#like the trope where two people are going different directions and look forward at the last second

[monarchisms]

I’m just imagining ahwol origins Jeremy and Matt’s first meeting is when Jeremy goes to get a drink or is looking for fish to catch in the water and ends up doing this with Matt

wait, this is adorable, what the fuck

[ellemj]

Needs & Wants - Sex Pollen Trope Pt. 5

Bucky Barnes x Reader

**Read part 1, part 2, part 3, and part 4 first for the full effect.**

Summary: As the night drags on, Bucky continues helping you through the peak activity of the chemical compound that you were both exposed to.

Warnings: SMUT, unprotected sex, oral sex, profanity, sex pollen (dubcon), near-somnophilia, dry humping, praise, possessive!Bucky, use of y/n, MINORS DNI, 18+!!!

Special thanks to @littlemiss-yeehaw for helping with the warnings <3

Feel free to comment and let me know if this requires more warnings.

Word Count: 3.6k

Author's Note: I'm living for y'alls reactions to this series over the last few days. Thank you all SOOO much for the continued support and unbelievably kind words. I hope this part does something for you all, hehe. Also, I apologize for any errors you may find. I only proofread it once and I kinda half-assed it. I hate proofreading my own work.

After sleeping the longest stretch so far tonight, you wake up at 2 am with excessively sore legs and a dire need to pee. You debate for a moment whether or not it’s smart to get up, taking into account how unstable you feel as soon as you push the covers back and seat yourself on the edge of the bed. You’re beginning to realize that maybe 75% of your pain and soreness is from the chemical that’s still working in your system, while the other 25% is from having sex with a super soldier. You peek over your shoulder at the man who lays on the other side of the bed, sleeping soundly with his lips parted the tiniest bit. Something stirs deep in the pit of your stomach when you look at him. That’s new. You brush it off as being another onslaught of arousal that you’re going to be experiencing against your will. You lean over and retrieve your panties from the floor, sliding them up your legs silently. You’re sure that they’ll just end up right back on the floor, but with two loads of cum having been thoroughly fucked into you in the last few hours, you don’t want to risk anything dripping down your leg on your trek to the bathroom.

            You move slowly, pushing yourself up to a standing position and steadying yourself with a hand on the bedside table before making your way to the door. As you reach the threshold, the pain in your legs intensifies to a much less bearable level and you freeze, your right hand raising up to grip the door frame for support. You just need to make it ten feet down the hall and into the bathroom and you’ll be fine. Of course, it’s not going to go that easily for you. Has anything gone according to plan tonight? No. You hear Bucky stir behind you, the covers rustling as he awakes.

            “Where are you going?” His sleepy voice tugs at you, making you look over your shoulder again. He’s propped up on one elbow now, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and then narrowing them in your direction.

            “I have to pee. I didn’t mean to wake you.” You whisper. Why are you whispering? You’re the only two people in this house and you’re both awake now. Maybe it’s the darkness of the house making you feel like it’s supposed to be quiet hours.

            “Why are you holding onto the door frame?” He questions. It takes him less than two seconds to figure out the scene in front of him. He doesn’t know why you have to be so stubborn and insistent on doing shit yourself all the time. You’re no different in the field. Before you can answer him, he’s climbing out of bed and slipping his boxers back on. You close your eyes and sigh, not even needing to look back to know what he’s doing. Suddenly, you feel the warmth radiating off of his body behind you, then his flesh hand lands on your lower back.

            “I’m not completely useless, James.” You mutter, letting go of the door frame and taking a step forward. The pain in your thighs makes you feel as though your legs might give out with just that one step. You suck in a harsh breath and freeze for a second time.

            “Right.” If you weren’t so focused on keeping your balance and fighting back tears of agony, you’d have already shoved him away from you. He keeps his hand on your lower back, not daring to scoop you up and carry you to the bathroom like he wants to. Instead, he lets you move at your own pace down the hall. As slow as a fucking turtle. James. You’ve never called him that before. Maybe putting his dog tags around your neck reminded you that he’s called things other than just Bucky, or Barnes, or ass. He takes that as you being one step closer to giving him what he wants most tonight.

            Once you finally reach the bathroom door, he lets you step inside alone. But as soon as you move to shut the door between the two of you, he stops it with his vibranium hand.

            “The door stays open.” His tone is no different than the one that you hear him use so often in the field, the one that he uses when he thinks he can give you orders like the sergeant he is. It’s never worked on you before and it sure as hell won’t now.

            “I’m not letting you watch me pee.” You argue, trying to push the door closed again. Your efforts are fruitless, no match for his strength and his determination to keep the door open.

            “Don’t flatter yourself, I don’t want to watch. I’m going to stand out here and wait, but I don’t feel like busting down the damn door if you fall.” You almost laugh. Not wanting him to see the small smile that’s beginning to turn up the corners of your mouth, you give in and turn around, heading over to the toilet. As you face the door once more, you watch Bucky step to the side so he’s just behind the wall, giving you the tiniest bit of privacy. You relieve yourself quickly, but as you’re standing up and pulling your panties back into place, a fresh wave of stinging pain travels down your spine, making you lurch forward and grab onto the edge of the sink for support. Bucky hears your hands land on the hard granite and he hears the way your breathing quickly changes from its usual calm rhythm to a quickened rhythm of discomfort. He wastes no time stepping into the small bathroom, placing himself behind you and looking at you in the mirror.

            “What is it?” He asks, looking you over with a worried expression. Normally that worried expression would annoy you out in the field. He gets the same look when you come to the end of a firefight and he isn’t sure if you’re injured or not, or when you haven’t been responding on comms. It’s always made you feel like he thinks you can’t handle yourself. So, why now do you feel cared for?

            “Just the same shit we’ve been dealing with all night.” You answer after taking in a deep, shaky breath. Unexpectedly, his hands end up on your hips. You’re starting to get used to him doing that. Instead of his touch giving you at least some minimal relief, your pain doesn’t subside. You wonder if maybe it’s because he’s touching you over your t-shirt. Maybe skin-to-skin contact is what you need right now. “Touch me.” Your words come out as a whisper, your eyes meeting his in the reflection of the mirror. Something flashes in his eyes, something that you think must be surprise at your request. Of course you’d write it off as that. It was actually a flash of desire, as your words immediately sent all of the blood in his body rushing straight to his dick. He knows that you only asked him to touch your skin, without any ulterior motives. He knows that. It’s his dick that doesn’t get the memo. He places his flesh palm across the middle of your back, pushing you forward gently until you’re bent over the sink. Adrenaline begins coursing through your veins and anticipation warms your core. You didn’t know how much you needed this again. He fingers the hem of your shirt, stealing one more look at you in the mirror before slowly sliding it up your back. As soon as your black panties are revealed to him, he lets out a barely audible groan. He closes his eyes for a second, gathering himself, before pushing your shirt up further until it rests near your shoulders. He lets his hands run down your back now, his flesh hand warm and soft and his vibranium hand cool and soothing. You feel the stinging pain along your spine easing in the slightest as you close your eyes and lean into his touch.

            “Where does it hurt?” As he bends his upper body over yours, you feel his bare torso making contact with your back, his crotch so close to pressing against your ass. His lips tickle the shell of your ear as he speaks in the most tender yet sexually-charged tone you’ve ever heard fall from a man’s mouth.

            “My back.” You answer him promptly, the pain evident in your voice. You’re ready for whatever it is that he might do to help you. As much as you hate to say it, you’re looking forward to whatever he might do. He slides his hands up your back again, before dragging them back down just like he did before. It’s not enough for you. You wonder if it’s enough for him, and the easiest way to get an answer to your question is to arch your back a little and push your ass back against him. You feel the hard outline of his cock line up with your ass and you can’t help the giggle that sneaks past your lips. Infuriating. He finds you fucking infuriating.

            “What do you think you’re doing?” His voice is tense and you note the way the muscle along the side of his jaw is flexed. He’s quick to grip your waist, holding you still against the edge of the sink. His gaze narrows at you in the mirror and you think he looks almost bothered, but a little voice in the back of your head is screaming at you to test the waters.

            “Hmm?” You grind your ass back again, expecting him to stop you by utilizing his hold on your waist, but he simply looks down at your ass as it rubs against his boner. You can’t read his face now. Is he bothered? Turned on? Does he want to fuck again? Bucky can barely even read himself. His cock is as hard as it’s been every other time you’ve been this close to him tonight, but within his mind, he’s warring with himself. He held himself back both of the previous times that you had sex. He was careful, diluting the strength and intensity with which he fucked you. He still fully enjoyed it, in fact, it was the best sex he’s ever had. But he was scared he’d hurt you, or even worse, that he’d get so lost chasing his own relief that he wouldn’t even notice he was practically using you.

            He lets you continue your ministrations for a few seconds, watching intently as you grind against him, your back arched and your hair cascading over your shoulder. You’re so damn pretty like this that it hurts him to look at you for too long. Especially when he’s not currently inside you. He could probably stand to look at you longer if he was buried deep inside of you.

            An idea crosses his mind. Something that he hadn’t been clear-minded enough to think about either of the other two times that you had sex tonight. He wants to taste you.

First, he’s going to make you scream his name while he draws an orgasm from you with only his mouth and fingers, and then he’s going to make you moan his name while he fucks your pussy.

            “You know, you’ve been such a good girl tonight.” Oh my god. He did not just call you that. Bucky fucking Barnes did not just call you a good girl while his hard-on is pressed against your ass. The movement of your hips falters, but he watches as your cheeks begin to burn pink in the mirror and your eyes widen at his words. He’s found a weakness of yours.

You feel his fingertips slide beneath the waistband of your panties, slipping them down your legs in one deft movement. You kick them off to the side and you don’t miss the smug smile painted across his face while he watches you comply so readily. His foot moves between yours now, nudging them further apart. You fully expect him to strip off his own boxers and fuck you next. Instead, he leans forward, placing a soft kiss on your left shoulder, then your right shoulder, and then he ghosts his lips all the way down your spine. A chill runs through your body, causing goosebumps to spread across your skin. What the hell is he doing? You can’t even form the words to question him, especially not when his hands begin kneading your ass as he gets down on his knees behind you.

“What do you think you’re doing?” You steal his last question, but your voice is far more shaky and unsure than his was. Suddenly, his hands spread your ass cheeks apart and he circles the tip of his tongue over your clit. “OH MY GOD,” you cry out, completely powerless to do anything other than grip the edge of the sink and scrunch your eyes closed, your back arching even more than it was before.

“Hmm?” The sound he makes causes vibrations to run through his tongue and straight to your clit, drawing another loud moan from you. You can’t think of a single thing to say, you can’t think at all really. He eats you out like it’s the sole cure for the damn chemical that he inhaled earlier tonight.  He focuses his mouth on your clit, switching between licking and sucking at it, memorizing the way you taste. You’re seeing stars less than thirty seconds after he sunk down to his knees. Bucky. His name is the only thing in your brain. You bite down on your bottom lip with a bruising force. As you fight to hold back from moaning his name, your right hand reaches up and grasps the dog tags around your neck, running your thumb over the inscription as he pleasures you with his mouth. James B Barnes. You feel yourself getting undeniably close to your orgasm, and he must realize it because he only increases his efforts.

“Are you gonna cum for me, baby?” He taunts, reaching up and rubbing circles against your clit with his fingers as he waits for your response. You nod, but knowing he can’t see you from his current position between your legs, you choke out a breathy answer.

“I’m so fucking close, J—” You cut yourself off abruptly before you slip up and say his name.

“What was that on the end there? Go on, say it.” He eggs you on, pride flaring in his chest at the fact that you almost said his first name. He was so close to hearing it. You shake your head, more to yourself than him, refusing to open your mouth again. “I thought you were going to be a good girl for me, Y/n.” You hear him tsk beneath you and you fear he’s going to stop everything. That is, until you feel his mouth attach to your clit once more and then…

            “JAMES!” You scream his name so loud that you’re sure any enemy surveillance within a three-mile radius heard you. You couldn’t help it, you didn’t even think about it as it left your lips. He plunged two fingers into you without warning and curled them, all while flattening his tongue against your clit and giving you the most perfect, wet friction there.

You screamed his fucking name.

            Bucky was full of pride and possessiveness, and so unbelievably horny. He put everything he had into drawing an orgasm out of you with his mouth and fingers, and in the end, he had you cumming so hard that you were grinding into his mouth with your left hand behind you, gripping onto his hair. You screamed his name a total of three times before your shaking legs threatened to send you tumbling to the floor, and Bucky couldn’t stand not being inside of you anymore.

            That brings you to where you are now: bent over the bathroom sink with Bucky thrusting his cock into you from behind. His right hand is fisting your hair at the back of your head, making sure you can’t move to look at anything other than the reflection of him fucking the shit out of you. It’s as if a damn broke when you screamed his name the first time and now his name falls from your lips repeatedly as you moan and meet each of his thrusts, desperately chasing your second orgasm. He nearly comes undone when he hears a soft Bucky, please under your breath.

            “That’s it, Y/n, say my fucking name.” He groans out, his hips snapping into you a little harder as you make eye contact with him in the mirror. Your eyes are begging him to let you cum. “You wanna cum on my cock, don’t you?” He goads, that familiar, frustrating smirk taking over his features. You nod your head as he fucks into you roughly, the sounds of his skin pounding against yours only making you wetter around his cock.

            “Please, please Bucky. I need to cum.” You beg. You beg. Shit, he’s going to lose it. A deep, guttural groan is ripped from his throat as his head falls back and he moves his hands to your hips, his fingertips digging into your skin and definitely leaving bruises behind.

            “Go ahead, cum for me.” He commands, rutting into you and hitting just the right spot to send you careening over the edge. Your orgasm washes over you and sends butterflies from your stomach, down to your pussy. You clench around him so hard that his own orgasm lurches forward. “Shit, just like that, baby, take it.” He lets go inside you, filling you up with more cum than the last two rounds combined. There’s so much cum that you can feel it dripping down his shaft as he continues to slowly fuck his hard cock into you. You’re so close to begging him not to pull out. You want to ask him to just stay here like this, to let you memorize what it’s like to have him inside of you like this. You’re falling off the deep end.

---

            “Shh, I wasn’t going to wake you.” Bucky whispers against the side of your neck. You blink the sleep from your eyes, trying to remember where you are. You’re wide awake once you feel the head of his cock slipping past your folds and sliding halfway inside you.

            “Bucky…” You whimper at the unexpected penetration, closing your eyes and taking a deep breath in. Your entrance is so sore from the three other times that you’ve fucked tonight. The feel of his cock sliding in and out of you at a gentle, steady pace grounds you. He’s spoon-fucking you in bed. You both crashed after he took you from behind in the bathroom earlier, and instead of you being the first one to wake up this time, it was him. He woke up so hard and desperate to feel you again. He wanted to let you sleep as long as you possibly could, especially when you looked so comfortable and peaceful in bed next to him, but he needed to hear you say his name again. He fucks you so slowly and tenderly that you can feel every single inch of him as he takes his time with you. You lean back into him, hooking your left leg back and over his legs as he continues his work. He takes your change of position as a go-ahead and his vibranium hand travels up your side, slipping underneath your shirt and grasping one of your tits. Fuck. He hasn’t touched you there before. You moan as he does what he wants with your body, each of your orgasms building up at a leisurely pace. Something about the way he’s fucking you this time feels so much more intimate, so much more like making love. You know you should hate it. You should want to go back to the rough, near hate-sex you were having earlier tonight, but you can’t find it within yourself to change a damn thing.

            “You’re so perfect…” Bucky whimpers in your ear. He attaches his lips to the skin just below your ear. You feel his tongue on your skin, licking and then sucking far too gently to leave any visible mark. He wants to mark you up. God, he wants to mark you up. But he knows better than to let anyone find out about any of this. While Bucky is busy reminding himself not to leave any visible marks on your skin, you’re seconds away from giving him the only other thing he wanted tonight. He keeps massaging your neck, the curve of your jaw, and the shell of your ear with his lips and tongue. Without a single thought in your mind, you turn your head to him and press your lips against his. Every muscle in his body freezes, but you feel his cock twitch inside of you. You know you shouldn’t have done it, but now that you’re doing it, you can’t stop. You kiss him harder, sucking on his bottom lip and moaning against him. Bucky thinks he could cum just from this, from being inside you completely still while you kiss him. He wastes no time now, his vibranium hand tilting your chin up for him and giving him a good angle to slip his tongue into your mouth.

Fuck.

Your mouth tastes as good as your cunt.

Next Part

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[starlitmark]

Summary: You knew you were summoning one demon… you weren’t expecting two…. It just means there’s twice the fun now. Pairing: Demon!Juyeon x fem Witch!reader x Demon!Eric Tropes: supernatural/magic au Genre: smut Rating: R 18+ Warnings: language, rituals, non-human Juyeon and Eric, word “little” used in the direction of the reader Smut Warnings: dirty talk, biting, pet names, marking, oral sex (f &m receive), unprotected sex, creampies, cum play, multiple rounds Word Count: 1,803 Host Tags: @sanjoongie @thelargefrye Before You Interact February Filth Masterlist

Listen to ♡ Nightwalker by Ten

You knew damn well what you were doing. You’re the village’s resident witch. Every potion, spell, ritual, you know it. That being said, as much as you could destroy the people who live in this village with you, you choose to do good and be the healer as well. Sometimes, though, having a little fun with your practice is the best part. You’re currently in your small cottage on the edge of the village with different plants, stones, and runes around the room. You methodically move things and speak both out loud and in your mind. You kneel on the ground and throw your head back as you move your upper body in a dance-like motion, eating a few pomegranate seeds every few moments. You chant a few phrases each time you eat the seeds. 

It might not be the easiest way to get railed by someone, but who’s going to stop you from summoning a demon? You know they’ll at least do you right and make sure you cum hard. Just as you reach for more seeds, you feel a hand wrap around your wrist. You keep your eyes closed for a moment but feel your heart rate spike with anticipation.

“You called, little witch?” 

His voice is low and smooth, everything you want to hear right now. You look down at your pomegranate-stained fingers and see his hand wrapped around your wrist. He has claws protruding from the space where fingernails should be. They taper into sharp tips. They’re pressed against your skin, not enough to break your skin, but enough to leave indentations. His charcoal-colored claws and fingertips fade into his skin tone. His arm is veiny with toned muscles. Finally, your eyes find his. They’re an unnatural electric blue. A smirk grows on his face. You can see a sharp fang barely peeking out from beneath his upper lip.

“Hmm, little witch? Did you call for me?”

Your mouth is suddenly very dry, “Maybe I did.”

“Maybe? You hear that, Eric? It’s only a maybe. Guess we’ll just head back-”

“No!” You nearly shout, “No, I did. I summoned you.”

It’s only then that you process the second demon in the room. You had only meant to summon one, but you don’t see any issues with having a second to make you see stars. He has similarly colored claws and fingertips. His eyes are a fierce bright green, though. The second demon, who you assume to be called Eric, has pale blond hair with a cut you can almost compare to that of a wolf’s mane. The long, wavy hair falls forward in his face, only making his eyes more piercing through the curtain of hair. Eric tangles his claws through your hair, the sharp ends scratching at your scalp slightly. He grips your hair tightly, forcing your head back further so your eyes are forced to be locked on his.

“You want to have some fun, little witch?”

“Yes,” you breathe out, “Show me how you demons have fun.”

“Juyeon, you hear that?”

“Mm,” The blue-eyed demon hums, “Her little heart is beating so fast. You’re either terrified or excited beyond words, little witch.” 

The first demon, who is still holding your wrist, releases it to drag his claw up your arm and wrap his long, pretty fingers around your exposed throat. The tips of his claws dig into your skin in a way that makes your eyes roll back. With your eyes now shut most of the way, you can’t see the look either demon is giving you. One of them wraps an arm around your waist. Another hand starts to tug at the laces of your corset. Juyeon’s hand tightens around your throat again, and you feel someone, you assume Eric, claim your lips in a heated kiss. One of his fangs grazes against your lip, making you gasp lightly.

“As pretty as this dress is, you’re far too dressed for our liking,” Eric growls against your lips.

The awkward angle doesn’t allow you to nod, especially with his hands still tangled in your hair. Juyeon finally releases your throat, yet you still feel the phantom touch of his claws and hand against your skin. You hear the tearing of fabric followed by the feeling of claws dragging against your thighs. Eric finally releases your hair and lets you breathe for a moment. The moment doesn’t last long. You make eye contact with Juyeon and see the lust swirling in his blue eyes. He lunges forward, forcing his way between your legs, and practically devours your lips in a harsh kiss. 

Eric busies himself, tearing the rest of the fabric from your body. Soon enough, you’re entirely bare. Both men barely had clothes on to start, but they also stripped the rest of their clothing off. They have you lying out across the runes and circles you had chalked into the floor, completely spread out for them. Eric starts marking up your neck with bruises and bites while Juyeon trails his claws up and down your inner thighs again.

“Please,” you gasp when Eric bites down on a sensitive area of your skin.

“Please, what, little witch?” Eric muses against your neck, causing goosebumps to rise on your skin. 

Juyeon is now lining kisses just out of reach of where you want him. You look at Eric’s green eyes and see how his pupils nearly engulf the entirety of the fluorescent color. He smirks before sucking another mark into your skin. You tangle a hand in Eric’s long hair as his kisses and bites trail lower and finally wander across the expanse of your chest. He toys with your nipples, one with his tongue and fangs, the other with his hand. A sharp breath sounds through the room as you feel his sharp claw flick your nipple. The sensation of the sharp claw against your sensitive skin makes a gush of arousal escape your needy hole.

“You’re fucking soaked, little witch. Those pomegranates really did a number on you, huh?” Juyeon teases gently, kissing your clit before moving back to your thighs and the skin just above your pussy.

You shake your head, letting out a shaky breath, “Y-you did, fuck! E-eric, please!”

“Wouldn’t it be more fun to leave him there while I take care of your leaking pussy?”

You hear Eric growl before moving his kisses back up your throat to reclaim your lips. A loud moan rips from your throat as you feel Juyeon’s tongue finally lick a wide stripe up your pussy then suck your clit between his lips. You grind down against his face while gripping on Eric’s hair. Each one of your sounds is swallowed by him. Even as Juyeon tongue fucks you through your supernova of an orgasm, neither of them gives you a break.

Eric wraps one of his clawed hands around yours and guides it to trail down his body before resting it on his cock. You instantly wrap your hand around him and know he wants your mouth around him. You turn your head and guide his tip into your mouth. The green-eyed demon groans and forces your head down on his cock fully. You choke around him, small tears springing at the corners of your eyes as you squeeze them shut. Juyeon chuckles before you feel his bunt cock head against your entrance.

“I guess we best fuck our little witch stupid.” Juyeon muses before pushing into you.

Eric matches his tone, “She’s already so far gone just from your tongue and me fucking her mouth.”

You attempt to make some sort of noise in response, but it’s garbled with Eric’s cock still far down your throat. He pulls your head off of him fully, and you look at him with a debauched expression. Another string of moans falls from your lips as Juyeon starts to thrust into you at a rough pace.

“Whatcha think, little witch?” Eric hums, “Let us lay our claim on you?” “P- fuck– please, wanna be your cumdump, please!”

Juyeon pushes a harsh thrust into you before responding, “You heard our little witch, Eric. Let’s show her just how dumb we can fuck her.”

You find yourself tossed into at least three different positions. Juyeon cums deep inside you, only to switch places with Eric. Then on your knees, you sloppily suck Juyeon’s cock while Eric fucks the other demon’s cum back into you. It’s filthy, it’s wrong, and you fucking love it. You have bruises and bites all over your body from the harsh wooden floorboards and the attention of both men on your body.

You’re so fucked out you hardly process the sun rising outside your cottage. It’s not until Eric hisses out a curse and cums across your back. Juyeon groans, cumming all over your face, some of it landing in your hair and across your collarbones.

“Sun’s rising, little witch.” Juyeon sighs, “That’s our cue to go.”

You whine, “Do you need to?”

Eric laughs lightly, “What, you wanna hang off our cocks for the rest of your living days?”

“And dead days if I can.” You smile with a challenging glance.

Juyeon wipes a bit of cum away from your lip and kisses you lightly.

“If you really want, we’ll come back nightly.” He offers, “We have our own duties to attend to in our world.”

You pout, “Every night? Promise?”

“Promise,” Eric confirms, rubbing comforting circles into your hip, “For now, you should go down to the river and wash up. You look a right mess, little witch.”

Juyeon kisses your hair, “See you after sunset, little witch.”

As if on cue, a knock comes to your door. It’s likely one of the villagers looking for a remedy tea for the sickness that’s been cycling recently. You turn to look for your two demons to see they’re nowhere around. You sigh sadly before finding a dressing gown and a heavy fur house coat to toss over your body until you can make your way to the river later. On your way to your front door, you wipe your face and hair as best you can. Opening the door, you see one of the women of the village.

“Good mor- Oh my! Did you come down with a new illness, miss? Were you attacked in the night?” She worries.

Your neck, you forgot how aggressive your demons were with their marks.

You shake your head, “No, I’m fine. Just some rituals and remedies I was making overnight.”

She didn’t need to know what rituals you were doing or what exactly you were remedying. You have to fight a smirk from growing on your face. Just get through the day. Get through the day, and then you can get yet another release from your handsome demons.

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[staytinyville]

LALALA

↣ Summary: You thought your dreams were always odd. But when you wake up in different worlds you start to wonder what was real and what was fake. 

↣ Characters/Pairing: Stray Kids x Reader, Felix x Reader

↣ Genre: Action

↣ AU/Trope info: multiverse, Stray kids Lore

↣ Word Count: 2.9k

↣ Warnings: nosebleeds, like two curse words

↣ A/N: This isn't beta read. I got a prequel to this. Y’all want to read it? Might even do a part 2 lol.

Staytinyville’s Permanent Taglist

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You glanced around the auditorium with a bored expression. You were sitting between some parents, a yawn threatening to spill out your mouth. You shuffled in your seat for a moment, trying to get comfortable in the metal chair but it seemed impossible with how the shoulders of those next to you seemed to touch you. 

When a marching band of children began to walk out on the stage, you turned your attention to them. There were eight of them, each with different instruments and blue suits that made you giggle at how cute they looked. They got into position, ready to begin playing their music. 

You leaned back, waiting for the kids to start. However they just stood still, looking out into the crowd with blank faces. You frowned, moving to sit up again as you looked around. The crowd seemed to only watch the kids with blank faces as well, not daring to move an inch. 

Turning back to look at the kids, your eyes went wide when you spotted a group of masked men standing behind each of the kids, your breath getting caught in your throat. You stood up from your chair, making it fall back from the thrust. You gasped, choking on air as you climbed over the people in your way towards the exit. 

Looking behind you, your throat closed up as the masked men moved between the kids making their way closer to you. It felt like a dream, like your head was underwater and you had no idea where it was you were. 

But like a wisp that drifted through your mind, you began to hear a sound. It was music coming from the back of the room.

“Just feel the rhythm of the world ’cause we will make it rock. Twist, turn and roll, throw yourself out there. Face all the noise of the world.”

You felt your body turn cold, liquid dripping down from your nose. Reaching a hand up to touch it, you pulled back to see it was blood running down. When you looked back up at the music you watched as in the dark something glitched in the walls.

The sound was coming from that direction, distorted as an image began to appear. Taking a look behind you, a scream fell from your lips when the masked men were rushing forwards towards you. Without thinking you ran forward towards the glitching wall. 

You stopped just before it, turning around as you grew scared of going through whatever kind of portal that was in the wall. But it seemed you didn’t have a choice. Not when one of the masked men reached out for you causing you to take a step back. But instead of hitting the wall, you tripped on your own feet and suddenly felt yourself free falling. 

It wasn’t a long drop, just enough to have you groaning from the impact–almost as though you fell from a bed. The blow was softened though because you landed on someone. Whoever it was, they seemed to have passed out from the hit. 

When you raised your head, you noticed it was two people you had fallen on. Their heads were smashed into the marble flooring, making you huff as you shuffled backwards and off the offenders. They had clown masks on, guns in their hands.

When you shuffled along the floor, you hit someone else causing you to turn around. The boy looked at you with wide eyes, hands tied behind his back. Your own eyes went wide as you realized who it was you were staring at. 

“Han Jisung?” You called out, causing the rest of the tied up group to whip their heads towards you. “What the shit? Am I dreaming?”

“Tie her up.” You were suddenly lifted up and shoved between the members of your favorite k-pop group.

“I will cut you.” You sneered at the masked clown man. 

Turning your head, you noticed it was Seungmin and Felix they dropped you next to.You tried to kick your feet, but the man shoved his pistol in your forehead, causing you to shut up. 

“You didn’t cut them.” You turned to your right looking around Felix, finding Lee Know who spoke to you.

“Do I look like I have a knife?” You retorted. 

You struggled a bit in your ropes, getting a feel for your body. Everything felt real but for some reason your body didn’t comprehend where it was your mind was going. You could feel everything touching your skin, feel every hit and bump but it took you a while to react to it. It felt like you were underwater once more, trying to swim in thick waves that were holding you down. Like everything was real but at the same time it wasn’t.

“I have to be dreaming.” You huffed, feeling Felix reaching out for your fingertips. 

You turned to look at him, watching as his eyes sparkled as he looked at you. You furrowed your eyebrows, tilting your head in confusion. There was a pain in your heart, like you wanted to cry after seeing him. Like it was finally right to be next to him. 

“This isn’t a dream.” He told you calmly, fingers finally touching yours and wrapping them together. 

“Kick me.” You blurted out, not believing that Lee Know was speaking to you that way. 

“Why would we do that?” Hyunjin threw over his shoulder, trying to turn to look at you. 

“So I know I’m not dreaming.” You spoke.

“I’m not doing that—” Felix began but stopped when you felt pain on the side of your thigh.

“Ah!” You jumped, scooting closer to Felix with a pout as you turned to the person who kicked you.

“Seungmin!” Changbin gasped from the boy’s other side, slapping him the best he could with his arms tied behind him. 

“They said to kick them.” Seungmin snorted. “I don’t discriminate.”

“This is real.” You gasped out, your breath turning ragged as you realized you were in the presence of your favorite idols. “What the fu—”

“Language.” Bang Chan gasped. 

“I was just scolded by Bang Chan.” You squeaked. 

“You’re a fan?” I.N called from behind you, glancing around at the others in the group. 

“Is it obvious?” You snorted. “But what are we doing here?” 

You looked behind you, trying to come face to face with the other four members of Stray kids but frowned when you noticed a school bus stuck in the wall of the building. Taking the moment to finally look around your surroundings, you realized you were in a bank. 

“Wait.” You spoke up, finally coming to the realization. 

“What?” Lee Know asked. 

“This is a movie.” You frowned, finally noticing recognizing the clown masks around you. 

“The Dark Knight.” Han grinned to himself, happy to have been the first to find the reference. 

“I’m Batman.” Felix spoke with his deep voice, giggling to himself afterwards. 

“No.” You shook your head, wiggling harder to try and get out of your restraints. “Gotta get out of this or we die.” You looked around for the real joker, but frowned when you couldn’t find him. 

Looking around once more, you noticed how the boys were calm over the whole thing, only moving just a bit. When you looked back up your eyes went wide at the figures who were coming closer to you. You could easily recognize them as the masked figures from the auditorium. 

You began to gasp, wiggling backwards and onto the boys who were behind you. 

“We won’t.” Seungmin told you. “We have you.”

“Me?” You frowned. 

“You’re the main character here.” Felix told you softly. “And we are your team.”

You watched as he suddenly went free from the restraints, coming to a stand as he helped you up. The others were quick to break free as well, quickly rushing forward and away from the thugs who had taken notice of the 9 of you leaving towards the bus.  

“How was it that easy!?” You gasped out, hands till tied together but in front of you this time. 

“Let’s get going, Cheats.” Felix interlocked your hands, pulling you along and towards the bus.

“Felix!” Bang Chan called as he shoved the door to the bus open.

Your breath got caught in your throat as you noticed the glitching within your eyes. It was like the wall in the auditorium. Felix had let go of your hand, moving forward in order to be the first to go through. Turning around when you heard a scream, your eyes went wide as you finally noticed the Joker rushing towards you. 

This wasn’t in the movie when he threw his mask to the ground and licked his lips menacingly. The 8 figures who were behind him were also for sure not in the movie as they started to rush towards you. They ran past the joker who pulled on the string that you knew was connected to the grenade. 

“Let’s get going before we blow up.” Turning you were suddenly thrown forward towards the glitching bus door by Bang Chan. 

Just as you passed through whatever portal that was, you closed your eyes from the loud bang that was heard but suddenly it came to stop midway. When you opened up your eyes again, you were found with all 8 members looking down at you as they checked on you. 

“All good?” Changbin asked, hands on his knees as he bent over you. 

You hummed, nodding your head quickly. When you sat up, Lee Know moved forward to take off the rope from your hands. You watched him quietly, looking up to meet his eyes. He gave you a smile, causing you to blush. 

When you stood up, you looked around your surroundings to find yourself in what you thought was an old ship. It was the captain's quarters by what you assumed with the maps and trinkets laying around. 

“Where’s the door?” You heard Han ask. 

“I don’t know.” Hyunjin moved to open the door, and suddenly all you heard were loud shouts and canon fires. 

The boys all shuffled out, Felix grabbing your hand to make sure you were in between them all. Walking out onto the deck, you ducked as someone seemed to come swinging from the ropes around your head. 

“Where are we!?” You screamed over the noise. 

“Look like Sea of Theives.” Felix answered you, the others nodding along. 

“The game?” You frowned, looking over at him. 

“I found the door!” Lee Know shouted, looking over the railing.

You were suddenly shoved towards the edge of the boat, coming across the plank. They stopped for a moment, Lee Know at the front making sure that it was in fact the door to the next world they were looking at.  

“Will someone please tell me what’s going on!?” You screamed. 

“You have to wake up, Cheats.” Felix told you softly. “Gotta remember us.”

“Remember you?” You whispered, looking over his face.  

“Guys, it’s the Vultures.” Han yelled, pointing at the masked men who had been chasing you. 

You furrowed your eyebrows when it was only 6 people this time, seemingly having lost two of their comrades. As they tried to rush closer to your group, two of them were swept away by the fighting pirates effectively leaving the group behind. 

“Jump!” Bang Chan screamed, grabbing onto your hand as they all jumped in simultaneously. 

“I don’t know how to swim!” You screamed, mouth falling shut and eyes closing as the water quickly came at you full force. 

“Cheats, you gotta open your eyes to drive!” 

Your eyes snapped wide open, screaming when a vehicle seemed to be heading in your direction. You quickly swerved the wheel just barely hitting the side and almost tipping over. Your breathing turned harsh once more as the dry desert was all you could see for miles on end. 

The red hue made your eyes hurt and you could feel the sand getting into your lungs. The car felt heavy as you tried to work the wheel and press your foot on the gas pedal to go faster. 

“Where are the Vultures!?” Hyunjin shouted. 

“Found them!” I.N shouted, pointing towards another vehicle that was riding up next to your own. 

You tried not to make a face at the weird haircuts the people driving had or their odd steampunk attires. But looking at the way their car was enforced you realized it was the MadMax world you were currently in. 

You flinched when a loud bang came from above you, turning to find Lee Know and Seungmin armed with guns and firing at the other people. Two bodies fell from the vehicle, you looking back to see it was more of the masked men who were following you. When you looked up, there were only two men left who were after you. 

“The door is over there!” Bang Chan shouted. 

Without much thought, you quickly turned the wheel, finally concluding that whatever those doors were, it was where you move on to the next movie or game or whatever. You didn’t want to take another moment in the barren world where people were after you. So you practically flipped the car over, falling into the glitching image in the mountains. 

Looking up, you found yourself back in the auditorium sitting between the same people once more. Glancing up at the stage, you came to stand when you noticed it wasn’t the little kids in marching band uniforms. This time it was all the members of Stray Kids, all standing with the instruments and waiting to play.

You tried to crawl over the people in your way to reach them, but fell onto your stomach as they disappeared. You tried to get back up but someone stepped on your back causing you to grunt and fall back to the ground. 

“You’re your own villain.” A distorted voice spoke, leaning closer to your ear. “Look at what you’ve done.” It sneered at you.

“I didn’t do anything.” You cried, tears falling down your cheeks and onto the floor. 

“You dropped those people into ruins.” They told you. “You are too powerful. You must be destroyed.”

You felt the pressure lift off you, but you screwed your eyes together as something began to press onto your head. A sob left your lips as you thought this was going to be the end for you. 

But just like at the beginning of this whole trip, music began to ring out through the whole auditorium. This time it was loud and pounding. It demanded attention and vibrated everything around.

“Rock and roll, we dancing 'til we fall. No stopping, here we go. 24/7, keep it going on…”

The pressure in your head suddenly disappeared as the song continued, but still the tears continued to fall. You felt liquid falling down your nose again, red dots falling onto the ground as you tried to raise your body. 

As the song continued to get louder, you felt your body finally coming back to you. It was familiar now, the song that you would listen to all the time as the voices of the members brought you to somewhere you couldn’t explain. 

It was your anchor.

A hand was held in front of you. Looking up, you came across Felix, the rest of the members standing behind him as they all looked at you with kind eyes. They were all filled with emotions you didn’t know you could witness. Emotions that made you want to cry all over again from the familiarity behind them.

One by one, the members all gave Felix a look before turning to leave. When you got to your knees, Felix was left alone with his hand stretched out towards you. 

“It’s time to wake up, Cheats.” Felix told you softly. “We gotta go home now.” 

“Home?” You whispered softly, your blood drying up on your nose now.

“They’re waiting for us.” He said, referring to the other boys. “Let’s go home.”

Looking at his hand that was waiting for you, you reached up fingertips touching the center of his palm. After that you felt the large pressure on your mind disappear. 

It was cold where they had you but you could feel your body moving within someone’s hold. Your eyes felt heavy but you were able to flutter them open just enough to be met with the ceiling. Your head hanged off someone’s arm, vision blurry as it focused in on what you assumed to be a prison room. 

“Lixie?” You swallowed thickly, looking up at the freckled boy who had a small smile on his face. 

You heard shuffling coming from around you, making your turn. You found the other boys giving you bright smiles, happy to see that you were finally looking at them. You took note of how much they had matured from the last time you saw them. How much tougher they looked after such a hassling adventure. 

“Hey, Cheats.” Felix spoke softly. 

“Your mind is a very wild thing.” He laughed. 

“That’s why I have you to keep me sane.” You smiled, moving a shaky hand up to his cheek. 

Looking around at the other boys who chuckled to themselves, you grinned thinking about how they had been idols in the world you had spent so long in. 

“You guys going to give me my own concert now?”

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[drthighs]

"is it?" d.r

wedding!daniel ricciardo x reader

attending to a wedding alone was not on your plan, but the guy in dark green tuxedo made it all more fun

wordcount: 2.4k

warnings: kinda cheating trope

A/N: this fic is based on the movie "the worst person in the world", it took me so long to finish it and im still not satisfied with the result but i wanted you guys to read it! also it is inspired by @mignonricciardo, @vroomvroommbtch, @silverstonesainz and @monzamash amazing writings. i hope you enjoy it <3 english is not my first language.

weddings were one of your favorite plans, celebrating other people's love while  dancing, eating and having some drinks was always fun. you enjoyed everything, looking for dresses, getting your makeup done and all it took. but this time was different and it wasn't as exciting as other times. your boyfriend was on a family trip so would have to attend alone to a place where you didn't know anyone but the bride and the groom. they were good friends of yours, jack was your coworker and after a year you had bonded so well with him and his fiancé, you went on double dates and had a blast every time it was the four of you, but a couple of months ago your relationship with your boyfriend started to collapse, leading to fights almost everyday for any reason so when he told you that he wasn't coming to the wedding you felt some relief, you wouldn't have to be pretending the whole ceremony, but it was a whole new experience, out of your comfort zone. 

the ceremony was beautiful and you arrived just in time so the other guests wouldn't see that you were alone and it was a good idea because you didn't have to talk to anyone, stayed quiet and didn't miss any detail. the bridal veil, the rings, the vows and the kiss, it looked like a perfect movie scene with the sunset behind them and all their families and friends. 

the party was another story, the part when everybody started to socialize was about to start so before facing all that you went straight to the bar and asked for a martini, knowing that it’ll give you the confidence that you were lacking to confront the night. 

you were looking for a gloss in your purse when you heard “sorry to bother but do you know where the bathroom is?” looked up and saw a guy in front of you, trying his best to go unnoticed but it was kind of a hard mission since he was the only one wearing a cap, a lilac hoodie, black sweatpants and vans plus a backpack on his right shoulder and a hanger covered with a bag on his left hand. 

“i think it is that way” you said while pointing to your right and drank the coctel. he thanked you and walked to the signed direction.

The hall was beautiful, it was very nicely decorated with fairy lights on the ceiling and the tables decorated with a flower vase with garden roses, lisianthus and eucalyptus and the number three on top indicating the number of the table, the tableware tidy and some lighted candles. 

after finishing your drink you went to your table. there were four people sitting and chatting when you stepped forward, greeted and sat two chairs away from them, wanting to be far away from the conversation and avoiding any type of questions. in matter of time another two couples seated on the left chairs leaving an empty one beside you, at first you thought that they must forgot that your boyfriend wasn’t coming but when you were looking for someone to tell them about the error but suddenly the guy from before was taking a seat next to you, now dressed in a dark green tuxedo, his curls wet and the same pair of black vans that he was wearing before, you smiled at that, a couple of minutes ago you had thought that he was part of the staff but now he was sitting in the same table as you, looking so different. 

he cleared his throat and lean closer to you “i hope not everyone notices that i'm wearing vans on a elegant dress code wedding”

you smiled at him. now under more lights you could see how handsome he was, his eyes were big and brown, but not dark and had long eyelashes, dimples on his cheeks, a couple of days beard and mustache. but his nose was what made his face so unique and attractive. His hair was also a great factor, shorter at the sides and long brown curls on top. you were kind of amazed by him. 

“i think that gives the touch to your outfit” said quietly so the others couldn't hear.  he laughed and was about to say something else when the music started making you look at the entrance. 

after the bride and the groom danced the vals, the first course came in and while eating the man next to you poured you some wine and started to talk with him. Now being more relaxed about being alone you opened up to him a little. “wait, you weren't  supposed to be here alone tonight?” he asked, you shook your head and swallowed the food, he raised his eyebrows and swallowed the liquid in his mouth “and why is there only you here?” “my boyfriend is away on a family trip so i had no choice other than come alone and make friends here” he smiled and you sipped from your glass “well, if it makes you feel better i'm kind of in a similar situation” he pricked the food with his fork “because of my job i travel a lot so it was a coincidence that i was here for a little of time and  the plane tickets were sold out so my girlfriend couldn't come”. 

later that night you found yourself  so fonded at the man beside you, he wasn't only good looking but he was so funny, anything that you'd say he would find a way to turn it into something unexpected and funny. 

don't really know how you ended up taking a masterclass of wine with him while everyone else was dancing, but by now you had learned that he had released a couple of wines and was a good taster, so you followed all the steps he explained to you, the right way to open a bottle, how to serve it, how to drink it, what to taste and his favorite part how to swirl the glass. “how do i look?” you said as you moved your glass on the table “good, you're fast learner” he said now taking a sip of his own “well thanks, but i think i like the part when we drink it more” he raised the glass in a way of agreeing with you. 

the tension between you started growing. for you it was the way that his adams apple kept moving as he explained things to you and how his lips would turn into a smile showing perfect teeth and his dimples on his cheeks. maybe the alcohol was having an effect on you. and you could say it was mutual, because you didn't miss how he had checked you out and he smiled proud of his jokes every time you laughed

after the wine glasses and talks he was now your best friend. now seated in bar stools , looking for new cocktails to try and playing a new game he had teached you. 

throwing assumptions and judging the people by their movements and looks 

 “i think she works in a pet shop store” you said serious “no she doesn't” he said frowning , “of course she does, look at her hair, she's has those tiny ponytails that they do on sharpays” and he laughed so hard that some people around you turned to you making you giggle. 

“its your turn now” you said looking at him, the still stranger was looking for a new prey. now while he was concentrated you took a look at him, with the color lights from the dance floor reflecting on his face and his hands scratching his beard concentrated watching how the guests danced at the djs music, he looked beautiful, and now you knew that it was the alcohol effect mixed with you falling out of love with your boyfriend. 

while looking at him you reached your hand to grab the cup but unintentionally dropped it making a mess on the high table, your legs were covered in sticky vodka, tonic water and red berries. the cold made you gasp and he turned fast to look at you and helped you by grabbing some tissues and putting them in your thighs, looking down at the liquid running thru your legs you couldn't help but stop wiping the table and look at his hands on your skin, his hands were big and his fingers long,  had a little 3 on his little finger, and was wearing a horse shoe ring on his index. the feeling of his touch on your inner thighs and the amount of alcohol that you had drank made you laugh, he raised his head and looked at you confused with a smile on his lips “i think i should go to the bathroom”, “yeah sure, i'll go with you i have to wash my hands” he said not before grabbing the beer bottle and walking behind you.

the bathroom was occupied so you were in a narrow hallway waiting for your turn to go in. standing before him and close to his body, face to face. 

the music was low making everything more intimate and you wanted to check if he was actually on the same page as you, “nothing’s going to happen” he shook his head “no, of course not”. “i’m in love with someone” you said, looking into his eyes. “me too” he agreed and continued “and i cant stand cheating. i’ve been there. never again” you nodded “right. cheating is…” “no good” he followed.

less than a meter between you and you asked “but where do you draw the line?” he smiled and shook his head before answering seriously “you can feel it”. “if i do this…” you got closer to him and took the bottle from his hands taking a sip in front of him while he looked straight into you “is that cheating?” you returned it to his hands and he held it “no” he said now drumming the glass of the bottle with his fingers, you stood there “what about this?” he got closer, making you lean on the wall behind you still looking into his eyes with your hands on your back. your faces inches away, you held your look into his eyes “no, that's permissible” you said smiling “is it?” he asked now as he raised his right hand to caress your bare shoulder. you weren't expecting it so you stood straight and he parted. 

you were playing with fire now.

you were still looking at his eyes when the door opened and a girl walked out of the bathroom. you make a few steps when you hear him behind you “is it cheating if i go inside with you” you laughed and held the door open for him to come inside, he left the bottle of beer on the counter and turned to look at you as you pulled down your panties and sat on the wc “there's nothing sexual about this” he said still looking at you, “not at all, is just a little awkward” you said now taking your hands to your face and trying to contain the laugh. he doesn't even try and suddenly your laughs are bouncing off the walls. 

you were both now on the dance floor, dancing to some old hits. he had great moves, not the best ones that you've seen but not the worst ones either. 

you raised your arms to the ceiling while singing when you felt his hands on your waist, getting you closer to him “is this still cheating?” he said closer to your ear so you could hear. “i dont think so” you rounded his neck with your arms “is this?” you whispered and he shook his head making you smile and swing with him and you stayed there with your head laying on his shoulder. 

the bride had dragged you to the dance floor, gathering all the ladies for the bouquet toss and while everyone else was on the first row, fighting for the best place to catch the flowers you stood on the back looking at the man in green in a green tuxedo, you were shrugging your shoulders miming at him “i'm not ready for this” when the bouquet fall right in front of your heels and the bride went straight into your arms hugging you so hard. He started clapping and you could only hear his laugh louder than the music

“congratulations, you're the next to walk down the aisle” the man said walking by your side in the backyard under the moonlight. “im sure im going to be the last one between everyone else” he put his hands on his pockets, you hugged your arms because of the cold weather and took a seat on the wooden bench leaving the flowers on your lap “you never know” you smiled and looked at the white flowers when he took the bouquet and started to cut some tiny flowers and putting them on your hair, you turned to him, now sitting in front of each other closely, you cut one and put it on top of his right ear. “the purple matches your eyes” you caressed his soft curls and he put one of his hands on your thighs while looking at you. “i think you're so cute with this crown made of flowers” he led his hand to your cheek and got closer to you, making you feel the warm breath at the corner of your lips but the sudden noise of some drunk guys made you part, leaving a bitter taste in your mouth.

after saying goodbye to jack and his now wife you were both walking on the street side by side in silence, but it wasn't awkward it felt natural to you. once on the street corner he said “i'm going this way” pointing to his right and stopping his steps “okay” you said in front of him, but not moving anywhere, not wanting to leave him “what's your name?” he bit his tongue “y/n” you left out and he nodded “im daniel. daniel…” “dont say it” you shook your head “why not?” he said confused “ill find you in social media and…” “good thinking” he kept his eyes on you “okay” he smiled “bye” you said. “bye” he replied, turning around and taking a few steps but then stopped and looked at you again. “we didn't cheat” he said loudly “no” you were walking to the left“not at all” he was crossing the street “no” shook his head “bye” you said before walking slowly to your car, leaving daniel behind.

[arvensimp]

*as if I’m ordering food at a drive thru* Can we get a fuckin uhhhhhhhhhh

Nsfw where Arven gets jealous of someone talking to y/n (fem or nb preferred!), so he does that whole passionate, steamy, borderline-rough “you’re mine” sex trope? 👉🏼👈🏼

You're lucky the jealous arven machine ain't broke lmaooo.

I was going to make this a pt 2 to green eyed tera type then I saw the nb/fem preferred. And... I was a little torn. I definitely am going to do a pt 2 to that drabble (someone else did already put that request in in my inbox as well!) I hope you don't mind if I give us a different person for Arven to get jealous about haha. I hope you don't mind if I do lean fem with this, too.

--

Different Kinda Jelly

Arven x fem!reader

Nsfw, vaginal sex, very slight dubcon themes (someone attempting a kiss and it becomes a cheek kiss), also some breeding kink? Sorry that's kinda where it ended up I hope you don't mind!!

--

So...you might be in a teensy bit of danger. Just a little bit. In a fun way!

But still danger.

It started with a request from La Primera to attend a tournament in Galar on her behalf. Basically you were supposed to represent rising talent and battling culture in Paldea, yadda yadda yadda. Super cool. Love it. Free trip to Galar!

You had a great time, honestly. You met some really great people and had a ton of fun battling and learning about new and different pokemon, even if there was often a language barrier.

The issue was because of a certain former top champion you met.

See, Leon was a charmer from the moment he greeted you in the lobby of the tournament's hotel with a gleaming smile and a delicious accent in broken Paldean. He'd told you how impressed he was with the videos he'd seen of your battles and how he looked forward to thoroughly thrashing you in front of everyone. He also offered to give you a tour of the area, as was apparently one of his duties as a native to the region.

Your agreement couldn't come fast enough, but the steadying hand on the small of your back as he spoke to you didn't hurt either.

The trouble got worse when you learned that apparently Leon was "pants with directions" and got the two of you lost several times the following day, leading to several public snafus with folks taking pictures of their beloved former champion and some mysterious foreigner at some of Galar's "hottest date destinations!"

The headlines were apparently terribly scandalous, but they were in a language you didn't particularly feel like translating.

However, Penny's a native Galarian and had no problem sharing with Nemona and Arven.

You spent 2 hours the following evening explaining the whole thing to Arven over the phone and how the whole thing was very clearly a misunderstanding, particularly on Leon's part. Nothing happened, and you were fully intending to beat the snot out of Leon in the competition the next day to make it up to Arven.

Then the next day came, and you met Leon on the pitch. You hadn't been able to see him before because of competition regulations or something, but when you met in the middle to shake hands, this man did a full bow and kissed your hand in front of the stadium and all the cameras.

Your face heated up, and you pulled your hand away as gracefully as you could while maintaining decorum for the public.

"Looking forward to our battle, love!" Boy, he got familiar with the pet names awfully fast.

"Looking forward to taking your charizard out of the sky!" You replied with a cheeky grin that hopefully came off as appropriately cocky for the crowds without causing scandal for your region.

In the end, your terastalized tinkaton was able to knock his lizard to the ground and pummel it, resulting in your victory.

You thought Leon might lose it for a moment, but it seemed like he'd only gotten better at dealing with defeat over time. When you met again in the center of the pitch, and you extended your hand, he took it...only to fully dip you for the crowds, causing them to gasp in surprise.

You yelped, and as he went in for a kiss for the cameras, you turned your face just in time, so that he planted one firmly on your cheek instead.

When he let you back to your feet, you both smiled and waved to the crowds before departing.

Backstage your phone had already blown up with texts from all of your friends, and you were already lamenting the roaming fees.

You called Arven first and he picked up before the first ring even finished.

"Are you kidding me?! Who does this guy think he is?"

"I'm about to go let him down. Officially, I guess? I didn't think this needed to happen. Something must have seriously been miscommunicated. I'm sorry you had to see that. Please please please believe me. I don't know what's going on in his head."

"Do you even understand how much this hurts me?"

"I don't. I couldn't, but I can imagine it, and I'm really sorry. I hope you saw how I was trying to avoid it all."

"...I guess..."

You heard a knock at the door to your locker room.

"Listen, Arven. I love you, and I'll be home soon, but I've got to go now. I'll call you back as soon as I can, okay?"

"'Kay. I love you, too."

You hung up and found Leon at the door waiting for you, leaning against the frame with arms crossed and a smile on his face.

"You really gave me a lashing out there, love. Good show!" He said as he made his way into the space.

"Uh....yeah..." You replied as you started to fiddle with the bottom of your jersey.

"So..." He spread out on the sofa like a purrloin.

"Leon...." You started. "What happened?" You asked in Galarian. "Outside?"

"On the pitch?" He gestured. "Just some fun! For the cameras! They love a love story, yeah? Those headlines were top news! It's great for the tournament, too. You're a bit shy though, yea? I'm sorry, love. I should've asked. Sorry." He at least had the decency to look properly sorry.

You frowned. "I...have a boyfriend. In Paldea."

Leon looked like he'd been smacked. "What?! Why didn't you say?"

You tilted your head to the side, trying to formulate a response, then typed one into a translation app on your phone which basically amounted to. "I didn't think it needed to be explained! You never asked?"

Leon at least had the decency to look sorry. He also pulled out a translation device when he realized his thoughts might be too complex for his simple Paldean. He apologized for not realizing that his actions could have been misconstrued the other day and then jumping the gun so publicly today. He genuinely seemed apologetic, so you accepted, on the condition that he also confirmed with Arven that you didn't do anything wrong.

So there in the locker room, you filmed former champion Leon apologizing to your boyfriend for attempting to kiss you on international television.

However, it seemed that all was not entirely forgiven. Galar's headlines forgot about you the moment you lost the tournament to some Kantonian named Red, but Arven?

Arven's a different story.

You're currently sitting on your bed, waiting for Arven to get back to your place, antsy with nerves. You know he's not actually mad because you know he knows you didn't do anything wrong.

But still. You feel bad to have been involved in him feeling bad. You love him.

That doesn't change the fact that you jump a bit when you hear the door open and Arven call your name.

"I-I'm upstairs!" You reply, your voice quivering.

He wastes no time making his way to the bedroom. You stand to give him a kiss, but he skillfully dodges you.

"Welcome back," He says with an even tone, but his eyes are dark.

"I really missed you..." You offer weakly.

"Oh, I know you did." He says, as he starts circling you, not unlike a veluza, almost predatory. "It seems you had a hard time being alone without me, didn't you?"

"Arven, you know I--"

Arven pulls you in close to him, gripping you by the waist and the back of the neck. "Would it have been better if I was there with you? Made sure to keep all those other guys away from my dearest treasure?"

"I-I..."

"I know you're a capable person and all... But you're just so...sweet..." His thumb at your neck rubs circles into the skin there. "Trusting... Maybe I should've tagged along. Kept them all away from you. Showed them who you belonged to, yeah?"

"O-Oh..." You feel your knees buckle a bit, but Arven's grip keeps you upright and secure. He can tell the effect this is having on you though because he smirks and leans in close to whisper hotly in your ear.

"Strip and get on the bed for me, will you?"

You do as you're told, with Arven watching you carefully. Only once you're dutifully in place does he also strip and move to straddle you.

"See here's the thing." Arven tells you as he leans in close, kissing along your neck and jawline. "I know you're a good girl."

The praise makes you whimper without even thinking.

"See?" He laughs softly, darkly. "Like that. I imagine all those other folks out there can tell that about you, too. They want to swoop in and steal you away from me..."

"N-No, Arven..." You whimper pathetically in protest.

"You wanna be with me, don't you, my sweetest?" He asks between hot, biting kisses along your collarbone while one of his hands snakes up to squeeze at your breasts.

"O-of course! Only you!" You reply, hooking a leg over his hips to draw him in closer to you.

Arven moves up to take your mouth in a searing kiss as he grinds his hardness against you. When he eventually moves away to pepper more bites along your neck, he mumbles into your skin. "Maybe I could mark you up...leave you with little marks all along this pretty neck... Show the world that you're mine. Would you like that?"

Your reply comes only as a pathetic whine and nod while your fingers thread through his soft hair.

"I'll take that as a yes then..." Arven replies with a soft chuckle.

As he starts working on dotting your clavicle with hickies, one of his hands goes to unhook your leg from his hips, letting your knees splay open. His fingers deftly move to the growing wetness between your thighs.

"Hmm... Already soaked like this?" He tuts in faux mocking. "Such a needy thing... Guess I have no choice but to take care of you."

You wantonly grind against his fingers as his thumb works glorious circles around your clit, bringing you to a stunning completion in a matter of about a minute that has your thighs quaking while you chant his name like a mantra.

"That's right, sweet thing... You know who you belong to, don't you..." He murmurs, gathering wetness from your folds to lube up his cock. "You're mine." He says as he thrusts into you in one fluid motion that has you choking on an inhalation. It's a little rough, but nothing he knows you're not already comfortable with. It's the same with the pace he sets as he fucks into you.

You do your best to match his thrusts from below, but when he catches on to your movement he pauses. "Ah, ah, ah... Not this time." He says before hefting your knees over his shoulders. The new angle makes for a rougher fuck that hits the most delicious places inside of you.

"I wanna fuck you so hard you never even think of another man. You hear me?"

"Y-yeah..."

"Yeah?" His hips stutter a bit. "You like that?" You nod because you know if you open your mouth the only thing to come out would be stupid moans.

"Good. I'm gonna keep fucking you like this. Make sure all the world knows you're mine. F-fuck... Maybe if I knock you up, everyone else'll get the h-hint!"

That was new. Not something expected or discussed prior, but it did something to you, and Arven clearly noticed.

"Holy f-fuck, that got a rise out of you, didn't it? You got so much, nngh, tighter...Sh-shit.... I'm close. Just...." It only takes a few more thrusts before he cums hard and deep inside you. A moment later, he's let your legs go, and then he's collapsed onto the bed beside you.

"Uh... Sorry for the roughness." He pants. "And, uh, the other thing."

Still entirely blissed out, you look back at him. "Hm? It's okay... I dunno... Maybe I should go to other regions more often..."

[starseneyes]

Chenford REWIND - Lucy Chen / Tim Bradford - The Rookie - Season 3 Eps 7 & 8

I had a request for Episode 8, but that would mean 7 was living in a bubble without a real anchor. So, I decided to pair these two together for a two-fer.

I also realized that by getting these two written up, I'll have finished an entire season. Huzzah!

SPOILER ALERT: Standard warning applies. Please don't click the "Keep Reading" and expect not to get spoiled. I'm going to spoil these episodes (and everything that came before) to pieces. I do try to write these without foreknowledge, just so you're aware.

Kosher? Cool. Let's dive in.

"True Crime" AKA Grumpy/Sunshine Meme Activated

Lucy and Tim's First Interview

It strikes me that even as Tim is sitting down, he's turned in and looking at Lucy. At this point, Lucy is comfortable to Tim. What they're about to do isn't.

Tim hates this, but he's gonna do it. I don't know if it was a direct order from Grey, or he wanted to make sure it was done right so he was going to do it, damnit, but he's here and he's not happy about it.

Lucy, on the other hand, is thrilled. Her True Crime loving heart is filled to bursting and no doubt she's researched every person who was going to be there so she could fangirl all the more. It's adorable.

Also, these two make for good television. I mean, we already knew that, but the pretend producers happening onto this had me rolling. I bet the True Crime fans call them "Chenford" and perhaps that's the way the term might make it into the show someday.

"I'm sorry, I cut you off. I'm sorry."

She's so damn excited! And they haven't quite gotten their back-and-forth rhythm down that they will later display with gusto. It's close once she calms down, but girlfriend is thrilled right now, and Tim's "this is bullshit" meter is rising with every passing second.

"This is fun."

Tim looks at Lucy like she's grown a second head. And I'm trying to pick myself up from the floor where I've been rolling with laughter.

Look, the Grumpy/Sunshine trope is beloved for a reason, and we always knew Tim and Lucy had it in them. We've seen glimpses of it before. But sitting them down in an interview situation for an hour? This is pure gold!

I wasn't a fan at the time of airing, so I can only imaging how many memes were born out of these moments. It's amazing.

"Holy crap." "What is it?" "It's a, it's a-" "A what?" "A mummy. In a suit." "What?!"

Because, what else would a Mummy under a bed wear, right?

Eric Winter has this really wonderfully exasperated way of saying, "What!?" where you can really hear both the exclamation point and the question mark.

It reminds me of David Tenant during his run on Doctor Who. There was an entire scene in the TARDIS where he said "What!?" several times, and that was pretty much all he had to say on his first meeting of Donna.

It's. So. Funny. To have the ability to make a word funny. David Tenant and Eric Winter share that "What!?" power, and I kinda think Tim would enjoy the reference (see Season 4 to understand why).

"What's that saying? Those who can't do, teach?" *laugh*

We got a Tim laugh!? I mean, he made himself laugh, but it's still so cuuuuute. Like, rough, tough, mean-faced Tim having a chuckle is somehow so endearing. Especially at this phase, when we haven't seen him even smile much.

FAST FORWARD: There will be a day when we see smiley Tim. If you're just watching for the first time and wondering if it's coming... Tim's arc is one of the most complete (thus far) of the show. Stay tuned...

"You were literally my teacher. What are you saying?"

Ah, yes, the one indication that this episode was written in a post-"Amber" world where Lucy is no longer a Rookie.

See, the early days of COVID were a fustercluck for productions. I happen to know some people who worked through it, and there were so many different models of how to cope with it, copious amounts of hand sanitizer, masks, zones, wait periods in hotels for a week after landing, etc.

Now, there are more structured COVID protocols, but in the early days we knew so little about what was happening, and it impacted productions, ended series before they began, and delayed some seasons of shows that have now been permanently shelved.

So, Season 3's episodes aired in a very strange order compared to how it was written. Now, I'm grateful that the writers established Lucy and Tim's new dynamic early in the season so that's it's consistent, even when she's no longer his Rookie. So, I don't feel the need to call-out the air date vs production number, much.

But since the lower third provided for Tim and Lucy identified her as a Rookie, we know that this is supposed to happen during her Rookie year. But this one word lets us know something is amiss, if we're really paying attention.

And, golly, it's a word. I'm not trying to be dramatic, but trying to clarify for anyone who might not be aware of the whole Pandemic-fucked-everyone-over nature of Season 3 that makes this one word out of place.

So, if you ever wondered why Lucy used past tense instead of present tense, there's your answer.

Synchronicity

The moment they learn someone they know has been affected, they turn to one another.

And I love the synchronicity, here. Tim and Lucy have worked together a year, at this point, and they are very in sync with one another.

FAST FORWARD: Watch them undercover in 5x01 with how they sort of shift with one another, as though there's a cosmic pull between them that waves and they move with it. I feel that the evolution of their synchronicity really starts here in Season 3.

"It's LA. It's not the first time I've found a script at a crime scene." "I've only been on the job for a year and I've already found three." "Have either of you ever written one?" "God, no." *silence* "It was for a class."

Because she knows how he feels about screenwriters. If only Caleb had said "screenwriter" as his profession because then Tim would've locked him up right away.

"He was trying to cut her out—from the script, the cult, and the money."

True Crime Kink Activated. Look at how Lucy Chen is scoping out her future husband when he rattles off some Law-and-Order level soundbite. Girlfriend is surprisingly turned on at those words rolling off of his tongue. Oooh, the places that tongue could go.

*ahem* Now, Lucy's not going to jump his bones anytime soon, but there's definitely a moment there where she's finding Tim Bradford a little hotter than usual.

Who would've known the key to Lucy's heart was an oxford comma?

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, right?" "Cool. Way to trivialize female anger." "Hey, I'm not trivializing. All sorts of crimes are motivated by jealous ex-partners." "And how many of those ex-partners are men?" "Most."

See!? See what I mean!? These two are hilarious. We've seen Lucy call Tim on stuff, before, but this format is allowing them to be hilarious with it.

And I love the way he gives her the side-eye before saying "most". It reminds me of the side-eye he will give Grey in a future episode when having to tell a story he'd rather keep private.

"I heard it was Office Chen who broke the case wide open." "I don't know if I'd describe it quite that way." "How would you describe it then?"

Married. This is so married. Because Lucy is giving him the "don't try me" wife face, glaring at her man on-camera for mass consumption.

The fact that he stares right back and doesn't turn to ashes is only because Lucy didn't want to commit murder on-camera. But I love the way Melissa O'Neil is playing Lucy's confidence in this episode.

"Her addiction to social media finally paid off." "That is hurtful."

I bet he's not even on Social Media. That makes it easier for whatever relationships he'll have along the way before he and Lucy finally get it together (I have faith). No need to change your relationship status online when you don't have it listed to begin with.

That said, Lucy's Mom totally has a shadow account that she uses to stalk her daughter to spy and see if she's found a stable man, yet.

The Wrong Video

I love how embarrassed Lucy is, and how Tim tries to get a look at what the heck she played before she gets it onto the right video. He looks actively concerned. Like, "Please don't tell me you're one of those 'dance challenge' girls because I was just starting to respect you."

And, look, no shade from me. But Tim Bradford likes to throw shade, and I'm betting he'd throw some on Lucy if he'd gotten a glimpse of that video.

"Okay, look, the case was definitely weird. But, I mean, come on, all this? This feels so exploitational. The low-hanging fruit of celebrity scandal and murder."

Tim is not wrong. A lot of what is on television relating to celebrity scandal is exploitative. But I love Lucy, here. Melissa O'Neil gets a lot to play with in this episode, and she does not let it go to waste.

She has nailed the withering sigh of your wife sitting beside you as she lets you rant and dig your own grave.

"You should be making serious documentaries about things that really matter." "My last film was about climate injustice in Puerto Rico. It won a BAFTA." "Oh. Well. Alright, then."

And Lucy's withering sigh has transitioned to a knowing look. Like, Tim, you need to talk to your wife about this stuff, more. She has the 411 and will keep you from getting embarrassed.

"You got, you got something in your hair." "What?" "It's kind of-." "Has it been there the whole time?" "Yeah, it's pretty big. Let's get out of here." "I would tell you if you had broccoli in your teeth, man. What the heck?"

Am I the only one who thinks there wasn't really anything there? Because, Tim is so ready to be done with this, and Lucy's high over doing the interview is totally annoying him.

"Bad Blood"

Breaking Up... In A Text

Look, this is totally the coward's way out... but when Lucy's face lit up to see his message, I might've vomited in my mouth a little.

So, seeing him break it off brought out a little cheer. Huzzah! But, oh, no, poor Lucy. But *whispers* huzzah Chenford *whispers*.

I've never had someone break up with me over text... because the only person I've dated since Text Messaging has been widely available is my husband. I remember the first time we saw people texting all the time in England and we couldn't quite get why.

But I did have a boyfriend break up with me over the phone on my 17th birthday... the week of prom... because he was cheating on me because I wouldn't sleep with my first boyfriend 2 months into dating him. Later found out the entire reason we dated was because he had a reputation as a "de-virginator" and none of our friends warned me. I don't keep in touch with most of them anymore.

So, while I'm not quite on Lucy's level of indignation, I understand the frustration to have your boo cut it off in the most cowardly way available.

And putting Tim in the middle!? Emmett, my man, what are you doing!? You already have one half of Chenford wanting to set you on fire. Piss of Tim and he'll happily help her finish the job.

"I can't believe him... breaking up with me by text? What is he, 14? He doesn't have the guts to do it in person?" "Most guys don't."

Tim looks over to Jackson on that beat. I bet Tim would never do that, but he's also only got his own limited experience. Jackson's actually dated other men, so he knows better than Tim, in this case.

"Look, just be happy he didn't ghost you." "Can we get to work now?" "Did Emmett talk to you about this?" "No. Why would he?" "Because you're friends." "We don't talk feelings. We drink and watch sports together." "That's guy for friends." "Straight guy for friends."

I think Lucy doesn't quite yet understand what Tim considers a "friend". Because, at this point Tim does have one solid friend. Angela.

And, yes, we are in the era of Tim and Lucy being friends, but I'd argue it isn't until Season 4 when they are as interwoven into each other's lives (if not moreso) than Tim and Angela.

Also to note... Lucy is holding her phone the entire scene. She quite literally can't let it go.

"Look, you want my advice-"

She does. Look at her open-mouthed, wide-eyed, hoping he'll say something to make this atrocity better. And she did tell him that she values his opinion.

Gosh, I wish I could tell her to lower her expectations right about now.

"Walk it off. Clearly he's the wrong guy for you."

As said by her future husband. What? I couldn't leave that alone! Emmett is definitely the wrong guy for Lucy. But Tim's still learning how to comfort Lucy, and this time wow did our boy get it wrong.

"It's the same advice he would give me if I got hit by a pitch. What is wrong with men?"

Trust me, Lucy. Someday you'll come to appreciate his sports metaphors. And find a new appreciation for baseball!

Yes, I try to write these without foreknowledge, but c'mon! It's right there!

"Have you ever been dumped out of the blue before?" "Let me think. One time my wife left the house in the middle of the night and I didn't see her again for two years."

Yeahhh... Um. I'm not touching that. Because Tim Bradford's being flippant, and it's warranted here.

But (yes, there's a but), Tim doesn't understand all of Lucy's hangups about how she sees herself, yet. He doesn't fully understand the weight of her mother's expectations. And how she has never felt enough.

Like, she can handle romantic rejection. She doesn't like it, but she can handle it. But why wasn't she worth a real breakup? That's what's playing in her head. She need to know the why. Why wasn't she good enough for some basic decency?

"Okay, I get it, in the grand scheme of things, this isn't that bad. I just want to know why. Can you please ask?"

If she can understand it, she can process it. But we all know Tim isn't asking his drinking buddy about his feelings—unless that feeling is about how he feels about the Rams not living up to their potential.

"He must've been a seriously hardcore guy for you to obsess like that. What was his main crime?"

Because Tim would only obsess if it was something important, right? Right!?

"3EYEZ tagged your shop back when you were a Rookie?" "My TO was chasing a suspect. I was guarding a vehicle full of evidence." "A vehicle that was ten feet away from your Shop. It's right in your notes."

I love how Tim's trying to rationalize this away. He has a habit of doing that when he's called out—trying to minimize his own embarrassment by stating facts. (Trust me, he does it at the beginning of 5x01 with Angela)

But, Timmy, Lucy's got the facts in her hands. And you totally dropped the ball.

"I was ordered to keep my eyes on the car. I'd just left the Army where you follow orders to a T."

He thinks this'll get her to back down, but Lucy's long past being afraid of Tim. In fact, she's openly laughing at him. And I low-key love it because this is a form of flirtatious teasing.

Look, these two have a completely unique language. Pranks. Embarrassing photos. And even this harmless giggling.

They're comfortable around each other, and by now they know what's crossing the line with each other. So, it doesn't bother me that Lucy's teasing him, here. In fact, I think it's adorable.

"Oh, man, I can just imagine the relentless teasing. Did they give you a nickname? Please say yes." *yoinks paper* "No."

But your eyes say yes. Wow, now I sound like some of those creepy Christmas songs from the 50's. You know the ones.

"That's why you're so intent on catching this guy. It's personal."

Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner! Look, when Tim tried to call in the cavalry when he first saw the tag, I wondered what the hell I was missing. Lucy, apparently, was, too.

Is this tag a symbol of a gang war? Or a killing spree? What terrible, horrible thing is going to happen because of this?

Nada. Nothing. Nil. Except maybe Tim Bradford's ego getting a bit bruised.

"Even if we were to track him down for tagging our Shop, it's a misdemeanor. Is that really the best use of our time?" *yoinks another paper* "I will get us a fresh Shop."

There's something so delicious about Tim's silent protest via yoinking those papers. And Lucy knows him well enough that they're done talking.

Look, these episodes aren't about pent up sexual tension or the angst of longing. These are foundational episodes, and what we're seeing is Tim and Lucy learning to work together. They're increasingly a unit in Season 3, even though Lucy spends most of it still his Rookie.

They're learning how to communicate with one another. So, if they ever do get their acts together, they're already going to have that part down pretty well.

"Let's go. Not a word about the Shop."

He knows her well enough to know that she'll tease him. She knows him well enough that if he says he doesn't want it, she's not going to do it.

See? They're communicating!

"What? You disapprove. You think I'm just dating him to make Emmet jealous? Heck, yeah. Maybe I am. But, he deserves it. Will you say something, please?"

Lucy processes by talking it out, we know, and when Tim doesn't interject, she starts projecting. Because even she knows going out with this guy isn't purely motivated. She's hurting and lashing out, and she knows it.

Tim's simply listening. But when she asks him to speak, he realizes that's what she needs.

See? Communicating!

"Today's the first time you've talked about Emmett in weeks." "You hate it when I talk about personal stuff."

Nice excuse. Look, Tim and Lucy are mirroring each other a lot this episode. They both have personal things that they're obsessing over that are clouding their judgment and thoughts.

And they're both rationalizing. Tim rationalized missing the tagger when he was a Rookie by saying he was just following orders. Lucy is rationalizing not talking about Emmett by defaulting to Tim's dislike of personal talk in the Shop.

They're both not thinking clearly. And, of course, it takes the other to help them get through.

"And yet you still do. But in all those conversations, you haven't said one word about your boyfriend." "What are you saying?" "Look, maybe Emmett treated the relationship like it didn't matter because you treated it like it didn't matter."

The realization hits her that he's right. It's one of those rare moments where Tim's the one helping Lucy examine herself. But that's what I love about them. They help refine one another. It's a give and take, and not just one person "healing" the other.

Tim and Lucy are on their own, personal journeys to healing and self-realization. But, I'll argue, each is a vital part of that journey. But to give one or the other full credit is to ignore the individual's effort to grow.

Tim and Lucy are growing together. And I love that so much more than one patching the other up. We're not patching up holes, we're actually healing. Yes, there will always be scars. But the healing makes it all so much more bearable, and so much easier to fully live, again.

But when he sees the realization hit her, his gaze softens. Tim hates to see her in pain. But we're not quite at the point where he's going to offer her comfort, especially on the job.

After all, Lucy is still his Rookie, and he needs to keep the lines firm between them. Because, if he were honest, he'd realize they're already getting blurrier and blurrier.

"Alright. Focus up. You read the file. Do you think 3EYEZ is done for the day?"

Tim's trying to get her back on track, like he has so many times before. But, Tim knows her well enough to know that sometimes barking out orders isn't enough for Lucy.

She needs something to help her switch her brain, something else to think about. They've done her mock-plan of how to sabotage her ex's wedding, before. This time, Tim tries a different tactic—he offers a piece of himself.

"Eagle Eye."

Lucy looks at him with confusion while I shove my face into a pillow so the kids don't hear me squealing and come running in here, mistaking it for screaming.

Tim doesn't have to do this. But he wants to. He wants to let Lucy Chen in just a little more.

"What?" "The nickname I got. After the Shop got tagged right under my nose." *giggle* "But it wasn't my TO who came up with it. It was Isabel. It kind of became her pet name for me." "Aw. That's sweet."

It's still hard for him to talk about Isabel. Those wounds are still healing, even though he's tested the dating pool a little. And it's important to remember that he and Isabel did have good times. There was a time when Tim had a lot of happiness in his life.

But he opens up a little to Lucy, here. He gives her insight. He gives a little of himself. And that's huge. He's starting to talk about Isabel without tearing up, without scowling, without the same agonizing pain striking his chest.

It still hurts. To a degree, it'll always hurt. But it's starting to heal. And I love that when he's starting to get healthier, the first person who gets to see it is Lucy.

We're not to the point of them swapping saliva and dreaming of the other's taste. But, we're building a really solid friendship. Heck, Lucy giggled when Tim opened up just now.

And I've talked about it a bit in this Meta, but I think it's important to draw out that Lucy has become comfortable to him. Why is this important?

FAST FORWARD: Remember the famous double date of S4? Why did Tim invite Lucy? Because he wanted a source of comfort in this truly uncomfortable situation. So, later when Bargain Barbie remarks about his creature comforts and about how he needs to get out and do more... nobody takes into account that Lucy is one of his comforts. So, once he and Lucy start dating, they are out all the time together. Why? Because he doesn't need all the other comforts when he's with her. Lucy is his comfort.

Thank y'all for reading and going on this journey with me. I think with this Meta, I've finished my tour of Season 3! It was a short season, so that made it a bit easier to chunk out.

And sorry this one took so long. My roof's leaking and it looks like I'm emptying out my 401K to replace it. It's always something, but I remain grateful. I've faced my death a few times in my lifetime, so every day I'm given is an absolute gift.

Just gotta take it one breath at a time.

[littlefroginthegarden]

Sold to Heartsteel 1/24

its a liiiittle bit late but whatever... im trying to write an advents calendar fic, theres some buffer but ill write during the month so im also open to input if you have any good ideas :)

hope you enjoy!

Tags: semi-ironic adaptation of 'sold to one direction' trope so yeah theres obv selling involved, angst, fluff, friendship, romance, maybe smut, mlm, transmasc character, some transphobia but mostly just parents being shit but nothing explicit or slurs or stuff, yeah i think thats about it, ill update this if anything changes xoxo

Part 1

Hi, my name is Hwei and I’m a misunderstood artist. Well, that’s not exactly true. My Parents hate my art and they think it’s just a waste of time. But under the name DemonBrush I’m known all around the world, my art account just recently hit two million followers. Which didn’t help me at all in my real life. I’ve been 18 now for a few months but my parents still act like I’m 16. I haven’t finished school yet and I can’t move out because my anxiety has made working impossible so far. My parents don’t allow me to get therapy or meds and I’m on their insurance so there’s nothing I can do. I sigh and try to think about something else but looking out my small window into the dark December morning isn’t helping. I go and pull the curtains, turn on my fairy lights and sit at my small desk that is crammed between the bed and the heavy wooden dresser. 

My reflection stares at me in the mirror, dark shadows under my amethyst eyes, a sign that I slept terribly, once again. The nightmares wouldn’t leave me alone. I sigh and start doing my makeup, nothing bright, just some smudged dark eyeshadow and black eyeliner on my waterline. My mom was probably gonna complain again but I don’t care. Last week she told me “People might think you’re gay!” Yeah, sure mom. I mean, why do you think I have all these Heartsteel posters hanging in my room? Because I love their one song so much? But when she says "gay" she means "lesbian". She would have an aneurysm if I tried to explain to her that I’m trans. And then she would probably throw me out. As if she could read my thoughts, I hear her shouting from downstairs “Come down immediately, Hwa! I can hear that you’re up.”

Ugh.

I throw on a black oversized hoodie that matches my skinny jeans (also black) and put my dark juniper green hair in a messy bun before I run downstairs as quick as I can. Better not make mom wait, she’s awful enough as is.

When I enter the kitchen, I almost bump into a large man in a suit that is standing next to my mom.

“Oh fuck, sorry!” I quickly say, getting a death stare from my mom but for once she doesn’t even berate me for swearing. She just looks between me and this dude, who was wearing dark sunglasses (in December!) for some fucking reason.

“Who is this?” I ask after a few moments of awkward silence.

“My name is Mr. Mundo, nice to meet you, Hwa.” His voice fits his impressive stature perfectly.

My mother steps forward and puts her hand on my shoulder, looking at me more seriously than I have ever seen her. “You know that we haven’t had the easiest time since dad lost his job. And since you refuse to work and pay your share, we had no other choice.”

“What do you mean? What choice?” I ask, slowly starting to panic.

“You’ll go with Mr. Mundo, he has a job for you where you’ll work for six months. You’ll get a room and food and the money goes to pay back all the debt you owe us.”

“Debt? What do I owe you?”

“Darling, you've been living and eating here for free for 18 years!”

“This is insane!” I yell at her. “You’re selling me? You are a monster!”

“Selling? It’s just temporary honey, and it’s a decent job, don’t make it sound worse than it is!”

“You can’t do that, I’m an adult, you can’t force me!” At this point I’m full on panicking. This can’t be happening, it should just be another nightmare. But I know it’s real. My nightmares are way different.

“You are right and nobody is forcing you. But think about this, it would give you the perfect opportunity to get some good job experiences while at the same time helping out your family! Also –” she adds “if you don’t take this offer then you’ll have to pack your bags, we can’t pay for you any longer.”

“If you stayed off the booze you could.” I press through my teeth, anger winning over panic.

She just ignores it and tells me “Please Honey, think about it. If you go with Mr. Mundo at least you’ll have a roof and food. We just want what’s best for you! You’ll thank us in a few years, mark my words.” With this she turns around and leaves me alone in the kitchen with this absolute hunk of a man.

“Go pack your stuff, we leave in an hour.” He hands me a big suitcase before sinking down onto the washed-out red leather couch in the living room, turning the TV on, unfazed by all of this as if it was his daily job. Which it probably was.

Still in shock, I go back to my room and just stare at the mirror for a solid minute. I still haven’t processed what just happened but I start throwing my most important stuff into the suitcase. I have a lot of clothes but most of them are from my parents and I hate wearing them. So it’s not too difficult to fit all my favorite pieces into the suitcase, some skinny jeans, flowy tops and hoodies and of course accessories, I can’t leave my choker collection here. Then I go to my bed and from under the mattress I pull my binder. I put it under all the other things so it won’t be visible if my mom checks my suitcase. She would freak out. I gather the rest of the stuff, making sure I have my laptop, makeup and favorite books, and check the time. I still have 15 minutes left but at this point, the quicker I’m gone the better. I grab the heavy suitcase and try to carry it down the stairs. Two steps in I nearly slip and the suitcase crashes onto the step with a loud Thud. Before I’m even up I can hear heavy steps on the stairs.

Mr. Mundo grabs the suitcase without saying a word and carries it down. I awkwardly follow him, hoping my mom is distracted and hasn’t noticed the commotion. For once I seem to be lucky, she’s nowhere to be seen. At the door, Mr. Mundo turns around and asks me “Are you sure that you have everything? You won’t be able to come back here anytime soon.”

“Yeah I’m not planning on doing that anyways. Can we go?” I ask impatiently.

He doesn’t answer and just opens the door and walks down the driveway towards the black car with darkened windows that is waiting at the end of it. He puts my suitcase in the back of it with ease and opens the door in the back, gesturing for me to get in. I hesitate for a second, but when I can hear the front door of the house open again, I quickly get in before I can hear whatever my mother wants to tell me. He slams the door behind me and gets into the driver’s seat, which I can’t even see from back here because there’s a divider between the front and the back of the car. Like in a limousine. Or a cop car. It feels more like the latter, like I’m a prisoner.

The car rumbles to life and even though the windows are heavily tinted, I can see the shadows of trees racing past us. Where are we going?

[invisiblegarters]

Hidden Agenda Ep 1

Well here we are. This isn't one of the offerings that I was really looking forward to this year, but I love the type of plot. What can I say? I'm a sucker for the tropiest shit, and I'm past the point where I feel like making apologies for my tastes.

I do wish it were coming out later though, because we have at least two messy, messy shows coming at us within the next couple of months (Dangerous Romance and Only Friends), and I could use what I expect will be a bit of mostly plotless fluff (I am getting very SIMM vibes already and that's exactly what that one was) to cut the tension from one (or both? Surely GMM wouldn't give us both at the same time, that'd just be madness and of course now that I've said it I want it desperately) of those.

Ah well.

Anyway, without further blathering, initial impressions:

Aw Louis. I missed his face. I didn't even know I would miss his face but it's good to see him on my screen again.

Heh, it sometimes just doesn't feel like a GMM BL without one of the J's. I love how they just tend to show up in everything. Or maybe we just tend to gravitate to the same projects - them for acting, me for watching. :D

Oh okay, so we're going right into an antagonistic sort of thing. I am not one of the people who dunks (heh) on his acting, but I hope Dunk loosens up as we go because he is way overdoing it here. He is more natural with the friends but every time he has to act annoyed it just sort of falls apart.

I kind of love AJ and Louis (I swear I will learn these character's names at some point) being the Bad Advice Duo. I think I'm going to enjoy this friend group.

The flashback to freshman year was very disjointed. At first I thought it was a preview for next week lol. Granted it might have been a watcher error.

Joong's Joke is like the dude from SIMM. Like, exactly. I guess he's comfortable in that kind of role but I was hoping for something a little different. For all I've said about Dunk thus far I do think Zo is at least a different character than the one Dunk played in the last drama. At least this time he's not manic pixie dream...was it a nerd in that one? Hell if I remember, all I know is that everyone wanted him and it annoyed me a lot. Worst trope. And thankfully this one doesn't seem to be heading in that direction.

Next week we're gonna get even more tropes. Including a pratfall because Thai BLs love their pratfalls. And I will learn all the character's names. Or at least the friends.

I'm probably going to stick with this. It's not doing anything revolutionary as of yet but the tropes it's using are all tropes I enjoy, so. And I'm a little interested in the whole debate club backdrop. Hopefully it will bring up some interesting things. Plus I want to see Aou and Boom together. I've been waiting for this pairing since Midnight Museum, dammit.

[dovahkiin796]

Digimon Ghost Game: Those in Black

A bit of a different scary situation I want to put one of the main characters in Digimon Ghost Game into because it is laughable how no human in any form of a government position has discovered what Gammamon, Jellymon, and Angoramon are. Or at least come to the conclusion that they're not simple holograms since the crew does a poor job of trying to keep up with that lie. But the easy solution is to make the side/background characters be idiots.

At the Tsukiyono residence, one of the occupants Ruli Tsukiyono exits the house wearing her green down jacket, brown gloves, black leggings, and ankle length brown boots. Following close behind her is her partner and friend Angoramon. A large rabbit-like Digimon that's basically a ball of fluff. When walking out onto the sidewalk Angoramon turns invisible from everyone. The only ones being able to see him are Ruli herself and her two guy friends Hiro and Kiyoshiro. Who have their own Digimon partners.

As they make their way down the street towards the city. The pair are unaware of the fact they're currently being watched. A black van parked on the side of the road about thirty feet behind them had three occupants inside of it. They were the definition of the 'men in black' trope wearing black suits, ties, and black gloves. They did have the black tinted sunglasses, but they also wore black baklavas to hide their faces.

"Target is on the move." Said the male driver to his fellow two agents. "Remember the plan Agent 1. Keep a good distance behind so we don't alert them." Said the female agent in the passenger seat. She then looks over her shoulder to look at the third agent who is in the back of the van, crouched down and holding onto a handle to keep himself on his feet. "How goes the distraction Agent 3? Does Team 2 have it ready?" She asked.

Agent 3 has his index and middle finger pressed against his left ear. While it couldn't be seen because of the mask, it's clear there's a small comm piece placed in his ear. He removes his fingers from his ear and looks at Agent 2. Only nodding his head and giving her a thumbs up.

Nodding her own head in return. She looks forward and tells Agent 1 to follow the girl. The van's engine starting up and slowly creeping after the brunette. Twenty minutes later Ruli and Angoramon are at a cafe enjoying some tea and cookies. Well, Ruli is, her partner, still invisible, is simply sitting against the exterior wall of the building. He didn't mind in the slightest as long Ruli got to enjoy herself. Being a big Digimon even with the ruse of being a hologram tends to attract lots of attention towards him.

In an ally to the right of the cafe sits the black van. The three agents all give each other a look and nod their masked heads. Agent three puts his fingers to his earpiece and signals team 2 to begin. He doesn't wait for a reply as he and Agent 2 exit the van and slowly make their towards the end of the ally.

Not too far from the cafe is a large, semi-populated park. Tucked away between a small cluster of trees are two agents dressed in more casual clothes stand in front of a device of some kind the size of a football with red, blue, and green wires going around and into it. One of them presses a button causing red digital numbers to appear on the small screen, 00:30. And that number was going down by the second.

Quickly but discreetly the agents exit from behind the trees and onto the stone pathway. Acting like they were just having a nice stroll like everyone else in the park. As the timer finally reached 00:00 the device started to spark out like crazy and make strange noises. Eventually the thing exploded!

From the cafe the loud booming sound caught everyone's attention. Ruli, Angoramon, and the people who happen to be walking on the sidewalk all looked in the direction where the sound came from. Black smoke rising up into the air can be seen. Everyone in a panic was asking what was going on. Angoramon walked up next to Ruli, who stood up from her seat, making himself completely visible for everyone to see. But given the situation no one was paying him a glance. "Do you think a Digimon could be behind this?" Asked the brunette to the yellow rabbit.

"Not sure, but I'll check it out and make sure no one was hurt." He flies up into the air by spinning his long ears and heads towards the smoke. "I should call Hiro and tell him what's going on." She said as she tries to reach into her jacket pocket and grab her phone. But before she can even do that. Ruli suddenly feels a tight pressure being pressed over her mouth. "Hmmg!" She grunted in surprise. Next, she feels something tight wrap itself around her torso, pinning both arms to her sides and followed up by something wrapping around her legs and then lifting them up off the ground.

After her initial surprise had ended Ruli was able to realize she had just been grabbed by two people. She can see the person who is tightly holding onto her legs is a woman but can't tell what gender the other person is. With the brunette now secured the two agents quickly head back toward the van with none of the people noticing.

"Hmmgg! Lgggt mhhh ghhh! Hhlp!" Ruli said behind the gloved hand covering her mouth. Reaching the van and then stepping inside, Agent 2 has one of her arms let go Ruli's legs and so she can shut the sliding door. When feeling one of the arms letting go the brunette tries to kick her legs so she can free them from the other one.

But it proved to be a pointless attempt as even with only one arm the female agent has a strong hold. "Get the tape. Agent 1, help me hold her." Said Agent 3. Agent 1 takes A-2's place while she grabs a roll of nearby duct tape. She rips off a piece and she and Agent 3 make eye contact, both nodding their heads. A-3 removes his hand from young female's mouth but before she can shout anything. A-2 quickly applies the tape over it. Ruli was of course, not pleased by the gag placed over her mouth. But it's not like she can properly vocalize her feelings toward it.

Next Agent 2 begins wrapping the tape around the girl's ankles and thighs. Once the legs were fully secured, they next rolled Ruli over so she's lying on her stomach. Pulling her arms to her back Agent 2 begins tying the wrists together. Though not before taking off her Vital Bracelet and then pocketing it, knowing it's more than just a normal heart monitoring device. Once that is done, they have the bound and gagged Ruli sitting up against the wall of the van.

The brunette glares at her captors while struggling in her binds. With the teen secured Agent 1 gets back in the driver's seat while Agent 3 takes the passenger's and Agent 2 stays in the back so she can keep an eye on Ruli. "Radio HQ, we have the assets are on our way back to base." Ordered 1 to 3, who nodded and got on the radio. The van starts up and reverses out of the alley. Once on the road they head down the opposite direction away from the cafe.

And yeah, that's the end. This is a true one-shot as I'm leaving things up in the air for you, the readers, to decide what happens next in your own head canons. Never had a big plan for this idea. Just wanted to write the scenario of the Government finding out about the Digimons and how they’ll send agents to kidnap one of the trio to learn more.

[writing-with-gremworm]

Train Wreck Pup, Adopted

Here's a little thing I wrote based on a TikTok I saw a while back. Crewel was the first character I thought of, so I decided to make a very indulgent fanfic chapter based on the concept. It's a modern AU and Ren, the Insert/reader, meets him on a train. This is probably the longest piece of singular writing I'll post for a long time, but oh well.

Notes:

Crewel is a platonic/filial Soft!Yandere

Epel, Vil, and Neige show up in the latter half.

Non-Canon characters feature prominently.

This follows Indulgent FanFic tropes

Non-Canon Yanderes are included

This Universe has a fairly high density of Yanderes even if they don't showcase such features in the segment of the story.

Inclusion of a character sibling

TW: Yandere (In the latter half), Swearing, Mild Violence

“An E-Mail? Was I denied entry into the event? … Woah, Woah! I got in!! I still need a few more designs, but I can start actually putting some of these looks together in the frenzy! This is so cool.” I hop up from my chair and twirl around a few times, stopping and excitedly shaking my hands. “Yay! Oh, shoot- I need to leave tonight- Thank you organizers for the free ticket. But aaaahhh rushed prep time!” I add after glancing back at the E-mail.

Before long I’m out the door with a suitcase in one hand and my sketchbook in the other ready to board the train. While waiting for the train I open my phone and glance at the rules for the Flash Forward Frenzy fashion event

“Oh right, I should message Vera later. I can do that on the train. Rules first.” I mumble.

The event surrounded using old materials to create new looks. Clothes that were maybe used once and thrown away were collected to be used and made into outfits we could wear. The event itself was a massive hit, it was always fun to watch people create incredible things out of the most unexpected materials. But it was an even more exciting time this year since the esteemed Divus Crewel, Vil Shoenheit, and Neige LeBlanche were going to be there as guest stars designing alongside smaller names like myself.

I am well aware of the fact that I’m unlikely to run into big-name figures like Divus or Vil, but I’m excited to see their works regardless. Vil is also a prominent actor, so I’m certain that his presentation of works will have an air of drama and intrigue. My designs aren’t going to be as glamorous, but they will be different and interesting. I’m confident that they’ll fill in someone else’s niche desires if nothing else. Luckily the rules don’t say anything again the use of magic to process fabrics. Given this, I can use my ability to create a base from the drawings I’ve already made and the necessary fabrics and thread, which are provided for the event. I can only do this once or twice per day for extremely complex ideas due to the amount of magic it takes. I don’t want to risk an over-blot from excess magic use on stage, so I’ll save magic for my most intricate piece.

My thoughts are interrupted by the arrival of the train. The ride is twelve hours with various stops between here and the Glamour Isle. Needless to say, I have plenty of time to work on more concepts while I’m on the train. After about two hours someone sits next to me, but I don’t look at them since I’m busy and that could be rude. At some point in time, I hear a familiar disapproving sigh from their general direction. I ignore it at first to finish my sketches and notes for a piece from my fantasy set.

“Why does it sound so familiar though?” I mumble to myself before glancing over to where I heard the sigh. It feels like my face should contort in surprise when I realize who it is, but surprisingly I just stare blankly for a moment before shaking my head.

“Ah sorry for staring.” I quickly mumble as Divus Crewel of all people looks back at me and smiles with a tinge of concern, “You must be on your way to Glamour Isle too then?” I mumble awkwardly. I already knew that he was going in that direction, but I didn’t know what else to say since I had already begun to engage in a, perhaps one-sided, conversation.

“You don’t plan on wearing something like that in Glamour Isle do you?” Divus asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Ah, I mean I think this is fine? My work is going to be center stage with everyone else’s, I don’t really need to stand out, just my work does.”

“My my, and you have such an interesting design palette too. A pup like you would do well with proper grooming. No show dog looks scruffy on stage my dear, and neither should you.” Did he compare me to a show dog? Wait, he’s actually talking to me? I mean he’s belittling my pathetic messy dad aesthetic, but like, he’s talking to me?

“Ah- well. Yes. You’re correct, but in the case of show dogs, the stage is set for them to display their obedience, finesse, and beauty. I don’t see how this correlates to me specifically when a fashion show is about fashion and its resonance with the models and crowd. But I appreciate the compliment. I’m quite proud of my capabilities and I’m excited to share them.” I start a little nervous before settling into a matter-of-fact tone.

“Little pup, fashion is about far more than just aesthetics. Appearance has a larger impact than you may realize. As an aspiring designer, it’s important to note the politics as well.”

“I suppose that makes sense. Thank you for the advice. I’ll make sure to keep it in mind.” I say with a small smile. I look back at my work and sketch for a bit longer before giving my hands a break and doing quick hand exercises. I can’t help but glance over at Divus a couple of times after that just to see if he’s still judging my fashion or whatever caught his attention before. This was starting to feel like a dream. For one, no one was approaching Divus Crewel which is unusual, but he was sitting next to me to attend the same event which meant he might take a closer look at my work. Around the four-hour mark, Divus spoke to me again.

“It’s good to be serious about your work, but you still have a couple of days until the event takes full swing. For now, you should rest or you’ll be exhausted when you reach the Isle. Pups that exhaust themselves needlessly miss playing with their owners.” He chimes leaning back leisurely but still exuding elegance and an air of authority.

“I’ll be fine. But thank you for your concern.” I say after a small pause allowing me to process what just happened.

“There aren’t going to be many passengers in this train car. That can quell your concerns about taking up space or being a bother if that is what holds you back.” Divus states confidently.

“Ah, well that is one thing. But I’ve always had difficulties sleeping in moving vehicles. I can close my eyes and drift a bit, but any unusual movement or stop will jolt me awake. I’m not sure how much that little bit of rest would help haha.” I explain after a few moments of silence. I didn’t want to lie to him or come up with something that he could feasibly change for me that I just didn’t realize. I already felt like I was accruing debt by talking to him quite frankly.

“Have you ever ridden this train before? I think you’ll find that you can hardly tell when it has stopped.” I think back to earlier when the train stopped and Divus walked onto the train. He was right, it had not been super noticeable. In fact, it was so difficult to tell that I almost didn’t realize anyone got on until he sat next to me.

“Huh, I guess you’re right. I didn’t really notice when the train stopped to let you on. I mean, of course, the sound stopped, but there was enough other white noise from the lights and other cars that it didn’t register.” Though of course now I was far more worried about bothering the Divus Crewel rather than actually being tired. Naturally, I didn’t want to say that out loud though, it might be irritating. He must have noticed somehow though because his next words were:

“Don’t concern yourself with bothering me. I was the one who suggested you rest. You should simply follow my instructions like an obedient pup. I’ll even set an alarm for you if you’re a good boy.” What followed was an amused chuckle as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. I open my mouth to speak but instead let out a sigh and mumble a small thank you and smile before placing my sketchbook on my lap and leaning back in my seat. Divus stifles another laugh but the tapping indicates he really did set a timer for me. It’s strange to be so pampered by a celebrity. Though honestly, I doubt we’ll chat much after this, I didn’t even give him my name.

– Somehow I manage to fall asleep. I even begin to dream. Once in a while, I have vivid dreams that I recall after waking up. This already felt like one of them because I knew I was dreaming. “Oh good boy, you’re here on time. I wanted to introduce you to one of my students. I’m sure you’re well aware of who he is so there is no need for me to elaborate.” Divus states with a flourish of his hand gesturing to the Vil Shoenheit. “Ah, Vil Shoenheit, of course, why wouldn’t it be? It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Ren.” I mumble tiredly with a little wave. Vil crosses his arms and places a hand on his chin thoughtfully. “I see, I can salvage this, no, I will polish it into a diamond.” Vil nods lightly with an expression revealing he is already planning my demise. I mean my prettification. “Salvage? Polish? Wait- Divus- Sorry Crewel, did you want me to meet him to fix my wardrobe?” “You catch on quite quickly. But there’s a bit more to it than that. You’ll be working together on a project I have in mind. I expect only the best from you pups.” “Wait what?” Vil and I ask at the same time. Then the dream just ends. –

I wake up to the sound of quiet chatter and the alarm.

“Good evening,” I mumble groggily before sitting up. It takes me a moment to realize that sitting up means I either fell over or leaned over in my sleep, “Ah I’m sorry, I usually don’t move much in my sleep so I didn’t expect to fall over or anything.” I mumble apologetically.

“Perhaps you should have laid down from the beginning. You’d be less likely to hit your head that way. But you did sleep, so good boy. We’ll be arriving at the next stop in about half an hour.” Crewel informs me.

“Haha, yeah maybe. Ah, thank you.” I mumble before noticing my sketchbook isn’t in my hands, “Wait where did it go?” I mumble looking around before noticing that Crewel was holding it. I feel my face flush out of embarrassment. I doubt he looked through it, but I can’t help but feel a little bit flustered that he could have.

“I did look through a couple of designs,” Oh no, “They’re quite intriguing. I expect only the best from you during the event.” Oh no he looked through them. But he liked them so that’s good. But also why did he look through them? “I don’t think I caught your name earlier.” He adds with an expectant smile.

“Oh um- I’m Ren. I’m already familiar with you and your designs, it would be more surprising if I wasn’t. I’m glad you have such high expectations for me, it’s quite the compliment. Though I’m not sure I’ll match them. Thank you Crewel.” I say quickly, stumbling over my words a few times and rubbing the back of my neck.

“So that’s how you gathered I would be going to Glamour Isle as well. I’m a little surprised you didn’t ask for my autograph or bombard me with questions considering you ended up in my train car.”

“Wait- your train car?” I mumble before thinking things over, “Oh, OH, that’s why you said no one else would be here, no one else was supposed to be here. I can’t believe I just barged in I’m so sorry, you could have asked me to leave. I didn’t mean to invade your personal space.”

“Calm down little pup. Had I wanted you to leave I would have instructed you to do so. If you weren’t obedient I would have gotten them to take the rabid pup away.” Crewel states a bit amused, gesturing to the other figures in the train car.

“Ah right, they must have been your people then, or otherwise people with the association running the event to ensure your comfort. But I was here for two hours before you. Why didn’t they just ask me to leave then?”

“You’re not exactly intimidating, you’re also a child are you not?”

“Um … I’m not a child, actually I’m 20.”

“You are? Then you’re a bit older than most of my other pups, though your height wouldn’t give that away. You may be even shorter than Riddle. No matter, you weren’t a threat, and it’s clear you’re more interested in work than causing trouble.”

“Still though …” I start before thinking it over. Had they wanted me to leave this car they’d have taken me out. So I guess I had accidentally gotten permission to be here. Additionally, this chance encounter was going to be one of the most memorable meetings, so I’m not really upset about being here.

“Well since you were fine with it, thank you for letting me stay. It’s a lot quieter than the other cars would have been I’m sure.” I mumble with a small smile before opening my phone to review the E-Mail again. The organizers had established a room I would be staying in as well, which was awesome and unlike any other event I had attended.

“Do you know where the Glamrock Hotel is?” Crewel asks before I can look it up.

“Ah, no I’ve never been to Glamour Isle for an event before, so I don’t know where anything is actually,” I admit rubbing my neck again.

“Well as a teacher I suppose I should guide you,” Crewel states a bit amused with the strange logic he’d presented me.

“Uh- well I guess technically that would be accurate. You’re being quite generous. Hm, you said earlier to think about politics, what exactly do you gain from helping me? Not that there has to be an ulterior motive, but I am curious.”

“You catch on quite quickly little pup. Though I’m not asking for anything but your time at this moment. Additionally, If you meet my expectations like a well-trained pup, I’ll be in touch after the event.” Crewel says with an amused grin. I wasn’t sure why he was so amused, but I was certainly pumped to make the most beautiful set of outfits I could muster. The last half an hour felt like it flew by. Somehow I was making small talk with Divus Crewel in what I now knew was technically his private train car with trained mages around us. It was fantastical in nature and my heart was beating like crazy.

After we arrived on the Isle, Crewel accompanied me to the hotel because we were going to stay at the same hotel. It was strange but so cool. Admittedly if he was anyone else I would be wondering if he was trying to groom me, the negative kind, not taking care of myself grooming. But Crewel is well known to be skilled and generous, and his gestures were by no means romantic or sexual in nature, if anything it was like he was going to adopt a new puppy. Also, he had set up a number of events and attended even more as a guest and he did not tolerate nonsense. Had I bothered him, it’s possible I wouldn’t be in Glamour Isle, I’d be home.

Either way, when I made it to my room I smooshed my face into a pillow and let out sounds of pure excitement before pacing around my room and flapping my hands in excitement.

“Aaaahhh, I can’t believe the Divus Crewel spoke to me. This is awesome, I’m so nervous but excited for how this event is going to turn out oh my god.”

Since I slept on the train I wasn’t very tired so I decided to work on my designs a bit more and do some extra research before going to bed. When I did sleep I ended up having the same dream as before. I woke up early and reviewed the E-Mail again to make sure that I was keeping the dates organized in my head.

After taking a shower and changing into something slightly less dad-core, but still technically awful, I hear a knock on my door. I blink a few times before checking the peephole.

“!” I silently scream seeing the Divus Crewel on the other side. I quickly open the door before he knocks again and he grimaces upon seeing me.

“I couldn’t erase your disaster of a wardrobe from my mind, We’re going to fix … this. At least temporarily.” Crewel motions to all of me.

“Oh thanks, I’m so glad you remembered me for dressing like an unfashionable dad. But this is about the best I have in my suitcase. Wait, is this what you meant by asking for my time?” I admitted frowning a bit and looking over my outfit. It really wasn’t that bad, even normal one might say. Despite the dad-core vibes, it was definitely wearable.

“How astute an observation. Grab some of the clothes you aren’t attached to and come along little pup, this is going to be a very busy day.”

He was right of course. As soon as I followed him out of my hotel room I could tell he would be. He listed the plans for the day in order. It was kind of nice to be doted on in a weird sort of way. Though I was confused as to why I had Crewel’s attention at this point. There was no way he would actually keep in contact and introduce me to Vil Shoenheit after the event. It was just a weirdly realistic dream after all. Things are just weirdly lining up like that might be at all possible when I’m sure it is just Crewel being kind. Yes, just kindness.

Following that, our busy day started by heading to breakfast followed by a trip to the hair salon. After my hair was tidied up, though still the same hairstyle, we went to a number of different stores. All of them were sustainable and gave store credit for every item you traded in. Once he’s established the style I was comfortable with we found a few different outfits that looked good scattered throughout various stores. Each of the pieces could be rearranged, but they were notable on their own. Each pairing made a different feeling and it was very clear that some enhanced aesthetic while others undermined it. Some of the dark academia and cottage core pieces did not work well together.

After finding outfits and trading away my old clothes he took me to find accessories. I insisted that I should pay for everything, but he refused and simply stated that I can bring my ideas into reality well to pay him back. I can’t tell if that feels more like a compliment or a threat, but it’s certainly flattering. Somehow we fit all of that in before lunch and there was still more to do. By the end of everything I was exhausted, though extremely grateful.

“I’ll make the best version of my designs possible. That’s what you’re asking for in return right?” I ask on the trip back to the hotel.

“Good boy, you listen well. I’ll see what you can do in two days when it begins.” Crewel responds with a nod and a slight smile. – It's time for the event. We have two days to complete four outfits as a complete set using the magic tools and our own abilities to complete them as quickly but skillfully as possible. It's a challenge that many enjoy watching and admire. I’m a little nervous to be on TV, but I think that if I focus solely on my craft I can make it. Especially since I can essentially focus on one and use magic to create another since it's two separate days and I only need four outfits.

Now that I reviewed the game plan it feels less intimidating. The curtain opens to reveal the piles of clothes and materials we have access to before letting up find what we need. A few of the others sort through the pile with magic to locate exactly what they need. I sort through them by hand and feel the fabric textures before taking them back to my station where my assigned tools sit.

At the six-hour mark, we’re given an hour-long lunch and bathroom break. I definitely needed the food since I skipped breakfast. After the break, we get immediately back into work for the remaining six hours of that day. I finish the first piece two hours into the second half and use magic to form most of the second one before detailing it during the four remaining hours. By the time the timer goes off, I have two of the four outfits complete even. Additionally, I still have more fabric that can be used for parts of the first outfit for the next day set up at my station.

The next day I arrive early and notice that something is wrong with the more complicated outfit. Someone had cut it up. It was like a nightmare. It completely ruined my plan to make the clothes as efficiently as possible. Frustrated and upset I wanted to cry, but instead, I decided to improvise and alter the design slightly to include the visualization of the cuts rather than attempt careful and seamless mending. It takes two hours and I lose another hour finding more fabrics. So I decided to reorganize my magic use and create two bases with as much detail as I can manage before reaching my magic limit.

But the half point of the second day I’m exhausted but I manage to gain enough energy to finish and add the final details to the four outfits before the timer runs out. I stumble a bit feeling a bit nauseous now that the magic use and intense focus for twenty-four hours total were exhausting. After the timer goes off I sit down and wait for almost everyone else to leave before one of the people associated with the event walks over to me. I ask them to make sure that no one tampers with my outfits again overnight since someone had cut up mine and perhaps other people’s outfits the night before. They agree to tighten security and make sure that it was impossible for it to happen again. A bit uncertain of how successful they would be I start thinking of ways to justify asking to fix my outfits quickly before the show if I had to.

Using my magic to its fullest two days in a row was really pushing it. If I did so again I might end up sick. I don’t think that over-blots are supposed to make you sick. But it is convenient that I don’t go into a destructive frenzy overtaken by magic when I over-blot at least. I just almost die instead. Which I guess may be technically worse for me, but it is less awful for everyone else.

“Are you alright? I saw how tired you were earlier. I can get someone to help you back to your room, or you could stay in mine since it is on the first floor.” A familiar soft and slightly high-pitched voice asks. Looking at him I see it’s Neige LeBlanche.

“Ah I’m fine, thank you for your concern.” Why were all these celebrities so nice to me? I mean it has only been two so far, but that’s still a lot for me.

“Can I at least escort you to your room? You look a bit unsteady and I don’t want you to fall.” Neige voices his concern with a worried smile.

“There’s no need to go that far. I’m only on the second floor, so I’ll manage.” I say, though admittedly I was less confident about actually getting to the hotel than walking up a set of stairs.

“Then I’ll at least help you get to the hotel.” Neige insists.

“While that’s kind of you Neige, you don’t need to be concerned with them. I was already going to escort this pup back.” Crewel steps in unexpectedly. There’s no way that Crewel just told Neige LeBlanche that we were going to head back to the hotel together. It feels like a dad trying to keep a romantic interest away from his child. Which is funny because if anything he’s like a little brother. Well younger brother, he’s definitely a little taller than me.

“Oh, I didn’t realize you were acquainted with Divus.” Neige comments a little surprised.

“Crewel.” Crewel corrects.

“Crewel. But were you really planning on walking back with him?” Neige asks with doubt lingering over his words.

“Yes, we agreed to meet after the event since we had a chance encounter before this,” I explain, technically not lying, though assuming that since he came to find me he was impressed with my work.

“Oh, if that’s the case then we should meet again at some point too. I really admire your ability to work through challenges. Here, one moment.” Neige takes out his business card and hands it to me, “I hope you rest well tonight. You were Ren, right? I heard your conversation with the security personnel before.” That definitely sounded like an excuse, though I guess it’s possible for Neige to admire me. Just unlikely.

“Ah- yes my name is Ren. Well-”

“Well thank you Neige, but we should probably head back since the reveals and show are tomorrow. We wouldn’t want to be too tired now would we?”

“Ah yes of course. Well, it was a pleasure meeting you Ren, call the number on that card when you get the chance, I’ll see you around!” Neige leaves with his manager and a few guards.

“That was unexpected,” I mumble with a light sigh before remembering who was standing next to me.

“It was. Though I suppose he was right, you don’t look well. Perhaps I should carry you back.” Crewel muses.

“What? No there’s no need to carry me, I’ll be fi-” I begin before nearly falling over after another wave of exhaustion hits me. Crewel catches me.

“You’re small enough it won’t be an issue little pup. Besides which you look like you’re about to fall asleep. It would be unwise to travel on your own feet in that state. Tsk tsk, you really need to learn to take care of yourself.” He states picking me up bridal style.

“I- Thank you.” I conceded. I could tell he was right, I was exhausted. Even still I wanted to protest about how I didn’t want to owe him more, or how I didn’t think it was necessary. Despite those thoughts, my eyes were having trouble even staying open so I just closed them. – Before I knew it I was awake in my hotel bed, slightly disheveled and wearing my clothes from the night before.

“Oh. My. God. Did I fall asleep on Crewel again? Well I mean it wasn’t confirmed the first time but aaaahhh.” I immediately panic and place my hands over my face before realizing I need to get ready and look presentable for the showcase. “Ah, I don’t have time to panic,” I mumble before showering, dressing up, and eating an apple that was left on my bedside table with a small note not to skip breakfast in Crewel’s handwriting.

“Geeze, he really is like a dad at this point. It’s not like he adopted me as a pu- child though. It’s weirdly nice how comfortable he is to be around though.” I mumbled looking at the note with a bit of warmth filling my chest. It was nice to feel cared about.

With one big breath, I turn towards the door and head out. Though I had a weird feeling that something went wrong so I hurried to the venue where our outfits should be. I ask if I can check over my outfits quickly because they had been sabotaged before. Luckily I was let in since my outfits were all damaged in some way. It was devastating, and there wasn’t any fabric to fix them. Except for what I was wearing.

“I could use my coat and undershirt and still look mostly presentable while fixing them,” I mumble quietly, my voice shaking more than I wanted it to. Despite still feeling drained, I used my magic again, allowing it to flow through my fingertips to mend the fabric to the shape I desired it to with the fabric I was using in hand. It was a different colour, but the colour matched well enough that it looked intentional. Reaching the fourth outfit I could feel the strength in my legs waning, but I had to fix it.

Even if Crewel was already impressed, I wanted to fix this. To not let the stranger tampering with my work win. I needed to make them feel their efforts were wasted, that after everything I was fine. As my hands glided over the last portion that needed to be fixed a few people started coming in to check their outfits as well. Only mine had been tampered with. I felt my hands shaking as they let go of the now-mended fabric.

“Tsk tsk. What did I say regarding work and rest? Bad boy. You should ask for help if you’re in trouble.” Crewel scolds me before complimenting my handi-work, “It is well done, it looks intentional even. However, I can not condone overworking yourself because of the security’s lack of competence.”

“Haha, I remember. But I didn’t want to let whoever did this feel as if they’d won. I can’t let them feel like they’ve won. I don’t even know why they could be so upset with me.” Unless it is one of my old friends. They seemed to think the worst of me. But they wouldn’t do anything this devastating, would they? Well, Rachel might, but shockingly I didn’t see her here. I would have noticed someone I actively avoid.

“Hm, well your determination is a valuable asset. I suppose it’s a good thing I’m also a potions master. This will sustain you for the duration of the showcase, however, you must rest for the next couple of days.” Crewel states handing me a potion he had on hand, “Sigh. I can’t believe you used some of your only decent clothes because of this. I’ll have to start from square one training this pup. Don’t make this a habit.”

“Wait training?” I ask after downing the potion in one gulp.

“Yes, I’ll be taking you under my wing little pup. As you may have surmised you have impressed me. Though this still needs fixing.” Crewel again motioned to all of me. Suddenly I was reminded of my dream from the past few nights.

“Hey, this may sound weird. But by any chance is Vil Shoenheit also one of your pupils who happens to be the one who may or may not be responsible for fixing my self-care habits and everyday wear?” I ask before the potion fully kicks in.

“Oh? So the little pup is already aware. He must have spoiled the surprise, I’ll have to punish him later.”

“Ah, no, I’ve just had this weird recurring dream about meeting Vil Shoenheit under your tutelage. I wasn’t going to ask initially, I guess being tired made me voice my thoughts. But I haven’t actually met Vil yet.” I explain quickly. Crewel furrows his brows for a moment before an expression of realization covers the confusion.

“Ah, so you’re good at pattern recognition. It’s not uncommon knowledge that Vil is one of my pupils, and you took note of the fact I was treating you well. You’ll be an excellent student. If you pick up on things this quickly anyways. I expect only good things from you.” Crewel states with an almost proud smile before motioning me to come with him to his waiting room where a screen displaying the showcase was attached to the wall.

He discusses specifics with me while we wait for the showcase to reach the point where we all enter the stage and talk about our work and inspirations. Excluding Vil, Neige, and Crewel, the rest of us attending the event are lined up in order to head out second. The three notable guests head out to speak first.

“Sustainability in fashion is one of the greatest difficulties of this industry. But with the systems set up here in Glamour Isle, fashion waste is dwindling away and instead becoming fashion fuel. Isn’t that just incredible? Imagine all of the incredible things you can curate with such an array of fabrics, Imagine how much you can do exchanging materials and creating your personalized unique looks!” Neige starts, excitedly chattering about the benefits of sustainable fashion. Crewel and Vil both elaborate on this to varying degrees before everyone else is brought out and stood next to the models wearing their outfits.

I don’t notice the concerned look that Neige gives me. But I notice the fury of a familiar contestant near me. It was Dev-Ay. One of my ex-friends that happens to despise me. It shouldn’t be surprising that they’re here, they’ve always been skilled. But it does sting to think that they might have been so certain I was worth tormenting that they cut up my outfits. It also tells me that I probably didn’t notice people as much as I thought I would.

“I agree that sustainability and curating styles in this way are essential to bettering our society. It’s one of the reasons I was so excited to be a part of this project. Despite the unlikely mishaps, I had a blast creating designs influenced by the types of sustainable fabrics already being developed. It’s fascinating how through the use of orange peels or kelp beautiful sustainable fabrics can be created. My theme was Future Fantasy. Playing off of the alliteration of the event title, I wanted to curate looks that inspired the fantastical embrace of the future and the stories that such a future can hold. Imagine a sustainable world with glorious personalized fashion made for you. Fashion that makes you feel good and can aptly aid in your self-expression.” I begin as coherently as I can manage. Somehow my voice remains steady. Perhaps it is the desire to show Dev-Ay I am unaffected, or perhaps it was because I wanted to impress Crewel. But either way, I seemed to speak with a charisma I didn’t think I had. There was a prolonged moment of silence after I finished speaking before finally the live audience began to clap following Crewel’s and Neige’s examples. Their applause felt louder than any I had heard for me before and more impactful as it addressed my creations, it validated my ideas not some lame school speech. It was unexpected. Especially since afterward, the applause was noticeably quieter for the now flustered and disorganized Dev-Ay.

After the showcase, I felt my energy start to deplete rapidly. I figured that the potion was starting to wear off. Hopefully, I wouldn’t fall in front of Dev-Ay, I don’t want to give him fuel to berate me. While everyone else was chatting as the audience left and the models change, Dev-Ay approached me.

“Why? Why is it that you of all people did so well? Why couldn’t you just fold as you used to? Are you so proud now? Are you so proud after falsely accusing the one person that I love? You’ll never be anything but a pathetic liar who tears down other people. Are you upset because at least she liked being a girl? Were you mad that you couldn’t escape something that she accepted? Fuck you, fuck your whole fake-ass messaging. I despise you. I wish you would take a dive off the roof like you so badly wanted to before we were friends.” It took me a while to find the words I wanted to say. I didn’t know exactly what to say honestly. If he blamed me, then was there any way he would listen to me? Would he believe I was making excuses simply because I wanted to look good? Did he really want me to die because of this? Regardless I found my mouth moving before I could stop it.

“I don’t understand what my gender identity has to do with my distaste for Rachel. I was never upset at Rachel because she was cisgender. I think you of all people should understand that. Why are you so convinced that I lied to you? Do you love her so much you couldn’t see what she did to me? Has she never crossed your boundaries as she did to me? Or did you believe I actually withheld the information she conveniently forgot? That she claimed she forgot. I could be wrong. There is always the chance I misread her, but she hurt me and crossed my boundaries. I won’t go into the specifics again because you stopped listening to me years ago. But there’s no reason you should be this upset with me. The only way I hurt her was by telling her exactly what she had done and telling her that I couldn’t stay friends with her. I wasn’t wrong for standing up for myself like you never did for me. Your ability to trust seems like a blessing, but it may be a curse.” I respond with quiet, seething frustration, trying to remain as calm as possible but inevitably speaking poisonously. Before I know it I’m on the ground with blood pouring from my nose and a sore jaw. It takes me a moment to register what just happened. I try to get back up to my feet, but I can’t even move my legs to stand.

“Ren!” Neige called out with concern causing all eyes to turn toward Dev-Ay, Neige, and me. I bite my lip before trying desperately to tell my legs to move, but they simply shake beneath me on the floor as if they’re too scared to move. Too afraid that maybe they’re going to be hit next rather than my face.

“Dev-Ay. I was sincere when I told you I enjoyed being your friend and I was grateful for everything you had done for me.” I start, looking up at Dev-Ay who is clenching his hands into fists, “I don’t regret being friends with you, or stopping our friendship. I know that it was the right thing for me to do. I understand your anger. No, I understand that you are angry because you believe something I can not possibly fathom. But I never hated you. All I ask is that you let what happened to us remain in the past, it doesn’t benefit anyone to retain anger built on, at best, miscommunication.” I manage to say, smiling at Dev-Ay knowing it would make him angrier. Before he can respond Crewel and a few security officers walk over. The officers detain Dev-Ay who screams about how vile I truly am.

“That looks really bad Ren. Oh no, let me get some help.” Neige states with worry.

“I’ll take them to the nearest medic. You should calm the onlookers down.” Crewel states before picking me up again.

“Hah, I feel like a kid who got in a fight, and their overprotective dad came to pick them up,” I mumble in my exhausted delirium. The pain wasn’t even present anymore, I was just tired and numb.

“Haha, well I’ve taken a liking to you. Though next time someone punches you, bite back. Especially if it’s going to impact your precious face. You certainly have the charisma to back it up.”

“Aw, dad called me precious hehe. Thank you, you’ve really pampered me like a lil’ puppy while I was here. I feel weirdly comfortable with you. Man, I don’t want to fall asleep for a third time on you. It’s rude to use a celebrity like a pillow. And I’m not that charismatic, I’m just a bit silly.” I mumble with a yawn.

“You can fall asleep. You need it, and that potion, while good for a short time, does make you even more tired than before you use it. You did well, little pup. Though we have some training to do so you can do better in the future.”

“… Thank you,” I mumble quietly, avoiding leaning on Crewel with my bloody face as much as possible. I suppose he didn’t want the incompetent security to carry me this time, though I don’t know why he was compelled to carry me before. He really is like a father figure. I wish that I’d met him sooner. Maybe I wouldn’t have run into Rachel then. But I guess if I met him earlier I may have just been another kid, not someone of note.

The rest of the trip to a medic is in silence. When we get there the lady is nice and heals me with the stipulation that I rest for a solid two days to regain my energy. She asks if I have a guardian, to which I say of course, and that I will be fine under their care. Though how much of that will be true when I go back home is left to be decided. I don’t stay awake for too much longer, though I do hear a vague murmur of Crewel’s voice and phone chatter before I drift off to sleep.

– “Oh wow! This is amazing. Ren, you have to work with me on the next partner event that comes up. I would love to work with you!” Neige states as the dream fades into view. “Thank you. I’m quite flattered. Your designs are excellent as well.” I comment with a small smile before explaining that while it would be nice to work together I had already promised to work with someone else for the next event. Before I hear Neige’s reaction the dream shifts suddenly and I am in a cage. “I still love you you know. I was really hurt that you lied to Dev-Ya like that my sweet, adorable, Renny bird.” Rachel states with a certain sadness before reaching into the birdcage and caressing my face with her cold bony hands. “Why am I here?” I ask shakily before coughing a bit. My throat feels dry and my body feels cold. “Oh Renny, you know I can’t have you run away again. You’ll spread more lies and hurt more people. Unless I help you. Let me help you, I know I can fix you. Piece together the shattered pieces of you. Come here, I’ll give you a hug, just like before. We can make everything okay again.” Rachel says, her sickly sweet voice bouncing between the bars of the birdcage. I can’t say anything, I just stare at her as her arms elongate and weave through the bars to reach me. To touch me. To keep me trapped in this birdcage. –

I wake up with a start and sit up quickly before someone pushes me back into bed.

“What happened to you? Did you trip over the stairs? I warned you those long pants would make you fall dummy.” My sister Vera comments before sitting back down next to me, “Seriously though I was worried when I got a call to home about you being sick again. Did you overuse your magic?”

“Like you’re any better. Who are you to ask if I tripped on the stairs, didn’t you fall up a ramp that one time?”

“Oh shush you. You didn’t answer my question. What happened?”

“Dev-Ya punched me. I don’t know if he tried to sabotage my outfits yet, but I strongly suspect he was related to that too. Sorry I didn’t tell you about getting into the fashion thing. You weren’t home for a while anyways right?” I justify just recalling the fact I was planning on messaging her before and just didn’t.

“Ren, I wasn’t home sure, but you still should have told me! I would have come to see your work if it lined up with my work schedule.”

“Oh Vera, you’ll never guess who I met.”

“Oh really? Try me.”

“I met Divus Crewel.”

“Yeah I know that much, he was the one who called me. Imagine my surprise when the Divus Crewel was calling about my older sibling needing someone to drive them home. Bro, he asked if I was your older sister, how goofy were you to warrant that question?”

“Bro- It’s not my fault though. I just accidentally didn’t realize I got on the wrong train car and dressed enough like a hobo that he assumed I was a child.”

“Bro.”

“I know bro.”

“Going back a bit, I thought Dev-ya cut contact with you after that gross nasty did the bad thing I shall not name.”

“Oh yes, thank you for not naming the bad thing. But yeah, I thought nothing would come of it, but apparently, he was really mad at me. I wonder if Rachel encouraged this. I don’t think he would have acted as extreme otherwise.”

“I mean yeah maybe. But he was always kind of ick though.”

“I know, you were right. You’re always right when it comes to people.”

“Damn right I am.”

“Hey Vera, can you hand me my phone?”

“No, I can’t.” They say handing me the phone anyways. I smile at them lightly and open up my phone to check a few things. Firstly, if I had been contacted by Crewel since apparently he had found out my sibling’s number he may have found my contacts. Specifically “home” or otherwise Vera called my phone, but I couldn’t pick up because I was deliriously exhausted.

“Oh right, I was supposed to tell the Crewel you woke up. He acts more like your dad than our actual dad did haha.”

“Yeah, right? I was thinking the same thing. If he was still alive I wonder if that would have changed at all. I mean, it was really mom who was the worse parent, at least dad had an excuse.”

“I guess. But whatever, not the time. Time to message your ‘new dad’ since you seemed to have picked one up out of nowhere. You better not abandon me for another family.” Vera states rolling her eyes.

“Thanks, dad, and of course I won’t, you’re the only blood-related family I want to stay in contact with at the moment,” I say playfully rolling my eyes back at her.

Vera messages Crewel and much more quickly than I had anticipated he is in the room with us. We talked about a few things. Who Dev-Ya was, why he was so upset, what relation it had to my outfits, and why I lied about having a parental figure at home.

“Come to think of it. You’re a celebrity designer, you’re quite busy. Why did you come here directly to talk to us?” Vera asks.

“Well, while Ren is a student of mine, I was thinking that I could provide you with a better job as well and a place much closer to my design studio. If you’re all the other has, it would be rather cruel for me to separate you for a lengthy period of time. Despite how my name sounds, I’m not unreasonable.”

“Okay dad, sure thing. You’ve been really soft with me though. I don’t see how you would be. You just have high expectations right?”

“Say what you will little pup. I’m sure you’ll find I’m not as lenient as you seem to think I am. Also, Ren. How is it that your sister dresses so fashionably and you dressed as you called it in ‘an unfashionable dad aesthetic’?” Crewel asks, raising a brow.

“I uh, make their clothes and they take care of their skin better than I do,” I mumble slowly looking away from Crewel.

“I told them I don’t need to look nice either, but they insist that I should wear nicer clothes. I’m not a seamstress like them, I’m a watercolour painter. So I can’t just make them nice clothes to wear as they do for me.”

“But you look so pretty though, you definitely deserve all the nice things.”

“No, I don’t, you do.”

“No, I refuse, you do.”

“It looks like two little pups in need of some retraining.” Crewel breaks up what was about to become a battle of the no-yous, “Anyways, after Ren fully recovers, I’ll take you to your new home and explain the job I have for you in greater detail. That should be suitable for you I presume?”

“Excuse me, but why would you help us? Did you just adopt my sibling and say I could tag along?” Vera asks a little skeptical about this sudden favor toward us.

“I mean it’s not like he doesn’t gain anything. We’re both skilled artists who could contribute to his business and we’re in a position where it would be best if we joined him to gain the benefits we would from this.”

“Okay, I get that, but I still don’t understand why us.”

“While I don’t need a reason and this little gremlin child would technically owe me under other circumstances, I have my personal reasons for this predicament. Also, I am deeply concerned by the fact you trusted me so quickly. I will tell you the rest eventually, but for the moment I’m sure good pups won’t question me further.”

“Oh, you’ve yet to see gremlin Ren my newly adopted father figure. Now that I’ve fallen asleep near you like three times, I think it’s safe to say you’ll see weirdness soon. You don’t seem like a bad person though? I mean, you’ve had plenty of chances to make my life significantly worse, but you didn’t.” I laugh a bit. Vera raises a brow at me like they were saying, ‘Do you have no sense of danger child?’

“Gremlin Ren? Like when you said ‘Aw, dad called me precious’? I suppose you may simply be a good judge of character, though I’d still be more careful.”

“Hebba debba ha- Shoosh, we don’t talk about deliriously tired Ren, and sure, I could be more careful I guess,” I respond quickly, waving my arms vaguely in his direction.

“Bro.” Vera vocalizes her surprise, crossing her arms and shaking her head.

“Since we haven’t yet, Ren, let us exchange numbers so that I can contact both of you if need be. I’d rather not call your sister every time.”

“Oh alright, yeah that’d be good, we won’t always be together, so that wouldn’t have worked out every time anyways,” I respond before remembering I had Neige’s number somewhere too. I completely forgot to mention him to Vera before, oh well I can bring him up later. For some reason, I don’t feel like I should mention him in front of Dadus Crewel.

We exchange numbers and chat a bit about my health, fashion, and my sibling’s art. Vera ends up being quite flustered but flattered by the compliments she receives. It’s quite cute actually. Eventually, Crewel leaves and I’m left to rest with Vera making sure that I don’t skip any meals. She knows that I won’t eat if I don’t feel like getting up.

There was a lot to think about laying down. What was going to happen with Dev-Ya and Rachel? Would I have to tell Crewel about Rachel? How was it going to be learning under Crewel? Would Vera finally meet her Idol since we were going to be in the fashion industry? What did the dream with Neige and Rachel mean? I could probably figure out a couple of them. My dreams tend to be tied to reality, though upsetting things always end up more abstracted or represented by different characters. The thing with Neige may actually happen, or something similar will occur if I don’t spoil the surprise again. The more abstract representation of Rachel means I might meet her again. There’s no way that I would actually be trapped in a birdcage right? That seems quite unlikely despite how unhinged Rachel can be. I’ll probably have to tell Crewel about Rachel if I notice anything off like with the outfits. Though given his resources I may not be the first one of us to bring it up. Maybe I’ll wait until he asks me about it.

Two days pass slowly with the occasional conversation with my sister and her excitement about having a potentially less dull job soon. We vaguely touch on the fact she might meet her idol and then she wonders if she’ll have to hide her fanart of him before remembering that the only art she gets is of fictional characters so it's fine. Besides which there’s no way that Epel Felmier would ever see her room anyways right? By the end of the second day, I feel energized enough to start packing things up. Though I take care to pack my clothes separately from everything else just in case they’ll be confiscated for use as scrap materials. Not that they would, but considering Crewel’s judgemental glances, I have a feeling it isn’t an unreasonable concern.

Vera convinces me to call Crewel this time since she had to do so last time and he arrives equally as quickly as before with a few people to help us pack up. He motions for us to follow him while the movers grab all of our stuff in storage containers of various sizes and random boxes. On the way, Crewel discusses Vera’s position on the creative team designated to Epel and she literally gasps.

That evening when Crewel isn’t within earshot Vera tells me they hope he doesn’t notice them because they would never be able to talk to him well and might even accidentally refer to him as “baby girl” which they know he doesn’t like.

Unexpectedly our conversation takes a pause when I receive a message from Dev-Ya. He had been the one to block me initially, so I couldn’t imagine anything good would come out of whatever message he sent me. Especially since the last time we spoke, he punched my face. I didn’t open the message, but I read the first bit of it that was displayed on my phone screen from the notification.

[I want to meet up to apologize to you properly.] It began. I had a feeling that he didn’t actually want to apologize. Though I could be wrong, it doesn’t feel like something he would do.

“What’cha lookin’ at?” Vera asks, breaking the silence.

“An unexpected message.” I say vaguely frowning at my phone before shutting it off entirely for the moment, “I don’t really want to look at it though.”

“Oh, did Elliot message you again?”

“Not this time, no. Also, I blocked Elliot, I won’t be receiving his messages unless he does something to get around being blocked.”

“You seem to have a lot of enemies,” Crewel adds walking into the room with a pointer that has two collars attached to the other end of it. He was usually depicted with it, so it’s weird he didn’t have it at the event.

“Well, when you’re a doormat you tend to attract people who want to use you. Not that I am as much anymore, but it does sometimes feel like it would be easier to be one again.”

“That’s why I told you not to deal with them in the first place dummy,” Vera mutters.

“Are you sure you’re not the older sibling Vera?”

“Oh come on. Besides Vera is taller than me which automatically makes her the younger sibling.” I say playfully gesturing dramatically to Vera.

“That was because you were malnourished, you’re taller than me now,” Vera comments in turn with a small frown.

“Well I was going to get right to business, but I have a feeling we should discuss what happened with Dev-Ya on Glamour Isle.”

“I would be totally cool with skipping over that for now. Business stuff ooh.” I point finger guns in Crewel’s general direction.

“Oh wait, was that who messaged you?” Vera cuts in.

“What lead you to that conclusion? But yes, Dev-Ya texted me.” I sigh lightly rubbing the back of my neck anxiously.

“Well, that is concerning. What did he say?” Crewel asks, looking at me pointedly.

“I didn’t want it to pop up read so I only looked at the part that popped up in the notification. I don’t know what the rest says, but apparently, he wants to apologize. I doubt he means to apologize given how volatile our last meeting was.” I explain tiredly, rubbing my eyes and sighing.

“Bro block him. Gross. I bet Rachel told him to apologize so she can try to get back on your good side after ‘that’.”

“I figured much the same … I guess I should tell you who Rachel is now that we’re staying in your care huh? You certainly picked a puppy with a lot of problems.” I say with a small laugh before taking a deep breath and thinking about how to start.

“You are by no means obligated to give me your life story simply because I’ve brought you here. Though it would be helpful to identify people to avoid or deal with later.” Crewel responds, mumbling the last part and hitting his pointer against his hand.

“I didn’t catch that last bit, but I still feel like I should anyways. I won’t go into specifics, but essentially I was in a relationship where I would give as much as I could to make Rachel happy, but she never listened to me or returned the affection I gave. It got particularly bad at one point, but I won’t get into that. It messed with a lot of my friendships though since that became my standard. Elliot, who was mentioned earlier, is similar, but worse in some ways. I’m lucky I found out who he was before I met him in person though.” I explain vaguely, pausing a few times, wondering if I should be telling Crewel all of this. He practically adopted us, I’m not even sure how things worked out this well, but I couldn’t help but feel like as soon as he knew more he was going to throw me away.

“It looks like you were surrounded by some pathetic mutts. I’ll make sure they don’t show up around you. For now, you should probably block any of them you’ve yet to and stay focused on something that won’t keep your anxiety up. I’m sure that all deeply impacted you. No one goes through upsetting events unscathed. I don’t really do hugs, but you two can speak to me about anything that is troubling you. It’s one of the responsibilities I signed up for taking you in as my students. A teacher's job is to make sure his students thrive in the learning environment.”

“You’re definitely acting like a dad now. You don’t do hugs? What's with carrying me to a medic instead of letting someone else do it?”

“I’m not sure actually.”

“Oh? You’re not sure? Sounds likely fatherly instincts ooh.”

“…” Crewel doesn’t reply, he simply places a hand to his chin thoughtfully, placing the hand with the pointer in it against his elbow.

“Hey, Ren you should block those nasties.” Vera points out before I can react to Crewel’s silence. I had already forgotten that blocking people was mentioned so my mouth forms an ‘oh yeah’ before I turn my phone back on. It flashes on a full brightness before returning to the lowest setting where I usually have it.

“Ow, my eyes,” I grumble before going through and blocking the numbers I had yet to block. It was Dev-Ya’s and some guy named Teiran I didn’t remember but had a negative feeling about for some reason. Rachel and Elliot were already blocked before so I didn’t have to worry about them for now.

“You came in here to talk business initially right? Let’s do that.” Vera states, taking a lead in the conversation. Probably in hopes that Crewel would leave as soon as he said what he planned to.

“Right, business. First of all, excuse me for barging in earlier. I can assure you this will not become a habit. I live separately from you and I’ll make sure to inform you if I need to speak with you both prior to my visits unless it's an emergency of course. Onto business, there is a large event surrounding new fashion coming up in six months, the Summer Unlimited Fibers Fresh and Economic Revolution annual event. You’ll be put into teams of at least three. Though these teams can be sorted out beforehand which is what we’re going to do. As you may have already guessed, I plan to assign you two to a team with Vil Shoenheit and Epel Felmier. Until then, however, we need to increase your prestige and credibility.”

“I’m mildly concerned by the fact it spells the out ‘suffer’ as the acronym, but I digress. So you mean you’ll be making sure we get into events to showcase our abilities? If this goes well, we’ll be working on one of the biggest events in the fashion world with some of the most well know fashion-related celebrities. But if you have other pupils, then why did you select us?”

“Oh, I suppose I should have specified. I’m also a teacher at Night Raven College. The students there are probably who you mean by my ‘other pupils’. As for why I chose you two, there are a few reasons. Most obviously, it brings diversity to the group. A non-binary gremlin with dark-academia vibes and a lady steeped in Ouji fashion pair well with the adorable Epel and glamorous monarch-esque Vil. It’s like a set of fantasy villains. Quite an eye-catching arrangement no? Additionally, you already work well together, I’m afraid some of my other students are too much like divas to work well as a group. Individually they all have strengths, but until they mesh, they’re like oil and water. While you have yet to work with Epel and Vil, you will be more willing to compromise with them when necessary.”

“Oh, I guess that makes sense. Diversity is an important note for intrigue. However, I’m under the impression that this is in part because of Neige’s potential group. Either they’re also trying to be diverse, or that group is going to essentially be a boy band right?”

“Correct. Given the previous year, it’s likely that Neige’s group is going to be more diverse. There was a lot of discourse surrounding some of the former members, though somehow that discourse gave Neige a popularity boost.” Crewel states, his voice dripping with annoyance.

“Right, weren’t Neige and Vil placed on the same team as two newbies who ended up being a mess all things considered?”

“Unfortunately.”

“So you don’t want the hosts to make Neige and Vil part of the same team again? But you don’t have much time to locate some new talents, and those you could reach out to would make things more difficult.”

“Essentially.”

“Considering that you came here almost immediately. You have something in mind to get us started right?”

“Very good. Yes, I have a few events lined up for you. I’ll handle getting you in, you are going to need to focus on curating new designs. I have more for you after this event, so don’t burn yourself out like last time. Since security was so lax at the last location, I can promise you I’ll ensure more reliable security this time.”

“Can you tell us the specifics like dates and themes?”

“I’ll go over it with you another day, but for now I’ll be E-Mailing you all of the relevant information. Though I’ll need to give you your company E-Mails and their passwords before you can use them.”

“Company E-Mails? Wow- that’s fancy.”

“Oh, we had those at my previous job.” Vera mumbles.

“Good, then you should be familiar with professional E-Mail etiquette.”

“E-Mails have etiquette?”

“…” Vera and Crewel look at each other, perhaps wondering how I had made it this far without knowing that there was such a thing as E-Mail etiquette. Crewel ends up discussing specifics with us anyways before handing us our company E-Mail information. After he leaves Vera and I unpack a few more things while bouncing ideas off of each other for the first event.

We head to bed soon after and both wake up early. Getting used to a new space was going to take a little bit. Everything was so much cleaner than it ever had been. There’s only so much progress we were able to make at the old house with my studies and Vera’s work. Regardless, we had things to do and not much time to dilly-dally about new surroundings.

The next few days raced by and before we knew it we were presenting in front of a crowd. Though this one was notably smaller than the one from the Flash Forward Frenzy. Unexpectedly, Neige was one of the guest judges alongside Vil. After the show is over Neige approaches us.

“I didn’t expect to see you here! Wow, your designs are still so impressive. Oh, a pleasure to meet you, Vera, I’m Neige LeBlanche!” Neige starts excitedly grasping my hands, acknowledging my sister after a moment's pause.

“It’s nice to meet you too. I’m Vera, Ren’s sister.” Vera introduces, looking at Neige’s hands and then back to me with a raised eyebrow.

“Hello again! Also, I’m sorry, I completely misplaced your business card, so I wasn’t able to add your number to my contacts after everything.” I apologize, wondering if he was under the impression that I just didn’t like him.

“Oh no, well I suppose it’s not unexpected. You were in really bad shape after the Frenzy. I’m surprised you were on your feet this quickly. Hmm, why don’t I just add my number to your phone this time? There’s no way you’ll lose it that way!” He states with a wide smile befitting a prince.

“Sure! That would probably be better.” I reply before pulling out my phone. Vera blinks at me, ‘Seriously? You know that Vil and Neige are rivals, you really want to die on the hill of befriending everyone until you get hurt?’ I hand Neige my phone and he quickly types in his number. I stifle a laugh when I see that he’s oh-so graciously nicknamed himself for future reference.

“Do people call you Neggy?” I ask curiously, looking at the little heart emote he’d added at the end too. I mean it was distinct, I’d give him that, but it felt a little unnecessary.

“Only friends do. I’d like to think we’ll be friends though so you can call me Neggy too!” Neige explains still just as bubbly and excited as before.

“Okay, but I’ll still refer to you as Neige in public.” I smile a bit. He was cute if nothing else. It was like finding a little brother. Though Vera would always be my favorite sibling. Before I can give Neige my number in turn Vil joins us.

“Hello, Neige. Sorry to cut your conversation short, but these two have a prior engagement.” Vil states with a practiced smile, elegantly placing a hand on his chin. I wonder how much of the conversation he heard when walking over. Regardless Vera’s assessment that being friendly toward Neige would give me problems was probably going to be a little too accurate. Vil was already displeased, I couldn’t imagine that our trip to the meeting room with Crewel and Epel was going to be comfortable.

“Yes, unfortunately, we do have something else to tend to. I’m sure we’ll meet again given the industry. Let’s head out.” I add, looking at Vera who rolls her eyes at me and also confirms that we should leave.

“Ah, goodbye Ren. I hope we have a chance to talk more next time. Safe travels!” Neige says before saying farewell to Vera and Vil collectively. We walk in silence until we reach our transportation. After the door shuts Vil starts to speak.

“So you’re friendly with Neige LeBlanche?” He asks with a smile that conveyed his displeasure.

“Well, I don’t have a negative opinion of him as of the moment. But we’ve only spoken a few times so it’s difficult to say if I’d ever give him preference. Though to be frank, my main concern is being polite since unlike you, my clout isn’t very good.” I explain. It was true that I was fairly neutral towards Neige, he may be cute, but he’s not very memorable for anything but that. Given the choice, I’d rather be friends with Vil since that would make things less complicated and Vil is also more interesting. The media is divided on how to depict Vil as his fashion sense and acting career have cast him as a villain. Do they show him as tragic, cruel, or even secretly good?

“I see. I suppose that makes sense. Though I will remind you to avoid being too friendly with him. Even if you’re just being polite others will take your politeness as affection and twist your image.” Vil explains, a bit softer and less peeved than earlier. Was he worried about me? “I have to agree with Vil. Ren, you’re too careless with people.” Vera adds quietly, glancing at Vil before looking at me, “You shouldn’t have let Neige grab your hands either, what if there were paparazzi? Neige has the barrier of being the highest-ranking celebrity, you’re not safe from being slandered and defamed.” Vera adds with concern, her voice shaking.

“Vera- I know. I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that the media is going to depict me as a playboy at this point. I mean, there’s no way that there aren’t pictures of Crewel carrying me circulating at the moment. With that, if there also end up being pictures of Neige holding my hands then I’ll be in trouble.” I apologize, sorting out my thoughts and realizing all at once just the predicament I had been put in.

“Usually Crewel is so careful about his image. But I suppose he has always had a soft spot for his students. Though he would never admit that.” Vil muses, “If you understand all of that, why aren’t you more guarded?” Vil adds with added annoyance.

“I- don’t have anything to say for myself. It’s just stupid.” I state looking down at my feet.

“We’ll discuss this with Crewel later. Vera, you weren’t at the Frenzy so I didn’t get to see your abilities in action before. I’m excited to see what you’ll do in the future. You seem quite promising, and perhaps wise.” Vil compliments Vera who smiles a bit before thanking Vil for his compliments. Eventually, it reaches the topic of understanding why Crewel said he’d need to fix my wardrobe.

“We already have plans to curate your wardrobe, unfortunately, there simply wasn’t time before this event, so you had to wear the ones from Glamour Isle. But no more. I shall make you shine like a diamond. And perhaps blind Neige.”

“What is it with people mumbling the last part of their sentences? I’m grateful for your time and efforts in this. I’ll try not to undermine your expectations.”

Eventually, we make our way to the meeting room where a few unfamiliar faces sit with Crewel and Epel. Most of them are dressed in business attire with some notes, but one of them looks completely different from the rest. Dressed in a dark feathered cloak with a crow mask and cane, the fae lounges at the head of the table. This also implies that he has a higher position than Crewel. Who is this guy?

“Ah! You’re all here. Yes, it is I. Crowley your beloved CEO and headmaster at NRC.” Yeah, I still have no idea who Crowley is.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Crowley,” I say with a polite smile.

“Yes, it’s lovely to meet you, Mr. Crowley,” Vera says in turn.

“It’s a pleasant surprise to see you attend the meeting CEO,” Vil states with an elegant practiced smile.

“There is no need to be so formal with me! Just call me Crowley. After all, you all are important assets to our company.” Crowley states in a sing-song tone, “Oh right, feel free to sit anywhere, there’s no need to stand so stiffly.” He adds with the motion of his hand.

“Thank you, sir,” I say before sitting one seat away from Crewel so that Vera can be seated beside two people she knows. Vil sits beside Epel on the other side of the table and introductions of everyone at the table begin. The table consists of Crowley, Crewel, Epel, Vera, Vil, Trein, Vanrouge, and I. The meeting covers schedules, the clean up for Crewel’s sudden dadittude, and current media standings. Admittedly during the more budget-oriented pieces of the conversation, I was completely lost.

After the meeting ends Crowley leaves immediately followed by Vanrouge. Epel and Vil head out after speaking briefly to Crewel. Vera and I decide to follow Vil out for the moment. We weren’t stopped so we left the room. Vil notices us and motions for us to walk a bit closer to the two of them. I can almost hear Vera internally screaming being so close to Epel.

“We have more to discuss outside of the meeting since they didn’t cover everything. You’re probably wondering who Lillia Vanrouge and Mozus Trein are. They’re investors in the company that happen to be on good terms with most of us. Since they have such a big say in our company, they tend to appear in official meetings discussing budgets and plans for the company's future.”

“You realize that Crewel probably would have explained all of that to them right?”

“Yes, but the conversations between Trein and Crewel tend to be lengthy. We have to wait anyways, it makes for better discussion if the other parties aren’t preoccupied with something else.” Vil says motioning for everyone to sit down in what is probably a waiting room or lounge of some sort.

“Eh- Yeah okay. Ahem. Hello again, I’m Epel. It’s nice to meet you both.” Epel says with a sparkly smile.

“Wow, I didn’t realize that people could literally sparkle,” I mumble thoughtlessly. Vera covers my mouth before I finish.

“The pleasure is all mine,” Vera states simply, smiling politely but definitely freaking out internally. After a bit, she uncovers my mouth and I am free to speak again.

“I guess we’ll be seeing each other a lot more frequently right? So wouldn’t it be a good idea to figure out some baseline things to avoid doing? For example, eating sounds really bother me. If I dine with others, it is usually in a noisy place so I’m less overwhelmed by the eating noises but rather the environment.”

“Ah, I suppose you’re right. Then I’ll state the obvious. Be more careful about your image and who you associate with. Additionally, do not needless contact Neige LeBlanche as that too could become problematic.”

“Ah, I get it, if anyone sees either party text the other, a deeper relationship will be assumed because it makes for a better story and more interesting gossip.”

“Exactly. I suppose that means you had no intentions of actually contacting him then?”

“Well, I was undecided initially, which is why I even mentioned the number again in the first place, but given this, it’s better to avoid contacting him. He’s been at the center of enough drama where everyone else ended up looking bad that I don’t really want to chance an ‘Oops, I didn’t realize they could see my screen lol’ moment.”

“I’m glad you’ve come to your senses.”

“I suppose if it's just us, avoid calling me cute or referring to me too fondly. I’d rather not be bombarded with those things outside of work too.” Epel adds, still sounding soft and polite.

“Ah, alright. If I had to add something, it would probably be along the lines of wariness around group chats or anything. I’ve had a friend or two in ‘secret’ group chats that were too careless about ensuring the excluded parties weren’t aware they were excluded.” Vera mentions with a brief explanation.

Before we could continue the conversation an announcement was made over the loudspeakers to find a place to hide while a situation was being dealt with.

“Well, that is concerning,” I mumble.

“What in tarnation? Concerning? That’s downright mortifying. What could possibly be happening?” Epel replies with a panicked expression.

“Let’s go into the nearest room. Now.” Vil states staying composed and ushering us all into a room that has a door that locks.

“It’s our first day here and something went wrong,” Vera mumbles, leaning on me and clutching their arms tightly.

“I’m not sure what’s happening, but it will be alright, we’ll just stay quiet. I’m right here.” I whisper as quietly as I can, placing a hand on Vera’s shoulder. The room stays silent after that. Outside of the room, we hear footsteps and a knock of metal on the floor.

Clack clack, clang, clack clack, clang

The person outside calls a name I don’t recognize, but Vil’s expression shifts into one of disturbed understanding.

“I know you���re here my love. Just come out and we can talk.” The voice calls out with a deranged laugh. ‘Ah, it’s someone’s crazy fan or ex.’ I think frowning a bit.

Clack clack, clang, clack clack BANG

The door shudders as a dent forms in it. It takes a moment to process that it was our door that had been hit until I see Epel standing before the door, magic circling his hands while he stands in front of us.

“Oh? Are those frightened breaths I hear? My my, you always were such a delicate thing weren’t you?” The voice exclaims, excitement dripping over their words as something crashes into the door again. I find myself wondering how this guy got here, how they possibly managed to get past security in this place.

BANG

The dent grows as the hinges cry out in pain.

BANG

The door squeals in agony.

BANG … Thonk

The door falls down slowly as an unfamiliar grinning figure peers into the room.

“Oh Icy, there you are!” The intruder exclaims looking at Vera. Vera looks confused and frightened. I find myself moving before I can think about it. I crash through the door we locked to get in here, pulling Vera behind me.

“GET BACK HERE!” They scream followed by the sound of fire crackling through the air followed by the whip of vines.

“Who the fuck is that?” Vera whisper screams, grabbing my hand tightly.

“I don’t know. But we need you to get out of here, or hide really well.” I say in reply, my voice sounding much calmer than the heart beating in my chest. My shoulder starts to throb.

“I-I don’t know what’s happening. I don’t know who that is.” She says panicked.

“I know, I know, it’s not your fault, they’re just a creep.” I console them, starting to lead them toward another exit from the waiting room.

“Eugh- I won’t let you pass through here!” Epel shouts after a sound of pain. Before I can stop her, Vera barrels back into the previous room and punches the creepy stranger back through the doorway.

“No one hurts my friends,” Even she must not have known what came over her, but hearing her idol cry out in pain led her to punch the intruder with a force even she didn’t know she had. They fly through the doorway and crash through the door across the hallways.

“Agh- My sweet- why do you pain me so? I came all this way for you.” The stranger pleads. I feel useless as I watch Vil, Epel, and Vera.

“She wants nothing to do with you. Get that through your head or you won’t be left with just a few burns and scars.” Vil states with a venomous smile spreading over his lips.

“How did they get here? I don’t think they should have been able to. Is there anyone who would want to hurt Vera maybe? … Could it be Rachel again? Is she trying to destroy what I have left so I fall back into her arms?” I mumble to myself before hearing another crash. Vil had thrown the stranger through another door.

“That’s going to be a pain to replace.” Crowley comments walking towards the stranger, “Sorry, but who are you? And why are you bothering us on such an important day?” He adds with a certain detached annoyance like he was talking to a bug. It was then that I managed to walk back toward everyone to see what was happening.

“I’m just here to see my dearly beloved!” The intruder insists.

“That creep has nothing to do with my sister. But he thinks he is.” I state walking over, my heart beating loudly in my chest, “I was trying to be nice earlier.” I add with a practiced smile.

“How is taking my sweet Ice rose away from me a kindness? You just wanted her for yourself.” As they argue I catch a glance at their eyes, they’re cloudy. I stare at them for a moment before something clicks.

“You drank it,” I mutter.

“It’s a miracle thing, isn’t it? Oh, I was so close to holding my love. If you weren’t here- if I get rid of you-” The stranger realizes, rising despite their disfigured form.

“I don’t think so.” Crowley states bonking the stranger on the head with his hand knocking the fool out cold, “Now, I trust you’ll explain what you meant by ‘you drank it?’” Crowley asks motioning for some personnel to get rid of the creep.

“No, you mean they drank that?” Vera cuts in, “It’s- it’s a monstrous potion. It relieves you of all worldly pain, but you lose your ability to perceive right and wrong, as it eats away at you you start to decay and you’re susceptible to others' intentions. If they really drank that- then that means Rachel is involved.” She explains, rushing over as I lose my balance.

“This Rachel is going to be a much larger problem than I initially assumed.” Crewel comments, supporting me from behind as well, “But that doesn’t explain how that mangy mutt got in here in the first place.”

“If the only benefit of that potion was the elimination of pain it wouldn’t be as tempting. If you know which one it is you can probably piece together what happened. But one of the things the potion does is amplify your magic until you overblot. You either decay or overblot, and neither is a pleasant end.” I explain further, scratching at my arms as the ickiness settles into my skin.

“Why exactly do you know all of this?” Trein asks, walking over with a tap of his cane announcing his presence.

“… That’s how my best friend died,” I whisper with a small, pained, laugh.

“I’m sorry for your loss Ren. It is never easy to lose someone. I am too old now to guarantee your safety under my watch. But I will support you the best I can in other ways.” Trein states, looking between Vera and me.

“Hm, well given the dire circumstances I think I could keep an eye on them. Besides, it would be like adopting wor- children.” Crowley states, absolutely about to say workers instead of children before he corrected himself.

“There’s no need for that Crowley, I’m already taking care of their housing, so I’ll be the one to settle them into a safer space if need be,” Crewel states in turn.

“Hahahaha,” Vera starts laughing.

“I hardly think this is the time to be laughing child,” Crowley states.

“I know, I’m sorry, it’s just- you all barely know us but you’ve already accepted us more than our family ever did. It’s just kind of funny you know? Maybe I’m tired.” Vera states laughing a bit more while tearing up. She sniffles and tries to calm down her tears but Epel hugs her.

“There there.” He states, patting their back.

Crewel notices before I do that I’m crying too. He wipes away my tears with a handkerchief and sighs.

“You always seem to get hurt when something happens.” He says, placing a hand lightly on my injured shoulder causing me to flinch, “Let’s get you patched up, we’ll discuss what to do about your safety after that at least.” He adds.

Vil looks at Crewel as though he’d grown a second head.

“You’re not going to pick me up again are you?” I ask with a sniffle before turning my head to look up at Crewel. He smiles a bit.

“That depends, can you walk this time?” He asks though the answer was quickly found to be no, “Hm, well I’m afraid you’re going to have to sit still and be carried this time as well little pup.” He muses. I sigh and just let him carry me. Crowley joins Vil in his baffled stare at Crewel.

“What- is happening,” Vil asks furrowing his brows and pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Dad instincts,” Vera mumbles through sniffles.

“I suppose he does have a habit of adopting promising children, or ‘pups’ as he calls you.” Trein muses, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

“Hah, this really is going to be quite expensive. You’ll need to deal with that Rachel person sooner rather than later.” Crowley comments before he takes his leave.

“Unfortunately I can’t stay for too much longer either. However, Vil, you have my number. I ask that you update me on the situation when you can.” Trein states leaving as well.

“I’m sorry, your jacket is soaked with tears,” Vera says seeing Epel’s now wet jacket.

“It’s fine. I don’t get the whole unsupportive family bit, but I’m all too familiar with being in an unexpected fight with someone you don’t know. NRC isn’t exactly full of friendly faces. ‘Sides, you were really something. I didn’t expect ya ta smack the bastard in gob like that.” Epel states, slipping into an unfamiliar accent. Usually, he sounds like a well-read nobleman.

“I just heard you get hurt and my body was already moving on its own. I can’t take too much credit for that. I’m not nearly as brave as it seems.” Vera explains quickly.

“Not many have such noble intentions. Well, I suppose you won’t be a burden despite the issues that seem to surround your sibling. Though my opinion is subject to change should you prove to be loutish.” Vil comments.

– “Ow- I didn’t think I’d dislocated it, it just felt numb at first,” I grumble, rubbing the arm where healing magic was applied.

“In an ideal world, you’d have time to rest, but for the moment we should discuss safety. Previously you would not be living with anyone but your sibling. Given the circumstances would you be more comfortable living in my house? Given my status, I have trained guards to deal with intruders like that person.”

“It would probably be safer to stay somewhere that secure. It’ll be a pain, yes, but I’m not going to deny any greater level of protection. Though I have my reservations about hired guards at this point.”

“That’s understandable. I can assure you, however, that my hired personnel will be much more reliable. Crowley and the owner of the organization that hosted the Frenzy prefer cost effectiveness to function.” Crewel grumbles.

“Da- Crewel! You shouldn’t say that in the building, slander the man later.”

“Pfft, but you don’t disagree.”

“Of course not, I’ve seen what happened- dude I was there. I mean last time was like two minutes ago. Eugh, I’m so tired now too.”

“You should get some rest here then. Would you prefer I stay here, or leave?”

“Thanks for that, do what you think is best.” I didn’t want to make him stay when there was going to be a lot of aftermath to sort out, and it was very unlikely that something would happen immediately after the last incident. Rachel doesn’t work like that, she eats away at you slowly until you give in to her.

Crewel ended up staying in the room, at least until I fell asleep.

– “Oh Ren, did you enjoy our game of hide and seek? I had so much fun finding you.” ‘No, I recognize that voice.’ “You were so difficult to get a hold of. Were you that confused my dear? It’s okay, I can help you now. Just trust in me.” ‘No. I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to be with her here.’ “Come closer, little Ren. I’ll make sure you’re safe in my arms.” Rachel’s arms wrap around me and begin to constrict me, suffocating me. It feels like all of the air is being pushed out of my lungs as the cold arms continue to snake around me and hold me closer. “My adorable dear.”

–

TL;DR: Ren meets Crewel on a train after accidentally entering the wrong car and Crewel notices their distinct lack of fashion. From there Ren participates in a Speed Fashion contest with an unreasonable time limit and manages to prove their worth. Given this, Crewel takes in both Ren and their sister Vera to contribute to his team starring Vil and Epel. In the midst of this an old 'friend' from Ren's past resurfaces as an adversary.

[wackybuddiemewbs]

WIP Wednesday Buddie Edition

I know, we been knew. But I am a hoe for all the angst and all the drama. the hurt and the comfort. Particularly the Buck!whump and the soft bois being all boi and soft, downright squishy. AND I am also a downright hoe for the "childhood friends to lovers" trope. So yeah, this is pure self-indulgence. Yet again. And as per usual, I make you sit through it! Cheers!

Working title: Thick as Thieves

Basic idea: Buck and Eddie grew up together in El Paso, after Abuela started fostering Buck, a boy who was left behind at a fire station as an infant. Along the way, they became best friends. More than that, actually. Much more. But fate blew them in different directions, until it puts them back together, in L.A., at the LAFD, with the 118. Buck is in for the shock of his life when he finds out that the new recruit is none other than Eddie Diaz. Eddie is equally shocked. And as both have to find out, sometimes even in painful ways, life has moved on at rapid speed since then. Eddie is a single dad. Buck and his adoptive parents apparently no longer talk? And then, of course, there is the elephant in the room, about what happened, short before Buck moved away from El Paso...

Find out more here: Part 1

Eddie’s entire body feels like it’s still vibrating. He is sore and tired, and he will be dead the moment his head hits the pillows, but right now, sleep is the furthest thing from his mind.

They won the game everyone said they’d lose. And him and Buck made the miracle happen, virtually at the last second. They were made part of the line-up early on because their synchrony on the field was out of this world, the coach had told them as much. But tonight, it was like magic. He didn’t even have to look to know where Buck was. He just knew. And for Buck it was the same. He played passes, not batting an eye, because he knew Eddie would reach it.

When you have each other’s back, you only have to look forward, simple as that.

Now walking – staggering – with arms slung across each other’s shoulders, Eddie can say this is one of the best days of the whole damn year already. While he and Buck know it’s stupid, there is still that faint hope that scouts will pick them out from the crowd, offer a scholarship, something like that. So they could go to college together. They are not holding their breaths for it, but they enjoy it while it lasts.

It’s not like we’ll do our best to pick the same college, duh.

Hell would have to freeze over for them to purposely choose different colleges, once they are done with high school. It wasn’t even a thing they had to talk about. Whenever it comes up, they talk about how to cheat the system and share a room at the dorms. And how to cheat their way through Trig because neither one of them gets it, really.

“Y’know, I get it that we’re still the newbies, but that we still gotta help tidy up after kicking ass is kind of a crime,” Buck laments next to him.

Normally, the line-up would have been for seniors and juniors only. Having two sophomores on for such a high-stake game in the season means a lot. Both knew the moment Coach announced that the pressure was on.

But little do they know how well do perform under pressure.

“You’re aware you volunteered – for me also?” Eddie huffs. “Which, by the way, I told you repeatedly to stop doing?”

Buck rolls his shoulders. “I thought they’d go ‘noooo, not you guys, after the victory you brought us’, kinda overestimated us and our magic, I guess.”

Eddie chuckles softly. It’s a nice thought, surely. But Buck vastly overestimated their importance and the juniors’ and seniors’ wish to pay them back for a good game.

“If we win them the cup, I won’t do chores for a week,” Buck adds, wrinkling his nose.

“If Coach says it, you’re gonna jump,” Eddie huffs.

Scratch that, Coach wouldn't even have to ask for Buck to jump to make him jump.

“I wouldn’t,” Buck retorts.

“Says the guy always set on being a people pleaser,” Eddie snorts. While he says it in a teasing way, it continues to bother him more than maybe it should. It’s not like it was when they were still small kids and Buck was so hellbent on being good to Abuela that he hid injuries and such.

Okay, scratch that again, that is still how he is. I practically had to drag him to the nurse’s office at the beginning of the school year.

And in a lot of ways, that is still how Eddie is, how they are. Eddie wished Buck would finally understand what he’s been trying to hammer into his thick skull for all those years. That he doesn’t have to please people, doesn’t have to earn his spot. That the people who really care about him will take him as he is.

“Well, I can’t help it that I’m pleasant to people,” Buck chuckles.

Eddie rolls his eyes. “Good, coz you’re not.”

“Then what does it say about you that you still hang out with me?” Buck grins at him.

He shrugs. “I’m a charitable guy?”

“No, you’re an asshole. I’m your oldest friend, and this is what I get? Seriously?” Buck whines mockingly. “I feel so vulnerable right now, Eds.”

“Now you’re being overly dramatic, c’mon,” Eddie huffs, nudging against Buck’s shoulder. He grins, nudging back a little more, which has both of them laughing harder and harder upon every nudge, every shove, every touch.

The movements are sluggish at best. They are both totally beat after the game, so the little fight does not last long.

Still bumping shoulders, they cover the remaining distance to the dumpsters to discard of the trash and finally get away from a place that marks both the worst smelling and the most sought-out for the teens to make out.

Which says more about teenagers than it maybe should. And Eddie will say that, fully aware that he is one of them.

“Mission accomplished,” Eddie announces, demonstratively wiping his hands before skipping past the wired fence.

This might be one of the few nights Buck can get away with staying away past curfew. The Moores are very strict about that – not that Buck cares nearly enough as he maybe even should – but Buck’s dad sure is a football fan. Probably because he considers it manly or whatever.

Maybe that’s why Buck is so eager to perform well in the sport, too, Eddie ponders. Sure, he always wants to impress his adoptive parents. To prove his worth to them. Sadly, that’s no news to him. But maybe that’s the appeal when it comes to Mr. Moore especially. To prove that he’s accomplishing things, that he is growing up to be a man.

Eddie knows a familiar song, though his dad sings to a different tune. For him, it’s more about expecting Eddie to be the man in the house when he is not around. To step up the game and act like an adult, even though Eddie isn’t that. Just because he’s gone half the time. Because of the job. Because he of responsibility.

And Eddie’s taking it, as best as he can. He is. He tries. He really does.

Would be nice if he noticed, but that ship’s sailed long time ago.

Mr. Moore seems to have a similar idea for Buck. Not that Mr. Moore lets on an awful lot. He’s even more tight-lipped than Eddie’s grandpa. And Eddie will admit that he didn’t know what his grandfather’s voice sounded like until he was, like, seven and a half years old. But Mr. Moore has always been a bit of a mystery to Eddie. He and Mrs. Moore love Buck fiercely, that much he can tell. They consider him God’s gift and all. But other than wanting him to perform well in school, be sportive, and behave himself? Eddie isn’t sure what they’d want Buck to be like.

Just… normal. Whatever that is.

Though maybe that’s for better. Eddie has some idea of what his father would want him to be. At least he feels like he catches his father’s drift, whenever he is around to drop some wisdom on him. About how men swallow it up. How men don’t have to talk out their emotions. They just move on and get shit done. That kind of thing.

Eddie shakes his head. Tonight is not the night to dig deep on his father’s antics or what the Moores may have as future plans for Buck. Tonight, they ought to celebrate, stay past curfew, and hopefully get away with it without getting grounded.

He looks around, irritated at the lack of Buck’s presence beside him. He turns his head around to see Buck still standing close by the gate, but not past the fence yet. He stands with his head leaned back, looking up above.

“You know this ain’t the place to make grand memories?” Eddie teases.

But Buck pays him no mind, his eyes still fixed on the night sky.

“Earth to Buck?”

Buck blinks, then snaps his head back around to look at Eddie. He flashes a toothy smile before ducking his head, the way he always does when he becomes too self-conscious.

“What got your attention instead of this lovely ensemble?” Eddie asks softly, nodding at the dumpster.

“Sorry, just… awesome view on Scorpius tonight. Didn’t notice until now,” Buck explains, finally moving past the gate.

Eddie looks up, squinting his eyes to find it. Tonight, the stars shine extra bright, it’d seem. He knows Buck’s had a fable for constellations since he came to stay with Abuela. While he never understood where it came from, they grew to be a source of comfort for Eddie. When Buck started fussing or had nightmares, sitting down with him by the windowsill to watch the stars and recount the constellations would often do the trick.

Whatever Buck sees up there that he doesn’t always find down there, Eddie is not sure. But for as long as it only takes calling out his name to get him back, it should be fine.

“Okay, someone still needs to tell me where to find these. Because you showed me a map of the constellations and they look nothing like the real deal,” Eddie huffs.

He blinks, when he feels Buck’s fingers brush against his as he lifts his hand up towards the sky, his arm resting snuck against Eddie’s. Buck adjusts both their stance a bit, and for a moment, Eddie forgets how breathing works.

Which is weird. Because he’s no stranger to standing close to Buck. They lived together as small kids. Bathed together. Slept in one bed. And got so many mosquito bites while sleeping in one tiny tent and leaving the zipper open a bit.

So what’s different tonight than from any other night?

They have taken the trash here before, also at night. Just last week. Sure, Buck didn’t stare at Scorpius that time. But last time, they had started wrestling, and it didn’t take his breath away. Except for when Buck sat down on top of him, the little shit.

“See the spot over there? That’s Antares, rival of Mars. Coz it’s also red. Always a good starting point, coz that’s the tip of the tail. And over there we got Lesath, which both mean sting. Which, you know, very creative right there. And then we move up that curve until we get to the body. Easy once you know where to start, right?”

Buck isn’t looking at him, is busy gearing his movements to help Eddie find the start and end. Though Eddie suddenly finds neither. Or maybe he does. He is no longer sure. Because he isn’t looking at the rival of Mars or the beginning or the end of a constellation in the sky. He is looking at Buck. His Buck. Whom he has looked at and after for many years now. And nothing is different about him. Still the same bright smile and the even brighter eyes.

He looks at him, and all else just disappears for a moment. The stars. The dumpsters. The cheering crowd that can be heard all the way to here. The time running fast towards the end of curfew. It flits away into the dark, carried away by a small gust that makes him shiver.

There is just Buck. Buck’s fingers gently pressing against his. The way he smiles. The way his eyes twinkle when he talks. The way Eddie knows Buck like the back of his hand. The way Buck knows him inside-out. Even the things Eddie doesn’t say, Buck just somehow knows. The things Eddie doesn’t even dare to touch, Buck brushes against, begins where he often wants the conversation to end, to keep things as they are. So no one leaves, ever again.

“Eds?”

Eddie blinks, then lifts his gaze to meet Buck’s. He can see the confusion there, but also the calm presence that Buck seems to have reserved only for him. For those rarer moments when Eddie loses his cool. And as always, he just waits. Waits for Eddie to catch on, come back to him.

He can feel Buck’s grip loosening on him. And that is when something inside Eddie just snaps and moves, moves him. Before Buck can let go of him, Eddie twists them around and presses his lips against Buck’s to the point it may make their teeth ache. Because he doesn’t want to let go. He wants to hold on. He has to, even though Eddie doesn’t know why or how or why now.

It makes no sense at all. And yet, it feels like nothing made sense before this kiss, however clumsy and awkward it is. How it ever made sense not to kiss those lips, to hold on to this body, this person, as if it wasn’t his beginning or Buck’s the same way.

For that one perfect moment, maybe two, three, four, the universe leaves them in peace as they steal those precious seconds where it is only them. A time that is just theirs. That belongs to no one but them. Something no one can take away from them, no matter what the future may hold, or what lies in the past.

When Eddie pulls away, breathing hard, it takes him a few seconds to catch up, catch up, catch up again. For every moment stolen, three come smacking against him.

He just kissed his best friend. Without a warning. For either Buck or himself.

He kissed Buck. On the lips. And he meant it. Meant every moment of it.

His eyes search Buck’s for the answers his mind won’t provide. Dread settles in right at that moment, making him shudder. Because how did he manage to skip every step from “I might like boys” to “I want to kiss my best friend on the mouth, hard”?

Have I just ended everything for us? Is it over now? Is that…?

Eddie opens his mouth, an apology or whatever it is at the tip of his tongue, but it gets pushed back and away when Buck steps closer, wraps his arms around his back and kisses him back all the harder.

He knows they should talk about it. Right now. They should stop kissing and talking. But Eddie doesn’t find the strength for it. He melts into the warmth and comfort Buck radiates. The warmth and comfort he also knows like the back of his hand. And he holds on to it, ushering away all cold he may feel.

And so, under the stars so brightly shining, they steal as many moments as they can, exchanging between puffs of air and pecks and tender touches small reassurances carrying the same message:

You are not alone.

You are with me.

Stay with me, so I can stay with you.

Hold on to me, so I can never let go again.

Let’s begin again, together.

[talkingbl]

The Good and Bad of KinnPorsche

SPOILER WARNING. TW: date rape, dubcon.

The Good -

The setting/trope. We love a mafia story. And while I'm not a fan of bodyguard romances, this one is interesting because the bodyguard (who is equally as strong and chiseled as the man he's meant to protect) is coded as a bottom.

Bible, Bible, Bible. And a bit of Apo. These two had moments of brilliance. Save for Bible's English dialogue, I found him the most captivating in emotional scenes. Apo did a great job making Porsche a multifaceted character. Porsche is neither masc nor femme, he's neither overly serious nor silly. For the most part, he exists in the middle of every spectrum, dipping more into one side or the other depending upon the circumstances.

The twist. I may be in the minority here but I thought the reveal of Porsche’s mother being alive was the best move the story could make. It had begun to stagnate toward the middle and needed some drama to wake it up, which this reveal did. I also think it adds a layer of intrigue to KinnPorsche and KimChay because we now know that Kinn and Kim's grandparents adopted Porsche and Chay's mother who is still alive despite what we thought. This begs the question: how will Porsche and Chay deal with the news going forward?

The visuals. It is so refreshing to see a cast of people who all have their own look, and with lead characters who have a more tanned skin tone. Thailand is quick to whitewash the fuck out of people (especially lead characters), which is sad because the actors are perfect the way they naturally look. I mean, Apo is probably the most conventionally attractive ML in a Thai BL and rather than trying to imitate the Kpop-overly-made-up, whitewashed aesthetic, he just looks like himself. This is not to shit on naturally lighter people, just to say that it's important to show people of all skin tones, facial features, etc., receiving love.

The NC scenes. Mile and Apo create very passionate (albeit not very realistic) sex scenes that go beyond what we typically see in BL. Porsche gets a handjob in the middle of an argument. Kinn gets his dick sucked, unprovoked. Pete gets his ass ate ON CAMERA. And so much more sprinkled in to give the relationships a more realistic feel. Most BLs will do one NC scene (if that) and it'll be half-assed extreme close ups of cheek-sucking, ab caressing, and neck pecking. KinnPorsche showed thrust action, it showed different positions, it showed different types of sex (gay couples don't always do anal!) and sexual situations (handjobs, playing with the dick, etc. lmao). You can't deny that the story actually tried, the actors actually gave, and the direction was not timid.

Porsche's...interesting responses to Kinn's insults. Kinn all but calls Porsche a slut multiple times and Porsche never reacts the way one thinks he would given his character. Seems like he gets more into the moment when Kinn says those things. I'd be interested to see them explore this side of Porsche more in S2.

The Bad -

The inconsistent tone. This was by far the worst part of the show for me. In one scene Vegas savagely tortures Pete in a makeshift dungeon far away from civilization. In the very next scene Porsche is passing gas in Kinn's face (which...if you know me, you know I can't stand toilet humor). Almost none of the mafia stuff seemed that dire because it was always played for laughs in the end, typically at Porsche's expense. It really took me out of the show.

The unfocused/nonsensical plot. There were several moments in the show where I was like..."and what did that do?" Like the entire Tawan plot line (especially the beginning of it where we think Tawan is dead/is a ghost) was the most unnecessary addition to an already long story I've ever had the displeasure of watching. We could've done the jealousy plot without bringing Tawan back from the "dead" only to kill him off in the end anyway. Even for its little effect on KimChay...I mean, we saw how much Kim cared about Chay, we didn't need Chay kidnapped to see it. We also didn't need the 10 seconds of Chay rebelling nor did we need VegasTawan... That went NOWHERE and I'm just left feeling like my time has been wasted. Also, why was Kim stalking Porsche and Chay? Can someone enlighten me because if they ever said why, I surely missed it.

Outside of VegasPete, how do any of the relationships happen? Like, I get VegasPete because Pete felt bad for Vegas and sought to comfort him and Vegas confided in him. I also get Chay's admiration of Kim. Teenagers have crushes all the time based solely on looks/parasocial relationships. What I barely get however is Kim's interest in Chay. Sure, he's flattered by Chay's crush and wants to protect him but throughout the story it just seems like Kim is into Chay because Chay is into him. He never voices any real reason for falling for Chay and, again, we never really find out Kim's motive for stalking Chay and Porsche earlier on in the series. But what I really don't understand is KinnPorsche. It seems like Kinn just looks at Porsche and is in love, which, sure. But Porsche? Porsche has 0 reason to actually like Kinn and actually has more reason to dislike him due to the situations Kinn has put him in. He has even less reason to trust Kinn given that Kinn took Tawan's word over his. No matter how the story tried to explain this away, it was still weirdly out of character and dumb as hell for Kinn to imprison Porsche and not trust him. It doesn't help that before the Tawan plot, Kinn NEVER shows that he is an untrusting person. There's not even a single hint of it. If a person is that distrustful of everyone, surely they'd show it at some point? And the killing part is that this distrustful nature never comes up again. Almost like it was just for the sake of a not very well thought out plot point... But I digress. I just don't understand why these two grown men actually fell in love (though it's clear as day that they work well together).

Kinn as a concept. How has this man managed to survive up until now? His fighting prowess is woefully inconsistent, he thinks with his emotions, I have yet to see him make any money moves, and he just all around seems like a lovesick puppy waiting for his bodyguard to acknowledge him rather than the ruthless mafioso he's billed as. Simply put, Kinn doesn't act the way one in his position and with his backstory, should/probably would act.

VegasPorsche. Sigh...this relationship was heavily baited and it made no sense. Honestly, Vegas's character in general isn't very well executed. Vegas's character traits are great (inferiority complex, depression, trauma, etc.). Vegas's actions, however, are just not very well-written. Most of his plot lines feel half way done. Like the whole Tawan thing and then making him a rapist for like 2 seconds, I don't get it. This all feeds into VegasPorsche. KinnPorsche writers thought I forgot about the early scene where Vegas tries to date rape Porsche. Surprise, bitch! I remember!! It is so odd (and honestly a testament to bad writing) that it was never reconciled. Vegas was never actually caught and punished for it, and all-in-all it just seemed like fodder for, what was at the point, an episodic drama. It shows lack of planning on the writer's part to not resolve that and then immediately have Kinn do something similar to Porsche (but play it as romantic). Sad part is that I wouldn’t be so critical of it if it actually made sense in the story (I don't get bothered by violence when it makes sense). But it doesn't. We see Vegas around the main family and Porsche so many times after that moment and yet it never comes up again. Porsche just goes on trusting Vegas like nothing ever happened. It's just plain bad writing to show the proverbial gun and never have someone shoot it.

[redheadedbrunette]

Hmm…I see. I WOULD love for you to explain further. I am definitely not a fan of hers, but I’d like to hear your point of view.

I can totally understand where I think you’re coming from. The trope of “character we’ve heard nothing about has suddenly always existed and had relevance” is normally very poorly done. However, tropes are tools, and done right, it can bring new dynamics and conflicts to the table, and I think Trixie is an example of those things being done well for the most part. But, to be fair, I'm more a fan of the version of her in my head and the implications of her existence and how that relates to other characters, namely Erica (who I'm sure you know I love very much).

She's fascinating as a foil to Erica, because, adjusted for the obvious personality differences, she's analogous to what Erica would have been if she hadn't been so deeply thrown into spying, and she is either an example that there is a way a Hale can exist as a mostly well adjusted person or (due to her hyper awareness of all the secrets that everyone her is clearly keeping) proof that something is more fundamentally wrong in that family beyond just espionage. The first one, you could tie into Zoe, and how she’s kind of been going off the rails and joining DADD, and the second you could tie into how all the Hales are some varying combination of socially inept and horrible people, both of which are interesting directions!

The dynamic between the Hale sisters has so much potential, and I'm so sad that Mr. Gibbs didn't mean into that more and leaned more into the Mike/Trixie, which I'm much more meh on (don't hate it, I understand it's purpose in terms of driving things forward in SSAS, but that's not what's interesting.

On the one hand, we have someone who Erica cares deeply about, and it’s set up in such a way that the fact that we haven’t heard of her up until this point undermines it, but rather is a testament to it. Trixie is someone  who she needs to protect, because Trixie can’t protect herself. There’s also the plus side in these two books (although it really doesn’t become obvious as a plus until SSPX), that they’re never in the same room and have to interact, so we can infer the specifics of what the relationship looks like.

Also, through Trixie, we have a single character who doesn’t view Erica as a spy, which means that she’s not seeing the cool stuff Erica at all or what she does see isn’t in the framework that makes it cool. (e.g. she’s probably aware that Erica has a crazy good memory, but without it coming into play on something already cool, it comes across less as this incredibly useful skill and more as a fun party trick.) So what does she see? Probably something like a complete nerd. Terribly socially awkward, no friends. Or, rather, one friend. Trixie is Erica’s friend. Which means it makes sense when Trixie says she’s protective of Erica at the end of SSR. There is a massive gap between how everyone in the series perceives Erica and how Trixie perceives Erica, and Trixie’s way is probably closer to who Erica actually is as a person.

And I am so mad that this angle wasn’t leaned into more. You can play it for comedy, most obviously, but you can also play it for drama (there’s such a gap between who Trixie imagined Erica was and who she actually is, and it frustrates them both, but at the same time Trixie’s still seeing something real and she’s the only one who’s been able to see it).

And the fact that SSPX didn’t lean into this relationship at all is really to it’s detriment, and the big reason Erica feels OOC in SSPX, because Trixie has been fundamental to her emotional journey up until the point and we haven’t seen it get resolved.

[sadgirllbbadgirl]

Statement of Purpose

Looking into the Sad Girl epidemic this time was a bit different for me as I wanted to speak on the same topic but try to shift my outlook to freshen things up. In a podcast that I did about the glamorization of sad girls and this confusion that they are inflicting on young minds I was able to reflect my ideas but not as specifically as I would have liked. For example we may know and understand that what they're saying is negative and can easily inflict negative thoughts on the listener. But what are the other minute details that they're including within their media posts and aesthetics online that are continuing this trope outside of their music. And from this what behaviors is it  promoting on to its listeners for them to continue this their individual lives. It's gotten to a point where they’re building these false-realities and perceptions causing their listeners to misinterpret how they should be feeling and living life. I began to realize this when I started to closely pay attention to sad girl lyrics. They’re often talking about these negative emotions they're feeling with such ease and acceptance. It makes girls justify these emotions keeping them interlocked in this cycle of sadness. Firstly in terms of my objects I wanted to start by talking about my visual texts. Both of them go hand in hand with one another. They both have a young girl photographed quite glamorously and alluringly while they’re crying these glitter tears. The lighting is of course very moody, quite indicative of the message. They almost served as direct examples of the glamorization of sadness. It's never this glitz and glam. It's never this ominous. It's dark, completely dark. And a lot of the time rather than this “light shining on me” is the opposite or at least the opposite is desired. As for scholarly texts the first one I found was “The fine line between normalizing and glamorizing mental illness” by Melissa Pandika. Here she makes a good point about this existing fine line. This line being between whether or not a topic is glamorizing sadness or becoming a place of relatability. Because when does it become this harmful place what is that point of separation between the two. Also who gets to judge what is harmful for one person but relatable for the other. This article made me think deeper into am I doing justice to those who are actually harmful vs those who are seemingly only attached to this genre beneficially. As for my second piece of text I chose “How being sad, depressed, and anxious online became trendy” by Jess Joho. In this article Joho relatively speaks about the same topics mentioned in my previous chosen article but he shows the flip side to every situation. Joho does a good job giving precise evidence on the many misconceptions a lot of young teens and adults are having with what is considered a sad girl and if they are involved in that whole world. Many are inappropriately diagnosing themselves with something they think that they have but are only going off of the sad girl aesthetic shared through music and the social media world. Yet again another harmful and confusing area to lead your mind through. Through finding all this new information and ideas moving forward I think in order to take more steps deeper into my inquiry would be to explore how this music affects people in my everyday life. Getting a real in person second opinion on it and asking a set of questions. Also Picking out exact quotes from songs and further analyzing its harm and impact.

[erodasfishtacos]

Curious Gazes

prompt: [CEO!Harry] four times harry has been spotted by employees being very unlike his demeanor at work.

word count: 4.3 k

warnings: harry is an asshole to everyone but is wife and baby.

**** <-- click for visuals throughout the story. ( because i love showing off how dumb rich harry is - i mean he’s a billionaire ffs)

notes: thanks so much for the love on the first part. I will be writing quite a bit for this trope. the next addition will be all smut. love you, enjoy.

PART ONE

----

RESERVATION RUN-IN

Harry has over a hundred-thousand full-time employees. He has nearly ten-thousand at his London office at all times. The skyscraper was beautiful with clear glass, a reflective grey tone, and the structure screamed modern. It has eighty-three floors.

So with that being said, Harry does not know even one third of the people who work in the building nor does he want to. He couldn’t pick them out of a line-up if he tried. 

However, having so many employees in the city means his staff members are bound to catch sight of their boss pretty often outside of the office.

Sarah, Lucielle, Jack, and Anya - all from the customer service department of Styles Media and Marketing Inc. - are all out to dinner. They decided to go all out and dish out a hefty amount to eat at Il Nascondiglio Segreto. It was a reservation they had made nearly a month ago.

As they’re enjoying their appetizer, Lucielle nearly chokes on her oyster, “Holy shit. It’s Harry,” She whispers, nodding her head in the direction she was staring with bulging eyes.

They all can’t help but turn subtly, a perfect vantage point from where they’re sat right across the way from the group of employees. Their boss was dressed in a bit more casual - not by much - attire than he’d worn to the office earlier that Friday afternoon.

He had an open blazer with a white, nearly see-through button up. Their eyes nearly jumping out of their skulls when they spot his butterfly tattoo sitting on right below his sternum. Jack’s hawk eyes catch that he has a name in cursive on his left pec. 

Plus his normal tailored suit trousers were replaced with tight skinny jeans that hugged his crotched - making it unmistakable that he was well….endowed. Hair was no longer as styled and curled. Laying more carelessly on his shoulders. ****

But what was the most absurd thing they saw him wearing was a smile. His lips were curled up in a large, white grin that was big enough to cause little wrinkles around his eyes. 

His hand intertwined with his wife’s until they arrived at their table, pulling out her chair for her, landing a soft kiss on her cheek before sitting down in his across from her.

He automatically puts an open palm halfway across the table and his date places her’s right on top of it. Her large engagement ring and wedding band sparkling in the low lighting in the restaurant. They were holding hands over the table.

The group had never actually seen the women they deemed Cruella Deville. They had envisioned his wife with bleach blonde hair, fake tits, and fish lips complimented with botox that made it so her forehead didn’t move.

But they were met with a beautiful, natural one instead. She had gorgeous curled locks trailing down her back, light neutral makeup with normal sized lips, small creases where they should be. 

Her body was natural as well, breasts pushed up in a bra but obviously not manufactured by the way they sat, a bit of a pouch around her midsection - a telltale sign from her recent pregnancy, and a radiant smile to match her husband’s. 

They looked so happy and in love.

She was dressed short, polka-dotted black dress with a pair of simple black shoes. She complimented with with a bright red lip which stood out against the dark fabric. ***

It’s not that they didn’t look like a match - she was absolutely stunning. It just wasn’t who they imagined for the boss they despised ninety percent of the time.

The group can’t keep their eyes off the couple - subtly, of course - for their whole time at the restaurant.

Harry was laughing loudly - different sound than when he laughed without a humor at bumbling, nervous employees.

It was light and higher pitched - but still gravely low; smooth like honey as his wife matches his laughs.

At one point, after their meal arrives - Harry offers her a spoonful of his food, playfully complaining that she took too big of a bite - but then immediately offering her more right after.

When she excused herself to the bathroom, Lucille catches Harry’s sneaky hand reaching out to give her backside a quick grope which earns him a warning glance that has him snickering.

Anya who was in the restroom nearly runs into her, Y/N apologizes instantly, “I’m sorry! Wasn’t watching where I was going! Are you alright?”

Anya nods, a bit at a loss of words, talking to Harry Styles' wife, “I’m okay, thank you.”

“I swear I have two left feet,” Y/N jokes, complimenting her dress before disappearing into a stalls. A completely lovely girl.

It’s pathetic but the group lingers around to watch their boss’s full dinner date. It was creepy but they were just so stunned at the man that was sitting by them.

The couples behavior had turned more flirty by this point, Y/N’s eyelashes fluttering at little bit more at her husband, her giggles flowing more often with licks to her lips. 

By the clenched fist on the table, Harry seems to be falling prey to the teasing. 

But when his wife whispers something - that must have been filthy - and leans forward so her cleavage is displayed more, Harry’s pulling out his wallet, pulling an absurd amount of bills out and throwing them carelessly on the table.

Y/N’s eyes are twinkling in victory as her husband stands and helps her out of her chair - ever the gentlemen.

It doesn’t seem very gentlemen like though when his hand comes to the very lowest point on the small of her back -  pushing her into him. He leans down to murmur something into her ear before landing a damp, way too intimate for public kiss to her jaw and then throat.

In turn, she looks up at him with a mischievous tilt of her lip and a challenging raised brow. You could cut their sexual tension with a knife.

Y/N lifts up on her toes to kiss him before grabbing his hand and guiding him out of the establishment quickly - his eyes glued to her bum the whole time.

Jack breaks the bated silence, with a bewildered chortle, “What the fuck was that?”

Sarah sips her wine, “Maybe he has a twin? Like a good twin? And he’s the evil one.”

They all laugh and finish up their desserts. 

---

MOTHER’S DAY SHOPPING

Kasey and Tom - from Human Resources - are out for the day. It was a week before Mother’s Day and they were both scrambling for a gift at the shops.

Harrod’s was nearly empty as they had came in a few minutes after the store opened. Kasey had gotten distracted from her mission and was trying on shoes. 

There was a 40% off sale and she wasn’t passing that up.

Tom had wondered off to the electronics department very soon after the first five shoeboxes arrived next to her chair.

“Pink!” Kasey hears a high-pitched baby voice squeal with utter delight. She looks up to see a curly haired toddler pointing at a pair of pink baby shoes.

The little girl had the cutest denim dress on with white stripes ***, white tights on, and white Mary Janes. When Kasey looked closer she realized the Gucci emblem was on the dress - holy shit, she didn’t even know Gucci made baby clothes.

“Daddy, please?” The toddler asks in a sweet, small voice looking to the approaching man who scoops her up in the crook of his elbow.

“Ivy, y’can’t run away from daddy. Do you understand me?” 

Kasey’s eyes widen as she recognizes that deep, raspy voice. It was her boss, Harry Styles, and with his little mini who looked like a cherub angel.

“No run, daddy,” Ivy grins up at him, looking for approval.

The slightly stern look dissipates from his face into a softer, relaxed smile at his daughter’s words. He kept her close against his chest.

“Daddy, please?” She piques up again, pointing at the small shoes on the wall.

“Y’want those shoes?” Harry asks, nodding towards the pink sneakers.

Ivy nods before pointing at the other shoes next to it, “All, please?”

Despite her father not having any manners in the slightest, his daughter seemed to have excellent etiquette.

Harry chuckles, smoothing a stray curl down from her forehead, “Y’want a pair of all these shoes?”

Ivy nods with wide doe eyes and one of her dimples popping in her left cheek. 

“Y’mother’s going to kill me,” Kasey hears Harry mutter before waving a sales associate over.

“Good to see you, Mr. Styles - I’m Tracey. What can I help you with?”

Of course they knew him by name. He was by the looks of it one of their most appreciated customers, figuring he rarely wears the same thing twice.

“Can I please get a pair of all these shoes in a toddler’s size three? And can you please ring them up for me? Thank you,” Harry asks, his voice taking on the executive and firm tone with the associate who nods and turns on her heel.

“Daddy? Kissy?” The girl asks her father, her little palm patting his cheek and she’s puckering her pink lips.

“Yes baby,” Harry obliges, giving her a peck before blowing a raspberry on her cheek. He tugs down her dress that’s ridden up in true parent fashion.

As they’re waiting, Harry continues to talk to his daughter, “Y’know pet, we came here to shop for mumma for mother’s day. Y’always manage to get something out of it, hmm?”

“Mummy?” Ivy squawks, repeating her father’s word. 

“Yes, mummy. I think she’s really going to like the necklace we picked out,” Harry taps at her nose, his eyes just read love and amazement for his little girl.

Kasey was dumbfounded. 

This man had literally stormed into their offices yesterday, frustration seeping into his loud tone as he asked the room of employees if it was a lady's brunch club or a place of employment when he hadn’t gotten a report on his desk at a certain time.

They’d all stuttered and apologized but Harry had already slammed the door of his way out - the doorframe shaking. A nasty email being sent to their inboxes mere minutes later.

“Mr. Styles? We are out of two of the pairs,” The saleswoman appears and tells him, tablet now in hand.

Harry’s voice is calm but he looks her dead in the eye, “Do you not know how to ship them to a house? I don’t have time for this nonsense.”

She begins to apologize, pulling up a page of her tablet, “Your total comes to £6,309.45 for the shoes.”

Kasey’s eyes nearly pop from her head at the total but Harry merely blinks and states, “Charge it to my Amex on file.”

“Would you like me to add on the items you picked up downstairs? That would bring your total to £ 213,088.79. The necklace *** will be shipped within the next two weeks and will need to be signed for at your doorstep by an authorized person of your choosing, they’ll need to provide identification to certify their identity.”

“I need the necklace by next Sunday- it’s my daughter’s Mother’s Day gift to her mum - hence the pink diamonds,” Harry states to the woman like she’s stupid.

Did that woman just say that amount? And did Harry not even bat an eyelash at it. 

Kasey’s brain couldn’t really comprehend it.

“Expedited shipping on this item would be…” Tracey looks down at her tablet and taps a few buttons, “It will be an extra £3,219 for expedited shipping as it’s coming from Swittzerland.” 

Harry is distracted for a moment as Ivy is wriggling until Harry puts her down. Kasey didn’t see that he had a plush doll tucked in between his jeans and belt on his back.

“Baby doll,” Ivy pokes at her father’s thigh, too short to reach her toy. 

Harry tugs it out and hands it to her, “Stay right here, Vee.”

Ivy unceremoniously plops on the ground next to her father’s leather boot while he confirms the purchases and signs off on them.

It was cute - the plush baby doll she was playing with was ratty, worn, and very visibly loved. It seems as if it’s been her favorite toy for a while.

After finishing up with Tracey, Kasey sees him slip her a few bills for her trouble and lugs Ivy back up onto his hip.

“Shake, daddy?” Ivy lisps hopefully, green eyes sparkling up at her father’s. 

Harry lets out a chuckle, “No, baby. It’s only ten in the morning, y’can’t have a milkshake. Let go home, maybe mumma will make us some blueberry pancakes if we give her lots of kisses?”

“Mummy,” Ivy agrees happily, her plush held tightly against her chest.

“She’s going to love your gift, darlin’, even though y’the best gift we’ve ever got,” Harry murmurs lovingly, pressed a warm kiss to his daughter’s cheek.

Tom has wandered back to the shoe department, eyes unfortunately meeting his boss’ right away - widen with surprise.

Harry’s eyes narrow when he finds Tom staring, “Can I help y’mate?”

“Uh-no! Sorry, just, erm, I work for you?” Tom stutters stupidly at his annoyed employer who currently has his toddler trying to pulls his sunglasses off the top of his head.

“Then I’d recommend, if you’d like it to stay that way, you mind your own damn business,” Harry bites out with a warning tone, unnecessarily rude.

Ivy doesn’t seem bothered, delighted when she tugs the shades off his head and attempts to put them on. She begins huffing as she struggles and Harry gently takes them and slides them on for her.

Tom nods, still baffled, and scurries over to Kasey. 

They both glance back when their boss isn’t looking. He hears him murmur softly, “Let’s go see mummy.”

“Pancakes?” Ivy chirps, looking at her dad for confirmation.

“Anythin’ for you, my little love,” Harry agrees, starting to walks to the elevator to the entrance of the store. 

Tom and Kasey look at each other with unexplainable expressions as they watch their asshole of a boss clearly wrapped around a toddler’s finger. 

—-

THE PARK

“Hi! Is anyone sitting here?” Savannah hears from beside her on the park bench. 

She looks up to see a beautiful, young woman looking to be around her age looking at her expectantly. She has a backpack on her shoulders and a curly-haired toddler on her hip.

“Nope! You’re good!” Savannah replies kindly, moving over to make room on the bench for her to sit.

“Awesome, thank you. I’m Y/N and this is Ivy. Say ‘hi’,” Y/N prompts her daughter with a nudge.

Ivy puts on a beaming smile, white little blocky teeth on display, “Hi.”

“I’m Savannah and the little brunette boy in the green shirt is mine - his name’s Flynn.”

“Tell her how old you are, baby,” Y/N smiles, always trying to get her daughter to socialize as much as possible.

“Two!” Ivy giggles before impatiently squirming, “Mummy, play.”

Y/N laughs, “Just as impatient as your father. Go on, stay where mumma can see you, please.”

Ivy nods before speeding off towards the little jungle-gym to automatically start playing with the little group of kids.

“I wish I had their energy,” Y/N sighs, tugging a water bottle out of her backpack. 

Savannah was obsessed with everything gucci - even though she couldn’t afford anything - so when she spots the flashy bag, she can’t help but ask, “Is that a custom Gucci monogram multipack?”***

Y/N takes a sip before answering, “Yeah, my husband gave it to me as a gift on ‘national stay at home mum day’ - which I don’t even think is a real thing. He just knows I’ll chew him out if he buys me things like this without reason.”

They both laugh, Savannah can’t help but glance over the woman a little bit closer. She had a ratty, vintage tee on, plain black leggings, and a pair of black Nikes on - nothing that screamed over the top.

But then she spots the engagement ring *** on her finger. Savannah thought it looked so extravagant it almost looked fake. But the way the faucets reflect so magnificently in the sunshine makes her sure it’s real.

“What was that?” Savannah snaps back, realizing she hadn’t heard what Y/N was saying - too busy deciding how much money she had which wasn’t right when the girl was being so friendly.

“Oh, just - do you know any mum groups around here? I was in a group but all they liked to do was gossip and bitch. And I think Ivy heard the word ‘cunt’ one too many times from them.”

Savannah barks out a laugh, Y/N turns out to be extremely funny and friendly. She has a bit of a foul mouth and a quick wit but is a good listener.

“And so I said to the dude -“ Y/N cuts off when her phone rings, digging it out and answering, “Hi H, yeah. The one with the big purple slide, okay.”

When she hangs up, she tells her new friend, “My husband is stopping by really quick. He has a business dinner later and won’t see Ivy before her bedtime. Or me before my bedtime,” Y/N laughs.

“That’s so nice of him!” Savannah says, knowing her husband enjoyed when everyone was asleep by the time he came home. Would never go out of his way like Y/N’s husband would.

Y/N says with a smile in her eyes, “Yeah, he’s really good to us.”

They continue to chat until they hear a loud engine revving into the car park, Y/N rolls her eyes and mutters, “Of course, he brings the loudest car today.”

A vintage car swings into a spot and Savannah nearly gasps at who exits the car and begins to stride towards them. No one other than her boss. 

The man who had her doing her job by the book and when one hair fell out of place he knew right away. 

The man who she avoided at all cost possibly - taking the stairs so she doesn’t have to be in the elevator with his intimidating presence.

It took her a minute to connect the dots. Y/N was married to Harry? Harry was Ivy’s dad? It through her through a loop - Y/N was just - so nice. 

But it does explain all the gucci and the massive diamond ring. She did happen to work for a fucking billionare. Y/N didn’t come off as a billionaire or a billionaire’s wife.

‘Holy shit, this is wild,’ Savannah thought.

Harry makes his way over to the bench, Y/N standing up to hug him. Harry kisses her softly with a large palm coming to slip under the back of her shirt to rub at her bare back.

Uh - this man was being loving and affectionate? Proving all Savannah's preconceived notions about him wrong. Mostly that he was a robot.

“Hi darlin’, have a good day?” Harry asks his wife, still holding onto her and tugging her into his side - looking to Ivy who was obliviously - playing on the swing.

“Mmm, don’t want you to go tonight,” Yn/Ngroans dramatically, squeaking when Harry playfully pinches her side.

“Tell me and I won’t go,” He murmurs with surprising sincerity against his wife’s cheek, smiling when Ivy lets out a loud, carefree giggle with her new friends.

“Oh! I’m being rude. This is Savannah, Savannah this is my husband Harry,” Y/N introduces the two, unknowing of their connection.

Savannah swallows harshly and gives him a timid wave, “Hello.”

Harry shows no recognition that he knows her but gives her a curt nod and rasps out a “hello.” 

Y/N rolls his eyes at her husband, patting his toned stomach, “He’s always a little crabby after work,” She jokes as he smirks at her - he’s rarely ever crabby with his wife and they both know it.

After work? How about from the time he stepped foot through the lobby doors everyday? He only had one mode at work - crabby.

“It’s ok-“

“Daddy!” A squeal interrupts them, a blur of brunette curls crashing into her father’s legs - full force with excitement.

Harry is bending down and tucking her into his arms for a hug, “Hi baby, y’bein’ so good for mumma?”

His tone had shifted into a low, relaxed drawl that Savannah had never heard. His words are kind and caring towards his daughter.

“Good for mumma,” Ivy parrots her father, dimples popping as she pushes at Harry’s face when he attacks her with kisses.

“You taste so good I could eat yah!” Harry growls playfully, Ivy giggling delightedly at her fathers antics until her cheeks are flushed pink with laughter.

“Swings, daddy,” Ivy motions with green doe eyes. Grass and mud stains the outfit her mother had dressed her in - cute striped overalls with a white tee underneath  *** and little sneakers ****.

“Oh dove, I wish I could. I have to go back to work,” Harry frowns, his thumb coming to caress her sweaty cheekbone.

Her brows furrowed and her full pink lips turned down - Savannah has to contain a laugh by how much she looks like her father with the displeased grimace on her face.

“No, no, Daddy,” Ivy argues adamantly, her eyes brimming with sad tears.

“Vee, c’mon, my love. I’ll be home later,” Harry soothes, starting to rock her from side to side to calm her.

But Ivy is in her terrible twos and doesn’t like the word ‘no.’

Y/N comes up to her husband’s side, tucking a hand into his back pocket to rest. 

“Ivy Elizabeth, we need to let your father go. Come to mummy now, please,” Her mother asks in a soft but firm tone.

“No!” Ivy absolutely shrieks with a awfully high pitch, “No mummy, daddy swings!”

The couple shares a look before Y/N is gathering her backpack on her shoulder, looking back to Savannah, “Hey! Text me, it’s about nap time for this one.”

Savannah agrees and gives them both a wave off as Harry totes his tantruming toddler to a sleek, teal SUV. It takes her a moment to scoff internally - off course it’s a Bentley ***.

And because Savannah can’t help but be nosey she googles the price of the car and quickly locks her screen when she sees the base price is £ 210,000.

Harry is planting little pecks on his daughter’s face and murmuring to her until her tears have dried up and she’s laughing at her dad once again.

After Harry straps her into the car seat and shuts the door, he gently pushes his wife back against it. His body is crowding hers, arm over her shoulder against the car.

The talk for a moment before Harry’s ducking down to pull a few kisses from her lips before she’s giggling and pushing him off.

Savannah couldn’t wait to tell the old women at in her customer relations department tomorrow.

— 

THE GAME

Cassie didn’t mind Harry actually. She made his coffee nearly every morning and she secretly knew he was the one who left those hefty tips.

She’d fumbled over his orders a few times when she’d started and apologized profusely but Harry had just looked up from his phone and said, “S’fine.”

Yeah, that’s not much but compared to some of the horror stories she hears, but she was grateful for another reason.

—-

One day he had found her crying in a empty corridor that he used to walk to his car at the end of his day.

“Y’alright?” Her boss asks gruffly, pausing to look down at her - no clear emotion on his face.

Cassie nods sheepishly, “M’sorry, I’m just really stressed out.”

Harry’s eyes flash a tad darker, “Is Carole giving you trouble?” 

Carole was her manager.

“N-no. I got declined for my school financial aid. If I don’t come up with the money I’ll have to drop out. I-I have a son and I do-don’t have the money to go without help.”

Harry doesn’t say anything, rustling into the inner pocket of his suit and fishing out something - a checkbook.

He clicks the pen and moves his hand quickly across the pad before ripping it out and handing it to her, “Good luck and use the extra on your family. Don’t go spreading it around that I did this.”

Cassie goes to thank him or refuse it but when she looks back up from the check he’s already striding away down the hallway away from her.

She lets out a loud sob as she sees a check written for £150,000 right in front of her.

—

Cassie still works at the Starbucks part-time while attending college with the help of her secretly kind boss.

The extra money she’s stowed away in an education fund for her son after he graduates. 

Anyways, she was at Man U football game that she got invited to with her boyfriend - Jacob. His dad won tickets for box seats from his work in a raffle.

Cassie soon realized that their box was right by the Styles Media and Marketing one. The way they were placed, she could see right into their area.

It was just Harry and a woman in there. 

They were obviously a couple and this was the Cruella Deville. Cassie didn’t refer to her as that as she had a bit of a different perspective of the man.

His wife was sipping on a water bottle and cheering loudly with the rest of the fans. Harry watched her with amusement at her excited behavior, at one point pulling his photo out and snapping a picture of her.

When the exciting bit is over, she seats herself on his lap and wriggles until her back is against his chest - comfortable and cozy.

His large palm comes to cup at her stomach, Cassie now seeing that she is clearly pregnant as he cradles the noticeable bump protectively.

For most of the game, his hand never leaves her belly - rubbing circles with his thumb. His head came to rest on her shoulder to watch the game.

They seem so happy together - giggling and talking animatedly throughout. His wife constantly tilting her head back with her lips puckered requesting kisses that Harry happily supplies each time.

At one point, Cassie witnesses Y/N eat two huge corndogs in a row while her husband watches her with humor in his eye. Then goes on to order her a massive spool of candy floss that he feeds her throughout the game.

It was a late game and it was now in overtime. The clock reads nearly eleven at night. Harry’s wife has dozed off against his shoulder and when he notices he gently rouses her.

As she blinks her eyes open, Harry shucks his jacket of his shoulder and helped her slip it on. They must decide to call it a night because he’s helping her up, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, and guiding her out of the box.

Cassie never tells anyone that she saw him that night or what he did to help her family.

The End.

Hope you bubbbies enjoyed. Send me requests for this verse. Smut is up next for this trope.