#like a more confident understanding of what brings out what flavors or qualities in a dish

[whentherewerebicycles]

ok so that butternut squash pasta was this week’s submission for the super-easy plant-based recipe book project & I’m only required to add one per week. but for some reason I’m feeling really into cooking at the moment and I want to ride that wave yknow?? the next easy recipe I want to tackle is shakshuka (for brunch this weekend?) followed by loubieh bi zeit (lebanese green bean stew) + pita bread from scratch, which I think will be next week’s recipe(s) for the project.

[firefield]

*REVIEW*

David Bowie - Divine Symmetry (2022)

A Journey To Hunky Dory

The subtitle to this project is perfect, and listening through this 5+ hour set you really do get the sense of DB really going for something he's got fixed in his mind and heart - he just needs to shape and trim and mine all these great songs and find that final form. I tell you something - once you work through all this - all the roughness, the humor, the nervousness and charm; once you finally get to that 2021 new mix of Bewlay Brothers, with all its layers of complexity, intrigue and intricate skill, it's impossible not to marvel at the path he's cut through the jungle. It feels like a Fitzcarraldoian feat.

"After the struggle of The Man Who Sold The World, Hunky Dory was the album where I said yes, I understand what l've got to do now." - DB

The sequencing of this beautifully made box set is very well considered. The first CD is called "The songwriting demos plus" and it's filled with unheard and unreleased material - Haddon Hall demos with Bowie's new piano gift from the neighbor, hotel recordings in San Francisco to small groups of friends and journalists on the floor, DB jamming and improvising, and even scratchy acetate dubs that I cannot believe survived to even find their way here.

The second CD is "David Bowie and Friends" -

John Peel on the BBC, and it's a relatively nervous DB buoyed by his buddies and working out the kinks as Hunky Dory starts to take shape.

The third CD is more live work a few months later, also for the BBC; Sounds Of The 70's: Bob Harris, and then the previously well-booted Live Friars, Aylesbury from late September, '71 - all performed with new confidence and swagger.

The fourth CD is called "Alternative Mixes, singles and versions" the brings us up to the BOWPROMO mixes, all the singles, and the alternative new remixes of the final album stems.

The Blu-Ray ties it all together with the final and original mix of Hunky Dory - the 2015 remaster, in 96kHz/24bit stereo. Then the incredible Divine Symmetry version of Hunky Dory (no 5.1 DTS? boo!) - the new mix of Life On Mars in surround, and closing with the Bob Harris show in jaw-dropping quality.

So let’s get down in the weeds for anyone interested.

DISC ONE - The package opens with Tired Of My Life, a remarkable, mature and haunting composition that stands beautifully on its own, but will send the chills when you hear the chorus - recycled nearly a decade later in an entirely different context - you’ll immediately know it when you hear it. Such a fantastic choice to open with, clearly emphasizing the arching themes of Bowie’s career and the in-and-out-of-time patterns in his work. It’s interesting to me that this track and the similarly-toned Shadow Man hit the cutting room floor for a time. Make of that what you will.

How Lucky You Are follows and is a good example of the impact the piano had on DB’s compositions. It’s a nice song, and I was surprised to hear the bass and drums sounding so good for this kind of demo. The track speaks to his Brel Influences and pub hall sing-song wordless melodies he’ll continue to visit all through the glam years.

Speaking of Shadow Man, wow. Delivered at a faster tempo and a more traditionally earnest and direct fashion, it’s an arresting rear view mirror on the origins of this great song. When you hear it delivered like this it makes sense in the same soup with Quicksand and Bewlay Brothers. As I mentioned, it’s wild to me that DB needed this one to sit and marinate for awhile. I wasn’t fully aware how often DB did this until after he passed, but he always seemed comfortable leaving great songs alone to let their flavor develop until he felt it was their time to be interpreted properly. It’s like he knew the song didn’t have to seduce him, but that he needed to grow into the song and do the seducing himself to make it come alive.

And next up is a fun, very non-Arnold Corns version of Looking For A Friend that I had no idea existed. Just excellent hearing the bass so up front from Ian Ellis.

Also firmly in the “I can’t believe this exists” category is two recordings of David solo and his 12 string in a San Francisco hotel room *jamming* out a long version of Waiting For The Man - the only solo recording of it that exists - and complete with improvisations both vocally and on the guitar. Priceless. Honestly, not being a huge fan of this song and DB’s propensity to want to play it live, I think this is, in fact, my favorite version I’ve ever heard. And then the earliest recorded version we have of one of David’s finest compositions, Quicksand. Some octave differences in the vocal, but basically the version we all know. I’m reminded how grateful I am that sets like this exist if only to preserve this history. Not everyone will care to hear songs like this in their infancy, recorded on basic tape recorders, or they’ll consider it a one-and-done curio to listen to and move on, but it’s worth considering this work from a legacy perspective. Find, clean, present and preserve. It matters. I still can’t get over how young DB was writing songs like this. Extraordinary.

Next up is the incredible King Of The City, solo David in the front room of Haddon Hall. Overdubbing himself on guitar and vocals - backing and doubling himself - working the two tape machines bouncing back and forth between them as he adds new layers. Good Lord. There is a hint of early Motown soul here and it’s wonderfully confident. Finding his own way indeed.

Another David solo multitracked early version of Song For Bob Dylan with DB doing all the vocals, guitars and harmonica. Really nice. David sounds about 50 and playing his heart out for a bus ticket. Amazing.

Next up is a series of nice sounding demos recorded at Radio Luxembourg Studios in London. The relatively silly Right On Mother, a wonderful solo version of Quicksand, a very laid back almost lazy doobified preglam Queen Bitch, the always sincere Kooks, a one take solo recording of Amsterdam with David singing the second and third verses in a menacing lower register, and a super gentle version of Life On Mars, solo, with DB on piano, complete with charming clunkiness, mistakes, and endless charm.

Closing out the disc, another set of “how does this exist” tracks, Changes and Bombers recorded to - get this- 7” acetate - totally fragile, totally noisy and totally solo David on piano. Absolutely unfreaking believable and pure gold.

DISC TWO is mono and stereo presentations of the June 3rd, 1971 John Peel radio show. The band opens with Queen Bitch and Bombers, both haven’t yet found their exuberance; their *teeth* yet, and they lean toward timid and new. That’s not a criticism by the way - just part of the process. You notice an immediate change as they launch into The Supermen, Looking For A Friend, and Almost Grown - played clearly with more swagger and familiarity. Nice to hear nervous David introducing Kooks, and man, what a lovely version. The band is silent, and it’s just DB and his 12-string, singing this less from the upper nasal area, and more from his Letter To Hermione/God Knows I’m Good area of the throat. Really surprised me and sounds perfect in mono.

From here on out it’s a full band affair, multiple vocalists joining in; George Underwood, Dana Gillespie, Geoff MacCormack and Mark Pritchett all taking the lead at various times during Song For Bob Dylan, Andy Warhol and It Ain’t Easy. Other than Kooks, I prefer the stereo to the mono mixes here, but nice to have them both from a legacy/preservation perspective. David’s introduction of his friend Dana before Andy Warhol is very sweet and pretty funny actually. It must warm her heart to hear it today. For what it’s worth, she *nails* her vocal, and it’s no surprise to read he wrote it specifically for her. Another welcome surprise in this box.

DISC THREE contains two more live sets - but both of these are performed after the official Hunky Dory sessions and the confidence of David and the band is palpable. Especially David’s vocals - he makes these songs now feel lived-in. He’s letting timbre and dynamics match the lyric, and everything sounds more effortless and natural. The meticulous craftsmanship is done and now it’s all heart.

Immediately blown away by the sound quality of the Bob Ross session. Apparently a start-the-tape-and-play singular take, David and Mick alone just kill it. The mic they used for David and Mick’s voices is excellent, Bowie’s piano playing has never sounded better, and the balances are just right the whole way through the show. Absolutely loving hearing Mick Ronson’s totally joyful bass playing on Kooks. He just skips all over this thing under David’s guitar - I couldn’t stop smiling. What a talent he was and a blessing for David at this time. The actual broadcast of this performance closed with the next track, a great version of Fill Your Heart, but this box set includes the unaired Amsterdam and Andy Warhol. A note here about Amsterdam: I know this track can be divisive for many fans, but I’d encourage those nonplussed by that track to try again with this performance. It’s solo David and it’s a pretty amazing rendition.

And now the Live Friars, Aylesbury late September show. It’s immediately electric feeling. By all accounts, DB wasn’t thrilled with the small handful of gigs he’d done in ‘71 and was doubting his ability to connect with audiences. It’s one of the reasons why he poured his energy into songwriting and recording. But this show feels and is pretty historic. It starts out acoustic and gradually builds the band behind him and you can absolutely feel him win over the crowd. The story he tells about his difficulties waking up in the morning and what his mother had to do to finally wake him up is appropriately Bowie-bizarre. And then after the encore, with the audience demanding more music, the band goes with Waiting For The Man, only to finish to find demand for *more* songs and DB is tapped out. Trying to tell the crowd they literally have no more songs to play, he had to literally tell them to shut up, and then politely explain that he’s done, spent, got nothing left, but would warmly welcome the chance to write new songs and come back to play them. Beautiful.

This presentation is a tricky piece of audio engineering skill, as the original 1/4” tape suffered from some mangling, bad tape splices, dropouts, etc. Preserving the integrity and continuity of the performance required some pretty wild work done and you will hear those moments. Rather than let them jump out and annoy, see them as puzzle pieces creatively cut and fitted to allow you to take in the whole picture of that moment in time. I can tell you with confidence that the work here is extraordinary.

DISC FOUR is all post HD sessions mixes and singles from the time, along with the 2021 new mixes of select tracks from the final album stems. The disc begins with the 6 track BOWPROMO LP 2022 remaster. These are early and different mixes than ended up on Hunky Dory made for a Gem not-for-sale record that had Bowie on the A-side and Dana Gillespie’s work on the B-side. Some feature entirely different vocals and soundstaging. I suppose many might not hear the differences but they are there. Queen Bitch is wonderfully unhinged in this mix, Kooks’s bass line and strings really stand out nicely, Eight Line Poem’s new vocal, Quicksand has some alternate guitar parts, and Bombers/Andy Warhol Intro (which didn’t make the cut for Hunky Dory) sounds fantastic with that cleanly defined bass and piano. The book also notes pitch and tempo corrections for Kooks and Quicksand. I suspect there are some who don’t know these are different versions and they’ll be pleasantly surprised to hear them.

Lightning Frightening surprised me here, as I am familiar with it only from the mono bonus track on the Ryko 1990 CD of TMWSTW. Here, for the first time is the full-on chugging, twangy, down-and-dirty stereo version. Holy hell. You’ve never heard it like this. Herbie Flowers on bass, Barry Morgan drums, Mark Pritchett guitar, and David blowing lots of sax and harmonica.

Amsterdam was originally set to close Hunky Dory but was bumped for The Bewlay Brothers. It was also set to close side A of Ziggy Stardust on the first pass master tape and was dropped there too - getting it’s first official release as the B-side to the Pin Ups single “Sorrow.” This first early mix is David solo with a one-pass vocal performance and triple layered 12-string guitars. Whoa. The second mix here later on the disc is the mix used for the Sorrow B-side - the 2015 remaster from the Five Years box. Changes mono single, also from the Five Years box. And then holy smokes my favorite version of Andy Warhol I’ve ever heard. I’ve always loved the mono version of this track, and here it gets a new 2022 remaster. This is a turn-it-up-to-11 track for me. Fantastic.

Next up is the wonderful stripped back 2016 Ken Scott mix of Life On Mars made for inclusion on the David Bowie - Legacy compilation album. Most of you would have heard this, but what I didn’t know was that David and Ken discussed making this new mix as far back as 1998. During this same session on April 12, 2016, the surround sound mix was completed at Abbey Road and appears on the final Blu-Ray disc in the set.

Closing up disc 4 are the new 2021 mixes - so excited to finally wrap my ears around them. For Changes, Ken is working from the masters, take number eight here, and he notes that he heard many unheard/unused parts on that take that he wanted to bring up in the mix, including a new sax solo from David. His aim here was to give Changes a contemporary modern mix feel. Headphones recommended on all these new mixes, and if you are like me and have heard the originals countless times, you’ll notice much here to marvel at.

Life On Mars uses a blend of take 5 and take 9 and allows Ken to rebuild LOM in a way that he remembers the band absolutely *loving* but had to ultimately discard due to Mick Ronson’s cursing. He explains the story in the book and I’ll leave it to you to read and hear, but wow. What a song. This mix is faithful to the original and awesome.

This version of Quicksand. Wow. Incredibly, Ken states this take four version from very early in the HD sessions was determined to be “not good enough” but on revisiting, keyed in on David’s amazing vocal. And gosh it’s really something. He approaches it from a different place - hard to describe - but his timbre and annunciation feels genuinely weary and earnest. Always with these deep dive box sets, there is something that just makes you totally miss the guy, and this was it for me. What a humble performance.

Fill Your Heart is another big surprise - this is take ten but Ken had nothing else to work with as they’d simply recorded over previous takes to save on expensive tape costs. Again keying into David’s vocal, he wipes the orchestra out completely, leaving only Rick Wakemen’s stunning piano playing and DB’s alto and tenor sax. What this does is elevate and lay bare Bowie’s animated vocal parts draped right over your ear drums. Jaw on the floor.

Bombers gets a new mix! Another big surprise. Ken writes that he knows he did a mix of this for the BowPromo EP but can’t remember recording it or mixing it - so after 50 years, loved the challenge of sitting down with these master tape stems and getting to work nailing a mix of this unique DB composition. The song was dropped from the album because it didn’t “fit” with the other material, and although unstated in the notes, to my ear anyway, Mr. Scott brings it into the Hunky Dory universe with want he chooses to emphasize and de-emphasize. I appreciate his sensitivity to honoring the time and circumstances of its recording not going wild with it. It’s solid, balanced and fits beautifully into HD. I wish David could have heard it.

Ahhh man. Wow. People often pick my brain about “favorites” and “rankings” and such things that I generally avoid when thinking about art - and one of those questions is about what I think is “underrated.” There are certainly more than a handful of tracks that would qualify, and Song For Bob Dylan would be there I think, as I listen to this wonderful new mix. I’m not sure why many seem to see this track as a throw-away of sorts - I’ve met people that assumed DB didn’t even write it - maybe it just gets lost inside an album of outstanding tracks, but I think this version here could really grab some hearts.

…and the closing track. I admit I was pretty floored and superglued to my headphones when the new mix of The Bewlay Brothers began. Immediately I realized I had not heard this track at all, in any form, over the course of this box set. Reading Ken’s notes for this song, that’s probably because David just rolled up to him late in the sessions with the old “I have this new song I’d like to do” and f*cking genius that he is, just drops this atomic bomb of a track. So it doesn’t appear that it was demoed at all - which to me is just extraordinary because it *sounds* like a track that would have a deep life of growth, revision, alteration and struggle to find its final form. But no, apparently lightening struck, and in what will prove to be a pattern in David Bowie’s recording career, time and pressure forge a diamond that seems to arrive on a flaming chariot. I could probably blab for an hour about everything happening here, and the contrast to the original mix, but perhaps it’s best to just let that go and urge a listen. I will say the tendency to simplify is probably not always the go-to choice for an audio engineer when faced with rebuilding a complex emotional track like this, but Ken has managed to actually enhance the song’s Mariana Trench of mystery through distillation and careful consideration of each and every detail. Listening through this masterpiece after all that came before, you really do understand the subtitle of this set - “A Journey To Hunky Dory.” This is such a complex and pivotal year in David’s career. He was not glowing in confidence, he was haunted by possible one hit wonder relegation (Space Oddity) as his friend Marc Bolan was basking in well-deserved attention, TMWSTW was not selling well, he was embracing and fast-learning new instruments to compose on, and reconsidering all his possible paths he could take in his life. Things were not, actually, very Hunky Dory at all. I was struck by how, in the very cool included “student note book” containing DB’s hand written notes, lyrics, scribbles, chords, pay rates and telephone numbers, how David fretted over the spelling of the album’s title. Two “R’s?” Maybe with a “e” in there? Umm yes. No? Ugh. Hunky Dory is the story of a man both lost and found.

This is too long so I won’t get too into the weeds of the Blu-Ray disc as it essentially contains higher res versions of what we’ve heard before. A super high resolution of the original mix of Hunky Dory - the final “Divine Symmetry” mix and sequence of the 2021 version, the killer sounding Bob Harris set (also at 96kHz/24 bit stereo) and the 5.1 surround presentation of Life On Mars.

For those wondering, yes the price is high, but the quality of *everything* here is top shelf. The whole package is amazing. Essays, notes, photography, paper stock, slipcase, audio quality… really can’t be improved on. Disappointments for me are few - but the glaring one is the lack of the 2021 mix in DTS-HD or Dolby Atmos surround sound. What a waste not to take the time to do that for the Blu-Ray disc. That said, I’m still 100% happy.

This is a deep dive. If you are one of those people that get annoyed at repeated tracks over the course of multiple discs and can’t hear the difference anyway, or even care, this set is not something you’d want to dump money into. Streaming for free to sate your curiosity will do the trick while you keep your money in the bank.

But if you enjoy unheard/demo Bowie in pretty astounding quality and quantity, have a particular fascination with this record and it’s evolution, or even just enjoy curling up with a coffee table quality book to read and admire unseen photography, you won’t be disappointed.

[hureirss]

Hookah and Shisha catering Service in Umm Hurair Dubai

Hookah and Shisha Catering in Umm Hurair, Dubai

In the vibrant city of Dubai, where luxury and style meet tradition, Moon Mood Cafe stands out as the pinnacle provider of Hookah and Shisha catering services, particularly in the Umm Hurair area. This prestigious establishment not only offers a rich menu and a cozy ambiance at its base location but also brings its renowned Hookah expertise directly to your events. This comprehensive review explores why Moon Mood Cafe is your best choice for Hookah and Shisha Catering in Umm Hurair, Dubai.

An Unrivaled Shisha Experience

Moon Mood Cafe has cemented its reputation by offering an exceptional Shisha experience that mirrors the cultural heritage of the Middle East blended with modern luxury. Their catering service extends this experience to private parties, corporate events, and special celebrations, transforming ordinary venues into exotic retreats.

Customizable Hookah Options

Understanding that each event is unique, Moon Mood Cafe offers customizable Shisha packages that cater to individual preferences and event themes. Whether it’s a wedding, a corporate gathering, or a casual get-together, they provide a wide array of flavors ranging from the timeless Apple and Mint to exotic blends like Blueberry Mint and Watermelon.

Professional and Skilled Shisha Attendants

What sets Moon Mood Cafe apart in the realm of Shisha catering is their team of professional Shisha attendants. These experts ensure that every Hookah is prepared meticulously, maintaining the highest standards of hygiene and quality. They are trained not only to set up the equipment efficiently but also to manage it throughout the event, providing guests with uninterrupted enjoyment.

A Sophisticated Setup

Every aspect of Moon Mood Cafe’s Shisha catering service screams sophistication. The setups are designed to complement the elegance of your event, with options that range from classic to contemporary styles. The attention to detail is evident in the quality of their hookahs and the aesthetic presentation, which enhances the overall ambiance of any gathering.

Wide Range of Flavors

The variety of Shisha flavors offered by Moon Mood Cafe is one of the broadest in the industry, allowing guests to indulge in a sensory journey. From the refreshing tang of Citrus blends to the sweet notes of Berry mixtures, there’s something to satisfy every palate. The cafe also offers nicotine-free and herbal options, catering to all preferences and health considerations.

Adherence to Health and Safety Standards

In today’s world, health and safety are paramount. Moon Mood Cafe takes this seriously, adhering to strict health and hygiene protocols to ensure that every Hookah session is not only enjoyable but also safe. All equipment is thoroughly sanitized, and disposable mouthpieces are provided to ensure the wellbeing of all guests.

Flexible Service to Fit Any Event

Moon Mood Cafe's Hookah and Shisha catering is designed to be flexible, accommodating events of all sizes from intimate gatherings to large-scale corporate events. Their team is adept at adjusting the setup and service based on the space and number of guests, ensuring that the quality of the experience remains consistent.

End-to-End Service

From initial consultation to post-event cleanup, Moon Mood Cafe handles every aspect of the Shisha catering service with impeccable professionalism. This full-service approach means that as a host, you can relax and enjoy your event, confident in the knowledge that all aspects of the Hookah experience are being expertly handled.

Why Choose Moon Mood Cafe for Your Next Event?

Choosing Moon Mood Cafe for your Hookah and Shisha catering needs in Umm Hurair means opting for a stress-free, luxurious, and memorable event experience. Their commitment to quality, extensive range of flavors, professional service, and elegant setups make them the go-to choice in Dubai.

To explore more about their offerings and to book their services for your next event, visit Moon Mood Cafe's Shisha Catering. Elevate your next event with the best Hookah and Shisha catering service in Umm Hurair, and let Moon Mood Cafe make it an occasion to remember.

[railrecipee]

Tasty Travels: RailRecipe Makes Food in Train a Delight

Embarking on a train journey is like stepping into a world of adventure, with scenic views and exciting destinations awaiting you. But what about when hunger strikes? That's where RailRecipe comes in, ready to transform your train ride into a culinary delight.

Say goodbye to the days of soggy sandwiches and bland pantry car meals. RailRecipe brings a world of delicious dining options right to your seat. From savory biryanis and aromatic curries to fresh salads and comforting sandwiches, RailRecipe offers a diverse menu to cater to every palate.

Ordering food in train through RailRecipe is a breeze. Simply hop onto the RailRecipe website or download the app, browse through the mouthwatering menu, and place your order with just a few taps or clicks. Whether you're craving traditional Indian cuisine, international flavors, or healthy snacks, RailRecipe has something to satisfy your cravings. Sit back, relax, and await the arrival of your delicious meal – it's that easy!

Quality and hygiene are top priorities at RailRecipe. Every dish is prepared using the finest ingredients and cooked to perfection by experienced chefs. Whether you're enjoying a spicy curry or a refreshing salad, you can trust that your meal is of the highest quality. Plus, with stringent hygiene measures in place, you can dine with confidence knowing that your food is safe and hygienic.

RailRecipe understands that everyone has different dietary preferences and restrictions. That's why they offer a wide range of options to cater to vegetarians, non-vegetarians, and those with special dietary needs. Whether you're gluten-free, vegan, or looking for low-calorie options, RailRecipe has you covered. Enjoy a delicious and satisfying meal that meets your dietary requirements without any hassle.

But what about the logistics of delivering food to passengers on moving trains? RailRecipe has it all figured out. With a reliable network of delivery partners and logistics experts, RailRecipe ensures that your meal reaches you hot and fresh, no matter where you are on your journey. Whether you're traveling through bustling cities or remote countryside, you can count on RailRecipe to deliver your food with precision and punctuality.

In addition to its regular menu offerings, RailRecipe also offers special meal deals and combo packages, making it easy to enjoy great-tasting food at affordable prices. Whether you're traveling solo, with family, or in a group, RailRecipe has budget-friendly options to suit every appetite and budget. With transparent pricing and hassle-free ordering, RailRecipe makes it easy to indulge in delicious food without breaking the bank.

But RailRecipe is more than just a food delivery service – it's a way to support local businesses and communities along railway routes. By partnering with small-scale restaurants and vendors near railway stations, RailRecipe helps promote economic growth and create opportunities for entrepreneurs. Every order placed through RailRecipe contributes to the livelihoods of these businesses, making a positive impact on local communities.

In conclusion, RailRecipe is your go-to solution for delicious food in train travel. With its diverse menu, easy ordering process, and commitment to quality and hygiene, RailRecipe ensures that every journey is a culinary adventure to remember. So the next time you're planning a train trip, don't forget to hop on board with RailRecipe for a tasty and satisfying dining experience on the go.

[festivalindia]

Make Sure You are Enjoying at Best Indian Restaurant

Most of the people ultimately tire of eating same kind of things and start craving new and delicious dishes. Learning about other cultures through South Indian Food Perth is a fantastic idea. Some people mistakenly believe that Indian cuisine is high in fat, curry powder, a plethora of spices, and extreme heat.

I can confidently say that it is not the case. Though there are those ‘sinful' Indian recipes, many of them are healthful and consist of deliciously roasted, steamed, or fried veggies. Many recipes call for only a few or even a single key ingredient to bring out the distinct flavors of the foods used.

When you do not feel like or have the time to experiment in the kitchen, an Indian Restaurant Osborne Park is a great option. To ensure that your introduction to Indian cuisine is as satisfying as these dishes merit, I have compiled a five-point checklist.

Go to a decent eatery. While it is not always the case, in most cases, a higher price tag indicates a higher quality of service. The Best Indian Restaurant Perth produce their gravy & spice blends from scratch utilizing only the highest quality components, so do not let the higher prices put you off. Although this method takes longer and costs higher than using canned components, I think you will agree that the result is well worth the effort.

The second piece of advice is to read the menu carefully. Ask the waiter or somebody you know to help you figure out what each dish is called. It is perfectly OK to inquire as to the ingredients and heat level of your meal. 

Wash your hands thoroughly before you sit down to eat. This is stating the obvious, but you will soon understand why I am bringing it up. Even though many Indian recipes at Indian Food Shop Near Me do not require utensils, good hygiene, and etiquette demand that you wash your hands before digging in. The left hand is regarded as dirty in Indian culture, thus only use the right when eating. Feel free to request forks and spoons if picking rice with your fingers seems unpleasant. These questions are commonplace for the staff at these eateries.

Choose meals that complement one another. In order to temper the heat of your main entrée, we recommend ordering the lentils or one of the other milder side dishes. Served with rice or flat bread, Kashmiri cuisine is often mild and creamy. 

Consult a more seasoned individual for guidance. You can have a fantastic time eating out and trying Best Indian Food Near Me if you go with people who share your passion for Indian cuisine.

Choosing Good Indian Restaurant is a breeze, but as a sixth step, I recommend conducting some research on local establishments and Indian food recipes. Later, when you have learned that it is not that difficult to prepare these great foods on your own, you will undoubtedly find something you would like to try and cook at home.

[miekasa]

Mie, I’m begging for some Jean college au bf hcs - im literally so down bad for this man and the way you write men is just 🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻

Absolutely, not a problem 😌 I saved this ask as a draft a while ago when you sent it, sorry for just now getting to it. Anyway, I love Jean with my whole heart, best boy, best boyfriend <33

King of forehead kisses, and not even just because of his height in comparison to yours; he just likes it. He likes the feeling of pressing his lips against your skin, and making you feel safe.

Brings you tea or coffee however you like it every day without fail. If he can get it to you in the morning before work/school then he’ll do that, if not he’ll meet you some time in the middle of the day to drop it off. Your own personal courier just for drinks.

He… has a thing for long(er) nails. He loves the feeling of them against his skin, even if you’re not scratching to apply pressure—just you holding his hand them grazing his skin is enough for him.

That being said, he will pay for you to get your nails done. Actually, he’ll pay for… almost anything you want, but the nails benefit him as much as they do you so feel free to ball out.

He never blowdries his hair because he doesn’t... know how to do the back of it. You did it for him once and he hasn’t stopped thinking about it since, but he’s also too embarrassed to ask you to do/style it again.

On the subject of hair, he does do his best to style it and take care of it, but he’s a sucker whenever you play with it. Sometimes he feigns like you’re messing up all his hard work, but he’ll literally crane his head into your touch. He loves it. 

The first time he lays on top of you and you run your hands through his hair... top 10 most euphoric moments of his life. He tries to fight off the sleep threatening to take over him, but it’s futile. Give it 15 minutes at most before he’s knocked out like a baby. 

Dogs love him. Anytime you’re in a park or just taking a walk and there’s a dog around, it’ll come up to him and he looks adorable leaning down to pet it. He loves dogs, too! So he’s always happy to stop and pet them. He’d be a 10/10 dog dad. 

Has your name saved in his phone with two hearts at the end. Do not point it out.

Loves taking pictures together and if you guys are on a date, he’ll ask someone to get a picture for him. He just likes having them to look back on (and to send to his mom, later).

He doesn’t mind painting classes or videos or tutorials, but he hates paint by numbers kits. He claims that they have no sense of color theory and that it takes the originality and fun out of painting. Not to mention the quality of the paints isn’t great to begin with; all of which he takes very seriously.

It’s pretty cute actually, to see him get worked up over the paint kits. He claims that painting and drawing isn’t even something he takes “that seriously,” it’s just a hobby for him (one he’s insanely good at); but in moments like these, you can tell that he’s way more into art and art theory and history than he lets on. 

Huge movie guy, from animated movies to martial arts movies, Jean is usually willingly to give anything a watch at least once. When he’s high, he can go on about his favorite directors and art styles and movie details for hours if you don’t stop him. It’s super cute. Just don’t bring up Moana, because he’ll start crying. 

Arm around the shoulder kind of boyfriend for sure. It’s a casual way of keeping you near him and letting everyone know that you guys are together. Plus it allows for him to easily pull you into him for a quick forehead kiss when needed.

Listen. If you hug his arm, he’s on cloud nine. He tries to be nonchalant about it but he’s about three seconds away from his eyes rolling back in his head it feels that good to him. Bonus if you lean your head on his bicep a little—then he’s a goner.

He takes his bagels very seriously and believes that both you and him deserve nothing but the best quality bagels. He’ll grumble if a bakery gives you guys a less than favorable one and make a note that taking the long route to get to his favorite place is much more worth it.

Always makes you walk on the side furthest from the cars. If he notices you’re not, he’ll just shuffle behind you until he’s shouldering the street and you’re on the inside. 

He grew up on a kind of modern ranch situation; not exactly all the way in the countryside, but not isolate from the city, either. Because of this, he knows how to ride horses, take care of smaller farm animals, tend to plants, and yes he knows how to use a lasso. You wouldn’t know any of that though, because he never ever talks about it. The only way you find out is when he takes you to visit his mom’s house for the first time, and she asks him for a hand around the place. 

(He’s got a cowboy hat, too, but refuses to put it on. He got it when he was, like, nine, okay, leave him alone). 

When he thinks you look tired, he’ll wrap his arms around your shoulders to hug you. It’s usually followed up with a kiss to your head, and a promise that you guys will go home soon and get food on the way. 

He’s a really good cook. He just understands and flavors and pairings really well, so he doesn’t need a recipe to make something that tastes good; he just kind of knows what to add to get the balance he’s looking for. 

Naturally, he’ll cook for you. Especially if he finds out that you haven’t eaten all day/in a long time. He doesn’t care if it’s 11pm and it might seem excessive to make steak and potatoes with a side salad at this hour, he’s gonna do it to make sure you eat, and you are going to sit there and watch. 

He also bakes pretty well, though he isn’t as experimental with his baking as he is with his cooking. He usually sticks to what he knows, and it’s not cupcakes and brownies and cakes; he’s better at croissants, and cheesecakes, and canelés. 

Dating Jean means getting along with his friends. If you guys didn’t know each other before you started dating, be prepared to be ambushed by Connie and Sasha (after Jean stops hiding you away and gives them the green light lmfao). Neither of them waste time with the small talk and formalities; straight into mini golfing and beer pong. They make you feel welcome right away.

Sasha always teases that you’re too good for Jean, and that she might just steal you away for herself some day. Sasha is also Jean’s main confidant, so she really knows just how much he loves you, and yeah, she teases him for being lovesick, but really she’s happy for Jean. And proud of him for facing his feelings like this. 

Connie adores you, and you know he trusts you when he starts going to you for advice/help. Could be anything from schoolwork, to what color he should get his new shoes in. He’s also the one who, surprisingly, you have the sentimental talks with about your relationship with Jean. It’s easy to overlook, but Connie loves Jean, and he’s come to love you too; he just wants you both to be happy, so he’s there to listen when you need it. 

Jean waits outside of your classroom after you’ve had a test or presentation, usually with a drink or a snack, or the promise of taking you out as a treat. Always tells you he’s proud of you, and is there to comfort you if you think you didn’t do too well. 

He does not shut up about whatever major you’re in. It could be the same as his; it could be the complete opposite as his. He thinks it’s so sick that you’re doing it, you make it look cooler, you make it look better, and he’s certain you’re the smartest person in your program. 

He’s pretty serious about his studies, too, so he’s always down to study with you in the library whenever you’re both free. More often than not, he shows up after you, usually with food or extra chargers. He greets you with a kiss on the forehead, and asks you how you are while massaging your shoulders gently. If it’s been a while since you took a break, that’s the first item on the list, after that, he gets to work and stays with you until you’re ready to go, even if he doesn’t have as much work to do. 

He always sits across from you. This goes for when you’re in the library, or out to eat at a restaurant; Jean loves sitting across from you. He gets to see your face the best that way, and he adores looking into your eyes when you talk. 

He’s not... not a morning person. He’s not up at 6am ready to grind, but he wakes up before noon; let’s say 10am is his happy medium. That being said, if you wake up before him, regardless of the time, there’s a 9/10 chance he’ll lay on your back and tell you to hush so you guys can sleep for 10 more minutes. 

If you’re (close) friends with Eren, Mikasa, and Armin, Jean is... happy you’ve got people to rely on, but, “Of all people on the planet, you put your trust in Jaeger?” He acts so bitter (because he is), but deep down inside, he’s glad you have Eren to rely on if you need to. 

(Also, you have to humble him and remind him that he and Eren aren’t all that different. If you like him, why wouldn’t you get along with Eren, bye). 

Turns out though, that it’s not Eren who threatens to beat him up if he breaks your heart. It’s not even Mikasa, although, her threat goes without saying; it’s Armin he’s terrified of.

The last time Armin hated someone, it was this guy in your program, who happened to share a few mutual classes with him, too. Jean never knew the full story, just that he’s pretty sure that kid dropped out the following semester. 

If you have a job on campus, Jean usually doesn’t show up while you’re working (knowing how embarrassed he would be if you did that to him), unless you work the night shift and it’s dead. Connie, however, does show up; usually in some kind of crisis (“Please help me, I don’t know what the fuck APA formatting is and this is due tonight, please, please, please!!”). Your coworkers actually thought Connie was your boyfriend for a minute. That’s when Jean starts showing up more lmfao.

He makes it a point to go on a scheduled, night out, kind of date at least twice a month. He knows life gets busy with school and work and midterms, but he always makes sure you both set side a time to take a well-deserved break and be with each other. 

He’s the romantic type, so these dates are pretty swoon worthy, too. Drive-in movies, nice dinners, classy art exhibits, Jean plans it all. On that note, he really likes planning dates; he just doesn’t like talking about them with his friends beforehand. 

All in all, very romantic, very precious boyfriend. He’s always thinking about you, what you need, and how he can help you out. You’re one of his main priorities, and he just wants to treat you right. 

[kpop---scenarios]

Torn Apart (2 Final)

Pairing: Surprise! x Reader

Warning: Smut, Sadness, Angst Maybe? Mean People

Word Count: 5.4k

It had been weeks. 

Weeks of sobbing into your pillow, weeks of feeling like things were going to get better, until you found the most insignificant thing that belonged to Chanyeol and you broke down all over again. You missed him. You missed his touch, his warmth, his smile, the way he made you laugh when you were sad. You missed it all. You were broken, and it was all Chanyeol's fault. 

Until you scrolled through Instagram, and saw pictures of him with Maya, that bitch. You had never hated anyone in your life until you had met her. You couldn't even begin to fathom what even slightly redeeming qualities Chanyeol saw in her, but apparently there was something to that wench.

You were curled on your couch in the fetal position as you cried at the ending of Strong Girl Bong Soon. You wished you had a love like that. The way An Minhyuk loved Bong Soon was the relationship you wanted, the one you would strive for. He loved her so much and you just wanted to be loved by someone like that. 

You groan loudly as your doorbell rings, and then whoever pounds on your door. You didn't want visitors, you didn't care who it was, you wanted to hermit. 

"What?" You yelled from the other side of the door. 

"Y/N, let me in." You hear from the other side. You recognized the voice immediately. 

"Baekhyun, I look like a troll. Kindly leave." You sigh. 

"Y/N, if your trolly ass doesn't let me in, I will break down your door." He threatens, which makes you laugh for the first time in days. You both knew he would never be able to do that, and he would likely end up hurting himself. 

"Baek, you would break your leg." You say, pulling the door open. On the other side was a sympathetic Baekhyun, who had tissues, ice cream, chocolate and a bag full of movies. You smile at his kindness. "You know I have Netflix right?" 

"Shut the fuck up and move, this shit is cold." He barks, moving past you and into your kitchen. "Look, I have all the necessities. We will get you through this. Because I for one, cannot stand the sight of Mayeol and I want to gouge my eyes out, and I need someone to do it with." 

"I don't understand how that has anything to do with me." You say, grabbing two spoons.

"Sehun is gone, he's so in love with those two, hes bordering being a psychopath, Jongdae and his wife are just tolerating, Suho, Kai and Kyungsoo are avoiding them like the plague and Minseok and Lay have been MIA, so you're my last hope, Y/N." 

"I really don't want to talk about him, Baek." You admit, the hole in your heart somehow feels larger than before. 

"That's fine, I'll stop, let's start a movie." He suggests, grabbing a random one out of his bag. 

And for the next few hours, that's all you guys did. You watched movies, making comments, laughing and you genuinely had a good time with him. It had been so long since you actually felt happy and you were grateful to Baekhyun for bringing at least a little joy back into your life. 

Until he left, and you were alone again. All the feelings came rushing back, except they hurt a little less this time. You didn't miss him quite as much. 

** 

The next day, at the same time, your doorbell rang again. You open the door, your eyes puffy and bloodshot and you see Baekhyun standing there again, a new flavor of ice cream in hand, a new kind of chocolate, and a new bag of movies. This time he said nothing to you, instead pushed his way past you and through the door, setting everything down on your living room table as he popped in the movie. You smiled to yourself before turning around to join him, it felt nice to be cared about, and the fact that he was going out of his way to do this for you, and make you feel better. You truly appreciated Baekhyun. 

As he sat there and watched the movie, you watched him. The way his eyes lit up at a part of the movie he enjoyed, the face he made when he took a bite of his ice cream, the wrinkle he had in his nose when there was a cheesy scene. You never truly noticed how handsome Baekhyun was until now. His distinct jawline, his large hands, his toned body, you briefly.. very briefly began to wonder how large his..

"No Y/N, no. Do not go there with your existing bestfriend." 

You quickly shake off the thought, moving your eyes to the TV screen, trying to focus. 

"How are you feeling today?" Baekhyun asks, sliding his phone back into his pants pocket. 

"A bit better, I guess." You answer. Before Baekhyun could say anything there was another knock at the door. "That's good." He smiles, standing up. "There are some people who wanna see you." He says, opening the door. 

Minseok, Suho and Kyungsoo file through the door, looking at you with pity as they all sit, surrounding you.  

"Hiiiii." Suho pouts, protruding his bottom lip. "How are we feeling today?" 

"Um, hi." You laugh. "I'm fine." 

"Oh good, so we can go." Kyungsoo pipes up, standing up and walking towards the door. 

"Sit." Minseok sighs, pointing back at the seat. Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, shuffling back to his spot and flopping down. 

"She's fine, Chanyeol is fine, so why are we here? Everyone is fine." He groans. 

"Have you seen him? Is he fine?" You hesitantly ask. You weren't even sure if you wanted to know. 

"Oh he's more than fine." Kyungsoo groans. "He and Maya are all over each other all the time. It's honestly nauseating. Like I want to be able to eat my sandwich without hearing your girlfriend moan when you kiss her." He gags. 

You bite your bottom lip as you slowly nod your head, tears welling in your eyes. These were most definitely details you did not need to hear about your ex and the girl he cheated on you with. All the men whip their heads to look at you, who now had your head hanging low as your shoulders shaked. They all look back at Kyungsoo, with only one speaking up.  

"That's it." Baekhyun growls. "Kyungsoo, get out." He spits, pointing to the door. 

"What did I do?" Kyungsoo asks, innocently. Baekhyun rolls his eyes, looking at you, softly whimpering into the sleeves of your sweater. 

"Out. Now." Baekhyun says, giving him the middle finger before flinching as Kyungsoo stands up, whispering "Don't hurt me."

"Don't listen to him." Minseok sighs. "Kyungsoo has zero social cues, he also could not read a room if his life depended on it." 

As Kyungsoo opened the door to leave, in rushed Lay, who looked at the man leaving and just nodded his head, realizing he had probably said something rude and was asked to leave. It wasn't the first time and would not be the last either. 

"Y/N." Lay breathes. "How do you feel about tall, muscular men who sing?" He asks. 

"I do enjoy them. Why?" You ask. 

"I have a friend from the hospital.. I think you two would get along really well. He's in his third year of surgery residency and is looking to date. I may have shown him your picture and he instantly said yes." He tells you. 

You look around the room, Suho and Minseok are nodding enthusiastically, while Baekhyun sits with his arms crossed against his chest, and a pouty look on his face. 

"What do you think?" You ask Baekhyun. He looks up at you, his face softening immediately. 

"I uhh, it's up to you. Yanno, if you're into muscular, tall men.." he mumbles.

"You know what? Sure, yes, I will. Chanyeol and Maya are out there living their best lives while I'm sitting here sulking, mourning a love that clearly didn't mean as much to him. So yes I will go out with him." You announce, perking up already. "When?" 

"Tonight." Lay says. "More specifically, an hour." 

"I need to get ready." You smile, jumping from your seat to rush to your room. You slowly peak your head around the corner, softly smiling at your friends. "Thank you, you guys. You've all really helped me these last weeks. I greatly appreciate you all." You finish, heading back into your room to quickly throw yourself together. 

By the time you were done, you had 15 minutes to spare, and you were damn proud of what you accomplished in the last 45 minutes. You showered and shaved to become a hairless human from the eyelashes down, you managed to get the knots out of your hair and it looked in decent shape, as well as hide the semi-permanent redness of your eyes with a lot of makeup. You almost didn't recognize yourself in the mirror when you looked. You didn't see the heartbroken girl anymore, you saw someone confident, hot and worthy of a great love. 

Stepping out into the living room you blush at all the 'oohs and ahhs' from your friends. 

Except for Baekhyun. 

When you looked at him, his eyes shined and for some reason it made your heartbeat a little faster. You watched his eyes trail up and down your body, seemingly taking in every curve, every inch of you. When he notices you staring, he clears his throat and looks away. "You look prettyish." He mumbles as he walks away, there's a knock at the door. Baekhyun is the one to answer and looks up at the tall man. 

"You must be.." he begins, moving out of the way, letting the man walk in. 

"Hi." He smiles at you. "I'm Matthew." He says, holding out his hand. 

"Hi Matthew." You grin. "Y/N." You finish, introducing yourself. 

"It's really nice to meet you. You look phenomenal." He says, holding your hand up to spin you around. You can't help but let out a loud laugh as a blush spreads across your cheeks. 

"Thank you." You whisper. "Shall we?" 

He waves to Lay and everyone else before taking your arm in his and leading you out the door. You left three excited men behind you and one who felt annoyed but didn't quite know why. 

** 

You hadn't laughed so hard until tears rolled down your cheeks and you held your stomach for a very long time. You honestly were surprised at how much you and Matthew had in common. You both enjoyed the same type of music, food, and pastimes. You had yet to meet someone who loved the same authors as you, who enjoyed doing your favorite activities and who genuinely seemed like a great person but here he was, sitting right in front of you at this nice restaurant. 

"I have to admit something." Matthew begins. Your stomach drops as you feel like he's going to tell you he's married or has a girlfriend, something that's going to make you lose trust in men, again. 

"Go on." You say, forcing a smile before taking a sip of your drink. 

"I really like you." He grins. "It's insane, I have never met someone I had so much in common with until tonight." 

"I was just thinking the same thing." You laugh, feeling relieved at his confession. You liked Matthew, he seemed as though he would be good for you and treat you right, although you thought that Chanyeol would do the same and look how that turned out. 

Beep 

Beep 

Beep 

Matthew's pager beeps incessantly. He takes it from the waistband of his pants, checking the page and stands up abruptly. "I'm so sorry." He sighs. "I have to go, there was an accident and I'm needed in the OR." He explains. 

"Go." You say, waving your hands to emphasize. 

"I had a wonderful time Y/N, and I hope I get to see you again." He grins. He places down a few hundred bills on the table before kissing your hand, and with a wink he was off and your heart was pumping fast as red spreads across your cheeks. 

Oh boy. 

Your blush is still present as you walk through the door of your apartment. You see Baekhyun sitting on your couch with his arms crossed as he watches a show, not even acknowledging your presence. 

"Why are you still here?" You ask, tossing your purse on the chair. 

"I wanna hear all about Matthew." He mimics, rolling his eyes. "How was your date?" 

"It was really nice. We have a lot in common, which is strange. He seems really nice and we get along amazingly. He was paged into surgery so it ended early." You tell him. "So cool." 

"Oh wow, surgery huh?" Baekhyun says, nodding his head. "Did I tell you I'm auditioning for a band?" He smiles. 

"Are you really?" You ask, a little shocked. 

"Maybe." He says, clearing his throat, turning back to the show. 

You sit beside him, you dress riding up just a little to expose your thigh. You're focused on the show, barely realizing that Baekhyun has now rested his hand on your bare thigh, his thumb lightly rubbing the same spot. 

Why did you feel butterflies? Why was your pussy throbbing? It's probably just friendly, there's no way Baekhyun has feelings for you. 

Right?

As the show played on, your eyes became increasingly droopy, feeling the exhaustion and excitement of today finally catching up with you. Your eyes slowly close as you lean your head back onto the couch. 

You weren't sure when it happened, but you woke up, what you're assuming is a few hours later with your head on Baekhyun's lap while he gently rubbed your head, running his fingers through your hair. Your body shivered at the gentle sensation and you closed your eyes once again, feeling safe and happy as you dozed off. 

** 

When you woke up the next morning, you were laying on the couch, alone with a blanket draped over you. Your eyes searched your apartment and there was no sign of Baekhyun.  You had no idea when he had left but a part of you felt a little hurt that he left without saying goodbye to you. You rolled yourself off the couch and shuffled into your room, changing your clothes to something more comfortable. 

When you were done you made your way to the kitchen to find food when your front door opened. In walked Baekhyun with a large bag from your favorite food place. 

"You didn't." You grin. "It's so far away." 

"I did, and it was worth it to see the look on your face." He laughs, setting the bag down on the table. 

The two of you sit down, and have breakfast together and chat. You hadn't realized that Baekhyun actually had a lot in common with you as well. You didn't know why the two of you had never talked about these things but you felt like it was a crazy coincidence that two men match with you so well. Although you knew Baekhyun's feelings were strictly platonic, there was no way that he felt anything romantically for you. 

"I gotta go to work, but we'll hang out later, if you're up for it?" He asks, throwing his garbage away. 

"Of course." You smile. You look in his eyes, his beautiful brown eyes and you just want to melt. You liked Baekhyun, alot. Maybe it was just from how good he's been treating you lately, or maybe the feelings were real, you would never know because you were going to focus on changing your feelings for Baekhyun to feelings for Matthew, someone you knew you actually had a chance with. 

** 

Later that day you were doing some work on your computer for the company you work for, luckily you're able to do your work from home, giving you plenty of time to be free during the day for activities. You're brought out of your zone by a text from Matthew, asking you if you wanted to grab a late lunch around 2pm, and immediately your mood changed, and you happily replied that you would love to. 

At 1:50pm, you sat at the restaurant, a drink in front of you while you waited for Matthew. Seeing him walk through the door, your heart did a mini dance as he smiled at you, heading towards the table you had already gotten. 

"Hey there beautiful." He grins, sitting across from you. 

"Hi." You giggle. "How has your day been?" 

"Busy and stressful, but that's all been forgotten now that I have you in front of me." He says. You smile widely, burying your head in your hands. He was so sweet, and you didn't know how to react to it. After the two of you order, you're in the middle of a conversation about a movie you had each recently watched, when out of the corner of your eye, you notice someone familiar. You look over and at a table that was too close for your liking sat Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Maya. Your attitude, demeanour and mood completely changed when you noticed them. You could feel the tears welling in your eyes as you looked away. You look at Matthew who instantly looks concerned. 

"What's wrong? Did I say something?" He asks, leaning in closely to whisper to you. 

"T-that's my ex.. and the girl he chose over me, and his best friend who I'm still friends with." You whisper, nodding your head towards them.

Matthew discreetly looks over and notices the blonde man looking in your direction, pain in his eyes from the moment he saw you. 

"Look at me." Matthew whispers. You look up at him, trying to control the tears. "That boy is an idiot for giving you up. You are one in a million. You're smart, funny, beautiful, caring and an all around amazing person to be around. Don't give them anymore of your tears, princess. They don't deserve them, and you don't deserve to cry over them." He smiles. 

You sit up, taking a deep breath, smiling at the man across from you, staring at his beautiful smile. You glance over to the table and see Chanyeol staring at you, sadness in his eyes while Maya glares at you and Baekhyun, he stares at you with what seems like a look of anger. He glares in your direction, his face like stone and you had no idea what you did to make him so mad at you. 

"Would you like to go somewhere else?" Matthew asks. 

You nod your head, knowing you didn't want to be in the same restaurant as Mayeol, it was bad enough to have to be in the same city as them. Matthew grabs the check, escorting you out, his hand hovering over your backside as you walk out, the feeling of eyes watching you burning into your back as you exit the restaurant.  You and Matthew stand outside your door, and he smiles at you. "I'm sorry about the date." He sighs. 

"It wasn't your fault. If anything I should be sorry." You say. 

"You did nothing wrong." He tells you. "I have to get back to the hospital now, but I'll call you." He says, leaning down he presses his lips to yours quickly before pulling away and saying goodbye. 

You walk into your apartment, feeling a little confused. That didn't go how you imagined it at all. As you're trying to get out of your sundress, there's a knock at the door before someone walks in. You turn around and see Baekhyun standing there, watching you. 

"You looked pretty comfortable and intimate with what's his name." He blurts out, walking towards you. He stands closely behind you, you can feel his breath on your neck as he pulls down the zipper of your dress. 

"Yeah well you looked pretty comfortable with fucking Maya and Chanyeol." You retort, trying to storm away from him. Your dress slips off your body, landing on the floor. Baekhyun follows you, reaching out to grab your wrist. He spins you around to face him. He pulls your body closer to his. 

"What do you want?" He asks. You don't answer, your lips parted as you try to form a sentence. Baekhyun's eyes drop down to your lips. He licks his lips and sighs. You can feel his breath, so close to you, almost kissing you. "What do you want from me, Y/N?" He asks. 

Your heart is practically beating out of your chest. You look into his eyes, one word on the tip of your tongue. 

You. Just say it. You want him. Tell him. 

But you say nothing. 

Baekhyun sighs. "That's what I thought." He says,  moving away from you and picking up your dress from the floor. He hands it to you, leaning in to press his lips against your temple. "Call me when you know what you want." He says, walking away from you and out the door. 

What did that mean? Did he want you like you wanted him? Why couldn't you have just told him right then and there? 

You were scared. You were scared of rejection, you were scared he didn't mean it, maybe his feelings towards you weren't real. But then again, you would never know unless you talked to him. 

Later that night you laid in your bed, thinking about Baekhyun. You couldn't sleep, so you grabbed your purse and your keys, drive aimlessly around town. A little while later, you glance at the clock that reads 2am, you park your car and you pull out your phone and call him. You felt like you were going to vomit as the phone rang. 

"Hello?" A groggy voice answered. 

"You." You whisper through the speaker. "I want you."  

"Y/N." He breathes. 

"Open the door, Baekhyun." You whisper. 

You can hear him get out of bed and stomp towards the front door. He pulls it open and there you are, your phone pressed against your ear, wearing a nightshirt and shorts. 

"I want you." You say again, pulling the phone away from your ear. 

Baekhyun pulls you inside, slamming the door behind you before pinning you against the front door. 

"Fuck it." He groans, crashing his lips against yours, pulling your body in closer to his. His hands roaming your body as he slides his tongue into your mouth. His hands move under your shirt and up your torso, cupping a bare breast. He groans into the kiss as he pinches your hard nipple, rolling it between his fingers. He presses his crotch into your leg, allowing you to feel his hard cock pushing against his boxers. 

You reach your hand down, sliding it into his waistband, grabbing his cock and slowly pumping, making his knees buckle. 

"Fuck." He murmurs, breaking the kiss. He leans his head into your neck, placing small kisses as you stroke his cock. 

Suddenly he stands up straight, pulling your hand from inside his boxers. He grabs your hand and leads you to his bedroom. 

"Take off your clothes." He growls. 

You maintain eye contact as you slip your shirt off your body, dropping it to the floor and the shimmy off your shorts, letting them pool around your ankles. You stand there naked in front of Baekhyun who takes in every curve and crevasse of your body. 

"Get on the bed." He whispers. You move to the bed, slowly climbing on and laying on your back. 

"So fucking beautiful." He moans, crawling on top of you. "I just wanna be inside you." He whispers. You nod your head, giving him all the consent he needs. 

Baekhyun spits on his hand, pumping his cock. He lifts your legs over his shoulder before lining him up with your entrance. He pushes himself into you, stretching your pussy out, making you cry out loudly. 

It had been so long for you, you forgot what it felt like to be fucked. Your hands grip the bed sheets as Baekhyun slides his cock in and out of you slowly. 

"How do you want it, baby?" He asks, moving slowly still. 

"Faster." You moan. "Fuck me Baekhyun." 

His eyes become dark after hearing your words. His hands wrap around your ankles as he starts thrusting harder into you, the sound of skin slapping fills the room.

"Oh god." You cry out, your hands cupping your breasts, pinching your nipples as he pumps his cock into you. 

Baekhyun releases one of your legs, placing his thumb between your lips to rub your clit. He rubs in circles, making you clench around him. 

"Just like that." You cry out as you buck your hips. You knew you were going to cum soon, you hadn't had an orgasm since Chanyeol left. 

"Fuck." Baekhyun groans. 

"I'm gonna cum." You scream as he fucks you harder, and continues to rub you. 

Your orgasm hits you, making you scream out in pleasure, your eyes rolling to the back of your head as you tighten around Baekhyun once again. 

He groans loudly, suddenly cumming, shooting his load inside of you, breathing heavily as he works through his orgasm. 

"Holy fuck." He sighs, pulling out of you. He lays next to you, and you snuggle into him, not caring about the mess, just being completely and utterly happy in the moment.

**

"So.." Baekhyun starts off the next morning, as you lay in his bed, tangled in his sheets. You have one leg and one arm sprawled across him as you snuggle in closer to him. "What about Matthew?" He asks.  

"I called him yesterday after you left, and I told him I didn't think things were going to work out, but I would like to remain friends." You explain. 

"And he was fine with that?" He asks. 

"He asked if there was someone else." You sigh. "I told him I wasn't sure, but I hoped and he wished me luck." 

"I didn't like you seeing him." Baekhyun admits. "It hurt but I felt like I couldn't do anything." He says. 

"Why?" You ask. 

"Because.. Chanyeol is my best friend and you were his." He tells you. 

"Chanyeol made his decision, and he chose Maya. I'm free to date whoever I want, and I want you." You whisper. 

"Oh baby girl." Baekhyun growls. "You have no idea what you do to me." He whispers, rolling over on top of you, pressing his lips to yours. You wrap your arms around him, pulling him in closer to you, never having felt so wanted or loved. 

** 

It has been a few months of you and Baekhyun dating, and you've kept it under wraps for the most part, wanting to stay in your little bubble of happiness. But now your friends were getting suspicious and you felt like it was time to tell them. And what other perfect time to tell them then at a dinner party that everyone is attending. 

That night you and Baekhyun had brought a spinach and artichoke dip that you made together and it was the best thing ever. You told Jongdae and his wife the news first, and they were both extremely happy for the both of you. 

Next, Minseok, Suho, Kyungsoo, Kai and Lay were told and they were all happy for you two, except Lay who was disappointed that things didn't work with Matthew, but he was happy that you were happy. 

You all sat around the dinner table when Chanyeol, Sehun and Maya walked in. Things instantly got tense and quiet the minute they entered the room. They hadn't noticed you yet and you could feel the knots forming in your stomach. 

"Hey guys." Chanyeol smiled, looking around the room and then his eyes landed on you and his smile dropped. 

"Hi friends." Maya chirps up, not realizing you were there until Sehun pointed it out, quite loudly and rudely. 

"Why is she here?" He asks, nodding his head towards you. 

"Because she's our friend." Jongdae pipes up, glare at Sehun.

"It's just weird." Maya comments, sitting down at the table. You ball your hands into fists under the table. Baekhyun reaches under the table, grabbing your hand to calm you down, showing you he's there and has your back. 

"It's not weird, actually." Baekhyun pipes up. "What's weird is coming to a gathering when you know no one here likes you. That's weird." He says, looking at Maya. 

"Baek." Chanyeol sighs. "She's my girlfriend." He says, as if that's a good enough reason. 

"Okay." Baekhyun says. "And she's mine." He says, nodding towards you. "So tell your girl to show some respect." 

"You're what?" Chanyeol asks, staring at you and Baekhyun, not even acknowledging the fact that Maya is sitting there with her mouth open and offended. "You're dating my ex-girlfriend?" 

"I am." Baekhyun says, not caring about Chanyeol's reaction anymore. 

"You.. you can't do that." He says. 

"And why not?" Baekhyun wonders. "You left her. You chose that over this amazing woman. You have no right to be angry here. You broke her, tore her apart and I'm putting the pieces back together." 

"I don't want her here." Maya pouts. 

"And no one wants you here." You chime in. You were tired of her and she had only been here for a few minutes. 

"Chanyeol." She whines, nudging him but he's still not paying attention to her, only looking at you and Baekhyun. 

"So.. what did you guys bring?" Lay asks, nodding towards their dish.

"Buffalo chicken dip." Maya says, with a smile.

You burst out laughing, rolling your eyes. "You mean you're still making the recipe that Chanyeol and I made together?" You ask with a smile on your face. 

Maya's smile instantly drops, looking at you with disgust. "Chanyeol." She yells. 

"What?" He snaps, turning to look at her. 

"Do something." She whines. 

"You don't have to do anything, man. We're gonna go. Thanks for having us, Jongdae. It's been interesting." Baekhyun says. He looks at you and holds out his hand. "Ready?" He asks you. You smile at him, taking his hand and walking out, hand in hand with the man who made you the happiest you've been. 

** 

A few days later you're in your apartment, singing and dancing as you clean up the place. You no longer missed Chanyeol, his name no longer brought pain to your heart, seeing things that reminded you of him no longer made you cry. You had Baekhyun now, and he treated you like a queen. 

You're walking past your front door when you hear a faint knock. You open it slightly and see an exhausted looking Chanyeol standing on the other side. 

"Can we talk?" He asks. 

You didn't want to hear what he had to say, but you decided to be nice and let him in. 

"What?" You ask, sitting on your couch as he stands in front of you. 

"I fucked up." He blurts out. "I should have never chosen Maya over you. I didn't realize what I was doing at the time, Y/N, please forgive me. I miss you. I miss us. We were great together." He breathes. 

You're shocked. You had spent weeks crying over him, wishing for him to come to you and say these words to you but now it was too late. 

"You're a little too late now." You say to him.

"I know you're with Baekhyun, but I had you first." He says. 

You scoff at him. "How dare you? How could you come here months after you left me for Maya and beg for me back when I'm finally happy again? It took a long time for me to be okay. Baekhyun has been there for me, he was the one who helped put me back together. You chose Maya. You made your bed." You yell. "Get out Chanyeol." 

"Y/N please." He begs. 

"No, you need to leave. I don't want you. I don't love you anymore." You tell him.

Chanyeol walks out the door, looking back at you with tears in his eyes. You felt no remorse for him. You had felt the way he was feeling, it was his own fault and you refused to be torn apart by him  again. Chanyeol was now your past, and Baekhyun was your future and you couldn't be happier about it. 

[closedafterdark]

Partners

LOOΠΔ Kimberly Lippington x Male Reader

8038 words

categories: smut, oral, tsundere! lip, detective! lip

Read on AFF

A bright, spring morning is anything but upon your return to Starship Precinct following your suspension for allowing the now rogue Detective Lee Luda to escape. While many were excited for your return, being called into Captain Choo Sojung’s office the moment you got out of the elevator meant the problems were only beginning. All eyes were on you as you walked by Kim Jiyeon and especially Son Jooyeon’s desks.

“What are you all doing? Get back to work!” Captain Sojung ordered in a loud voice before slamming her door shut.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” she yelled the moment you sat down in front of her desk. “It’s bad enough I had to suspend you for defying my orders, but for you to continue working the case while off the clock?”

“Boss, I managed to find Park Chaeyoung…” you said quietly.

Captain Sojung glared back at you. Many at the precinct were no strangers to be on the receiving end of the Captain’s temper. From mislabeled case files, to her podium in the briefing room being moved a full half-inch - everyone knew not to get on her bad side. Luckily for you, you never did anything that warranted to provoke her. That is, until now.

“No. You didn’t just find Park Chaeyoung. You slept with her.” Captain Sojung said in a soft, cold tone. Despite it not having the same volume level, each word is chilling and sent shivers down your spine. “I chose not to say anything about you and Jiyeon because you both promised me it wouldn’t affect your work. And if that wasn’t already enough, you slept with Jooyeon immediately after Jiyeon asked for a break. So you work the case even after I specifically told you not to. You get the Lieutenant to arrange a meeting with her liaison from the Dreamcatcher Precinct. And what do you do with her? You fuck her too! Seriously, how hard is it to not stick your dick into every female you work with? Well, am I wrong?”

You were unable to refute the Captain’s claims. The no nonsense, straightforwardness of your superior put things into perspective about what exactly happened during your one week suspension. Somehow, you managed to sleep with a different woman every day, with Bora being the only one you saw multiple times.

“No, ma’am.” you quietly reply.

“Oppa.” Sojung said. You knew that whenever she dropped the formalities, she was talking to you as a friend and not as your superior officer. You looked at her straight in the eyes and saw a hint of sadness.

“I know the breakup with Jiyeon was hard on you, as well as being on a forced suspension. I also know why you let Luda go. But you can’t use these meaningless one night stands as a coping mechanism. Sooner or later, everything is going to come crashing down. When you’re absolutely alone - all those thoughts fill your head. Trust me, I know. I’ve been through it.”

“You’ve let someone you trusted escape? You’ve gone on a date with a florist who turns out to be an internationally wanted criminal? Or you find out your Lieutenant’s liaison is someone you used to be close friends with who happens to know your ex very well?”

“Focus on the big picture here, fool.” Captain Sojung replied back angrily. “I know what it’s like to bury yourself in work after a major breakup. You can’t let it consume you.”

“Jiyeon was everything to me.”

Captain Sojung looked at you and noticed tears beginning to stream down your face. She was thankful the blinds on her window were closed, preventing curious people from snooping around to see what you two were discussing. The only sounds made were the fans inside her computer and you quietly sobbing.

“I always said she meant the world to me, Sojung. And because of one fuck up, I lost her. Do you know why I haven’t been the same that day?” you fumbled in your pocket and pulled out a small, velvet box. After handing it to the Captain, she opened it. Inside was a simple diamond engagement ring.

“I planned on bringing it up at the hospital. But once we discussed the case, I couldn’t help but accuse her of helping Luda. Maybe it was me projecting my insecurities in a negative way. I wasn’t in the right state of mind. I guess… I guess Jooyeon was there to comfort me. She’s always been so nice and I guess I was seeking solace in someone I could easily confide to. Chaeyoung was a throwaway one night stand, I’ll give you that. That still doesn’t excuse me letting her get away. But Bora… I don’t know. Have you reunited with someone from the past and felt nostalgic? Like, what if you chose them back then? How differently would your life be now? It’s just… I don’t know. Working the case and being intimate with her. I… felt something, you know? Something I thought I felt with Jiyeon. But I guess what they say is true.”

“You can never truly forget about your first love.”

--

Two flashlights are shined inside a wrecked car. The airbags were deployed with traces of blood staining the cracked windshield and driver’s side window. Upon careful inspection is a card left on the passenger’s seat. A gloved hand picks it up and places it under the flashlight.

“What do we got?” you asked, shining your own flashlight at the card.

The plain white card only has six words printed on it. Three in black, three in pink.

“Playing With Fire, See U Later!”

You take a look at your partner and reciprocate their frowned expression. It’s been five years since these types of calling cards have been left at the scene of a crime. You thought they were gone for good.

German shepherds sniffing the surrounding area for clues while the bright red and blue lights from various police cars filled the darkness of nightfall as the surrounding area was sanctioned off with yellow police tape. Considered to be the early evening for some, you were awoken from your sleep after it was reported that several gunshots and screams could be heard.

“Detectives.” someone said from behind.

You and your partner turn around and are met by a shoulder-length haired woman wearing a precinct provided windbreaker and a badge on her neck thanks to a thin chain necklace. It was hard to make out much thanks to the ample blanket of darkness but her large eyes and fair complexion gave her a glowing-like appearance. Three simple words - the woman’s ranking and her name were embroidered on the left side of her jacket. Lieutenant Ha Sooyoung.

“What is it, boss?” you asked. 

It was a nickname you bestowed upon her on your first day at the precinct. The confident aura and way she was able to lead those around her lead you to believe she was the captain of the squad. One mistakenly sent email and a slightly awkward encounter at the break room later, you learned the actual captain was away on a special mission. Expecting her to be intimidating and cold in demeanor, you were pleasantly surprised to find out she was anything but. When not on the field or consuming her various fruit flavored yogurts, Ha Sooyoung was known as a bit of a wisecrack. As much as she enjoyed cracking jokes and playing harmless pranks on people, she cared about them even more. Everyone considered her the “mom” of the precinct, willing to drop whatever she was doing and lend a willing ear to those who had concerns or just wanted to talk.

“Seems like they’ve made a comeback.” Lieutenant Sooyoung replied, holding up another calling card. The words were in all pink this time along with the quote: “Love to Hate Me, You Never Know!”. Before, the cards left behind only contained individual letters or a black or pink line on them. You weren’t sure what to make of these new ones, but knew that the criminals who were all but dormant for the past five years have resurfaced.

“Who?” your partner asked.

“It’s someone your partner here knows very well.” Lieutenant Sooyoung said, raising an eyebrow at you. Having known you the longest out of everyone in the precinct besides your partner, you confided to her about how you were transferred to your current precinct and of the various unsolved cases you had. The Lieutenant was particularly famous for her passion when it came to work but also quips and being able to come up with one-liners on the fly.

“Very amusing, boss.” you said, maintaining a calm expression while asking for the calling card in her hand. It was a piece of laminated papyrus leaf with very high quality ink used. You knew such a card would be quite expensive to make, meaning the criminals either had their own private source - or, there was a possibility to trace it to a public entity with a bit of research. “They’ve been busy.”

“I still have no idea who you guys are talking about.” your partner said.

“How have you not heard of them? They’re-” Just then, your phone began ringing. Taking it out of your pocket, you pressed the green button to accept before placing it against your ear.

“Hello? All right, I’ll be there soon.”

You end the call and place your phone back in your pocket before facing the Lieutenant and your partner. You nod to Lieutenant Sooyoung, who nods in return as she understands the current situation.

“I… gotta go. I’ll see you guys back at the precinct.” you said, patting your partner’s shoulder twice before making your exit.

“Tell them I say hi. And make sure to get the full fat strawberry yogurt.”

“I’ll make sure to bring back the durian flavored one for you, boss.”

“Hey! I will end you if you do.”

You smiled and flashed her a peace sign before getting into your car and driving off. It seems the preliminary investigation is finished as the tape is being collected and the additional backup units are also making their leave after having checked in with Lieutenant Sooyoung. Thanking the final officer for their hard work, she turns to your partner and crosses her arms. The mischievous smirk on her face is one that arouses suspicion.

“What…?” your partner asked.

“Don’t you want to know where he suddenly went off to?”

“Not particularly.”

“Still don’t want to admit it then, huh? Fine.” Lieutenant Sooyoung teased. Taking out her phone, she began scrolling for something until she stopped and showed it to your partner.

“What the fuck…” your partner said, wide-eyed. “Why are you only telling me this now!”

“Because we are professionals and on the clock, Detective Kim Jungeun.”

“Unnie…” Jungeun whined.

“Just admit you like him. You practically fell for him his first day at the precinct, remember?”

“I’d rather not.” Jungeun said, bringing her hair to her face and using it to shield her eyes.

--

Captain Sojung was able to call in a couple of favors and have you relocated to a new precinct instead of being fired. You were thankful, although it was sad having to say goodbye to a place you called home and all of the memories that were made. You noticed Jiyeon and Jooyeon didn’t attend the farewell party. Which was fair, you probably would’ve done the same if you were in their shoes.

Walking in the unfamiliar hallway of the precinct filled you with uncertainty and hesitation. It’s been awhile since you had to start over and be the new kid. The warm color tones and wavy lines on the floor put your mind at ease slightly as you go and find your assigned desk.

Greeting you when you arrive are a welcome card and the computer monitor on which displays the precinct’s logo and name underneath.

“Blockberry Precinct…” you said to yourself quietly.

Bowing your head to the few employees working next to you, you put your bag aside and immediately work on the case files assigned to you. Having to fill out a large volume of paperwork is something you humorously described yourself as “being allergic to”, but you knew it had to be done.

“Knock, knock.”

You looked up and were met by a stunning dark haired woman with bright, large eyes hidden behind a pair of gold framed glasses. The rosy pink tint of her lips were curved upwards as she smiled and handed you an unmarked hot beverage cup which you assumed contained coffee. While you wouldn’t call yourself a coffee drinker at all, you accepted it due to not wanting to get on anyone’s bad side, especially on the first day.

“Good morning.” she said cheerfully. “You must be the reassigned detective. My name is Ha Sooyoung.”

“Ah yes, hello.” you replied, standing up and greeting her with a bow. She raised both of her hands and waved them, saying there was no need to be so formal with her.

“How do you like the precinct so far? It’s not much, but it’s home.” she said, sitting on a vacant chair next to your desk. Trying your best not to stare, you couldn’t help but notice the woman who introduced herself as Ha Sooyoung wearing a cropped, tight fitting button up shirt with a black tie which showed off the contour of her breasts. Her midriff was prominently displayed due to this - fair colored skin and the cutest navel you have ever seen, as far as navels are concerned. She proudly showed off her abs that led to well-formed hips accentuated by a skin tight pair of jeans. She was the perfect combination of curves and being toned.

“Good morning, unnie!” a glassy-eyed raven haired woman greeted Sooyoung before heading to her own desk.

Watching various uniformed officers and even custodial staff saying hi to her, you knew she was of a high enough ranking. She was on the younger side appearance wise. But the mature aura she possessed and the way she knew about you led you to believe she is the captain of the precinct.

“I’d love to stay and chat some more, but duty calls.” Sooyoung suddenly said to you. She brushed off her jeans and fixed the wrinkles in her shirt before addressing you once more. “Make sure you send me that email and put the case file on my desk afterwards.”

--

The next several hours leading into your lunch break pass by relatively quickly. You were looking forward to it - trying out a new recipe you learned from watching a video, but also to have peace and quiet alone. It seemed everyone had their preferred partner for eating, something you missed about Starship Precinct. If nothing else, having established friendships and work relationships with your old squad made going into work something to look forward to.

You opened the door to the break room, peeking your head inside slowly and breathing a sigh of relief as you found it completely empty. Taking your food out of the shared refrigerator, you heat it up in the microwave. You hummed to the tone of a song that seemed familiar but you were unsure how the lyrics went. Scrolling through your phone, you didn’t hear someone else enter the room.

“Boo!”

A pair of hands are firmly planted on your shoulders. You were startled - almost dropping your phone as you fumbled to catch it. You turn around and are greeted by Ha Sooyoung covering her mouth, trying to stifle a laugh. She runs her fingers through her long, shiny hair before pushing it behind her and heading to the refrigerator.

“Mind if I join you?” she asked, peering her head to presumably look for her food.

“Not at all.”

Sooyoung smiled as she handed your meal from the microwave and replaced it with hers.

“Mind telling me why you’re eating here alone instead of going out with the others?” she said, her back towards you as she entered the time it would take to heat up her food. Even from this vantage point, you could tell she was well toned through the defined muscles on her back. You questioned to yourself internally if all captains of a police precinct got to know her detectives personally on a one-on-one basis. Sojung was the same - however the two of you already knew of each other well before either of you were ever a part of Starship Precinct.

“Not much of a social person.” you replied sheepishly. “Don’t do too well in large groups of people. Figured no one would want to hangout with the newbie.”

“I understand.” Sooyoung said, sitting in the unoccupied seat next to you. “There’s no need for you to do anything you’re uncomfortable with. I’d like to be your lunch buddy though… if you’re okay with that?”

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, what case were you working on before you came here?”

“Oh, it’s -”

“Unnie!”

The door opens once again suddenly. The sounds of loud, cheerful voices and heels clanking against the floor with each step alerted you that people have begun returning to the precinct. The person who called for Sooyoung leaned against the door frame. There was a hint of arrogance her body language was giving off - back against the wooden beam while crossing her arms. Her pearly white button up shirt was complimented with a frill scarf-like accessory that looked more like a napkin from a fine dining establishment. The blazer she wore was form-fitting: it was evident she had put in a lot of time into meticulously picking out her outfit. She appeared to be ready to hit the runway at a moment’s notice.

“Unnie, there you are. We’ve been looking all over for you!”

Sitting adjacent to the both of you, she slouched slightly in the chair. Placing her left elbow on the ear of the chair, her focus was solely on Sooyoung before she turned around and faced you.

“Oh, you must be the new rookie. Hi! It’s nice to meet you. My name is Kimberly Lippington.” she said, flipping her hair in a whirl of brown and blonde wind and extending her hand out.

“Ah yes, h-hello.” you replied timidly.

“Not this again...” Sooyoung said, shaking her head. “I’m sorry about her. She can be a handful sometimes.”

“I am not! Anyways how is your first day so far, rookie? Yeah, I remember my first day. But that was so long ago. If you need help with anything, don’t hesitate to ask me.”

“He’s actually-”

You shook your head at Sooyoung, placing your index finger in front of your lips. Sooyoung’s eyes widened as she smiled and formed an imaginary zipper with two fingers. The woman who is known as Kimberly Lippington has piqued your interest - you were curious what more else she would reveal about herself.

“How long have you been here?” you asked.

“About to be a whole year in a few weeks!” she said proudly.

“Pft, please.” Sooyoung scoffed. “Since when has four months become twelve? You’ve only been here ⅓ of the time you claim.”

“Unnie!” Kimberly Lippington whined. “You’re making me sound like an egoist!”

“I’m pretty sure you’re doing that yourself. Who was the one who described herself as the eclipse to twilight? Which, by the way, makes absolutely no sense.”

“Figures you wouldn’t understand. Only visionaries and those with a deep knowledge of the universe would. Am I right, rookie?”

The door is open for a third time today. You are thankful, breathing a sigh of relief about not having to answer her question. In walks in the same raven haired woman who greeted Sooyoung earlier in the morning. Her hair cascaded down like a waterfall - her eyes bright and expressive. The smile on her face was warm and inviting, a stark contrast to the person next to you who was slightly pompous and haughty.

“Sergeant, the captain is looking for you. She wants you to bring sunbaenim as well.” she stated, motioning her hand towards you. You rubbed the back of your head in embarrassment as Kimberly Lippington’s expression went from confident to shocked. 

“Wait, wait, wait. So you’re not a rookie?”

“Come on, Kim Jungeun. We’ll explain to you on the way.”

“Kim Jungeun...?” you asked as the three of you made your way out of the break room. “As in the Supreme Leader Kim Jungeun?”

Sergeant Ha Sooyoung burst into laughter at your sudden realization as Jungeun hit your shoulder and pushed you behind your back.

--

“You just had to reveal my real name like that, unnie. Now everyone calls me supreme leader or claps like him when I pass by!” Jungeun whined.

“Hey, it’s not my fault you introduced yourself with that ridiculous nickname. I mean seriously, who else called you that on purpose besides yourself and Jinsol?”

“I’m the one who has a ridiculous nickname?” Jungeun asked, glaring at her superior officer and raising her left eyebrow. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think I’m the one who makes the guys I bring home call me mommy.”

“H-Hey! Guys love calling me mommy…”

“Uh huh. Keep telling yourself that, unnie.” Jungeun said, rolling her eyes in mild annoyance as she leans against the Lieutenant’s car.

“You know… Every second you’re here talking to me is another second she’s with him. If I had to take a guess - she could be confessing to him as we speak.”

No sooner had the words left Lieutenant Sooyoung’s mouth that the sound of a door being closed was heard. She peered inside and saw Jungeun crossing her arms after having put her seatbelt on.

“Come on we have to hurry unnie!”

--

The place you were called to was a cafe - one you frequent often due to its close proximity to the precinct. The interior decor provided an intimate cozy feeling, something much needed after being out in the chilly winter evening. You ordered a hot peach green tea waiting for your contact to arrive. Taking a sip of the hot liquid after blowing on it to cool it off, your throat and body begin to warm up.

“Oppa!”

You stood up and turned around, being greeted by a tight embrace. Having the wind knocked out of you slightly, you looked down and found the culprit was a cute woman whose mostly brown hair with blonde highlights tickled the bottom of your jaw. She is Jeon Heejin - someone you have gotten close to over the years. The defining traits upon looking at Heejin were her cute moles: one just below her eye and another on her right cheek.

“Hi Heekie.” you said, smiling. While Jungeun was your main partner, you have been assigned to work several cases with her before. She earned the title of senior detective by virtue of having been in the precinct the longest. Her particular nickname was bestowed upon her by the squad - an amalgamation of her given name Heejin and bunny; due to her shared physical characteristics with the animal.

“Oppa, where were you this afternoon? Lunch was so boring! I had to listen to Kim Hyunjin talk about various types of yeast and why she hates sourdough bread.” Heejin said as she pouted at you, puffing air through her nose while she made a face that looked mostly cute and less intimidating and angry. You pinched her cheeks, stretching them slightly as she adorably continued to ask you where you were.

“I’m sorry, Heej. I was a bit busy today. But why did you call me here? What’s so important you couldn’t wait to tell me tomorrow morning at the precinct?” you asked as Heejin let go of you and sat on the opposite side of the table.

“Pft, you’re no fun oppa. Always wanting to be so serious about things.” Heejin teased. “But I called you because I have some good news.”

“Remember that case we worked on last year?”

“How could I forget. Not everyday you have the scene of a murder where the main witness is a dog.”

Heejin laughed. “It was funny watching you try to communicate with the dog by barking.”

“So what is the good news you have for me, Heej?”

“Take a look.” she replied, handing you a plain manila file folder. You opened it, observing the crime scene photos and a summary about the case attached. It contained the standard briefing report - photographs of blood stains, weapon used, a trail where the victim tried to escape. You sighed while skimming through them. That is, until you reach the final photo. Upon first glance, nothing is out of the ordinary. But something catches your eye at the very bottom.

“How could we have missed this?” you asked.

“That’s what I’ve been asking myself all afternoon. Which is why I’m still mad at you for leaving me alone with Hyunjin!” Heejin pouted. Even during tense situations, she knew how to lighten the mood.

“I’m sorry, Heej.” you said, pinching her cheek softly. “Why don’t we go eat some grilled meat tomorrow? Promise.”

“Oppa.”

“Hmm?”

“The other reason why I called you here is because Sooyoung unnie and I planned something.”

“What? You and boss did?”

“We had to since you’re always so oblivious!”

“About what?” you asked with a confused look on your face.

“Oh my god.” Heejin replied, rolling her eyes. “This is why we did it. You know Lip unnie likes you right?”

You laughed. “Kim Jungeun? Likes me? You’re funny, Heekie.”

“Oppa, I’m serious! She’s been in love with you ever since your first day at the precinct.”

“That’s absurd. All she ever does is call me a pig and hit me whenever I compliment her about a case or how I like the outfit she wore on that particular day.”

“Unnie squeals so loudly and goes on and on about how she almost melted hearing you tell her she's pretty when we’re fixing our makeup in the restrooms. So I sent fake texts to Sooyoung unnie to show her saying I was planning on confessing to you right now.” Heejin cheerfully said as she showed you her phone.

“Heej, I don’t know…” you said, still doubtful about the new information you were given.

“If you don’t believe me, why don’t you ask her yourself? But do this first...” Heejin teased you, crossing her arms before grabbing your hand and placing it on the side of her head as the automatic entrance to the cafe opened.

“Jeon Heejin!”

The loud voice startled you slightly as you looked up and were indeed greeted by an angry Jungeun. Her nostrils were flared as her cheeks are a slight rosy pink. You knew she was one to wear glasses whenever she was off the clock.

“What’s sooo important that you had to call my partner away from work?”

“I have no idea what you are talking about.” Heejin said, feigning innocence.

“Don’t play dumb! I saw the texts. You know what you said!”

“Jungeun, I-”

“Be quiet.” Jungeun snapped at you. “And you. He’s my partner. Don’t try to sway him.” Before either of you could say another word, Jungeun grabbed your wrist and dragged you out of the cafe.

Once the commotion quickly subsides and both you and Jungeun are far from earshot of the cafe, Heejin smiles once more.

“Good luck Jungeun unnie. You too, oppa.”

--

Jungeun continues holding onto your wrist until the two of you find an empty bench next to a lamppost. Having had enough, you forcefully remove her hand. Massage the tender skin, you see her glaring back at you.

“Jungeun, what the hell was that? Why were you so rude to Heejin?”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were going to meet with her?”

“Why would I do that? I don’t have to report to you about my location everywhere I go. You’re my work partner Jungeun. It’s not like you’re my girlfriend...”

“You’re a jerk…” Jungeun said as you saw her eyes begin to water. It was the first time you ever saw any other emotion from her. Maybe there was indeed some truth to what Heejin told you. But it wasn’t enough. You had to probe further.

“Look, Jungeun.” you said. “I’m sorry if I came across as harsh. I didn’t tell you I was meeting with Heejin because even she didn’t tell me what it was about. All she said was to come to the cafe and that she had some information for me.”

“Yeah, right.” Jungeun said, pouting. You never knew she had such a soft, cute personality to her. Most everyone knew her as chic and curt, but caring about those closest to her. Your working relationship consisted of teasing each other and being a strong duo when it came to solving cases. Seeing her lower her defenses and be vulnerable in front of you lead you to believe she was being sincere.

“But…” you began. “You did sound pretty jealous when talking to Heejin. Is there something you aren’t telling me?”

“W-What?” Jungeun blurted out, surprise evident on her face. “Why would I be jealous?”

“I don’t know, Jungeun. Heejin and I were just talking. There was no reason for you to tell her to not try to sway me. Sway me from what, exactly?”

“What are you implying?” Jungeun asked, raising her voice. “It’s not like I l-like you or anything, p-pabo.”

“So you like me, Jungeun?” you teased.

“I never said that.” she pouted. You could tell from her refusing to look you in the eye that her words betrayed her feelings.

“Kim Jungeun.”

“What?” she said.

“Look at me, please.”

Jungeun still refused, prompting you to hold onto both sides of her shoulders and shake her slightly until her gaze met yours. You gently squeezed both of her cheeks together, causing her eyebrows to furrow as she looked at you slightly annoyed. You smiled and leaned down, pressing your lips against hers. They were extremely soft - containing a nice pink hue from her lipstick as her eyes fluttered close and allowed you to deepen the kiss.

The two of you finally disconnect after a few minutes, both of your breath could be seen thanks to the chilly evening weather. You pressed your forehead against hers as she wraps her arms around your waist. Her eyes were glistening with tears, but you knew this was different. Earlier it was because your tone was harsh, stating an obvious fact while getting Jungeun to openly admit your feelings for you. Now stood before you a completely different person, one that could take some getting used to. But also - one you were happy to get to know better.

You and Jungeun continue to look at each other lovingly as you take turns giving each other soft, sweet kisses. Still in each other’s embrace, it seems the both of you refuse to let the other go. Five years. Five years was the amount of time it took you to open your heart up again and allow someone inside. With one final kiss, Jungeun looks up at you and says something you never expected to hear from her:

“Do you want to come over?”

--

Jungeun seemed to do pretty well for herself - what with her apartment located in a private area. The elevator was large enough to contain twenty people by your estimate. The two of you hardly spoke on the ride up, occasionally smiling at each other or connecting your pinkies together.

The clear glass window gives you a wonderful sight of your partner and now soon to be a significant other. You always considered her fairly attractive, as were pretty much all of the members of the squad; but you never noticed how beautiful she truly is. The way her skin glowed even under the ugly fluorescent lighting. The way she pouted randomly just because. How she had a helix and orbital piercing that shined just as brightly as she did. Or how she scrunched her cute nose because she caught you staring at her through the reflection a little too long.

When the elevator finally dings and the doors open, Jungeun steps out first. Coolly offering her hand while still looking away you take it, interlocking your long fingers with hers. Your hand was a bit damp due to nervousness, something that Jungeun didn’t bother to point out even though you’re sure she noticed. She leads you down the long hallway, each apartment unit looking the same as the last.

No sooner had the door to her apartment closed with the familiar jingle signifying it was now locked did the two of you find yourselves in each other’s arms once more. Each kiss you gave her contained fervor as you quickly unbuttoned your shirt and helped her remove her soft-feeling sweater. She smiled at you as you gently bit her lower lip, causing Jungeun to moan. You then find your way to her neck, lightly sucking on it as your hands began to unbutton her jeans which were form-fitting to her perfectly toned body. 

You weren’t sure how different your relationship would become - having been close work partners and one of two long standing duos in the precinct, the other being Heejin and Hyunjin. Both of you took the next step to become something more. While you were no stranger to having a relationship in the workplace, you were slightly worried how this could affect the already established dynamics within the squad. The thought quickly dissipates however, as Jungeun reciprocates your kisses and starts to become a bit more aggressive.

She removes your second and final shirt before her hands fumble their way to your pants. Your hands are not idle, as they snake their way to her back and find the clip connecting her bra. Jungeun’s bust was far from big, but it proved to be an unnecessary problem. Once the silky fabric hit the floor, you were greeted by her perky breasts.

Once your pants have been unzipped and are lowered, she cups your crotch, earning herself a breathless moan from you. Both articles of clothing are removed from your body as you do the same to her own pair of jeans. All Jungeun is left in is a matching black silk thong.

“I n-normally wear panties but felt like spicing things up today.” she moaned as you pinched her nipples. Any sort of facade Jungeun was trying to put on was beginning to break as you felt them start to become erect in between your fingers.

“Are you sure you aren’t wearing them because you expected me to sleep with you?” you teased before latching back onto her neck. You soon joined Jungeun in releasing your own satisfied moans as you felt her hand grab a hold of your cock. She gave you several short strokes, going up and down as she combined twisting her hand in a corkscrew motion while grazing her thumb against your desperately leaking slit. Your breaths got heavier as the mood in the room began to increase in temperature. Jungeun skillfully removes her thong with one hand, leaving you both fully exposed to one another.

Your cock continued to throb and strengthen in Jungeun’s small hand as she kneels down on the pile of discarded clothing surrounding the both of you. She stroked your shaft several more times before running her tongue upwards and collecting the precum dribbling out of you.

“Fuck, Jungeun…”

“Do you know how badly I’ve wanted this?” she quietly said before spitting on your cock and spreading it all over with her hand that was stroking you. She puckered her lips and kissed your length, moving from your base and deepening each wet kiss until she finally reached the tip. One long, strong kiss that doubled to suck out more of your precum. She looked up at you before finally parting her lips and taking you inside her mouth for the very first time.

Jungeun’s mouth fit like a velvet sleeve on your cock - warm and wet were just some of the sensations you felt. In the same agonizingly slow pace she used while she stroked you, you looked down and saw a soft pool of blonde hair as she bobbed her head up and down your length. Placing her hands on your thighs for support, she was rewarded with soft moans and sighs of satisfaction as you felt your knees could give out from any moment as the pleasure she was giving you spread throughout your body.

It seemed like she knew just what you liked, swirling her tongue around your tip while running it against the underside of your shaft each time her head descended. Her eyes formed inverted crescents as she maintained eye contact with you. Your hands did not remain idle as you ran them through her beautiful long blonde hair. Jungeun seemed to take the hint as you felt no opposition from her end. You placed both of your hands onto the back of her head and gently guided her rhythm as she took more of your cock inside her mouth. The only sounds emanating from the two of you are your moans and heavy breathing and Jungeun’s throat gargling on your cock. You alternated between having her bob her head and you thrusting inside her mouth. These actions encourage and excite the both of you. Jungeun saliva began to seep out of her lips and thoroughly coat you as her nails dug into your skin. You pushed the back of her head down all the way to your base and released a noiseless scream as her eyes looked up at you in satisfaction. Your orgasm arrives without warning. Feeling your cock throb inside her mouth, you explode in her mouth with long pulses. Thick ropes of hot semen paint a work of unseen art as Jungeun giggles, causing her tongue to vibrate against the underside of your length. Despite the two of you not wanting the moment to end, Jungeun tapped on your thighs to release your hold on her. She withdraws her head inch by inch as you admire the glistening caused by her saliva as it drips onto the floor. She opens her mouth and lets you admire her draining your balls. Swishing it around her mouth several times, she tilts her head up to show your load going down her beautiful neck and throat. Humming in satisfaction, she sticks her tongue at you - evidence that she has consumed it all. You helped Jungeun onto her feet as her legs wobble slightly. She smiles at you and grabs a hold of your shaft once more, stroking you several more times before dragging you into her bedroom.

When the two of you reach the bed, you gently push Jungeun on her back. You admired the glow of her skin as a thin layer of perspiration caused it to glisten. Her heavenly moans filled your ears as you kissed upward on her thighs, taking a bit more time on the inner creases before making your way towards her awaiting pussy. The heat radiating from it is enticing - watching how wet she was caused you to sink your head lower. Jungeun realizes what you are doing and holds onto both sides of your face.

“You can eat me out later, baby.” she moaned. “I can’t wait anymore. I want you inside me. P-Please.”

You rose from between her legs and repositioned yourself in front of her entrance. Grabbing a hold of your shaft, you slapped her slightly splayed lips with the tip of your cock. Jungeun whimpered as you teased her a bit more in order to lubricate yourself. Holding onto her thighs, you spread them apart and create another first moment for you both as you enter her.

The soft silky flesh greets your cock kindly greets you as a sudden rush of sensations overloads your body at once. Her walls grip onto you tightly, almost refusing to let you go. You felt your cock throbbing inside her as it continued to squeeze you for dear life.

“Oh my god…” Jungeun breathlessly said.

You give her several shallow thrusts, allowing her to adjust to you - which was much easier said than done as her pussy’s tightness made it a bit difficult to withdraw from. Once the initial hurdle was crossed, it became easier to fuck Jungeun as your cock began to be lubricated. Her bed softly creaked in rhythm to your thrusts as the two of you looked in each other's eyes. She wrapped her feet around your waist and used her strength to pull you down on top of her.

Jungeun’s eyes were filled with desire - but also genuine happiness towards you. The two of you give each other a weak smile before connecting your lips once more. While your tongues get acquainted once more, Jungeun moans in your mouth with each and every thrust of your cock. She playfully runs her fingers through your hair as your palms hold onto the bed below for support. Noticing your stamina was slowly starting to deplete, Jungeun places her hands on your chest and softly pushes you off her body. As you look at her with confusion, she smiles and motions for the both of you to trade places.

Jungeun straddles your lap before laying on top of you. She reaches below and rubs your tip against her pussy before having it return back inside her. The wet and warm walls caused you to moan louder than you expected as she pushes her tiny cute butt against your lower body. This position allowed you to pinch her hardened nipples once more as she fucked herself on top of you.

The sweet honey inside her body glazed your cock in a familiar sweetness as it made each entrance inside her silky walls extremely smooth and effortless. She interlocked her toes with yours as the sounds of her bed and your skin smacking with each other began to increase in volume.

“Baby…” Jungeun managed to moan out.

She tilted her head slightly, asking for a kiss as you continued to stimulate her nipples while she fucked herself against you. Feeling her pussy’s walls pulsate, you knew it wouldn’t be too much longer until Jungeun’s orgasm arrived. Several more thrusts on you was all it took - Jungeun screamed loudly as her toes squeezed yours while her silky flesh did the same to your cock. You pinched her erect nipples and raised your hips to push your cock inside her as a steady stream of vulgar language and erotic moans escaped Jungeun’s lips.

“Baby… that was… f-fuck…” Jungeun said in a half moan, half laugh as the sweat on her back stained your chest. Having used her remaining energy, you watched as her eyes showed exhaustion - and a desire for more. Each kiss sent an electric-like current into her spine as you feel her walls still pulsating. Her body unconsciously pushes back against you. Holding onto her hips, you removed Jungeun from your cock. Both of you moaned at the loss of each other’s warmth as your shaft glistened with her sweet juices. Giving her time to rest before going again, Jungeun is on top of you - both of you holding one another as you rub her back and give each other kisses.

“You did so well, Jungeun.”

She holds your face, rubbing her pussy lips against your cock as she gives your forehead a peck. She moves on and does the same to each of your cheeks. Then, your nose. Once she captures your lips once more, biting your lower lip tells you she is ready to go.

Jungeun removes off your body and gets into position in front of you on her hands and knees. Though she wasn’t curvy like others in the precinct - or a complete gym rat like the Lieutenant, she still had a lot to be proud of. You kissed her back several times before holding onto her hips.

“I want to make sure we can’t get out of bed tomorrow, baby.” Jungeun said, turning her head back towards you.

You felt the breath leave your body as you entered her once more. You didn’t think it was possible, but Jungeun felt even wetter and tighter from behind. Holding onto her wrists, you began to fuck her once more. Her orgasm made it so that the hot flesh kept you trapped between its velvety silk walls.

“Fuck, baby…”

Jungeun’s moans of pleasure caused you to increase your rhythm as her bed creaked in silent protest. Neither of you said anything, too lost in the moment as your shaft throbbed inside her. Her upper body gave out as you saw her bury her face into the silk bed sheets below.

“I-I’m cumming…” you moaned to say as the pressure inside you was unable to be suppressed any longer. You grabbed her arms and raised her body once more as she began to push her beautiful backside against you.

“M-Me too, baby.”

Using your final amount of energy, you fucked Jungeun as fast as you could. Her loud, needy moans and the bed frame creaking loudly only motivated you to increase the pace even more. With one final thrust, you joined Jungeun in ecstasy as you erupted for the second time of the night. Her walls tightened deliciously around you as you felt that she too succumbed to another orgasm. You gave her several weak thrusts in order to ensure that you have fully emptied yourself inside her.

The two of you gasped and panted heavily as you both collapsed onto the bed. Jungeun managed to turn herself around - mirroring the same position she was at previously. Giving each other satisfied, loving kisses, she straightened her back as the two of you watched her splayed pink lips release their vice-like grip on your cock. Your semen and her juices were mixed together as they ran down her beautiful thighs and onto your own and formed a pool on the bed sheets.

“Baby… that was so intense.” Jungeun said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“It was amazing.” you replied, tucking several loose strands of her hair behind her ears before running your fingers through her golden locks.

“Want to go another round in the shower?” Jungeun asked. And although you wanted nothing more than to satisfy her request, you wanted to savor the current moment with her a bit more.

“We’ll have plenty of time for that. Why don’t we take a nap first?” you said, wrapping your arms and pulling her in for a hug. Jungeun giggles as she laid her head on your arm. The two of you looked at each other - her eyes glistened with happiness as she brought you closer to her. Another kiss. It was a seal of sorts; assuring one another that you were now partners in more ways than one.

--

A dark brown haired woman enters a relatively fashion forward boutique. She garnered stares from the employees and a few patrons - partly due to her beauty, and partly because she was wearing sunglasses at night. Black knee high boots, form fitting black jeans and a black sweater that outline the curvature of her breasts were complemented by her bright red lips and a red zippered leather jacket. A slightly intimidating aura radiated from her. Running her fingers through the various clothes, she eyed each one as an employee slowly approached her.

“Can I help you find something, ma’am?”

She turned around and smiled. “I’m looking for a gift to give my boyfriend. Something to welcome him home with.”

As the employee bows and goes to the computer to find what would, the wind chime on top of the door makes noise as it is opened. The sounds of high heels echo loudly with each confident step. They stop behind the woman who raises her head in acknowledgement, but does not turn around.

“I was wondering when you were going to show up.”

“I’m here to take back what’s mine. I’m here for him.”

[tsukishumai]

pairing: miya atsumu x f!reader

tags: fluff, strangers to lovers

word count: 2.2k

Summary: You think of all the different versions you get of Atsumu throughout the day

Nights with Atsumu were unpredictable. Your heart always skipped a beat whenever you received one of his “are you free tonight?” texts, excitement never failing to course through your veins.

Miya Atsumu was an adventure.

He had been that way from the very first night you met him, crashing into him at a music festival your friends had dragged you to.

You had been lost for the past hour - separated from your group when you had mistakenly taken the wrong turn while trying to look for the restrooms. You’ve tried calling them time and time again, but the sheer amount of people at the event must have been doing something to the phone lines. None of your calls or texts were going through.

You mumbled a hurried apology, and you could practically feel the way he raked his gaze over your appearance. Though, there was nothing presentable about your current state; your hair (previously curled and styled carefully) was pulled up into a messy bun, dirt from the festival grounds stained your shoes and pants, and the expression on your face was nothing short of stressed.

“You lost, hun?” He had asked. While you would usually cringe at the pet name coming from a strangers mouth, the slight drawl of his accent made it sound sweet, and you couldn’t help but nod.

“It’s my first time coming to this festival - I have no idea where anything is.”

He nodded in understanding. “It can get pretty confusing if ya don’t know what you’re looking for,” he sighed out, reaching a hand out for you to take, “Come on, I’ll help you find em.”

Even then, having known the man for merely two minutes, you were never hesitant in taking his hand.

He quickly told his own group of the current situation, setting up a meet up spot for the end of the night in case Atsumu wasn’t able to find his way back to them in time.

(That was smart. You guys should have done that.)

You wondered why the blonde boy bothered to take the time out of his night to help you. Hadn’t he spent his own money to be here with his friends?

When you had asked him this question, he simply shrugged. “It wouldn’t be right of me to leave a beautiful girl all alone and lost in this huge festival now, would it?”

You didn’t find your friends for the rest of the night. You had instead spent it with Atsumu, jumping from stage to stage, claiming “maybe we’ll find them there?” but really, his favorite artist was up and he didn’t really want to miss it.

It shocked you how natural it felt to be with him; easy conversation flowed naturally, and the initial mission of his company was quickly forgotten, replaced instead with the dizzying thrill of his fingers wrapped around your wrist to make sure he didn’t lose you in the crowd.

“This is my favorite band,” he yelled into your ear, twirling you in circles as you danced along to the beat pummeling out of the speakers.

“I can see why!” You smiled at him, and the freedom you were feeling in that moment, dancing with a stranger that was quickly becoming a friend, was a better high than any drug.

Atsumu couldn’t dance at all - this was something you had pointed out during the second set you had watched together - but there was something in the way he just stuck his tongue out at you and continued to flail his limbs in some semblance of a rhythm with such confidence that you couldn’t help but find charming.

“Y/N!”

The frantic crying of your name made you whip your head around, and you see your best friend running over to you.

“We’ve been looking for you everywhere!”

You let your best friend scold you for going missing for four hours, pushing down the feeling of embarrassment as Atsumu snickered at you.

“Thanks for keeping me company,” you said, turning to him one last time before finally joining your original pack.

“Anytime,” he smiled, then pulled his phone out of his pocket before handing it to you, “Mind returning the favor some day?”

The grin on your face was brighter than any of the lights surrounding the stage, quickly entering your number and saving it.

It wasn’t even two days after the festival before you received your first invitation out from Atsumu.

There were nights when he took you out to his favorite bar on a Thursday night because shots were 2-for-1 on Thursdays. The two of you would always run into more than one for Atsumu’s friends, and you were more than happy to allow them to indulge you in one or two embarrassing stories of Atsumu. The smile on your face grew wider each time his blush would deepen, and you didn’t know you could find him more endearing than you already do.

There were nights when he would whisk you away to a secret spot in a part of the city you had never been to. “It’s a little bit of a hike,” he’d warn you. You’d have half a mind to reprimand him for letting you wear your new shoes knowing the path would be dirty, but you were shut up by the views. Atsumu came prepared with a blanket to lay down on, taking out snacks and drinks from the backpack he was carrying. Your heart clenched at his thoughtfulness, laying down to stare at the stars peppering the sky. “The moon looks really full,” you said. “Yeah, just like my heart is for you,” he cooed. You would share a laugh, shoving him slightly, but hoping with everything that he meant it.

There were nights when he would take you to visit his brother’s onigiri shop. He would always take you either at closing time or after, ensuring that the three of you had the place to yourself. You could feel this to be some sort of test - test of what, you weren’t sure but you knew you wanted to pass it. Osamu would bring out off the menu flavors, using the two of you as his test subjects. You and Atsumu would exaggerate your judgements, commenting as if you were judges on Top Chef. “The consistency of the rice provided a good mouth feel,” you commented, rubbing a hand on your chin. “The flavors meld together perfectly, creating a refined taste suitable for any palate,” Atsumu replies, and the two of you would burst out laughing, Osamu rolling his eyes and asking you to be serious.

It was after one of those nights, belly and heart full from the nonstop eating and laughing. Atsumu walked you all the way up to your door, saying it’s much too late for you to be on your own. With your key in the door, you turned to say your good bye, only to be met by the softness of atsumu’s lips.

Nights were when Miya Atsumu let you into his world.

.・゜゜・　　・゜゜・．

Afternoons were rarely spent with Atsumu.

You would think that sharing an apartment with the blonde setter would afford you more quality time, but he mostly spent his afternoons chasing his dreams.

You’ll never forget the afternoon the two of you had found out he had made onto his first pro-volleyball team; he was officially an MSBY Jackal. Happy tears were shed, on your part, but more so on his. Excitement stamped all over his face as he claimed he still had so much work to do.

You never held it against him when he came home late at night, the only interaction you’d have would be the kiss he placed on your forehead before climbing into his side of the bed. You didn’t mind that even though you were now living together, this was the most time you two would spend apart. It wasn’t like you were just waiting around; you had a job you loved and were dedicated to.

He never let you missed him too much, though.

“Are we almost there?” Atsumu gasped out, and you just threw your head back and laughed.

“What’s wrong? I thought volleyball players were supposed to have monstrous thighs or whatever?”

Atsumu grumbled. “Yes, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t exhausting to scale a damn mountain!”

“Always so dramatic,” you mused, skipping ahead of him on the trail. Atsumu had a rare day off from practice, and insisted on doing whatever you wanted for the day. He was hoping you were going to say ‘let’s cuddle and stay in!’ Or ‘I want to go to that cafe I saw on Insta!’

But no, you went with “I want to go on a hike!”

It was his own fault, really. Ever since he would take you to look at the stars, you made it your mission to find all the little gems in your city.

“I swear to god, I’m gonna faint,” Atsumu placed the back of his hand on his forehead, “Please tell me we’re almost to the top!”

You grabbed his hand, pulling him up the last few steps of the trail.

“Ta da,” you sang out, out stretching your arms to present the view from the top.

Atsumu took on a deep breath and looked at the view. From the top of the trail, all that surrounded the two of you was the color green. Green leaves from towering trees that covered the face of the mountains that surrounded you. Green shrubs that littered around the forest floor, creating a lush carpet of foliage that stretched as far as you could see. In the space between the mountain ranges, Atsumu could see a hint of the ocean that lies beyond, and he could almost taste the salty air that always made his hair wavy.

The beauty of the earth surrounded him, reminding him of life flourishing all around, and all he could really look at was you.

The color of your eyes that sparkled like uncut gems when caught by the golden rays of the sun that was now nearing its highest peak in the sky could rival the most vibrant green nature could produce. The smile on your face was more blinding than the summer sun. All he could see was the beauty of the love that he knows only you could give him.

Afternoons were rarely spent with Atsumu, but he’s thankful for every chance he gets to be part of your world.

.・゜゜・　　・゜゜・．

Mornings with Miya Atsumu were lazy, and intimate.

The habit of early mornings were hard to break, and regardless of whether you set an alarm or not, the both of you would stir awake at the crack of dawn.

You could feel Atsumu’s heated breath on the back of your neck as he wrapped an arm around your waist. “Good morning,” he would mumble, voice still thick with last nights sleep, dripping into your ears like fresh honey.

“Good morning,” you would reply back, turning around to bury your face into his chest. You loved the way he would always pull you closer, as if there was no wya you could be close enough, trying to fuse you into his own body. You don’t care that you can’t really breathe in this position - there was no where else you would rather be.

Though you were willing to stay that way forever, it was only a matter of time before life interrupts peace and demands to be lived. After a few more soft kisses placed on any bare skin lips could get too, maybe a few fingers brushing through your rats nest of a hair, Atsumu always was the first get up out of bed. You’d try to beg him for a few more minutes, but he’d make you laugh and say “I’d love to doll, but my bladders bout to burst all over our sheets,” and you can’t do anything but laugh and let him go.

Atsumu always showered first since his days started earlier, and you would make your way downstairs to make coffee for the both of you. You usually drank it black, but you made Atsumu’s with a little extra cream. He never asks you to, but you always packed him a lunch and snacks to take to practice, leaving little notes with words of affirmation to get him through the day. The look of pure admiration and love you get when you simply hand him a lunch box, thermos, a peck on the lips, and a prayer for safety; you think this must be true happiness.

You walk back up to the bathroom to start your morning routine, and feel warmth spread all over when you see that he’s set up your toothbrush on the sink with a glob of toothpaste on top and a little cup of mouthwash prepared and ready for you to use.

You loved Miya Atsumu at all hours of the day, but mornings just might be your favorite.

In the morning, Miya Atsumu was just for you.

[pseudofaux]

even an injured hand grasps at grace

A lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng time ago I did a follower celebration with short fictions and promised a longer story to the winner. That (incredibly patient) winner was @fieryanmitsu, who asked for a story set after Mitsuhide’s Act II. Holidays, family stuff, a global pandemic, more family stuff, a crisis of creative drive, MORE holidays and MORE time later... Here, at last, it is. Anmitsu, thank you so much for participating in that follower celebration, for being so kind about the mortifying amount of time this has taken, and for being a fellow Cat Daddy fangirl. I am very, very grateful for your grace! M, 6000 words, SLBP Mitsuhide. CWs: obvious but unnamed depression, brief discussion of death by weapons. (But mostly it is happy-thinky-poetic wife worship and baby fever.)

Sometimes when she is exhausted she speaks in this silly way. His love for her makes him warm to his toes. Adorable, his wife is adorable. He will never again allow any other duty to shove her out of the place she deserves in the center of his heart.

He will never hold a sword again. The discovery that there is still any strength in the arm once so mighty, enough that he can use it to work: a cause for gratitude and relief. A gift. He can attend to the responsibilities of his new life. He has a new life. Master Tenkai knows better than most men what death looks like when it bears down in a flash of metal. Sword death is the smooth silver of steel, spear death is the sluggish brown of mud that will cradle a dying man, and death by bullet is the black of blood that comes out so thick it is purple before it is red. Weapon deaths are cold, as though to compensate for the heat of their forging. There is a depth of balance in this that he cannot yet name, a mystery of the heavens like the others he spends so much time thinking about and helping the mountain villagers understand.

This new life is mostly keeping up their modest home (half residence, half tiny temple), and sharing knowledge with the villagers and their children. Of course he still thinks of Sakamoto when he sees the children growing... but his entire life he has been too much in his own head, and since they came to the mountain he has gotten better at leaving memories alone. He does not forget, and he hopes this makes him a decent man. Like any decent monk, he allows the thoughts of Sakamoto their due, which is to rest and flow over him as water flows over every side of a fish. It is right that it surrounds him. He could not and cannot do anything for Sakamoto, or address the irreparable harm he caused. He can consider it, meditate on it, and live with what he has done. And he will. Because he can live.

Swordwork’s precision and steadiness are forever gone from him, he believes. But he still has his arm and still has his life, even after he made peace with losing much more before Hideyoshi’s sword came down. He can pet the cats that congregate around the little temple, and he can twirl bits of string and stalks of grass for them. He can still write, his characters more calligraphic than they were before. He has to work hard to make clear strokes when he teaches the village children, and he feels that is a just requirement. When the house needs repairs, he can make them, and he can draw air into his lungs and live with his failures and successes both, or at least live with his failures and the grace he has been given. He has the brush, and he has the strong walking stick that his wife has helped him cut to the right height. The staff is smooth in his hand after only a few months’ use, a little extra oil applied when they have it. He wonders if he is allowed this easy comfort, but will not allow a walking stick to be a thing that trips his thoughts. His watchword now is moderation, not abnegation. If a fallen tree limb comes to him he will be grateful, and if the wood breaks he will let it go. He is willing, now, to let so much go.

There is only one exception, and she sleeps easy these days, when the cold of night on the mountain curls them together as though they are rabbits in a burrow. They wake slowly to this dream life. The part of him that is a decent monk cannot help but wonder how different their lives might be if it had been this for them all along. He did not want to rule; he had only ever wanted to spare others the hardships of ruling, and allow all good people the comfort of safety, from most divine ruler to most helpless child. These thoughts are in his head. Here in their tiny room in the building that is their home and the village’s temple, she is in his arms. In his heart and his bones, he knows that fact is grander than any man’s attempt at divinity.

He never has to force smiles at the children who come to the temple to learn. They are rowdy, eager, and completely charming. He is comfortably grinning at a group of them when he catches sight of her at the bend in the path that leads to their home. She is smiling, too, and there are tall leafy greens sticking out of the pack behind her shoulders that remind him of the folded wings of a fine hawk, the kind favored by samurai and nature alike. What would they do, if not for her hawklike competence and gentle ferocity?

Likely starve, he tells himself, on both melancholy days and happy ones. It is only the truth. He has learned a few things, but cannot match her, and while he is always available to the villagers, he stays near the temple unless he is asked for in the town. She does their shopping, she is their face. No one of quality can resist being won over by the warmth of her smile.

The children are thrilled to see her, and it reminds him of a dream he has had several times now, something he has kept to himself because it is so precious and he still does not want to ask anything of her. He is not sure if the slips of dream come from the peace of their life or the torment they left behind them, whether the dream is reward or recompense. But the cheers of the children take hold of his heart and make a tapestry of the scraps of his happiest dreams, weaving them tightly with what he is truly seeing. His thoughts nearly take him to his knees-- or perhaps that is an insistent little person, tugging at the edge of his sleeve.

“Master Tenkai!” chirps the village child. “Hana is home, so it is time for our lesson!”

They teach the children together in the afternoon’s warm, clean light, and only send them home when it is time for her to prepare their evening meal and him to complete the evening sweeping of the temple floor. Later that night, she seems relaxed and sleepy next to him, full of food, full of love. She asks, “Do you remember when I asked you to bring me a stone, so I could make you pickles?”

That is a pleasant memory from their life before, a luminescent pearl floating through silt that suffocated so much happiness. But the memory itself is light. So his smile is easy and does not feel like punishment, and he nods and strokes the space between her shoulders.

“On this mountain I have all the stones I need,” she declares, pressing her cheek to his chest. The smoothness of her face is finer to him than any pearl, a marvel of sensation that settles him, instantly and completely. “And I will make you pickles every week, if you want them,” she adds.

Sometimes when she is exhausted she speaks in this silly way. His love for her makes him warm to his toes. Adorable, his wife is adorable. He will never again allow any other duty to shove her out of the place she deserves in the center of his heart.

“Only whenever you are inclined,” he says, drumming his fingertips to tickle her.

Her giggle is sleepy. “There’s not time to make them every day,” she quips, snuggling closer and sliding an ankle between his calves. He has only the one dream that is sweeter than his actual life, and he is keeping it close to his chest for now. But he will not keep anything closer to his chest than she is. They squeeze one another, and he expects they do not fully relax their arms until they fall asleep.

A winter has passed, and a spring. This is their first summer on the mountain, so they are learning the cycle of invigorating mornings, sweltering afternoons, and unpredictable nights. They have already learned from kind villagers how to best coax food from the pebbly soil of their garden, and their efforts in the summer are devoted to this every day until the air grows too hot and they retreat to the shade of the temple to fan themselves with their hands and drink water that (they hope) has managed to hold some of the chill of the night before.  

Every morning he braids her hair, and in these summer days a few strands always escape and stick to the back of her neck, temptations that coax him to bare her shoulders and murmur along the skin he worships. She often swats him away, because even after tending the garden there is plenty of work to do. But sometimes she does not swat him away at all, and some days she draws closer with a magnificent, confident need. He cannot determine if it is need for him or need to show him something, but each time, their bodies become hotter still, sweat running like streams and stinging their eyes even as it makes moving together easier.

There is a day at midsummer when they cannot help themselves, resting on the step to their home. They are covered from the relentless sun by the good new roof of the temple. He is vulnerable to melancholy in the heavy air that precedes a storm. She knows this. By the time the thunder and rain seem to be on every side of them, heaven’s own veil around the little holy place where they live, their hands are in each other’s hair, she is straddling him, and he is kissing her so deeply he can taste their midmorning snack. The last time she went to town she came back with karashi seeds, and their food this week has been bright in their mouths, cleansing and flavorful. He is hungry for it.

“Mitsuhide,” she pants quietly. The rain around them is so dense no one would hear her, but that name is never spoken above the softest whisper. Her other sounds are louder, even louder than the roar of the rain, and he loosens his hold on himself to match her. He groans as he tilts his hips up toward hers, everything that he is straining for her. They are so warm that even though the air is cooling around them, the rain may as well be steam. One of her hands slides from his hair to his neck and then down his chest, between their bodies, until she palms his insistence and he gasps for her until she squeezes. They moan together, unbearably hot in the sweet agony before they join.

“Now? Here?” he asks. They’re alone, but he craves her comfort as much as her indulgence. There is always a point where he stops asking, but before that he needs permission. She gives it in a nod and shuffles off his lap onto the floor, still stroking him through his clothing. Her clothes are already loose from their embrace, and she puts her other hand inside her collar and tugs down until she is cupping her breast. His blood in his ears is louder than rain or crashing waves or the war chorus of a hundred desperate men. He lunges at her, one hand in her hair and another at the back of her neck to soften her landing. When he is over her, he snarls at her temple before kissing the space with the beastliness that is revealed by these stormy days. It is a wet kiss, and because his tongue cannot taste enough of her he ends up licking from her cheek to her hairline. He savors her, salt and spice and earth and somehow his, as he pushes into her hand. She does not let go of him. He never wants to let go of her.

His hand slips from her neck into the heaven of her opened collar, and his thumb finds her nipple between her fingers. She lets go, gives herself to him, and he pants adoration into her ear as he rolls the peak, beautifully strong, until she moans. He knows this is right, that nothing else in the world is anything next to the truth of how right it feels to cage her in, make her tremble, and soothe her, serve her.

So he doesn’t hold back. He tells her she is the most wonderful, beautiful, desirable, beloved. His mind makes poetry for her and he licks the words onto skin he pinches delicately between his teeth. You are rainfall to a dying man, you are here, you feel better than breezes, you are mine. After all he has done, he remains a man, and a man is an animal, as any man who has gone to war can say with certainty.

The thin clothes he wears for gardening are sticking to his body, and he swears he can feel the drag of each thread against his skin as he moves with her, friction enough to spark a fire through their sweat. Her hand on him is maddening kindling.

“You are flames,” he declares as he ruts down into her hand. “You are burning me.” A man is an animal, a gasping creature not sophisticated enough to express all she makes him feel.

She slows her hand and hums, pleased by they way he gives himself over. That is the way they play. “It is too wet for flames,” she murmurs, as though she is consoling him instead of throwing tinder on the fire she has made. “Drown in me instead of burning, my love.”

The affection in her words soothes his amorous madness and spreads the familiar, comfortable warmth to all the tips of his body as the power shifts between them again. He loves her so much. Could any man convey so much feeling? To be an animal is not bad, but it is base, and she is made of heaven and still chooses to be with him. He smiles at her in wonder of all her beauty and bravery. He will focus on giving her anything that he can.

“Gladly,” he whispers, smiling wider. He takes her wrist and pulls her away from her work. When she complies and settles her hand against the floor by her head, he unties the rope of faded jute braids that hold her kosode closed at her hips. She is worthy of finery but dressed in these threadbare rags with him instead, and still her eyes say she has what she desires. As he drops the thick cord beside their bodies, he thinks he will try to find her a pretty bead, or even a nice smooth stone from the stream, something to adorn her middle and give her pleasure when she sees it. She gives him so much pleasure.

Their clothes as temple keepers are very humble, but they are much easier to remove than their daily wear of only a year ago. Sacrilegious but sincere, he mutters his gratitude at the simplicity of baring her body to his eyes. Her slopes are gorgeous, winding like the gentlest river against the air. She reminds him of a war map he saw years ago, illustrated with hills and pools so lovely he mourned as war was planned against the unarmed ground.

He shakes away that memory to construct another of the way she looks right now, sensual and receptive, womanly in the way she came to be when they started their lives here. Back in control of herself, of both of them, she parts her lips and breathes his new name. He undoes the scrap of old kimono that serves for his sash, and peels away his own sweaty robe. When he comes back down to her, she has freed her arms from her sleeves and their hands find each other, fingers dancing warm and worn as they wrap together.

Now it is still raining, but the roar of it has quieted to a loving hiss. The light is gray and blue, so she looks like nighttime. She pulls him to her with the power of dusk closing flowers, and their kiss is moon-soft, full of promise instead of frenzy. Her lip is a marvel between his and he loves pressing it with his own lips and teeth and sucking gently to make it swell. He wants to touch it with his thumb while he’s inside her and then kiss her again, maybe kiss her while he touches her with his thumb.

The chill at his back cannot last when there is so much heat between them, no matter what she says of drowning instead of burning. A man can drown in the bubbles of a hot spring as well as he can in winter’s water. He sucks in a breath and breathes it out into her mouth, and when she does the same with more force he shudders. His hands slide to her hips, where her curves fit into his palms as though he were a farmer and she were a ripe stalk of rice. She is at least as crucial and nourishing.

He is so hard he doesn’t need to take himself in hand. The head of his cock slides (with a sureness he would never claim aloud) between her folds, against the spot that makes her thighs flex. The movement is easy, a slip if not for his control. They are always so eager for one another.

“How?” he asks, and kisses the chin she is offering as her head is thrown back. “Here? This? Just outside the reach of the rain?” A demon is in him, to tease her like this, but the demon wants her pleasure as surely as he does because this is what she wants, for everything to be drawn out until their tension snaps. “Do you want the air on all your skin?” he continues. “I will give you anything. Just tell me.”

She hums the thoughtful sound that means she’s thought of some way to drive him insane. Thunder cracks with an ominous sharpness in the distance, and when she tilts her head and looks at him there is lightning and mischief in her eyes. He squeezes her but still she wriggles out from beneath him... and she goes to one of the beams that holds up the roof, safe from the rain thanks to the overhang. She moves her feet back and bends at her waist and he can do nothing but feel blessed and aroused, so aroused he is stupid. The warmth she put in him turns to tingles, like she has displaced the lightning from her gaze and made his skin the sky and his bones the bare, vulnerable earth. Within himself he feels a frighteningly intense buzzing.

“This first,” she declares. “Just watch for now, darling. Stay where you are.” Her thighs and calves are so defined from the ways she has to toil in this new life that he feels a shadow of guilt for enjoying the sight of her so much. It vanishes when he sees her fingertips between her legs, right at his eye level. She is pulling his mind apart, but her method for that is giving him this gift, and in this life he takes what he is given.

“Yes,” he rasps, and swallows before the dryness in his though makes him cough. “Yes, of course.”

The movement of her arm slides her loosened braid along a shoulder like a brushstroke. Her touches are sure-- she told him months ago that she learned to do this when he made her sleep alone for nights on end. He curses his foolishness even as he is grateful for it. She is always turning the most miserable ingredients into feasts, his wife.

Her sure fingers make circles and dip into her folds to smear her arousal. She likes it a little messy sometimes, another thing she has revealed in the safety of their seclusion. He loves what she loves, and he wants to put his mouth on her, put his cock in her, so badly that he fears his voice will scar his throat in a mad escape if he has to stay apart from her much longer. But he will die of idiocy alone if he interrupts. So he watches, the cool air of isolation doing nothing to keep his belly from tightening when she coos. Her hips begin to drop forward to meet her hand and he bites the flesh of his palm to stave off insanity as long as he may. She is a cat, he realizes, playing with all his many frayed ends. When she glances back, whatever she sees on his face-- he must be flushed, he feels terribly hot-- makes her laugh, dark and sweet. She keeps going and keeps her eyes on him. There is that gentle command so uniquely her in the way she looks at him. It makes him feel like he is blooming frantically, too fast, a blossom pummeled by rain and completely out of control... and she keeps looking, keeps smiling, draws the moment into moments until he thinks he might sob.

And then she curls her fingers against herself to beckon him and says “Come here.” The way her voice puts the words somewhere between request and demand is flattering, but he has no time to be flattered. Rain-cooled air yields against his arms and legs as he rushes to her. Immediately, he is there behind her legs, positioning himself, and the heat of her backside would burn him were he not already so ruined. Against her at last, he can appreciate the way the weak light on her sweat-slicked back is more beautiful than the finest inkwash, the ways she smells competent and domestic and alluring, like the precious sweet scent of soil that hides between mountain pebbles. She is all these things, and she is so calm as his mind whirls in its delirium of adoration and arousal.

He doesn’t mean to tremble, but his hold on himself has been too tight, and the spaces where his teeth dug into his hand throb. Like the mongrel pet to a noble lady, he has little other purpose but to love her. He sees that she can sense it. There is a grace to her certainty when he grits his teeth, even though she is wound so tightly that when the head of his cock finally presses inside her, he must push. Slick, soft, smooth, she feels, somehow, despite the pressure. As he pushes fully inside, their groans are wanton to the point of inhumanity, more like the sound of creatures in the night than of a man and his wife. His wife, his wife. He pulls back and groans again at the way her body fights to keep him. He swipes the braid off her back and kisses her shoulder, pushing back in slowly as her soft, strong body welcomes him.

“More,” she cries, her first sound of vulnerability, and he is eager to take care of her. He knows to move steady and powerfully but keep it slow at first. She comes better around him, but needs to be allowed to focus, so he is quiet as he focuses on her and the way the muscles of his back stretch and roll to please her. He is still a fit man, and he hopes his body thrills her as hers thrills him.

She makes a needy noise between her teeth and moves faster, shaking just a little. She hisses “keep going,” and of course he does. The tension he felt a moment ago is so unimportant now he is not sure if it was real. In the time when things shift between them he no longer needs permission, and he feels the magic calm settling over him-- it is his turn. All he needs to do is what she needs from him, it’s so simple. And he would do anything she asked, for the chance to be so near her when she finds bliss. It is already rising up his legs, like a snake squeezing and sliding, like ripples... and her sighs are like waves. Maybe she is too wet to be flames because she is water itself. The way into her is blissful enough, a slick heavy pressure around him where she is swollen from all their kisses and touching. The challenge of it makes him grin with a ferality he usually keeps well out of sight, and he presses on, pulls back, kisses her shoulder again and calls her his beloved. His voice doesn’t shake.

Hers does. “Again,” she pleads, grasping back for his hand. “I want it again.” She guides his fingers in circles until he knows where she is and what she needs, and then she lets him give it to her. Trust is such a sacred thing.

When he touches her she laughs, and he laughs too, and fucks her with a great deal of joy. They find their pattern: her hips push back to meet his thrusts, so when he presses in, deeply, they fit as cleanly as a carpenter’s masterwork. The storm has truly cooled the air but all it does is chill the fresh sweat on their skin as they move. It invigorates him, makes his spirit shout with a freedom he cannot contemplate at the time. His wife is using the beam that holds up their roof to push back against him, allowing the tender space between her breasts to be abraded by the wood. There is room for nothing but happiness here, nothing to do but honor her sacrifice and make her feel more pleasure.

“Yes,” she rewards him with her voice for a particular thrust, dragging out the sound at a pitch that registers inside him while he is inside her. So he moves himself even faster to try and repeat it, then relishes the sweetness of her soft whine. It makes him feel like he is surprising her with his love for once, instead of the constant way she graces him with her own.

He leans over her a little more. “I want nothing as much as I want your happiness,” he tells her, the croon of his voice broken by the intense way their bodies are connecting. Her hand comes back over his, keeping him in place. Magnificent. “Go on,” he tells her. “Again, love. Just like you want. Just like I want. Again.”

She shudders and stops moving her hips (she clings adorably to the support beam, her arm as tense as her hand on his). He keeps going, because he knows that is what she expects. At the end, what she needs is to be filled, to be given something to clench around, and he needs to be that for her. He is so driven, from inside and out, to fuck her, that he cannot do anything else until he feels it, not think or breathe, only move into her as though he can shove bliss into her body. So he tries, until he feels the shaking of her legs as perfection alights, and then he takes one great breath before it hits them both as she squeezes tighter still. They gasp together again as her clenching and soft sounds pull his warmth to fill her. Abundantly. Deeply. The air comes out of his lungs onto her shoulders, then touches his cheeks with the softness of a cloud.

She is breathing heavily, and slowly she puts her weight against the wood and becomes still. There’s a gentle press against his hand before she drops her arm. He’s tempted to catch it and kiss her knuckles, but he does not want to move from being curled around her back. He does move his hand away and puts the arm around her belly instead, holding her that much closer. She feels exactly as warm and soft as a cat who has fallen asleep in the sun.

There is a slick, sticky feeling all around his cock, but there’s nothing unpleasant about it-- something in him actually relishes it, loves the thought of mixing, loves the thought of there being too much, it makes him want to take her to the floor and have her again-- and she does not ask him to move, so he stays until he softens. “Darling,” he whispers then. “I’m going to get us a cloth.” He has desires, but he has mastered himself.

But she mumbles “No. Hold me.”

So when he pulls out as not to slip from her, he simply sits down and pulls her with him, right down into his messy lap. There’s not a breath between the time they land and her turning so she can snuggle his chest. He strokes her hair and kisses her cheeks and nose and tells her what a marvel she is. She is all pliant affection, touching his arms, kissing his jaw, raising a love welt on his shoulder... reaching to stroke him gently, experimentally, just like she did when they were on the steps.

He has mastered himself, but not as well or fully as she has.

He pulls over their clothes and lays her out on top of them on the temple floor so he can join their bodies yet again, unhurried. They have the time for slow lovemaking in this life, and the grace. Her knees frame him as he moves and he cannot help but kiss one and then the other, reveling in her laughter (when he tickles her ribs, she tightens deliciously around him) as much as in her love. They lay together for a long time after that, cool and lazy in the quiet. When the rain is replaced by the first note of tentative birdsong, they know they should move in case someone comes to the temple. Despite the afternoon, they are a cautious couple by nature.

He attempts to clean her with their clothes, and carries her to their room to rest more comfortably. Her hair clings to the idea of a braid, but much of it is loose and floats about his arms in the sodden air. There is a satisfied tilt to her mouth when he helps her sit, and as he moves behind her the last he sees of her face is her smile curving deeper. He settles his robe over her shoulders and combs his fingers through her hair to ward off tangles. When he is finished, he replaits her hair and kisses the ribbon, then her mouth. She shakes her head, hiding her mouth and making him chase it. His rewards are sleepy giggles, enchantingly low, every time he catches her.

Several kisses later, he redresses and leaves for the kitchen to make them a simple meal. He delights in feeding her by hand as soon as he returns, because their closeness makes him feel whole and doting on her feels right. They stay near as they bathe, and then they go back to bed. It is early, but they will need to start early tomorrow to make up for the time they spent not working this afternoon. They have earned their sleep. He wonders if he will have the dream again.

Tucked into their bedding, she is in his arms, not yet dreaming herself. “Darling,” he says quietly into her hair, and murmurs love until she turns to kiss him sweetly and tells him to go to sleep.

He does have the dream. It is the most wonderful dream yet.

“Chichi-ue!” The voice is high and happy. It is coming from behind him, so he must turn away from the sight of his wife with a baby at her breast. Before he can see the little one who called him-- called him chichi-ue, his child-- the dream shifts and his wife is with an older child, tasting broth and listening patiently as the child recites ingredients. Then his wife is with two children, each holding one of her hands as they turn on the bend of the path to their home, and the smallest lets go of her to run to him. Their faces are all obscured by a sudden cloud of mountain dandelion seeds borne on the wind... all he can see are healthy little legs and feet in clean sandals, slapping against the ground as fast as they possibly can. The movement becomes a child’s hand with a brush, marvelously steady and precise. The same hand around a cluster of flower stems. Scraped knees and palms and little puffs of breath between shrieks and giggles as tears are soothed away. Two voices laughing over the plunking sound of skipped river stones ending their flights, and he recognizes the stream where they stand. The face and voice of the herbalist in the village, kindly telling them to be patient and then whispering something they might try. Four simple bowls, mismatched but meant to be together, set around a table. He can see this scene over his own shoulder, hears those same two voices dutifully expressing gratitude for their meal. The sounds change as his dream gives him the voices at different pitches through time, thankful for their rice, fish, vegetables; the bowls stay on the table, the food in them changing in dizzying whirls of color until he wakes.

“Good morning,” says his wife, in the voice she can only use for the first words of the day. Quiet and deep as a hidden pool. “I love you.”

He reaches to stroke her cheek, and tells her about the dream at last. She tells him her dreams, too.

Exhausted but awake, awed and unsure, he holds his son for the first time in the crook of his better arm. All of him shakes, because he is weeping at the perfect newness of this child. The baby, so unhappy with the village woman who came to help with the birth, settles into his father like poetry, and closes sweet dark eyes, and yawns flawlessly. They way the baby’s tongue trembles reminds him of a stretching cat. Master Tenkai of the mountain cannot look away. There is so much to see, and there is something about gazing at this tiny face, shifting magically from pinched to peaceful, that shows him the virtue of disregarding time completely. He should know it for what it is: another effort by man to control what he cannot. Everything that marks time in a human way can be broken. The sun rises no matter what people do in the night.

One of the temple cats senses a fellow creature and leans up to sniff at the baby. The baby’s father is happy to share the sight. The cat noses at the baby’s plumpness and then slinks off, but Tenkai stays where he sits, holding his son beside the bedding where the baby’s mother is gazing at them both with a tired, happy expression on her beautiful face. Her hair has all come loose from its ribbon. The woman from the village said it was an easy birth, but it certainly took its time. At the end, they have their perfect son, and she is alright. Everything is alright. The greatest challenge facing them at the moment is that he will have to learn to braid one-handed. He chuckles to himself and the baby blinks, then settles.

He will never hold a sword again. Whatever time may be, it feels like he made his peace with a more important truth a very long time ago, perhaps in another life entirely, and had only to relearn it. To hold his woman, and child, and the other he believes will join then... that is more than enough for the warrior who was once Mitsuhide, who became Master Tenkai of the mountain. All else may come and go. He will treat everything with respect, and allow all that is temporary to leave his hand like water. His family, permanent and indescribably precious, is the only thing that he will never, ever give up.

[drprettyboyspence]

Memory Lane

Dr. Spencer Reid/reader

Summary: Reader just can't seem to get to sleep one night so she decides to walk around the house she shares with her boyfriend, Spencer Reid. As she travels around the house she remembers significant moments in their relationship.

words: 2.9k

warnings: season 12 spoilers, mentioning of mental illness, nothing else to my knowledge! (just a lot of fluff) 

a/n: This is my first Spencer Reid fic and I kinda went off the rails with the word count, let me know if you enjoy it :)

I turn myself over in bed for what feels like the four hundredth time this hour, facing the ceiling now. I can hear the rustling of leaves outside and the distant sirens of the city, remembering how those sounds used to bring me some sort of comfort as a child, now all I can think of is the death and tragedy being an FBI profiler has brought me into contact with, the horrors at the end of the trail of sirens. Mostly noticeably though, I hear the steady breathing of the man lying next to me in the king bed, glancing over at my boyfriend of almost 4 years I smile warmly, his unruly hair draped over the pillow, glad to see him in deep sleep. Recently he hasn’t been sleeping well, suffering from PTSD from his time spent in prison as well as all the trauma the poor man has been through in the last 10 years of his life. I quietly get out of bed, making sure not to bother him, he deserves a good nights sleep and we have to be at the BAU in a depressingly minuscule amount of hours. My feet hit the cold wooden floors and I wonder for the uncountable time “Why did we decide on wooden floors?” A memory of an argument with Spencer answers my question,  

“Because silly, don’t you know that carpets can hold up to 200,000 bacteria per square inch, this room is 100 square feet, 144 square inches per square foot, that is 28,800,000 bacteria in our bedroom alone.” I remember shaking my head at him, he’s always been such a germaphobe. In fact, when we first met, he shook my hand, and later when I confided in JJ and Penelope that I had pretty intense feelings for the resident genius of the BAU, they mentioned that he usually hates shaking hands, is known for refusing to shake the hands of many people the team comes into contact with on cases. He shook my hand right away, it’s one of the things I love about him and we always say we knew right away that we had a special connection. I glance at Spencer’s sleeping frame one more time before leaving the bedroom and making my way down the hallway. There are pictures there, pictures of me and Spence, him and his mom, pictures of the team at work, Spencer won’t admit it often, but he wakes up every morning scared that he won’t remember those he loves, his mother’s dementia and schizophrenia have impacted him greatly. I stop in front of a picture of me and Spence, it’s the first picture we ever took together, Halloween almost 5 years ago now, at the FBI Halloween party.

October 2015

“Come on Y/n! How can you not love Halloween!”

“Spencer, what’s so great about Halloween!” I had asked laughing while filling up a plastic cup with punch. The party is fun, but all this dressing up just seems silly to me sometimes.

“It’s a uniquely American holiday! I mean, despite its obvious origins in the Celtic festival of Samhain and the Christian All Saints’ Day, it really is a melting pot of various immigrants’ traditions and beliefs. It became a little more commercialized in the 1950s with trick-or-treat, and today it rivals only Christmas in terms of popularity!” I catch JJ’s eyes from across the room, she gives me a sympathetic look as I’m stuck in another of Reid’s constant statistics rants. Frankly, I don’t understand how the rest of the team can cut Reid off when he’s like this. He’s so genuinely excited by this holiday it makes my budding feelings for the man standing in front of me even stronger.

“Aw you guys look so cute! Say cheese!” the always-hyper voice of Penelope Garcia shouts from across the bullpen, snapping a quick picture of me and Spence before running after Derek. I glance down at my phone and see a text from Penelope “It doesn’t take a profiler to realize how gone you are for him Y/n” I blush profusely before continuing my conversation with Spencer.

Present day

Tearing my eyes away from that specific picture, I continue walking to the end of the hallway, painfully aware that the floorboards are squeaking with my every step, hoping Spencer’s just-finished-a-case level of exhaustion will prevent him from waking up. I pass the threshold into the kitchen and see the dim light of the clock over the stove, the red 2:15 blinking back at me through my tired eyes, I just can’t seem to get to sleep tonight, I’m sure Spencer would say something like

“Chronic insomnia is usually tied to an underlying mental or physical issue. Anxiety, stress, and depression are some of the most common causes of chronic insomnia but even if you do not suffer from chronic insomnia, 35% of Americans report their sleep quality as poor or only fair.” Dating a living encyclopedia definitely has its perks I suppose. I walk towards the fridge and glance at the refrigerator, my eyes traveling to a postcard held up by a doctor who magnet. Houston, Texas the postcard reads.

February 2017

Me and Spencer had been dating for less than 6 months but as we had known each other for over a year I was falling head over heels in love with him. The last few months hadn’t been easy, Spencer learned that his mother had been diagnosed with dementia and not a day had gone by where he didn’t try and find a cure, he had been traveling to Houston,Texas to talk with his mother’s doctor, he then brought her to live with him in Virginia, it had been difficult to say the least. My fingers traced the edges of the postcard I had received in the mail this morning, then flipped it over and saw Spencer’s familiar scraggly handwriting, it read

Dear Y/n,

I was able to speak with my mother’s doctors today, I feel as though there must be more I can be doing, she seems to be responding to the medicines but I am looking into new methods of treating the disease. I miss you so much Y/n, and I miss the rest of the team as well, tell them I will be back as soon as I can, I hate the thought of you putting yourself in danger on cases without me there, not because I doubt your ability to protect yourself, but because I doubt my ability to handle being 1,402 miles away from you. Please do not worry about me, if you’re anxiously awaiting my return, stop looking at the clock because remember, when looking at a clock our brains anticipate what we’ll see faster than we actually see it, so the clock seems to stop, Ill be back before you know it Y/n.

With all my love, Spencer Reid.

I giggle quietly at the added facts, only Spencer would describe the phenomenon of a clock appearing stopped when glanced out. I’m concerned about Spencer though, I’m not sure what is going on, but there is definitely something not right with him and if I didn’t trust him so much I would consider asking Garcia to do a background check to check the legitimacy of his travels to Houston.

Present Day

This postcard is extremely bittersweet, the next week we were all rushing to Mexico, responding to a call that Spencer was in jail, I was a nervous wreck, we all were, it was an extremely rough 6 months, truly showing me how strong the man I love is. I push some of those harsh memories out of my brain, choosing to focus on the happy memories if I ever want to fall asleep tonight. There’s a coffee machine next to the fridge, if there’s one thing Spencer loves more than me, its coffee, or rather coffee flavored sugar with the amount of sweetener he puts in his cup every day. Spencer smells like coffee, almost always, he struggles to sleep most nights and therefore is always hyped up on caffeine. It's actually played a huge role in our relationship.

August 2016

Dr. Spencer Reid and I are walking to the BAU together as we do every single day, we live close to each other, close enough that he walks about 5 minutes before arriving at my house, we then walk to the coffee shop on the way to the train station. We’re best friends, but I’ve been secretly in love with him for months. Walking into Quantico, we get the daily glances from Penelope, Derek, and JJ who are sitting together looking at pictures of Henry. Penelope always teases me that we’re both so in love with each other that everyone can see it but us, it’s ironic actually. As much as I don’t believe Pen, I have been noticing small changes in Spence’s behavior the last couple months, prompting me to, in the deepest corners of my mind, hope that maybe he feels the same way, our friendship is worth too much to risk him not feeling the same way though, so I’m forever stuck. We aren’t on a case right now, so there’s a lot of paperwork to be done, at one point during the day I get up, asking Spence if he wants another cup of coffee before walking to the break room. I return after a brief 5 minutes and am surprised to see Derek sitting in my seat, arguing with Spencer.

“Come on Pretty boy! We both know you’re in love with her! Just ask her out man, she’ll say yes!”

“Morgan, quiet down, she’ll be back any minute, besides I’m 35 and Y/n is 32, I’m not saying there would even be a chance that we would get married but the marriage success rate in the United States is only 50%, the worst it has ever been, that therefore shows the state of relationships in the country as well, I don’t want to ruin our friendship, I could never lose her. Besides, I’ve never been good with women.”

“But that’s the thing pretty boy, you don’t have to be good with women, you’re already good with Y/n, she’s the one who matters, just ask her out man, you’ll regret it if you don’t.” With that Morgan walks away and I take a deep breath, its now or never, walking over to Spencer and setting down the cup, whispering in his ear,

“You never know how good with women you are until you try, Spence” He looks up at me with wide eyes and licks his tongue across his lips, something he does often.

“Um, Y/n, y-you heard all of that?” I nod and I can see Spence take a deep breath just as I did before walking over, “W-would you like to um- go to dinner with me Y/n?”

“Hmm I don’t know…” Spencer’s face starts to fall as I quickly continue “Of course I would love to go to dinner with you silly, what did you think?” His smile lights up the entire room as he pulls me into a deep hug.

“Well finally you two. You couldn’t have waited just a few more months though, I assumed you lovebirds wouldn’t get it together until after Spencer’s birthday” Rossi says from behind us, passing a pretty hefty stack of bills to Penelope.

That was the day that started the greatest adventure of my life.

Present Day

I leave the kitchen and walk to the living room, a chilly breeze blows my hair slightly askew, its June in Virginia, warm enough that all I’m wearing is one of Spence’s oversized MIT shirts with pajama shorts, but the night air causes slight goosebumps on my skin, sending me into my memories once again.

August 2019

Spencer and I are sitting on the couch, participating in yet another Doctor Who marathon on the tv, it's a rare day off from work and the hot summer air fills our living room even with the fan blowing through the house. I lie my head in Spencer’s lap as we watch the tv and his strong hand strokes the back of my neck, causing goosebumps to pop up all over my arms. I giggle and glance up at him causing him to pointedly look at me asking me with his eyes “What is so funny that you dare distract from Doctor Who?”

“It’s just strange, its 95 degrees outside but your hands on my neck give me goosebumps like its a crisp fall day, isn’t that funny baby?”

“Of course the most common cause of goosebumps is cold weather, but when you’re experiencing extreme emotions, the human body responds in a variety of ways. Two common responses include increased electrical activity in the muscles just under the skin and increased depth or heaviness of breathing, resulting in goosebumps.” I roll my eyes at him and playfully swat his hair out of his eyes.

“Only you, Dr. Spencer Reid, would take a romantic statement and turn it into statistics, and I love you for that” he kisses me and well, the Doctor Who marathon was quickly turned off after that.

Present Day

As I turn the corner into the living room I smile warmly, it’s the room that Spencer and I like the best. There are book cases lining the back wall, Spencer loves books, I’d ask him what made his books so special and he’d tell me stories of his childhood, his mom reading him 15th century literature, I loved when Spence told me stories about his childhood.

December 2017

I knocked on the door of Spencer’s apartment, it wasn’t like him to be late for our daily walk to work especially because he had been on probation after his time in jail. I received no answer, prompting my concern as I unlocked the door with the key he had given me. I walked into his living room and saw him, Spencer was sitting in the middle of the floor surrounded by books, running his fingers up and down the pages as he does when he’s reading at his top speed.

“Spence what on earth are you doing! Where did all these books come from? We aren’t on a case are we?”

“This year in the United States alone there have been 328,259 new books published, I read at 20,000 words per minute but at an average of 100,000 words per book, it would take me 27,377 hours to read all those books!”

“Oh Spencer how I love you, you don’t need to read every book ever published, are you going to start reading romance novels?” I tease while picking up a copy of 50 Shades of Gray from the ground at Spencer’s feet.

“Okay maybe you’re right, I just feel like I missed so much time when I was incarcerated, all that reading I could’ve done when I was trapped in that place, it's time I can never get back.”

“Spencer, I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for you, but this is not going to help that feeling go away, let’s go to work.” Spencer nodded and began to tidy up the floor before following me out the door.

“Wait, Y/n, I have to ask you something that I’ve meant to say since I’ve gotten out of jail, and I might as well say it now, will you move in with me?” He’s chewing on his bottom lip again and I jump into his arms in excitement, kissing his hair as he caresses the back of my head.

“Of course I’ll move in with you! I love you, Dr. Spencer Reid.”

“And I love you Y/n Y/l/n.”

Present Day

I’m coming around to the opposite side of the living room now, sitting down on the couch in front of the fireplace. I love the fireplace in our house and I think secretly Spencer does too. We argued for days over the safety of having a fireplace in our house, Spencer of course supplied with enough knowledge of house fires to last him 5 lifetimes, “But Spencer it’ll be so cozy, doesn’t it sound romantic to cuddle up by the fire?” I had pleaded with him the day we toured the house for the first time.

“Y/n, there were an average of 357,400 residential fires per year in the US between 2012 and 2014, an average of 22,300 of those fires were caused by a fireplace or chimney!”

“But Spenceee, that’s only 6.24% of the residential house fires during that period, 43.9% were from cooking equipment, are you going to forbid us from having a kitchen too?” Hey, don’t underestimate how useful a cellphone calculator and a quick google search can be in winning an argument against your genius boyfriend. Obviously, we had ended up agreeing on the fireplace, but Spencer was still overly cautious whenever it was in use. As I stood in front of the fireplace I became hyper aware of the floorboards creaking in the hallway just as they had done when I left the room earlier, I felt a presence enter the room and the 6’1” frame of my boyfriend wrapped his long arms around me from behind while burying his face in the hollow of my shoulder.

“Hi, baby, what are you doing up so late? Are you feeling okay? Can’t seem to get to sleep?” I nod back at him and recline my head so it rests on his strong chest.

“I was just taking a trip down memory lane I suppose” I say before smiling up at the love of my life.

[whimsywit]

Hi! I'm resending this with the templete in mind :)

Can I request a red velvet truffle?

I'm a Sagittarius ♐

I don't have a gender preference

I prefer the age to be rather close to my age (I'm 16)

I like : sweets, coffee, tea, writing, cosplaying, drawing, reading,and riding horses/equestrian riding.

I dislike: Meat loaf, most juices/fruit flavored beverages, physics and chemistry, being lied to, people pretending to like me, racist/sexist/homophobic/ etc. People,

I like to write ( mostly fanfiction), read (usually memoirs), cosplaying and taking care/spending time with animals.

As far as talents go I would say I am usually very disciplined (hence me graduating early), I am funny and warm up to most people pretty easily.

Positive qualities I have are I am brave (like I stand up for others all the to.e but I don't stand up for myself :,)) kind and funny. I also am really good with calming people down from panic attacks. Idk if that counts as a talent or a trait but I just put it here. Oh yeah I'm also extremely empathetic

Negative qualities are I'm emotional, hot headed,clingy, I need attention a lot more than most people and I talk ALOT. I feel like being empathetic also can be considered a negative trait bc I have made horrible decision s in my life based on the empathy I feel for others.

I fear hamsters, being forgotten, loud noises, and being alone

My aspiration is to become a well known journalist after I graduate high school. I hope to write about the humanitarian side of things and I hope to try and educate people on different "controversial" topics

Qualities I admire in others are patience, kindness and bravery. I also feel it's important to note that I admire someone who doesn't shame/tease others for their hobbies

Some qualities I dislike are : people who wish to hurt others for no reason, liars, manipulators and anyone that feels happiness from hurting others

Extra: I decided to put my looks here, shoulder length dark brown hair, blueish gray eyes, pear shaped body and I'm 5"5. Oh yeah my pronouns are she/her but I'm fine with they/them as well!

thanks a bunch for being so cooperative before btw! I wavered a bit on this at first but then it hit like a TRUCK omfl I don’t think there’s anyone better for you at UA than...

Momo Yaoyorozu!

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

From the get-go you guys share all of your interests and are immediately fast friends; every day it’s either tea party study sessions while sharing drinks and sweets (and her helping with any science work youve got :P), reading and writing all sorts of literature while getting to discuss and peer review with each other, or Momo taking you riding like you used to do growing up! For all we know her family’s got some private ranch or sumn idk theyre rich enough for it 😂

She’d quickly develop feelings for you though, admiring your intelligence and discipline, but even more so your ability to connect with people in a way she struggles with. You’re able to get her to open up with your jokes and genuine care when she feels so closed off from all of her peers, and I can see her struggling with anxiety due to her perfectionist nature so you’d easily help with that, too. On your end Momo more than qualifies in terms of kindness and patience, and is building her character towards the path of confidence and bravery as seen in the series—plus, being eccentric in her own right, she’s never one to make fun of others, being constantly understanding and and a beacon of light within her class.

At the same time, you two complement each other, her calm and coolheaded traits balancing your emotional and hotheaded side. She’s able to deal with and even channel your sensitivities in a way others might struggle with so you don’t end up hurting yourself, while you help her interact with people better and even bring out the passion in her! Just a sweet n supportive mutualistic relationship all around <3

You and Momo are both inspirations for everyone around you, actually, especially with your dreams to be a journalist to help and educate people (which she’ll for sure use her connections to help you achieve so bonus there ;D) I mean, two refined and loving girls that do their best to help anyone they come across? What more do they deserve than to end up in each others embrace, to fall back on each other, understanding and uplifting the other in such a way they won’t find anywhere or with anyone else?

[theincompetentgenius]

Asmo, Beel, and Belphie React to Non-Virgin S/O

anon:  to add onto that brothers reacting to a non virgin S/O, what about Asmo, Beel and Belphie???

Hey anon! I kinda struggled with this since I summed up my opinion on all the brothers in a previous ask that asked for my general opinion, but I hope you still enjoy it!

Asmodeus

Of all the demons in Devildom, Asmo is the LEAST likely to care whether his S/O is a virgin or not. He’s slept with so many different types of people and demons (honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if he seduced an angel as well). 

However, when he does find out that his lover has experience, he can’t contain his excitement. It seems that his sweetheart has a naughty side, which he loves. Besides, his curiosity is brimming to the top. How did it go? What did the other person look like? What exactly did they do? 

As his S/O talks, Asmo takes mental notes of the topics that make them blush or stutter (well, more than the mess that they’ve already become). After all, he can put that knowledge to good use when they’ve got the time.

You might be wondering, wouldn’t Asmo get jealous? My answer to that is not really. Similar to Lucifer, Asmo knows that no human can compare to him (especially when it comes to sex). After all, he’s the Avatar of Lust. His touch brings a type of pleasure that no one else can compete with.

However, he’s more than willing to remind (and show) his S/O just how perfect his skills are (especially compared to their previous lovers). When he’s in that mood, his lover better be prepared for a long night.

Even though his S/O has experience, there’s a lot they can learn. Asmo will have them go through practice rounds before hitting the real deal. Besides, there’s nothing wrong with some practice right? After all, practice makes perfect.

Asmo would do an amazing job at helping his S/O becoming more comfortable about their sexual history. There’s no reason that one should feel ashamed of their past experiences, especially when they’re just so good-looking. He’ll constantly hype them up about their sex appeal, claiming that it’s impossible for someone so gorgeous to still be a virgin.

Beelzebub

The only time you’ll ever see Beel angry is when someone messes with his food or his loved ones. Since his lover’s virginity doesn’t fall in either category, it’s not a big deal to him. Why does it matter who they slept with in the past? That was their choice, so he has no issues with with it.

Honestly, he’s never given much thought to it. He loves his S/O for all their amazing personalities and qualities, so that’s all he’s ever thought about (not to mention that they’re amazing in bed). All the other details don’t really matter to him.

He is rather confused as to why his S/O is so insistent on keeping their history a secret. In Devildom, most demons openly talk about these things (with no filtering or censoring) so he doesn’t understand why humans much such a big deal out of not being a virgin.

If his S/O is still feeling worried or ashamed (since they come from a society that shames people who aren’t virgins), he’ll give a small smile and assure them that he really doesn’t mind. To prove his point, Beel will offer them his favorite custard. Now they have no reason so feel worried anymore.

However, it is slightly embarrassing to think about his lover in such a risque manner when they aren’t participating in such proactive activities. He can’t help but blush just a little when realizing that his S/O knows exactly what they’re doing in bed.

Although he never mentions it, they don’t really taste any different either. His lover still has that sweet flavor that he can’t find elsewhere (and whether they’re a virgin has no affect on it-- but a good hygiene/diet does!)

Belphegor

Belphie will make it a point to remind his lover that he lives with the Avatar of Lust. Not to mention, the other brothers have been around for a long time. They’re demons after all; not the purest creatures of the bunch. Do you really think that this stuff matters to him?

If his lover is embarrassed by their history, he’ll take them in his arms and have them lie down on his bed. Nothing frisky or anything, just a nice cuddle session to show that he isn’t bothered by the concept at all. Maybe they should take a nap to clear their head (hopefully they’ll feel better when they wake up).

However, if his S/O is more flamboyant and confident about it, he’ll be rather surprised. From what he remembered about humans, they generally looked down on pre-martial sex (that’s why Asmo was in Devildom). How did his lover muster the courage to be confident about it? The rebellious mindset that they have is amusing and kind of a turn-on.

Regardless, he is willing to defend his S/O when the other brothers (especially Asmo) press them about the topic. If his S/O shows any signs of discomfort while the others pester them, he’s more than ready to attack. If they don’t feel like talking about it, then no one else should bother them about it. If his brothers don’t understand that, then he’ll make sure that they do.

Now that he knows that his S/O isn’t a virgin, their intimate time together hits a lot differently. He feels kind of dumb for not seeing it before, especially since his lover it quite good at what they’re doing. They’re a lot more confident and have a better grasp on everything, which makes the experience ten times more enjoyable.

[miracalicethebookgirl]

The Phony and the Famous Pt. 2

AO3

Pt 1. 

Summary: Lila spreads lies about being famous with worldwide connections to increase her local popularity. She’s confident that Marinette will never be able to prove otherwise. What she, and even Marinette herself, don’t realize is that Marinette won’t have to do any of that to come out on top. - A story in which everything Lila lies about, Marinette turns into reality for herself, usually unknowingly (our girl is quite the lucky one, after all).

“Lila knows all of the Hollywood directors. She promised she'd mention me to Steven Basielberg himself!”

Season 1, “Volpina”

Inside the Agreste manor, he meandered around the foyer in boredom. Once or twice, he stopped by a mirror that hung on the wall by the dining room entrance where he would mess with his blonde hair and practice his smiles. Then he’d fix himself and go back to wandering. After several minutes (what he considered to be an inappropriate length of waiting time) the door to Gabriel’s atelier opened and out stepped the man himself followed by his ever-present assistant.

Gabriel walked over to him and folded his hands behind his back.

“Félix. I trust your trip here from the station was without issue.”

Only pursing his lips to show his displeasure, Félix replied just as emotionlessly, “It went fine, Uncle. I’m only saddened that I wasn’t considered important enough to be greeted as I arrived by either you or your usually impeccable assistant.”

If Gabriel was bothered by the minor jab, he didn’t show it. “My apologies. To make it up to you, why don’t we get down to the matter of your visit. Your mother called ahead so I’ve prepared the file that you’ll need. Nathalie.”

At her name, Nathalie stepped forward and presented Félix with a decently thick manila folder.

Interesting.

“Any reason why you seem to have so much information on her?”

“Aside from her many accomplishments, she’s also a classmate of Adrien’s.”

Félix hummed. “Right. I’m not surprised you’d investigate anyone who even looked at my cousin on a daily basis. Fine. I’ll go through this on my own. Have a good evening, Uncle.”

With that, the two nodded to each other before Félix turned and walked up the stairs to the guest room he always stayed in. He flipped the folder open and stared at the headshot provided, a little startled that he recognized exactly who this girl was.

“Of all the people… Of course it’d be the girl who’s got a thing for you, cousin.”

…

Look. Félix knew he could be a dastardly little prick. But even he had to admit that these eclairs were the best he had ever tasted, including the ones made by his family’s hired pastry chef. “Best bakery in Paris” weren’t just empty advertising words. Though he couldn’t understand how the place ran as a business when the owners took one look at him and offered the desserts for free. Maybe it was a promotional event?

“Oh,” the small Asian lady exclaimed, “what are we doing? You must be here for Marinette and not just the food.” She laughed and piled some more pastries into a box. “Here, take these with you. Head on upstairs—you know the way. Marinette is just having lunch right now.”

It didn’t take long for Félix to realize that the owners mistook him for his cousin. He shrugged.

He had no dire reason to correct them and he got free delicacies as a bonus. Plus, he didn’t want to explain to anyone why exactly he had “borrowed” Adrien’s clothes again.

Delicately stuffing a passionfruit macaron into his mouth, Félix walked through a doorway and up some flights of stairs to the highest landing. He knocked on the door twice and waited, putting a sunny smile on his face.

When the girl swung the door open, he lifted a hand and greeted, “Hey, Marinette!” with the cheery tone Adrien typically used.

He was unprepared to have the door slam in his face.

He contemplated knocking again but the door creeped open a sliver before he could. Blue eyes peeked out in a glare.

Félix huffed and dropped his act. “So. You already know who I am.”

“What do you want, Félix?”

“No need to be so hostile. We’ve never even met before.”

The blue eyes rolled. “And yet my first impression of you is a shoddy impersonation of the boy who’s a better version of you.”

Well, this girl had some bite.

“And are you going to let my first impression of you be someone who won’t let me explain myself before you write me off?”

Her eyes widened before narrowing again, but this time Marinette pulled the door open all the way. She stepped aside to let him through. “I’m not even surprised that someone like you would have stalkerish information like that. Unless…Adrien told you about how he met me?”

Félix made his way to the white couch as Marinette walked to the kitchen area to plate some finger foods she had probably been having for lunch. He kept his pastry box on his lap. “Believe what you will. I’m not here to make friends.”

Setting the plate and a glass of water down on the coffee table in front of them, Marinette took a seat adjacent to him. “Then why are you here?”

“Business. But first, tell me how you figured me out.”

Marinette’s response was nonchalant. “I run into a lot of akumas and sentimonsters that pretend to be other people. I guess I’ve gotten good at spotting fakes.”

“Oh, so it has nothing to do with how you’re obsessively in love with my cousin.”

“Wha—?! I—you, I mean! No! I mean, I’m not obsessively in love—who even told you something like that—it has nothing to do with knowing imposters—!”

“As a matter of fact, how did looking at me as I am,” he gestured to all of himself, indicating that he looked like a perfect replica of Adrien, “not make you act like this earlier?”

Red-faced, Marinette crossed her arms angrily. “Like I said, I’ve learned to see the signs. It has nothing to do with how well I know Adrien.”

Félix leaned back and gave a patronizing smile. Marinette just eyed him suspiciously.

“Fine,” he relented, “I’ll take your word for it. But that means you’ve got quite the eye for detail, don’t you?” He picked up a finger sandwich and took a bite, humming at the flavor.

Not taking her eyes off him, Marinette shrugged. “I guess. I would have to if I want to be a good designer.”

“Which you are.”

“How would you know?”

“Let’s just say I’ve been looking out for particular talents and someone recommended you to me, so I thought I’d check you out.”

Marinette’s face pinched.

“Not the kind of checking out I meant, but I confess you’re very easy on the eyes.” His eyes roamed down her body.

She crossed her arms. “You’re a pig.”

Félix lazily raised his hands in defense. “Hey now, do you really want to insult the person who wants to hire you?”

“The way this is going, I don’t know if I want to accept whatever job you have in mind.”

He shook his head, deciding to just get to the point. “Okay, look. You may or may not have heard of Graham Films. It’s a film studio owned by my family and currently run by my mother. Once in a while, the company produces big hit films but most of the time we produce the highest quality films that are only distributed among exclusive circles. Despite that, Graham Films is the one studio with the most connections throughout the entertainment industry, not that it’s publicly known. And lucky you. My mother put me in charge of finding young but intelligent designers for our next film and I’ve chosen you as our costumes person.”

“No, thanks.”

“I can bring the paperwork over tomorrow—I’m sorry, what did you say?” It wasn’t every day that Félix was taken aback like he was then.

Marinette stood and placed her hands on her hips. “Oh, so are you also unable to understand when a girl tells you no? Maybe it’s time you leave.” She began to usher the boy up and out.

“W-wait, why would you refuse my offer? It’s a golden opportunity for you!”

Pausing for second, Marinette raised an eyebrow at him. “So?”

“I…honestly don’t understand.”

“Hmph. Figures. Okay, I’ll explain it to you. You,” she addressed him with a poke to the chest, “obviously have little respect for women and at the same time don’t see a problem with it. And you want me to practically work for you in a company owned by your family. That’s the perfect recipe for workplace harassment.”

“Ha-harassment?!” Félix was truly gobsmacked at this point. “I haven’t tried to touch you or anything! And what’s a few comments if you have the chance to connect your name to the biggest in the film industry?”

By then, Félix had been pushed all the way out the door. Marinette’s hand turned white from the grip she had on the doorframe.

“If you still don’t get it, goodbye.”

And the door slammed in his face once again.

…

Félix was irritated.

He stood in his normal attire on the sidewalk in front of the school his cousin attended, his arms crossed and his expression tight.

If it were up to him, he would already be on a train home, having chosen a different candidate for the movie’s design team—someone who accepted his generous offer! But nooo…  

“We can’t let Gabriel swoop back in and keep her talents for himself, Félix! It’s already a miracle that he even gave you her name.”

…his mother insisted he keep trying to recruit the girl, if not for her abilities, then for the chance to rub it in his uncle’s face.

A cacophony of voices rose up from the school as the doors opened and students came pouring out. He watched from afar as his cousin walked down the steps with just the girl Félix was looking for. He scoffed at Adrien’s sunny disposition and the way Marinette giggled at something he said. Losers.

Their joyous attitudes dampened considerably as they drew near and finally noticed Félix.

“Félix? Is something wrong?”

“Nothing that concerns you, Adrien,” he dismissed, though not unkindly. He nodded in Marinette’s direction. “I’m here for her.”

“Oh! You know Marinette…?”

Both boys were met with an icy blue gaze and downturned lips.

“No.”

Félix pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

“Will you let me explain?”

She turned her nose up defiantly. “Depends. Will you respect my boundaries and treat me with some decency?”

Great. Now his dear cousin was frowning at him.

“Félix, did you do something to Marinette?”

“I’ve done nothing.”

“Yeah, nothing but be a sleazebag.”

“Félix.”  

Before he could say anything to defend himself, someone practically bodied themselves into Adrien and latched onto his arm. At first Félix thought it was Chloé, who was prone to doing that, but was surprised it was some girl he had never seen before. Based on Adrien’s decently disguised grimace, Félix could tell this person’s actions were unwarranted.

“Oh, Adrien, is this your twin brother? I couldn’t wait to meet him considering you and I have been modeling together!” The girl batted her eyes at them, but Félix wasn’t sure if it was mainly aimed towards Adrien or himself.

Marinette made a noise of disgust. “Funny. You’d think that after modeling so much with Adrien,” she mockingly repeated, “that you’d remember he’s an only child, Lila. This is actually his cousin Félix.”

The girl, Lila, gasped and put a hand to her mouth. “I’m so sorry! My short term memory loss is probably acting up again from the concussion I got last week.” She bashfully met Félix’s gaze. “I was volunteering with the youth homeless organization that I co-founded with the Prime Minister of France when I saw a child fall out of a tree. I ran over to catch her when I got hit by a…”

Félix quickly lost interest in what she was saying. He didn’t care for his cousin’s do gooder friends, especially if all they could offer was modelling experience. He was here for a designer after all. Uncle Gabriel could keep this chatterbox for all he cared.

Once Lila ended her story with an expectant and pitiful look, Félix turned back to Marinette, who wasn’t even hiding her look of derision at the girl.

“So what will it take for you to change your mind and take the job? An apology?”

Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw Lila glare at the other girl. But he definitely saw Adrien wince in pain.

Marinette quickly went back to frowning at him. “It would be a start.”

Fighting the urge to roll his eyes, Félix was about to retort when he was interrupted by Lila.

“You’ll have to forgive Marinette. She’s obviously overwhelmed by having the chance to work with someone as high profile as Adrien’s relative. She has trouble with words when she’s excited. It’s not very professional, is it?” Lila shook her head sadly.

“Lila,” Adrien cut in with an unexpectedly sharp tone, “this conversation doesn’t have anything to do with us. I think it’s best we keep quiet.”

“My cousin is right. Don’t be a nuisance.”

It was shocking to Félix that Adrien didn’t immediately tell him off for insulting his friend.

Or is she not a friend at all?  

Taking a more careful look at the pair, Félix realized that maybe not all of Adrien’s classmates were sickeningly kind and naive. Perhaps some of them were leeches.

“Anyway,” he turned back to Marinette, “I will apologize then. It was wrong of me to objectify you as I did and to belittle you in your own home of all places. I’ve seen the work you’ve done and I would genuinely still like to offer the position previously discussed to you. Besides,” he added reluctantly, “I was only put in charge of hiring the team. My mother is the head producer of the film. Once the contracts are all signed I will no longer have a role in the production, which means I won’t be your superior. Will any of that make you reconsider?”

To Félix’s relief, Marinette did seem to seriously think it over. Meanwhile Adrien looked as excited for his friend as Lila looked irked. Good.

Félix had no idea what her problem was but she had been a pain since she first inserted herself into the conversation.

“Okay.”

Marinette’s voice broke him out of his thoughts.

“I’ll do it.”

Félix gave Marinette a smile—a business smile, but a sincere one nonetheless—and stuck out a hand for her to shake.

“Welcome to the Hollywood of France.”

“Hollywood?!”

Lila’s screech echoed down the street.

…

Bonus:

“So what was up with that bothersome girl—“

“What did you do to Marinette?”

From his seat on Adrien’s couch, Félix was startled into dropping the deck of cards he was using to show Adrien a trick. He sent the other boy an exasperated glare.

“What’s it to you? I’ve already apologized. No need to make more of a fuss.”

Despite the attempt at reassurance, Adrien still looked bothered. Félix rolled his eyes.

“I said she was quite a sight for my eyes,” he answered exasperatedly. “Not that she appreciated the compliment, but I wasn’t just saying that to fluster her. She’s got a nice pair of—whoa!” Félix quickly threw up an arm to block the sudden fist that flew at him.

“What’s your problem?!”

“What’s your problem with always objectifying women? And someone as amazing as Marinette who doesn’t deserve that terrible behavior!”

Pushing his cousin off of him, Félix retorted, “Why so physical? Sure, you always tell me off for being ‘sexist’ but why are you so angry that it’s the designer girl?” He paused. “Don’t tell me…you actually accepted her confession?”

Adrien finally backed away. “What? No, Marinette doesn’t like me like that. She’s my friend. Anyway, that’s not the point. Just stop being a pretentious prick and treat women with respect for once.”

Félix rolled his eyes and muttered a “Whatever” before gathering his cards back up. No way was he going to change just because Adrien thought he could order him around, but he guessed he could restrain himself from saying anything of the sort to Marinette.

Rubbing his jaw from a pain from the past, Félix suspected Marinette was the type to punch people in the face if they breached her space.

He wasn’t eager for a repeat of that any time soon.

[cozycryptidcorner]

Chapter One

Notes: Hey hey hey hey! For those who don’t know, this is a celebration of ya girl hitting 1.5k followers! You all spoke, and I listened, so buckle up, pals, and come get ya’ll’s juice. 

The air of the ship is remarkably sterile, every breath of it almost flushes your lungs free of living cells, and a bleach-like taste has long settled on the back of your tongue, one you haven’t been able to wash out. A water bottle sits on the polished table in front of you, one that boasts its source is an underground spring on a relatively untouched planet, definitely something far out of your price range and would never accept unless given for free. The ship rattles briefly as the inertial dampeners compensate for a sudden source of gravity, though so subtle that the water in the biodegradable plastic trembles only slightly.

“That means we’ve hit Lolth’s atmosphere.” A Starward Matchmakers™ representative smiles, her teeth too white and her mouth too wide. Her tone somehow converges on every single nerve you have in your body.

“Oh, of course, how could I forget.” She waves her hand dismissively. “But you should maybe put a damper on that attitude of yours, the royal family isn’t known for putting up with sass.”

Oh, you want to punch her in that perfectly crafted nose. Biting your lip down, you try to focus on the shift of gravity, the artificial pull slowly dying as a planet’s natural force takes hold. The slow descent feels like forever, the lack of windows in your cabin only torturing you further. You wish you could be up in the cockpit, strapped into the captain’s chair, completely in control, but no. It wouldn’t be proper. Finally, another attendant pokes their head through the open door, announcing the finished landing.

Before you stand, the representative grabs your hand in an ironlike grip. “Remember; grace, poise, elegance. Not someone of your reputation.” She is far stronger than someone of her skinny frame can manage without modifications. Even when you nod, she doesn’t immediately let go, most likely in the hopes that prolonging this threat might actually put some fear into your soul.

You pull away, eyeing her in a challenge, and after a moment too long, she relents. Calmly, you pick up the personal bag you were allowed to bring and leave the cabin, the Starward Matchmaker™ representative on your heels. The unmistakable scent of ‘natural’ air hits your nostrils, like a balming relief against a day-old burn, and you try to pick up your pace down the thin row of cabins and out into the open. It’s hot, far hotter than you are used to, a dry breeze doing nothing to relieve your already sweating skin. A dull hum permeates the cavernous space, the engines of your ship still in the process of a complete shut-down. At the very foot of the stairway is a tall humanoid, gray in complexion, silky white hair blowing out like thin spider webs.

“Mistress,” he says, bowing first to you, then to the representative. “Allow me to welcome you and your entourage to our lovely planet. The keias is beside himself with excitement to finally meet his soulmate.”

“Thank you!” Manners matter, you think, eyes flickering overhead to where two slabs of metal slowly shut a dangerous atmosphere away from the underground’s inhabitants. The Starward Matchmaker™ representative pinches your arm in a location no one beneath you would see in the way of a prompt. “And- it will be my honor to meet them, sir.”

“Of course, please, follow me. Your things will be taken to an apartment while a more, er, permanent solution will be found.”

“I understand, thank you.” You take one step down on the polished, faux marble steps of the ship, then take a pause. Perhaps it goes unnoticeable by others since it only lasts a fraction of a moment. Am I really doing this, you wonder in that second, looking at the hard stone floor of the hangar, is this who I am, really? It passes, and you continue downwards, the question left unanswered. You fold your hands, nails digging against knuckles, and follow the Drow escort through the unbearably warm cavern.

There’s a warbling pattern in the stone, one that holds your attention for a minute too long and has the Starward Matchmaker™ representative gently kick at your heel. Head up, you can almost hear her voice in your head, and so you do, obediently, and try focusing on some other things noticeable at this position. For example, while there are other ships in the hangar, not too many, but the quality of each is unquestionable. All of them are sleek, shining, and shaped in the typical ornamental fashion that Abraxas Corporations has long since patented, each number that you see painted on the sides showing that the oldest model is only a single year out of the factory. A fantastical waste of money, in your humble opinion, but you don’t dare verbalize it right now.

The drow attendant leads you to a tunnel, one dimly lit by hazy blue lights lining the floor, and the temperature becomes just slightly more bearable. While the stone you walk on is smoother than those fancy ships outside, the walls and ceiling are rawer, bumps and crevices creating a sort of texture that at least gives you something fascinating to look at until the drow attendant opens a metallic door embedded into the rock. It’s a station, you think, with a train or trolley of some kind waiting against the wall. The doors part the moment you are within range, and finally- finally, a blast of cooler air soothes your skin, your entire body relaxing under the blissful relief of air conditioning.

“Have a seat wherever you’d like, my lady.”

Oh! The attendant is talking to you. With a small mutter of thanks, you take one of the cushioned benches by the window, staring at the glass, trying to see past your reflection and back into the tunnel. The ride isn’t that long, at least, in comparison to the time it took to get from a deep-space station to planetside, but the nervous anticipation makes it seem like another eternity. You are already standing up to get out, though you step to the side for your guide to go first.

You wouldn’t call this place bustling, unlike some of the previous stops your ‘entourage’ has ended up at. The people who do occupy the area aren’t in any kind of hurry, either, but are merely wandering to their destination at a leisurely pace. And, unfortunately, the moment you are seen, all eyes seem to fall on you like a bug beneath a microscope. Which, you suppose, is a funny kind of metaphor to use given the species and circumstances, but even so, you walk through the hub with your head held high and your posture perfectly straight, just as practiced only a few days before. A far cry from the slinking and prowling that you are used to, that’s for sure.

The three of you walk all the way to the other side of this terminal, towards a gilded set of elevators, all of which are guarded by another drow. Your own drow attendant slips a key card from his pocket, sliding it through a reader, and the machine beeps in confirmation. The ground rises rapidly, as the tube you stand in lowers, going down, deep into the depths of the planet, rocks surrounding the glass until the tunnel empties into a cavern more massive than the city you hail from, buildings built into what is left of a long-extinct forest from the planet’s distant past. Flickering lights of homes and offices could almost fool you into thinking them to be stars, but you know better. Still, it might be nice to look at something and pretend you aren’t buried under a couple of kilometers of rock.

The elevator zooms past and beneath the central part of the city, moving further down into the natural lava tunnels of a long-inactive violent core. The royalty of the world lives deeper from the surface, probably for the better air conditioning, you’d gander, or some sort of reigning mythology about how they’re closer to their planet/god(s) this way. You hadn’t really had the time to pour over every little detail of this world’s history and lore, since literally four days ago, the royalty of Lolth was the last thing on your mind.

Eventually, the flawless glass doors open, and you are let out into a garden of sorts. There is grass, at least, you think it’s grass, lining either side of the stone pathway, flowers sprouting in areas that are easy to listlessly meander around. Bioluminescent mushrooms and moss grow along the cavern walls and pathway, though rustic-looking lampposts help to light your way every couple of meters. There, up ahead, you realize as you try to document just how far the lanterns go, someone is already walking towards you. Could it be him? Your body fills with anxiety, your fight instincts gearing up to, you don’t know, pretend to cower?

“Is this it?” A voice asks, and you are already confident that you hate this person. ‘Overbearing’Condescending would be a nice way to describe their tone, but you would take it a step further and maybe say it’s condescending and maybe even bastardly for good flavor.

“Yes, Vice Martial,” the drow attendant bows deeply. “As much as I am certain the two of you would appreciate introductions, I’m afraid the keias was very specific about the immediate transportation she would take to his presence. I’m afraid we are already running short on time.”

“Be silent, I gave you no permission to speak.” The Vice Martial’s eight legs click, click, click against the ground as he approaches, eyes narrowing. “I was against this ridiculous farse from the start, and to have something so small, so pitiful, dare enter our home and live off of our land like a parasite?” He leans in closer, so close you can smell alcohol on his breath. “Unacceptable.”

Show no fear, have no weakness.

“Of course, you have your apprehensions!” The Starward Matchmaker™ representative pulls a glossy brochure out of seemingly nowhere, her grin vast and terrifying, her voice the epitome of perfectly perky customer service. “Anyone daring to make such a big decision should be terrified! But at Starward Matchmakers™, our focus is to bring a harmonious connection between two destined souls is something we take so very seriously. If our experts have matched the two together, then our girl here is perfect for your prince, excuse me, keias, in every way!”

“I don’t care about what welp that little bastard sleeps with,” the vice marshal snaps, at least now directing his drunken anger to the Starward Matchmaker™ representative, “I care about whether it’s right for Lolth.”

“And those are some very valid fears!” She somehow smiles even wider. “But allow me to put everything to ease. Our satisfaction rate is one-hundred percent, which is nothing less of perfect. The people I represent have no intention of sullying our records now, with this. Do you understand? Of course, you do! Now if you would be so kind as to _excuse us,” _ she grips your arm and shoves her way forward, _ “we have some magic to make!™” _

The vice marshal doesn’t even have a chance to say anything else, because you are suddenly shoved into the entrance of an… apartment? House? The drow attendant and the Starward Matchmaker™ representative stand in front of the closed doors, either to block anyone’s entry or deter you from exiting, you don’t know. Probably both.

“Remember,” the Starward Matchmaker™ representative says, smoothing one of your sleeves of nonexistent wrinkles, “no attitude. No spunky quips. I don’t care how funny you think whatever joke you’re making is, you will be quiet as a dandelion. Show him not the respect you think he deserves, but the respect he thinks he deserves.”

This is all a reiteration of things you have been told over and over and over again, so you resist rolling your eyes. Though, whatever exasperation you feel is quickly gone the moment you see someone beginning to descend from the long, marble stairway. His appearance is the same as the photographs you were shown when they first sat you down, hangover pounding in your bloodstream. His hair is so dark it looks almost black, skin a deep gray with touches of blue. You immediately stand taller, mouth squeezed shut, eyes watching his every move as if he will burst forward and rip you to pieces.

He has a reputation for doing worse.

The clicking of his steps stop as he stands, full height, right in front of you, and you have to tilt your chin upwards just to meet his gaze head-on. Even with the Starward Matchmaker™ representative right in the room, she can’t see your face, so she can’t police your reaction. You don’t give him anything demure, nor submissive. There is no shyness in your eyes, you don’t allow yourself to feel small, and you most certainly refuse to show a smidgen of fear.

“Hello,” you say, and you can practically hear the Starward Matchmaker™ representative’s face hit her palm for speaking out of turn.

“Hello,” he responds, cocking his head ever so slightly to the side, his pure black seeing-eyes blinking only once, his motion sensors staying blank and still as though dead. “It is an honor to finally meet you.”

“I- it is an honor to finally meet you as well.” You wince at the formality of this meeting, wishing that the Starward Matchmaker™ representative and drow attendant would just leave the two of you alone, but you know that you will not receive that… how did the Starward Matchmaker™ representative put it… privilege, at least until she can see the relationship is blossoming the way it needs to.

The way they need it to.

“Your planet is beautiful,” compliments always work, and you genuinely mean this one, “I mean, well, I haven’t seen a whole lot of it, but just from the little that I’ve been through, it’s... “you shrug, “really nice.”

“Oh.” He cocks his head the other way, now, a lock of hair the color of the blue-gray stones falling into his face. “I remember, your profile says that you weren’t born on a planet.”

“No,” you shake your head, “but I’ve been planetside a- um, a few times. Humans need real gravity every now and then.”

“Real gravity is good for any ground-species.”

The conversation is going nowhere, clearly, so the Starward Matchmaker™ representative decides that this moment where she cuts in. “If I may, _keias?” _

His face looks over at her in an instant, the movement of his neck so quick it would have cracked if he was human. The prince’s gaze hardens, perhaps unnoticeable by someone of his own species, but easy to note by both you and the Starward Matchmaker™ representative. After a lone, nerve-wracking moment where he observes her like a bug beneath his feet, he offers single, clipped, nod.

“It’s been a very long journey, very much worth it, I am sure, but,” she lays a hand on your arm, and you immediately tense up, “she’s quite tired, and I’m afraid I have to get her squared away for the night. I hope you understand! I’m just here for her wellbeing in such a foreign situation.”

The prince looks at you.

You don’t say anything.

“Of course,” he says, squaring his shoulders. “Elias will bring you to your suite. May I expect you over for an evening meal?”

“We’ll see how she feels.” The Starward Matchmaker™ representative pets your arm. “This is all so overwhelming for her, I’m sure you understand.”

The prince places both hands behind his back and looks over you, not with the same chilling observation he gave the Starward Matchmaker™, but something... else. Something softer. “I’m sure I will.”

“What in god’s name was _that?” _

“I don’t understand.”

“Yes, you do.” The Starward Matchmaker™ representative folds her hands together, looking at you over them with narrowed eyes. “You went off script.”

You offer a listless shrug, looking her in the eye. The lights here, at least, are bright enough for you to see comfortably without needing to strain your eyes. “I just don’t think you can make a decent connection with someone when every permutation has been desperately thought out.”

The Starward Matchmaker™ representative huffs, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. “You aren’t here to be yourself, you’re here to do a gosh-darn job. This isn’t all rainbows and puppies, I thought you understood how serious this business is.”

“I do.”

“It doesn’t look like it, honey! What made you think that acting like some bland little twat was a good idea?”

You sit down on one of the plush, oddly misshapen chair, glaring at the wall while the Starward Matchmaker™ representative goes on a tirade. The room is large, the ceiling far higher than most places you’ve ended up in, and this isn’t even the full extent of your suite. You get a room, the Starward Matchmaker™ representative gets a room, a personal servant the royal family is providing gets a room, and for whatever reason, a whole extra bedroom, wholly unused, just down the hall from yours. For any guests, the drow attendant had said, but there is no one you can think of hosting at the moment.

Oh, the Starward Matchmaker™ representative looks like she’s tiring herself out. Better start nodding in agreement to whatever else she says.

“Good,” she, at least, seems satisfied. “I’m glad we’ve had this little chat, then. Hurry and wash up, then, we want you to look presentable tonight.”

So you are going to dinner. You sit up a little straighter, then bounce off the chair and into your room. There’s an adjacent bathroom, with a dress already hanging up by the mirror, a gray, fluttery thing that will ripple easily with movement. Color doesn’t really matter down here, you remember, poking at all the dull jewelry and makeup, driders and drows can’t process the light spectrum as well as humans. What they can sense, though, is movement, so clothes that shift and float with the slightest gesture are the ones that are worn to show off. Still, putting something on that’s basically the equivalent of neon orange feels like putting a target on your back.

Shower first. Think later. It’s real water, too, and not those sonic frequencies that knock dirt from pores or those sanisaunas ™ that disinfect the day’s grit away with nothing more than hazy steam. Today, though, you can’t take your time, and you are too hyped up to stay under the water’s stream for too long, no matter how blissful it feels. The soap has some kind of deep earthy scent, not one that you might select for yourself, but one you aren’t abhorrent towards. It works a nice lather against your skin, though the bar slips from your clumsy fingers since you aren’t exactly used to scrubbing the good old fashioned way.

There’s a towel waiting for you, hanging up against the rack. It’s the first thing in this place you’ve seen that’s white, even the glossy marble and metalwork of the whole suite, including the bathroom, are various shades of gray and black. Which isn’t to say that it looks terrible, because this is sincerely the most beautiful place you’ve ever managed to score, it’s just… odd, you think, that the towels are white, as though they were purchased and placed here with you in mind. You wrap it around your body, stepping out, and taking a moment to stand in front of a mirror. There are dark circles beneath your eyes, crescents of exhaustion that beg you to take a moment or two just to sleep.

You get dressed, instead. The gown is at least designed to look more complicated than it really is, and you manage to get it on by yourself. The zipper slides up your back with a bit of ease, then you smooth down the tight bodice, noticing only now how badly your hands are shaking. Your mouth tastes dry, and perhaps the unnatural ashy paleness of your skin truly brings out the grayness around your eyes. The wall is cool against your back as you lean back, sliding down to sit on the hard floor, placing your forehead against your knees.

Breathe.

It’s hard, thinking about having to eat dinner with him later. It’s hard to think about him in general, and to have him matched as your soulmate? You’ve always known these things are farces, of political or corporate gain, and now you dig your heels into the ground of that belief and hold it closer.

The door knocks with a volume and efficiency only the last person you wish to see at the moment possesses. “Time to go, sugar! We can’t have the prince waiting, can we?”

It takes a wobbling moment for you to stand, hand braced up against the wall, but you somehow manage it. Throwing up a facade of calmness that you haven’t felt since you were hauled into that interrogation room five days ago, you open the door. The Starward Matchmaker™ representative holds out a box, the lid already off to reveal a glittering pair of shoes. Not high heels, thank the gods, you don’t know how you would pull together the energy to fight her on that. It’s pair of flats, a pattern of shattered glass decorating the outside, the inside surprisingly comfortable to what anyone would assume by looking them over.

You put them on, holding on one of the chairs for balance, and take a few experimental steps. It’s decent enough, but even with thousands of years to perfect the art of shoes, it still takes a couple of good hours to break even the best of pairs in. With a small sigh, you shift the weight between your toes and heels, already feeling where those blisters are going to end up forming, but there isn’t really anything you can do about it. The Starward Matchmaker™ representative isn’t going to let you wear your old but comfy combat boots if she can help it, you’ve had to smuggle them in the very bottom of your luggage and bribe an inspector to keep quiet about it.

After a moment of watching your movements with a fixated grace that you’ve long since gotten used to, the Starward Matchmaker™ representative sighs, tucking a piece of perfectly blond hair behind her hair. “Not what we all wanted, I’m sure, but it will do.”

Pressing your lips together, you don’t risk rolling your eyes lest she suddenly decides that you are far too tired to dine with the prince tonight. You don’t wish to be stuck in the suite with her for another night, you’ll go crazy, and you can’t have the prince catching wind of any violence on your part.

“Now, remember; healthy appetite.” The Starward Matchmaker™ representative comes up behind you, playing with your still-damp hair, twisting it into something you’re sure is attractive to the driders. “There is no such thing as ‘ladylike’ here, but you must prove that you’ll be able to produce good and healthy heirs.”

You wrinkle your nose, but don’t respond.

The Starward Matchmaker™ representative tugs at your roots, causing your eyes to tear up. “And whatever you do,” her voice is low, threatening, “I will be watching. Every movement, every breath, every bite of food you dare to take. If you so much as twitch in a way I don’t like,” she pushes a pin through whatever she sculpted, taking no care to be wary of your scalp, “you will be terminated. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” Her voice turns back to that sickening cheerfulness that makes you want to wring her neck. “Turn around.”

You obey, hands flat at your sides.

“Oh,” Starward Matchmaker™ representative holds a hand over her mouth, “you look beautiful, honey! Just so,” she fans herself with her fingers, “marvelous. You’ve come such a long way in such a short time!”

You say nothing.

Read Chapter Two Here

[tawaubast]

The Big Bast-Mut Info Post

This is a cross-reference straight from my website at BastMut.org.  Please go there for up-to-date information and bibliography references.

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Bast-Mut is a syncretization of goddesses Bast and Mut, creating Bast in her role as Queen.

Labeled in reliefs as Mut-Bast, she was found in Luxor (Thebes/Karnak/Waset) in in the Karnak Temple, Amun Temple, Medinet Habu, and at Isheru lake, where Mut was prominent.  In those depictions, she appears both as a lioness-headed woman with the solar disk, and as a humanoid woman.  We know that this is her based upon the hieroglyphic inscriptions included with the imagery.

Bast-Mut and Mut-Bast are both the same deity, however, in the Kemetic Orthodoxy Rite of Parent Divination, the Name that comes first is the god that the one divined will best understand.  For the sake of continuity, and because she is my divined Mother, I will be calling her as Bast-Mut throughout the page.

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Syncretization?

Bast-Mut is still Bast, but she is also Mut.  As an example, let us say that Bast is the color Red and Mut is the color Blue.  Syncretized, they form the color Purple.  This creates a whole new color that you cannot separate.  In this fashion, she gets equal parts of both goddesses and forms it into one.  Spend some time researching both goddesses, and you'll get an idea of how Bast-Mut can be.

We can see the goddess Bast-Mut as "Mut-who-is-Bast", which gives us a more queenly and regal Bast upon Her throne.  The deity who is named first will be the exterior "shell" or the "primary," which are both in quotes because it's hard to describe and that is not really what is happening here, but it's the best way my brain wraps around them.  When in the form of Mut-Bast, this is Bast who is in the form of Mut (which could explain her humanoid appearances in the temples, but that is just another personal theory!)

In essence, they are the same goddess, but there may be differences in how Mut-Bast acts versus Bast-Mut.  As we do not yet have any divined children of the former, I have no point of reference as to which to compare.

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When to call upon the Queen

When you need some fierce motherly love.

When you want some direction, and you're in need of a gentle push to get there.

When you are in need of self-care and need a stern but loving Mother to make you do so.

When you're stuck in the past or worrying about the future, and you need a reminder to live in the moment.

When you need some gentle self-care and some help in finding joy.

When you're taking on a leadership role and need help asserting yourself.

For a boost of confidence to feel your best self.

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Working with Bast-Mut

These are my personal experiences with her, and they may differ from yours or from that of others.  However, this is a good guideline to start with if you are new or haven't met her yet.

When you first decide to introduce yourself to the Queen, it's important to be formal and respectful.  Only in spending more time and experiences with her are you allowed to loosen formalities a little.  She is warm and loving, like the sun beaming down in a caress. A nice offering goes over well, as well as honest intentions and being present and respectful in her presence.  She is Bast, a lover of joy, rich things, and perfumes, but she is Queen and more directing rather than acting. There is a regal air about her, and she tends to be more on the formal side of things.  Share your meals with her, speak your mind, and be open and honest.

In my experiences with my Mother, Bast-Mut, she is very much Mut in personality, but with Bast-flavoring and exterior.  I see her as the Royal Cat, large and in-charge, but joyful and kind.  She doesn't roll around like a playful kitten, but instead stands tall and looks into your eyes with the gentlest of smiles.  She shifts between a domestic cat and a black lioness, which I feel brings in a lot of the Mut influence as she too can be a lioness.  I've "seen" her both as a stern queen, but I've also "seen" her in a field of flowers, dancing with sistra in hand, full of light and laughter and joy.

Bast-Mut is like the sun. The warmth and glow of her love shine down and embrace you, never burning. For she is the sun gently kissing the horizon, the one you can glimpse out of the corner of your eyes, still hot and bright, but tender. Regal is her splendor that dusts the clouds in the royal hues of purple and gold. The sky glows for her.

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Click Read More for a TON more information

Disclaimer: Much of the information listed below falls under UPG, or Unverified Personal Gnosis.  These are offerings I feel she likes and other tidbits I find important towards understanding Bast-Mut.  Much of my knowledge of her comes from both personal experiences and those of others who experience her.

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Representation

Feline-headed woman with double or uraeus modii crown.

Lioness, or another big cat.

A domestic cat with cobra between her paws.

Depicted with the Solar Disk as Mut-Bast.

Shown in humanoid form as Mut-Bast.

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Patronage

Empowerment & Confidence

Self-Love

Protection

Leadership & Royalty

Living in the Moment

Inner Strength

Joy & Beauty

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Epithets

Lady of Heaven

(She) who Shines as Gold(en)**

(She) who Creates Sunbeams**

Lady of the Palace

Lady of the Great House

Lady of the Isheru Waters

Lady of All the Lands

The (Great) Young Lioness

Lady of Life

Great of Strength

She of the Beautiful Face

Lady of Red Linen**

Lady of Cobras

Lady of Joy**

The (ruling) Queen

The Daughter of Ra

The Greatly Beloved

The Greatly Feared

She of the Powerful Heart**

Lady of Food

Great of Magic

The Head of the Goddesses

(A favored selection of epithets that both Bast and Mut have in common. Translated from the LAGG by Akhytsenu.) **Denotes Extra Love

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Family

Wife of Amun-Ra

Mother of Khonsu

Mother of Mafdet (UPG)

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Offerings

Food

Dark Chocolate

High-Quality Meat

Sushi

Fruit

Bread

Cheese

Honey

Drink

Chai Tea

Catnip Tea

Cream Liqueur

Cool Water

Hot Chocolate

Stones and Colors

Lapis Lazuli

Labradorite

Carnelian

Malachite

Jade

Amber

Gold

Greens

Deep Red

Royal Purple

Scents

Sandalwood

Lotus

Vanilla

Jasmine

Cinnamon

Florals

Activities

Self-Care

Perfumery

Song and Dance

Drawing and Painting

Volunteer Work

Anything done with Passion and Love

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Bast-Mut (Mut-Bast) in the Books

"As on the east jamb of the doorway, one expects Mut with a syncretistic name for the lioness-headed goddess. If she is not simply labeled as Mw .t nb .t p .t, she could be Mut-Bastet (as on the east jamb) or Mut-Sekhmet; there is not enough space for Mut-Weret-Hekau. One notes that in the dedicatory text on the east wall in the bark shrine of Mut in the triple shrine of the Ramesside Court, Ramesses II refers to having made the monument for his mother Mut-Bastet (KRI 2, 615/16-616-1). The prominence accorded to Mut as Bastet on the east wall of the triple shrine mirrors the importance of the lioness-headed goddess in the first register scenes on the east and west jambs of the north portal of the Colonnade Hall. One may also note that the word ms survives in the words spoken by Mut-Bastet on the east wall of the Mut shrine (KRI 2, 616/6), recalling the texts accompanying the lioness goddess on pl. 149."  - Oriental Institute Publications (OIP) Vol 116

"Words spoken by Mut, lady of heaven, Bastet who resides in Asheru: "O my beloved son, lord of the two lands, Djeserkheperure-Setepenre, I am your mother.  I am giving you your suck, that you may suck from my milk, may it enter into you in life and dominion..joy...I have given to you millions of jubilee like Re."" - Oriental Institute Publications (OIP) Vol 116

"Mut the Great, Lady of Isheru, Bast, Mistress of Karnak, possessor of graciousness, sweet of love: I have given you the throne of Geb and the lifespan of Re in heaven." - Oriental Institute Publications (OIP) Vol 107

"Mut, lady of heaven, Bastet residing in Karnak, as she gives all life: I have given to you all life and dominion, all health and all joy like Re." - Oriental Institute Publications (OIP) Vol 1 Part 3