#let me serenade you real quick

[bleulone]

"And the most important, Roi, is that you have shown pride. And dignity. And balls"

JULIO PEÑA FERNÁNDEZ as ROI in BERLÍN (2023-)

[starfxkr]

idk if i sent this in last night with my other ask. i was quite sleep deprived n delusional so ignore the other one if i did please 😭 but how about the boys with a mixed!reader? (this is so self indulgent i’m so sorry omg)

this has been established but rafe would absolutely mock me when my accent sneaks in, is worse when i didn’t even notice it in the first place. gets real mean when i roll my eyes and huff n cross my arms while he’s lecturing me on my “behavior issues”. hates it when i play spanish music in his truck bc he doesn’t understand it, but i smack his hand every time he tries to turn Selena off (bc wtf are you doing?? i’m serenading you rn!!). totally smacks me back. hates it even more when i’m speaking spanish on the phone in front of him bc he SWEARS im talking shit (and what if i am?). jokes and asks if he can have “half an n-word card” and gets threatened with bodily harm. tells everyone about his “exotic” gf like bro i’m from cali 😭, but gets annoyed for me when people ask “what are you??”. says “span-glish” instead of “spang-lish” and ignores me when i correct him. he doesn’t ever wanna dance with me but eats it up when i dance on him.

jj also mocks me but is silly asf about it. like i’ll be minding my own business, mumbling in spanish and he comes up behind me and starts muttering gibberish. always asks me to cook bc “baby i just wanna taste your flavor and spice 🥺”. has a love/hate relationship with the attitude. gets a boner whenever i cuss him out in spanish, but also tugs at a few braids whenever the huffs and eye rolls get nasty. cannot stand when i throw a fit, bc either i’m getting what i want or we’re tussling right here!!! right NEOW!!! people always tell me how sweet i am and i fear he would always respond with “only when she wants to be”. walks around shiny asf smelling like vicks whenever he complains about something hurting bc my baby isn’t gonna get sick on my watch. however, when he inevitably gets sick bc he didn’t listen when i told him to put on socks or to dry his hair before bed, i make him drink up every potion and elixir i can think of.

pope and i would have conversations about colorism, and then talk shit about how kelce is the token black friend and whitewashed in the same breath. he’d see how i struggled while doing the back of my head sometimes and make me teach him how to braid so he can help. he’s a quick learner and eventually whenever someone asks “who did your hair? 😍” the answer is always “MY MANNNN!!!”. researches the best hair products for me and pouts whenever i try to do it myself. also walks around looking shiny but it’s shea butter instead of vicks bc we moisturize round these parts. no ashy knees on my watch!! picks up spanish so he can get in good with my mom and grandma. our dads would totally get along, so they go bond over whatever it is old black men bond over while we run around doing fuckshit with the gang. my dad 100% tells him not to let me punk him (spoiler! he gets punked a lot!!! doesn’t mind bc he loves me)

john b would also help with my hair, but mostly the detangling part (it takes forever at first bc he’s scared of tugging). says he loves my hair n says i should leave it down more often (it’s wild n frizzy bc of the heat n humidity), and doesn’t understand when i say it’s not supposed to look like that ):. doesn’t really mind the attitude as long as it isn’t directed towards him and it’s nothing too crazy. will pinch me in public with a “fix your face”. quickly learns that “calm down” translates to “shut up”. also learns that i really don’t like being told to shut up, so his response to hissy fits is to throw me over his shoulder and deal with me in the car 😓. picks up a little spanglish, makes me teach him the right pronunciations bc he’s not tryna look like an idiot in front of the fam. him and my dad look at each other confused while my mom, grandma, and i are cracking jokes in spanish (he doesn’t know what’s going right now either babe). the fam loves him bc he helps with the heavy lifting around the house, and that boy will eat whatever they put in front of him. almost cries when grandma calls him “mijo”.

sorry if this was a lot lmao, apparently the creative juices flow best at 6am after an all-nighter <3

bye I really don't have much to add because you really nailed it!!! like LOL writing them with woc is always so funny in ways that it shouldn't be

[bratzydollz]

"Hana's Grand Unveiling: Who is Hana? 💋✨ #HanasReveal #HanaHasThe411"

January 10th, 2024.

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•—✧✷ Well, well, well, Upper East Shifters! The prodigal blogger has returned! Cue the applause, the confetti, and, of course, the eye rolls. Yes, my fellow shifters and followers, it's moi—Hana. I've been MIA for what feels like a century, and in the midst of my Instagram-worthy life drama, I've managed to gain a few followers. Not that they care, but hey, who needs a lame and basic introduction when you're living the chaotic dream?

Round of applause for my stellar disappearing act! Bravo, Hana. But enough about that. Let's dive into the grand reintroduction because, let's face it, you've been deprived. What can I say? Life's been a rollercoaster, with more twists and turns than a binge-(un)worthy season finale of Riverdale. But fear not, for the gossip and glam are back, and I'm about to spill the tea on yours truly. Ready or not, here comes the multidimensional Hana comeback!

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✧ About me, Xoxo.

—✧✷ Greetings, cyber citizens! I'm your digital deity, Hana Beeyuh, reigning over the online realm. Real identity? Baby, that's a closely guarded secret. She/they pronouns are my melody, and proudly transcribing my existence as a fabulous transgender woman. Virgo vibes and INFP musings – at the ripe age of 19, I'm navigating the academic jungle with a major in Business Administration. Because, let's be real, who doesn't love a business-savvy queen?

Oh, and here's a little nugget of trivia to spice up the Hana saga—I'm rocking the Klinefelter Syndrome, making me a naturally sculpted divine doll. HRT process? A breeze, honey. Feeling blessed, and this goddess is ready to conquer the digital cosmos. Buckle up, buttercups! 🌟💻 #HanaBeeyuh #OnlineRoyalty

—✧✷ Listen up, trendsetters and multiverse explorers! Hana Beeyuh, your guide through the virtual wonderland, is spilling the tea on her current obsessions. Since the mystical year of 2020, shifting has been my jam – and yes, girlies, I've successfully made the leap! Yay for alternate realities!

Now, let's talk beauty—natural vibes with a splash of bold Latina and Thai makeup, because who says you can't slay in multiple cultures? Embracing the magic of witchcraft, I'm your modern-day enchantress. Need some data entry wizardry? Count me in. And of course, strutting the cyber catwalk, because fashion is life.

But wait, there's more! Yours truly is also a subliminal sorcerer, crafting unseen spells for your subconscious. I've got a stash of creations waiting to dazzle, and when they hit the digital airwaves, you'll be the first to know. Stay tuned, my cyber comrades! 🌐💄🔮

—✧✷ Hold onto your broomsticks, spellbinders! Hana Beeyuh here, spilling the enchanted tea about my bewitching side. Yes, luvly, I'm not just interested in witchcraft—I am a full-fledged chaos-type witch, and I'm here to own it. No rulebook, no limitations—I dance to the rhythm of my own magical beat.

Quick disclaimer: I'm not your run-of-the-mill chaos magick witch. Let's get one thing straight – my craft is a constantly evolving masterpiece, not a cookie-cutter spell from the dusty pages of some ancient tome. Had to clear that up because, you know, some witches get their broomsticks in a twist when you mix "chaos magick" and "creating your own craft" in the same cauldron <3.

And now, a moment of worship for the Goddess of Keys and Witchcraft, the ultimate diva, Hekate. Bow down, beauties, for her cunty aura is the reason I'm a devoted follower. The slay is real, and so is my commitment to the mystical queen.

—✧✷ Picture this: the current earworms that have me spellbound include the hypnotic vibes of Melanie Martinez, the powerhouse notes of Ariana Grande, the offbeat allure of Ayesha Erotica, the soulful serenades by SZA, and the sultry sounds of Summer Walker.

Now, let me spill the real tea—I might not be the maestro of musical taste. In fact, I'm shamelessly riding the trend wave, and who can blame me? These beats are too good to resist.

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•—✧✷ Alright, my curious companions, buckle up for a little rendezvous into the aesthetics of both my CR-self and DR-Self. If you're itching to unravel the layers of my vibe, swing by to the "Beeyuh Core" page, or if you want more shifting teas, drive your Mercedes to "Hana's Shifting Teas" that you can access from the front page! 👀

And with that, my luvlies, behold the finale of my introduction—lovely, yet a tad messy. Here's to hoping that as you tread the path of my posts, you, my moots and followers, get to uncover the layers of Hana Beeyuh. For now, a temporary farewell, my luvlies. Buh-bye~

Xoxo, Hana. 💋🫧

back to front page —❥ 💙

[melanieph321]

Pedri x Reader - Our Secret Part 7/10

My favorite chapter so faaaar! Just Pedri and Marcella fluff.

And then there's Gavi 😅

Whoever made this gif, bless you!

The story of Marcella and Pedri. As students of the most prestigious high schools in the country, the two are very focused on developimg their indvidual talents. Marcella has music whilst Pedri has football. However, worlds collide when Pedri's secret is revealed, he has diabetes.

Enjoy!

"Pedri." Marcella giggled. "I have to rehearse."

"Five more minutes."

The sound of smacking lips echoed throughout the abandoned classroom. Pedri was on top of Marcella, pinning her down against the sofa as he traced hot kisses down her neck.

"Pedri."  She sighed. "We're gonna get caught."

"No ones coming." He grunted. "Do you want me to put it in?"

Marcella had her thighs wrapped around his waist, putting pressure in the right places. Pedri could feel his erection growing stiff beneath him.

"Put what, in where?" Marcella's face was flushed by the heat generated between them. She looked beautiful, Pedri thought. She looked sexy.

"Don't make me spell it out for you." He chuckled. "My dick, Marcella. Can I put it in, I brought condoms."

"Oh."

Her shoulders fell, along with her hands that had been cupping each side of his face. "Only, if you want to, of course. " He was quick to ad. However Marcella squirmed beaneath him, wanting space to sit up. Pedri backed off, giving her the space.

"I...." She stood, smoothening out her skirt that had crawled up her thighs. "I should rehearse. Señor Garcia won't be happy if I don't know my part."

"Marcella?" Pedri watched her make way towards the piano, he sat back on the sofa. "You know that you can tell me."

She looked up from her hands, hands that were pressing down on a soft chord. "Tell you what?"

"If you've never....you know?"

"Yes?"

Pedri sighed, she was gonna make him spell it out for her. "Tell me that you're a virgin."

Marcella cringed and rightfully so. "Why do you make it sound serious, like a disease or something?"

Pedri stood and made his way over to the piano. Marcella made room for him to sit next to her. "It's not a disease." He said, playfully nudging her side. "And it's not a big deal. But it's good if you're honest with me. That way I can make sure that your first time is special."

She cringed again.

Pedri laughed. "I should let you rehearse."

"Please "

He laughed again. It was nice, laughing with Marcella. They had been inseparable since the party. Now that Marcella knew his secret he didn't have to hide anymore. With her he was sincere, the real version of himself.

"I liked your song." She said and began playing a cheerful melody on the piano.

"You mean our song?"

"No." She chuckled. "The other one, the one you wrote me."

Yes, Pedri wrote Marcella a song. He had been feeling amazing for the past few weeks, a newfound energy. Mainly thanks to Marcella, who had no problem storing his insulin needles in her locker, this way making sure that Pedri recived the right amount each day. Apperently Marcella's late cousin had also struggled with diabetes. She had learned alot about the disease when her cousin used to live with Marcella and her family. Unfortunately her cousin also stuggled with alchol abuse and passed away after falling into a hyperosmolar coma two years ago. Her family still kept a few of her cousins insulin pens a the house. It's what saved Pedri's life that night of the party. Marcella recognized the symptoms of Pedri's hypoglycemic seizure and knew exactly what to do. Either way, Pedri was feeling great now that his insulin levels were balanced. He gained back some weight, increasing his muscle mass. Matter of fact, he felt so great that one night when he and Marcella were facetiming, Pedri, half naked in front of his bathroom mirror, couldn't help but to break out in song, pretending that his toothbrush was the microphone he used to serenade his girlfriend with.

"How did the song go again.....Mi queridaaa!!!"

"Stop it."  He slapped a hand over Marcella's mouth, preventing more of his embarrassing lyrics to escape. It didn't stop her from singing though, her lips tickling the palm of Pedri's hand. They went on like that, Marcella teasing Pedri until he was saved by the bell.

"Gonzalez!"

Pedri's mind was still in the clouds during training, at the expense of his teammates and coach.

"Gonzalez!" His coach hissed, a vein visible in his temple.

Pedri missed his shot at the goal and ran over to his coach following his embarrassing mistake.

"Didn't you hear me calling?"

"Sorry coach."

Steam looked to escape his ears. Nevertheless he found his composure, his gritted teeth transforming into a very large smile. He said, "They want you kid."

"Who?"

"The people at Sevilla. They want to make you an offer as soon as possible if you're willing."

"Sevilla?" Pedri repeated, suprised that the name did not awake much existment within him.

"It's a top team Pedri. A La Liga team. Why aren't you running home to tell your parents to pack your bags?"

Coach was right, this was huge. The start of his football career, this could be it. However, Pedri couldn't leave, not now. Not when things were perfect.

********************************************

"Marcella Adade. You're dumping me for Marcella Adade?"

Pedri rolled his eyes. "Give it a rest Rosie. We were never together."

It was another day, same sharade. Ever sense Rosie found out about Pedri and Marcella she had been getting on his nerves about it, trying to convince him that he was making a great mistake betraying her.

"What about our plans?"

"What plans?" He frowned. Pedri stood in the parking lot, leaning against his car as he waited for Pablo and Marcella's class to end.

"Our plans." Rosie presisted. "You and me, living life together in Barcelona."

Pedri chuckled. It was a promise made after a reckless night spent together. Pedri had promised to bring Rosie with him once he moved to the city of Barcelona to play professional football. It was his life long dream, apperently it was hers too.

"I'm sorry Rosie, but I'm with Marcella now."

She snorted. "Whatever. Just know that no one dumps me."

He was tempted to watch her red bottoms strut away, but just then Pablo was seen emerging out of the school building, Marcella at his heels. Pedri smiled. "How was your day kids?"

Pablo flipped him off, circlating the car, getting into the backseat. Pedri stepped up, holding the door open for Marcella as the passenger seat was now reserved for her.

"A gentleman." She giggled.

"For you, I'll be anything."

"Ugh!" Pablo was making hurling noise as the three of them settled into the car. "Can we just drive home in peace. Please?"

Pedri drove them home, dropping Pablo off at his house whilst he and Marcella planned to study at hers.

"I think Gavi hates me more now." She said, once they brought out their books, spreading them across her bedroom floor.

"Meh." Pedri shrugged. "He'll learn to live with it."

"Maybe."

"Hey." Marcella's chin dropped. Pedri scooted closer, reaching out to caress her cheek. "Pablo is my best friend. If I care for you so will he."

She gave him a half hearted smile. It was enough for him to lean forward and kiss her.

"I've been meaning to tell you."

"Tell me."

Pedri was busy tracing kisses along her exposed collarbone, nipping at the skin. He took pride in the way it required effort for Marcella to get the words out, seeing as he was distracting her.

"I think I'm ready." She mumbled.

"Reader for what?"

Pedri allowed his head to drop to her chest, nuzzling his face between her breasts.

"To have sex."

He seized to nuzzle, raising his head to meet her gaze.

She was biting the corner of her lip, yet looking determined.

He swallowed. "Right now?"

Marcella nodded, head moving slowly. "Like, right now."

[sweater-daddiesdumbdork]

Life Is Short So Make It Sweet

Chapter Ten: Pretty Girl Honey

Summary- 7.3k Curtis Everett x Plus!Sized Reader. Your and Curtis's relationship is growing each day as you both learn who you are to one another. Your past sometimes works its way into your mind and out into the open. Fortunately, Curtis is happy to help you work through it.

Warnings- Sexual content, thigh riding, use of pet names, feelings of doubt, past trauma surfacing.

A/N- Thank you all for reading, commenting, and sharing this series. The love shown to Curtis and Honey has completely stunned me, whenever I hear how simply relatable it is, I want to reach out and give you the biggest hug because you are not alone in those feelings. Thank you so much for being such an incredible and supportive community. Special shout out to @what-is-your-plan-today. Dividers made by @firefly-graphics.

Chapter Nine / Masterlist

You and Curtis fell into a comfortable routine over the next few weeks before Thanksgiving. Beginning of the week you two stayed at your own places, sharing texts throughout the day, and for now, you two managed to go out together at least once a week, which suited you just fine with how much you had going on with the after school drama club that you volunteered for.

So your Friday night you opted for the two of you to stay in to watch a movie, well more like so you could sew costumes while making an offer to have some movie playing in the background if Curtis wanted to watch something. Instead, he let you have the living room for your project without distractions. It was relieving for you, for once your boyfriend didn't need you to prioritize him over anything else, and didn’t make you feel guilty about your projects or grow angry that you chose something over him. 

Learning to be in a relationship with Curtis was a real eye-opening experience from your previous one.   

For most of the evening, Curtis let you do your thing after making sure the lighting in the living room was plenty for you to sew by, offered to make a quick dinner later, and then went to work on his Camaro in the garage to keep from distracting you. 

Later that evening Curtis made sure to pull you away to eat some dinner with him, which on this night he had made egg omelets and toast with a side of fruit salad and yogurt that you had brought with you for the weekend. 

During dinner, he was sure to ask about the play, as well as offer to help with the displays, because he could be pretty handy with some tools if you needed the help. The two of you also read over the play together. You found that Curtis had a knack for Shakespeare, including giving you a real show during dinner. Hand to his chest, his tone deepened as he recited. 

“Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, Creeps in this pretty pace from day to day, And all our yesterdays have lighted fools.” He sprang up, grabbing at your hand and pulling you up to a stand with him, pulling you in closer. “The way to dusty death. OUT! OUT, BRIEF CANDLE!” He paused, his brows coming together as he thought. “Shit I forgot the rest.” 

You started giggling while glancing at the script. “Life’s but a walking shadow…” 

“Oh right! Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player. That struts and frets his hour upon the stage.” He wrapped his arms around you, the two of you swaying slowly in the dimly lit kitchen. 

“If I knew you were gonna serenade Shakespeare to me, I would have chosen something not quite so dark. Maybe Romeo and Juliet?” 

Curtis snorted as he shook his head. “Not Romeo and Juliet, that play pisses me off.” 

“It is unsatisfying in the end, not that Macbeth is any better.” You chuckled softly while letting your hands slide along his chest. 

“How about you finish working on those costumes and I will clean up? But not too much longer tonight Honey, cause I will be dragging you to bed soon.” 

You couldn't help the rush that spiraled through you listening to him, giving a nod while going to tiptoes to press a kiss in thanks and you split away back to your sewing. 

You were muttering under your breath a while later while trying to put some thread through the needle when Curtis started making his way through the house after closing the garage down for the night. Turning off the house lights on his way through until he joined you in the living room. “Come on Y/N, let's call it a night?” 

“Just… this last…” Your tongue stuck out from the corner of your mouth as you just about went cross-eyed trying to get it to thread. “... one…” 

“Mmhm.” He strode in and collected your stuff off the couch into a neat pile for the coffee table. “Didn’t your mama ever tell you that your eyes will stay that way?” 

You huffed out in frustration and held your hands out, handing over the thread and needle for him to take and put with the rest of your messy sewing kit. “Would you still like me if I had crossed eyes forever?” He crashed on the couch next to you, his arm circling around you and pulling you to straddle his lap. ”Curtis!” You yelped out in surprise, still shocked once in a while whenever he chose to handle you like you weighed nothing. Something he seemed to take much enjoyment in because as often as you claimed you were too heavy for him to be doing that, he would brush it off and do it twice as much to prove a point. 

“Course I would Honey.” He winked at you and slid his hands along your waist, working his hands just under your sweater to find some bare skin. You shivered in delight at the feeling of calloused palms still slightly cool from being out in the garage earlier laying against your skin. “You just about finished those costumes?” 

You wriggled to get comfy in his lap, your legs folded in a kneel on each side of his thighs and your eyes started to drift now that you were relaxing for the evening. Your hands slid against his chest, fisting slightly in the fabric of his shirt. “I just got to finish the three witches and I’m done with that part of it. Got till mid-December to get this all pulled together.” 

“The kids must be excited?” His hands started to warm up as they started to rub against your back, letting you sink into him a bit more as your body loosened in his hold. 

“Very… Mmmh.” You leaned in closer, pulling up his shirt slightly. “Can we finish this in the bedroom Curtis?” 

“You don’t have to ask me twice.” He didn’t even give you a chance to move off of him, an arm slipped underneath you and with a push off the couch, he lifted the both of you. You wanted to scold him, tightening your hold around his neck and legs around his waist, but you hid your face in his neck, eyes screwed shut, afraid that the two of you might not make it up to the bedroom on the second floor.

“Don’t you drop me!” You muttered against his shoulder, still hiding your face and making him grunt in a slight laugh as he started up the old wooden stairs, all their old house creaks seeming louder to you. 

“Pretty Girl, I would never drop you.” 

It wasn’t till he lowered you on the bed, his hand coming up to ease your hold around his neck did you open your eyes and let yourself bounce onto the bed. “You really shouldn’t…” He didn't let you finish when he crawled over you and started to kiss you, muffling your words to turn into a needy hum as you started to pull his shirt off. When you got it mostly up his chest, he pulled up, this time looming over you as he yanked it off and tossed it over his shoulder to land someplace in the bedroom. Leaving his bare chest above you and making you squirm underneath him. 

“Not tonight Honey, I’m gonna do what I want, when I want.” He fell back over you, his hands pressed on either side of your head while he hovered in close to you, the only thing between the two of you now was his dangling chain that pooled against your chest and your own shirt that suddenly was too hot to keep on. 

Curtis loved seeing you get all shocked, the way your eyes would widen and you would clutch at him while those little protest noises turned into soft little gasps and moans. He kissed you till you quieted your mind in a haze, knowing now that if he let you sit with your thoughts for too long they would eat away at you till you worried yourself out of the mood. It had been a long week, he simply wanted to enjoy being with you as stress free as possible. 

You brushed your hand through the hair on his chest, your fingers tangling in the chain as you pulled him closer and let you take your own kiss, rolling underneath him while your thighs spread to let him settle in closer. Making out in heated kisses, he pushed up your shirt enough to see your bra, rubbing a palm against it and giving a firm squeeze so you would arch into him, that hunger he craved in you sparking. “Let me get this off you.” He tugged, having you lift enough for him to discard your shirt in the same manner he had done with his earlier.

How he got so fucking lucky, he really didn't know. You constantly brushed off praises like you didn't deserve them, although he could see that you craved it. When he had you mindless, just giving into that pleasure sensation inside of you, you would freely bask in his praises. With each touch he gave you he thought he had you there. Your eyes were glazed in lust, your body rolling up to press into him while your nails dug into his back, to ground yourself. His fingers danced across your back till he could twist your bra clasp apart and draw it away to release your breasts. 

Fuck he loved your tits. You were so sensitive there, every pull from his mouth or flick of tongue had you giving him those sweet noises. Huffs of impatience in wanting more as he sucked a nipple in his mouth, a hand sweeping over his buzzed head and grasping at the back of it to press him closer. A flush of kisses was followed by the scrape of his beard, and that always made you gasp. Every time. The rasp of his beard trailing anywhere on you always had you start begging, pleading for more. Curtis loved it, loved this needy mess in his bed he made you. 

Tonight he was sure to mimic it, his chin pressing through your cleavage and twisting to kiss the curve, his other hand cupping the other one while he muttered into your skin, “You have the most perfect tits Honey.” 

There was that puff of impatience from you, a glance up through his lashes saw you pushing your head back into the pillows, whining out. “Suck on them Curtis, bite them. I need it.” He sunk his teeth around one perfect nipple to tug, making you cry out and grab at the back of his head. “Yes, it makes me so horny when you play with them.” A light slap made you jolt, rubbing your hips to his for the friction. 

“You are so pretty like this Honey, my pretty girl.” He groaned out, his hands sweeping down to your waist to hold you still but it wasn’t needed. You went stiff under him, eerily quiet from the small moans and whines you were doing earlier. It made him lift his head in alarm, looking up at you to where you look closed off from him suddenly, wary. Something changed between the two of you and Curtis refused to continue when you closed off like this. “Y/N?” He lifted himself off you and you were tentatively wary, your touch just barely there on his chest. “Are you okay?” Curtis untangled himself from over you to lay at your side, concern on his face. “I didn't hurt you did I?” 

The room turned silent in those seconds he waited for you to answer him, his hand was heavy on the curve of your waist and your gaze went from him to his hand on you. Pretty Girl, you would be such a pretty girl if you didn't have all this weight on you. You could be a pretty girl someday maybe, then I would want you. It ate at you the way that voice was so strong in your mind after so long and of course it had to show up right now. It was your greatest shame and suddenly the small dim light on in the bedroom made you feel so self-conscious that you pulled your arms over your chest to hide from sight. Curtis’s tone was so worried that it made the pit in your stomach heavier as if someone had hit you. It was almost overwhelming how much that one word could knock you completely over. “Yeah I’m fine Curtis, just more tired than I thought I was.” You whispered in the dark. Maybe you could make yourself smaller, curling up slightly so you wouldn't take up so much space. “Sorry, I didn't mean to… Would you be mad if I just went to sleep? I can leave, I probably should go home. I’m sorry.” You could feel yourself starting to ramble, the panic that you messed up settled in your chest, and couldn’t stop yourself. 

You went to pull up to search for the few clothes you had gotten out of, but Curtis’s hand grasped your elbow, pulling you gently back to lay down. “We can just sleep Y/N, nothing has to happen. But I don’t want you to go.” He let you go, seemingly unsure of what you wanted, and tried to give you some space. “All your stuff is here for the costumes and you are packed for the weekend. Stay, please.” 

He was so genuine that you felt conflicted about what to do, but in the end, you gave a nod and a soft whisper. “Okay, I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be sorry, I’m tired too.” He tried assuring you while getting up out of the bed. Going into his dresser drawers, he pulled out one of his old shirts, knowing you liked how soft they were, a bit too stretched out after all the times they had been washed and handed it to you. You gratefully took it and slipped into it, stripping out of your pants under the blankets. Curtis just seemed to know that you wanted to be covered because he also found some sleep shorts for you. 

“Can you turn all the lights off Curtis?” You asked as you settled back onto the bed and pulled the blanket up. He flicked off the nightlight that he had in the bathroom, leaving the room in almost complete darkness. Having stripped down to boxers, Curtis eased his way back to the bed and stretched out under the blankets next to you. He felt a mile away from you even though you knew he was just inches. You couldn't bring yourself to reach out to touch him. Especially now that you pulled away.

 In the darkness of the room, you couldn't even tell if his eyes were open, you felt shielded, able to lick your wounds and push the fears back behind a locked door. “Good night Curtis.” You said so softly it was barely a whisper. He didn't hesitate though. Nothing about Curtis was a whisper. 

“Rest easy Y/N.” His hand was gentle as he closed the gap between you two and rubbed at your back soothing.

Curtis laid there most of the night going over what happened in those few moments, trying to recall where he touched you and what he said. He respected your aversion to him kissing anywhere below your breasts, knowing that it was because you were self-conscious, even though he assured you that he loved your softer body. One day he was sure you would be okay with it but he respected that it wasn’t something you were comfortable with for now. You had no problem with him touching you, so it certainly wasn't that. In the dark, he would glance over to see you curled on your side at the edge of the bed like you were trying not to take up any space, but he wanted you in his space, in all of it. His house for the first time felt warm and welcoming again like when his grandparents were here, it felt like home. 

Twisting to his side, his fingers traced along the curve of your cheek, still trying to figure it out. All he could remember was telling you how pretty you looked, which was true. In the light spilling from the en suite across the bed, your eyes were full of excitement and lust, your lips parted to give those soft little moans and sighs that turned Curtis hard while he pulled each one from you. Your chest arching into his mouth and hands, your nipples grazing against him for every nerve-ending jolt he could give you, it was like you were all his and he couldn’t get enough of you. In your sleep, you were far more accepting than earlier when you closed off. Muttering in your sleep, you turned into his touch and that made Curtis smile at the sweetness in the gesture. Dropping his arm to your waist, his hand flattened in the small of your back and eased you closer from the edge. You gave a sigh as if you were waking up, but then you turned into him, resettling with your head against his chest and your arm over his stomach like you were hanging on. 

Hours later Curtis eased out of bed, knowing that he wasn't going to sleep any longer. You would wake up soon, so far you had been pretty predictable. On Saturdays, you sleep in till about eight, then if you two don't mess around a bit and cuddle, you would go seek out coffee. Sometimes you even brought your coffee back to bed, not ready to leave the small happy bubble you two created in the blankets on the weekend. Curtis made your coffee just how he had seen you make it. A glance at the kitchen clock showed the hour arm nearing eight as he made his way back into the bedroom.

You were just starting to wake up when Curtis set the coffee mug down on the nightstand, seeing you peek out from under the blanket with a sleepy whimper. “Is that coffee?” 

“Mmhm, it's still hot so be careful.” He warned as he went around to the other side of the bed and settled in while you pushed up to a seat and wrapped your hands around the warm mug to sip cautiously at it. You rubbed at your face a bit to wake up more and after you set your mug back down, you slipped back down into the blankets, cushioning your head on your pillow. Curtis's hand dropped gently to brush your hair back a bit. “How did you sleep Honey?” 

“I always sleep well when I’m here.” You assured him while lifting yourself up a bit to brace against the headboard in a sit and reached for his hand to weave your fingers with his, a show of assurance that you were right where you wanted to be.

“Y/N, I wanted to talk about last night.” He bluntly said, never was one to shy away from what needed to be said. “What happened that made you get all up in your head and pull away?” 

You stared down at your joined hands, more so looking at the way Curtis’s seemed to swallow yours in the most supportive way. He gave a light squeeze in support and you could feel your face screw up a bit, your nose wrinkling up in that way it always does when you are feeling a lot at once. “I do have to apologize for that.” 

Curtis cleared his throat and a gentle grasp on your chin lifted your gaze up to his. “No, like I said last night, you don't owe me any kind of apology. It's really as simple as if you are not in the mood, then you are not in the mood. That's not at all what I’m concerned about.” He pulled your hand into his lap, trailing his thumb pad over your knuckles. “You looked so shut down and just not enjoying yourself, and I want to know how we can work through that so that doesn’t happen to you. You know that you can be open with me, I want you to be.” 

He could see you giving it some thought, working through the night before just as he had in those early morning hours when he couldn't sleep. Curtis kept the gentle caress over your knuckles, willing to wait as long as it took for you to answer. 

“It’s the word pretty.” You finally confessed with a sigh, almost like you were ashamed of yourself. Curtis stayed silent to let you further explain. “I-I heard you call me pretty girl and just… this time it just hit differently.” You squeezed at his hand, really trying to ground yourself. “You ever hear this shit in your mind, like telling you that you need to be better, do better.” 

Curtis nodded in understanding. “Sure, all of us have something we are just not confident in.” 

“Well mine sounds like shit my ex used to say to me.” You could have sworn you felt Curtis tense up a bit. “It was always… You would be so much prettier Y/N if you just lost some weight, tried a little harder on your appearance, and took some pride in yourself. You could be a pretty girl.” 

Curtis snorted in disgust. “That man is a fucking asshole.” 

You gave a sharp laugh and a slight nod. “That’s one way to put it. He was very stuck on appearances. Whenever we went out, he wanted us to look a certain way. Jake was always trying to help me lose weight. At first, I thought it was because he wanted me to be healthy, you know? Concerned for me, that made it a little easier to handle I guess. It’s nice to think that someone cares so much they want you to stay with them as long as possible.” You continued on and Curtis already hated this guy Jake for making you feel like this. “Then over a year ago it clicked that it was… all this…” Your free hand waved over yourself. “he had issues with.” 

“So you left?” Curtis filled it in and you nodded. 

“Yeah, I got offered the job at Mason, broke it off with him, and came here. And now you know. I’m still working through so much of it. I didn’t realize how… much he had changed the view I had of myself. Now that we are involved with one another, I'm recognizing more and more how toxic the last five years with him had been.” You looked a bit wary at him, almost like you were nervous about what he was going to say. “I should probably see a therapist.” 

“Okay, well first your ex was an asshole. You don’t treat someone you care about like shit which is what he did. Second I think you are sexy as fuck and your body is yours. Do whatever you want and I’m going to support you Y/N. If you want to see a therapist, you should, I’m going to support any decision you make for yourself.” 

Your expression started to ease as he continued. “And if saying Pretty Girl upsets you that much, I will do everything I can to not say it, although to me you are. The word for me feels like that sensation I can’t take my hands off you, I just want to love you all over and show you what that word feels like.” Wide-eyed you stared at him in surprise. 

“Wait, that's what you think of when you say that? I don’t want you to stop.” 

“Well, I don’t want you to freeze up like that Honey.” He countered, tilting his head a bit towards you. “But I have an idea if you want to try something out of your comfort zone.” 

“What's that?” You ask curiously and his palm pats his lap, showing you he wanted you to straddle him.

Sucking on your bottom lip while you considered what he was asking, you pulled yourself up to move to your knees, your fingers unweaving from his. “If you don’t like it, all you gotta do is say stop Y/N.” Your gaze lifted and met his, warmth spread through you at his heated glance and you felt the trust there. 

Your leg lifted over him to straddle his lap, his hold immediately rests on your wide hips and pulls you in close to him so that you could lean into his chest whenever you wanted to, leaving the space between you two entirely up to you. Your hand instinctively moved to touch him, you loved tracing his various tattoos scattered across his torso. “I’m going to show you, but you just tell me to stop, m’kay?” His hands rubbed up to your waist while you gave a nod.

“I will, promise.” You said, your tone wistful as you continued to explore his taunt muscles that flexed under your touch, down to the small roll of his belly that was covered in soft dark hairs. 

When your fingers curled in the band of his boxers, you glanced up at him but Curtis gave a light shake of his head. “Not this time Honey, hands up.” He instructed and it was instinctual that your hands shot up over your head and the tee you were wearing was tugged over your head. As soon as it was gone your hands dropped to cover yourself even though the curtains were pulled to keep the room dim in the early morning hours, still self conscious about him seeing you too closely without clothes on.

His hands were warm when they circled around your wrists, firm as he eased your hands off your body and pulled them to rest them on your thighs. “You can touch me, rub your hands on yourself, but no covering yourself up.” His brow raised at you and you nodded in a quick motion. His gaze fell to your breasts and a calloused yet gentle hand covered one, lifting slightly as he moved his thumb in gentle patterns along the underside curve. His other hand was still at your hip and pressed you against him, making you rock forward slightly. “You gotta straddle a thigh Y/N, pick one.” 

Another shift of your legs had you straddling his slightly raised right thigh, giving him the pressure he wanted on your pussy. “Start to move when you're ready.” He nipped back at your neck, dragging his beard against your skin and making your breath hitch, a hand shooting up to cup the side of his cheek, scratching lightly with curled fingers to feel the scratch against your palm. 

You could feel the words starting to bubble up, saying that you should be underneath him because you were too heavy. But they died in your chest, your heartbeat picking up with excitement as he worked his way to the top of your breasts. “What are you up to Curtis?” You take a chance on finding out but a deep chuckle answers you instead, brilliant blue eyes taking you in as his hand at your breast gives a slight squeeze while rocking your hip forward once again, dragging you against his muscled thigh, bare up until the boxers he was sporting bunched up from your movements. A shudder raced through you, feeling just how good the stimulating movements were. You felt a spiral of heat race through you causing you to whine out his name and try to hide your face, feeling momentarily doubtful in your actions. 

“Keep going Honey, feels s’good right?.” He told you while giving another firm squeeze of his hands. “You feel so fuckin’ good grinding on me. I can feel how wet you are getting.” A nip followed his words while you rocked against his thigh again. “Pressing that pretty little clit against me some more Honey, get yourself off.” 

Your hands shoot to his shoulders to steady yourself after your hips seemed to move on their own, giving little bucks when the sensation was too good to control your speed.  pressing a bit harder into his thigh this time, your body arching upwards to meet his hands wherever they roamed on you. “So good…” You muttered, his thumb now dragging against your nipple and pulling harshly to tease you. He wasn't lying the night before, he loved your breasts. Dragging his tongue across your nipple while sucking on it made you press faster, dragging your throbbing clit along his tense thigh. Your fingers dug into his shoulders, leveraging yourself higher, faster. Little surprised gasps escaped you while he lifted his mouth from your breasts to claim those noises as his own in a claiming aggressive kiss. You pushed back down to grind into his thick thigh, forgetting all your worries about being too much in his lap. It was all about chasing that feeling, grinding yourself against steady muscles and the slick noises your pussy was making. Your slick starting to build, friction burning you in just the right way. 

“Riding so good Honey.” A hand grasped your hip to slow you down a bit, really dragging your cunt along to make you whine out needily. “Just feel that sweet pussy make a mess on me.” He continued, squeezing your breast and bringing his mouth back to you, sucking in your nipple. 

“Yeah?” You spat out as you grabbed his head, holding him to your chest while your body took over to get that good feeling building in your stomach and fluttering in your pussy. 

“You’re taking this so well Honey.” He muttered against your breasts, tugging from one to the other side, still helping you rock into his thigh with enthusiasm the faster you started to chase that sensation. Your belly felt like it was going to snap, your thighs quivered and your fingers dug in sharply now, making Curtis groan at the pain you caused. “Fuck, that’s it Honey, look at you riding like you want something.” 

Your mind was clouded with all the most pleasurable sensations, daring you to chase after that feeling for as long as your legs could hold out. Tilting yourself to just drag your clit against him needing at that hard pressure he was sure to give you. “Curtis I want it.” You started to plead, your head falling back and putting more arch in your hips, his thigh now a mess from your dripping slick and your pussy clenching for more. It was a terrible tease that was tantalizing in the promise of an orgasmic blissed ending. 

Curtis lifted away from your bouncing breasts, dragging his thumb against your lips and you sucked onto the pad, whining against his finger with swirls of your tongue. Moving on instinct to chase your pleasure. 

Curtis was sure you were so close, the way you rubbed against his thigh, shaking from the exertion of muscles, you were getting sloppy, less controlled. Your body was screaming to release, pleading eyes kept falling to him and he grasped the back of your neck to drag you close, and kissed you hungrily, dragging out a pleading groan from you. When you two broke, Curtis huffed out in a quick demand. “Cum for me pretty girl, you are doing so good, give it to me.” 

One of your hands dragged over his shoulder and down his chest till you clutched at his chain, the metal tangling in your fingers and biting into your skin, leveraging yourself to chase that ending. You felt it, it was right there, a couple more grinding pushes against his thigh had you curling to his chest, gasping against his shoulder as the wave crashed through you while your body quivering in his hold, Curtis wrapped you into his arms, rubbing at your back and rocking you slightly. “So good Honey, relax… It's okay I got you.” 

You panted lightly and your muscles all burned from moving against his thigh in the manner that you did. You were slightly sweaty, still in a daze as Curtis brushed your hair back, and pressed his mouth to your temple, while whispering how good you were, his good girl. Tilting his head to look down at you, he waited till you pushed off his chest and eased off his thigh to balance back on his lap, catching the last of your breath. “How are you feeling?” 

“Good and used.” You giggled softly and blinked at him, your reaction made him smile. 

“Just what I was hoping for.” He hugged you and let you cuddle in close to him till you were ready to start the day. 

The rest of the week Curtis dropped pretty in different ways. Sometimes he would press the word into your skin like an invisible tattoo when he fucked you so good you would cry. “You look so pretty Honey with those tears.” His hands would rub at your still-shaking body, easing you to relax. 

Other times it might be when the two of you were doing your grocery shopping, trying to incorporate more meals together so you would have him pick out a couple of things you could make at your apartment instead of going out. You would be standing at the refrigerated display of vegetables, plucking up bell peppers trying to decide which color to get when he would slip up behind you, his chin tucked on your shoulder. “What's my pretty girl looking for?” Your thighs would tighten in response, recalling all the times he used that word making you orgasm. Your breath would stutter in surprise at the reaction of your body. If he noticed, he didn't mention it. 

You would send him a text with a snapshot of your outfit for school that day and his response would be a string of texts about how good you looked, just how pretty and stunning you were, leaving you floating on a cloud the rest of the day. 

A couple of days before Thanksgiving found you cutting up those bell peppers when Curtis came over for date night. He brought a bag in with him, which had several changes of clothes that you made room for in your dresser drawer so he could stay overnight, both of you agreeing that at this point instead of leaving at the end of Sunday, they could stay and spend the night, leaving Monday for work from each others house. The next step in the relationship. To be honest you were a little nervous and very excited to have reached this point with Curtis. 

“Where do you want these?” He pulled his boots off and shrugged off his jacket while you wiped your hands dry to go around your kitchen counter to greet him. 

“I left a drawer open for you to find.” 

“Good, I will put them in after.” He pulled you in for an affectionate kiss, making you giggle a bit at his affection. 

“After?” You questioned while hanging up his coat in the closet, stuffing his beanie in the pocket so he would find it tomorrow. 

“After I said hey to my best girl.” He winked and inhaled deeply. “What have you got cooking?” 

“Chicken fajitas. I need to finish them up. You know where the bedroom is.” You winked at him as you left him to take care of his stuff, which he was quick to do as it wasn't much, clothes in the dresser and some toiletries in the bathroom.

He was soon joining you as you started to pull it all together. “Anything I can do to help?” 

“Nah, relax. Have a beer. How was work?” You hummed out while working, sensing him brush a hand along your back in passing as he went to do just that. Sighing when he sank into a kitchen chair and cracked open a beer, the fizzy noise of the bottle muffled in his hand as he screwed off the cap. 

“Decent, kept on schedule and Gilliam is talking that we might be too busy for our January layoff. Although I was looking forward to the time off. “ 

“What do you even do when they lay you guys off for the season?” You asked as you slipped it into the oven and joined him. His arm was held out, enticing you to join him in his seat, and nervously you perched on his thigh before he tightened his hold. 

“Usually some project that old fixer-upper needs. This year I was going to redo the living room floor. Those old wide-beam floors could be stunning once more if properly stripped down. Course to do that I gotta take everything out of there and pack up the bookshelves so they don't get all dusty.” 

You reached for his bottle and sipped from it. “Paint too?” 

“Might as well do it all if I’m doing the floors.” 

“Well Mister, you are in luck because I am a master painter.I repainted this when I first moved in.” You waved your hand around your tiny apartment and Curtis smirked a bit. 

“Oh well fuck how did I get so lucky, how much do you charge?” he joked and you pondered what you wanted to ask for payment. 

“You are lucky, I’m cheap.” You swung back to the stove to stir the peppers and chicken before sliding them into the oven to keep warm. “I will do it for free.” 

“Free? No no… you must let me do something for your time.” He came up behind you, wrapping you into his arms while you stood at the counter, peeling apart the tortillas needed for the fajitas. “I could…” A kiss on your neck made you giggle when you felt the brush of his bristles against your sensitive neck. “... take you out?.” Another kiss just behind your ear had you sinking back into him. “They have an after-hours slot opening at the aquarium.” And that caused you to ease around, suddenly very interested in what he was saying and not just what he was doing. 

“Like one of those nights where you drink wine and enjoy walking around with just adults?” 

Curtis gave a nod, a bit of a shy twist of his mouth as his thumbs brushed lightly at the small of your back where your skin dimpled. “Exactly like that. Are you interested in going?” 

You nodded enthusiastically and wrapped your arms around his neck, going to your tiptoes to flutter kisses around, finally reaching his lips to really show your enthusiasm. “Absolutely! I would love to do something like that Curtis!” 

Clearly, he had picked correctly because your enthusiasm shined all over, even when he slid his hands down to your ass and grasped enough to lift you to perch on the edge of the kitchen counter, bringing the two of you closer to eye level. “I will secure our tickets. It’s happening right after Thanksgiving, so keep your calendar free.” 

“Of course, whatever day you pick will work for me, Curtis.” You wrap your legs around him to keep him close to you, running your hands up his chest while your smile grew wider. 

“I did good?” He smirked a bit while his fingers traced your sides and settled on the thickness of your hips, where he loved to squeeze just a bit, hold onto you cause you were his girl and he loved how comfortably he could settle in between your thighs. 

“Oh very good, I can’t wait to go.” You started to kiss along his jawline and his neck, able to find those little sweet spots of his that made him groan in appreciation. For now, you two were just making out, you would really show him tonight in bed when you rolled him to his back and crawled up between his thighs. You were taking delight in the way you felt him really giving into your direction, the little grunts and groans whenever your tongue pressed to his skin or your lips traced an intoxicating pattern against his neck. 

“You keep going like this and I’m going to forget the last thing I needed to ask you.” He confessed another firm squeeze to your hips to let you know that he needed to focus. One last playful bite to his earlobe had you moving back slightly, your fingers playing at the short hairs at the back of his buzzed head. 

“We can easily pick this back up later, how about we eat dinner and you can ask me?” You offered him, which Curtis glowered playfully at you, his thumb and forefinger catching your chin. 

“Yes but only because it is important, otherwise I would be taking you apart right on this kitchen counter.” 

“Kinky bastard.” You scoffed as you loosen your hold on him and pushed him back slightly to slip down and warm up the tortillas while Curtis grabbed plates from the dish drainer and some utensils. 

“Only for you.” He winked with a quick nip of a kiss to your cheek and moved to finish the task at hand. 

Once it was all set, you two were both making your fajitas the way you liked them and had gotten a few bites in, both of you far hungrier than was known, you wiped some salsa off the corner of your mouth. “So what was this other thing you wanted to ask me?” 

Curtis was thoroughly involved in his food, so his eyes sprang up in question at first but then he seemed to remember, going to take a swipe of his beer to cleanse his mouth. “Thanksgiving, did you have any plans?” 

“No, I don’t have enough saved up to fly home or the time to drive it. I will be headed back to the classroom to give it a good cleaning before the kids all return back from vacation. Why?” 

“Tanya invited us over for the holiday, along with Ella, Sophia, and Grey." He cleared his throat a bit, his voice dropping with less enthusiasm. “She did mention Edgar if we were okay with him coming.. She pulled me aside and demanded I bring you, but I told her I would discuss it with you first.” 

Filling another tortilla up with peppers and chicken, Curtis handed over the container of salsa automatically knowing what you would put on them. “If you want me to go, I would love to Curtis. I can call her later to see what I can make.”

He waited while you made yours before making another for himself. “And how do you feel about Edgar being there?” 

You picked at your fajita before taking a bite and chewing slowly, giving it some thought. “How do you feel about him being there Curtis? I made my peace with him the other night. I have no issue hanging out with Edgar and getting to know him better.” Of course, you turned it around and Curtis had to figure out how he felt about Edgar being around after Halloween. He hadn’t yet really talked with Edgar about it, things were tense between them at work. Edgar was doing his best to give Curtis space at the train yard. Was Curtis ready for forgiving? “It is up to you Curtis. It wasn’t just me he hurt on Halloween.” You reached across and let your hand rest against his arm. “Seems like Tanya feels the same way.” 

“I will talk to her about it, I’m still not sure how I feel.” He admitted and you nodded in understanding. 

“Whatever you decide Curtis, I can’t wait to spend Thanksgiving with everyone.” 

You could tell by the way his eyes softened and he smiled that it was important to him, that these people were basically his family, and getting to bring you into the mix meant a lot to Curtis. 

And you felt the warmth curl through you that you could give him that.

[essaysbyciara]

Red Light Special ['Layton Road' bka Fireworks Part VI] | Erik "Killmonger" Stevens x Reader

FIREWORKS | BIRTHDAY CANDLES | STEAM | NEON SIGNS | GREEN LIGHT

Warnings: Language, lightweight mentions of sexual situations (smut thoughts), a brief mention of gun violence.

We're back with part six! Six of seven. Yep, the penultimate chapter of Fireworks. I appreciate everyone that follows this story. This started as a one-shot but morphed into a full-blown fiction. That always happens, I think lol Likes, shares, comments, DMs are all appreciated. Peace.

It’s only a ten minute drive from The Luxe to Erik’s crib. You clock what’s protruding from beneath your black dress to the frigid cold air creeping through the sunroof, not the wicked points of arousal coursing through your veins as you watch Erik navigate his whip down a meager six blocks. You didn’t think there would be much time for a serenade but as Mint Condition’s epic epos “So Fine” starts to play, you begin to fantasize about what you’re about to get into: Erik.

He parks his old school, East Coast kingpin Acura Integra in front of his house because no one in the neighborhood would dare pilfer his spot. You wait for Erik’s gentlemanly tenor to sing and it sounds  heavenly as he opens the passenger’s side door. You adjust your dress hoping not to show his next door neighbors your goodies. Those were soon Erik’s to see anyway. 

“Let’s get you inside. It’s cold as fuck out here.” Erik skillfully guides you and your heels up the front steps to his door. You could feel the heat from behind it. Not sure whether to charge it to his furnace or the lust, you wonder what you’re about to walk your into for the night. Despite you being here, potentially sexing Erik wasn’t the plan. It was to leave The Luxe, a place with a reputation for some sinister shit when the club let out. Though you were told not to worry, the way those dudes across the way stared at you all gave you the creeps. That wasn’t just a stare of jealousy. It was the look of somebody willing to annex the envy and get to the money. 

You were scared money so it was time to get out and Erik gave you a ticket. 

For some reason, Erik’s crib gives off a wild scent of sensuality. The black furniture, standard-fare in most bachelor pads, now resembles that park bench you both dreamed to hitch your rides onto. You’ve been inside of his place before: the night he asked you to come through on the pretense of what is very sure about to happen tonight but instead you fell asleep on his couch. You woke up the next morning to Erik walking down his steps after you sent a text to let him know you were up with the birds.  He was dressed in his work clothes sans shirt, the tattoos darting up and around his bulging biceps. Fine art, for real. He sent you the money to buy the groceries to make breakfast for you two before he went off to work. The sun started to creep through the blinds, creating a path of light to what felt like you two’s future together. 

Right now, there’s red lights coming from everywhere. The special ones TLC talked about. That's the lust in the air. Somebody is getting what’s due tonight. With consent, of course. 

“Here.” Kill hands you a cold glass of water before you could even ask. “My bad…” Erik looks around at errant work shirts laying on his coffee table and an empty take out container on the kitchenette. “Let me clean up real quick.” 

“You’re all good. You weren’t expecting company. I get it.” 

Erik wasn’t expecting much from you at all. Especially after what happened at Jet’s. He wrote you down as a loss, a woman that got out of the way because he couldn’t man up about his feelings. Knowing he loved to know more about you, he invited you out to Care Park for his crew’s barbecue. With his first look at you beyond the Instagram filters, he knew of you to be fearless when you came out to the vaunted Care Park.  Nevermind that you were shaking in your Nikes from the time he messaged you to come through. Sadness followed you once you didn’t get a chance to talk to him but Erik would later change that. After apologies and an inquiry about some quiet time alone, he came to pick you up for an after-barbecue treat. 

You met his grandmother within hours of giving him a second chance and received a few plates of peach cobbler to take home.  One failed attempt at consummating your situation and a fronting-in-front-of-his-boys  that hurt like hell at Jet’s, you were out of grace for Erik’s lack of forwardness when it came to you. But then you found a drop of forgiveness in a need that desperately needed to be met and a desire to know how he truly felt about you. That night at Archie’s didn't feel right. 

“I appreciate the grace but I don’t want you to think I’m a slob or some shit like that.” 

You meet Erik’s comment with a wry smile. “I saw the backseat of your car. That said enough.” 

“Oh word…” Erik tosses his work shirts over the banister and hastily walks towards you. More like a slither and pounce, maybe. His hands find the skin peeking out the sides of your dress for a mean tickling session. You try to slide to the other end of the couch but Erik pulls you by your waist back to him with little effort. “Don’t be talkin’ shit and running away. Get over here…” 

“Erik… Erikkkkk!” You calling his name, even in a fit of growing laughter, sets Kill ablaze. You called him by his real name, not the nickname the streets gave him because he had a penchant to “put niggas to eternal rest.” Metaphorically, of course. Kill didn’t want that name but his reputation preceded himself. He was a beast on the football field, playing safety for the West Care Park Golden Jaguars, until a gnarly knee injury ended his career. With time on his hands and cousins like King ripping and running the streets, it took no time for Kill to get acclimated to his new game. 

People feared Kill. A deep fear, like-crossing the-street-when-they-would-see him fear. Though it made no sense to anyone around him since Kill never sent anyone to an early grave, he took a subtle acclimation to being not-the-one-to-fuck-with. He mostly acted as enforcement, his size and menacing snarl could make anyone second-guess what they were about to do. As he played that game, he went to trade school, became an electrician and then started teaching to make extra money.  His cousins would claim that he needed them because his success made him a target. Just having a reputation of a bad guy was enough to keep all hate at bay.

Love was a different story. Kill was a prize to be won by all available women from 43rd. Even the rival women from the 40th wanted a piece of the action. With that face, physique and professional accomplishment, Erik was the top pick on every woman’s draft. But love eluded him like a well-blocked pass rush. Work tired him out and dating apps were even more tiresome. He also wasn’t the type for random trysts even though he had – and used – his old reliables when shit got really tough. But the reliables wanted relationships and Kill didn’t. So he played the single card so no one would get hurt. 

Then he met you. Now he was ready to cash out. 

Erik’s lips found the nape of your neck with subtle pecks under your chin tracing up to your lips. A playful tug of his beard guides his lips to yours. You can’t help but giggle between breaths at the ways your glasses tap his own as your tongues dip and twist. Erik’s left hand skates down to the high-slit in your dress only to find that you didn’t have on what his hand went down there to take off. 

“Oh word?”

You nod your confirmation. You hike up your dress all on your own. 

As Erik pulls open the right drawer on his coffee table, you notice King’s name pop off on Erik’s phone. As Erik shows off his ambidextrous acumen, getting you right all the while getting himself ready, you see King’s name again.  The incessant vibrations are blowing his concentration and the closeness to your peak. Kill wanted to hear you say his name in all the ways he’s been dreaming and the steady vibrations of his phone were not set to be a part of that noise. 

“Hey, Kill …. Erik …” You pull your bottom-half from Kill’s lips with reluctance. You notice a flurry of  texts arriving on Erik’s phone. “Babe, something’s wrong…” 

“I promise you shit is good. They wondering where I am, probably. I swear that nigga can’t function without me. It’s cool.” 

You pull even more away from Kill. Your back touches the backside of the arm rest. “Ain’t nobody calling you this late for things to be okay.”

“Yo, you good?” Kill caresses your right leg. The calluses from his hard days work feel so good against your skin. 

“Something didn’t feel right at the club. That’s why I wanted to leave.”

“Them fake-tough niggas weirded you out? They ain’t about that.” Kill’s phone vibrates again. “Come here…” You get up and walk over to Kill. You pull down your dress from your hips, grab his phone and hand it to him. “I ain’t sitting on nothing until you answer your damn phone.” 

Kill heeds your request only to hear that King’s been shot. 

Taglist:@chaneajoyyy,  @twistedcharismaaa,  @sheabuttahwrites,  @ghostfacekill-monger,  @blackburnbook,  @cecereads209, @lishabaybeee-blog

[wizardvanhq]

Hello wizard leader ✨️

Can I invite you for tea in my diabolical greenhouse? I cannot guarantee that you won't be serenaded by my Trumpet Vines, but I can make them play jazz music? Maybe Blues? Something suited for conversing :)

-

Regards,

The Necrobotanist

(P.S.— doot doot)

OH. OH MY. YES, ABSOLUTELY. LET ME PUT ON MY FINEST ROBES REAL QUICK.

*WIZARD RUSTLING NOISES*

(WIZARD ASIDE) OH. OH NO. CHARLEMAGNE. @chipper-skeleton CHARLEMAGNE! I NEED THE ASSLESS ROBES BACK RIGHT NOW.

[sw1mmingfoolz]

[8:45pm] - jeon wonwoo

requested? Y/N

genre: extremely fluffy who is surprised

content warnings: none that i see, lmk if there's anything!

wc: 1.1k

a/n: i'm back with a specific ass drabble no one asked for! honestly today has been hell for me i've been SO overwhelmed and i didn't know why but then i remembered oh yeah, i'm both autistic and have adhd, i get overwhelmed for no reason all the time 🤪 so i'm like mega neurodivergent lol, this as such is a fic based on those experiences although i never state it specifically so it might be a little more accessible for that. regardless of how much you can relate i hope you enjoy the absolute tooth rot that is this drabble amd agree wonwoo would be that caring bitch agskdhdj :') feedback is always extremely appreciated but especially rn cuz i am struggling lmao 💞💞💞

It was your favourite.

Laid out as prettily as your boyfriend could manage, your favourite meal sat plated on a placemat before you, the tall man in question settling into the chair to your right. It wasn't just your favourite food, no, but your safe food as well, a monotonous texture he knew you could always handle, prepared ever so lovingly. His playlist had been playing quietly as he'd hummed along and, every so often, given you a slight serenade in a shy voice, his cheeks pink as you pretended you were an entire audience in your applause. The sounds of song were replaced by the television, equally small and none pervasive, the familiar resonations of a video you'd seen hundreds if not thousands of times but still found hilarious nonetheless.

Wonwoo finished setting up YouTube by turning on the closed captions and immediately set about eating, occasionally shooting you a small smile. He laughed along to the video with you, careful to keep the clinking sounds of his cutlery against his plate as gentle as possible, but to you the most reassuring sound by far was the white noise machine he'd surprised you with a while ago out of the blue sat on the kitchen counter to drown out the many clashing sounds of the room. The buzzing of the fridge, the humming of the freezer, the electricity of the stove, all drowned out, which he'd taken upon himself to ensure before he'd began serving up.

You looked over at him, immediately meeting his eyes. You ate in silence, but words weren't needed, years with Wonwoo perfecting your nonverbal communication as a couple. You knew from the way he cast his eyes down to your plate hopefully that he was looking for reassurance, and he drew all he needed from the bright smile you shot him in response. You knew from the way he gazed at you with lovesick eyes that he was this time assuring you, a subtle reminder that it was worth it time and time again, and no real extra effort for him anyway. You knew it to be true; no matter who he found himself with, he'd always go above and beyond to make them feel special. You felt lucky that person just so happened to be you.

You knew from the way he reached over to take your hand tenderly in his and squeezed it three times that he was telling you he loved you. You squeezed back without a second thought, once, twice, and thrice, a soft grin playing at your lips that he mirrored happily. He'd invented this system around a year ago as a quick way to communicate certain things; one squeeze to let him know you needed to leave somewhere immediately, two squeezes to let him know you were starting to become overwhelmed, three to simply represent the words - "I love you". It had been concepted before a day's schedules as you'd sat huddled in the back of his group's minivan, the other boys as raucous as ever, as he'd murmured in a deep voice directly into your ear to suggest the signals, his fingers interlaced with yours. You liked the way his hand fit against yours, large and warm, like a small, rather localised hug. You thought of it again now as you kept his hand in yours a moment longer, sure your eyes were twinkling as you watched his gentle expression. You leaned into the comfort it gave you, looking around a little. It wasn't the apartment you'd gotten together that felt like home; it was his presence within it.

He looked at your plate as you pushed your food around idly and smiled, leaning over to whisper softly in your ear. You adored his voice, deep and inherently caring, especially as he kept it as low as possible around you. It reverberated pleasantly within you, warming at your heart and your tense limbs alike, relieving tension you didn't even know you were holding onto.

"One more bite, you can do that for me can't you my darling?" He whispered, holding up one long finger with a playfully challenging squint, to which you nodded. The meal was overwhelming as a whole, sure, but one bite was tiny, easily accomplished. At least that's what you told yourself, but easy or not he applauded lightly for you after you swallowed and rewarded you with a peck on the cheek, lingering by your face for a second to simply murmur; "one more, dove."

Before you knew it your plate was empty, Wonwoo having found many small ways to celebrate each bite as if it were the largest milestone you could accomplish. You'd been cocooned on the sofa in one of his biggest hoodies, the familiar scent encouraging you to rest your forehead on your knees and become consumed by it, the warmth it provided you healing you from the inside out. You pulled your arms inside to give yourself the biggest sweater paws possible, breathing as deeply as you could to fill your lungs with him.

He was washing the dishes in the background, back to singing with a little more confident vigour this time, but you noticed he never allowed his voice to be too loud, grinning every time he caught you watching, completely mesmerised. Normally, he'd tease you about it, but tonight he felt so soft himself that it merely brought a red tint to his ears. Every so often he'd relent, giving in to how irresistibly cute he found you and taking his gloves off to jog over and place a kiss on your lips. He was entirely doting, letting his heart beat on his sleeve in palpable vulnerability every time he'd linger to rub his nose to yours or graze his lips over your cheekbones so softly you could only just feel them there. You were ever thankful for the wordlessness your slowly crafted relationship allowed for and the judgement free environment that came with it. His expression carried the same sentiment, eyes boring into yours heart-meltingly deep. Finally having gotten to relax all of your senses gave way to a clearer mind, as you decided to break the silence, timidly, almost as if you were scared to, with a hand cupping his face. His eyes were patient as ever.

"I love you, so much," you whispered, to which he kissed you again.

"I know," he smiled. He took your hand from his face, eyes never leaving yours, as in this instance he squeezed four times, leaving a deliberate gap you immediately understood. I love you, too.

[binsito]

don't be shy gurlll !!! >_<

Share your dream with us (ofc only if you're not uncomfortable)

-💗

AJGSAHV its gonna make no sense bc it was lowkey wacky but basically i was at a skzcon but it was rlly weird cuz it was like a theatre and it was very small but the seats were choral risers??? ( those thingies people that sing in choirs stand on idfk) and i had a different spot than my friends so i got separated from them but like i couldnt find a spot so i stood in the back and skz was doing solo stages, so while one member went they sat in the crowd in the back where i was for some fucking reason..

seungmin sat next to me and started making small talk cuz i guess he thought i was chill and we were lowkey vibing like it was pretty fun i enjoyed talking to dream seungmin BUT THEN. chan went on stage to perform and he was singing some crazy ass 80s love song and was serenading the crowd and he caught my eye and idk how this is possible again my dream was lowkey wacky but he starts basically directing the song at me and he comes close to cup my face and whisper something (i cant remember exactly what he said but it was crazy) and i didnt know what to do but i was literally melting and i reached a hand up to touch his side and bring him closer which he welcomed.. so we were like just touching and feeling each other while he sang to me and by this point i was literally floating bc i kid you not i could feel his warmth and his touch bro it felt so goddamn real .. like i could literally smell him.. i literally inhaled his fucking perfume

so then he finished his stage and went to sit where we all were except he sat further down the aisle by himself, so i scooted over to be with him and he started holding my hand and touching my thigh, not quite sure why there was also a blanket over us but i digress.. he got handsy so quick and i was letting him play with me but i had hella butterflies in my stomach and his fingertips were so gentle like they were ghosting my skin and he was lowkey teasing me

i think he mightve also kissed me at one point and i started to palm him through his pants just to tease him back.. bruh I COULD LITERALLY FEEL HIS MONSTER COCK IMSO???1/1/1 LIKE I COULD LITERALLY FEEL HOW HARD HIS DICK WAS THROUGH THE FABRIC OF HIS PANTS 😅😅😅 so he took it out of his pants and i gave it a few squeezes and he was like “am i gonna see you at another stop? and i was like “oh definitely..” and he was like “perfect.. i’ll be looking forward to that." which by the way this is wild as fuck bc technically we were in a crowd of people, just down the aisle from other skz members but whatever silly ass dream! okay exhibitionist kink! but shit idk why chan wanted me so bad but he was ready to risk it all for us to fuck i guess !

but when i tell you i could literally smell, touch, feel, TASTE this man.. it was too fucking real like i could feel his breath on my cheek and his rough hands and shit.. it was a bit wild. i fucking woke up IN HEAT bc wym my dream was so fucking realistic (in the sense that my senses were able to actually feel things) that i could deadass feel the contact of skin to skin between us. like WYM I FELT DREAM CHANS MASSIVE GINORMOUS DELICIOUS COCK?//// it was so heavy and nice and very very pretty .. i wish i kept dreaming but i got up bc i needed to piss so bad but just imagine if i had dreamt longer.. idk why the universe let me experience such a thing but thanks now i know what chan's cock feels like, i appreciate it! 😁😁

[automatic-overdrive]

Well, it happened, I saw AB again June the third in Tilburg and what can I say? It was awesome. Yes, my little recap is a little late but I also had Gojira on the agenda the next Tuesday, wild week. So yeah as I'm currently suffering in front of a ventilator to bat off the heat, if you do want to hear my thoughts feel free to read further!

I arrived a little bit later at the venue than I originally planned - lets say a good 30 minutes - due to construction and Google maps not knowing what to make of that BUT at last I arrived, about three and a half hours before the doors opened, and there where only about 10 other people in line so lucky me!

I'll fast forward through the boring sitting in line in the sun on the curb turning my ass into mush, though I did get to chat with some amazing people. AB fans are the best. There were about 20 people with VIP tickets, so a spot at the rail was out of the question - also I wanted to get a shirt before the gig started because I would miss my train home if I hung around too long afterwards - but once the doors opened and I secured a tour tee, I managed to land in-between 3/4 row at the front. Sweet! (Thanks great grandfathers who gave me long legs so I could powerwalk as fast as possible. Security didn't want us to run you see.)

Mammoth WVH opened once again and they kicked ass! There were some sound issues during the first few songs, so Wolfie's voice and the guitars were kinda muddled, but that got fixed real quick and it was a great set. The crowd got pretty into it.

Mammoth's setlist;

Mammoth

Mr. Ed

Epiphany

Like a Pastime

Stone

Distance

You're to Blame

Another Celebration at the End of the World

Don't Back Down

You're to Blame was my personal favorite, a real stomper live! And be sure to check out their latest singles if you haven't already.

And then it was happening. The lights dimmed for a second time after waiting around for few and though the majority of the people around me were already in great mood, you could really feel the crowd come to life. Are there going to be more puns in here? Probably because I can't help myself ha.

I stood smack-dab in the middle, with no tall concert goers in front of me, so I had a perfect view when AB took the stage. This would have been the perfect opportunity to take some pictures but me being me, well, I'm always way too swept up in the moment and the music to even think about taking out my phone haha.

Anyhow, here's AB's set list and I'll just go through the moments that stood out to me or I will be rambling for the upcoming hours;

Silver Tongue

Addicted to Pain

Ghost of Days Gone By

Broken Wings

Sin After Sin

Coeur D'Alene

Burn it Down

Cry of Achilles

Watch Over You

In Loving Memory

Blackbird

Come to Life

Stay

Isolation

Metalingus

Encore: Rise Today

Slip to the Void will likely be my most favorite opening song ever, but Silver Tongue is a close second. Just hearing that intro riff alone already hypes me up, followed by Addicted to Pain, if anyone in the venue wasn't paying attention already they sure do then!

(Warning for some flashing) Video by Dany In Flight [x] If I'm correct in my assumption this was the same lady I spoke briefly to while waiting in line, she came all the way from Italy!

Broken Wings was beautiful and hearing Sin After Sin again was a treat. The biggest surprise for me however was hearing Coeur D'Alene. COEUR D'ALENE. Yes, I was aware AB pulled this one out of the box during their US tour, but man I'm so happy they played it in Tilburg as well. ABIII is my favorite AB album so this was very special to me.

Myles took a little break and Mark took over the vocal duties for Burn it Down and he absolutely crushed it. You go Mark 💜

Video by _josdecross [x]

After the amazing Cry of Achilles, it was time to get emotional with a triple kick to the face. I'm not ashamed to say my waters were rising a little when Myles serenaded the crowd with Watch Over You, followed by In Loving Memory and then, of course, Blackbird. Boi, if I ever have kids or grandkids, I will make sure that song gets passed on down because it will never get old. What a masterpiece.

The emotional portion of the concert quickly got pushed aside by the energetic Come to Life, another all time favorite of mine (and the crowd, from what I could hear haha). A fan had requested earlier if AB could play Stay that night, and they did! Which was very sweet.

What followed were the bangers Isolation and of course Metalingus - were we all obediently went down on our knees (I fell over a few times because my legs were pretty fried at that point lol) for the classic "jump up and down like a kangaroo during the breakdown".

We got treated with Rise Today as the encore - chanting "we want more" with the crowd likely doesn't have any effect whatsoever but I like to think that it does haha.

And then it was over. Is there a thing such as post-concert depression? Man those hours went by quick. Picks were thrown out, setlists in the form of paper-planes; the usual mayhem. I'm terrible at catching anything because I'm always afraid I'll get accidentally socked in the face. There did however bounce something off my shoulder, which I assumed was a pick from Brian because a millisecond later the guy standing next to me snatched it from the ground. Better luck next time, but thanks Brian lol. And then the drumsticks were flying and I took cover once more.

Going to concerts is still new territory for me and even though it was only the second time I saw AB live, being a big fan aside, they killed it. What a band. What an amazing, talented bunch of musicians. The crowd was having a blast and AB too seemed to really enjoy and revel in the energy. Even Myles commented at one point "There's always a great vibe when we play here." My voice was gone from loudly singing along to all the songs and I probably slept for about 12 hours the next day.

Compared to the first time I saw them in Amsterdam last year December at the Ziggo Dome, I prefer this gig with the smaller venue. As much as I love that AB gets to play bigger venues in Europe, selfish me wish they could stick to smaller ones like the 013 in Tilburg.

Here's a pic of the fabulous tour tee that I scored;

I've been a fan for over 14 years now and to be able to see my favorite band live two times in the span of only 7 months is crazy lucky to me. If you have the opportunity to see them, do it! You won't regret it.

Thanks AB for the beautiful music and I hope to catch them again on their next album cycle!

[loganofthenorth]

I have a request thingy you could write! Maybe cute Remile or Prinxiety?

Hell yeah! I'll get a prompt.

*goes onto IPad to get a prompt*

Ight so the prompt is: "Wouldn't it be better to tell him even if the timing is wrong, than to never tell him at all?"

This is going to be both Remile and Prinxiety!

Advice

"Well, you could always try telling him how you feel. When you're ready, of course." Emile suggested. Virgil was laying on the couch aside from him, running his hands through his dark purple hair and staring at the ceiling. Last month Virgil had gone to Emile, a therapist in the Imagination, for help because he was afraid he was becoming irrational. After a long therapy session, however, Emile had determined that he simply had a crush. Now, present day, he was back, seeking advice on how to approach such a thing.

"There's never a good time! After we talked I tried to tell him, but then we were interrupted when Thomas got news about the callback. Roman was so excited and I didn't want to overwhelm him.

Then Janus pulled us all into a court case scenario and grilled us until Thomas confessed he was selfish. Roman then punished himself and Thomas by having Thomas go to the wedding, so he was miserable. I tried to just focus on helping him through it, while also surviving my own anxiety.

Then when things finally calmed down a bit, mostly due to being too tired to fuss about it, Remus started popping up. After Logan sorted that out, I realized that I was actually hurting Thomas when I tried to protect him from the others, so I patched things up with Remus and Janus and ever since I've been spending more time with them, which lead to me avoiding Patton, which meant seeing Roman less.

Then there was the Nico situation, and there were a couple of times around that time where I almost confessed, but something always interrupted us. I was spending more time with Roman after that, but a week later the wedding happened, then there was a lot of drama between Roman, Janus, and Patton.

Now Roman's in a really bad place, and I think I'm somehow the only one he trusts right now, and I don't want to risk taking that from him by telling him how I feel. If he doesn't feel the same way, I'd just be making things worse." Virgil rambled.

Emile nodded, writing all this down as Virgil spoke. "It sounds like there's never a good time to tell him. Lately something's always coming up." Emile commented. Virgil nodded, rubbing his face and groaning in frustration. "Well, in that case, wouldn't it be better to tell him at a bad time than to never tell him at all?" Emile reasoned.

Virgil thought this over, then sighed in defeat before nodding. "Yeah, maybe... but how?" He muttered. "Well, you said before that indirect ways of communicating your feelings have helped you. Like the puppets, the songs, and other things. Maybe you could try something like that." Emile advised.

"Right, sure. Let me just turn into a sock puppet and serenade Roman real quick." Virgil huffed sarcastically. "If that's what works for you." Emile encouraged. Virgil rolled his eyes and sat up. "How about we brain storm ideas, and you can pick the one you like best?" Emile offered. Virgil thought about it, then nodded.

"Alright, we'll add the sock puppet serenade. I know it was a sarcastic suggestion, but a suggestion none the less. There are no bad ideas, we can figure out what you're most comfortable with once we have a list to work with." Emile decided. "Fine." Virgil agreed, fidgeting with the sensory tool Emile provided.

Later

After talking to Emile, Virgil returned to his room and got to work on the idea he had chosen. He decided to start small, do something subtle. He put some songs onto a playlist, mostly Disney Songs. The songs consisted of:

I Won't Say I'm In Love (Hercules)

Something There (Beauty and the Beast)

Not Another Song About Love (by Hollywood Ending)

Hakuna Mattata (Lion King)

I See The Light (Tangled)

One Jump (Aladdin)

A Whole New World (Aladdin)

All I Want (High School Musical | The Musical | The Series)

Strange Magic (Strange Magic)

That's How You Know (Enchanted)

Can You Feel The Love Tonight (Lion King)

Maybe Don't (by Maisie Peters and JP Saxe)

Heaven's Light (Hunch Back of Notre Dame)

Fixer Upper (Frozen)

Lost In The Woods (Frozen 2)

Go The Distance (Hercules)

And last (but certainly not least) the Hula Song (Lion King)

(Author's Note: Couldn't find that last one on spouting but it needed to be there.)

Satisfied with this, Virgil labeled the playlist as: 'Roman's Cheer Up Playlist' and made the picture Timon from Lion King doing the Hula. He chuckled before sending the playlist to Roman, hoping that even if it didn't get the message across, it would help improve his mood for a bit.

Meanwhile

Emile returned home and thought over the advice he had given Virgil that day. It reminded him of a situation of his own. Remy, who was in charge of Thomas's ability to sleep, was a regular at a cafe Emile also went to often. Emile had developed a crush on him, but by the time he had developed the courage to say anything, they were never in the same place long enough to say it.

Emile decided to take his own advice. He pulled out his phone and texted Remy, who had given Emile his number after they became friends.

⭐️Em: Hey, Remy?

Remy ☕️: Yeah?

⭐️Em: I was wondering if you'd like to meet up for coffee sometime. It's been awhile since we've been able to talk.

Remy ☕️: Sure, what time?

⭐️Em: Does Saturday at eleven am work?

Remy ☕️: Mmm... How bout noon?

⭐️Em: Works for me! I'll see you then! ☺️

Remy ☕️: It's a date 😉

Emile blushed a proper shade of red at that last message. Had he been that transparent? Then again, Remy did tend to flirt casually with everyone. It was probably best not to overthink it.

Saturday

"Oh, Virgil~🎶" A familiar sing/song voice rang through the Mindscape halls as Roman made his way to Virgil's room. He knocked on the door in a musical rhythm.

Virgil took off his headphones when he heard the knock. He walked over and opened the door, seeing Roman with a very confident smile on his face. This could either mean something very good or something very horrible was about to happen. There was rarely an in between, in Virgil's experience.

"I couldn't help but notice something." Roman began as he entered Virgil's room. "What?" Virgil asked as he closed the door, not bothering to point out the fact that he didn't say Roman could enter. "The playlist you sent me, I thought it was just a bunch of cheerful songs to get me out of my rut, which I did appreciate by the way." Roman began. Oh dear, Virgil was starting to see where this was going.

"That's exactly what it was." Virgil murmured before sitting on his couch. "Well, I looked at it, and I realized the songs weren't chosen at random after all. They all seem to either connect to one or both of us in some way, or they're love songs." Roman mused.

"Yeah a lot of Disney songs are love songs and relatable." Virgil murmured, his anxiety have him back out of his plan to confess. "They aren't all Disney songs, though." Roman pointed out. "And the two songs that isn't a Disney Song, are love songs. Ones that I think suit us very well." He went on, sitting beside Virgil as his smile grew.

Virgil hid his blush in the hood of his hoodie, fighting the urge to smile or get his hopes up. "Why would you associate a love song with us?" Virgil mumbled. "You tell me, Purple is the New Black." Roman returned.

Virgil took a deep breath before closing his eyes tightly and letting the words out. "Because I love you." He admitted, feeling nauseous as his anxiety began to build up.

Virgil's eyes opened when he felt Roman's hand on his cheek. He looked at Roman, who's expression was now very gentle, sincere. and relaxed. "I love you too, my Dark Knight." He stated. "Is it alright if I take a few moments to process that?" Virgil asked after a moment of silence.

Roman nodded, smiling widely again as he pulled away. "I'm always in my room if you need me." He announced before sinking down. The minute Roman was gone, Virgil grabbed a pillow and screamed into it.

Meanwhile

Emile arrived at the cafe, he was a bit early, since it was 11:48. However, he needed time to mentally prepare.

Emile walked over to the table he usually sat at, a small booth by the window. He sat down, fidgeting with a sensory tool while waiting. One of the staff members came to take his order, he had his usual, a cup of tea with two cubes of sugar.

Remy entered the cafe, going first to the counter to get his own coffee. Once he was done with the line and getting his order, he walked towards the table where Emile sat, smirking as he sat down.

"Hey Em, what's shaking?" Remy greeted as he began to drink his coffee. "I like you." Emile blurted out, causing Remy to raise an eyebrow and set his coffee down. "Like, in a romantic sense." Emile added to clarify ad his cheeks reddened.

Remy looked Emile up and down, swirling the coffee in his cup as he thought this confession over. "Well, if that's the case, what are your plans tonight?" Remy asked.

Emile looked hopeful as he quickly checked his schedule. "I have an appointment with a client at five pm, I usually take an hour to rest after appointments. So after six pm I'm free for the day." He answered.

"Alright, then how about I pick you up at your place at seven, and take you somewhere nice?" Remy offered. Emile nodded, holding back the urge to giggle like a school girl. "I'd like that." Emile agreed.

"Lovely. Now, let's catch up, shall we?" Remy replied. "We shall." Emile agreed. And so, they had their usual conversations. Remy's latest gossip, whatever cartoon Emile had as a special interest at the time, events in their lives, and things like that.

Seems today worked out quite well.

(I might continue this later if you want me to. I've written a lot so I'm going to take a break for now.)

[dance2xrevolution]

Just curious, what’s ur fav glee ship? Canon and non canon

Hi! Thanks for the question!

My favorite canon ship is Tike. Though Mike was absolutely wrong in Props, and should have supported Tina!

My second favorite canon ship is Klaine, though there are a lot of things I would fix there, too many to mention!

My favorite non-canon ship is Mike+Artie=Martie. Let me explain, though Mike and Artie aren't put together much, I feel like they have good chemistry and a lot in common. They were both in the Brainiacs, and (momentarily for Artie) the football team. Mike is the one who stands up and walks out with Artie (in his imagination) when he refuses to just sit back and let the system handle Sebastian's maiming of Blaine, because he is tired of waiting for things to "get better". "Scream" is the ultimate Martie moment. As I've said in another post, I think that "Scream" is when we get the only glimpse of the real Mike Chang, those clothes, that eye make-up, those moves, that's Mike's true personality and style. It's in Artie's imagination because Artie knows. To back this up, is the fact that Mike REALLY wanted to play Dr. Frank-n-Furter in Rocky Horror! That was not just about his singing voice, y'all! But his parents shut that down quick. His father, especially is extremely strict, as we see later. This is why Mike didn't even dare dance outside his room before glee club. And it can be inferred that his parents never even came to a performance until his mom came to West Side Story, and his dad came to the competition.

Mike and Artie come up with "Moves Like Jagger" for Will to sing to Emma.

They serenade their girlfriends together with PYT.

Mike is one of the people who lifts Artie's wheelchair to carry him put of the auditorium in "Throwdown".

Mike is directing the people who are carrying Artie into the barn for Brittana's wedding, during which, if you listen closely, he cautions them, "Be careful, precious cargo."

And why do you think Artie hesitates at first to back Tina's idea that she propose to Mike? Is it really because he and Mike already have a little sumthin' sumthin' going on?

Now I also think an argument could be made for an Artie/Tina/Mike situation of equal partners in a loving relationship. Artike. But I realize that squicks some people, which is fair.

This is my headcanon. Your headcannon may vary, and that is valid. I'm happy to discuss, but don't come for me.

[making-dough]

"Ah, fair Farina! Your sullen frown casts an icy glare on my passionate heart!"

Sain rushes for his old friend and sister-in-arms. Fighting by her side in that old war really paints her in a nostalgic light, and he can't help but smile at the sight of her--even if she has that aforementioned frown.

Which, isn't even really a frown, for the record. Anything that isn't a giggle-filled grin is just unacceptable to this rambunctious knight.

"How might your devoted knight restore a smile to your face? Shall I sing you a poem, praising the blossoming beauty that has developed since last we met? Or perhaps you'd like me to swear myself to you for eternity! Whatever you need, I am your servant and love!"

♠ - As she'd already keenly experienced during their last war, the best way to survive Sain was to... never take him seriously. He does this to way too many women for any of them to be serious. Besides, she was pretty sure some of his lines are just recycled.

"'Sullen frown'? 'Icy glare?'", Farina repeated, lips already curling up in an amused grin, almost threatening to break out into giggles. "You sure you haven't got me mistaken for Fi there?"

Actually, forget threatening. She was outright giggling midway through his speech and in side-splitting laughter by the end of it. "Tee-hee-hee-haa-haa! 'Blossoming beauty'? A-haa-haa! The heck's that?!", she'd barely managed in between giggles. She was pretty sure she's never heard herself described that way before. Well, her own bragging aside, anyway, but that's a different story.

It took her a while more before she'd managed to recover from her laughing fit. "Ah~! Thanks, Sain. I really needed that.", Farina grinned, wiping away a stray tear from laughing too hard. Well, at least he wasn't as stiff as some other knights she could mention. "You can keep the poems and stuff. Just keep doing on doing... that.", Farina declared, waving a hand vaguely to indicate everything that Sain was doing.

Besides, getting serenaded would be horribly embarrassing...and also incredibly entertaining for anyone watching. Wonder who else was getting this treatment now that Sain was here? Oh, this was gonna be fun to watch~! There was just one thing she should probably take care of real quick.

"Though, uh, just do me a solid? If you ever run into Fi again, don't tell her I said that about her." Stuff like 'icy glare' 's might fit her own perception of her big sis but, uh, let's just say she was not looking forward to the likely resulting fight if that stuff ever came out. And she was definitely not getting into a fight with Fiora over Sain's Sain-ness.

[the-darkness-does-not-bargain]

For the music asks, 3, 5, 6, 7, 10, 12, & 16

Rattling the cage again, bestie. 👀👀

3. Song for summertime. Hmmm, I feel I've got to give it to a sea shanty for this one, one that I played to death on the beach last year: The Last Shanty by The Celtic Connection. Sea Shanties for Thots is the best playlist anyone has ever made.

5. Song that needs to be played LOUD. Drumming Song by Florence and the Machine. If you aren't playing it loud, then how the hell are you playing it? Really, this applies to all Florence songs, even the soft ones. Play them all loud, let them heal your spirit.

6. Song that makes me want to dance. Two interpretations could apply here: songs that move me to dance and songs that make me wish I knew how to dance. Dancing with Myself by Billy Idol will always make me dance, but Lone Digger by Caravan Palace makes me wish I could dance properly.

7. Song to drive to. Honestly, sea shanties are best for this too. Barrett's Privateers by The Real McKenzies.

10. Song that makes me sad. It has to be Green Fields of France, specifically the version by The High Kings. The singer serenades the grave of a soldier named Willie McBride. I can only listen to it sparingly because it makes me cry almost from the first line "Well, how do ya do, young Willie McBride? Do you mind if I sit here down by your graveside?" Like, I'm tearing up just talking about it. It just moves you like that.

12. Answered here! But, if I had to pick another one, My Heart by Paramore. Do I have to say anything else? I don't think so.

16. A favorite classical song. Hold up, let me throw on Slavonic Dance, Op. 46: No.8 in G Minor and fcking vibrate out of my skin real quick.

[critical-quoter]

December Books

Here we are, the end of 2023. When I first got back into reading, I was not expecting to be so hyper-fixated on it. I was just looking for something to help with the brain fog and mental slump that I was struggling with.

Sweet, Sexy Heart - Melissa Foster ⭐⭐⭐⭐ King of Greed - Ana Huang ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Serendipity - Carly Phillips ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Forever My Girl - Heidi McLaughlin ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Real - Katy Evans ⭐ Bratva Knight - T. J. Maguire ⭐⭐⭐⭐ If I Break - Portia Moore ⭐ Found by You - Victoria H. Smith ⭐⭐⭐ Always Been Mine - Victoria Paige ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Daughter of Smoke and Bone - Laini Taylor ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Days of Blood and Starlight - Laini Taylor ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Savage - Michelle St. James ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Quick Trick - Skye Jordan ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Captive - Jex Lane ⭐⭐⭐ Forged by Malice - Elizabeth Helen ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Gold - Raven Kennedy ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Where Good Girls Go to Die - Holly Renee ⭐⭐⭐ Baby Baby: Chicago - Victoria H. Smith ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Risk - S. T. Abby ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Sidetracked - S. T. Abby ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Scarlet Angel - S. T. Abby ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ All the Lies - S. T. Abby ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Paint It Red - S. T. Abby ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Bought - Lauren Landish ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Keeping Lily - Izzy Sweet ⭐⭐⭐ Love and Other Words - Christina Lauren ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Beautiful Revenge - Sienna Blake ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Born, Darkly - Trisha Wolfe ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Beg, Borrow or Steal - Susie Tate ⭐⭐⭐ The Kiss Quotient - Helen Hoang ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Breakaway - Heather M. Orgeron ⭐⭐⭐⭐ From Lukov with Love - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Sweetet Oblivion - Danielle Lori ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Hero - Lauren Rowe ⭐️⭐️ Wait With Me - Amy Daws ⭐️⭐️ Trick Play - Eden Finley ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ His Sweetest Song - Victoria H. Smith ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Gent - Harloe Rae ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Taking It Easy - Erin Nicholas ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Chance - Louise Rose ⭐️ Beyond Repair - Susie Tate ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Pestilence - Laura Thalassa ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ War - Laura Thalassa ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Famine - Laura Thalassa ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Death - Laura Thalassa ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Marriage Effect - Karla Sorensen ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Hidden Miles - Claire Kingsley ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Let Me Burn - Carrie Elks ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Deep in the Pocket - Lainey Davis ⭐️⭐️ Secrets of the Sea Lord - Starla Night ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Hate to Love You - Jennifer Sucevic ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Going Down Easy - Carly Phillips ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Remember When - Judith McNaught ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ One for My Enemy - Olivie Blake ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Maddest Obsession - Danielle Lori ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Desperate Measures - Katie Robert ⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Serenade to the Elf Queen - Niro J. Halle ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Crow - Erin Trejo ⭐️⭐️ From Now Until Forever - Alexa Rivers ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Taking Meghan - Izzy Sweet ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Ruthless Vows - Rebecca Ross ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Breaker - Harloe Rae ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Silenced by Sin - Ashley Lane ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Wild for You - Kendall Ryan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Haunted by Regret - Ashley Lane ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Hungry Like a Wolf - Jessica Lynch ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Phantom - Greer Rivers ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Deal Breaker - Melissa McClone ⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Vampire Bewitched - L. E. Wilson ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Beautiful Savage - Caroline Peckham ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Devil Wears Black - L. J. Shen ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

71 total books read in December.

[petsdogscats66z1]

The Tail-Wagging Truth: Confessions of a Dog-Obsessed Owner

As a self-proclaimed dog lover, I have a confession to make: I am completely obsessed with my furry friend. I'm not just talking about the occasional belly rub or a quick game of fetch. I'm talking full-blown, tail-wagging, slobbery kisses, all-consuming dog obsession.

It all started innocently enough. My family got our first dog when I was just a little pup myself, and I immediately fell head over paws in love. As I grew up, my love for dogs only intensified. I read every dog book I could get my paws on, I watched every dog movie I could find, and I even dressed up as a dog for Halloween multiple times (and no, not just because it was easy).

But my obsession reached a whole new level when I got my own dog as an adult. Suddenly, my entire life revolved around this little ball of fur. I planned my days around his walks and feeding schedule, I spent hours researching the best food and toys for him, and I even started talking to him like he was a human (which, let's be honest, he practically is).

But it wasn't until I found myself sneaking my dog into stores and restaurants that I realized just how far gone I was. I mean, who brings their dog to Target? Apparently, I do.

I know I'm not alone in my dog obsession. In fact, I'm pretty sure most dog owners can relate. But here are a few confessions that take my love for my dog to a whole new level:

I've canceled plans just to stay home and hang out with my dog. Yes, I know it's a little sad. But when you have a cuddly little furball waiting for you at home, sometimes it's hard to justify leaving.

I've cried when leaving my dog for vacation. As much as I love going on vacation, leaving my dog behind is always tough. I may or may not have shed a tear or two on the way to the airport.

I've spent more money on my dog's wardrobe than my own. Who needs new clothes when you can buy your dog a new sweater and matching bowtie? Priorities, people.

I've sung songs to my dog. Yes, I am guilty of serenading my dog with cheesy love songs. And you know what? He seems to love it.

I've taken my dog to therapy with me. Okay, before you judge me, hear me out. My therapist is a huge animal lover and was more than happy to have my furry friend join us for a session. And honestly, it was one of the best therapy sessions I've ever had.

I've referred to my dog as my child. Hey, when you spend more time with your dog than actual humans, it's easy to start thinking of them as your kid. And let's be real, my dog is way cuter than any human child.

I've thrown my dog a birthday party. Complete with party hats, dog-friendly cake, and all his dog friends. It was adorable, and I have zero regrets.

So there you have it. My tail-wagging truth: I am a completely obsessed dog owner. But you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way. My dog brings so much joy and love into my life, and I am grateful for him every single day. Plus, who needs human friends when you have a loyal, loving furry companion by your side?