efforts.

I’d showered as quickly as I could, putting gel in my hair once I was out to combat the inevitable frizz once it dried, and then put it back in a low ponytail on the left side of my head, draping it over my shoulder. I wore light colored ripped skinny jeans paired with a green shirt whose sleeves had the shoulders cut out, an outfit I’d laid out on my bed this morning in an effort to save time. I even had makeup on tonight, something he hadn't seen yet. It felt good to put the time into looking nice.

I took a deep breath to try and calm my nerves a little and then stepped into the restaurant. Dean, who had been sitting in the little waiting area, stood as soon as he saw me. He was looking very handsome in a pair of jeans and a red button up shirt. The sleeves were rolled up just past his elbows, exposing his strong forearms.

“Hey,” he said when I reached him.

“Hi,” I answered. “Sorry I’m late.”

“It’s no big deal,” he said, waving off my apology as we walked towards the hostess. “Especially since you warned me ahead of time.”

“Just the two of you tonight?” The hostess asked.

“Yes,” Dean confirmed.

“Alright. Follow me,” she said, grabbing a couple of menus and leading us to a table.

The waiter came by to take our drink orders as soon as we were seated.

“I listened to the songs you gave me,” I told Dean when the waiter was gone.

“Oh yeah?” He asked, perking up. “What’d you think?”

“They were good!” I said. I liked all of them, even really enjoyed some of them. “I mean, if I’m being honest, I probably won’t be adding any of them to my playlist, but I wouldn’t change the station if they came on the radio.”

“Well you must not have liked them that much then,” Dean smiled wryly. “Which is fine, by the way. I just wanted to know what you thought of actual good rock music.”

“Good by your definition. I bet there are plenty of people out there who would argue that your music sucks and the real good rock music is like… I don’t know. Fall Out Boy or something.”

Dean wrinkled his nose in disgust.

“Well they would be wrong then. And clearly have no idea what they’re talking about,” he said. I laughed.

“It’s an opinion, Dean, not a fact. You can’t be wrong about an opinion. And by the way, I really did like the songs. I’m just picky about what I put on my playlist.”

We were both quiet for a couple of minutes as we scanned our menus. The waiter came back with our drinks, took our orders and then collected our menus.

“You know, if you wanted to give me a list of songs to listen to, it would only be fair,” Dean said.

“Oh. Thanks for the offer, but no,” I said.

“What? Why not?”

“Because you’re not gonna like my music,” I told him.

“Well the point isn’t to find something I’m guaranteed to like. It’s just to give me an idea of what you like.”

“Yeah, but… my playlist is a little bit all over the place. I probably have some stuff in there you wouldn’t mind. But if you ask me to pick favorites, it’s going to be a lot of pop stuff that you would hate. Plus it would be really hard for me to narrow down my favorites.”

“Alright,” he agreed, realizing how strongly I felt about this. “If you ever change your mind though, you’re entitled to ten songs that I have to listen to.”

It was sweet of him to offer. And I did love sharing songs I liked with people. Just… usually people I was a little more familiar with. People who already had a clear understanding of what music I liked. 

“I guess I do have two songs for you,” I told him after I thought about it for a minute.

“Great! What are they?”

They were two of my favorites and there was even a chance he might actually like one of them. The other… I wasn’t sure what he would think of it, but he was much more likely to like it than a lot of the other stuff I liked.

“The first one is Soldiers by Otherwise. That one’s actually what I would consider more on the rock side of things. You might actually like it.”

“You don’t have to sell me on it,” he chuckled. “I’m listening to it no matter what. That was the deal. What about the other one?”

“Legends Never Die by Against the Current.”

“Interesting title. You might have to remind me what the names are later, but I’m looking forward to checking them out.”

We spent the rest of dinner talking about everything from movies and hobbies to embarrassing memories and favorite vacations.

Dean paid again, despite my protests, and then we made our way out to the parking lot.

“You can ride with me if you want,” Dean offered. “There’s not much point in us both driving when we’re going to the same place. I’ll bring you back here when we’re done.”

“Sure,” I agreed. “As long as you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind,” he assured me. 

I followed as he headed in the direction of the car I had correctly assumed to be his. 

“Nice car,” I said, knowing he would appreciate the compliment, even if it came from someone that had no idea what they were talking about.

“Thanks!” He smiled proudly as we both got in. “She used to be my dad’s. I remember even as a kid looking at her sitting in the garage and just admiring her. Then Dad got into an accident about five years back. He was ok, but the car was a mess. He wanted to just sell her to a scrap yard, but I couldn’t stand to see that happen. I fixed her up myself and Dad gave her to me after that.”

“Wow. You must be some mechanic,” I said. “I would have never known this thing had been in an accident.”

Dean just brushed off the praise. He put the keys in the ignition and the car rumbled to life. 

“I think I know how to get there,” he said. “But if I take a wrong turn or something, let me know.”

We weren’t far away at all, probably less than five minutes. If he had any sense of direction, I didn’t think he could really get lost. I agreed anyway, though.

“So you said this was only your second week here?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he confirmed.

“How’s it been? How are you liking the new job and your apartment and the town?”

“I’m liking it so far,” he told me. “The job’s good. It’s been a little slow at times, but I much prefer working by myself at a privately owned business than one of those big name places. I like the shop, I like Joe… it’s been a good start. Which isn’t always the case.”

I was glad to hear things were going well for him. Maybe they would continue to go well and he would stay here. Not that he had any immediate plans to pack up and move somewhere new – at least not that he’d told me – but I did wonder if this would be the town he finally decided was a good place to make his home.

“The apartment’s good too. Rent is a lot more reasonable than I’ve had in a while. It’s in good shape, it’s close to work, and I don’t have noisy neighbors. It’s definitely not where I want to be long term, but it’s a good starting point.”

“Yeah, that’s the nice thing about this town. Rent is usually very reasonable. People typically charge what the place is actually worth. Doesn’t guarantee a great apartment, but at least you’re not overpaying for a shoebox apartment that hasn’t been updated in thirty years.”

I’d stayed in a couple such places while I was in school because I hadn’t been able to afford anything better. I wouldn’t ever want to go back to either of them, but at least I knew I got my money’s worth. 

“What about the town?” I asked again.

“It seems nice so far. Clean streets, thriving businesses, nice people. I usually find small town midwesterners to be pretty friendly and easy to get along with though, so that’s not a surprise.”

We pulled into the parking lot of the town’s indoor mini golf course. There was an outdoor one too, which I preferred, but it was getting too late for that one. It was almost dark out, so they probably were just letting people already out there finish up but not allowing new games.

“There is this one girl in particular that I’m really enjoying getting to know,” he continued once he’d parked and shut the engine off. He turned to look at me with a small smile pulling at one corner of his mouth. “She might be my favorite thing about this town so far.”

I blushed and looked down. I tried to push some hair back behind my ear – a nervous habit of mine – only to realize it was in a ponytail and I couldn’t.

“You haven’t gotten out very much then,” I told him. He chuckled.

“That’s probably true. But I’m pretty sure that even if I had, that wouldn’t change things.”

“Alright, well let’s go play some mini golf,” I said, opening my door and stepping out. I looked over and saw him stand up too. “I’m telling you now, I suck at this. I don’t know how good you are, but don’t go easy on me. Because you’ll probably still win anyway.”

We both walked around to the front of the car and then towards the door.

“I thought you said you liked mini golf,” he said.

“I do. You can enjoy something that you’re bad at.” 

He smiled widely at me and I nearly lost my breath at the way it lit up his handsome face. Oh, he was dangerous. I didn’t think he was even doing it on purpose.

“I like that attitude. Just because you suck at something doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing.”

We got up to the front desk – Dean paying again, of course – took the clubs, scorecard, and pencil they handed us and each picked out a ball. I took a red one and Dean grabbed blue. Then we wandered over to the first hole.

~~~~~

“How’s work been going for you?” Dean asked when we were in his car on the way back to the restaurant. It turns out he wasn’t an amazing mini golfer himself, but he had still beaten me as I predicted.

“It’s been alright. Really busy,” I answered. Then I huffed out a small laugh as the mention of work brought to mind the people I work with. “My coworkers have been quite the nuisances lately.”

“How so?” He asked.

“Well you know my friends from the bar?”

“Yeah.”

“We all work together. So of course they noticed when we left together that night.”

Dean smirked a little, clearly catching on to where this story was going.

“I see,” he said knowingly.

“Yeah. Well, anyway, of course they made their assumptions. And then Jackie – she wasn’t there at the bar, but she’s another person from work – saw us at Ricky’s the next day. She’s a bit of a gossip and I’m not gonna lie, it’s been a while since I’ve been on a date. So apparently this was big news that she immediately told to everyone else we work with.”

“Which didn’t help with the assumptions I’m guessing,” Dean continued.

“No,” I smiled. “No it did not. They ambushed me at work.”

This statement earned a laugh from Dean. I was just glad he could laugh about it. As I told the story, it occurred to me that it might freak him out a little. 

We were back at Applebee’s now and he pulled in next to my car. He turned his own car off, then hopped out and walked around to open my door for me. He shut the door behind me and then we both leaned against it, enjoying the night air while we finished our conversation.

“Anyway, I finally managed to convince them that we didn’t go home together. But then of course they turned into a bunch of twelve year old girls at a slumber party, trying to find out everything about you. And that’s pretty much been the state of things ever since.”

“Are they asking for your benefit, or out of their own interests?”

I scoffed.

“Why? You thinking of trading me in for an upgrade?” I asked.

“Definitely not,” he assured me with a smile. “Just trying to figure out what your friends are like. Speaking of people seeing us together, I had a very interesting gentleman bring his car into the shop the other day. He also saw us at Ricky’s I guess, and wanted to know what my intentions were.” He sounded like he was barely containing his laughter. “Any idea what that was about?”

I had a hunch I knew who it was, but I asked anyway.

“His name was Travis,” Dean informed me.

“That’s what I figured,” I sighed. “He volunteers at Freedom Reins. He’s been volunteering for about eight years now I think, and as one of the only men out there, he kind of sees himself as the protector of all of us women. As I’m sure you noticed, he’s a bit of a strange character. I suppose it probably doesn’t help that he has a bit of a crush on me,” I admitted with a rueful smile. “Or so I’m told anyway. He’s never said anything of the sort to me. Sorry if he made you uncomfortable.”

“Not at all. I thought it was pretty funny actually,” he told me.

“Small towns,” I sighed.

“Gotta love ‘em,” Dean concurred.

Tags: (Let me know if you want to be added or removed!)

@123passwort @buckybarnes-1917 @chicken-nuggs-and-cozy-hugs @globetrotter28 @suckitands33

[ecm-writes-sometimes]

Shorts and Scraps: On Love, Part 1

[Shorts and Scraps are comprised of short stories that wouldn’t fit anywhere else, or scrapped scenes that I have yet to find a place for]

Table of Contents

- Parallel Lines Who Meet (33 words)

- Always and Forever (553 words)

Parallel Lines Who Meet

The first time I saw her, the words left me.

The last time I saw her, the words left me.

Maybe someday, I’ll see her again, and

The words will leave me again.

---

Always and Forever

[Bruch Romanze in Fmaj for Viola and Orchestra, Op. 85]

Sitting on a bench with her beside me, my stomach was filled with butterflies. I don’t know when I realized it, but once I did, the stars themselves paled in comparison to the light in her eyes, the sunshine of her smile, the sweet song of her voice. As she talked about her day, I got lost in her eyes, the amber glow of the setting summer sun reflected in her eyes like dark chocolate.

She turned to me and smirked. “You’re not even listening, are you?”

I felt my ears turn red. “N-No, of course I was. Something about a new piece you were learning?”

She smiled again and exhaled out of her nose. “Yeah. The Bruch Romanze. I started learning it because you suggested it, you know. I really like it so far.”

I perked up slightly, excited. “Really? You do? I-I’m glad, usually my suggestions fall flat with people.” I turned my face away for a second, as I calmed back down. At least on the outside, anyway. I felt like fireworks were going off in my head. “Does this mean that we’ll be able to play it together soon?”

“About that....” She looked at me, and I could see pity in her eyes. I began to dread whatever she was going to say next. “I..I’m leaving tomorrow. For Europe. I don’t know how long I’ll be there.” She looked at me again, the smile fading from her face. “To be honest...I don’t know if I’ll be coming back here at all.”

Butterflies turned to knots. “Oh.”

We sat in silence for a while, interrupted only by the occasional rustling of the trees. I impulsively tapped my foot against the pavement of the sidewalk, restless, heart racing.

“Before I forget. I have something for you.” She looked through her bag, then extended her arm out, hand closed. “Hold out your hand.” She held my open palm, and opened hers. “I hope you like it.”

I looked at what she had put in my hand. An origami turtle. It was sturdy glossy paper, but in that moment, it was as fragile as memory itself. I stared down at it, and read the words, written in her rounded lettering, the words in neat, centered lines, black ink prominent against the yellow-green paper:

Some souls just understand each other upon meeting.

I held the turtle in both hands, taking in the words. Silence again, but only for a few seconds this time. I looked up, and our eyes met.

“...Thank you. I really appreciate this.”

She smiled again: the pink clouds reflected in her eyes, but even those felt tinged with blue. “Something to remember me by.”

More silence.

A car rolled up to the sidewalk, the rumble of its engine drowning out my jumbled-up thoughts. She stood. “This is me, then.”

I couldn’t bring myself to make eye contact. I had so much to say, and yet, no way to say it in the little time we had left.

She started to walk towards the car, but paused, turning back towards me. “You will remember me? Even if I never see you again?”

Finally, the words came to me, and I looked at her one last time. “...Yes. Of course I will.”

“Promise?”

I stood and swallowed. “I promise. Always and forever.”

---

Author Note: Let me know what y’all think of me posting Shorts and Scraps like these; there’s a lot of stuff that I have tucked away but have never found a good place for, so I’d be willing to post different things to fill the space in between long chapters (that I’m still having trouble writing) and to explore different subjects! Cheers.

[pkmacabre-shadow]

Captain N: Adventures in Smash

Chapter 7

Melody is pacing back and forth in the training room, looking a little worried. Pit noticed this and came up to her.

Pit: Hey Melody, what’s wrong?

Melody: Hi Pit. It’s just that I have a bit of a problem…

Pit: Problem?

Wren: Her birthday is coming up.

Pit and Melody turned to Wren.

Pit: Birthday?

Melody: Yes, that’s the problem! I wanted to celebrate it with everyone here but I also wanted to keep the cyber world a secret from my mom.

Pit: Oh… Well I’m not sure about the mom part, but I could help you out with the birthday part. I could send out invitations and reminders to everyone in the smash house. Oh, maybe some other stuff like music and food-

Melody: Okay, Pit, thanks for the suggestions. I might even give you some ideas I want for my party after training.

Pit: You’re welcome, Melody!

Pit walked to Megaman who just finished target practice, telling him about his trainee’s birthday coming soon. Melody sighed turning back to Wren.

Melody: Well I got one issue out of the way, now for the second one.

Wren: Any ideas Mel?

Melody: Would Chester mind if we celebrate my birthday at his place? As a sort of ruse to my mom to keep cyber world a secret, I mean.

Chester: Sure, but I’ll tell my folks that it’s a small party and that we’re just playing some games.

Melody: Oh hey Chester, thanks for that man.

Wren: That’s nice and all, but what about your sister and other friend?

Chester: They’ll be fine. I’m sure Samuel, mom and dad won’t mind. Maybe Irene would give Melody a present.

Wren: That’s great. Anyways, break is over so we should go back to our spots. Little Mac and his trainer is waiting for me, so see you two when the sun sets.

And with that, they returned back to their posts. Melody is continuing training with Pit and Megaman with her aim and powers, along with some small talk on the way. Chester is currently sword fighting with Marth, with the Prince giving some corrections in the way. Wren is currently training with Little Mac and Doc Louis, both having done some exercises like jumping jacks and pull ups and taking turns punching the sandbag.

Both teens decided to take a breather. Little Mac, now having the opportunity, turned and spoke to Wren.

Little Mac: So, I heard about the birthday party you’re planning for Melody.

Wren: Really? Did you already heard that conversation?

Little Mac: Yeah. It seems like Pit is pretty excited about it, which I don’t blame him for it. Besides, I know a person who has some pretty good taste in music. He’ll be more than happy to help with that party.

Wren: That’s nice.

Little Mac: If Doc allows us, we should go to the WVBA and meet the boxers there. They’re pretty interesting themselves. I’ll ask him later.

Wren hummed. Meeting the WVBA boxers sounds like a fun idea to her, even if she has to train with Ryu and Ken tomorrow. Once training is over, Pit spoke to Melody on what she wanted on her birthday.

Pit: So you wanted to celebrate your birthday with us. How do you want it to go?

Melody: Hmm… We need some good music and food. Oh! For the cake it’s gonna be a red velvet cake that’s shaped like an armadillo. If you cut it, it looks like it’s bleeding! And don’t forget about the candles, I feel like only the numbered ones work best.

Pit: Got it. I’ll send your requests to Isabelle. Not sure how I’d go with the armadillo cake knowing how Viridi would feel about it, but I digress. Also about the candles: How old are you gonna turn anyway?

Melody: 17

Pit: 17?!

Melody: Yeah, I’m turning 17 soon. I’m a straight up summer baby with parents who had me fairly young… well only one now…

Pit: R-right-uh-a-anyways I’ll be sending your birthday requests to Isabelle on the way. See you tomorrow. Also you want something for your birthday?

Melody: Hmm… I don’t know, maybe some new gadgets or something. I may need to try using my goggles to see how they worked. Maybe sometime.

Pit: Alright, good to know. Bye Mel!

Melody: See ya Pit!

A day has passed. Isabelle already got the message from Pit, commissioning villagers in helping to get and create the much needed things for the party. At the same time, Doc Louis decided to allow Wren to visit the WVBA on the behest of Little Mac. Both of the teens being very excited.

Doc Louis: You two excited?

Wren: Heck yeah! I wanted to know what it’s like. I’ve heard the boxers there are pretty colorful, in terms of personality of course.

Little Mac: I’m sure you’ll like it. I knew some of them well enough, even one of them is a good friend of mine.

Wren: Nice. Also, how can we go to New York? It seems far away from here.

Little Mac: Don’t worry, this house is between New York and Monsteropolis so all we have to do is travel by car.

Wren: By Monsteropolis, you mean-

Little Mac: Yep! The city where Megaman lives. Oh hey, seems like Doc called an uber. Let’s go Wren!

As all three went to the uber, they all went off to where New York City is. Wren became fascinated by the entire city, especially with the state.

Wren: I’ve always seen how New York is depicted in cartoons that I used to watch, even getting some souvenirs when my mom went to New York when I was 15. I kind of wished I could go to here, so being here is like a dream come true. I mean look at these structures, they’re so big!

Doc Louis: That’s New York for you. You’ll be getting used to it once you view more of the cities. *laughs* In fact, both New York and Monsteropolis have large structures.

Little Mac: There’s a lot of stuff New York City has in store. There’s a ton of food, festivals, markets, restaurants, you name it.

Wren: Huh, interesting. We have something similar to that in California, too. It’s just that they’re a little different to New York City.

Little Mac: You’re from California?

Wren: Yeah, aren’t my friends and I Californians? Then again I haven’t told you or anyone else much about us considering, well, a ton of stuff has happened and some training too.

Little Mac: Ah I see. We do have a Californian in the WVBA, but he’s pretty pompous.

The car has stopped, letting the three leave. They’ve entered the subway station, already finding their seats, albeit a little cramped.

Wren: I kinda forgot that there’s subways in New York. Especially with the overcrowding of them.

Once they made it to their stop, they finally exited. To Wren, it feels like freedom to have her own space back after some overcrowding of the subways. They do tend to feel a little claustrophobic to her.

They walked on until they made it to the WVBA and entered the building.