#love my class but i am swamped with work

[quess-art]

Made before the hard parts of Book 7 comes out and Malleus kicks my f2p ass

[ace-with--a-mace]

they should invent an assignment that isnt psychologically taxing

[haleyboook]

Sexiest man alive’s photographer wife pt.2

word count: 2,408

warnings: none

check out part 1!

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“No, Mom… I-”

“You didn’t even tell me when you left for London. You do know that a mother worries, right? I had to read a text message from your ridiculously annoying cousin that you’re living it up in Paris and the tabloids say you’re driven and busy!”

I groan saying “I was waiting on a call from Chris by the way, but clearly, I won’t be getting to call my husband today because you feel the need to yell at me. I left in a hurry. I was only meant to be here for a weekend or a week.”

“You’ve been gone for a month. And I never got to say goodbye. How is that fair? I’m sure Chris got to say goodbye.”

I sigh as I rub the bridge of my nose, trying to suppress the headache she’s giving me. “He’s my husband. Yes. He got a goodbye. He drove me to the airport.”

She scoffs saying “I could have come with you. Mommy and me vacation!”

I groan and she laughs “You should have told me.”

“Lesson learned. I’m already heading home.”

“I’ll pick you up from the airport. When do you land?”

Chris steps on set after a lengthy phone call with a representative from people talking about his nomination for sexiest man alive, and what it entails

He asks the assistant that’s stationed in his trailer “Were you able to get through to my wife?”

“No. Directly to voicemail. I believe she’s on another call or swamped in work. Should I call her work?”

“No. I’ll talk to her tonight. Thanks for trying. Keep me updated if she calls back alright?”

“Will do. They’re ready for you in hair and makeup.”

My mom says “Make sure you tell me once you’re on the plane so I can get my crystals out and tell your grandmother to pray.”

“This is exactly why I don’t tell you when I’m traveling. You stress me out when you’re like this.”

“I’m the one that’s weird? You’re weird for not trusting me to protect you, are you boarding soon. I need to get them ready if so.”

I look up at the delayed writing that’s newly showing beside my Boston flight log. My eyes widen as I stand up annoyed saying to the flight attendant “Excuse me. What does this mean, delayed?”

I hang up on my mom quickly as I drop my phone into my bag, not noticing that it’s nearly dead due to the 2 hour conversation I had to endure with my mother

“It’s delayed. A few hours or so, apparently.”

“Why?”

“Undisclosed description.”

I narrow my eyes at him saying “Do you have any other flights to Boston that I could board now? I am a high miles member.”

He looks down to the computer saying “Hm, let me see.”

“I just really would like to get home to my husband soon.”

He nods saying “That’s very sweet. But, I’m afraid there’s nothing in business plus or first class back to Boston besides the delayed flight you’re on already.”

I grumble saying “I’m fine with coach. What do you have then?”

“I have a flight leaving in 20 minutes, coach, middle seat.”

“Which airline?”

“Spirit airlines.”

I really, really, must love my husband.

“There’s nothing else?”

“No. Sorry miss.”

I sigh as I accept my fate.

I think I’m gonna need my mom to get those crystals out for this flight.

And my grandma praying

Oh Chris, if you only knew the struggle to get home

He says “Alright, you’re money will be refunded back to your account and here’s your new ticket.”

I look down to the new ticket as I say “How long of a delay is this flight again? On a safe airplane?”

“It’s just been delayed another 4 hours, we’re soon recommending that passengers arrange a hotel and come back in the morning.”

I nod and say “Okay…”

Walking away I grab my phone from my bag, calling Chris’ number. Getting static on the other line until ultimately I lose connection and my phone dies

I grumble and look around for an outlet as I walk closer to my assigned gate

Approaching the flight attendants I hand over my ticket and they say “Aren’t you Chris Evans wife? y/n Evans?”

“Yeah. I guess so. That’s what it says on my passport.”

“So cool.”

I grab my ticket as they say “They’re going to close the tunnel soon. You should hurry.”

Of course they are.

I quickly make my way down the tunnel to the plane and enter the cramped flight. Everyone’s packed in here like a tin of sardines. This is ridiculous

I make my way through the sections, definitely having a culture shock. And a humbling moment as I see a woman pull hairs out of her husbands ear as I walk by and they wait for take off

Oh my god… she’s moving on to his nose hairs

I look to my seat in front of me, the kid on the man’s lap glaring at me as they have the window seat

The kid has a runny nose and his toys are sprawled across my seat, the mother, oblivious to my existence as she prematurely started a movie on her child’s iPad that looks like it was dipped in child slobber and the toilet

I clear my throat as the man looks to me and I say “Sorry, I actually booked the seat in between you, would you mind?”

“Oh, go ahead and move those to the pocket in front of you.”

The flight attendant pressures me to sit down as my luggage is grabbed from my hand as she takes it.

She slams it into the bins, garnering a wince and gasp from me as she threw my camera bag and lenses in the bins

I glare at her saying “That’s five thousand dollars worth of camera equipment… why would you rip that from my hand??”

“Sit down and enjoy your view please.”

That please wasn’t very nice..

I sit down as my arms accidentally graze the others beside me

I look for an outlet in the plane seating in front of me, now realizing they don’t have those on this plane. Oh goody… a 10 hour flight in agony without my phone, or music

“Evening everyone, we are now taking off and headed to our beautiful destination of Washington DC.”

I look up abruptly in confusion and I ask the flight attendant that walks by “Excuse me, did he just say Washington DC? I thought this flight was to Boston.”

“This plane isn’t going directly to Boston, silly. We have a few layovers. Three layovers and then we reach Boston. Half the fun is visiting all those places right?”

“I’m sorry… three layovers? Where are these layovers?”

“We’ll be dropping off in Washington D.C., then heading to the great state of New York and then Boston. It’s on our way back to London.”

I grumble saying “I wanted a direct flight. I want to go directly home.. how long will this flight really take?”

“24 hours with sleeping time at our first layover. That’s just to Washington D.C. It says it all on your ticket, Miss.”

She quickly scrambles away as I realize the huge mistake I’ve made. Oh my god.

Chris tried my phone again before he heads out for drinks with some of the other actresses and actors

It goes straight to voicemail and he sighs as he quickly says to my voicemail “Just wanted to see if I could catch you. Sounds like you’re swamped with work there. When you get this, give me a call. Don’t worry about the time difference. I’ll be up.”

He sighs as he looks to the group of people waiting for him to wrap up his call. He abruptly calls me again, hoping I might answer again

It goes to voicemail and he says to my messages “By the way, your mother called me, she’s not happy. She lectured me for awhile and told me she wanted grandchildren. I told her to call you so this is just a heads up if she hasn’t already reached you.”

He closes his phone as he sighs at not getting through to me.

I rest my head back onto the seat, trying to just get through this flight as it feels like agony. And I’m so bored it’s ridiculous

I watch the lady beside me’s movie without audio. Soon realizing it’s Chris’s movie, the Netflix movie

Gray man

I purse my lips as I see him with that mustache and villain ego

Oh how much I miss you..

The woman smiles as she watches an action scene and her husband nudges her asking “What are you watching?”

She looks to him and says “A netflix movie.”

“Who’s in it? Is it any good?”

“Ryan Reynolds and Chris…Pine.” She says doubtfully

When Chris says people confuse him for other Chris’s I didn’t fully believe him

“Actually, that’s Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans.”

The man says “Captain America right?”

“Yeah. That’s him. And the other guy is from the notebook. I’m sure you’ve watched that.”

“Oh.. that’s where I recognize him from.”

The woman says “Have you seen this movie before?”

Nodding I say “A few times actually.”

She says “You look familiar. Where have I seen you before?”

My eyes creep down to the gossip magazine she has on her little table, with a picture of me and Chris.

I look fully unflattering and he looks like he just did a thousand push ups

And the tabloid beside us claims that our relationship is on the rocks and I’m desperately trying to conceive to keep Chris

And the big red letters say… Is this it for the couple? Is it about time?

Good grief. I didn’t know my relationship was that bad! And I didn’t know I was trying to have a baby, maybe I should notify Chris!

I laugh at the thought and motion to the magazine saying “I get that I look like her all the time.”

She looks down to the magazine saying “I don’t really see it.”

I roll my eyes and the woman goes back to her movie, that I watch also

After some more elbow pushing on my arm rests with the people beside me, we land in Washington D.C. and I get up so fast and push my way through all the people to get off the flight with my things

I approach the woman at the flight attendant desk saying “I need to change my flight. Desperately. Please tell me you can help me. I don’t care what I have to pay. Please.”

Her eyes widen and she says “Where are you headed?”

“Boston. Massachusetts. Please…”

She nods saying “It’s a crowded weekend here, it’s Labor Day weekend.”

I nod and she says “The flight you booked isn’t exchangeable.”

“Oh. That’s alright. I need a new ticket then.”

Her eyes widen and she says “Coach again for your next ticket?”

“No. Please no middle seat either.”

She nods saying “I have a flight that leaves in a few hours to Boston. First class, window seat.”

I sigh saying “Which airline?”

“United, miss.”

I nod and book my flight, feeling relieved to have changed the flight

I find a plug in the United lounge and immediately try to get through to Chris “come on. answer…”

It rings in his trailer as he runs lines on camera. His assistant sleeps through the call and I attempt to call again

The assistant jolts awake saying “Shit!”

She dives for the phone, as she scrambles to her feet. Answering the call two seconds too late

I hang up and listen to the voicemails he left me. I call again as the assistant walks across set, trying to locate Chris

The phone rings in her hand and she quickly answers it, putting it to her ear and saying “Hello?”

And the voice on the other line, not being me says “Hi! Uh.. I was looking for my brother.”

For the love of…. Scott?? Really?

I’m sent directly to voicemail as Scott remains in the line

This is getting ridiculous now. I give up. I say into the voicemail “We’re playing phone tag and I hate it. I want to hear your voice. This sucks. I hate the distance, I’m sorry I ever agreed to this stupid job. My mom called. She’s mad. She’s the reason I didn’t get your call I’m sure. Anyway, I’m here… for the time being, waiting on your call.”

Scott says “I wanted to touch base on his schedule, and when his next availability is. I know, it’s pathetic a brother needs to schedule in time to see his brother.”

She says “No. Sorry, Mr. Evans was just hoping for a call from his wife. And I’ve been struggling getting through and they’ve been playing phone tag for the last day and a half.”

“So that’s why he’s so angry and annoying. She keeps him at normal amounts of annoying.”

She laughs and says “Would you like to talk to your brother? I have him here.”

“Yeah. I guess so.”

Chris is handed the phone and he says “Honey?”

“Yes?” Scott says mockingly

Chris sighs saying “Scott.”

“I know. I’m not who you want a call from, but I am going out for drinks with some of the kids we went to high school with, a lot of my drama friends and I wanted to invite you. If you can find any time in that free time you have that you spend wallowing around, missing your wife.”

“I don’t wallow. Shut up. It’s been a month and I miss her. Especially when she can’t seem to pick up the damn phone and answer.”

Scott laughs saying “You’re the same way.”

“Shut up. Fine. I’ll go for drinks with you. But that’s it. I need to be home by midnight for Dodger’s bed time.”

Scott laughs loudly saying “Tell me you’re kidding!”

“No. I’m not.”

Landing while Chris is out with Scott and some old friends I call an Uber and take it home

Chris slowly finishes his last drink and Scott pats his back saying “You alright?”

He nods saying “I got offered sexiest man alive this year.”

Scott’s eyes widen and he says “No way. Does y/n know?”

“No. I haven’t been able to tell her. It’s been radio silence for a bit. Can’t catch her on the phone. The distance is getting to us.”

Scott says “Can you go visit her?”

“No. Not yet. We’re right in the middle of filming and she’s swamped with work.”

I approach the house gate with my keys as I unlock it. I enter the front yard after I shut the gate behind me

Chris looks down to a motion alert from our security cameras and says “Uh oh.”

Scott says “It’s probably that damn cat next door.”

Chris groans saying “I drank too much. I’m so tired.”

“Just stay over then.”

“No.. I need to get home for Dodger.”

Chris lays across Scott’s couch, opening the notification and dropping his phone as he nods off

His phone turns off and people quickly leave soon after. Steve, Scott’s boyfriend says “Should we take him home?”

Scott nods saying “Grab an arm.”

They set him into the back seat as they drive him to the house. I scribble a message on the fridge in dry erase and let my head hit the pillow

I’m exhausted from those ridiculous flights

Scott and Steve enter the house with Chris, leading him to our room. Entering the bedroom as Dodger happily greets all of them

Scott and Steve stop in place as they turn the light on and look to a person under the covers of the bed

Scott hits Chris in the shoulder saying “Are you kidding me?? Did you cheat on y/n?? Mom and I will kill you.”

Chris groans and I stir in my sleep, turning towards them

Scott says “Oh my god.”

Chris says “I sleep in the nudeee I need to get these off.”

He pulls on his jacket but Scott just pushes him onto the bed saying “She’s his problem now. Let’s go.”

He turns the lights off and leaves as Chris moves around an annoying amount, half way waking me up

I reach for Chris and he mumbles “Hi.”

I kiss him saying “Hi.”

I hug him tightly as he squeezes me in a hug “You don’t get to leave me again. I missed you.”

I smile saying “Mmhm. Your breath reeks of tequila.”

He kisses me with a big smile and we quickly drift off to sleep, sprawled over each other

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previous<<

next>>

Woooo it’s out! part two is out! I’m going to start on pt.3, the final part! I kind of want to make one more additional part after but I’m hesitant!

I love this story and the soon reveal will be soon! Hang on because I really think you’ll enjoy the next part!!

If you'd like to be added to the taglist, make sure to comment! Or if I missed you, please tell me! Sometimes I lose my train of thought and forget. Don't be afraid to tell me!

Also make sure to like, comment, and re-blog please! ❤️

taglist: 

@marvelstarker-mha98

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@patzammit

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[changingplumbob]

York Household: Chapter 9, Part 3

In this part Reece swings by to visit Deanna and Kelly throws his final child sleepover.

The Yorks are Italian so if you see them using words that don't look like English it's Italian, or what google assures me is Italian. Caro/Cara: Dear Buongiorno: Good morning Piccolo: Little one Tesoro: Treasure Nonno: Grandfather Nonna: Grandmother Si: Yes Grazie: Thank you Per Favore: Please Buon Compleanno: Happy Birthday

Devin: But why are you going to make nectar

Calista: I’m a maker cara, I like to create. Plus we’re Italian. If there’s an opportunity to make nectar, how could we not embrace it

Devin: Well sure but do you really have to stomp in it

Calista: If you want it done authentically, si

Devin: Do you like… wash your feet first

Calista: Si but the acidity of the juice and the fermentation kills anything troubling

Devin: Well if you give me any it better have gone through extra fermentation

*doorbell*

Paris: I’ll grab it

…

Paris: Reece! Come in. Deanna is pretty busy with coursework but I’m here

Reece: Oh right! We’re doing different majors, I forgot the programme she wanted to get into was starting this week

Paris: Yeah she’s swamped but she’s bound to take a break in the next hour. How have you been

Reece: *smiles* Happy. What about you?

Paris: Still waiting for inspiration for the future

Reece: What do you mean

Paris: Why are you doing a biology degree

Reece: Me? Well I love nature

Paris: So you’re not just doing it because your sisters did it

Reece: *somewhat offended* No Paris, I’m not. I’m capable of making my own decisions

Paris: How did you pick it? I’m not trying to be snarky, honest, I just don’t know how critical thinking works

Reece: Oh. I thought about what I like, what I enjoy, who I am. Biology seemed the best path forward

Reece: But higher education isn’t for everyone. Like my sister-in-law doesn’t have a degree, neither does my sisters fiancé. And who knows if Samir will ever feel like studying

Deanna: What are we talking about

Reece: How we picked degrees. Let me guess, you looked in to the eyes of a robot and “knew”

Deanna: Come here you goof, I’ve not seen you in ages

Reece: I’m a genius actually, I just be a goof because I know you like comedy

Deanna: I am taking a comedy elective

Reece: Shut up, you are not

Devin: She needs something to break up the big brain classes

Deanna: There’s far more pre homework than I realised

Reece: You’ll handle it, you’re a problem solver

Deanna: Not always. Devin, you want to tell the story about-

Devin: YES. So there we were, a teen and her two kid siblings, berated by the constant crying of our newborn brother. When he finally fell asleep ma also had to sleep, and pa had an important case, so who was in charge of our dinner? The three of us

Devin’s story is of course filled with drama, chaos and problem solving so poor it leaves Reece speechless.

Paris: But you’re older now babe, you can make better decisions

Deanna: Maybe. I’ve got some free time now if you’d like to test out my decision making…

Reece: As an understander of innuendo I’m going to take my leave

Devin: Right behind you. Have fun you two, I’ll see you for family brunch

Kelly’s friends arrive at 5. Unfortunately the clouds are still hanging around so it’s hard to see the meal Aaron cooked for them.

Fergus: Is this chicken

Kelly: Of course it’s chicken, the roast is right there

Anya: Will we watch a movie tonight

Chasity: I want to do more scary stories

Drake: I’ve thought of one that’s going to blow your old one out of the water Kelly

Kelly: *scoffs* dream on

Atlas: Thanks for dinner Mrs York

Calista: Kelly’s pa cooked it but I will tell him you appreciated it

Calista: They’re movie watching, should be mostly quiet for a while

Aaron: Good. I need to do more cooking to get us through the week

Calista: I was thinking by Kelly’s birthday most of the plants should have sprouted. Maybe we should take the day off work and try out nectar making properly

Aaron: Sounds like a plan captain

Calista: *giggles* I’m going to go stargaze for a bit, if I can see anything through these clouds

Anya: Yes, a space one, they’re the best

Kelly: It’s called sci-fi ninny

Anya: Bite me

Atlas: Shh you lot, I want to watch

Chasity: You did put on the subtitles right

Kelly: I did

Drake: I hate subtitles

Kelly: Well I hate your face and I survive seeing it

Fergus: Chin up Drake, it’s good manners to make sure everyone can understand what the characters are saying

Chasity: I do appreciate having them

Anya: We know Chasity, and I don’t mind them

The kids mostly quieten down as the film starts. Fergus pulls out a toy to play with mid movie but ends up bonking himself in the head.

Chasity: You okay Fergus

Fergus: Absolutely

Kelly: Maybe you have a concussion and you’ll die

Fergus: Then I’ll haunt your house

Kelly: Oh I’m pretty sure there’s already ghosts all around us, just waiting for the chance to possess us

Paris: Did you remember to eat

Deanna: Huh?

Paris: Did you have dinner while I was having a shower. Please tell me you didn’t go straight back to work

Deanna: *laughs* Don’t worry, dinner has been eaten

Paris: This is good. Your pa is a great cook

Deanna: Always says he picked up his skills traveling with ma but I think my nonna and nonno taught him a few tricks first

Paris: Well I’ll be watching some TV. When you’re ready to sleep come grab me okay

Deanna: Sounds good

Joey: What’s happening back here

Deanna: Shh! Studying

Joey: *whispers* hey ma

Calista: *whispers* caro, what are you doing here so late

Joey: I thought I’d crash Kelly’s sleepover again but he really didn’t want me this time

Aaron: No kidding. I went in to get a book I’d lost and he glared daggers at me until I left

Calista: It’s his last chance to meet his slumber party aspiration, it matters to him. Now Joey, are you bringing anyone to brunch *raises eyebrows*

Joey: No ma, I do not have a girlfriend I’m bringing to brunch

Calista: It doesn’t have to be a girlfriend, I know you don’t want one

Joey: Thanks but I don’t think my one night stands are the kind of women who enjoy a family brunch with a guy they just met

Inside the sleepover continues. The kids exchange banter now and then while the film runs but eventually it ends. At that point the scary stories start! Kelly has not prepared one this time but he enjoys listening to what the others think is scary, and periodically yelling interruptions to scare everyone. After the stories they put some kids pop on the stereo and have a dance battle. The sleepover reaches gold level and Kelly smiles at his success! (so does Bun Bun) Kelly has officially completed his childhood aspiration!

Previous ... Next

[thenightling]

My favorite bard characters

The new Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves movie and The Witcher has popularized the fantasy character class of bard. A bard, in fantasy settings and historically, was usually a storyteller, or a minstrel who would tell stories in song. In fantasy settings they are usually minstrels. In Nordic culture a skald was the term for a storyteller (usually a highly creative and very prized slave).

Here is a top ten list of my favorite fictional bards.

13. Bonus: Loki: I'll start with number 11. Bonus: Loki. There is a viking skald in Loki: Agent of Asgard that is revealed to be Loki in disguise. So Marvel's Loki goes on this list. Loki is believed in by Asatru people so this entry is specifically in regard to Marvel's Loki. He also gained the title "God of Stories."

12. Morpheus AKA Dream of The Endless AKA The Sandman. Morpheus is The Lord of Dreams in Roman mythology and in Neil Gaiman's the Sandman . In The Sandman he is also known as The Prince of Stories.

11. Lucien The Librarian and Cain and Abel from The Sandman by Neil Gaiman. Lucien was changed to Lucienne for The Sandman Netflix series but they're pretty much the same character. Lucien is the keeper of the largest library in the multiverse and was also the host of the horror anthology comics Tales of Ghost Castle. I'm sort of cheating a little here by mentioning Lucien and Cain and Abel since they're not actually bards but I love horror hosts. Cain, Abel, Lucien, Eve (Raven Woman), Destiny (Destiny of The Endless), The Hecate (The Three Witches), and The Mad Mod Witch (The Fashion Thing) all started as horror hosts for DC's horror anthology comics. I'm reserving this spot for Lucien, Cain, and Abel. Hosts of Tales of Ghost Castle (which only ran for three issues), The House of Mystery (DC's oldest comic), and The House of Secrets (Spin-off of The House of Mystery and comic where we first get introduced to the concept of Swamp Thing).

Before Neil Gaiman used these characters in The Sandman they told scary stories in DC's horror anthology comics which were DC's answer to EC's Horror anthology comics which brings us to... 10. The Crypt Keeper, Vault Keeper, and Old Witch. The Crypt Keeper hosted the Horror anthology comics Tales from the Crypt. The Vault keeper hosted Vault of Horror. And the Old Witch also told scary stories for EC comics. The Crypt Keeper hosted HBO's Tales From the Crypt TV series as well as Tales from the Cryptkeeper animated series. Season 2 of Tales from the Cryptkeeper was co-hosted by The Cryptkeeper, Vault Keeper, and Old Witch. They also collaborated as hosts for the joke book called Jokes from the Crypt. Again, I admit I am sort of cheating here by listing horror anthology hosts instead of actual bard characters so this is the last Horror anthology hosts for the list.

9. Peter Vincent in the 1985 film Fright Night, the 1988 film Fright Night: Part 2 and the Fright Night comic books. In Fright Night Peter Vincent is a has-been horror movie actor who now hosts a late night TV show where he shows his old movies.

Peter Vincent meets a teenage boy whose neighbor turns out to be a real vampire and Peter overcomes his own cowardice to become the hero he always pretended to be. Though Peter Vincent was originally just a stage name the character eventually embraces it to become a hero and protector of the innocent.

In the comic books Peter Vincent continued to host his late night horror movie TV series while working in secret to help Charley thwart the forces of evil. I consider Peter Vincent to be a contemporary bard character.

I would put Peter further on the list at number 3 perhaps but I left him at number 9 because he is an unconventional addition to this list.

8. Evyn AKA Shadow from the novel The King's Shadow.

Evyn wanted to be a bard but was mutilated in a brutal attack His tongue was cut out and he was left mute. His own uncle sold him into slavery. But thanks to fate's benign intervention Evyn was able to learn to read and write so he was able to become a storyteller as a scribe and eventually became an adopted son of the king.

7. Gabrielle from Xena: Warrior Princess. Gabrielle was Xena's travel companion and very likely love interest (Lucy Lawless, the actress who played Xena) believed they were practically married in the end. Xena: warrior Princess was the spin-off of Hercules the Legendary Journeys. I have often described The Witcher as being a gender inverted Xena: Warrior Princess. Gabrielle was a novice bard who wanted to write about Xena's adventures and to eventually go on those adventures, herself.

Just as I sort of perfer Jaskier with longer hair, I actually liked when Gabrielle's hair was cut short later on in Xena.

6. Essi Daven. I'm a little confused to if Priscilla (Callonetta) from the Witcher video games and Essi Daven from The Witcher novels are supposed to be the same character or not. Essi was from The Witcher novels. I suspect they are the same character but I've seen arguments that they are different enough that they count as separate characters. But I have also seen people try to claim that Jaskier and Dandelion are different enough to count as different characters as well and Jaskier definitely is Dandelion. Dandelion was just what he was called in the English translations of the novels and in the English language video games. Essi is a woman bard from The Witcher who was very much in love with Geralt though Dandelion (Jaskier) had feelings for her. Sadly she eventually died of smallpox. The burden of living in a medieval-esque society.

Dandelion was in love with her.

5. Priscilla AKA Callonetta is a woman bard from The Witcher video games. A rival and romantic interest to Dandelion (Jaskier). Possibly the same character as Essi Daven but some Witcher fans have argued that they are not the same character so I am listing them separately.

4. Edgin. Edgin is a character from Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among thieves. In fact he is the main protagonist. He is a "Harper" that has fallen from grace. A Harper is a spy that poses as a bard to gain info and to stop criminals. So he is a bard but he used his status as a bard to work as a spy, hence the term "Harper." Later he got a little greedy and it cost him dearly but he and his band of misfits set out on a quest to set things right.

3. Fflewddur Fflam. I hate the character's name but love the character. The version in the Disney film The Black Cauldron is very different from the book character, including being much older, but I still found him to be an enjoyable character. He is a classic bard with a bit of a mysterious past.

In the books he's actually a king of a small kingdom but prefers life as a wandering bard. It makes him sound a bit like a role playing game character.

2. The Storyteller. This character's name is not actually given but he was a mysterious (possibly not entirely human) traveling storyteller, with a talking dog that appeared every week on Jim Henson's The Storyteller. He was portrayed by John Hurt and the dog was voiced by Brian Henson (Son of Jim Henson). There was a spin-off called The Storyteller: Greek Myths. John Hurt's portrayal of The Storyteller may have been why he was chosen to voice Morpheus AKA Dream of The Endless AKA The Sandman for a scrapped episode of Batman The Animated series.

Currently Neil Gaiman is involved with a revival of The Storyteller in development by the Henson company where he hopes to explore The Storyteller's own mysterious backstory.

1. Jaskier (Translates from Polish to Buttercup) / Dandelion. Jaskier is the bard companion of Geralt of Rivia AKA The Witcher (Monster Hunter) from The Witcher novels, short stories, comics, Netflix series, and video games. In the English language versions of The Witcher novels and The Witcher video games he was known as Dandelion. But in The Witcher Netflix series and in the original Polish he was known as Jaskier which directly translates to Buttercup.

Whatever you call him, Jaskier is a great character. He is the companion of Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher and he is also his own well-developed character. By season 2 Jaskier had evolved from the slightly-conceited rock musician-esque bard into a compassionate freedom fighter who smuggled people to safety.

I absolutely love Joey Batey's portrayal of Jaskier as well as his incredible singing voice as the character.

And though there has been some criticism over his look in season 2, I actually think he looks better with longer hair.

[writingrenna]

Hassel x GN!Reader

"Where The Heart Is"

A story where you start to actively pay attention to the specific brand of weird Hassel throws your way.

I admit, I didn't finish most of the friendship quests because I WANT MORE OF HIM, WHY DO CHARACTERS JUST DISAPPEAR/BECOME GENERIC NPCS WHEN THEY'RE DONE BEING IN THE STORY?? I want to truly engross myself in his backstory, so I'll be taking things slow. Don't mind me, just dragging out the inevitable </3

I WILL be taking advantage of his rematches, thank you very much.

ALSO this takes place three years after the end of the game so your expy has time to be hired and get to know Hassel, you work as one of the academy librarians!

Tone/Ending: Slightly Angsty At Parts, Wholesome, Romantic

Warnings: If you're sensitive to rough family situations, be warned! Hassel is very firm with no longer associating with his family and it's hinted at that his childhood wasn't the best, but the story doesn't dwell on that yet, I'm exploring that more later

Also, beware the movie and Hassel's painting sections, especially if the Iron Giant makes you sad

Word Count: A little bit over 5,000

^^^>

"You're... really sure about this, huh?" You say into your mug.

The steam from your tea gently tickled your nose as you considered what he said. The two of you were standing at the back of the staff room, both leaning against a window each on opposite sides of the bookshelf. The rain was fairly loud, but it served more as a gentle white noise to your conversation than anything.

"Yes, I simply cannot imagine an outcome that would make reaching back out again worth it."

You couldn't see his face, but the sadness in his tone was evident, so you took note of that.

"Ah, I know how that feels." You say, remembering some sour relationship conclusions where the other person reached out again or seemed to linger a bit more than they should. But his story... holy Tauros, it was something else.

"Well, do you think you're happy here in Paldea?" You begin. "I mean, would you consider seeing more of the world from time to time? Maybe even visit your home region again?"

He paused, taking in your question. He then huffed a little out of his nose, although it didn't seem to be out of annoyance.

"Well, I have lightly entertained the idea of just visiting my homeland again, but I just..." He paused. "Something is holding me back."

Your face dropped from attentive neutrality to one of sadness for him.

"Hey, no, that's valid of course! I was just wondering where you stood, you know? Like, after escaping all that and starting anew here? I'll stop asking if you like, though."

He immediately rebutted your offer.

"Nonsense, my dear. I do not mind your curiosity. I am aware my familial ties are... strange."

You can almost feel him stare into his mug in self-reflection, the one with the hand-drawn Gossifleur design a student made him that he had printed on. The one he proudly owned and tearfully showed off to every member of staff who happened to walk by if he had it at the time until the entire combined workforce of both the academy and the league knew about it. His favorite mug...

Him speaking up snapped you out of your trance.

"Ah, and about your first question. Truth be told, I do not have enough time to even imagine seeing more of the world, much less experience it. Between the academy and my duties with the elite four, my schedule is simply swamped! I sadly do not even remember the last time I had an extended break."

You frowned, looking down at your own mug. The one you spun yourself after classes on a day that Hassel had done a lesson in properly handling clay, donated courtesy of Brassius. He gave you a chance to throw down and de-stress as he cleaned the rest of the classroom since you had an especially rough day reorganizing books in the massive entrance hall. It wasn't perfect, but it was your own pride and joy, one he had cried upon seeing you finally use one spring morning.

"Oh! But do not pity me, I really and truly do love working with our students and giving it my all in the league. My classes remind me of the joy and wonder one feels while appreciating the beauty the world has to offer, even during those darker days. The future is bright for all our students! And these dragon Pokémon..." He paused. "They were always there for me despite my family's less-than accepting stance on my life choices. I have nothing but praise and gratitude to show them all."

You smiled, looking down a little as you let his words reverberate in your mind. You were going to ask him another question, only for him to completely derail your train of thought.

"Besides... there are many a thing here to make me feel well and truly at home."

You could hear a great warmth in his voice when he said this. You pondered on this, wondering if he meant to hint at something there when you notice the rain had stopped.

"Hey, the rain's gone!" You said before departing from the window. You stretch, careful not to accidentally spill the contents of your mug as you do so. You then walk forward a bit, looking over at your colleague as you do so.

You can't help but pause, however, at the way he stared longingly at the mug.

His eyes were transfixed on the last bit of tea left, swirling the liquid in his hands. His usual piercing eyes were replaced with a far more softened gaze, pupils large and unfocused.

He glanced up at you, smirking, although it was out of contentment. You couldn't help but focus on his blush. He was obviously thinking about something, but what ?? The way he stared at you from below his eyelids, refusing to lift his head more, but still giving you his undivided attention made you feel... strange.

'What is this man thinking?'

Despite taking in every little thing you could about his strange behavior, the moment really only lasted a few seconds before he chuckled softly, sitting up straight himself.

"Ah, well then." He softly intoned. "We should probably head out. Would you..."

He rubbed the back of his neck.

"...do me the honor of... of letting me walk you outside?"

^^^>

The rain-kissed streets of Mesagoza smelled fresh, and the warmth in the air left you without the need of a jacket, so you decided to forego wearing it. Hassel seemingly felt the same way, taking his coat off and draping it over his right arm before gently placing his left dominant hand over top it, as if caressing it. He took a deep breath, eyelids closed and fluttering.

"Ahh... smell that evening air. The world has been rinsed clean and emerges anew!"

You smiled up at him. He truly did seem to appreciate every little thing this world had to offer, good or bad.

"Hah! Yeah, I love the smell of rain. Very cozy, makes me feel all peaceful and stuff."

You suddenly remembered something.

"O-oh! And did you know? The word describing that comfy smell of rain after a dry season is 'petrichor'!"

He looked at you, head tilted down and to the side at you, his wide eyes showing his astonishment.

"I did not! Thank you for enlightening me, I now know a far simpler way to describe this feeling."

You beamed up at him, eyes closing momentarily as you grinned a toothy grin. When your eyes opened again, his face had an enchanted smile. That blush... it was back.

A coincidence, surely.

You decided to pretend you didn't notice.

"Oh, hey! It's a nice evening. Would you like to take a little walk?"

You bow slightly, looking up at him and offering your hand. He flinches slightly, eyes widening again as his face erupted in a deeper hue.

"Uh, y-yes. Yes I would."

He hastily grabs your hand and moves to face forward, avoiding your gaze. The man was probably in his early-to-mid 50's or 60's, but his voice audibly cracked. You didn't mention it, however, much to his relief.

^^^>

Here you are, splashing and kicking about in some puddles. You brought rain boots with you to keep at the school because the weather seemed to change at a sneeze in Paldea, but you really didn't mind. You loved the rain. You also loved having company, even super posh and serious company. You called for your companion.

"C'MON, HASS! WHY NOT GET YOUR PANTS WET THIS ONE TIME!?"

He was leaning away, seemingly trying to protect his suit jacket.

"Er... I would rather not have to deal with dry cleaning for a few minutes of rebellion..."

You understood, although a part of you just wanted to see the man act like a child again. So you walked off to stare out into the distance, 'hmm'ing to yourself as you came up with an idea. This worried Hassel, who backed up a bit.

"My dearest, what is on your mind? I'm not sure I feel comfortable with your suspicious little 'hmm's..."

You let out a mischievous little cackle before turning your upper half back towards him. His nervous smiling face screams 'oh Arceus, save me!', yet he remains glued in place. He seems ready to bolt at any second, however.

"Oh, nothing." You start, turning to walk toward the man, whose nervous smile wavers a bit to being more worried.

"But I will break you."

He lets out a shakey noise, but he remains.

"Ah, well, it is alright. No need for, um, breaking." He grins. "I am quite content simply watching you enjoy yourself."

He seemed genuine. You groaned.

"Oh, I am still breaking you, sir." You point a finger at him, waggling it a little as you turn and walk away, although you don't retract it, simply shaking it to your side. "Juuuust you wait."

He 'hmmph's, shaking his head in amusement.

"I see, I am..."

He mumbles an 'Oh bother...' under his breath before continuing.

"...interested... to see whatever you have planned for the night."

You freeze. You didn't actually stop to think about when you'd "break" him. But tonight definitely works.

"Good. Cause it's gonna be WIIIIILD."

^^^>

It certainly was not nearly as wild as Hassel expected. Here you were, popping popcorn as he sat under a blanket fort in your living room. A part of you expected him to be giddy, feeling that childlike wonder take over.

But the logical part of you predicted his bewildered expression, silently staring up and around at the neon lights you hung about the dark room.

"So." he began. "What exactly did you have in mind?"

"Oh, I wanna remind you of what it's like to be a kid again! Let loose, man!" You did a strange little shimmying dance as you said this.

His eyes widened, although it was different than before.

"Really now?"

"Yes, really!"

The popcorn was finally done, so you put it in a large bowl before going over and putting it on the floor beside him.

"It's movie night now! Your choice..." You said, holding up several cases with classic movies.

The Little Primarina, The Pyroar King, even Revavrooms were available for him to choose from. He carefully looked them over, his usual neutral expression on his face as he seemed to seriously consider which movie to watch. It was kinda funny, your stomach compressing a little to hide a laugh that was threatening to come up. He didn't seem to notice however, instead pointing to one, looking back up at you in the process.

"That one looks promising."

^^^>

He chose poorly. Or at least, he chose one he wasn't prepared for. You watched as tears spilled from his eyes, him constantly shaking his head and whispering "no" over and over with the covers pulled up over his nose. The Steel Ultra Beast really did a number on him, watching the mysterious entity (who we now know as Celesteela) sacrifice itself to save its new friends from an Ultra Wormhole a secret branch of the government tried to seize, but instead caused to collapse. He yelped when it said to itself "Palafin." He couldn't bare to watch the climax, sobbing pitifully while squeezing his eyes shut, looking down and repeatedly chomping down on the blanket you two shared.

"It's Ok, Hass..." You said, rubbing his shoulder.

You had tried to warn him, but in all fairness, it'd take a lot of effort to properly warn anyone of the emotions involved watching it without spoiling the entire movie.

He leaned into you, his eyes still closed, tears still managing to escape.

"Th-thank you, my dearest..." He sniffles.

You felt bad for even having it as an option, but then again, he seemed to enjoy it despite the... sorrowful conclusion. You gave him a little while to let it all out, holding him tight and rubbing his back as he bawled his eyes out into your shoulder. You were so sucked up in comforting him that you almost forgot-

Gasp!

You sat up abruptly, although you hold onto Hassel so he's still lying on you.

"The ending scene!"

He's teary-eyed, but he looks over to the TV screen.

"The ending has not happened yet?"

"No! Or at least, not the true ending."

You smirk and look down at him like a Purrloin caught stealing but absolutely not regretting it, although his eyes are still sad. Either way, he kept watching, when...

"It... it is rebuilding itself?"

"Yeah! I mean, the movie never got a sequel, which sucks, but hey! Open-ended bittersweet endings are one of my favorite kinds!"

He seemed to feel slightly better, sniffling a bit as he sat up and wiped his nose.

"Ah, I-I see..." He said, slowly calming himself down. He took a few deep breaths before turning to you.

You feel the need to apologize.

"Hey, sorry I, uh, brought that movie out in the first place."

He looked at you, a weak smile on his face.

"Do not apologize, my dear! I can see why you and many others consider it a cult-classic. It was a marvellous story despite the turmoil in my heart. Perhaps even partially because of it."

He seemed hesitant to say the next part, sitting with his legs up to his chest.

"I, um, had a fantastic time with you tonight."

He turned to look at you, eyes sparkling due to the light of the TV.

"Really, I did."

There was so much warmth in his tear-stained face.

"I'm glad! I just wanted to see you let your guard down, haha!"

"Ah, I see..." He said, eyes darting to the side as he turned away, contemplation on his face.

The two of you sat in silence for a moment as he thought on what all just happened. You decided to close your eyes, lightly humming a tune to yourself. It wasn't one that existed, or even made sense really, but it was your own little melody.

"Ah, I have always wondered, is that a song you like?"

"Hehe, nah, just a melody I made up one day."

"Oh. It is very pleasant." He smiled.

"Thank you!" You smiled back.

^^^>

He had gone home later that night after you forced him to stay for pizza and a few episodes of a show you used to watch. He went for a salad instead, not wishing to feel sluggish on his way home, although you got him to eat one singular solitary slice. All-in-all, it was a very good night. You got him to smile and laugh again despite watching such a sad movie just an hour before.

It was now Friday, three days later. You knew he'd have something special planned for his students today, as he did every other Friday. You wondered what it'd be as you reorganized the shelf housing the Occulture Magazine again. You idly wondered how accurate the entries were when you heard a bell.

"Oh, classes are out already?"

You had already kept up with what the students in the entrance hall were up to that day, since there weren't many there to really pick up after, so really, all you had to do was a final check of the catalog you started earlier so you could pop by and see what Hassel had done that evening.

It took a bit over 30 minutes to wrap everything up, but you finished, signing out of your work computer and making your way over to the art room.

When you reached the door, you heard a familiar tune. You wondered what it was, before suddenly realizing something: it's the tune you hum! He remembered it? Has he hummed it before?

You entered the classroom, prepared to ask him how he remembered the erratic tune so well when you decided to see if he was in a state to even be distracted. Hassel was sitting at a desk, adding various dots with the aid of a thin paintbrush to a canvas he had. You assumed it was glitter or stars.

He looked up at you, neutral expression turning into a huge grin.

"Oh, my darling! Come over here! I have something I'd like to show you!"

You did as he said, coming over as he himself stood up to meet you at the other side of the desk.

He held up a painting, and by Arceus was it gorgeous. It was of Celesteela, flying into space, a content look on its face despite the doom looming over it.

"I used this as an example for today's lesson." He began. "I was inspired by our movie night earlier this week. I thought of the many pieces of media that make one feel things, the images and words that truly stick with you that came from another mind, how we often analyze and relate to them. So I decided to base this Friday's special on that very concept! Everyone was allowed to draw and paint their own favorite scenes from the movies, shows, and games they enjoy."

You nodded, still taking in all the details of his painting. He based it off a real photo of Celesteela, a sorta modern "glow up" of sorts that make the familiar scene truly pop.

He continued.

"This piece was meant to represent the acceptance Celesteela showed during the climax of the film. How it smiled despite facing what it thought at the time was oblivion. How it..." He swallowed and blinked harshly a few times. "...it would do anything for... the ones they lub... w-without he... hesi-"

You put a hand on his shoulder, smiling. The man looked back down at you, obviously on the brink of tears as he swallowed and sniffled a bit.

"Heh... I suppose you wouldn't need my analysis, seeing as though that tape of yours was so well-loved."

He had taken note of how the label on the tape wasn't perfectly pristine.

You scoffed, playfully rolling your eyes.

"Yeah, well..." You continued to look off to the side. "I like it when things make me feel things."

He softly laughed, a few stray tears finally escaping. He closed his eyes while leaning his head back for a moment.

"Yes, I can tell. You seem to enjoy learning about descriptive words and how specific they can get..."

He trailed off before wiping his tears away, finally looking down at you again.

"Well, speaking of, would you like to... accompany me at my booth for the academy's upcoming fair? It would be nice to teach people more ways to express themselves and how they feel about the things they consume. It is truly saddening to see people keep their opinions to themselves simply because they do not know how to accurately bring their thoughts into the world. And as a self-proclaimed 'word nerd', your area of expertise would be an excellent addition to my own inspiration station, alleviating the frustration they feel and helping them dig up what they feel inside."

You blinked. Hassel, the Hassel wanted to work with you? You thought he was far more articulate than you, often gnawing at what he says in your mind and trying to emulate that vibe in your emails. I mean, you often said "lmao" in real life. Having an interest in words sadly didn't make you a wordsmith of any sort. Did he see something in the way you speak or express yourself that you didn't?

"I'll d-do it."

Woah, how nervous were you? Or, rather, how eager were you?

Hassel's golden eyes shone as he grinned, ecstatic at your 'yes'.

"Ah, do not worry, my dear! You will do amazingly, I just know it."

Looks like you're gonna need to break out the thesaurus.

^^^>

It was the afternoon of the "Treasures Within" fun fair. Hassel's booth was really fun, he'd do his usual demo thing while also personally helping people start their artistic journeys when they didn't quite know where to go after each session. His advice came from a place that personally helped him cope and start his life anew in his past, although he didn't delve into just how it helped, only that he understands the struggle.

As for you, if someone wanted to articulate exactly how they felt about a piece of art or music, you'd hold a "mind unraveling" session, where you picked out certain themes they repeated or tried to go deeper in until they felt confident in describing what it is they feel with words that felt right. You thanked yourself for having the forethought to read up and watch a bunch of impassioned speeches online ahead of time.

It was a month of you hiding your anxiety from Hassel, but you can tell he knew, as he not-so-subtly tended to your every unspoken need, such as making tea whenever you were too busy reading, or having a comfy spot prepared whenever you came to his room to discuss your plans. He would even manage to check in on you more often than usual despite needing to tend to things on his own end.

Nothing could really get past him, could it?

As you were finishing up helping a kid who wanted to express just why he loved a drawing where Regieleki and Xurkitree became friends so much, you turn to see Hassel already looking at you, a familiar fond smile on his face.

"I would say today was a success, no?"

You pause for a split second, although you're not sure why. You respond, however.

"Oh yeah, for sure! I'd say we make a great team, even!"

Now it was Hassel's turn to pause, although his is far more noticeable. Jolting slightly, his mouth suddenly presses together into a tight line as a blush erupts on his face. He pretends to not realize this, although he looks tense.

"I certainly agree, my dear-"

His voice momentarily rises in pitch as he abruptly chokes and doubles over at the end, turning away. It sounded genuine, although you wondered if it'd have happened if you didn't say what you did.

You couldn't help but look back on all his odd behaviors around you lately.

"Um, yes!"

You turn to a vendor.

"I'm..."

You momentarily turn back to the man, pointing over your shoulder to the stand.

"I'm gonna go get some juice. For you, specifically."

You then turn and leave without another word.

^^^>

It was night. The fun fair has long since been cleared out in Mesagoza, but the two of you were nowhere near the town anymore. In fact, you were on top of the lighthouse on Poco Path.

Your eyes were closed, taking in that sea breeze. You cooed softly as you felt the gentle wind cut through the otherwise muggy night. Despite the humidity, it felt nice, reminding you of summer nights as a child.

Your train of thought came to an abrupt halt at this realization, however.

What was the weather like where Hassel used to live?

You opened your eyes, slowly turning toward the man, who also had his own closed. He had a calm smile on his face. You didn't want to ruin it, but you couldn't help but feel bad. He left all that was familiar to him due to circumstances he couldn't control, at the hands of his own family, no less. You wondered if he had any particular places, feelings, or things he missed, but you decided to ask a different question.

"...hey, uh... Hass?"

His smile widened for a split-second before he responded, eyes still closed.

"Yes, my dear?"

You didn't know how to begin.

"Does this weather make you think of anything?"

His smile fell to a neutral frown as he thought.

"Hm. What do you mean?"

How do you ask this question without annoying him...?

"L-like, this weather reminds me of summer break, when I'd open my window past my usual bedtime and stare at the stars. Does this weather make you feel nostalgic in any way? Like, sentimental and peaceful and stuff?"

You look down, stretching the bottom hem of your top a little. "It's just an intense feeling I'm getting, sorry."

He takes a moment to ponder this question.

"Ah, no worries. We often feel the need to relate with others in regards to our intense feelings and emotions. But to answer your question, it does, yes."

This answer both relieved and confused you further. He seemed fine answering, but it was somewhat vague. You decided not to push it, however, just glad he didn't take it the way you thought he might (not that it'd be wrong if he didn't want to answer it at all.)

"Right on, man. Right on..."

You turned away and stared back out into the distance. The silence that swept over the scene felt loose, fluid, running through and around the two of you like some unknown substance.

You weren't sure if you should add anything onto the conversation, but his voice decided what would happen instead.

"I... have a confession to make, actually."

You froze.

"Yeah?"

He took a deep breath.

"That feeling you often speak of, the one where you feel a lightness in your chest and peace wash over you. A peaceful sadness, even, I do not really feel when I think of 'home' anymore. I feel nothing. "

You take his words in. It made sense, really, but it made you sad beyond belief.

He continued.

"Yes, that feeling of longing, a-and belonging, I know it may be hard to truly grasp, but trust me when I say I am fine with my decisions, that I cannot say I regret leaving my old life behind even if I do miss certain aspects of it from time to time. The negatives here far outweigh the positives there."

You nodded. Honestly, this convo was all your mind needed to extinguish your curiosity for a good while. He left home, and he's content with his current life, no matter how much he may miss certain aspects of it. No elaboration needed.

Except, there was some elaboration needed, only it was needed elsewhere.

"Oh! And your confession? Or was that your confession?"

He paused, body tensing as his grip on the handrails tightened. His breathing became slightly labored as a blush creeped onto his face.

"Um, well..."

He mumbled an "Oh dear..." to himself before continuing.

"When I said I have things here that make me feel at home, I meant the connections I've made. I love the people in my life far more than I love my family. I still care for them, yes. I can confidently say I love them, but I cannot say I actually like them."

He wasn't looking at you. Your mind was swimming with possibilities for what he planned on saying next, although you had the faintest idea...

"I... am very fond of you, too. I often find that I feel that peaceful feeling around you in particular."

He swallowed, eyes stinging with tears he tried desperately to blink away. He was holding his composure quite well, actually. You subconsciously held your breath.

"My darling dearest, I cannot hide how I feel for much longer, no matter how hard I try... I think... I believe I am... falling in love with you."

Your mind went blank as you stared up at the man, heart and stomach dropping in an instant. His eyes have closed yet again. His shuddering shoulders and shaky breath gave everything away, however.

He lifted his arm, covering his eyes as you continued to stare wide-eyed at him.

"I am so very sorry, my dear! I-I hobe you do nod feel cornered by my conbession!" He sobbed. "I shall make my leab ib- ib you wish do be aloooone! BWUHH-HU-HU-HU-HUHHHHH!!"

You could barely understand what he was saying. He had already started to walk away when you finally closed your mouth. You weren't even aware you were gaping at him, the confession shutting your senses down despite halfway expecting something along these lines at this point. You guessed actually hearing him say it was different to speculating quietly to yourself...

"W-wait! Mr. Hassel!"

You grabbed his free arm, stopping him from getting any further. His cries continued, however.

"I-I'm sorry! I was just so shocked, I-"

You look down, still processing the feeling of your heart pounding in your chest. You hadn't even realized you were shaking so much until you realized how oddly... weak your grip on his arm felt.

"I-I jus-"

He took a few rapid half-breaths before stopping you.

"You do nod h-hab do gib me a resbonse! Nod now, nod eb-eberrrrr!"

You considered this. Truthfully, the idea of giving dating Hassel a shot didn't seem half-bad. You looked up to him, admired his skill and his strength despite everything he's been through. Not to mention, you admittedly found the man kinda cute. His personality just struck you as so sincere, taking his work and emotions very seriously. He's a very honest man, so he must truly love you. You'd definitely feel secure with him...

"...you're right... about the me needing time thing." You began. "B-but once I sort my feelings out, maybe we can get to know each other some more?"

He was still trembling, breath catching up with him as he hyperventilated. But a few seconds later, while heavily panting, he could respond.

"I-I would lub that!!"

He had turned to you, eyes still closed, head still tilted back, but he grabbed both of your hands and gently brought them up a little closer to himself. As he finally caught his breath and started breathing at a normal pace (aside from the large, shallow breaths he took), he slowly opened his eyes, looking at you, blush ever present on his face. His eyes sparkled with an intensity you'd never seen before as he smiled, the bottoms of his eyes crinkling as he did so. For a split-second, he looked like a young man again...

The two of you stood there, a tranquil feeling coming over you, when you heard him start to whimper. His mouth wobbled for a second before he suddenly started bawling again, causing your eyes to widen. You then let out an odd chuckle.

"Oookay, big guy. C'mere."

You took him into a hug, causing him to cry even louder as he let his overwhelming emotions out.

^^^>

It had been a few weeks. You were thinking back on everything that had happened. The moment you realized 'maybe he feels stronger feelings toward me than I thought.' How he went along with your weird plans despite having better things to do, how he looked out for your well-being by going above and beyond for you and truly understanding your needs, how he always praised and incorporated you into his work...

You absent-mindedly flip through some pages of Occulture Magazine. It really didn't seem too realistic now that you actually had a chance to sit down and read through it, but strangely enough, that wasn't really what you were thinking about right now.

You stand up, putting the book back on the shelf, a smile on your face as you make your way to the art room. He was on break at the moment.

You approach the open door, leaning against it and knocking, catching his attention.

"O-oh! Hello there!" He quickly clears his throat. "I'm very happy to see you! What brings you here?"

You look around, making sure nobody was there to hear this.

"Hoooow about... we go see a movie this Saturday?"

^^^>

A/N

I KNOW THIS STORY IS A LITTLE ODD! Like, he seems to be madly in love with you already, to an obvious degree, but this is the first time you take note of anything, right? Well, it's one of those "Oh yeah, there were signs" sorta situations. The pottery night you had with him was a small hint that he was already looking out for your well-being well before this and giving you special attention, but you just didn't think much of it. Plus, he's quite emotional, you imagine that once he finds a friend he feels safe around, his even more complex feelings come out. Which, true, but also HE DOES STUFF AROUND YOU THAT HE ONLY DOES AROUND YOU BUT YOU DON'T NOTICE CAUSE HE IMMEDIATELY CHANGES HIS BEHAVIOR ONCE HE REALIZES YOU'RE NEARBY. You defo noticed that behavior change, but again, he changes a bit around close friends already, and you didn't really have a point of reference for what his "normal" is (yet)

Sorry, I just love the pining dude genre, gimme some more oblivious love interests for male characters, please! Your gender still isn't stated, I just wanted Hassel to be the one to be super soft and like "Yes please notice me" while you're like "Huh. Cool. He just asked to take me to a new café. So anyway, how about some more weirdly specific words?" IT'S SUPER CUTE AHH

Also, speaking of, the story was gonna have them going to a café instead of a walk, and him talking about some beautiful customs and traditions from around the world and bringing up the Applin thing as a super duper totally subtle hint at his feelings, but you'd genuinely not know of that tradition before, so you'd just see it as a neat little cultural tidbit, but then I was like "bruh they just had tea", so I changed it to them spending time together like kids cause I thought it'd be cute if you got through to him to get him to experience things from a childhood he couldn't enjoy (even if it is more based on your own childhood, you're trying! Consider the night they shared here a test run). No worries, in future installments, reader will begin to fully understand what he went through growing up (I tried to make their questions less about his family and more about his life in general, but of course, the two are forever linked.) The idea of the little fair came randomly, based on the fact that all the gym leaders seem to have some career where they express themselves (even Larry with his "normal old job(s)," although obviously it's all more complicated than that), plus the entire game has frequent themes of people finding where they fit in life, what they wanna do, their dreams/goals, things like that. It's pretty interesting, actually, I can't articulate myself well tho so RIP I guess

ALSO ALSO not gonna edit this one cause the Tumblr app COULD NOT HANDLE IT LAST TIME so yeah

OH YEAH I HAVEN'T SEEN THE IRON GIANT IN 66 MILLION YEARS SO SORRY, I JUST TOOK WHAT I REMEMBERED AND POKÉ-FIED IT, I'm just going to use the excuse that the legends of the Ultra Beasts go WAY back, so the Celesteela in the movie may look simplified by comparison due to them not having a complete picture of it compared to the characters in S/US/M/UM. The movie doesn't even say its name, simply referring to it as the Steel Ultra Beast because nobody knew their names yet

[princessdiaries333]

December goals + accountability post

୭ ❄️ ✧ ˚. ᵎᵎ 🎀

DRINK WATER

i seriously need to cut back on the amount of soda i’m drinking its so bad for me. my skin is suffering and ik water is super super beneficial, it will help me achieve all the rest of my goals !! my goal is to drink at least 4 bottles of water a day.

DONT PROCRASTINATE

i have so many things i need and want to do, i’ve been so swamped and drowning in school work i need to spend this winter break to get ahead and study. i also need to get my permit, it’s been almost a year since i turned 15 and im still putting it off. if i keep waiting i wont be able to get my license till im 17. i also really really wanna get a job. my goal is to study for all my classes to prepare for the new quarter and get my permit.

WORKOUT

i’m currently the lightest i’ve been in a long time but i’m not satisfied with how i look. i feel fatter than ever and it sucks because ive worked so hard to get to this point and i can’t enjoy it. i think the biggest reason i feel like this is because i haven’t been working out, over the summer i was working out every day and i was getting really toned. now I’ve lost weight but in not toned at all so it makes me feel like im bigger than i am cuz it’s all soft fat. my goal is to do pilates at least 5 times a week and try to go on walks every day.

EAT HEALTHY

i NEED to stop binging sm crap. i’m constantly eating junk food that doesn’t even fulfill me. most of the food i eat just makes me feel miserable right after. eating healthier will improve my general health but also my mental health and yk that’s great !! i also want to eat smaller portions because my mom always piles food onto my plate and forces me to eat the whole thing. so to avoid this and so i can be completely aware of what i’m putting in my body, my goal is to cook my own food and meal prep healthy and nutritious meals.

GET OFF THE PHONE

i want to spend more of my time doing things that make lasting and meaningful memories and help me grow instead of spending every hour of the day rotting in bed on my phone. i’ve been so busy with school i haven’t been able to finish any of my books so id like to dedicate some of this break to finishing those. i also want to go out with my friends and boyfriend more. my goal is to spend less time on my phone and more time doing things i enjoy and spending time with the people i love !!

ACADEMICS

i’ve been telling myself for so long that i’ll do a deep dive and fully research all things regarding college so i can build my game plan for the next 2 years. i’m a sophomore in high school so i want to know exactly where i want to go from here. i need to know what schools i want to go to, how to qualify for certain scholarships, what i want to major in, what are the best schools for my passions, how will i pay for it. there’s so much to find out and if i make my plan now i’ll save myself sm stress down the road. my goal is to set up a college plan and do thorough research for my future.

[1lostone]

sigh

Hiya folks! Yes, I am still around! I have some updates (actually, some stuff I might have already shared, but my memory is garbage, so here we are.)

I am no longer a volunteer for Ao3, which is very weird after doing it for so long. I thought that would open up some time, but then everything sort of exploded at once, which has been... challenging! I miss it, though, but I'm afraid if I try to go back my doc would make that face and talk about my stress levels.

I am an editor for the KiScon zine! Submissions are starting to roll in! Holy crapnuggets this is exciting!!!! I get to see such amazing fandom contributions and am so humbled by such creativity.

I know summer is supposed to be my "free time," but someone forgot to tell someone who also forgot to tell someone....and I've been so swamped. Today (June 12) is literally the first time I've had to really sit down and go back through posts, so if you see a post from a year ago with an enthusiastic comment from me that would be why.

I am teaching an ESOL class which is really challenging- teaching adults has its own benefits but there are definitely some unique challenges right now. See: Florida. I can guarantee as soon as some bureaucratic fuck asks me to tell someone's status, I'm absolutely out.

Speaking of Florida, and on a personal note, having a kid (a minor) who is in the middle of transitioning is fucking terrifying. For awhile the bill that says the already overworked state can take my kid out of my house because I love and support their gender-affirming care is like .... I don't think I can accurately describe everything we've gone through in our house for the past few months. I think that fuckery has been blocked on the federal side, but that doesn't really do anything for the people in my neighborhood who are vandalizing our pride stuff, or keying our car, or anything else. My kid has gone from out and proud, to scared and very, very quiet and it breaks my heart. Also I want to stab things. (to be fair that's like 70% of my experience of motherhood lol) I know of so many people who are fleeing this fucking cesspool of a state, but I am not one who can do so financially, which... yeah.

On a sadder note, my dad, an og-star trek nerd, has recently had some really scary medical issues. He was on life support for almost 3 months. If anyone wants to toss some good thoughts his way, feel free.

As for my own side of fandom, that deafening silence you have heard for like..... a year..... is totally going to go away. Uh huh. Yep. Any minute now.

(Also if you're looking for the zombie spirk fic, I took it down- no worries, I will eventually get it back up, but I need to work on it more so I don't have such anxiety about not updating!!)

[meiiuka]

hi! i'm sorry if reqs aren't open but if they are,

can i ask for hajime with reader who's studying a lot but gets burnt out (i'm not sure how to phrase it but maybe he helps them study or rest or something similar?)

i've started classes and am already swamped with homework haha,,

i hope this is ok! thank you <3

this is criminally late but i hope this comes to the aid of at least someone LOL hajime hinata with an s/o who's burnt out from studies:

category: comfort, fluff, headcanons

• you can always rely on him to show up with whatever it is that you need. cuddles? he's on the couch with a blanket. water? he's rushing to hand you a glass • if there's one thing hajime is really good at, it's helping you destress after an exhausting study session by taking your mind off of things • "i see you working hard and i'm really proud of you, but i wanted to make sure you made time to take a break.. maybe we can put on your favorite show to relax a bit?" • he feels strongly about getting you to lay down if you've been sitting in an uncomfortable chair for a long time • his shoulder massages and hugs can be so motivating when you know that after you're finished studying, you'll be able to spend your undivided time with him • he's also pretty sensible when it comes to the things you're studying so he can actually be of decent help • when you're stressed out he knows to keep himself more regulated so that it doesn't stress you out more than it needs to :') • this man has not let you down one time and it's easy to trust him to be sensitive and caring, especially since you're someone he cares so deeply about • "i'm always here whenever you need me, y/n. call my phone or shout for me if you need help because i want to watch you do well on this, love"

[efangamez]

The Palace of Eyes Update and Other News! (As seen on Patreon and Kofi)

Hey y'all! 

In this post I'm gonna go over a bunch of things, such as some info on The Palace of Eyes expansion for GRIM, as well as some general game updates!

GRIM Updates and Estimated Release Dates

So, as you all probably know, GRIM released on the 23rd of September, and it gained over $1,500 in sales, which means that GRIM gets battlemaps included with the game, GRIM will have an expansion called "The Palace of Eyes", and my very first printed run of a game will release with GRIM!

With these new additions to GRIM, lots of work has to be done, so let me give you an estimated release time of each of these additions! These dates may change as I am a one-person team, and any mental or physical ailments can and will arise during this time.

Battlemaps: February 2024

Palace of Eyes expansion: March 2024

Printed GRIM Run: April 2024 (possibly earlier). 

I need to take a bit of time to relax after the intense marketing campaign for GRIM, so please be patient as these additions are developed! 

Palace of Eyes Expansion Updates

So, here are some updates for The Palace of Eyes, as well as a rundown for what the expansion will entail!

The Palace of Eyes takes place in a realm beyond space and time, between all that is known and unknown. This mysterious place is where Zysgg’Huk, the leader of the inquisitors on GRIM and beyond, traverses across infinite locations across all existence. After delving deeper into the palace, a wide regal chamber containing 5 portals appears, of which four hum alive with arcane energy. These areas may be traversed in any order, but once anyone enters, they must obtain an artifact tied to Zsygg'Huk to return to the palace. 

Explore a neon-lit city plagued by apocalypse, an underwater civilization corrupted by evil, a castle swallowed by an oppressive swamp, and an eldritch college that serves as a prison to trillions of souls. In each of these areas are unique locations, NPCs, enemies, weapons, and items. Each location also contains dense lore that explore the nature of NPCs on GRIM, as well as for many organizations in the main game. After all the artifacts are obtained, you may face Zsygg'Huk and end their tyranny once and for all.

In short, expect:

16+ Weapons15+ Locations12+ NPCs40+ Enemies30+ Items5 Character Modifiers5 New PowerupsThousands of words in deep lore!....and much more!

As the weeks carry on, I'll be posting some sneak peeks at some enemies, weapons, and locations here first, so keep a lookout for that!

Other Projects

GRIM's success is a double-edged sword. GRIM's projects and expansions will rbe the only big releases for early 2024, but expect some other projects in Q1 and Q2 of next year, including....

1 One-Page Class RPG1 or 2 One-Page games....and maybe more????

Any larger projects are set to release after May 2024. This may change with a strike in inspiration, but again, I am a one-person team.

Anddddddd that's it! I hope you all are excited! I'll be giving at least one update per week, so stay tuned! 

Patreon

Kofi

[pencil-urchin]

Doodle of my Mirialan OC, Iria. She's a scholar--Peofessor of Cultural Anthropology/Archaeology, with a minor in Art History: all centered on what she calls "The Culture of Warfare" and how it defines and shapes those cultures which engage in war.

She also put herself through school as an exotic dancer in a not-very-nice place, like you do.

(Hold on because I'm about to word vomit)

***

She has a list of other skills and knowledges, but I don't want anyone crying "Mary Sue!" so a quick note:

All but a handful of her knowledge and abilities are skills I currently have or had at one point, and I promise I am not anyone's idea of a "Mary Sue."

These skills and achievements include:

-Multiple Advanced Degrees (I have an Associate's, a Bachelor's, and 3 Master's degrees)

-Art (I am a professional artist, and although I have a long way to go and a lot of room to improve, I have worked hard to get where I am, and obtained both an MA in Visual Development and an MFA in Concept Art in the process)

-Martial Arts (I stopped one test shy of a black belt when I was 17 because I started college)

-Fencing (I started fencing when I was 21, which is how I met my husband; we were both competitive until and somewhat during grad school, but now we mostly just coach)

-Music (clarinet and vocal primarily, then violin and piano for a short time)

-Writing (creative and academic, my second degree was in Literary Studies)

-Multilingual (I have studied Spanish, French, Latin, and Russian)

-Organization schemes/data analysis and curation (my first Masters was in Library Science, and I was a librarian for over ten years)

-Handling of rare/historic artifacts (I studied special collections, collection management, and rare books in my MLS)

-Cooking (my husband and I love cooking together)

-Fashion (as part of my MLS I worked in a designer and historic fashion archive)

-Metalwork (I have taken metalsmithing classes, worked as a jeweler's apprentice, and even got to try blacksmithing once upon a time)

-First Aid (through my first two years of grad school I was Healthcare Provider certified to offer assistance with CPR, use of a defibrillator, assisting with someone choking, etc)

-Emergency Response (for a while in my late teens, I participated in a program meant to prepare young adults for Firefighter I training, which included a rigorous exercise routine, specialized training in the use of emergency equipment, and learning the most basic foundations of Fire Science)

-Acting (listen I don't think I'm good, but I was in Improv as a kid, love to RP at the game table , and was even a mime once)

-Field Ecology (loved this class, caught so many snakes, frogs, turtles, and lizards: I do not do spiders or insects, and therefore neither do my characters)

Skills I ABSOLUTELY do not have that my OC has:

-social grace (I'm an awkward weirdo)

-physical grace (despite all I have done, I am so clumsy)

-beauty (I am a swamp witch without the swamp)

-confidence (see above)

-dancing (I did dance and drill team when I was in junior high, did swing choir in high school, did the "shimmy" belly dance workout, and took a pole-dance workout class once which was an absolute blast, but JFC I am NOT a dancer, I promise)

***

I'm sure there's more, but you get the idea. A multifaceted character with a collection of experiences that seem disparate isn't different from what we are IRL when we break ourselves down into a list like this. In addition to all the positives, I'm also old (35), neurodivergent and mentally-Ill.

So yeah, not a "Mary Sue."

[twyftwyt]

Hiii✨✨ how are you hope you’re doing well

I hope this doesn’t bother you but I was just wondering if you will ever go back to finish writing “you have more pieces of me than the desert has sand” cuz I was holding the edge of my table since that teaser part.

And am I delusional or did the pray have more parts to it cuz I remember the chasing scene (it was perfect😭😭😭 I remember being hung up on it for a week elI even daydreamed about it in class😂😂💔)

Anyway I hope this doesn’t bother you I swear it’s just coming from a good place cuz I looooove your writings and even love is understatement

Have a nice day or good night depending on the time you get this ♥️🫂

Thank you for your kind words, anon! 🫶🏻 You’re being very sweet and I appreciate it!

“the prey and the hunter” had a few chapters out indeed, but I took those down because I didn’t feel completely happy with them. I am working on rewriting and posting them again, but that will take awhile. As to “you have more pieces of me than the desert has sand”, I haven’t had the time to finish that one, but really want to. Life’s just been crazy lately and I’ve been swamped with work. I wanted to write more while I was on sick leave but spent most of my time doing other things, so there’s that. But I am thinking of updating at least one of them in the near future, so there’s hope!

[clare-with-no-i]

read chap 3-13 of theogeny this morning since i was free until 2pm (wanted to wait until it was complete before starting, and did 1-2 last night since i had some time). very nice story! the tone and style of your writing feels totally professional (and honestly surpasses many published authors i’ve read LOL). however, i was especially blown away by all of the historical details about ancient athens & greece. i’m as close to the opposite of an expert on the time period as possible, thus am not fully convinced this isn’t based on a true story where you got sent back in time, but then chose to come back to the present afterwards. were there any sources you leaned particularly heavily on? even my own experience writing a gen-ed history paper about the original Olympic games during my undergrad felt about as straightforward as navigating a swamp of hopelessly entangled, greek-speaking, arguing jellyfish, what with all the completely speculative secondary sources and glaring holes in the firsthand accounts of the events.

i’ve been away from the depths of the hp fandom scene for a year or two, but my recollection of your blog was that you’re a law student? given that law ≠ classical greek history (as far as i know), i’d say the fact that you specifically researched all of this for the story makes it even more captivating. (although the attention to detail does also align exactly with the depth of case-research i’d assume is possessed by the top-tier, most competent lawyers, though that is purely speculation). but if your real answer is the time travel thing, just blink twice and cite wikipedia or whatever ;)

also, i’m curious how realistic it is for a classics scholar to know enough ancient greek that she can carry even a stilted conversation with native speakers. if so, i find it mind-blowing that such depth of knowledge of a dead language is wrapped up into a subset of a history PhD—makes my own discipline seem like 3rd grade times tables.

LOL thank you so much! this is such a wonderful, detailed review! I can safely say that I have not traveled back to ancient Athens, but if there's any way I can visit for about a day and then return to the modern era please LMK…

so: I tended to use a lot of sources from Google Scholar, JStor, my own university's online library, what have you; there are a few times I went back and read through my old Classical Civilizations lecture notes, but I only ever took an intro class so I wasn't exactly delving into the minutiae. many of the sources are listed in the end notes, but I have an entire bookmarks folder (which I should probably delete) that looks like this lol

of course, I had to suspend my disbelief and expect/hope the reader would suspend their disbelief at the things that I just couldn't really know; but that was my moment for artistic liberty, which I used a lot of let me tell you.

and yes! I'm a second year law student. but I started this story when I was still applying to law schools :") I have worked as an archival and online research assistant/hired researcher/research fellow since I was 19 in my undergrad days, so I've become very familiar with the process of sifting through online archives. I also just really enjoy it! I love learning about areas of history I don't know a lot about, so this was just such a perfect passion project.

so — in terms of speaking Ancient Greek, I think it's absolutely possible that students at the PhD level would be able to communicate, given that many programs have really robust Greek language curricula. however, and this is something I touched on in the early chapters and something I researched to the best of my ability, the way that academic accents from non-Greek native speakers (aka, modern Greek people) sound is very different in pronunciation and would likely sound strange and unnatural to someone in Ancient Greece; such is the nature of language development. so, I think would have been pretty much like any non-fluent language speaker being thrown into an immersive program with no preparation.

I'm not here for any discipline ribbing, though! I'm sure whatever it is you study is just as challenging and engaging as Lily's field :)

[icanbeyourjedi-writes]

Dear Frankie Chapter Seven Frankie Morales x F!Reader

Summary: A weekend away, leads to the next steps in the relationship

Words: 6754 Rating: 18+ SMUT please don’t read if you are under 18 Warnings/Triggers for series: Frankie is active duty military, deployment, death, Adult language, themes, and SMUT A/N: So I don’t really know anything…ok I know nothing about Fayetteville, North Carolina.  I am taking my own liberties on what it’s like there.  Names of places may exist, but I have no idea if they are real or not as well as some of the events I have.  But it's fan fiction and there are no rules.  While the reader may have some descriptions, I am doing my best to leave out physical characteristics. Just try to have a little imagination while you're reading this. I am horrible at SMUT writing, sooooo...yeah Another A/N: Sorry for the lack of posting to this story, I started a full time job at most of you know and when I did, I didn’t realize that full time meant 50-60 hours a week.  It’s been a lot and I am trying to get some more written, thank you for staying with me and now that I have figured out this work full stuff I hope to get back to writing some more. 

**Just like ao3, “creator chooses not to use warnings.” If you click Keep Reading, that means you agree that you’re the age to handle mature themes. Also by clicking Keep Reading, you understand warnings may not be complete in order to avoid spoilers for the story. **

-November 2012-

Try as you might Frankie, you will never be able to convince me that doughnuts are better than pancakes. The argument that they have frosting doesn’t work…who says you can’t put frosting on pancakes? 

I still can’t believe that you are with me, with everything that happened over the summer.  You always have said that you are the lucky one, but Frankie with how you treat me, with how you love me…I am the lucky one

It was the second week in November, you had been busy with work and Frankie had been swamped with his own.  A new recruitment class had just joined the ranks and he was busy teaching the new pilots. You missed him and when the two of you finally had a ‘Frankie Friday’ to be able to spend together you made sure to do things right. Tyler showed you a quick and easy Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe.  You stood in front of the stove stirring the pot of hot liquid when a pair of strong arms wrap around your waist, Frankie rests his chin on your shoulder. Squeezing you and placing a kiss on your cheek “this smells amazing Estrella” you smile and lean back into him “You’re too good to me, you know that?”

You smile and nod your head in agreement, “gotta keep you fed somehow”, the two of you haven’t tried since that night. It wasn’t that you didn’t want to, you really did.  But something always felt off, felt forced almost.  Not on Frankie’s part, but on your own.  You were getting to the point where you just wanted to get it done and over with. Dinner was done, dishes sitting on the drying rack and the leftover soup placed in the fridge in a tupperware bowl with Frankie’s name written on it. Your feet up on the couch, curled into Frankie’s side as the two of you watch some comedy movie.  These nights with you help Frankie forget the negative in the world and he wants nothing more than to laugh and see you smile. 

“Hey, what are you doing next weekend? I know we’ve been busy with work…and the holiday is coming up” he asks while his fingers mindlessly rub on and down your bare arm “…but do you wanna…” 

“Yes” you say before he even finishes. He chuckles 

“I didn’t even finish what I was going to ask you, it could have been dangerous, or another wedding. I know how much you love those” 

“Is it another wedding?” You ask and he shakes his head “then bring on the danger Pilot Morales” 

“Warrant Officer,” he corrects you “adding Pilot my last name doesn’t make me official” he laughs and you shrug your shoulders and curl back into his side, head resting against him. Hand resting on his stomach, thumb rubbing against his soft gray shirt and you turn your attention back to the movie.  He clears his throat, “you wanna go away with me for the weekend? Just the two of us…”

“Where?” you ask

You pull up to what looks like a mansion.  A white stone front, with large wooden doors greet you, the backdrop of the mountains make it look like something out of a fairytale movie. Frankie kills the truck engine and you stare at the place you will be spending the next two days with your jaw dropped, not understanding how he was able to not only find this place but how he was able to afford it.  You’ve seen places like this for rent before and knew it wasn’t cheap by any means especially around the holidays. You feel Frankie’s thick fingers under your chin gently push up, closing your mouth “...how…” you ask 

“Eh, I know a guy” he smiles at you before leaning in to kiss you

“Oh, you just know a guy and you thought I was one with the mafia connection…you not telling me something Morales?” his hand moves from under your jaw, wrapping his fingers in your hair and holding your head in place as he kisses you slowly making you completely forget the question

“You said you wanted a little danger” his lips move over yours as he speaks, “do you wanna go inside?” you nod and quickly kiss him again 

Frankie opens his door, making his way over to you, He takes your hand as he helps you out of the truck.  Grabbing the two bags in the bed of the truck he follows you up to the front doors. His bag slung over his shoulder, the handles of your small bag wrapped around his hand, he reaches in gray sweat jacket and pulls out the key. Unlocking the large wooden door he pushes it open, you stand in awe of the house that lays in front of you. “It’s even better on the inside…” he whispers into your ear and you turn to look at him “after you” he nods his head towards the large open room. You bite your bottom lip and step inside. To the right of the door is what you can only imagine was a home office or library, books like all four walls. A grand staircase in the center of the room, walking past the stairs leads to a fireplace along the back wall. The family room on the right with a U-Shaped couch, facing a large picture frame window with the mountainous landscape. Who needs a TV with a few like this. On the left was a kitchen that any chef would dream for. Large fridge, a six-burner gas stove, two ovens and something that you knew was for pasta water but you didn’t know the correct term for. The large farm sink with its own window, and a center island big enough for ten people. Your jaw drops again, “who’s this guy you know?” You turn to face Frankie who set the bags down at the base of the stairs, shrugging his shoulders as he walks over to you

“Just a guy…really. It’s not a big deal” he places his hand on your lower back and kisses your cheek, “but if you think this is impressive. You should take a look at the bedroom” 

“Upstairs?” you ask 

“Upstairs…” he confirms and you run up the circular staircase leading to what find is the only room at the top of the stars 

Sliding open the barn door for the room, you almost faint at the beauty of the master bedroom. The room is larger than your entire downstairs studio apartment back in town. Floor to ceiling glass windows stretch the entire space. A large circle skylight that almost stretches from wall to wall has the room lit up with the setting sun. A king sized bed with dark blue sheets sits in the middle of the room under the skylight. You stand there in awe, Frankie’s footsteps behind you, climbing the stairs with your bags. Who was this guy and how the hell did Frankie know him? Part of you wondered…while the other part of you tried to commit every detail of this beautiful room to memory. Frankie sets your bags on the bench at the end of the bed. 

“This place is insane…” you shake your head still unable to believe it 

“Why don’t you get comfortable, unpack…I’ll go get some dinner started” he wraps his arms around you and kisses your forehead 

“Since when do you cook?” You laugh 

It wasn’t that Frankie didn’t cook, he did. He just didn’t like to, he knew the basics and was able to make more than just Mac and Cheese but in all the time you knew him he rarely cooked. He pulls back, still holding your waist smiling, “as a beautiful woman once told me…I gotta keep you fed some how” 

You put your hand over his goofy smile and playfully push him away, “I can’t with you sometimes you know that”  you shake your head smiling 

“You love me…” when you don’t say anything his statement turns into a question “…wait you love me right?” 

“I’ll let you know after dinner” 

Frankie puts out his bottom lips, looking at you like a wounded puppy. Those big brown eyes of his almost breaking you, you shake your head and smile, “fine…I love you” you pat his check and the smile that grows you swear could light up the whole damn city. He does a little fist pump and heads towards the open door and makes his way down the stairs towards the kitchen. You shake your head, laughing to yourself and you make your way to unzip your bag. 

You pull out a little yellow satin lingerie pajama dress. Thin yellow straps, with a deep v-neck line, the straps criss-cross in the back in a corset type style. The dress ends on your upper thigh, and you know the moment you bend over, your dress will leave nothing to the imagination in the backside. The dress has two slits on the sides, you wondered what they were for when there was so little fabric to begin with. You slide on the yellow satin shorts that you found to match. Before leaving you have an internal debate with yourself if you should wear this for dinner. Your hair down, falling over your shoulders and you stop at the threshold of the door. “Do it Frankie will think it’s sexy and have you then and there. Your the only dinner he’ll need” a voice says in your head, “don’t you want this…” it says again when you turn around and find the sleep shorts you brought with you. Sliding them up and tucking in the little bit of dress that was exposed. “What are you doing…” the voice gets louder when you put on a hoodie. You check the mirror and make sure your little yellow dress was hidden, and throw your hair up in a messy bun on top of your head. 

Making your way down the stairs and towards the kitchen the smell of Italian food fills your nose. Turning the corner you see candles sitting on the kitchen island, a bowl of salad sitting there with two wine glasses and a bottle of rosé. Frankie’s back to you as he stirs something on the stove top. How long had you been standing upstairs arguing with yourself about what to wear, it was nowhere near long enough for him to whip this meal up was it? 

“Are you making risotto?!” You ask

“Yes?” He inflection makes his answer sound like a question and you raise an eyebrow at him “yes” he says again more confidently and stands up a little straighter, shoulders back and proud of himself 

“Mmmhmm” you hum and move to a bar stool at the island reaching into the salad bowl stealing a crouton “you just happened to learn how to make a mushroom risotto” 

“For you, I’d learn anything…” he looks over his shoulder to see you smirk and roll your eyes “...and maybe I stopped by Gio’s and picked some up before this weekend” he chuckled turning off the stove top and dishing two plates that he had set on on the counter next to him

“Thank you,” you kiss his cheek as his sets the plate down in front of you “and thank you for this”

A weekend away with you, was exactly what I needed. Get away from everything at home and it just be us.  The trip started perfectly, an incredible house, the perfect man next to me and my favorite dinner.  I would be lying to you if I didn’t tell you I was still terrified of the next step, but Frankie I am ready…I am ready for you.  I love you more than I think was ever possible. The, I mean our first time may not have been exactly the way either of us envisioned it but it was nothing short of memory making. 

Your back is against the armrest of the sofa, legs draped over Frankie’s lap.  One arm of his rest on the back of the sofa, the other over your legs.  His hand rubbing up and down your thigh.  His legs were bouncing and you could tell there was something he was waiting to say. There had been a movie playing on the TV but all you could focus on was Frankie and the inner debate he seemed to be having with himself. Was this what you looked like upstairs debating on wearing your sexy little sleepwear down stairs for dinner? 

“Hey…” you pause when he looks over at you “are you ok?” 

He takes a deep breath, “I…you. Ok” he pauses and takes a deep breath “I mean you kinda already are, but do you think you might want to move in with me?” 

“Really?” you ask with a bit of shock, you had been spending as much time as you could with him. At least when your schedules allowed for it. He looks away from you and down to his hand that now sits still on your thigh “hey…hey, I didn’t mean it like that.” you reach for his face, turning him gently to look at you. Your thumb rubbing along his jaw.

He moves his hand, reaching into his pants pocket and pulling out a silver key, a little heart shaped charm attached to it. You look down at the key, then back up to him, pulling his face towards you and kissing him with as much passion as you could. Fingers moving to his hair and holding him in place.  You can feel the cold metal of the key resting on your thigh, pulling away just enough to be able to speak, “yes, Frankie” you smile against him before kissing him again. The Key flattens against your leg, Frankie pulling you closer to him, giving himself the room to lay you down, back against the cushions.  The hand he had on the back of the couch now holds most of his body weight above you, he deepens the kiss, his tongue brushing along yours. The key falls in between your leg and the cushions when he moves his hand up your thigh sliding it under the hoodie you had been wearing and rubbing along the silk of the sexy lingerie pajamas you had been hiding.

He lifts the hoodie a little further before your hand catches his wrist and stops his movements. To try and make it seem a little less awkward and not that you don’t want to take the next step you move your hand to lace your fingers with his. Feeling the bulge in his jeans pressed against you, you turn your head to catch your breath. Frankie kissing you on the check, your jaw, then your ear. His teeth biting the lobe, “do you want to take this upstairs?” his voice a low and deep whisper, your brain forgetting how to speak. You nod your head, the scruff on his face tickles as you turn carefully to look at him. His soft brown eyes turning dark, filled with lust and you want nothing more than to let him take you to bed. 

Sitting up, you slide your legs off Frankie. He offers you his hand when he stands up fully, wrapping your fingers around his, he pulls you into his arms. You wrap your arms around his waist, and rest your head against his chest.  Breathing in a scent that is uniquely him.  Coffee, Fennel and something that you can not describe. It’s sweet but with a hint of spice and when you smell it, it smells like home. His hands slide down your back and over your ass, grabbing it and slowly leading you backwards towards the stairs. Your hands work their way to wrap around his neck, he leans back lifting your feet off the ground. Silently telling you to wrap your legs around his waist, when you do you feel his hands wrap around your thighs holding you to him and he begins to walk up the stairs.  When you feel him stop, you slowly unwrap your legs from him, feet finding the cold hard wood floor or the bedroom. He cages you against the wall, lips attached to yours while his hand fumbles around for a switch. He finally finds the switch he was looking for and a fire comes to life along the one wall that isn’t lined with glass windows.

His your hands slide down his chest, finding the zipper to his grey hoodie. Pulling it down and opening it up to his soft red shirt underneath. His hands move to your waist and start to slide under again, feeling the silk below. He pulls back an eyebrow raised and a slight smirk on his face. “What’s this…” he questions as part of the yellow fabric becomes more exposed. You bite your lip, and pull his face back towards you, hoping that kissing him he’d forget the question. You know how the story ends, he will eventually see it when he starts to undress you. But you’d rather have his lips and attention focused on kissing you instead of what you are wearing. 

You push on his chest, getting him to walk backwards towards the bed. For not knowing the layout of the room you were very successful in leading him to the bed. His legs hit the bed, one hand moving from your waist to brace himself as he sits on the edge. Your legs move to straddle him, sitting on his lap continuing the kiss. His hands reach again for your hoodie, lifting it up inch by inch. More of the silky yellow fabric becoming exposed, he pulls away from the kiss just long enough to rip the hoodie over your head. His eyes drift down, seeing the helicopter charm resting against your chest, they continue down when he sees the sexy little number you had hidden. His hands on your waist, thumbs stroking your hips, licking his lips, continuing to drink the sight of you in. “Were you gonna wear this to dinner?” he asks you. You nod your head, your eyes looking down avoiding the look he’s giving you “it’s a good thing you didn’t…we never would have made it through the meal if you did” 

He lets you slide the jacket off his shoulders, your hands shaking as you reach for the hem of his shirt. His hands hold your wrist and help you lift the shirt over his head. You throw it behind you, your eyes still on his. Hands gripping in his broad shoulders, leaning back to kiss him. Your hips begin to rock against him, Frankie’s hands on your waist almost encouraging you to continue. When you break the kiss for a moment to catch your breath you hear him ask ‘are you sure?’ 

“Yes, Frankie…I, I’m ready” you smile, your thumb brushing over his lips “I love you” 

He kisses your thumb, smiling and nodding his head in agreement. The hands holding your waist move wrapping his arms around you, flipping you to your back. He stands next to the bed, propping yourself up in on elbows you reach for his belt “mmm not yet, this is about you” he motions for you to lay your head on the pillows, he follows laying next to you. His fingers pick up the charm resting between your breasts, his dark eyes focused on you. You reach up to cup his check and gently tuck a little curl behind his ear. He leans down to kiss you, his tongue sliding against your lips while his fingers trail down stopping when he reaches the waistband of your shorts. His thumb sliding underneath “may I?” 

You nod your head, instead of sliding your shorts off his fingers trail down further, through the curly hair there. His lips back on yours, moving slowly while his finger slips through your folds to find you already drenched waiting for him. His long calloused middle finger rubbing circles on your clit, you moan against his lips. Frankie carefully slides his finger down, towards your entrance when your hand flies to his bicep gripping it tightly. Pulling him away from this kiss thinking he had done something wrong, his finger stops moving and he brings his hand out of your shorts “are you ok? I…is this…I” he deep voice stuttering 

“No, no keep going. I just wasn’t…please do it again?” You nod your head “I just wasn’t expecting it…” 

“Ok…” he agrees, he slides his hand back, fingers making the same path as before. His eyes locked on to yours making sure that you are ok. He begins to slide in his finger and you bite your bottom lip, he inches in it slowly watching your face closing your eyes and the furrow between your brow relaxing he leans back down, kissing you gently and beginning to work his finger in and out of you. The grip on his bicep relaxes your hand moving to his neck, fingers threading three his hair when he moves his lips to the nook of your neck. Letting out a moan when his tongue licks a sensitive part there. 

“Are you ok?” He breathes against your skin 

“Mmmmhmmm” you hum nodding your head and you can feel the grin on his face against your skin 

“I’m gonna add another one ok?” He waits for your response, when you tell him ok he slips in another finger working you open. Preparing you to be ready for him and the next step

Mi Pescado, My love…so this is what you meant by preparing me first. I knew you had to be good with your hands. You are a skilled pilot after all but I had no idea you could play me like an instrument. I’ve tried this before but you are making me feel things I never had imagined. 

“Oooo” you moan against his neck “Frraaaankie” your fingers tighten his is hair a low moan escaping his lips that are still latched to your neck while his fingers continue to work in and out of you. Curling and rubbing against the most delicious spot 

“Come for me Mi Estrella…” his lips brush against your ear, teeth pulling on your lobe

Your eyes closed, head tilted back, hips rocking against the palm of his hand while his fingers kept working. 

Every cliché sounded exactly like that, a cliché. But Frankie, you made fireworks explode…waves crash on the beach…lava erupting from a volcano…and had the world stopping for just a moment. 

Your breathing fast, heart racing out of your chest. Eyes closed as you try to bring yourself back to earth. Frankie’s fingers now move slower, drawing out the incredible feeling of floating on air. Your fingers loosen around the dark locks. You open your eyes to see him, a smile on his face, eyes sparkling like the embers of the fireplace in the room. Fingertips massaging the back of his neck and you can’t help the post-orgasm smile on your face. 

“I love you,” he tells you leaning down kissing your forehead, the tip of your nose, then giving you a quick kiss to the lips “so much” 

You push some curls back off his forehead, fingers trailing down behind his ear. Over the scruff on his jawline, following it down to his chin. Catching it between your thumb and fingers you pull him back in for a kiss, “I love you” you murmur against his lips

Moving his body he positions himself over you, your legs spreading to let him fit. Sitting up, he reaches for the hem of the silk dress. He begins to pull it up, you sit up letting him pull it over your head.  His eyes roam down your bare chest, hands moving down the side of your body. Hands stopping at your hips, thumb brushing the soft, sensitive skin there. Biting the inside of his cheek and shaking his head, almost in disbelief. “How did I get so lucky?” he says to himself “so beautiful” 

Your hands work to undo his belt buckle, forehead resting against his. Your breathing picking up in anticipation of the next steps “then why don’t you finish your meal, Francisco” you say as seductively as you can with your heartbeat rising. Remembering the night he told you he didn’t prepare you first, that the night when everything went wrong he blamed himself. 

“Yes ma’am, gladly” he smirks, he stands to remove his pants the rest of the way. Before dropping them to the floor he reaches in his pocket, trying to find the little foil rapper.  You slide off your now soaked underwear and shorts throwing them on the other side of the bed, “shit…shit” you hear him turning your attention back towards the now naked man sitting on the edge of the bed. His elbows on his knees, a hand rubbing the back of his neck, the other over his face.

“Frankie?” you say softly, moving your body towards him and placing a hand on his shoulder, his head shaking in disappointment 

“I thought I had…I don’t, the condom fell out” he manages to finally say looking at you. His dark brown eyes, the once lustful look now replaced with sadness 

“It’s ok…we…” you put your hand on his cheek “I trust you” leaning in to kiss his shoulder, then his cheek, finding his lips “I trust you” you say again. 

Your eyes locking onto his; you take his hands and move them to your body, hands wrap around his neck guiding him back to the bed. Back to the position you had left. His forearm resting next to you holding his body weight off you. His other hand moves to his cock, stroking himself a few times before sliding the tip between your folds. You hold your breath when you feel tip notch at your entrance, “hey…hey breathe, ok” his voice concerned trying to guide you through this “just focus on me” you nod your head taking a deep breath.

He pushes in a bit further when you take your breath, moaning at the stretch. Your eyes closed, Frankie’s lips brush over your ear “ok?” he asks, and you nod. Fingers threading through his hair tugging on it “yes” you whisper and he inches further. Stopping again to let you adjust before he pushes further. The little tugs of his hair and air little moans encourage him to continue until he is fully in. You open your eyes, feeling that he had stopped moving, the feeling of him completely pushed up against you. The coarse hairs pressed to each other. “Ok?” He asks you again 

“Yes,” you smile at him “I love you” 

“I love you too” he leans down slowly kissing you. Staying still is hard for him, his cock twitching and begging for him to move. It’s taking every bit of his strength to not pull out and slam back into you. “I’m gonna move now, If you need…” 

“You to stop, tell you. Frankie, I trust you” you press your thumb over his lips. You roll your hips trying to create friction. You don’t know what made you do it, or how you knew to do it. Frankie grunts when you roll your hips again. 

Frankie starts to pull out, just enough to push back in. Small thrusts to start with, letting you feel him, giving you the chance to tell him to stop if you need to. Your small moans encourage him to continue to pull out further. His hand slides down your thigh, hooking around your knee and moving your leg up a little higher on his hips giving him a new angle. Your nails scratch down his back leaving your own mark on him, while his tongue and lips leave their own on your neck. 

“Oooo ooooh…” you breathe out, each snap of his hips brings out a new sound. His pace quickens, he wanted to hold back to go slow but you felt to good and it had been so long since he felt like this “Frrrrammmm” 

“Ok…is..too…much…” each word leaves his mouth with a thrust, lips against your skin. His head buried in your neck, his cock buried deep in your cunt. 

“Mmm it’s good” you tilt your head further back. Back arching while Frankie buried himself deeper. Legs tightening around him, your toes curling. He had found a spot inside of you that is setting your skin a blaze, a fire quickly building deep within you. “Frrraaankie….hmmm” you moan again 

His hips snapping harder, the pace picking up, sweet dripping down his body onto yours. He adjusts himself so he’s thrusting even deeper than before. His hand moves to hold the headboard, gripping onto it to help hold him above your body. Your toes curling more, hips moving with his, your hand trying to find something to hold on to. His grunts are only matched with your moans, skin slapping against skin. Your hand moves from his back and flies to grip the headboard when you lost control of the fire, a full blown inferno now. 

“Shhhhit….Oh god…Fffff” you walls clench around him, the damn burst and you come around him. Frankie chasing his own high, his head high above you know looking down on the beautiful faces you make as you fall over the edge. The hand not hold the headboard moves to your waist and down your leg that had he clenched around him. Moving your leg to open you up and thrust harder and faster. 

“Where?” He snarls, the chords in his neck tightening and his teeth grit together “I…need…to…” 

“Whhhat?” You ask as he snaps his hips again 

“Can…I…shiiiit” he can barely get the words out and you can feel him throbbing inside of you. You barely had enough time to say “inside” when warm fills you again. 

His toes curl, his breathing heavy and eyes closed. Ropes of his seed continue to flow, the once calculated and precision thrusts have slowed. Now longer slamming back into you, but gently sliding in and out. Frankie’s arm is growing tired and he lays his body weight on to you. The two of you are breathing heavily, his warm damp skin laying on top of yours. Your fingers massage the back of his head, puffs of hot air against your neck and his thick cock still pulses inside of you. His body begins to relax the more you play with his hair, your own breathing starting to even out. His face towards you, hot puffs of air hit your cheek. A stark contrast to the cold tear that falls from your eye that you know he feels. You don’t have to say anything before a barely there kiss is placed to your temple, then catching the next tear before it falls. 

“Shit, baby…I…I am sooo, are you ok?” he lifts his head, regaining strength he lefts the top of his body off of yours, your hands moving with him “did I hurt you” he slides out of you as carefully as he can. A hand holding your wrist, while the other cups your face

You swallow hard and shake your head, “I’m ok Frankie…I just, I’m sorry” you say quietly. You know the sex didn’t seem to last long, it seemed to be over quicker then you had hoped for. You know his experience and are sure that this wasn’t as good for him as he has had in the past.  “I’m…”

“Why are you sorry?” his thumb stroking your cheekbone, and a hand on your hip. The fire behind him and the sweet shine off his body making him look like a Greek God “you have nothing to be sorry for”

“It didn’t…I didn’t, was it? Was I ok?” you finally manage to ask him, sitting up. His hand still holding your hip, the hand on your face cradling the back of your neck “did you enjoy it?” 

“Did I enjoy it?” He asks, there was a tone to his voice you had never heard before. A mix of annoyance and saddens “of course I did, so it did last long. That doesn’t matter. What matters is how I feel about you and how I feel when I’m with you. And I love you, I love you more than I ever thought was possible” 

He wraps his arms around you, pulling you to him. You wrap your arms around him, head resting on his shoulder. Your hands run down his back, kissing his shoulder and pulling away to look at him. 

The fact was, it wasn’t like how I pictured it. It wasn’t like how they made it seem to be in the movies. I didn’t know what I was doing, and as much as I trusted you I was terrified. I don’t know what I did to get so lucky to have someone as understanding and wonderful as you. But, Frankie, I love you. You are the best thing to ever happen to me. 

“Maybe we can try it again?” you ask a shy smile toying at your lips 

“Of course, we can. I mean practice does make perfect” 

You hear the fire crackling, you open your eyes slowly.  Frankie’s bare back facing you from the end of the bed, holding a guitar he had found in the room.  Fingers gently brushing against the strings, turning the tuning pegs until he finds the right tone.  Carefully sliding the sheets off your naked body you crawl on the bed to him. Kissing his shoulder, your hand rubs up and down his back and you sit close, watching his thumb move over the strings again.

“I didn’t know you played guitar” you chin resting on his shoulder 

“I am a man of many hidden talents” he smiles leaning his head towards you 

“Play me something?” you ask

“I’m really not that good, I just…sometimes while away…I” he starts

You could always tell when he was starting to get nervous, he hands were busy otherwise you know he would be rubbing the back of his neck and avoiding all eye contact with you. You lift your head and place a kiss on his cheek, a small smile tugs at the corner of his lips. “Please?” you ask again. 

He nods, and begins playing a song you don’t know the melody to.  His eyes focused on what his hands were doing, his tongues peaking out of his lips in concentration. After a few chords you start to recognize, ‘I wanna know what love is…” you hum “I want you to show me” you say out loud. You can see the smile grow on his face.  After he had finished the few last chords of the chorus he stops playing, turning his head towards you

“That's all I know. I told you I wasn’t really that good” he sets the guitar down, his hand moving to cup your face, “however, this one one more hidden talent I need to show you”

It takes your mind a moment to register where this was going, his eyes looking up and down your naked body, a devilish grin on his face as he leans in to kiss you. Using all tongue your brain finally figures it out. You pull away, catching your breath, “oh, that talent…” you smile.

“Mmmmhmm” he nods his head in agreement 

“Ok, Catfish…show me” 

The sun was beating down on your bare back, the skylight above the bed letting you know the morning had come. Your hand running along the empty space next to you. The spot now cold, your eyes fly open wondering where he could have gone, he didn’t…no why would he? You shake the thought as soon as it comes to you. Sitting up, a slight pain, yet pleasure runs between your legs. You look at his pillow, finding a rose and a yellow sticky note. You reach for the flower first and bring it to your nose, setting it on your lap you reach for the yellow paper. Frankie’s handwriting and a small hand drawn heart in the corner 

Estrella, 

I thank my lucky stars everyday that you came into my life. Whenever the skies get to dark and the world feels like it’s caving in. You are there, a light in my darkness. Remember that I love you and that will never change 

-Frankie 

You twirl the flower in your finger, a smile lingering on your face as his voice reads the letter in your mind again. ‘I love you and that will never change’ Frankie was a once in a lifetime kind of man, even after a year of being together you know he is the one for you. You move your legs to the edge of the bed, placing your feet on the floor. You slowly walk to the bathroom, feeling him with every step you take. 

You stop in front of the large mirror above the vanity and sinks. The movie at least got something right, you had a glow about you. Your lips still slightly swollen from kissing Frankie, your hair a mess, Frankie had left a trail of hickeys down your neck and scattered throughout your body. You follow them down to your hips where a small bruise was. You brush a finger over it and flashbacks of Frankie grabbing your waist tightly as he chased his high for the 4th time that night. Or was it morning? 

You freshen up, turning the light off in the bathroom you gingerly walk back in the bedroom and try to find your clothes from the night before. Then you see his grey sweat zip up jacket. A little light and a devilish grin spreads across your face. You slide it on and zip it up just enough to cover your lower half. You push the sleeves up so hands are free and you make your way down the stairs finding Frankie wearing his tight red boxer briefs in the kitchen once again. 

You don’t try to be sneaky, you know with that military training he could hear you coming no matter how hard you tried to be silent. Your arms wrap around his waist, while he flips the pancake. Kissing his back, “you know, you're too good to me?” 

He places the last pancake on a plate. Turning off the stove and facing you, “well I gotta keep you feed some how” he grins “good morning” 

“Morning” you reply before he leans down to kiss you “thank you for the flower”

He nods, fingers playing with the zipper resting just below your chest. Slowly moving you back towards the kitchen island.  Your hands holding his waist just above the band of his boxer briefs. Nose running along yours, your breath catches when he pulls the zipper down exposing your bare body to him.  Hands sliding to hold your hips under the grey fabric, lips finding yours in an unrushed kiss, taking his time making you feel every ounce of love he has for you. Your smile gives him the perfect opportunity to slip his tongue in, pulling your body closer to his when he does. Your stomach growls, causing him to pull back and chuckle. “Someone really is hungry…” 

“Shut up” 

You push him away, and walk the few steps to grab the plate that he put the pancakes on. The slight twinge of pain is still there when you walk, and you already know that Frankie knows. His face says it all when you turn back to him. “Did I hurt you, I knew I should have stopped…it was to much for the first time” he shakes his head 

“Frankie, hey…hey I’m ok. Really, I’m fine. Great actually” you were. You weren’t lying, you did feel great. Sure maybe you should have stopped after the 4th time but you wanted him more than anything and he did say practice makes perfect 

Frankie, my Francisco…mi Pescado, thank you. Thank you for being patient, thank you for waiting for me. Thank you for this weekend. Thank you for taking your time with me that night. Thank you for letting me love you. Thank you for being my Francisco. I don’t know what this next step of our journey will hold but I can not wait for you to be the last and first thing I see everyday. 

I love you 

MASTERLIST

@littlemisspascal <--Check out other great author's in the Pedro Pascal Library they have created.

[odditycircus-2002]

Are you accepting requests at the moment? I just wanted to know whether or not you were at the moment so that I can send you my requests. If not now then do you know when you might take in requests?

Yes, I am currently taking requests!😁 I do have a couple of requests right now, but I haven't had the time or energy to work on them as much as I would like. I'm in University so I'm swamped with classes, on top of that, I'm majoring in Physics and minoring in English.

So go ahead and drop a request in my ask box! I would love to see what y'all come up with.

[irisintheafterglow]

Irisss hi love it's been a while <33 how are you? I hope you're doing well 🥺 how are your classes? Are you on break now or are you still going trough exams? :0

hi midi!!! ngl I am so busy rn haha we just started a new semester so my professors have me absolutely SWAMPED. i started working too so I haven't had a chance to write as much as I want to ://

but! on the plus side, I've been cultivating some side writing pet projects that I might share more about in the future :))

i also hope you're well, I find myself adding hours to my current time just to check what time it is in germany lol 🫶🏽🫡🥹 ily midi thank you for checking in!!!!