#message to all my ladies please keep those standards high

[august--and-everything-after]

The cool thing about being single as long as I have (plus my general personality) is that I've learned that almost anything a man could offer me, I can do for myself just as well if not better.

[fumingspice]

All The Things She Said

Pairing: Lana Winters x Reader

Part | 1 2

Thank you for all the love! Requests are open :D

Lana dropped her head in her hand and rubbed her temples and you felt your face go red. Your group of friends on the other side of the room, who you thankfully had not informed of the night before, laughed at your embarrassment.

Attempting to diffuse the tension, Lana approached the three of you with textbooks. "Take these," she said, her glare went straight through you. "And please don't be late to my class again."

You could feel the skin under your necklace burn as your hands made contact while she passed you the books. You could tell she felt something too when her face flinched slightly. There was something different about her.

She was wearing her wedding ring.

Lana noticed that you had seen it. "Stay behind after class."

The three of you took your seat at the back row, and you did your best not to look up during as much of the lesson as possible, resorting to taking notes from the book. Your face burned with the anticipation of Lana's confrontation. You had borderline lied to her about something that could risk the integrity of her career and her reputation. The guilt almost sickened you to your stomach and your friends could sense it.

"You gotta keep calm," Emmett whispered to you, knocking his knee against yours to tell you to stop bounding your leg. You peaked up for the first time in the lesson while the others were taking notes. Lana averted her glance as soon as you did so. "She's been looking up at you every time she gets a moment."

You rubbed your forehead with two fingers and peeled your necklace from under your shirt. It was white-hot. "What the fuck?" You muttered to yourself, getting Emmett's attention.

"I didn't know you had one of those," he said. "Maybe it means that its pair is close by-" Emmett stopped himself and looked from you to Lana.

The bell rang before he had a chance to finish himself. "We'll wait for you in the cafeteria."

The class filed themselves out as you remained in your chair, Heather gave you a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder as she left.

You watched Lana smile at your classmates as she crossed the room back to her desk. The suspense was killing you.

Finally, Lana stood up again and sat on her desk, folding her arms, and staring right at you. "Come over here, please," she said, darting her eyes to the floor.

You followed her instructions and sat at the desk opposite.

Lana played with a pendant on her necklace as she seemed to gather the words to use.

"Do you understand the severity of what happened last night, and why we can't go through with tonight's plan?" she asked after a moment of silence, her whiskey brown eyes finally meeting yours.

"Because you're married?" You replied, slightly meaner than you intended to sound. Lana's eyes look inflicted by your comment.

She took off her ring and laid it on the desk. "You lied to me. You told me you weren't younger than twenty-one and Jesus Christ, why did I want to believe you so bad?" She put her head in her hand and for a moment you were unaware if she was talking to you or herself.

"No, I didn't," you replied. Technically. "I told you that a lot of people think I'm younger than twenty-one. I'm eighteen."

Lana took a minute to regain her composure. "Y/N, I think you're an amazing, beautiful, incredibly funny and smart young lady and I would love to have gone on with whatever we had started. Though, at the end I am still your teacher and you're still my student. That's like fifty shades of illegal," she said. Her eyes were trained on the ground now as she straightened her back.

Your necklace was beginning to burn your fingers now and you could see Lana was rubbing her chest. You stepped closer to her as she backed against her table and put your hand under hers.

But I thought she didn't wear her necklace?

Her necklace was hot too. You pulled her necklace from under her blouse and inspected it. In that moment you finally felt like you were able to one-up even Aria Montgomery.

"Does that mean-?"

You rubbed your temples. "Good golly, this is going to cause the worst migraine ever."

Lana looked visibly stressed too. "Surely there's a mistake, right?"

You stared at her hard. "Soul necklaces have never made a mistake in the history of their goddamn existence, Lana!"

The teacher groaned. "The only reason I put this on was because last night you reminded me that I actually had one and I wanted to throw it in my husband's face that there's someone else better than him-" she stopped herself in her rant to inhale hard "-even though that's not too fucking hard. I did not. In a million years. Put this on to match with one of my students."

"How about the chick who tried to pick you up in a bar, then. Would you have wanted to match with her?"

Lana looked like she was about to strangle you, and you weren't necessarily opposed to that. "Y/N, please for the love of God don't make this harder for me. I've been thinking about you since I got home last night." You could see tears in her eyes and a pang of guilt hit you hard.

You walked to the door, peered down the hallway to make sure it was empty and closed the door.

"Lana-"

"Ms. Winters."

"Way to remove the power dynamic," you muttered sarcastically. Lana tried to hide a blushing smile. "I have six months left. I can pretend you're just my teacher and you can pretend I'm just your favourite student of all time."

Lana bit her lip. "You're still flirting with me? You looked like a deer in headlights when you walked in."

You felt your face glow red in embarrassment. "I thought I was gonna pass out."

That much was true. When it had finally hit you that Lana was your new French teacher you had felt a weight on your heart like never before.

"So, sixth months of pretending. I think I can cope with that," Lana said. She was less stressed now. Well, from whatever relief the conversation had provided.

You nodded and peeked through the window by the door. The hallway was clear. You turned back to face Lana and took a step towards her. The teacher could sense her apprehension as you laid a hand on her cheek and pulled her close to you.

You looked up into her eyes and waited for her cue. She nodded, her eyes locked with yours before they shut and lent in. Her lips pressed against yours and her hands curled in your hair as you worked to deepen the kiss. Lana backed right onto the desk until she was sitting right on it, one of your hands reached down to grab her thigh and pull it to your waist.

Her hands dropped to the back of your neck. You were bewildered. How could something be so wrong yet feel so right? This went against almost every moral code you had with your teachers. You were a model student and now here you between a teacher's legs.

Lana pulled away abruptly. "I don't want to go further than kissing while you're still in school," she whispered.

You smirked. "Please. You didn't even plan on kissing back, did you?"

Lana shook her head as she shuffled off the desk and grabbed her bag from the chair.

You had never seen anyone jump as high as Lana Winters did when Emmett banged the door open.

"Mother of Jesus in a tank. Can't either of you be gentle with the doors in this school?!" She exclaimed. "You'll give me a heart attack one of these days."

"Sorry, Ms. Winters," Emmett muttered. He stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. "I won't stay for long. I also just wanted to say that you don't need to worry about Heather and I saying anything, because we won't. But Heather is also getting impatient and wants to know if you need a lift home."

You shook your head. "I'll be a few minutes. I can walk home but tell her I said thank you."

Emmett gave a thumbs up and left.

"It's raining cats and dogs outside," Lana said. "You'll catch your death of cold."

"I'm a fast runner, Ms. Winters."

Lana shook her head. "What kind of person would I be if I let my favourite student walk home in the rain, hm?" She held up her keys and headed to the door.

You walked behind her while she informed a superior that she was driving you home. Child protection policy and whatnot. Ironic.

Lana sat in the driver's seat and blasted the heat.

"What's your address?" She asked, booting up the sat nav. You recalled her saying that she had only recently moved to this city.

"Sixteen Eli Boulevard," you replied, checking a message from your mom. She was making Carbonara for dinner.

Lana stopped. "You're kidding, right?"

"Are you being serious right now? Why would I kid about where I live?"

Lana pursed her lips and laughed. "I just moved into that neighbourhood yesterday."

Well, that was convenient.

"So, I can be expecting a lot more car rides with you, Ms. Winters?"

Lana cocked her head at you and frowned as she began driving. "Can we establish some ground rules? Like no flirting on school grounds? We can't afford for that to happen again."

You nodded in slightly disappointed agreement.

"In school, at least."

You paused, turning to take in the view of the mountain that sat beside your small town. You never seized to be amazed at that view.

“Can we reschedule our date? I know a place outside of town,” you say. Lana squeezed her eyebrows hard in thought.

“How far out of town are we talking?”

“An hour or so on the train. Give or take.”

Lana stopped the car outside your drive. “I can do Saturday.”

Perfect.

You heaved yourself out of her car and gave her hand a squeeze. It was the closest thing to a kiss you could manage.

What on Earth am I doing to myself.

taglist: @its-soph-xx @delias-bitch-craft  @sarahpaulsonsoftie @jumpoffabridge-t @coffee-is-below-my-standards @definitelynot-a-writer​ @bottom4delia

[joontier]

The King’s Guard | Chapter 7 

pairings: kim seokjin x reader ; jeon jungkook x reader ; min yoongi x reader

series rating: R(18+) | genre: angst, forbidden love, longing, immense pining 

warnings: none to note 

word count: 6.6k

g/n: HAHGFJFIE FINALLY!!!!!!!! that is all. ((also painfully and regrettably unedited)) thank you. THIS IS THE MOMENT WE’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR ASJDFOAWJEFI SEND ME YOUR THOUGHTS PLEASE? 

The King’s Guard - Masterlist  ||  navi.

The King’s Guard | Chapter 7

“Hoseok.” 

Yoongi keeps his voice low as he attempts to poke the general awake, vigorously, yet with the right amount of caution so as not to wake the naked sleeping court lady in his arms. Chaeyoung, was it? The southern king ponders on wistfully as he pulls the blanket up again to maintain the modesty in the room - if there was any left, that is. 

The young king of the south had already sensed the tension between the pair when they were first acquainted with each other. Yoongi, not a stranger to the wants of the flesh, already knew this was coming. If it only weren’t for the places they hold in the palace, they would have made a great couple. 

Surely though, the two were old enough to know that clothes were still warranted even after what Yoongi could only assume to have been a steamy evening between the two. It wasn’t appropriate to just go sleeping in the nude especially when one could easily barge in at any time of the day, just as Yoongi had done. 

The blonde-haired king continues poking at the general by the ribs, cursing when the latter won’t respond and instead rolls over to the other side, pulling Chaeyoung closer in his arms. 

Good heavens. Why does this have to be so hard? 

For one, he’d already wasted time this morning trying to locate Hoseok, who he reckons no longer enjoys sleeping in his own quarters; finding more comfort in the danger that lies with sleeping in the court ladies’ quarters instead. He makes a mental note to address this to Hoseok later as this was going to be a major headache later on. 

Should this relationship of theirs proceed with its imminent direction, not only the general will be facing the grave consequences of their actions, but the poor court lady will have to take responsibility as well. 

“Hoseok.” The young king of the south nudges him once more, this time stronger than the last. Yoongi hears the general groan in response, and lets himself sit back against the wall in relief. At least this reaction was better than the log he was trying to wake just moments ago. 

That is, until he realizes he spoke too soon. 

Hoseok rolls over and proceeds to lie on his stomach. Yoongi cards his fingers through his temple, jaw clenched as he tries to figure out a more effective way to get the general up on his feet. 

He spots a vessel on top of Chaeyoung’s dresser, and Yoongi smirks as an unorthodox idea of waking up someone pops in his head. Quietly creeping up from the floor, he grabs the clay container by its neck and tilts the vessel, pouring the water onto Hoseok’s bare back. This ought to do the job. Just as expected, the liquid had the southern general scrambling to his feet. 

Squinting his eyes as he looks around, Hoseok comes face to face with his king, eyes trained on him like a tiger waiting on his prey. Hoseok immediately sits up, cowering under the king’s daunting gaze, “M-my king…”

Yoongi promptly gets up, not wanting to bother himself with another look at Hoseok’s naked form. “Get up. Meet me by the stables,” the king orders, sliding the door open, “and next time, please maintain some dignity and remember to put clothes on before sleeping.” 

The general clambers from the court lady’s yo, taking his discarded clothes by the corner of the room as the southern king heads to the stables first. 

“Did she really knock you out that bad that you were harder to wake than a sleeping cow?” 

Even at dawn when the sun hasn’t risen yet, Yoongi sees the general blush under the sky’s soft shade of purple. “If I could say so for myself, she was quite flexible, your Highness…” Hoseok whispers shyly as he chews on his lip. Yoongi’s mouth falls agape at his general’s confession, grimacing at the awful mental images it brought to his mind this early in the morning. 

“General.” Hoseok straightens himself atop his steed, knowing that the king meant business when he calls him by his official title. “You should know that what I had said was a question I needed not answered.” 

“My apologies, my King.” Hoseok says, expression unchanging when he whispers under his breath. “It’s not like I’m the only one who’s getting frisky with the women of the palace.” Yoongi’s eyes narrow as he glares at the general, guiding his horse nearer to Hoseok’s, seemingly taunting the latter to say more. “Ah yes,” the general gets the message and bows, but Yoongi doesn’t miss the small smirk playing on the younger man’s lips, “this is the part where I keep my mouth shut.” 

Bored out of his wits (and disrupted from his very lovely sleep), the general turns to his king, “I hope you don’t mind me asking, jeonha, but where exactly are we headed to at this time of the day?”

“We’re already here.” Hoseok, with his question answered in the most unexpected manner, gives an awkward nod as a reply to the southern king. He studies the place where Yoongi had led him to in this early morning and in recognition, his would seemingly winces at him as he remembers the day they’ve faced death in the eyes, and luckily got away with it.

In subconscious reminiscence, Yoongi flexes his shoulders, a short tinge of pain stings through the breadth of his back. Hoseok, in similar thought, does the same, reaching over to his side to feel the slowly healing wound.

The small clearing was not as ghastly as it had been when they had first arrived at this part of the forest.  The previously horrific scenery was no more; the doltap shrine, formerly made from dead bodies toppled over each other was now replaced by actual rocks and other mementos of the deceased.

Yoongi dismounts from his horse, a small cloud of dust appearing as he lands on the ground. Just like that, he’s taken back to the same night he’d met Seokjin – the same night he and Hoseok had narrowly escaped the hands of death. The southern king closes his eyes, reliving the scene like it was just yesterday.

“Forgive me, jeonha, but why are we here? If I should say so myself, my king, we we’re lucky enough to get away last time…if we stay here any longer, I’m not particularly sure what or who could be waiting for us this time.”

“We have to look for something.”

“Which is?”

“I’m not sure too. Just… I don’t think Seokjin is dead yet.”

Hoseok looks at him, worry painting all over his features. Yoongi had never concerned himself with the capitol, all the more with its king. The southern general couldn’t quite put a finger on it yet, but he is sure that there is a missing piece of the puzzle he has yet to discover. It won’t be long before he does.

Jungkook watches you from the shade of another nearby tree, indulging himself with an apple he picked earlier on the way to the gardens. You’ve just finished teaching five new characters to the class, and as a reward for their exemplary behavior, you decided to treat them with a story – one you’re telling with such animation right now.

He joins the children in laughter when you imitate a creature: an elephant, he reckons, though he’s never seen one in real life. Subsequently, you use your arm as a trunk and even start to make the strangest sounds to mimic the animal. Peels of the sound of amusement resonate throughout the open space. Even the court ladies you’d initially came with join soon afterwards, making their best impressions of different animals.

The sight was most endearing. You’re a natural when it comes to children, Jungkook attests to himself. You were patient, caring, and kind – all the traits of a good mother already inherent in you. It was no question that you child will grow up to be just as wonderful as you are.

Being a widow though? Not so much.

Despite the bountiful radiance brought about by these children, he could still see the sadness in your eyes. Gone are your usually bright orbs, mirth and brilliance swimming freely in your pupils.

It’s only been a week since the news of Seokjin’s passing and the announcement of your pregnancy. You’d maintained your cheeriness but Jungkook fears it all might have been just a façade because your smiles never reached your eyes unlike before.

Jungkook knew you were strong. Even the whole palace would agree on that fact. You were stronger than anyone could ever admit and you were far stronger than you think you were. It was a trait of yours that even only the bravest could only hope to be bestowed with. Your resilience was one of your many characteristics that Jungkook admired so much.

But at the same time, he fears this mask of courage you put on was going to be the same thing that was going to destroy you slowly from the inside.

Jungkook understood where you were coming from. Truly, he did. He’s dealt with enough royals all his life to know that a simple display of weakness could be perceived for something far greater than it is. Royals are groomed and nurtured to perfection from the moment they are born, and in their lifetime, they are only afforded a specific set of standards they had to live by strictly, else they lose the respect of the council and subsequently, their people.

It was madness at the least, to think that royals are supposed to be as stiff as their forefathers now commemorated by figures made of stone or some precious mineral. How strangely ironic.

Crown aside, you are but a human being, a woman, who had just lost her husband, and is now burdened with having to deal with your pregnancy alone. On top of all the responsibilities of a queen, including those of which Seokjin had left you.

Jungkook knew he was a mere soldier in your eyes, but he wanted to help you in the hopes to alleviate the pain you were going through; he wanted you to know that he feels your pain and he knows the suffering of one who has likewise lost a loved one.

He knows you’re constantly pre-occupying yourself with these things, always looking for a distraction to forget your personal sentiments. Jungkook could only imagine what struggles you’re going through right now and how badly he wishes he could hold you in his arms and tell you it’s going to be alright and he’s going to be there for you no matter what.

“Jungkook? Captain?”

“Huh?”

Jungkook scrambles to his feet as he sees you looking down on him as he rested by the bark of the tree. “Jungjeon-mama!”

Chuckling, you remove a stray leaf that stuck itself to his pants. Jungkook’s heart flutters at the small gesture. “Are you alright, captain? I’ve been calling for you but you seem busy staring off into the distance…” He gulps.

“Alright. Will you accompany me to the doltap shrine then?”

“Of course, Mama.”

Just like before, the two of you walk in comfortable silence, although the captain beside you looks more tense than ever. “Jungkook. Are you sure you’re alright? If you’re unwell, I can just go on my own. You can head back to your quarters.”

The captain quickly shakes his head, but when you meet his eyes, there’s a heavy weight in his stare that you wish to mention, but you don’t want to push his boundaries any further, especially when the two of you had been closer than any of you would have imagined.

You look away as you reach the top of the tiny slope, the dock finally in view. Jungkook immediately offers his elbow for your support, and you place a hand on the same with much gratitude.

He steps into the tiny boat first, readying the oars where he can reach them easily for later. Extending a hand out, he beckons you over to the canoe. Due to an unknown factor, you miss the gap between the boat and the dock, tripping slightly as you get inside. “Mama! Our– the baby!” You laugh at your own clumsiness before placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “I’m fine! I’m fine… stop acting like I’m a porcelain doll…” you joke, settling yourself on the seat.

“I’m just concerned about your well-being,” Jungkook mumbles, not meeting your eyes as he fixes the oars with a pout on his face. What a big baby. Gently, you put a hand on his knee, urging him to look at you, “I know,” you give him a warm smile, “and I’m very thankful to have you nearby all the time.”

It was the whole truth. Ever since Minho came barging in with your husband’s clothes and until the announcement of your pregnancy with the council, Jungkook has always been there. Since then, you’d opted to stay inside your hanok most of the day, unless you had to come out for your official duties.

He’d always be there, waiting outside your hanok as you’re about to leave for your responsibilities. You’d even suggested having Yunho come with you instead but the stubborn captain insisted, telling you it is his greatest honor to be your personal guard.

The boat pushes forward and you tilt your head back slightly, enjoying the cool, crisp air. “It’s a beautiful day today isn’t it?”. Jungkook smiles this time, “Certainly, wangbi.”

You decide to leave the shrine late in the afternoon as Jungkook wasn’t able to bring a lamp with him. The sky is becoming a lovely purple, and as the captain manages to safely bring you both back across the river, you make your final request of the day from him. “Why don’t we sit here a while longer? Enjoy the sunset perhaps?” You’re already patting the grass beside you, leaving Jungkook no choice.

Jungkook finally gathers up the courage to ask you this time, “How about you, Mama? Are you alright?” Jungkook doesn’t know what kind of response to expect but he hopes that you will be able to recognize the true depth of his sudden inquiry.

You don’t answer at first. It seemed as if you were trying to gather your thoughts before you reply. “I’m alright,” you retort with a smile. There it is again – the ingenuine grin. “Taehyung had just visited me yesterday to recommend meals I could have prepared that will give me and the baby enough nutrition.”

Right, you were also pregnant. He almost forgot that for a moment. That was another reason he couldn’t sleep at night – could he possibly be a fath-

“How I wish my child’s father was still here to witness him or her grow up.”

Oh. Right. Jungkook chokes back a sob.

This was only one of the many times he’d realized he’d been a fool all along, but this realization had been the most painful yet.

Just as if on cue, Jungkook feels something cold hit his cheek from above. There’s a grey cloud reigning over them, like it’s giving a warning signal of the storm that’s about to come.

He turns to you, worry apparent in his features once more. “Mama, we have to go back!” Just then, there’s a downpour of water, evidently drenching you both. He extends his arm out, even offering you a ride back home on his back. You stand up on your own though, but you don’t take his hand, nor did you follow him back to the palace.

“Mama?”

“Let’s stay for a little while longer.”

“But you might catch a cold, mama.”

“Since when was a cold fatal?” The smile on your face is almost devilish and Jungkook finds himself powerless to say no. “Come on!” you urge, clapping excitedly. “When was the last time you played under the rain?”

“When I was a kid?”

“All the more reason to have fun then!”

The last time he purposefully stayed under the rain was with you, and he promised himself that he would never do it again if you weren’t going to be with him.

You were both young and your rendezvous at the southern forest were nothing short of cherished moments. There were days when the downpour was ultimately unavoidable, especially when you’re playing in the middle of the forest. Rain hadn’t stopped you both from meeting nonetheless. There were also days when he just waited at your designated meeting place, only accompanied by the angry clouds while his body shivered from the cold.

When the years had passed by, Jungkook didn’t find anything enjoyable with staying under the rain so he stayed indoors most of the time, unless it was part of his official duties. Besides, everything else seemed to lose its purpose if you weren’t in it.

Life for him was a storm he was waiting to pass, but since he’d met you that day in the forest all muddy, he learned that life was about learning how to dance in the rain. Ironically enough, you were also the sun that brought light to his life, providing him with enough energy to last for centuries.

You feel something by your feet, prompting you to jump into Jungkook’s arms in fright. The captain gets surprised by your actions, causing him to almost lose his footing. Jungkook looks down to see any damage and sees a brown slimy creature camouflaging with the grass, “Mama, it’s just a frog…”

You frown adorably, giving him a hard time with an irresistible pout. How he wishes he could just kiss you right now. “I’m not particularly fond of these creatures…” You gasp when another one croaks, tightening your grip around the captain’s arms. Jungkook’s mouth twitches in silent celebration at your touch. He may or may not have flexed his muscles too on purpose – but that was most likely a primary instinct when the woman of your dreams encourages physical contact, albeit subconsciously.

Jungkook’s jubilation is cut short when more frogs start to appear out of nowhere, causing you to squeeze even tighter, your grip bordering on pain. For some unknown, you’ve managed to latch on his back with your constant avoidance of the tiny, slimy creatures. “Jung!” you shout, now relentlessly slapping his arm; Jungkook huffs - so much for his fantasies. “We have to get out of here Jungkook!!”

The quick-witted captain crouches low enough, telling you to jump on his back. He didn’t need to actually tell you though, because the moment he’d turned around you already had your hands hooked over his shoulders, trying to get him to hurry. Because of all the movements and the noise, the frogs share the same level of alarm as you – one even manages to fasten itself on your shoe. You flail your foot about, subsequently making it fly about a few feet away and thus, making Jungkook burst into laughter.

He remembers the time he’d surprised you with a frog inside a box in front of the whole class, and now you’d managed to get a whole army of frogs chasing you both. It was a living nightmare – for you at least, Jungkook on the contrary though, is positive that he’s having the time of his life watching frogs terrify you.

Just as expected, Jungkook loses his breath from laughter, setting you down gently as you go over the slope. You’re a little bit too hesitant to let go though, that even when Jungkook has turned to face you, you’re still clinging onto his jeogori as if your life depended on it. It’s a relief when he hears you giggle in his chest, assuring him that you were no longer frightened.  

Only silence remained as the laughter dies down. There’s the muted croaking of the frogs in the distance, but other than that, you’re left standing in his arms, quiet as ever. “Is it alright if I hold you like this for a while?”

Your sudden request throws the captain off guard. He’s powerless to say no, not when this is the moment he’d been waiting and imagining for years. “Can we just stay like this for a moment longer, Mama?” His voice almost breaks, pleading at the least.

“Of course, Jungkook.”

It seems like a hug is what you both just need.  

Just as the rain pours over them, Jungkook feels his own tears rolling down hotly against his cheeks, contrasting the cold droplets of rainwater. His heart hurts. He’s crying.

Actually, you both are.

You find Yoongi lounging extremely close by the doors of your hanok two days later.

The proximity of the southern king startles you and as a gust of wind blows by, some of his bright yellowish hair fly straight into your mouth, “Yoongi!” He fumbles as he pushes his hair back over his shoulder. “Apologies my queen.” There are at least two strands left in your face and Yoongi doesn’t hesitate to reach out his hand, taking out the strands with such tenderness, shivering when you feel the cold pads of his fingers against your cheek.

It takes you a moment before you realize what’s happening and you pull away, turning on your heel. “What are you doing here anyways?” you ask, sliding your doors close. You’re meant to wake a lot earlier than you did today and if you don’t hurry, you might just miss your music class with the village kids.

Yoongi hurries after you, trying to keep up with your pace, “I was…um…wondering if I could come to your class today?”

“You?” you think out loud, not sparing him a glance. You don’t put much thought to it with your haste to make it in time, and you tell him he’s free to do whatever he wants. He doesn’t say anything else after that, so you quicken your pace towards the palace gardens.

You reach the reserved spot in no time, with the children already settled in, chatting and playing among themselves. Just as you’d requested the night prior, your gayageum has been assembled just underneath the oak tree.

“Jungjeon-mama, who is that ahjussi behind you?” Turning to see who the child was pertaining to, you come to see Yoongi standing behind you, seemingly offended at how he’d been perceived to be way older than he actually is.

“Ahjussi?!” Yoongi exclaims, face twisted into a grimace, “Who are you calling ahjussi, kid?”

The children are taken aback by the tone of his voice, unaware that he hadn’t taken any offense with the child’s question. The poor boy’s lips quiver in fear. You give the southern king a quick glare before calling the boy over and letting him sit on your lap. While Yoongi approaches the both of you with a softened gaze, the boy nuzzles his head by the crook of your neck, murmuring his fright over the man’s temper.

“Hey little bud,” Yoongi crouches, tapping the boy’s shoulder twice to get the latter to face him. The boy peeks slowly from your neck, eyeing the blonde-haired man warily. “I’m sorry about earlier son. I was just surprised because no one had ever called me that –“

He wasn’t actually going to explain it is he? You clear your throat, interrupting him. Yoongi’s mouth presses into a thin line.

“Right. Say, could you tell me your name?”

“It’s Jinseo.”

“Hello, Jinseo. It’s nice to meet you. My name is Yoongi. Could I make it up to you by playing a song?”

Jinseo paused, head titled slightly to the right as if in deep thought. “It isn’t mine to give you permission. You should ask Mama,” he says smartly, pointing at you. Kids are getting smarter these days.

“Jungjeon-mama?” Yoongi asks with an expectant look. With the other children following suit, you are left with no other choice but to say yes. Reluctantly, you lift yourself up together with Jinseo and taking a spot next to the other children.

“Let me just try to…” Yoongi adjusts himself on the seat, plucking the strings in an uncoordinated manner, “remember…” All of a sudden, he claps like he’d just produced gold from thin air, startling everyone around. “I got it! I got it now, don’t worry.”

You and Jinseo share a look.

If there was any discipline of the arts you could take pride for in yourself, it would have been music. Your father, King Daesin of the south, aside from occasionally practicing medicine, also had the ear for music. He had taught you how to play the gayageum, an instrument you’ve been acquainted with for as long as you could remember. Because of fair years of playing, you could freely boast to anyone that you’re quite exceptional at it, but now with Yoongi and his hands on your beloved instrument... Yoongi was tremendously better at it than you probably ever will be.

A smile creeps onto your face when you realize his acting earlier, pretending to be a beginner with the instrument when he could totally be mistaken for a musical prodigy. What a humble bragger. Yoongi had his eyes closed, pouring his emotion and soul onto the instrument, and even without having to enunciate lyrics to get the message across, it was clear to everyone that the song conveyed sadness in all forms. Each vibration of the string – every sound it made spoke in volumes, moving everyone present in class. By the time he’d finished, all the children were as silent as mice, rigid as statues. This was the first time you’ve seen them all well-behaved.

It also dawns on you that this was the first time any of you were deeply moved by music.

The rest of the class stay silent moments later, all in deep contemplation despite the differences in your ages. From your side, you hear a child sigh to the girl in front of her, “I came to class happy this morning. Now I’m sad.” All of a sudden, Jinseo scrambles out of your lap and rushes to Yoongi, hugging the older man’s side in an awkward manner. Yoongi is caught off guard by the gesture, patting the little boy’s head in a similarly awkward manner.

“Ahjussi,” Jinseo calls once more, maintaining his hold on Yoongi’s waist. The southern king heaves a deep sigh, knowing he’s going to have to deal with that a lot longer than he intended to be. “Why are you sad? You played sad music for us. Now we’re all sad too.” Yoongi is rendered speechless and looks at you with wide eyes, seeking for your help. “Uh...Jinseo, why don’t you ask your Yoongi-hyungnim to play us a happy song then?”

“A happy song!” Sheepishly, Yoongi cheers, clapping his hands in an attempt to get everyone back in high spirits. Thankfully, the children seem to enjoy the idea, so they goad the ahjussi on, wanting to see if he’s just as talented with cheery songs as he is with sorrowful ones.

With a small smile, Yoongi mouths a ‘thank you’ in your direction before placing his hands on the gayageum once more.

“Thank you for saving me a few times earlier during your class,” the southern king says, leaning towards you while he mimics your movements as you wave goodbye to the children. “You haven’t had much experience with children, haven’t you?” you raise a brow at him while a laugh escapes your lips.

“I’m afraid I don’t,” Yoongi replies, chuckling to himself.

“It’s good practice though, what you did earlier. One day, you’re going to be a father as well.”

Yoongi eyes you slowly from the side, checking if you realize the gravity of your words. His eyes lower down to your stomach, imagining if the baby growing inside of it was his own blood. Perhaps it was? Perhaps it wasn’t?

He’d been especially concerned about your well-being since last week when shocking news had been continuously delivered right to your arms. He wanted to approach you badly during those rough days, but you were far too pre-occupied to even spare him a second glance. The young king wonders how much of a difficulty it might be for you, but all he wanted was to show you that he was willing to support you in any way that he can.

Yoongi sees Hoseok approach with the jumeoni he’d personally prepared early in the morning. He sees his brother trail not far behind, studying the silk bag in Hoseok’s hands. The southern king had been nervous since last night, continuously practicing his lines to the point where he’s not sure why he’s doing it in the first place. It’s now or never.

“Jungjeon-mama?”

Yoongi winces inwardly as he hears his own voice wavering. Heavens. Why was he so nervous around you? You turn to him with a warm smile. Ah yes – that’s why.

“May I invite you for a walk?” The southern king asks as he beckons his general over who hands him the silk bag. “And lunch perhaps?”

You pause for a moment, recalling your thoughts if you had anything else planned after your music class with the children. Yoongi tries hard to not show too much excitement when he hears your yes. Extending his arm out, he motions for you to walk with him. He feels Jungkook follow you both, and he leans to your side a little, whispering, “I was wondering if we could perhaps…go alone?”

You look at him, as if studying his facial expressions. Turning around, you tell Jungkook to stay put. The captain’s eyes dart back and forth, giving his own older brother a steely gaze before nodding his head and bowing to you. “Don’t worry captain. I’ll scream loudly if anything bad happens,” you tell him as a reassurance.

“In all seriousness, Mama…” Yoongi says, putting on a stern face, even though you are both experiencing clear difficulty with keeping a straight face after hearing Yoongi’s stories. “…do I seriously look like an ahjussi to you?”  

You place a hand over your mouth, ineffectively hiding your giggles. Yoongi grimaces, clutching his chest to express his hurt over your reaction. “We can’t blame the kids though. And besides, Jinseo had a valid point.” The young king gives you a playful glare.

Yoongi had been expressing his sentiments over the whole ‘ahjussi’ situation earlier, arguing that he didn’t have enough wrinkles on his face to be even considered one. In Jinseo’s earlier defense though, he stated that only old people had white hair, and if he wasn’t old – why would he even have white hair in the first place. To which, of course, an agitated Yoongi replies: “It’s not white. It’s yellow…ish. And it’s bleach! It’s something I discovered during an overseas travel! A lot of people have this kind of hair color…”

“How are you feeling? Is your pregnancy going well?”

“How did you know about my pregnancy?” Yoongi shrugs as he replies, “Walls are never thick enough to hide news like that.” “Oh.” ‘Oh’ is an appropriate reaction, Yoongi reckons, as he’s had the same sort of response when he’d heard of the news.

“Well, for one, our royal physician Taehyung had scheduled regular visits to keep my condition in check. So there’s that. He advises that as long as keep a stress-free environment, my pregnancy will be just fine.”

Using your chopsticks, you fiddle with the mandu he’s made hours prior, deep in thought as you stare into the distance.

Yoongi hopes that the apparent death of your husband isn’t conducive of stress of a stress-free environment. He makes an inward scoff – as if that’s most likely going to happen. If he’s already thorned by occurrences that seem insignificant to those of the capitol’s then he could only imagine the sort of struggle you have to go through, especially when the backbone of your government is composed of vile men who are strongly displeased by the thought of having a woman on the throne.

The young man lies on his back, stretching out his legs to get rid of the tingling on his soles due to their prolonged sitting. With a long exhale, he closes his eyes, letting his thoughts drift along with the steady breeze.

He knows he’s neglecting his duties as the king of the south by prolonging his stay here, but Seokjin’s death won't settle with him nicely. He has to get to the bottom of this. Even if he’s still holding a grudge against Seokjin for taking you away from the south (and had even secretly wished him dead at some point) he could never plunge a sword to another king, much more to the same one who had taken care of the woman he wanted to call his wife.

He hears rustling from your side, and Yoongi opens his eyes a little to check on you. He watches you clean the bowls and reorganize them back onto the bag he’d brought. You slowly start to turn to face him and Yoongi quickly shuts his eyes, solely relying on his other sense to figure out what’s happening.

“Oh? You must’ve fallen asleep huh?” Yoongi hears more rustling around. “Maybe you could still listen to me even during slumber…” You inhale deeply, “You know…Seokjin was always good with children.”

Yes. Of course, speaking of the spirit.

“Jinseo was one of his favorite students. Jinseo was actually really shy and quiet at first – yet for some inexplicable reason, Seokjin had successfully helped him to come out of his shell and the little boy has been brighter since. Seokjin was always so playful yet so gentle at the same time that whenever he’d visit our classes the children would go crazy over him.”

Well, that’s nice to hear, especially when he’d made a particularly bad first impression with the children earlier.

There’s momentary silence. Yoongi hears a sniff – and a shaky exhale afterwards.

“I miss him Yoongi.” Another sniff. “I miss him so much that it hurts every day. Everything reminds me of him.” The sound of your silent crying rings throughout his ears, yet he can't bring himself to get up and wipe them away, fearing it might cause you to stop pouring your heart out.

Mourning was part of healing. You’d feel lighter after crying. At least that’s what he’d learned from having lost his mother too.

At the same time, Yoongi feels his chest constrict at your words. While you pour your fears out to his sleeping form, he struggles with maintaining a stoic face to keep his act up. His empathy is fighting to register in his features, and when he can no longer hold it in, he turns his back to you, swallowing back his emotions that threaten to pour out after years of hiding.

“Jeonha, I can't seem to find any sign of him anywhere.”

Hoseok slowly and carefully gets back up from his crouching position, groaning in relief as he hears his joints cracking as he twists his torso from side to side. Yoongi does the same, shaking his legs one at a time to get rid of the numbness.

It’s been a few hours since they’ve arrived and Yoongi is getting more hopeless with every passing moment. They have searched everywhere for anything – any sign that he’s still alive.

He’d promised you he’d find your husband and bring him back. Even though you hadn’t exactly heard the silent vow of the southern king, he was a man of his word and he’ll be sure to do everything in his capacity to do it.

Yoongi couldn’t even find the reason why he was going to do it or why he should do it in the first place – whether it be for his own peace of mind, for your happiness, or for the future of the country.

He knew they’d left Seokjin that night and the chances that his fellow ruler was still alive was almost slim to none. He knows that trying to look for a clue and actually succeeding was going to be a long shot, especially when it has already been quite some time Yoongi had returned this morning to make sure but after hours of looking, the place was clean and empty, thus pushing down that gut feeling that maybe, just maybe, your husband was still alive.

Else he’d be forced to prolong his stay and resort to more meddling to protect you from harm.

They’ve already gone through this area, Yoongi thinks, recognizing the same stump he’d seen earlier. He settles himself on the tree remainder and picks up a fallen leaf. Just then, something glimmers from the ground and the curious king bends over once more, picking it up. It’s a bracelet.

Yoongi scoffs to himself: an even more shocking discovery. It’s not just any bracelet – it’s the kind of bracelet only royals can have. And if that isn’t the most astounding part of it yet, etched in the gold pendant is the emblem of the south.

Besides you, there could only be one other person who’d be wearing the same. If he’s still alive that is.

The man’s wife places a comforting hand on her husband’s shoulder, massaging them gently to ease the tension on his muscles. She’s never seen him his distraught since…since they left their previous home. Eunkyung is unsure how to give her husband the least solace, not when the circumstances only allow them to hope for the best.

For a moment, they stay like that, quiet and observant. In fact, they had been for almost a full moon, just watching the man they had taken into their home. The man had been looking for firewood that early morning, and he’d found this severely wounded man barely alive in the woods.

He’d carried the man on his back and hurried back home, his initial quest and the pains that came with old age completely forgotten. He had closed off one of his rooms reserved for his patients to tend to this not-so-stranger and had let his wife tend to his other patients while he carefully worked this man back to life for weeks.

“Do you think he will still wake?”

The man is unable to answer promptly as he tenderly takes the sick man’s hand in his and says a short prayer to his ancestors, as well as incorporating a lesson he’d learned back when he was still an apprentice – that human touch was an integral part of the art of medicinal healing.

The physician faces his wife and pulls her closer, likewise placing her hand on top of his and letting her join in his silent prayer. His thumb runs over the ring on the man’s finger, remembering a similar one of his own possession quite a few years back.

“He will. That is what I believe and that is what we are also praying for,” the man replies, checking the temperature of the cloth he’d laid on his patient’s forehead. It’s warm when he takes it, and he makes a mental note to cite this observation in his notes.

“Daesin,” Eunkyung calls, touching her husband’s now bare wrists, “your bracelet…where is it?”

The man sighs heavily, deflated as he rests his weight on his calves. “I…I don’t know, really. I must have lost it when I carried him home.”

It was the only thing reminding him of his past, of you, especially. Now it’s gone – but it really doesn’t matter anymore, not when something, or someone else rather had come into his life so easily. His patient was far more important than any bracelet that proved his previous rule over the southern city.

“I really hope he will get better soon.”

“He has to,” Daesin reiterates, hoping they’d eventually come true, “He has to get better because he’s my son-in-law.”

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© joontier 2020

[danger-xylophones]

The Senator and the Hunter (Cad Bane x reader)

{masterlist}

Warnings: some suggestive dialogue

Notes: Cad Bane fluff! Cad Bane fluff! Cad Bane fluff! Cad Bane fluff! CAD BANE FLUFF!

I wanted this to be gender-neutral but there aren’t any pet names in the Durese language that are gender-neutral. 

Can we do away with ‘beautiful’ being used in a feminine sense? I call mountains beautiful and I don’t think they’re ladies. Let beautiful be neutral. 

Tags: @lifelikefae Here ya go! :D

…………………...

Swish, swish, swish, the fabric of your pant legs brushing against each other echoed in the tense room inhabited only by you. Your brow hurt from being furrowed for so long, your bottom lip had been worried into oblivion, and your previously expertly styled hair had been mussed as if you’d just rolled out of bed. You were sure that if someone from the speedway looked into your office right now they would see some scowling, pacing hermit who was frustrated at the galaxy and the datapad in their hands. That is if anyone was able to see into the tinted windows of the senate building. 

You hadn’t had any clue how long you’d spent on this one bill but guessing 72 standard hours didn’t feel too far off. A part of you wanted to be angry that you’d had to spend so long on the bill proposed by Bail Organa but the other part reasoned that it was a necessity if you wanted your voice to be heard amongst the cacophonous shouting of the other senators. It was an important bill, after all, it was one that would determine whether or not more clones were supposed to be purchased. Still, back and forth you walked: the light, royal blue fabric of your pants following the movements. It was a miracle you hadn’t worn a hole in the rug. 

With a tired sigh, you lowered the datapad to tap against your thigh while one hand shot to pinch the bridge of your nose. Your eyes were starting to burn. Maybe it was time to call it quits? tell Bail you would have to vote against him unless the Jedi made significant process in the days leading up to the vote? You didn’t know. 

A blaring sound cut through your deliberation, startling you enough to toss the datapad as the room was bathed in red and metal shutters slid down over the large windows. The previously tired sigh took a turn to be frustrated instead. A lockdown was not something you wanted to deal with right now. As calmly as your tired body would allow you moved to your desk to retrieve the small pistol you kept in the top drawer and tucked it into the back pocket of your slacks before moving to the designated hiding place in your office. You had just punched in the code to the small safe room when a thud sounded from behind you. You froze, hand shooting to the pistol in an instant as you hid yourself behind the curtains that concealed the door to the safe room. 

The intruder’s steps could still be heard over the annoying blare of the siren which told you they were approaching and doing so swiftly. With a small click, you took the pistol off safety. The intruder froze on the other side of the curtain-the only indicator of where they were being the quiet sound of shifting fabric. Wanting to get the drop on whoever had decided that breaking into the senate building and specifically your office was a good idea, you itched your hand forward to grasp the fabric of the curtains so you could rip it out of the way. There was a click on the other side of the curtain and you launched into action. The deep red fabric was forced out of your way as you raised the pistol high, ready to fire at whoever was standing in your office. What you weren’t expecting was the sight of two familiar pistols being pointed right back at you. You followed the guns up the arms that pointed them till your eyes locked with a set of crimson ones. 

“Cad.” You sighed. 

“Senator.” He responded, his familiar modulated drawl dancing over your ears. You remained like that for a few seconds, just staring at each other as though daring the other to make a move. Cad would be the first. Without looking away from you, he lowered his pistols and returned them to their holsters before pressing a few buttons on his wrist to turn off the alarm-the red emergency light going away with it although the windows remained shuttered and the door was still probably locked. Still, you followed his lead and put your own weapon back. 

“Cad,” you sighed again and stepped towards him, “What were you doing? I could have shot you!” You tried to rebuke him though you knew it would be a futile effort. 

“Not with that aim.” Cad replied in a smooth tone, crossing his arms as he did. You mimicked his posture though with an added pout. 

“Hey, I’m getting better!” You whinged, earning a disbelieving huff from the bounty hunter. “You didn’t answer my question though. What are you doing here?” 

“I felt like paying my senator a visit.” He continued in that smooth, unperturbed tone-as though breaking into the senate building wasn’t a massive violation of Republic law-as he moved back into the main section of your office. You followed behind the bounty hunter with a rather dopey smile on your face despite the situation. You wiped it from your lips though as soon as Bane turned around, determined to keep up the facade. 

You cleared your throat. “I wasn’t aware I was representing Duro now.” The reply slipped from you with ease, a stark contrast to the early days with Bane when you would never dare to tease him. 

“Don’t get lippy with me, mulk.” Cad narrowed his eyes and took a step closer to you. 

“I’ll get lippy with whoever I please, hud.” You sassed right back with hands on your hips as you also took a step forward. If Cad Bane had a nose, your own would be bumping against it. “Especially, if they decide to interrupt me while I’m working.” You raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to challenge you. “I don’t interfere with your work, love, so please don’t interfere with mine.” 

“Please,” Cad huffed again though with an added smirk that told you he’d found your attempts at rebuking him amusing, “I was watching ya early, jewel, you clearly needed a distraction.” 

Your eyebrow raised a little higher. “Watching me? Charming, Cad.” You shook your head and stepped back to make your way to your desk. “You really know how to make a senator swoon, baniss.” You tried to hide the mirth that permeated your voice with a forceful plop into your seat although you were certain the seasoned bounty hunter could still hear it. 

Cad chuckled, the sound so warm and deep that it made your heart flutter, as he leaned over to catch the arms of your chair. “Just the one, izrin.” Cad smirked and dipped his head enough to catch your lips with his. You melted into him, hands sliding up his arms till you could loop them around his neck. Cad groaned and pressed forward, ignoring the somewhat awkward pose he was in as he leaned down to kiss you. It was unbelievable how much you’d missed each other in the brief time apart. You pulled back to catch your breath, smiling as you did so, and nonchalantly plucked Bane’s hat off his head. 

“I’m glad you’re back, love, but was all this necessary?” You asked, holding his hat in one hand and using the other to vaguely gesture to the windows. “You couldn’t have sent me a message telling me to meet you somewhere or something less...conspicuous?” You asked as you continued to fiddle with his hat, even going so far as to place it on your head. 

Bane watched you carefully as you messed with his most iconic article of clothing. “‘Thought I’d try and impress ya.” He simpered with a shrug.

You rolled your eyes at him-of course he just wanted to show off. “You don’t need to impress me, baniss. You know that, right?” 

“I know,” Cad stood up and stretched, fixing the door with a bored stare that had you questioning if he still had it locked, “just felt like it.” There was a pause before he turned back to you and gave you a once over. “You look cute in my hat.” You tilted your head-Cad called you a lot of things: sexy, beautiful, hot, and breathtaking being the primaries when it came to commenting on your appearance but cute was a new one. It prompted you to look up at the brim of the hat. 

“Thanks, though I don’t think it really goes with my outfit.” You laughed. You had to look ridiculous clad in dark blue slacks, a white sweater, and your boyfriend’s large, leather wide-brimmed hat. 

“Please, you could wear anything and you’d still look good.” The bounty hunter looked away as he said that and you smiled. Cad Bane was hard to read even on a good day but you’d been together long enough to know that the only thing that could make the man nervous was complimenting you. It was a bizarre effect you had on him and one that Cad didn’t always know how to handle. One of the ways he hid it though was by looking away from you. Smirking like the loth-cat that got the cream, you stood up and strode towards him till you could wrap your arms around his waist. He stiffened up before placing his hands over your own.

“Thank you, my love. I’d say the same but I prefer you wearing nothing.” You practically purred into his back, just waiting to hear how he’d follow that up. 

“Oh, jewel, those are dangerous words.” He murmured and turned around in your arms to grasp your shoulders. One of his hands came up to grasp your chin. “Anyone could walk in and see us.”

“How’s it dangerous…” You began as you plucked Bane’s hat off your head and placed it back on his. You brought your hands down to grab at the lapels of his coat to pull him down to your height. “If you’re the one controlling the door?” As if on cue, a knock sounded on the metal door and the familiar sound of a clone calling out interrupted you. With a sigh and roll of your eyes you pulled away from Cad and made your way to the door. Before you got to it though, you sent him a pointed look that had the bounty hunter sighing and pressing another button on his wrist to unlock it so you could send the clone on his way. With that taken care of and the metal coverings and lockdown dismissed as a glitch the door slid shut and you were once again left alone with Cad. There was the familiar beep to alert you that the door had locked. As slowly as you could, you spun around to face the room again. 

Only to find that Cad had moved to your desk chair just so he could kick his boots up on your desk. “Well, senator. You up for a little danger?”

............................................

Translations-

baniss-handsome

hud-hunter 

izrin-beautiful

mulk-speaker, politician

[loudsuitlover]

Doctor Harry V Golfa

A/N: Smut And I think it’s the smuttiest thing I’ve ever written. I’M NOT OKAY AFTER THESE 9K WORDS 

Harry: Strain

Harry: Just dinner 😊

I read his text messages as if they were going to change or as if reading them several times is going to change the way I feel about this. About him.

I still don’t think this is quite right. I know Harry says this won’t affect me or my studies but just thinking about what people would think if they found out makes me sick at the pit of my stomach. I’m not really a judgy person. Most of the time I just simply don’t care enough about what people do so as to even talk about it but I still have pretty high standards. Harry is not a woman. That’s something he’d never get. He’s so chill about this because he’s a man and he knows no one would give him too much shit about this but I’m a woman and I’m a student and I bet if people found out they’d say I was doing him to get a high grade instead of what would be more likely that he was taking advantage of me because I’m younger and a student like he said before. None of them are true but the second would be more legit to think about even though I know people would rather choose the first.

I walk inside the restaurant alone. I insisted on coming here on my own. I would be mortified if someone had seen us walking down the street in the middle of the city centre together. He chose a rather expensive restaurant. Not that I care. Moreover, this is good; students won’t be there. I hope that was the reason he did it and not that he’s trying to impress me because trying to impress me with money is really not a good idea.

A waitress walks with me when I tell her the name of my date. I bet she’s jealous and I bet she too is wondering why someone like him would ever want to have dinner with me. I don’t know either. He stands up from his chair the minute he spots us and he grins like a movie star. I have to swallow the lump in my throat.

“Fuck.” He grins.

His inappropriate language surprises me. It contrasts with the rest of it, with his suit, the restaurant, the expensive cloth over the table. I give him a look and take a seat before he can play the gentleman and move my chair for me. I hate when guys do that.

“You look breath-taking.”

“Thank you.”

I don’t tell him he looks incredible even though he does. I’m not sure when I got this attitude towards him but it’s like I can’t stop. I’m just waiting for the moment he starts laughing and tell me this was all just a joke.

“Can I offer you something to drink?” The waitress asks us.

“What would you like to have?”

“May I have a glass of Sanamaro, please?”

The waitress nods and turns to look at Harry but he’s staring at me. The green of his eyes makes me nervous and I’m afraid the shell I’ve been working on the entire day might falter this early in the night.

“A bottle of water for me, thank you.”

Water? He smiles at me.

“You look really pretty with your lips painted red.”

I give him a sincere smile.

“You don’t have to compliment me.”

The corner of his lips turn into a delicious smile and I think I might need some water after all too.

“I was just thinking out loud.” He shrugs. “And you also know about wine.”

I shake my head.

“My dad loves wine.” I tell him. “And my mum’s Spanish.”

“She is?”

“Yes.”

“Do you speak Spanish then?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Sí.”

I grin at his reaction. I don’t know why he’s so fascinated about this. It’s not like I told him I know how to build aircrafts. I’m just bilingual and it’s not really on me or something to be excessively proud of. My family is bilingual so I am too. That’s all.

The waitress appears with my glass of wine and a bottle of water she places between us and asks whether we’re ready to order the dishes. We haven’t even looked at the menu so Harry shakes his head and I open the black menu in front of me. He mimics me and I run my eyes over the different meals, deciding on something that doesn’t make my breath stink. I love food that makes your breath stink, like blue cheese and garlic and onion. I remember my Nana used to tell me ladies shouldn’t eat those things outside of home and I remember the garlic bread banquets the two of us would have every time I stayed over with them. I feel a smile making its way on my mouth.

“What did you want to ask me?”

God, he doesn’t waste time. He must see the surprise on my expression because he chuckles.

“I want you to have fun.” He explains. “I don’t want you to be thinking all night when you can ask me your question so let’s just start with that and then I can have dinner with chill Indie.”

I almost flinch. It’s clear to see he doesn’t know me much. There’s no such thing as chill Indie.

“But you have to promise you won’t leave when I answer.” He raises his eyebrows.

The waitress comes back to take our orders. I feel like she’s some sort of cheetah waitress and she’s been hiding behind a ficus waiting for us to talk so she can jump and do her job. I hope she gets a high salary. She doesn’t even speak to us. Instead she just stands next to our table waiting for us to speak. I wonder if the owner asks minimum contact between waiters and clients. Some rich people are that stupid. Harry looks at me so I order first.

“I’d have roasted wild sea bass with basil oil, thank you.”

“And that’s it?” Harry asks me and I nod. “Do you like cheese?” I nod again and he smiles. “I’d have the white truffle entrecot and we’d share the French cheese board, please.”  

He ordered cheese for sharing. I think I’m falling in love. I don’t know to what extent he was joking when he said I’d have to promise not to leave after I get my answer and even though I decided, after a long conversation with Marie, that I can’t just pretend going out with my mentor is alright; I don’t want him to think I’m here for any other reason that me wanting to be here so I tell him just that.  

“I promise but Harry, I’m here because I want to be here.”

“Good.” He grins. “Now go on, ask me.”

“How can you be so sure you’ll answer even if you don’t know what I’m going to ask you?”

“Just to be sure, this is not the question, right?” He jokes.

I shake my head and chuckle.

“Well, I didn’t think you were going to ask something I wouldn’t want you to know but now that you said that, I’m not so sure.” He chuckles nervously.

I bring my glass of wine to my lips and enjoy the familiar taste and then I change my question.

“Why don’t you drink?”

His green eyes stare into mine as he keeps quite for a few seconds. He could have simply told me he just doesn’t feel like drinking tonight and then I would ask him whether he didn’t feel like drinking the other night at The Chains either and he could have said no again and that could have been it; but his reaction makes it clear that he does not drink.

“Do you need to know that?”

“Pardon?”

“Do you need to know that so as to get to know me?”

I shrug.

“I guess not. It’s more out of curiosity than it is out of need.”

He nods as his beautiful green eyes get lost somewhere behind me. Beautiful green eyes? Who am I? Jane Austen?

“I don’t like it.”

I set my eyes on his. I like that he’s not afraid of answering my questions. I like that he’s so carefree as if he doesn’t have a problem letting me get to know him but I don’t want to make him feel uncomfortable telling me things he doesn’t want to share. God knows I wouldn’t reciprocate with a secret.

“You don’t have to tell me.”

He breathes in.

“There’s nothing more to tell. It’s that simple.”

I nod. The waitress gets to the table with the cheese board before we can say something else. I swear this woman is the ninja of the tables. I chuckle at my own joke and feel my cheeks tinging pink just by thinking Harry would probably think that joke is so childish. I mean it is.

“I like your laughter.” He smiles. “I know you said I didn’t have to compliment you but I tend to say what’s on my mind so get used to it.”

“You’ll also tell me something bad?”

He drops a piece of emmental on his mouth and chews before he speaks.

“If I think it, yes.” He shrugs.

“Do you always do that?” I smile amused.

“What?” His eyes open in curiosity.

“Say what’s on your mind.”

“I mean, not always.” He laughs. “I know when to keep my mouth shut. Otherwise I wouldn’t have a job. But I don’t lie.”

“You never lie?”

He shakes his head smirking. He looks like a naughty kid. I instantly think if I were him, I would have said that out loud and chuckle again.

“You, on the other hand, don’t always say what’s on your mind.” He notices.

“Of course not.” I laugh.

“That’s why I’m holding back.” He smiles.

I take a breath. I don’t want him to hold him back. I think it’s funny when he’s so spontaneous and I envy him for that. I used to be pretty spontaneous too, according to those who loved me, but it’s been a long time since that.

“That’s a shame.” I smile. “I quite like it when you say weird things.”

“Weird things?” He chuckles, picking small pieces of cheese and bringing them to his mouth. “You said you liked cheese.”

“I do.”

“Then taste some.” He encourages me. “They’re really good.”

I study the board carefully. There’s camembert, brie, emmental, another type of pressed cheese I don’t know and two different blue cheese. I would gladly take one of the blue types, specially a little piece with too much blue on it to be Roquefort that’s calling my name but instead I wrap my fingers around a small piece of one of the pressed cheese and take a grape before pulling them both in my mouth. He's smiling at me in a way that makes me want to know what he’s thinking.

“What?” I talk with my mouth full making him chuckle.

“I’d want to kiss you even if you had that blue one, you know?”

My eyes widen and I feel the heat of the sun on my cheeks. He chuckles and takes the piece I was looking at before and places it on the corner of my plate the exact same second the waitress places it on the table.

I smile at him as I take the small bite to my mouth. I knew it was blue because it tasted like heaven. I think of my grandma and I think she would like him just by that little gesture. He might be more attentive that I give him credit for. Also, that stupid sentence has me wanting him to kiss me. I feel my mood lighten and grab another piece with another grape, probably to stop thinking about the kiss he mentioned.

“So you’re supposed to have them together.” He states.

I smile before I suck my lips inside my mouth and when I look back at him I catch him staring at my lips. I’m proud of myself for the choice of lipstick.

“I don’t know if that’s how you’re supposed to have them.” I seem to have nothing but smiles for him tonight. “But that’s how we eat them at home. You know in Spanish we say uva y queso sabe a beso.”

I can almost hear the air coming in through his nose as I say that. I think he really does like it that I can speak Spanish.

“It means grape and cheese taste like a kiss.” My eyes widen as my eyebrows raise on my forehead. It’s the first time I translate that to English. “It rhymes in English too.”

He chuckles. He seems to be having fun too.

“But does it?”

I shrug and look down at my plate before his green eyes put me under his spell. My phone starts vibrating uncontrollably on my purse. I wouldn’t normally check it but one never knows when David might try to kill.

“Sorry.”

Harry shrugs and shakes his head letting me know it’s okay but I just see that it’s The Golden Girls that are chatting and leave the phone on the table. After a couple minutes of silence on my part, I start receiving texts on the private chats and they pop on my locked screen.

Olivia: How is it going?

My eyes search for Harry’s but I’m met with a naughty smirk and eyes that look down at the table. He chuckles and my eyes almost bulge as I read Jason’s text.

Jason: What’s the size of his penis?

As fast as I can, I flip my phone leaving the screen facing the table and tack my hair behind my ear as I try to avoid to look into his eyes. He’s so nosy so I’m sure he read it. I’m going to kill Jason.

“You can pick up.” He says to my surprise.

“It’s not a call. It’s just texts.”

“Who texts you that much?” He smiles smugly. “You said you didn’t have a boyfriend.”

It surprises me how much my mood can change when I’m with him. One second I’m playing tough, the other he breaks my walls and I’m all smiley and then he acts as if he own the place and I see the wall rebuilding itself all over again.

“If I had a boyfriend, I wouldn’t be here.”

He must sense the change on my mood because his expression hardens and his smug smirk is gone, but only for a moment because then he shrugs and his obnoxious smirk is back on his face.

“We said it’s just a dinner anyway. You could have a boyfriend and still have dinner with other people.” He shrugs.

“Do you say that because you have a girlfriend?”

“I’ve told you before I don’t have a girlfriend.” A smile breaks through his face as he’s trying to hold back laughter.

“Is the question funny to you?”

“Kind of.” He chuckles. “I’ve just never had a girlfriend.”

My eyebrows raise.

“Never?”

He shakes his head as he busies himself with his steak.

“Why?”

“I don’t have time. I’ve never had time for that, really.”

“Well, if you had a girlfriend you could be having dinner with her right now.”

“And instead I’m having dinner with you.” He smirks. “I don’t want a girlfriend anyway.” He shrugs. “Too many strings attached.”

“It’s a relationship, not a boat.”

I don’t know why it bothers me. It was clear he hadn’t asked me on a date because he wanted a girlfriend but then I don’t understand why he’d insist on going out with me. Does that mean he’s only interested in me because of my body? It’s not like I’m the hottest woman in town. I’m not even the hottest woman in this room. He must have some weird fetiche or something.

“Do you meet many women at the hospital?” He raises his eyebrows encouraging me to go on. “Like you met me, for instance.” I shrug.

“No.” He shakes his head.

I hate that I like his answer. He chews on his steak with his green eyes investigating me. His hair has fallen on his forehead and he’s staring at me hard. It’s fascinating how attractive he really is. Black shirts look so good on him too. I entertain my eyes with the way the soft fabric falls on top of his broad shoulders and how they move up and down with his breathing. It’s calming me to watch him breathe.

“You always get uncomfortable when we talk about this.” He points out. My eyebrows almost meet. “Are you seeing someone?” He presses. “Maybe he’s not your boyfriend but it’s enough to make you tense up. It’s okay, you can tell me, I’m not jealous.” He smiles.

What makes me tense up is all these questions. Sometimes it feels like I’m on an interrogation and all of a sudden he wasn’t a doctor but a FBI agent. I look away from him.

“I’m just trying to understand.” He defends. “Your mood changes pretty easily.”

“So does yours.”

“No, it doesn’t.” He defends. “I’m enjoying my time with you, except when you get all cloudy and push me away.”

“You asked me out because you wanted to get to know me, didn’t you?”

He nods.

“Well, this is me.” I shrug. He better understands that now before he creates this idea of me on his head.

“Okay.” He says.

My eyes move up from the table to his. He gives me a peacemaker smile and my eyes narrow as my brows look for each other on a scowl.

“That easy?”

He just laughs.

“Easy? Indie, you’re anything but easy.” He chuckles. “But that’s okay.” He shrugs. “Nobody’s perfect. You’re intelligent, funny and breath-taking. You get to be blunt.”

“What about you?” I challenge.

“What about me?”

“What are your flaws?”

“Why don’t you tell me?”

“I don’t know you.” I shrug.

“You don’t need to know me to tell me what you think of me.”

I think you’re out of this planet. Way too much for me. Smart, interesting, handsome as fuck, attractive, sexy, funny, bold… And smug and confusing.

“I think you’re a liar.”

He frowns. I have to fight back a smile. He wasn’t expecting that.

“Why?”

“Because everybody lies and someone who says they don’t just mean they’re already lying.”

“I could have easily lied to you when you asked me why I didn’t drink.” He points out. “And I didn’t.” He shrugs. “Yet I agree with you. Most people lie, but I don’t.”

I nod. I don’t know why I believe him. I know it’s impossible not to lie ever but I believe he says mostly the truth. I look down at my plate and to my surprise I’m sad to realize it’s empty. I look at his. It’s empty too.

I’m afraid this is the end of the night for he was very clear when he said it was just a dinner and those were the conditions and I have lectures tomorrow at 8 am anyway. I look at him questioningly as he stands up.

“We didn’t ask for the bill.”

“It’s already paid for.”

“What?” I frown. “No.”

He frowns.

“We’re splitting.”

He rolls his eyes.

“Why do you never let me pay?” I remember the drink he payed for me on the Chains on Friday.

“Because there’s no need. I can pay for my own food.”

Had I known he was going to pay, I wouldn’t have ordered such expensive wine and dish.

“I know but you’re a student and I work. It makes sense that I pay. Plus, I was the one who asked you out so I’m paying. Next time, you ask me and I’ll let you pay.”

Next time, huh? I let the smile take over my lips. I’ll admit that was good and I chuckle when he elbows his side with his hand on a fist in celebration that I allowed him to pay.

“And this is when my alcohol-free lifestyle comes in handy.” He says as he escorts me outside playing with his car keys on his hand. “I’m taking you home.”

He probably said that because I kept staring at him but I was just lost on the ink of his chest. It’s pouring rain when we get outside and he curses under his breath. I don’t know why I like it when he curses. It’s not like I’ve never had a sailor’s mouth before but there’s something about the way his voice sounds around the word fuck that’s got me biting my bottom lip.

“Okay, you wait here. I’ll go get the car and pick you up right here.”

“But where did you park?”

“It’s just down the street.” He shakes his head. “But it’s pouring rain. You’ll get soaked.”

“Nonsense.” I shake my head.

The street is just one way which means he’d have to drive around the entire block to come get me.

“We can run.”

He’s smiling carefree with his eyebrows raised as he stands up next to me. I feel his eyes carelessly roaming my body and stopping at my breasts on their way back up my face.

“Can you imagine how you’d look with that shirt wet? I wouldn’t be able to get it out of my head.”

I’m wearing a white silk blouse tied around my neck with puffed sleeves and a black mini skirt. He’s right. If this gets wet he’d get stuck to my skin and my nipples would take his eyes out. My mouth gets dry as I imagine what he would do to me then. I don’t know why it is so erotic to think about us two under the rain, the wet silk stuck to my skin until he unties the knot from my neck and massages my breasts before he brings them to his mouth and wraps his pink lips around my nipples and-

I must have given him the look because his eyes drop to my mouth and I’d swear his breathing has gotten worked up. My eyes drop to his Adam’s apple as he swallows. My lips part. I wonder if his kisses taste like grapes and cheese. Kiss me, kiss me, kiss me.

A group of people walk out of the restaurant in a drunken conversation. They’re pretty hobbled as they walk on zigzag. I wonder how much money they spent on wine in there. One of them stumbles and almost falls on top of me so I step backwards and my back collides with Harry’s chest. I try to gain my balance back so I can move away when his hands snake around my waist and pull my body closer until I’m pressed against him. I feel his arousal against my buttocks. My mouth goes dry when I notice he’s hard.

“Do you want me to take you home now, Indie?” I feel his hot breath against my ear.

“We… We said” I pressed my hips against his so as to make sure his hard on is real and he grunts “we said just dinner.”

“But we didn’t have dessert.” He whispers. “And I can think of something I’d like to eat.”

His hand slowly travels from my waist to the lowest part of my belly and I rest my head against his shoulder, resting my weight on him. He hums on my ear.

“You smell so good, Indie.” His voice is lulling me into a frenzy.

I feel my body heating up and all I want is to tangle my fingers on his hair and turn my face so I can kiss him.

“You always smell so good.”

I press my bum harder against his front. We’re already alone, standing on one of the walls on the stairs in front of the restaurant, but I don’t even trust my legs for walking right now. I can feel myself embarrassingly wet. He grunts when I move my hips again.

“Indie.” I’m gonna think about the way he whispers my name for weeks.

“Take me to bed already Harry.”

I don’t have to say it again. I feel his jacket on my shoulders and I look down at my arms as his hands slide down the fabric until they reach my hands. He connects his hand with mine and removes his body from mine before he starts walking urgently towards his car. After a couple minutes walking I spot his black SUV. He opens the door for me and just stands there under the rain until I’m settle before he closes the door.

His hair is wet and he’s almost trembling when he gets behind the wheel. I want to blow hot air on his hands to keep him warm but he doesn’t even look at me. All of a sudden, he seems to be deep in thought, but he looks so sexy. Being wet like that, with droplets falling from his brown locks to his forehead and his black shirt stuck to his skin and a thin layer of rain water covering the skin of his face… He looks even sexier than I have imagined before. I place my hand on his shoulder and feel him relax under my touch. His eyes are blown away when he looks at me.

“Tell me you don’t want this.”

I frown at his request. Before I can take control of my own actions my eyes drop to his crotch. He’s still hard between his legs so I don’t know where this is coming from.

“No.”

“No what?”

“No, I won’t say that.”

He grins and his eyes drop to my mouth once before he fastens his seatbelt, tells me to do the same and starts the car.

“You never do what you’re told, do you?”

I don’t answer that question. I try not to. Javier was so controlling. He used to tell me everything I had to do, what started as a domination-submission relationship in bed ended up being a dominating relationship outside the bedroom too. I remember he used to tell me what to do and then punish me with orgasm denial if I didn’t do what he had told me. Orgasm denial can be a turn on, Lord knows I know that, but trust me, it isn’t when the orgasm never happens. I shiver as I remember those times he left me crying on the bed after he had cum himself. Javier was such a bastard.

We reach his apartment in about fifteen minutes and all dark thoughts of Javier leave my mind the moment he grants me with an excited smile. I don’t know why he looks at me like that but somehow he’s making me feel as if I was the one in control here even though he’s the older one and probably the one with more experience. I’ve only had sex with two guys before. I wonder how many girls he’s fucked.

He walks before me as we make our way towards his apartment building. It’s a dark grey building, wide and manor. We walk through a grey stone path surrounded by two forecourts of green grass and everything is so cute I hear both our shoes clicking against the floor. He opens the glass door of the vestibule and greets the doorman as the man presses the lift button for us. Harry places his hand on the low of my back and gently guides me inside the lift and that’s the first time he touches me since he pressed my body against his at the door of the restaurant. He presses the sixth button and stands silently next to me.

Part of me wants him to press the stop button and push me against the wall and kiss and suck my neck as his hand pushes against my sex and plays with me but instead of reaching out to him I stand still, with both hands on either side of my body. This lift ride feels like the longest I’ve ever taken until finally his hand reaches out for me. His fingers caress mine until he has my hand in his and  he gently tugs until I collide against his chest.

“Come closer.”

I feel his breath against my skin as I look into his eyes. He’s staring at me as if he’s never seen a woman before and there’s something about the way he looks at me that has me feeling different. He looks at me as one looks at a painting in a museum and I see his eyes tracing my skin, looking at my chin and my temple and my nose. Why isn’t he kissing me yet?

He still holds my hand when the lift door opens and he guides me towards the second door to our right. The door is dark grey again against pearl grey colour walls. He turns on the light and lets me walk along the grey hall that seems to end on a white cleaned kitchen. Right in front of the door, at the end of the hall and the apartment itself I can see a wall length glass window with the curtain up. I stop when the wall on my right ends.

At my right, I can guess the living room behind the kitchen bar. It’s dark and he hasn’t turn on the lights but I can see a couch before big wall length windows that spread both sides from a white column on the far corner of the area where a long rectangular dining table sits. I turn around searching for him and find him staring at me, very quiet and very still. He’s still wet and only then I realize so am I.

“Do I look like an otter?”

He laughs out loud at my question.

“Is that why you haven’t kissed me yet?”

“You look extraordinary.”

We speak at the same time but I only hear him. His amused smile, remnant from his laughter, turns into a devilish smirk as he places both hands on my hips and finally pushes me against the wall. I press my shoulder blades against it and focus on controlling my breathing as his hand snakes under my skirt and he gets the fabric up caressing my left thigh.

“As always.”

Our breaths mix together against my lips. His hand is cold against my skin and my body reacts to his touch with a shiver. I place both hands on his chest, my fingertips resting on his shoulders, as he tacks a strand of hair behind my ear with his other hand. His eyes drop down to my chest and he smiles. I know he noticed how worked up he’s gotten my breathing and I get frustrated with how calm he seems to be as he leans down. His lips brush against mine as he speaks.

“I’m going to kiss you now.”

I nod even if he didn’t ask for permission and then I feel his lips pressed against mine. The hand on my thigh moves to hold my left hip as his smooth and tender lips bring mine to life and he holds my face with his other hand. I feel his fingers on the side of my neck as his thumb rests against my right cheekbone. I have to suck in a moan, he’s such a good kisser… But I finally let it out when he divides my lips with his tongue. I feel him smile against my lips.

“I’ve been thinking about this all fucking month.”

His forehead rests against mine and I don’t want him to stop kissing me but his confession makes my stomach do somersaults. This time I’m the one pressing my lips timidly against his but when he reciprocates slowly but passionately, I let my fingers wander against his jaw until my right hand caresses his scalp and I tangle my fingers on his hair as I’ve been wanting to do since I met him. My hips have a mind on their own as they press against his and I do it again when I feel his hot, hard excitement against my belly. It’s flattering to feel his desire. He moans on my mouth as I keep pressing my hips up against his. I almost perch up to him but he lets me do what I want with his body.

I feel his right thumb caressing the skin over my hip bone and my breathing catches in my throat when his fingers trace their way against my thigh towards my sex. I rock my hips against his hand, silently signalling him to go on and finally his fingertips caress my throbbing sex against the thin fabric of my pink transparent underwear and I can’t hold back the moan that escapes my throat.

“I see you’ve thought about it too.”

He smiles devilishly against my lips and my fingers move back to his shoulders so I can hold myself up when my knees go weak. His fingers keep caressing my lower lips barely adding any pressure and I gasp against his lips as he grins. He then goes on with his delicious torture as his lips press against my cheek and then the spot just below my ear before he licks and bites my neck. His knuckles caress my groin and I don’t know why he hasn’t gotten his fingers inside me yet. I can’t wait anymore.

“I’m waiting…” He explains as if he could read my mind.

“What for?” My voice betrays me in a moany tone and I feel him grin against my neck.

“For you to admit you’ve thought about it too.”

His other hand moves from my back to my front, setting my skin on fire on the way to my breast before he cups it against my blouse. I feel my eyes rolling to the back of my head as I rest it against the wall.

“So have you, Indie?”

His raspy voice is driving me crazy as his fingers carefully pull from the elastic of my panties.

“They’re stuck to you.” He whispers. “Are you that wet?”

“Find out.” I manage to utter.

My breath catches in my throat when he presses his hips further against my body, pinning me against the wall as he grins at me. I want to run my tongue all along his pink lips, now red from kissing.

“Tell me.” He licks my mouth.

“Of course I’ve thought about it.”

His fingers slide under the fabric of my underwear as if I found the right password and he collects my moisture with two fingers and spread it against my swollen clit. I bite my bottom lip and feel my face contorting from pleasure. My nails pin against his shoulders.

“You’re fucking soaked.” He grunts. “Is this all for me?”

“Yes.” I pant.

“You pushed me away.” He circles my clit slowly. “You rejected me when I asked you out but now look…” I moan when he curls two fingers at a time inside my cunt. “A proper mess with my fingers in your pussy.” He bites my chin. “You like it?”

“Yes.”

I shut my eyes as he kisses and sucks my neck while his fingers move in and out of me. His thumb presses circles against my clit and I’m very aware of all the clothes we still have on. I am pathetically lost in my own pleasure but I want to feel his hot skin against mine so I let my hands wander down his chest until I reach the buttons and start undoing them. I caress his bare chest and stomach before I grab his neck with one hand and push his mouth to mine to devour his lips. He grunts against my lips and his fingers fasten on my hole.

“Harry.”

He growls and bites on my bottom lip.

“Harry.” I repeat and he hums questioningly. “Please.”

“Please what, Indie?”

“Please” I don’t know what I’m going to say. I just know I want “More.” I pant. “I want more.”

I love the way he looks at me with eyes blown away. I press my lips against his hungrily and I roll my tongue with his. I want him desperately and he lets me have his mouth the way I want. I don’t know why he isn’t doing anything. Any other guy would have pinned me against the world and drilled deeper into my pussy already but he seems to be blocked. Right when I’m about to say something, his fingers start moving faster and I have to hold onto him for dear life. He must notice my loss of balance because he slides his thigh between my legs and pins me against the wall, holding me in place and fucking me with his fingers until I feel my walls clenching.

“Are you going to cum like this?” He asks.

“If you keep doing that yes.”

He chuckles and his movements down there stop. My eyes open widely but I can’t barely see. My pupils must be blown away. He removes his fingers from my cunt and presses his thigh hard against my entrance as he brings his hand to his mouth. I can see my shinny juice on his fingers as he sticks them inside his mouth and hums as he sucks them clean. He takes them out of his mouth and swallows.

“Fuck, you taste amazing.”

I feel my walls clenching. Is it possible to have an orgasm with words? I’ve never been told that. I don’t know where to look. I miss his thigh against my legs for a second before he presses his hardness on the spot he just left. He’s rock hard so my ego is restored. He wants me too. He stares at me as he presses his hard on against my sex again, taking pleasure in the effect his actions have on me.

“I want to have my mouth on you but I’m gonna explode.” He confesses.

“Fuck me, Harry.”

With un unsuitable calm from his previous actions, he presses his lips slowly against mine as his hands find a home on the lowest part of my back and he starts walking, guiding me backwards towards what I assume it’s his bedroom. His hand grabs my ass and I feel him smile against my mouth.

I snake my hands under the fabric of his shirt and caress his toned arms before we let it fall to the ground and then his hands find the button of my skirt and he undoes it, slowly unzipping it too before it falls to the ground around my feet. He grabs my hands and places them on the waistband of his pants and I follow his silent instructions as I unbutton and unzip his jeans. His fingers find the silk bow on the back of my neck and undo it as I jerk his pants down his legs. His hands caress the hem of my underwear and the lower part of my belly before he grabs the hem of my blouse and I lift my arms above my head for him to take my blouse off. He lets it fall next to our feet, leaving me on just my pink set of underwear, completely exposed to him. His hungry eyes roam my body up and down and before he touches me again, he runs his fingers through his head and puffs.

“Damn.”

Large hands hug my bare waist as he pushes me gently onto his bed. My body, hot and naked, falls on top of a fluffy soft cold quilt but before I can get cold myself Harry leans his body over mine and my legs instantly spread apart making room for him. I feel his hands rougher than mine caressing my skin and leaving goosebumps everywhere he touches. His right hand holds part of his weight over me as his left one searches for my right knee, wrapping my leg around his waist as he caresses my thigh, squeezing my bum when he reaches it.

I’m amazed at how fast and naturally the mood has changed between us. I don’t know which Harry I like more, if the rough and passionate one that just touched me a moment ago or the slow and torturous lover that seems to be taking his time with me now. My mouth misses his as he leaves kisses against the skin of the side of my neck and my sternum. His knees press under my thighs as he holds his weight while he runs his tongue along the soft skin just above my bra. My fingers comb his hair whilst his pull my bra down, freeing my breast before his lips wrap around my nipple. He licks and sucks on it before he opens his mouth and nibbles on my flesh right before giving the exact same attention to my other breast.

My brain has finally stopped and everything I can think about is Harry and the way he smells and the way he moves and his hands on me. For the first time in I don’t know how long, my only worry is whether to keep my eyes opened so I can see him and record very second of this on my mind or whether to let them shut and go by what I’m feeling. He signals his way kissing my skin up from my chest to my mouth and I caress his front until I reach his underwear. I feel his arousal, wet and hot and heavy, through the thin cotton and he hiss.

“Don’t” He seems to have as much trouble speaking as I’m afraid I’d have if I tried to say something right now “don’t touch me much or I’ll finish before starting.”

I smile at his sincere confession and cup his face instead, bringing his mouth to mine as I kiss him passionately. I am over the moon with the way he seems to be worshipping my body. If I could think straight, I’d question the entire thing for how is it possible that someone like him seems to be so out of it because of my body? I’m nothing compared to his perfection.

“I’m so hard for you.”

He presses his arousal against my dripping entrance once so I can feel it and I feel my pupils dilate. I can barely make out shadows as he sucks a spot underneath my jawline.

“Can I have you now?”

I hope my eyes can transmit him everything I can’t say. I let my tongue dive inside his mouth and tug at the hem of his boxers hoping that’s enough for him to know I want him now. He lifts his hips helping me get his boxers down and his hard on springs free against his stomach. I reluctantly remove my mouth from his so my curious eyes can take him in. He’s shinny and tight and huge. My breath catches in my throat.

He doesn’t know I’m more inexperienced than I lead on. Javier was rough and we had lots of sex, it was basically all we did, but he was always on charge and I basically just had to let him do what he pleased and he was way smaller than Harry is. He must sense my doubts because his fingers grab my chin and makes me look into his eyes.

“We don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

I frown and instead of arguing, I bring my hands between us and take off my underwear, exposing myself to him. He presses a flood of kisses against my cheek and whispers on my ear.

“We’ll go slowly.” He assures me. “And, Indie, if you want to stop, just say it, okay?”

He cups my cheek and stares into my eyes, making sure I agree, he must be aware of his size and then he pecks my lips a few times before he removes his body from mine. I panic.

“Where are you going?”

My hands snake around his body desperately and he chuckles as he looks back at me. He’s leaning over me towards the drawer of his nightstand and when he comes back between laughter he presses soft kisses against my cheeks and the tip of my nose holding a small foil package between his fingers.

“Clinging onto me like a koala bear, eh?” He kisses me. “Not going anywhere, love.” His pet name ignites fireworks on my stomach and chest. “Just grabbing a condom.”

I nod and kiss him deeply feeling him smile against my mouth.

“Indie, it’s not that I mind but… You’re not a virgin, are you?”

I feel my cheeks heating up. I’m afraid my body would inevitably go into shutdown because of the change in the blood flow. I can’t even look him in the eyes, I’m so embarrassed.

“No.” I frown.

He presses a single kiss between my eyebrows and I feel a fingertip trailing a line on my skin from my jawline to my sternum.

“But it’s been a while.” I confess.

“We’ll go slow.”

Kissing me, he leaves the condom on my hand and asks me to put it on him. I hold the package close to my face between us and rip it open, getting the condom out and bringing my trembling fingers to his hard dick. I appreciate the opportunity he gave me to stare at him and I take in his red tip, dripping precum and my mouth waters. Before I roll the condom down I let my fingertips caress his soft skin and feel him hiss and fight for breath above me. My curious fingers explore the wet shinny pink end and he grunts.

“It’s beautiful.”

He chuckles nervously and I roll the condom down his stiff flesh. Once he’s covered, he shifts his hips down until I feel his tip dancing over my entrance and I spread my legs farther for him. When I think he’s finally going to thrust inside me, I feel his hand snaking underneath my back and unclasping my bra. His fingers carefully grab the straps and he removes it from me. His chest moves up and down, asthmatic, as he stares at my bare breasts.

“You’re gorgeous.”

I read his lips more than I heard him because his voice came out almost silent but other than focused, he seems conflicted. I caress his cheek and he leans his head on my palm.

“What are you thinking?”

“It’s very hard to think with you naked under me.” I chuckle at his confession. “But… I also feel like… You’re this delicate thing and I could… I don’t know, break you.”

His words take me off guard but they seem to have a direct line with my heart that reacts to him even before my brain catches on.

“Well” I move my hips against his making him hiss at the contact of our sexs “I mean you’re big but I think I can take it.”

He laughs. Once again I’m surprised at how our moods change in seconds because then he grins devilishly at me.

“I’m sure you can.”

A soft chuckle escapes his throat as he leans above me and brings his soft mouth to mine. He starts by pressing his lips against mine in open mouthed kisses that drive me crazy and then his teeth tug on my bottom lip before he lets go and his tongue dives inside my mouth. His kisses are delicious. His hand glides down my arm until he intertwines our fingers and places my hand on the back of his neck.

I feel his hot hard on against my lower lips and the anticipation of being connected with him is driving me crazy. Harry’s lips crash against mine harsh before his forgiving tongue soothes me. There seems to be a disconnection between his hard mouth and his soft caresses that makes me wonder whether his thrusts are going to behave like his lips or like his hands. My legs wrap around his waist and my heels pull him closer to me but he smiles against my mouth and eludes my entrance. He’s enjoying this sweet torture.

He pulls back so that his green eyes long into mine and he chuckles at the look I must be giving him. I hold his stare. I don’t want to miss a single thing when he stretches me open. His length is stroking my swollen dripping lips when he starts rocking his hips over me. My sex throbs and he grins triumphally as I watch him jerk back and forth each time sending a high frequency energy current to my belly.

“Harry” I whine completely out of my mind.  

He slips his hand between our bodies and I feel it between my thighs but he keeps moving on top of me with that wide grin on his face.

“Harry, for the love of God, I can’t take it any-

My words are cut short when I feel his tip stretching my entrance. And even though it goes in easily due to the embarrassing amount of moisture I’ve collected, my walls instantly clench on their own accord and he stops.

“Fuck.” He clenches his teeth. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” I nod my head feverishly. “Don’t stop, Harry.”

He readjusts his forearm on the mattress next to my head and holds my hip with his fingers as he slowly glides out and thrusts inside me again. I carefully watch his expression. His eyebrows are furrowed and his lips are parted but when he thrusts inside me a third time, he bites them.

I feel him stretch me beyond believe and I’m afraid I might exhaust myself before starting but to my surprise it doesn’t hurt at all. Instead I feel like I’m out of my own body, like there’s some force inside my chest that’s trying to get out of me and it searches for an exit all along my body, all the way from my chest to my fingers and to my toes and then it goes up my throat and tries to get out with a moan.

“Fucking hell, Indie.” He grunts.

He’s moving in and out of me deliciously slowly and I don’t even know where his hands are or where mine are. Everything has turned into a soft, wet mess and all I can hear is his panting and his grunts and my own moans and whimpers. I only manage to keep my eyes opened for seconds but when I do I see him staring at me, green wide eyes blown away. I want to touch him, I want to bite him and run my tongue against the blood red skin but I can’t do anything but gape and try not to choke on my own breathing.

“You like it slow, Indie?”

He speaks on my open mouth as our breaths mix and I can do nothing but stare into his eyes. He curses under his breath as his hand cups my face and he never stops his movements. His never leave mine.

“You can’t speak, can you?” He chuckles. “Can I go faster?”

I hold his face and eat his mouth as if I was trying to suck some of his energy. Bravely I press the low part of my back against the mattress, lifting my hips and finding a new angle for him to go deeper and hit that spot I’m craving.

“Go faster.” I finally manage to whisper on his mouth.

He grunts as he begins to thrust faster and I moan too because he seems to move faster each time until the bed is shaking and we’re both panting. I thank God he lives alone because I can’t control the volume of my breathing and I think I couldn’t keep quiet if I wanted to.

“Indie” He sighs “I’m so close.”

I feel the tension building up on my stomach as his words.

“Don’t stop. Go harder.” I beg.

“What?”

“Harder, Harry.”

I shove my hips against his hoping he understands what I want and he does because for the next thrusts he’s drilling me against the mattress and we both sink against the quilt every time he shoves against me. He’s grunting and panting on top of me and my hips search for him before I pull back helping him with our frenetic rhythm.

There it is. A moment of whiteness. I lose conscience for a few seconds and I don’t see and I don’t hear anything right as my whole body concentrates on one single point and I myself am one single point, very small and very hot, and then I feel myself realising and letting go on top of him.

“Fuck.”

Harry drops his head on my shoulder and I feel his length twitching and throbbing inside me while he empties himself on the condom. I hear his worked up breath on my ear as we both focus on calming down to come down from our highs. I love the feeling of still having him inside of me as he softens.

“Fuhhh” He lets out through his teeth on my ear “You were so tight.”

I chuckle as he rolls off me and presses a kiss on my bare shoulder before he lies down next to me. I turn my neck to the nightside table on my side of the bed and entertain my eyes with the picture he has but I feel my eyelids heavy and I finally let them shut. I hear Harry asking me whether I’m asleep and I let out a grunt but I’m too tired to give him conversation now so he chuckles. I then feel him lifting my body so he can open the bed and cover my naked body with the duvet.

[imnotwolverine]

The marriage pact - A little madness

Henry Cavill x OC Alice - multi-chapter

< Part 8 | Part 9 A little madness | Part 10 >

Disclaimer: some strong language, mention of heavy drinking, bachelorette

Author’s note: Ever sent a drunk text? I did, and girl was it interpreted the wrong way...*woops* 

Word count: 1.912

(Link to my Masterlist)

--

Dear readers,

I am glad to inform you that my on-going attempts at becoming a published novella writer are finally starting to pay off. I cannot blab just yet, but oh my dear I AM SO EXCITED! Everything is so exciting! Life is exciting!

After years of hardship, toil and pure struggle as I crawled through the thick mud of adult life, I can finally see the well defined sparkle of hope on the horizon. Dramatic much? Maybe a little. But also; perhaps, just maybe, I can make one of my dreams come true. And for the hell of it, maybe even more! 

Now you may wonder why I am so particularly enthusiastic today. Is it the London air? The existence of chocolate cake? Or perhaps the knowledge that I can make things happen in my life, if I set my mind to it? I think it might just be all of the aforementioned.  

My cake baking nan had a simple saying: “Nothing just happens, until I make it so.”

So, dear reader, here I am, making it so.

I hope you have a most wonderful weekend my fellow dream-catching souls.

Ali

‘Ali!! Over here!’ Maddie waved at me from across the busy lunch room, the Jersey seaside casting a warm, salty morning glow through the high paned windows. I waved back at her and weaved my way through the room until I could sink down on one of the chairs with a relieved sigh, my face turning to receive her enthused greeting kisses.

‘Hi Mads.’ I grinned at her teethy smile. ‘You are.. glowing!’ She pointed out, her pearly whites so very straight and shiny that she could probably star in one of those toothpaste commercials.

‘Oh, it’s probably because I went for a run this morning.’ I brushed my hand over my cheek, to check if I was feeling hot - nope. 

’Naa...’ She shook her head. ‘It’s definitely not that.’ She reached for her cup of tea as a waiter appeared at our table, my order quick and simple: tea, no milk, no sugar.

Turning back towards Maddie I was welcomed with a knowing raised eyebrow. I sighed. ‘Fine..yes..I’m kind of dating Henry.’ ‘I KNEW IT! Ha! YES for all that is holy!’ She exclaimed, making some people turn around in their chairs, curious glances directed our way as they felt the sudden burst of energy coming from the rather chic looking middle class lady that was Maddie Smith. 

‘Madss…’ I warned from between clenched teeth.

‘Haha. Oh sorry. I’m just happy, truly. Besides..I am SO winning this bet.’ She wiggled her eyebrows as mine furrowed with worry. ‘..Bet?’ I gulped. 

‘Oh, no worries. I didn’t share my thoughts with our friends yet. Just Frank. And you know me and Frank..’ She shrugged, laughing heartily. ‘Yea..’ I murmured, looking up again as my cup of tea was placed before me. ‘Thank you, sir.’ I smiled at the waiter, then turned back to Maddie, studying her with a curious gaze.

‘So..what’s the bet about?’

‘Oh I can’t say that!’

‘Ugh..Mads! You are the worst. Anyways, we’ll see where it goes. You know how it went the other times, so..’  I shrugged, wishing to not get her hopes up.

I, for one, didn’t want to get my hopes up. This was all just too good to be true, right? An old lover returns to his home town and sweeps me right of my feet. It was too perfect. There had to be a catch. I mean, this was pure madness.

—

‘Yihaaa!!’ Stella walked in with another tray of fluorescent shots, my intoxicated girlfriends either exclaiming full-lunged odes-to-joy or swallowing back a silent protest. It was Loïs’ wedding in a week’s time and as the tradition went, there was to be had a bachelorette. 

Fully emerged in litres of strong liquor, dancing sweat and penis-related jokes, the night was running late and we had ended up in a sleazy shots bar, the theme most probably being radioactive drinks, as every new glass seemed to carry an even more chemical looking liquid than the previous one.

Bright pinks, blues and yellows were tipped back in our burning throats, relieved female sighs wavering through the noisy air as loud dance music bounced with a fat bass through the small bar.

‘Ooh oooh Ali Ali. Don’t look, not yet. Behind you, 11 o-clock. Hot HOT guy.’ Ginny nodded excitedly, her eyes wide as she looked over my shoulder. ‘Gin, girl. I’m not really..’ I was already starting to protest, but without further ado Ginny twirled me around by my shoulders, a tall blond man approaching me.

‘Hello angel. Havin’ a good time?’ He bit the lip of his bearded chin and I quite instantly felt appalled by him. Not that he was hideous to look at, or that he smelled bad. He was rather sexually attractive actually..and well..clearly into me. 

In this case, I think it was just me. I simply wasn’t in the mood for this. 

I swallowed back the remains of the bitter liquor in my throat and smiled at him, not wishing to seem rude. ‘Sure.’

He raised an eyebrow and eyed the rest of the girls, the whole group now quick to step back and form a new circle, excluding me. ‘Looks like I have you all to myself.’ He grinned wolfishly. 

Then I felt Maddie’s hand on my shoulder, her sassy tilt of the head catching the attention of the handsome blond stranger. ‘Sorry mate. Looks like she’s taken.’ She said simply, and with a tug on my arm I was dragged back into the group, leaving a confused blond hottie behind. I sighed a quiet thanks to Maddie, but received a firing squad of confused and disdained looks from the other women.

‘Wait..MADS! Come on, you can’t just..-’ One exclaimed.

I quickly interfered. ‘No no! Please. Eh..I AM dating someone actually.’

‘YOU ARE?! ALI?! Why didn’t you say so? You’re like the whole reason we are..’ Stella pointed at the neon lit bar behind her. ‘..here.’

‘Really now?’ I raised an eyebrow, then started to giggle, the alcohol buzzing happily through my hot veins, my usually well contained happy personality bursting out at the seams. I had forgotten for the slightest moment that I really was the last “single” woman left in this group, and as Stella gave me a most exasperated look it became clear that nobody - literally nobody - in the group wanted to be here.

They had thought it would help..me. Me! 

‘Who is it? Do we know him? Do we? Tell US!’ Ginny squealed, stepping closer, not wishing to miss a single word escaping my lips.

‘I ..eh…’ I glanced at Maddie and she shrugged, her mouth sipping on yet another alcohol beverage - oh dear we were going to be so hungover tomorrow. 

‘It’s Henry.’ I gulped.

‘WHAAAATTTTT?! REallyy?! Oh my word! OH MY!’ - ‘GIRLLLLL YES! Oh that is just..’ The whole group erupted in loud squeals, the excitement further fuelled as yet another round of drinks was delivered to the squad of 30-something-moms-on-a-cheeky-night-out.

Except for me of course. I wasn’t a mom. The odd ball.

‘Ohh..’ Loïs, the bride-to-be, pulled me in for a tight hug, her well coiffed chestnut brown hair smelling of fresh shampoo, the scent mixing with the heavy drop of hard liquor coasting through the air as new shots were being downed. 

‘Bring him.’ She said, keeping me in the lock of her arms until finally she leaned back a bit. ‘I mean it, Ali. You gotta bring him to the wedding.’ Her finger brushed a lock of my hair behind my ear - she was so very motherly, even when drunk.

I bit my lip, my alcohol hazed mind not keeping up with the turn of events. It was then that I noticed my phone in Maddie’s hand, the device easily recognisable by its bright blue casing.

‘Anndddd sent!’ She exclaimed, returning my phone to me, my mouth falling down in a quiet gasp. Did she just..did she..? I opened my Whatsapp and saw she had sent Henry a message, my blurry eyes no longer managing to fully focus on the words on the brightly lit screen.

Oh..oh..crap.

—

* Thuthumb..thuthumb *

In the history of headaches, this one was certainly about to set a whole new standard. It was..bad. 

With a soft groan I rolled over in my queen sized bed, looking at the alarm clock. 10.30 AM - okay, it could be worse. I grumbled a little as I reached for the glass of water on my night stand, then, after a few large gulps of the cool drink, picked up my phone.

> 15 Unread messages.

Mmmkkkey...

Frowning slightly I pushed myself up against the headboard, blinking the last remains of drunken sleep from my eyes as I scrolled through the flurry of words. I had nearly forgotten about the fact that Maddie had confiscated my phone to send Henry a message. And, well, apparently it had not been just any message.

Me: “Hey sexy beast. How about you, me, and a wedding? Keep the 16th free.” Followed by a wild mix of totally inappropriate emoticons.

I felt my heart rate speed up as I started to read Henry’s messages.

Henry bear: “Hey you. Having a fun night I presume?” - “Ali?” - “Just for inquiry’s sake..is this OUR wedding?” - “Alright I think you’re probably not reading this.” - …

* Knock knock *

Quickly I put down my phone, expecting to see my mom’s head pop around the door of my room. But it wasn’t. 

Seeing who it was, made me wish I could just disappear and let myself be swallowed by my pillows. But I couldn’t. And here he was. Henry’s head poking around the corner of my door, his lips curling in an amused smile.

‘Hello party girl.’ He smirked, stepping inside and apparently carrying a tray with some fresh juice, tea and a bowl of fruit with him. I felt my heart stumble, tumble and roll at the sight of this bear of a man carefully carrying my mom’s dainty tray in his hands, his well rounded bum pushing the door closed behind him. 

I sighed, laying there like a sickly patient in a mountain of propped up pillows. ‘Morning.’ I grumbled. 

His smile grew as he placed the tray on my little writing desk, then sat down next to my hip on the edge of the mattress. ‘Had fun?’ - ‘Mmm..a little too much I’m afraid.’ I sat up a little more, my head immediately starting to protest with loud, dizzying thumps. I groaned. ‘I’m sorry by the way about the text message, I eh…’ I frowned, looking at my phone as it lay there half-hidden between the soft blankets. 

I didn’t even read all his messages.

Henry tweaked up an eyebrow and moved up a hand to brush some of my bed hair out of my face, his finger tips riding over my smooth skin with utmost care and gentleness. ‘Mhm.’ He simply nodded, eyebrow still raised in silent question.

‘We had a bachelorette yesterday, you knew that. But eh.. Loïs, the bride caught air of you and I eh..dating.’ Our eyes met and his blues started to shimmer with happiness, making my heart flutter and fly again. ‘So eh..yea..she..invited you, too? I guess? And then Maddie took my phone and sent that message.’

Henry let out a hearty chuckle. ‘Yea right.’ He winked, then smoothed his face back into a warm smile. ‘I won’t judge you for some cute drunk texting, baby.’ He said.

’Noo..Hen. Really. It was Mads.’

‘Mhm.’ He hummed again, not believing a word of it, his face leaning closer to brush his lips against mine. ‘Ah. Whisky morning breath, my favourite.’ He chuckled.

I blushed fiercely, wishing to roll away from him and hide, but, of course I was too slow and my small frame was instantly caught in the cage of Henry’s large arms. ‘No getting away from me now, bridey.’ He whispered huskily, his mouth eager to lay its claim on me.  

--

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[bexterbex]

A Soul to Mend His Own | Ch. 20

(This will be my generic gif if I don’t find one I like for the chapter, but seriously does anyone have the Supreme Council gifs? They would be most helpful.)

Warning, if it hasn’t been obvious in the movies there is Nazi symbolism within the First Order. I will expand on this much more throughout the story. If this is something that bothers you, please just exit the story. The author does not condone any Nazi ideals, this is just for fictional uses only.

A Kylo Ren x Modern! Reader in a soulmate au with some canon divergence. —————————————SLOWBURN————————————–

He is already the Supreme leader, searching the universe to find you, his Empress. Your name on his wrist has been the only constant in his life, while you have doubts about his existence and his acceptance of you. He isn’t in the database and why did the name Kylo Ren cover Ben Solo?

MASTERLIST

Chapter 20: Healthy and Happy?

A/N: The men's video Personal Hygiene for soldiers U.S. Army does contain brief nudity. It is age-restricted on youtube. Watch at your own risk. Also, there is some outdated info in the women's one on feminine hygiene, just ignore the powdering of the pad and the discussion of douching.

“Shall we start with a difficult topic and work our way to something easier,” asked Dr. Dabrini.

The three Earth Health officials nodded in agreement.

“Now understand that when we talk about the reproductive health of your planet that the First Order understands that civilians are not soldiers. They do not necessarily have to abide by the same rules. As is such there are things they will have to abide by like STD testing,” said a First Order doctor.

“So the two-child policy will not take effect on this planet,” asked the WHO director.

“Not unless absolutely necessary. If we get those who do not wish to have children on birth control it will help any unwanted children from being born. Now we are not saying that birth control will be mandatory but we would like it highly encouraged among the sexually active and potentially sexually active fertile population. Children are a precious resource when properly taken care of,” said Dr. Koroban.

“And this birth control is regulated how,” asked the director of the CDC.

“The First Order issues standard implants, different and more effective than the ones you have available to your population. Currently, it has had no pregnancies during its implementation the First Order has been using it for the last 10 years,” said Dr. Koroban.

“So this is something you want all our women to commit to, willingly and not mandated,” asked the CDC director.

“Yes, it would be free and available to all those who want it. We highly encourage the use of this to control any unnecessary population. We will not budge on the STD testing. Now we understand the majority of your population already participates in monogamous relationships, we would like to encourage this as much as possible to again reduce the population and the chances of STDs spreading,” said Dr. Dabrini.

The health officials seemed to take this in. You were unsure about how they wanted to proceed with the First Order’s recommendations. The three officials turned to each other and started discussing the outcomes. You just sat back and waited for the deliberation to end.

“We would like the narrative to be that women may choose to take the contraceptives. We agree with the STD testing and the emphasis on monogamous relationships. The two-child policy will not be accepted outside of China, unfortunately. So this is something you will have to encourage but not mandate,” said the Surgeon General.

“Good, is there anything else on reproductive health that you would like to discuss,” asked Dr. Dabrini.

“Will the First Order provide medical treatments for STDs and STIs,” asked the CDC director.

“Yes, we provided all needed medical care to our citizens regardless of the situation,” replied Dr. Koroban.

“Is that everything,” you ask the health officials who nod in response.

“Next is dietary needs. The First Order is used to providing meals to all its personnel. We understand that this most likely not agreeable for the civilian population. We have considered rations like during your war times, something that allows the civilian some freedom but allows us to ensure they have a healthy diet,” said Dr. Dabrini.

“We understand how meals work in the military. I know that no citizen will like having their diet fully controlled by any government. You will have to find another solution, I believe there may be riots around civilians not being able to have a choice in the matter,” said the CDC director.

“I see. How have your current healthy eating campaigns gone? As I understand it a large portion of the U.S. population is obese, whereas there are many countries where large portions of the population are malnourished,” asked Dr. Koroban. “They have not gone as well as hoped. What you pointed out is correct. That the health campaigns that they have seemingly failed in the U.S. but in countries with high populations of malnourishment we are not able to distribute food and water in the quantities necessary for good public health,” said the WHO director.

“Well you might not be able to provide food and water to these areas but the First Order can. Would you be opposed to us regulating food in those areas and in areas where food and water are available to have a reeducation on what to properly eat and drink,” asked Dr. Koroban.

You could see the health officials were a mix of stunned and confused by this question. You wondered if they were really going to deny food to those who need it.

“Might I suggest that this be a route that we take. Surely those who need food will receive it and those who need to be re-educated and informed on healthy eating will do so. It would be better for the overall health of the planet that this would happen. We may want to focus on those who need food first. This would have an overall positive impact on those who question the First Order’s motives as they are providing for the needy first. I may also suggest that any food given to those who need it may be foods found here on earth as I am sure they will be more comfortable with it,” you said trying to ease the unease in the room.

The three health officials began discussing again. The Surgeon General asked, “Is there anything in the dietary aspect that will be absolutely mandated?”

“Yes, currently all personnel and citizens of the First Order are required to take a multivitamin supplement, but of course that is adjusted region by region. For example vitamin D absolutely mandatory in the diet of anyone on board one of our ships as they will not receive any vitamin D from any star, like your sun,” said Dr. Koroban.

“So you would like to require a multivitamin to all citizens? Will you be transparent as to what is in them or are they just supposed to blindly take them,” asked the Surgeon General.

This time General Pryde spoke up, “No I believe we will have testing at every facility so each individual citizen receives a multivitamin that is adapted to their needs. The First Order prides itself on our personnel and citizens being the most knowledgeable in the galaxy. At any one of our data terminals, you may access what the First Order requires of its citizens and why. We like our citizens to be informed.”

“How will you test at each facility? Tests take at least a week to receive results,” asked the CDC director.

“Yes, well our military is not the only thing the First Order is more advanced in. Our blood tests take a matter of minutes. So by the time an individual is done with their health check-up, we shall know what pill to give them. We also have the ability to synthesize the pills at every station. The First Order is prepared and efficient,” said Dr. Dabrini.

You could see the health officials were now struggling to keep up with the First Order’s advancements and policies.

“Do you agree with giving out a simple multivitamin to every citizen? To benefit all citizens,” you ask them.

“Yes, I think that is something we can agree on,” said the Surgeon General.

“Good, why don’t we wrap it up there for the morning. I can help prepare a public relations campaign on hygiene before the day is over. Something along the lines of daily showering and handwashing, for now, to get things started. This is something the general public can improve upon greatly,” you said to the committee who all agreed with you.

“I may be of some assistance my lady, with what the Supreme Leader has me looking for in the Library of Congress. I have run across some things in my search that may be deemed useful to you in your endeavors.”

“Yes, if you could take me there that would be great,” you then followed the general our of the White House and into a shuttle that took you to the library.

You were immediately met with two librarians. One took the general to where he needed for his project and the other asked you about yours.

“I would like to see what videos and other documentation you have on proper hygiene. Only things within the last century preferably. If it’s old but still useful I would still like to see it, this lieutenant is assisting me,” you told her.

She set you up at a research table with a computer. You and Mitaka were there for what seemed to be a few hours before you had narrowed it down to a handful of instructional videos and posters:

‘Health: Your Cleanliness (1953)’ ‘Coronavirus | Vintage Hand washing steps from 1961'

And two vintage military documentaries that would be aimed well at adults:

Strictly Personal - War Department official training film U.S. Army Pictorial Services 1945. (For women.)

Personal Hygiene for soldiers U.S. Army (for men.)

These would be a great start along with some posters you found. Overall you might need to develop a few more posters, but for now, this would be your basis. You glanced at the clock and saw that it was going on 2 o’clock. You just remembered that you needed to message Kylo for your late lunch. Hopefully, he would be proud of the work you had just accomplished.

[malethirsty]

Heaven - Finn Bálor

Summary: Loosely based on the Julia Michaels song of the same name & tells the tale of a backstage reporter who falls head over heels for the newest NXT heel Finn Bálor.

Warnings: M/M sex (21+), Bareback (Wrap Before You Tap!)

Inspired By: https://twitter.com/malethirst/status/1195915287876362240?s=21 & the Julia Michaels song

October 2, 2019:

The day your life would change. As an NXT backstage reporter, you often would interact briefly with lower ranged superstars whom weren’t on the level of Cathy Kelly chasing around after them like she did the Undisputed Era, but still needed a connection with the audience, like Shane Thorne.

So you were surprised when Finn Bálor, the returning former NXT champion stepped over to you for an interview, you were prepped as per the broadcast standards & were counted in. “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome my guest at this time, Finn Bálor” Finn happily stepped into the frame, taking you in. “So Finn, it’s quite clear you shocked the world with your sudden return to the NXT cohort, you would only give Adam Cole a sentence, but is there anything else you can divulge about your reappearance.” “Well Y/N, A master never reveals their secrets, but I will tell you to look to my past, cause you’ll find what I bring back here will be a blast.” he gave you a wink and walked off, leaving you confused, yet intrigued at the Irishman’s statement.

October 23, 2019:

After a few weeks, and a lot of digging, you found out lots about Finn through research, you had learnt of his connections to Becky Lynch & Jordan Devlin, his adoration of the old Irish tales which inspired his Balor character, but what struck you the most was his time in the Bullet Club in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Something about seeing Finn or as he was known back then Prince Devitt, strutting around with a ‘Give No Fucks’ attitude sort of turned you on. However tonight Finn was going to leave his mark, which was what Hunter told you as he delivered the message that you would wait behind the scenes for Finn to do another interview. By now Finn’s statement about his future being his past had traveled through the WWE Universe like wildfire & people were watching with baited breath, wondering what Finn would do.

You watched excitedly as Tomasso stepped up to encounter the Undisputed Era, grinning when Johnny Gargano joined him and by the time Finn stepped out, your heart was in overdrive. You subtly bounced from corner to corner waiting to see the scuffle unfold, when suddenly Finn hit a Pele Kick on Gargano, stepping back & allowing the Undisputed Era to ravage themselves upon Ciampa. Your jaw dropped open as you let out a gasp of shock, which continued to resonate as Finn continued to batter Gargano, eventually leaving him broken on the ramp way as he moved back, shooting what looked like guns at the Undisputed Era.

You were in two minds, you felt awful for Gargano & Ciampa as they had just been battered, very badly in the former’s position, however seeing Finn in dominance brought back those feelings of passion you had seeing him in NJPW. However as the show cut, you had to pull yourself together as Finn would be heading over. As this was an exclusive for the web, you could be more questionable than the generic intro & question and you planned on doing that. Finn strutted in and stood by your side, his dominance was exuding from him and it took you everything to pull yourself together, how you were able to tune into the staffer counting you in, you never knew.

“Finn, it’s fair to say you shocked the entire world yet again, only for untoward reasons. You just dropped Gargano & Ciampa and let the Undisputed Era ravage them like a pack of bloodthirsty hounds, why?” Finn let out a chuckle, once a few weeks ago this would be a bright happy chuckle, but this time it was evil and filled the air with a sharp sting “Gargano was a means to an end, I plan to elevate this division by any way I can from the fucking wreck it was become & I plan to do it by any means necessary.” You were intrigued by this statement but had to move forwards “Due to your ‘My future is my past’ promo, many thought that you would appear as the Demon King tonight, why did you opt for this instead?” “Y/N, what’s to say you haven’t?, what if we have merged already?, let his darkness seep into me? My future did become my past, you just didn’t go that far back. I told you I would turn heel & I still surprised you all!” You were stunned, you’d never seen anyone passionately plan their heel turn so brilliantly. Finn turned to look into the camera ‘You better start getting on The Prince’s level, cause things are about to change around here. And if you can’t keep up, I’ll squash you just like I squashed your precious Rebel Heart.” Finn trailed away, the interview concluding.

Having had a lot to take in, you returned to your dressing room to unpack & return home, when you saw Finn behind you “Well hello there stranger” “Finn!” you startledly said “I wasn’t expecting you” “Well I just came to congratulate you on handling me, I know Renee, Charley & Cathy would have broken into tears as I went on my tirade, but you? You listened with open ears & took me in, like you adored me. That’s how an interview should be done here, none of this ‘Oh I feel bad for the good guys, let me take out my anger on the heels’” Finn adorned a sing songy high voice to mock the other interviewees which made you chuckle. “In fact, I think you like me like this, don’t you? I thought from the first interview you were interested, but tonight, I knew for sure.” You noticed he was moving closer & closer to you. “You like the good guys as much as anyone, but you know the bad guys like me can make you feel so good” he stopped right in front of you “So why don’t you take a chance? Kiss me like you want so desperately to”

At this point, you lost all inhibition. You surged forwards, kissing the newly turned Bálor. He wrapped his hands in your hair returning it. You backed into the bench in the middle of the room, falling onto it. “Wow” Finn groaned “You’re such a good kisser, but I think you’ll make an ever better fuck” he tore through your shirt, and made quick work of your pants, taking in your naked form “Beautiful, and all mine” he admired before ripped his shirt off in the manner he did yours as you let out a groan “I’ve got you moaning & I’m not even inside you yet, good Y/N” You took in the compliment, it seeming like molten gold as Finn began to make work of his pants, presented his cock to you “Suck it, prove your worth to me”

You sucked him, taking his massive cock down your throat, your eyes welling up, but you kept focused, determined not to let Finn see you crack, this was about him & you would do anything for your Prinxe. “Oh fuck! Suck it Y/N, oh shit! So many only manage half, but you? You took me straight down, like you were made for me” Finn slid his big hands behind your head & began to move you up and down as he growled in pleasure. Eventually he pulled you off, gazing cockily at your face “You liked that didn’t you?” You draw sharp breaths “Finn p- please” “Please what? Use you words Y/N, use that beautiful mouth to tell me what you want” You gasped out several breaths before begging “Fuck me Finn please take me. I. Am. Yours.”

Finn quickly moved so he was on top of you on the bench and quickly thrust in “OH FUCK! My treasure is so tight! So perfect!” He began to fuck into you roughly, moans falling from your lips joining his groans of pleasure “Fuck Y/N, take my cock. Yes! Just like that!” You started into Bálor’s cold eyes filled with passion and kissed him again. “Your body is like a garden babe, and I plan to explore” still fucking you, he bit into your nipples, one after the other, moving his hands down to explore you.

You threw your head back, knowing if you so much as looked at Finn’s beautiful face, you would spill. He seemed to recognize this & quickened his pace “I can feel you holding back, it’s ok my love, cum for me” you fell apart at this point, your cum decorating both your chests, he fucked you even faster, looking longingly down at you “My beautiful treasure, all mine. Forever” he started to thrust sloppier “Fuck, I’m going to cum, take me my love, we will rule NXT together, no one will ever destroy us, the Prinxe with his loyal lover. So darkly perfect and serene. OH FUCK!” Finn came deep inside you. You stayed entangled with him for a while, before you moved to try and get your clothes forgetting Finn had ripped your shirt “Don’t move, I’ll get you a towel from the bathroom” Finn disappeared briefly before returning with said towel, which you quickly put on “Come with me to my house tonight, I have more to experience with you Y/N” and as you joined hands with the newest villain of NXT, you felt complete. It was true what they said ‘all good boys go to heaven, But bad boys bring heaven to you’

[howtobeapersonwithfibro]

Disabled Sci-Fi: Internship-seeking Veronica

Here (below the cut) is the next short story in my Disabled Sci-Fi series. It centers around Veronica Lee, a wheelchair user living on a colony spaceship. She’s just finished high school and is looking for an intern position in her favorite field: science.

Feedback (and suggestions for future stories) always welcome :) I just really enjoy writing about disabled characters using the knowledge I’ve picked up about experiences from spoonie/disability tumblr and being disabled myself. 

*****

Veronica takes a deep breath. She adjusts her position in her wheelchair to be a bit more comfortable. Tries to resist the urge to strangle the woman across the table. 

“As you know, Ms. Lee,” the woman in the stiff, gray clothes continues, “Everyone has a role to play on the ship. We begin to look for career matches at age sixteen so that everyone can find their ideal role. I just imagine that our choices will be… limited… given your situation.” 

Inwardly, Veronica rolls her eyes. Sometimes she may as well have three heads, for the way people struggle to talk to her like a normal person. Like being unable to walk is a situation and not just another detail of her life, like having straight hair. “I know why you might think that,” Veronica replies, choosing her words carefully. This woman is the only career counselor for the entire ship, so she doesn’t have the option of pissing her off. “But I think that accommodations can be made for most of the jobs around here. It’s not like I’m asking to be a zero-gravity engineer. And my chair can get almost anywhere, with all the ramps.”

The gray woman gives a small, forced smile, and says, “Alright then. What are your areas of interest?”

“I’m most interested in biology,” Veronica says, relieved to be talking about something else. “Whether it’s working in the medical wing or in a lab, I’m just really interested in those kinds of things.” 

“Hmm,” the woman mutters, scrolling through a document on the screen in front of her. “There’s an open trainee position in the botany lab. Job description includes… let’s see here… working with microscopes and other various tools to alter plants and fight disease…” 

“Sounds great. I was good with microscopes in my classes.” Maybe this is actually going to be fine, Veronica thinks. 

“I’m looking over the images of the lab,” the woman goes on, “and all of the counters are standard-height. I’m not sure if you’d be able to reach everything you needed to--”

“Adjustments can be made,” Veronica interrupts. 

“It’s just that the lab has very strict rules about what kind of furniture can be present, due to cleaning procedures, and…” she sighs. “I’m sorry. The system is quite inflexible sometimes, but the procedures are important for optimal plant growth.”

“The system is only as inflexible as we make it,” Veronica argues. “Please, just put me down for the trial position. I can talk to my trainer about making things work.” 

The woman sighs. “I suppose I can do that. If it’s not a good fit, we can always try something else. I hear the food service wing has a variety of opportunities.”

Yes, Veronica thinks, because my perfect grades and area of interest just scream “food service”. But she’s getting a shot at what she wants, so she’s going to do her best to tolerate this prejudiced woman. “Um, thank you. I’ll see how the botany job goes first.”

“Wonderful,” the woman says, in a rehearsed, not-very-wonderful tone. “All of the information has been sent to your messages app. The position starts next week, but you’ll want to look over everything to make sure you’re prepared.” 

***

The next day, Veronica has an appointment to meet her training supervisor and talk with him about the lab and the work they do there. When she arrives at the lab wing and wheels through the sliding doors, she is faced with a bored-looking receptionist who barely glances up from his screen. Once he sees her chair, he looks up again, muttering, “Can I help you with something? Are you lost?”

Lost, she inwardly huffs, desperately trying not to roll her eyes. Because they’re not used to seeing someone who looks like me around here. She takes a breath, then says, “Um, actually, I’m here to meet with Dr. Stonecroft about the trainee position. Veronica Lee? Meeting set for 10:30?”

The young man takes a moment to process this, then says, “Oh, right, I see it in here. I’ll send a message to Dr. Stonecroft that you’re here.”

As she waits, Veronica mentally steels herself for the argument she expects will come. She spent most of the night lying awake thinking of her rebuttals to various questions, and obsessing about it via messaging with her friend Lila until she fell asleep and stopped responding. 

Veronica wanted this job so badly. She couldn’t imagine being stuck somewhere like food service her entire life, not when she had such an interest in science. 

A door behind the receptionists’ desk slid open, and through it walked a short, brown-skinned man with round glasses and a lab coat. “You must be Veronica,” he said, greeting her with a smile and extending his hand down to shake hers. “Herman Stonecroft, glad to finally meet you. Please, come with me.”

She followed him eagerly, squeezing carefully through a narrow doorway that barely allowed room for her fingers to move the wheelchair without getting squished. When it widened into a hallway, Dr. Stonecroft slowed to walk by her side, guiding her first into the greenhouse. 

It was one of the most beautiful places Veronica had ever seen. Most of the places on the ship were dull shades of gray, sparingly decorated because supplies had to be conserved. But this room was alive with color: Red tomatoes and berries hanging on vines, nearly ripe enough to pick; yellow peppers and another plant that Veronica couldn’t identify; and green, green everywhere, from the early sprouts in their hydroponic rows to the leaves of fruit trees and tall corn stalks. 

“This is amazing,” Veronica said. “I’ve never seen so many plants in one place. And it smells so… fresh,” she added, trying out a word she hadn’t had much cause to use before. Little in life was fresh when you lived in space.

Dr. Stonecroft smiled. “I remember thinking that the first time I came here too. The greenhouse is lovely, of course, and very showy, but most of our work is done back in the labs. We’ll come to water the plants, but other workers harvest them. We spend most of our time managing disease and keeping our plants strong. Our effort is vital to maintain food supply.”

“Right, of course,” she replied, not discouraged. “It’s just a privilege to be able to see all of this. They let us each grow a bean plant in science class, and I thought that was cool.”

“I’ll show you to the labs now,” Dr. Stonecroft said, leading her through a large set of double doors at the back of the room. They led into a hallway with a few other doors, and she could see through the glass walls that each contained lab benches with microscopes and other instruments. 

He scanned his badge at one of the doors, and it slid open to allow them through. Veronica noticed that all of the countertops were slightly above eye level for her; she couldn’t imagine getting her arms up there to work productively, let alone looking into a microscope that sat even higher. But Dr. Stonecroft didn’t seem to notice the disparity. He continued right on with his enthusiastic introduction as a few scientists turned from their work to stare at her. 

“We start most of our interns out with basic microscopy - slide preparation, cell counting, studying images to learn signs of abnormal growth. You’ll help tend some of the plants as well. And of course you’d be led through this by another team member when I’m not available. You wouldn’t be expected to do anything on your own for some time - I know that the school’s science department was a bit lacking in resources.”

“That sounds great,” Veronica said. “I thought microscopy was really cool, but we only had two microscopes for the whole class to use, and they were pretty old. So I’ll be happy to learn as much as possible here.” 

Dr. Stonecroft smiled. He was fairly soft spoken, and Veronica had decided already that she would enjoy learning from him - if this worked out. “I’m glad to hear that, Veronica,” he began. “I wish more students had your interest in this area. I’ve had several trainees think that they were here to water plans and pick fruit, and decided to quit when they learned it was much more.”

Veronica nodded. It seemed like this was a really promising opportunity. “Right. But, Dr. Stonecroft, we should probably talk about -- I mean, I’m sure you noticed. I’m in a wheelchair. I can’t exactly reach the lab countertops, or the ground-level planters. The lady at the career center mentioned that sometimes regulations don’t allow certain furniture, but--”

“Veronica,” he said, stopping her. “Let me tell you something. I have never turned an interested student away, and I don’t plan to now. I will saw the legs off of some lab benches myself if necessary.” He gave her a small but knowing smile. “As long as you like it here, we will be lucky to have you.”

It felt like a weight had been lifted off of Veronica’s chest. Sure, she could still see a couple of the scientists side-eyeing her as they pretended to get on with their work. Sure, not everyone would be used to her at first. But her mentor was open-minded and friendly. And everyone else would get used to her and her chair, especially once she showed them the kind of work she could do. 

She hadn’t met someone like Dr. Stonecroft in a long time - someone who just treated her like a person, instead of a person in a wheelchair. She felt pressure behind her eyes, excited and happy tears, and hurried to wipe one away before he could notice. “Thank you so much, Dr. Stonecroft. I’m so excited to start here.”

Dr. Stonecroft escorted her back to the entrance. “We will see you Monday, Veronica.” 

Once the sliding door to the lab wing closed behind her, she let her smile break open wide and wheeled as fast as she could down the quiet hallways, barely able to contain herself. When she was finally home, the door closed behind her, she screeched with delight. “Yes! I did it!” she yelled to no one in particular. For once, she thought with a contented sigh, something finally worked out. 

[twilightofthe]

Padme/Satine Pirate AU?

Another pirate AU for one of my fave rarepairs thank you So Much uwu uwu

(OTP prompts list found here)

Sadme/Padtine/Satidala/goddammit Padmé why are your names so hard to portmonteau 9 - Pirate AU: Who is the pirate? Who is the member of the royal family who did not sign up for this? 

(Padmé here is v loosely based off of the legend of French pirate Jeanne de Clisson)

Satine does not particularly like her life in the convent.  Hell knows-- begging pardon --she doesn’t quite believe what they preach, and many of the women here hold the stifling conservative views on women as the bastards back home that were the reason for her loss of land and title in the first place.

But she will not run away and she will not concede.  She will get her position as Duchess back-- the matter of the fact is that she is supposed to be dead, so for now it is living at the convent by the sea with the well-stocked library and resources that is not too far from her ancestral lands, and daring to send out letters to anyone she feels she might be able to trust, searching out who may be able to lend a sympathetic hand, or more specifically, resources.

Satine has a Plan, and a ship with blood red sails melting out of the fog one morning while Satine is tending the vegetable garden is not part of that plan.

Neither is a group of mostly women trudging up the beach and towards the cliffside stairs that lead up to the convent, covered in ash and-- is that blood?

The woman in the lead is in bright red and her brown hair twisted back intricately off her face.  Her face is youthful and her warm eyes are older than her years.  They glow in the overcast light and she speaks in a way Satine recognizes as high upbringing as she introduces her group as travellers in need of shelter and meal for a few nights; surely the women of the Good Lord wouldn’t mind?

Satine’s eyes land on the sword on her hip that is yes, still definitely dripping blood, and the woman assures her that they swear they will do no harm.  The convent is one that practices charity and offers shelter to travelers making a holy pilgrimage.  Satine is currently armed with naught but a basket of cabbage and carrot.  They will need the permission of the Mother Abbess to stay-- luckily, the Mother Abbess is Satine herself.

(An accident, honestly.  Satine had been looking for an opportunity when she had endeared herself to her predecessor, and was not expecting to inherit the job a year later, but she had given herself a respectable position and being in charge would offer even more opportunity.  If God existed, He surely could forgive her her pragmatism and ambition.  She had done well in the five years since, even if she didn’t terribly care all that much for the theism itself vs the opportunities for charity and helping educate young women)

She invites the strange group of women in.  She asks them to please not drip blood on the carpets.  Their leader introduces herself as simply Padmé.  She’s looking around, wiping the blood off her sword onto her stained skirts, and Satine wonders how it happened.  Padmé sends another woman off to send a message.  Satine wonders who it is going to.

Throughout the day, Padmé spends it in the library.  Satine finds her there, they talk politics and classics and languages.  Padmé is brilliant, and she has such ideas, such passion.  Satine hasn’t been able to talk about much more than religion for years.

Satine invites them to evening prayer, they accept, but she notices throughout that Padmé does not speak the entire time.

She asks her afterwards.

Padmé gives her a simple smile.  I am Jewish, she says.

She is brave, to admit that here, Satine thinks.  Life is harder for people like Padmé because the world is prejudiced and cruel.  She guesses from the bloody sword that Padmé knows a thing or two about the cruelty of the world.

Well, since Padmé won’t judge her for it

I don’t believe in anything, Satine says

Padmé laughs.  It is bright and clear, like birdsong.  And yet here you are, she remarks.

Here we both are, Satine counters, adjusting her habit as they sit beneath one of the stained glass windows.

Padmé can hear the question in her voice and fiddles with her bloodstained skirts.  She looks back at Satine and her gaze is clear and unrepentant.  

“I am here because the rest of my ships were separated from me.  They will be continuing my current crusade at the nearby fort along the northern coast.”

“Crusade?”

“I had a title once upon a time as well, Lady Kryze.  I was once Lady Amidala myself.  Have you not heard of me?”

The revelation of Padmé’s name removes all surprise on Satine’s part from being recognized; a fellow noblewoman would have likely heard of her troubles.  And she has heard of Lady Amidala.

A minor noble who caught the eye of the High King for her talents, Lady Amidala and her lands were favored until the King asked of her something she could not do.  As punishment, the king sent soldiers, burned her ancestral lands until there was nothing left and killed many of her people.  Lady Amidala had been forced to sell all her assets and had disappeared.  It was the biggest scandal amongst the nobility since Satine’s own deposing; of course she had heard of it.

Satine mentions she was unaware of the former Lady’s fate.  Padmé just cocks her head and asks if Satine has heard the rumors of the ships lost at sea, that never return?  

Satine has.  Merchants stopping by mention their fear to sail along the coast.

They are not bad storms, Padmé admits.  They are me, she says, and she sounds proud.  Padmé had tried to appeal to the King for a more equal society rather than the large gap in living standards between the nobility and the majority poor of the kingdom, had tried to make changes in a political manner.  But he had thrown her out and continued with his harsh laws, so now she will make herself known in a way he cannot ignore.  Padmé raids his ships and visits his seaside forts and razes them to the ground like he did her home.

Satine is stunned; violence like that is never the answer.

Padmé shoots back that is Satine not supposed to be dead?  Her authority was challenged by those who would refuse to cede her her rightfully inherited lands after her father’s death, and who overthrew her after she refused to either take a husband or to bend her laws to the favors of the more powerful and influential.

Satine stands up.  She is dealing with it, she explains.  She will regain her position rightfully and honestly and without another war.  It’s just..... taking her time.

Padmé stands up too, catches her wrist.  Is she not tired, in the slightest, of waiting?

Satine has been waiting for five years.

Is she not tired of inaction?

Satine looks at the hand that has been washed of blood but have still spilled so much, remembers what she once had, what she could once do, and the man who is in charge now, how her people must be suffering.

She takes her hand out of Padmé’s.  She cannot be like her.  She cannot start a war.  

She bids her goodnight, sends one of the other younger acolytes to show any remaining guests-- pirates, they are pirates --to their quarters when it is time to sleep.

Satine is awoken in the early morning by sounds of violence and shouting ringing throughout the stone walls of the peaceful abbey.  She is out of her bed and opening the door to one of the King’s royal soldiers if the uniform is right, brandishing a sword at her and grabbing her wrist in the same place Padmé did.  Satine barely has time to react to him before she is being tossed into a wall and as she lays there, stunned, there is more yelling and the slashing ring of metal, and another body crumpling beside her, and a small, strong hand pulling her to her feet.

Padmé smiles at her apologetically, saying that she and her crew have brought these soldiers here, where they thought they would be safe.

They should be safe, Satine says angrily.  Criminals or no, houses of God are not supposed to be desecrated with violence, should be open for everyone, and that is the law of the land itself.  The King is breaking the laws, he can’t--

Padmé tucks a strand of Satine’s loose hair out of her face.  Satine hadn’t even noticed she wasn’t wearing it.  Her head feels lighter without it.

They will not hurt the nuns here, Padmé promises.  If the King cannot protect his subjects, Padmé will instead.

Satine spends the battle in a nightgown wielding a torch.  She doesn’t hurt anyone, but she keeps soldiers back and escorts frightened nuns through the maze of the stone walls and into the crypts below to hide.  The aforementioned mazelike walls are what help Padmé’s crew turn the tides of the fight; having had a day there to get a vague sense of direction in comparison to the soldiers running blind.

In the morning, there is a rainbow outside and blood and death inside the convent.  No nuns were killed, thankfully, but one of Padmé’s was, and several soldiers before they were driven off.  The soldiers will be back, Padmé warns Satine, as her girls head back for the ship that, after all of this, was not even touched.  The nuns here will not be safe.  She offers to take anyone who wishes to leave either to the nearest nunnery, or to allow them to join her crew if they wish.

The other sisters are obviously distressed by this, but Satine feels a laugh catching in her throat at just how many take the offer to join the pirates.

And what about you? is Padmé’s question for her as they’re boarding the ship and sailing away from where Satine stagnated for the last five years.  The ocean breeze feels good in her hair.

“Do you want your lands back?”

Satine stiffens.  She does, of course she does, she wants to free her people, but--

She can’t condone retaking it by piratical violence.  She can’t do it.  It isn’t her way.

“Then come with me.  I’ll take you to the people who can give you the support you need to retake them honorably.”

Satine looks at Padmé and her sun-warmed eyes.  She would be here... while Padmé burns forts and ships.

Padmé’s smile is sharp.  Satine has her war, Padmé has her own.  This is merely a temporary combining of resources.

Whatever is so bad about a temporary alliance?

She holds out her hand.  It is covered in blood again.

Satine takes it and lets Padmé bring her knuckles to her mouth in a kiss.

Maybe she finally made a connection that would get her where she needed to be after all.

[feynavaley]

Could you please write some FACE headcanons along the lines of those you’ve already written for Lux, Ned, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan? Thank you ❤️ I’m a new follower and I found you through other Hetalia headcanon sites. You’re a golden nugget ❤️

Thank you so much, you’re so kind!! 💕 Oh, and Canada, America, England, and France are my favourite characters so I have already written a lot of stuff, but I always love talking about them some more! 😊Here you can find my previous posts if you’re from desktop [Can] [Ame] [Eng] [Fra]; and here are instead the links that would work from the app: [Can] [Ame] [Eng] [Fra]. You could also look at my navigation page but I haven’t updated it in a while.

America

His work ethic is slacking off at first, and then doing everything in a rush later as he realizes that he had underestimated how much time he was going to need;

Somehow, he always manages to make it by the very last last minute of the deadline, though. (Even if with some missed sleep, but it isn’t a big problem as he doesn’t need much.)

No matter what, he never, ever misses a meal. If he really doesn’t have enough time, he ends up eating while he’s working.

Not bothered by any noise. He’s always able to tune out everything and concentrate when he needs to.

Bad smells bother him very little. He may complain, but he doesn’t mind as much as he seems to imply.

Naturally has a very loud voice. If he’s trying to be silent, he usually lasts only a few minutes before going to back to the original volume.

He’s always eager to offer his help to normal humans he meets.

He has such a beautiful, bright smile when he’s truly happy. It lights up his entire face and seems to ooze enthusiasm so much that other people are put in a better mood just by seeing it.

Physiologically unable of being tidy. His house is a mess, stuff and clothes thrown everywhere. Sometimes, he’s taken by a sudden urge to tidy up and does a massive clean up. The house is back to the original state after two days.

Loathes washing dishes. When he’s alone, he always eats straight out of the pan.

Lightning-fast at typing from a smartphone/tablet. A bit slower on a keyboard, but still faster than most.

He’s lucky to ridiculous levels. No matter the odds or how reckless he’s being, things generally end up working just fine for him.

Canada

He always starts his work with the best intentions, he plans out so he’s going to have breaks and not overwork himself;

Then, as he gets closer to the deadline, his anxiety flares up as he’s afraid he’s not doing enough and he ends up working 24/7, hardly eating or sleeping (he still takes time for the shower though), even if he wouldn’t have needed to do so.

He always ends up doing more than what he would have needed.

Unable to say ‘no’ to anybody, which means he’s always overworked.

His very high empathy makes him shoulder everybody’s problems. If somebody comes to him with a complaint or even a simple rant, Canada feels like he has to personally fix everything and beats himself up a lot if he doesn’t.

He ends up drinking an unholy amount of coffee when he has to work.

He likes technology and tends to be up-to-date with new stuff, but he doesn’t like social media. He knows how they work, but he doesn’t really use them.

He tends to keep his house quite cold as it doesn’t bother him. He always turns up the heating when somebody’s visiting, though.

He’s very easy to talk to as he comes across as supportive and trustworthy. Many times people end up revealing their issues to him.

Not only his natural voice volume is very low, he’s physically unable to truly yell. When he tries, he ends up in a coughing fit.

He’s a bit of an introvert, but actually, it’s more shyness than real introversion. While he likes having time for himself, his issue with interacting with people is that it gives him a lot of anxiety as he doesn’t know how to behave and is always afraid of making a bad impression. If it weren’t for that, he would love making new friends – and when somebody does approach him, he’s so eager it’s almost painful to watch.

He’s one of those people who hardly sweat at all (unless he’s overheating badly).

England

His work ethic is never taking a break until he physically collapses – especially if he has an important deadline.

He hates coffee and he would only drink tea. If he’s seen drinking coffee, it means he has truly reached his limit.

He loves the theatre. While he generally tries not to spend too much money, this is something he doesn’t hold back from.

He’s bad at adapting to technology, but he tries very hard. The result is close to a middle-aged mother – too loud on Facebook and who still doesn’t know how to right-click and keeps accidentally installing useless plug-ins on his browser.

He has found some forums he frequents along with mothers and even older ladies to exchange tips for embroidery and knitting that he truly likes, though.

Can forget his smartphone off for days since he really doesn’t use it much.

Abhors digital books. For him, a real book is made of paper – part of the reading experience is the smell, the texture… he gets very incensed when talking about it. (And he can barely tolerate paperback editions, too.)

Still uses an old typewriter for his poetry and stories. It puts him in the mood better than a computer does.

He prefers dim lighting to well-lit rooms.

When he truly wants to relax and take his mind off of problems, it’s either knitting or embroidery.

He generally keeps a posh, perfectly standard British accent – but when he’s angry, he slips into cockney.

Brilliant at making up creative insults.

France

He always notices how other people are dressed/their style in general and constantly criticizes what he doesn’t like when he’s in public.

He’s very hard to please when he’s travelling, always finds something to complain about the accommodation (the service, the food, the decor…);

Even so, he’s nice to the workers. He just complains with his friends.

He always tips very well when he’s eating out and is very friendly with the servers.

He flirts a lot, but he also respects boundaries. He might come across a bit too strong at times, but if he detects any unease, he backs off immediately. And NO touching involved until he’s 100% sure it would be welcome.

He’s really bad with deadlines. He says it’s because he puts his mental health first, but he doesn’t even make so much of an effort to actually meet those deadlines once he realizes he’s behind with work (unless it’s something he truly cares about).

A regular frequenter of theatres, the opera, classical concerts, and ballets.

He holds a very lavish lifestyle and doesn’t care about expenses. His government regularly tries to cut off his funds, but France keeps finding a way to get more money out of them.

At least once a month, he spends an entire weekend in a SPA to ‘recharge’. He likes bringing people with him, too.

He’s awful with technology. He can barely turn on a computer and he still has an old flip-phone with a plan that only includes calls and messages.

He still likes handwritten correspondence and keeps doing it with some people.

He prefers doing his hair-care, skin-care, and manicure on his own than having it done by other people as he has better control this way (and he thinks he’s just as good – if not better).

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Dragon Dancer Chapter 2: Here

Robbie and Mom threw a goodbye party for me that I was sure they couldn’t afford. There were gifts, not only for me, but for my foster siblings. New shoes, TVs, video game consoles and bikes. I asked over and over, “Where did you get the money for all this?” But they only told me not to worry, that it was all taken care of. I thought of Anjou. A deep sense of gratitude and fulfillment settled in my mind. I wasn’t even a professional dancer yet, but already things at home had improved.

My gifts included shopping cards for clothing and school supplies and books. I bought my own personal set of toe shoes -- a must for a professional dancer. All these I packed in my new luggage set, pink with the silver embossing of the school's logo.

They weren’t done surprising me yet. The next week heralded the arrival of a white stretch limo with golden trim and dark tinted windows. We all gasped in amazement as it parked in front of our inner city house.

The back door opened. A woman in scarlet pumps stepped out. She was a willowy figure, dressed in a form-fitting short skirt the same color as her shoes and a dark top. “Wow, you’ve got quite the farewell committee.” She said as the children rushed past her to admire the car. She removed her sunglasses, revealing her scarlet eyes. She pushed her crimson hair out of her face.

She reached for my bag. I caught myself staring at the glitter of the false jewel shining on the nail of her index finger. “Are you ready?” She asked. She grinned with infectious excitement.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” I looked at Robbie and Mom. “I’ll call you when I get there. Okay?”

Robbie gave me one last hug. “Sure thing.”

Mom went to herd the children away from the car. She stood with them and told them all to  wave goodbye. Some of them were starting to cry. I didn’t want to. I lifted my chin and swallowed the lump in my throat, blew kisses, and waved.

I marveled at the roomy interior. The leather seat was as wide as a sofa and stretched around both sides of the cabin. A passenger was already occupying the seat opposite mine. He looked a few years older than me. Blond, handsome, and dressed in a white bespoke suit. He flashed me a charming smile, those blue eyes sweeping over me. His expression made me self conscious. I wondered what he thought of my home-braided hair, simple eyeliner and lip gloss.

I caught myself blushing and tried to hide it by pretending to adjust the strap on my duffle bag.

“Go on, before I freeze to death,” the woman laid a hand on my shoulder . I climbed inside.

The man gestured to the driver and the limousine pulled away. I had resolved not to look back but as we started to move, I did. They were still waving at me.  I waved back. I forgot they couldn’t see me through the darkened glass. I settled back into my seat.

“I’m Ceasar Gattuso.” The man in the bespoke suit bowed, pressing his hand to his chest. “President of the Student Council and your future leader. This is Nono, my ravishing fiancee.”  They glanced at each other. She gave him a coquettish eye roll at his introduction. 

He reached for a  side console in the seat next to him, lifting the lid and pulling out a black box. From the black box, he took some sort of handheld device. It was grey and had a digital display. It was too round to be a cellphone. From the same black box, he handed me a wooden stick with a cotton swab at the end. “With that summary introduction, I need you to swab your cheek with this so we can see your genetic makeup.”

Nono crossed her arms, “Caesar, at least let her get her seatbelt on.” She said. “Please forgive him.” I turned to her and she’s giving him a subtle scolding look. “We’re all very excited by your potential, and curious about where it comes from.”

“It’s fine,” I said, doing as Caesar asked. “I read up on the school before I accepted. And Congratulations! On your engagement, I mean.”

Nono chuckled. “Thank you. Before you ask, no, we don’t have a date yet.”

“If you’re a promising student, I’ll invite you to our weddings.” Caesar grinned at Nono.

“Weddings?” My eyes widened.

He swept his arm in a broad gesture. “It will be a round the world tour! I couldn’t decide on which destination to host my wedding so I thought, why not all of them?” He looked at me as though expecting applause.

Unsure of what to say, I gave a nervous titter.

Nono leaned over to me and whispered, “You’ll get used to him.”

Caesar put the swab into the bottom end of the strange device. I watched as the display showed a readout on its small screen. He turned it so Nono and I could see. 

“What does it show?” I asked.

Nono massaged the ring on her finger. “It shows that you have a very special heritage.”

When I thought of heritage, I thought of the heritage festivals at the park. People of different ethnicities made traditional crafts from their nations of origin. “Like what sort of heritage?”

"Haven't you seen those movies? Where the ordinary high school girl is a secret princess?"

Nono stopped him. "Don't tease her!"

Caesar did stop teasing me, pointing to a button filled console. “By the way, if the seat’s too warm you can control the temperature from there.”

The seats were actually warm. I didn’t notice until he pointed it out. I stared at the variety of options on the console. I pondered the contrast between Robbie's cold beater and the warm decadence of the limo. It confirmed those high school rumors about the standard of living at Cassell. I wanted to know more. “So is it true? You only accept who you feel like? Did I get in because the Principal liked my show?”

Nono was not looking at me but at Caesar's device. I followed her gaze but he put it away. Caesar answered. “The short answer is yes. You’ll figure out the long answer on your own.”

“Do you know anything about your real parents?” Nono asked in a gentle voice. “It’s alright if you don’t want to talk about it.”

My heartbeat quickened at her question. “No, nothing. Robbie said my mother left me on the doorstep. That’s all.”

“No name? Nothing?” Her eyes met mine.

“Well, there's this.” I pulled the chain of my mother’s pendant and lifted it up over my shirt. Nono glanced up at Caesar again. 

He said, “May I see it?” and held out his hand.

I hesitated. Both Caesar and Nono were nice and kind. I didn't know why I felt so uneasy. I had no reason to question the situation.  It was fine before. Only now did I think about how I traveled down the road in a stretch limo, sitting between two strangers. It occurred to me that I had no access to the door if I needed to jump out. My hand went over the pendant that held my only friend inside.

He gave a small amused snort at my protective gesture. He still held out his hand. “I want to see if it's real..."

He ventured to touch it when I didn't hand it over. I flinched, shoulders lifting to my ears. He held it between his long fingers, feeling the weight. “If you went dancing with that at the theater, I can see why Anjou took an interest in you.”

“Why?��� I asked.

"Because it's pretty and valuable." He leaned back against his seat, lacing his fingers together in his lap. He maintained that knowing smile, lifting his eyes from the necklace to my face. 

I gave one reluctant thanks and tucked my pendant back under my shirt. “It's not for sale."

“We won't take it from you. We’ll teach you more about its history.” Nono said, reaching to the floor for a laptop case. She pulled the device out and opened it. Her fingers flew over the keyboard as she typed.

Caesar continued. “In the meantime, enjoy your first few days. Meet a few more students. I believe they’ll take well to you.”

I shifted my focus out the window to calm my nerves. The scenery changed from the grit of the inner city to the manicured landscape of the campus. There were signs directing pedestrians to parks, fountains, jogging trails, and specialty restaurants. Expensive cars began to outnumber the used models.

We pulled up to a gate that opened after a brief verification by a guard. A banner hung over a courtyard to display a ‘Welcome New Students’ message. The limo drove at a stately pace around a central fountain. It parked next to a wide paved pedestrian walkway split down the middle with trees and benches.

“Nono will show you the ladies’ dorms. There’s an orientation at 8 pm tonight. Settle in. We’ll see you there.” With that, Caesar picked up his phone and dialed a number, placing it against his ear. Nono took my hand and helped me out of the car.

A group of young men hanging out at the entrance spotted me getting out of the limo.  They straightened up and murmured among themselves in curiosity. I quickened my step to catch up to Nono, rolling my luggage behind me.

This place was bustling with people. Students made their way around on scooters and motorbikes. We passed by a large fountain, a holographic image of a dragon on top of it. It menaced me, hissing and growling. “Wow… This place is insane.”

"Yes, we have very advanced tech here thanks to our Gear Department.” Nono laughed at my slack-jawed expression.

 I could hardly believe my eyes. Those rumors from high school weren’t so unfounded after all. 

Nono stopped walking. She tilted her chin down and looked me in the eye. “We give tailored attention to each student based on their abilities and their personality. Midnight’s the curfew, though it’s not enforced so long as it doesn’t affect your performance.”

“First, you'll take the E3 exam to evaluate your talent. That done, you will be assigned to your team. You will also receive your entry level classes and training schedule." Her voice lowered and her eyes narrowed. 

Her eyes shifted to the fountain. “I know there will be a lot to take in. Keep this in mind. You’re someone who can be useful. It's not normal for Cassell to pick up people off the curb like this.”

“Right. I won’t let you down!” 

She crossed her arms, satisfied with my answer. “Good.”

“Is there a place where I can continue to practice dancing?” I asked, twining my fingers. 

“Sure. There’s a studio right above the gym. I can show you the exercise area later.”  Her eyes softened when she saw how worried I was. “Hey, relax. The best thing for you is to take your time and make friends.”

I lifted my head and noticed that same group of boys. Were they following us? “I just might have some issues fitting in.”

She shot a glare at our spectators. She put a hand on my shoulder to lead me away but she didn’t say anything more.

We reached the large multi story dorms but kept walking. The buildings appeared older and the trees got larger the deeper we went onto the property. 

We reached a brick two story building. The columns at the entrance rose to a carving of a knight with a sword battling a dragon. Nono scanned a fob to enter the double doors. She climbed a staircase and reached the third door on the right. She handed me the key fob and her personal contact card. “This is my number. Call me if you need anything at all, or need to talk. Okay?” She gave me a playful punch on the shoulder.

Satisfied that I was okay, Nono departed towards the stairs. “See you at orientation tonight!” She waved.

As soon as I stepped inside the dorm, I could see it’s more like an apartment. Light filtered down from a skylight in the ceiling.

The room was fully furnished with ornate high quality pieces and tasteful lighting. The red plush carpet was thick enough to sleep on. A tingle of delight ran up my spine and I let out a squeal.

I dropped my bags to explore. The galley kitchen had granite countertops, marble floors and glossy state of the art appliances. There was even a built-in wine cooler, but Robbie had already warned me about the dangers of underage drinking.

I ran my finger over the bar with its golden legged stools. I imagined people sitting on those chairs. People who were my friends. I let out a dreamy sigh.

I returned to my bag, fish out my cell phone and immediately text Robbie. “This place is FOR REAL!”

Message not sent.

I had a signal. I tried to resend a few more times before I gave up tossing the device on the couch. “Stupid phone.” I wondered if they would give me a new one.

I got to the bedroom and jumped onto a bed that felt too big for me. I rolled back and forth unable to contain the giddy excitement of all this space. It filled me to bursting.  I screamed at the ceiling, clutching a pillow. The down feathers inside slip between my fingertips under the soft fabric.

This place was something out of a fantasy. I couldn’t believe I was here!

* * *

Chapter 1

Chapter 3

[whump-it]

Augine and Callum.  A Collection Box AU.

This is an au with @broken-horn and featuring their OC Augine, who takes no crap from Hayden and rescues pets who need her help! 

CWs for this.  Hayden is sick and tired of Callum and has decided that he will have to kill him, so there is mention of this but it doesn’t happen thanks to the wonderful Augine who is not going to stand for this!

Tagging @pepperonyscience If anyone would like to be added then please let me know!

Hayden had left Callum in the basement. Snivelling and wretched and useless.  The noises were background to him, easily set to one side as he climbed back up the stairs, shutting and bolting the door behind him.  It stopped the sniffing and whinging behind its weight.  He almost ignored the pinging of his phone in his pocket as he marched into the living room, almost too cross to bother.  With a sigh he pulled it out and tapped in his pin code.  He had better things to do with his time.  He had the world’s most useless, most wretched Donor to get rid of.

How are you?  Been up to much?  And how’s that boy of yours?

Augine.  It was from Augine.  It was a distraction but not an unwelcome one at least.  And it at least gave hhim a moment to compose himself.  To not rush anything.  He prided himself on his efficieny.  His forethought.  He’d be damned if he let that stupid, slow little basement wretch get the better of him now, at the very end.  He fired off a reply, fuelled by frustration and anger and sheer disbelief at the incompetence of his basement wretch.

He's slow, stupid, useless. They should've put THAT on his file. Let's just put it this way. He's about to reach the end of his list.

When the reply pinged up on Augines phone, she was smiling, just slightly, just hopefully.  Ready to hear all the good things that were happening.  Ready to hear that Hayden was no longer disappointed with Callum.  That their differences were aired out and maybe, just maybe, the violence that simmered between them, entirely enacted out on Hayden’s side only might have simmered itself down to nothing.  She worried about it.  She wanted good news.

Thumbing her phone, the screen lit up and brought with it exactly what she didn’t want to see.  Her reply was swift.  No thought.  Just type.  Just send.  Just get there.

Fuck the list. You best have tea and a living pet when I get there, you hear?

She was practically already on the road by the time she hit send.

The phone pinged back almost as soon as it hit the couch. Hayden narrowed his eyes at it. Glared at it. Considered taking out his frustration on it upon Callum.  A means to an end at any rate given that his time had run out.  Forget the list.  He had to go.  Growling out, he picked the phone up and thumbed in his passcode, his smile an uptick of malice at the edge of his mouth.  Tea and a live pet.  She aways did have a funny way of showing her concern.  He typed out a quick answer and sent it.

Tea? Sure, little basement idiot can make himself useful one more time I guess.

He knew the way that Augine drove, particularly if someone or something had got under her skin.  Trust his pet to annoy her.  It was exactly the sort of thing that his stupid and slow basement creature was capable and he wasn’t even in the same house as her.  He unlatched the basement door catch and stamped his way down the stairs, slowly clapping as he went.  When he go to the bottom step he stood and watched, as Callum cringed away from him, crying openly.  Sobbing piteously. 

“This is embarrasing,” Hayden said, making Callum flinch as he moved to stand next to him twsisting his fingers into the curls that had grown too long, using them to haul Callum to his feet.  “I have a friend who has a fancy for some tea and to see you alive.  We can make that happen without it being a total disaster can’t we?  Because despite you being a complete disappointment, she still wants to see you.”  He shook Callum by the hair.

“Y...ye...yes Master Hayden, aghh....it...it...yes I’m sorry yes.”

“Good!”  He let go of Callum’s hair and grasped at his neck, around the back, and used it as leverage to shove Callum towards the steps that led up to the main house.  “You’re making the tea.  I trust that you can do that without ruining it somehow.”

“I can Master Hayden I promise you,” Callum spoke quickly, desperate to reassure his Master that he could be good and do better.  “I won’t let you down.”

“First time for everything,” Master Hayden sneered at him.  “Go on then, get up and get going.  I’ll let you have your wrists in front once you’re up there.”  He turned from his stupid little wretched creature, not wanting to look at him for longer than he needed to, and stalked back up the stairs, sighing at how long it would take for him to follow along behind him. 

Hayden paced the house while Callum snivelled and made too much noise in the kitchen.  Every sound was like nails down a blackboard, setting his teeth on edge.  The sooner this tea was done, the sooner that Augine had seen stupid wretch once more, the sooner this could all be done with.  He was keeping one ear out for the sound of her car which he knew would be rocketing his way up the drive at a speed that it shouldn’t be doing.  That, at least, made him genuinely smile.  Despite his mood, he was looking forward to seeing his old friend.  His smile grew when he heard it finally.

Augine had pulled in almost the instant the kettle had whistled, parked haphazardly and half on his lawn.  He called over his shoulder to Callum at the quick rapping on the door.

"I'll get it, you stupid slow idiot. She'll be stood out there until tomorrow if I send you.”  He didn’t even bother to stay in ear shot long enough to hear any whinging apologies.  He had heard more than enough whinging apologies.  His silly creature couldn’t even say sorry in a way that wasn’t infuriating. 

“Augine,” he said pleasantly as he swung the door open.  He was starting to bend towards her in order to kiss her on the cheek and welcome her in when she pushed past him and in to the hallway, speaking as she went.

"He best be packed and ready to go by the time I've had my tea and signed the check."

“Hello to you too,” he said, as he closed the door and followed her towards the back of the house.  In the living room, Augine was shucking off her coat and settling down on the couch, while Callum was knelt next to the couch shaking and trying to be invisible, the tea that he had served sat on a tray on the coffee table, steam rising gently from the spout of the teapot. Hayden stood in the doorway and looked at Augine in disbelief.

"Excuse me?” he said.  “You've got your drink. He's still alive. That's all you asked for in your message. What exactly do you mean packed?"

She sat down with an eyeroll at him, pouring herself a cup of tea as she spoke.

"I'm making an impromptu addendum to the end of your list,” she said, calm and even, not a waver in either her hands or her voice.  “Hmm...does two thousand sound enough?  I doubt you want much for him if you're on the verge of being done with him in a more violent manner than my interjection."

"Two thousand?”  Master Hayden said, stepping around her feet to sit in his usual place next to Callum.  “You know these things come free right?"  He kicked at Callum as he spoke, and Augine’s jaw twisted at the kick.  "This one's barely worth two, let alone two thousand. It's useless. You're not exactly getting a bargain."

He reached over and twisted his fingers in Callum's hair, pulling down to force his gaze up.

"Hey, little wretch, My friend thinks you're worth two grand."  Shoving Callum away, he looked at Augine again.  "Why do you care so much?"

"Well, with your insufferably high standards, you're going to need some money for a worthy replacement." The words came out from over her cup like she was a snake spitting venom.  "I'm not about to deal with you whining you're lonely after killing another failure that you caused with those damn white and red and blue and black days. You call him slow and make him slower." Her teacup shook slightly in her hand, alhough she kept her volume low, dangerously low.

Hayden turned his attention away from Callum, leaving him trying to stay silent through his pain.  Trying to make sense of what he was hearing.  Trying not to flinch at the idea that anyone would talk to his Master the way that his lady was. 

"He's here because his face was right. All he had to do was what he was told. Stupid thing can't even bleed right."  He looked back at Callum, scoffing at his shaking and shivering form.  "Take him if you like. But I want three thousand."

Augine rolled her eyes, but set down her now empty cup to pick up her coat and take out a chequebook from a pocket, along with a slim little gold pen.  She filled out the cheque and ripped it out quickly but efficiently.  Perfectly.  Not a tear or crease that shoudn’t have been there.  She held it out.

"Here's your money. Three thousand for the boy."

Hayden watched as she filled out the check, one eyebrow cocked at what he saw as complete nonsense. Once she'd signed off and held it out, he plucked it from her fingers.

"I don't understand you Augine," he said. "But if you're happy to part with thousands for this lump of pointless then be my guest. I'll cash it tomorrow, won't keep you waiting."  He turned to Callum, hands up in false surrender.  "Guess I can't touch you now wretch. You should at least show your gratitude that I'm not killing you right now."

"Th... thank... thank you Master Hayden for letting me live. I'm I'm v... very very grateful."  Callum forecd the words past the white noise of blind panic that was clouding his every thought.  Donated, Selected.  Tortured and nearly killed.  Sold then bought.  And who by?  Who was Augine?  He had no idea what was expected of him anymore and it terrified him beyond rational thought.

"I have earned twice that in less time than this. I won't notice the absence of a few thousand, Hayden." Augine stood, puttig her coat on and pocketing her chequebook and pen, then turned her gaze to focus on Callum.

"Alright, come along, Callum, “ she said.

Callum looked up barely, just enough to see her stood above him. He didn't know if eye contact was allowed. Didn't know if he should crawl or walk or go on his knees. Didn't understand what was happening to him.

"Umm...y... yes miss. How should I...I mean I'm not thinking I promise. I just...how is best for me to...umm if it's ok to ask? I don't know how you want me to move?"

"You can walk with me, Callum,” she said, voice gentle now that her attention isn't on Hayden.  She bent to unbuckle the cuffs around his ankles and his wrists, giving them their first taste of real freedom in so long that he felt as good as naked without them.  He swallowed and let out a small sob at the feel of his bare skin.  Augine looked at him for a long moment then stood and beckoned him up with her. 

“Come along then, you don’t need to look at Hayden,” she said as she left the living room and went down the hall to the front door, then out with Callum once he had caught up, leading him over to her car.  "In the passenger seat, alright?"

Callum walked slowly, unused to being unfettered. Unused to being allowed out. The birds and the insects and even the air seemed too loud. Too heavy. He crouched in on himself, trying to be small.  Trying to be what was right in the vacuum absence of rules.  At the car he stopped.  Blinked.

Crumpled.

"I...I...I... not me... I'm not thinking... but...i....qu..." He broke off, breathing hard and heavy.  No rules.  No rules.  Too much freedom or maybe no freedom but how could he know when no one had actually told him.

Augine gently exhaled, stepping back over to him, a gentle hand going to Callum's shoulder to guide him back, the other opening the car door once it wouldn't hit Callum.

"I know it's strange dear," she said as she gently guided him into the seat, nothing more than soft touches and words to settle him, her own steady hands helping his secure the seat belt and close the door before she stepped around to the driver side and slipped in with a discreet finger raise towards the house, knowing that Hayden would be watching them.  As the car started to move, he realised. As they drove further down the drive he knew it couldn't be kept inside. He didn't have permission. He didn't have rules.

He wanted rules.

But he wanted his teddy more. He'd break all the potential unknown new rules, take any punishment. He needed his teddy.  Unbidden and without conscious permission he yelled out.  Howled and cried.

"I need my teddy! I can't go without my teddy and Master Hayden will find it and hurt it I know he will pleasepleaseplease! Anything I'll do anything please!"  Augine blinked, but did not show a a single sign of upset. She merely spun the car around and drove back, stopping delieratlhy on the lawn this time.

"You stay here, alright?”   Augine said, giving him a warm smile and opening her door.  “I'll be right back with your teddy."  She gave him the words, the kindness, before stepping back up to front door and knocking loudly.  When Hayden opened it, she stayed outside.

"You forgot to pack him up.  He informed me he has a teddy.  Go get it and bring it here."  Hayden laughed. Hard. Cruel. A bark of amusement at Callum's expense.

"That thing? Yeah sure I'll go get it."  Augine stood and tapped her foot, waiting as Hayden disappeared from view into the basement.  For the smallest of moments she considered shutting th door and latching it before just driving away.  But she knew, she just knew, that Callum would be devastated by such an action.  And it wasn’t her style.  Not what she wanted to actually do.  Eventually he came back, a matted and filthy teddy caught between the pinch of his finger and thumb. He held it out to Augine and smiled.

"One teddy, just for you two. Here's the thing though. He thinks I don't know about it. He thinks it was left there by mistake and he adores this teddy. He hides it from me. It's his entire world. But guess what. I put it there. Do you know something? I did it so that no matter what happens to me, he'll always remember me. That soft teddy of his? All that lovely softness? It makes him think. Of. Me."

Augine simply took it in one hand, smiled, and said "Not for long."

She slid back into her car and handed it to Callum, then drove off again.

[harlot-of-oblivion]

A Dance with the Devil

You are a dancer looking for the perfect partner when you catch the eye of a white haired gentleman known as Vergil. Instantly attracted to this handsome cool devil you engage in an intense dance of passion and seduction.

Well this happened. I blame Vergil's sexy legs.

I'd like to give a shout out to @drusoona for showering me in endless screenshots of those wonderfully yummy legs. It kept me going. Much thanks and love! 💕

I'd also like to thank the anon on tumblr that suggested the title. I loved the idea so much that I even incorporated it in my fic. So, thank you for the inspiration. 😘

The song that is used during their intimate tango is Do It For Me by Rosenfeld.

Enjoy!

You always enjoy the feeling of a crowded dance hall. The soft murmurs that echo as people chat among themselves, the ever present music in the air, the distinct tapping of feet stepping on the floor as the slight swoosh of bodies accompanies their rhythm…you thrive on this energy.

Quite a turn out tonight, you thought as your eyes scan the various students, guests, and instructors that the fill the vast room. You’ve been dancing at the Red Grave City Dance Studio for about a year now. Usually people come and learn the basics, but they don’t stick around to truly master the dances. But you take pride in your tutelage of the intricacies of the standard smooth dances, which is your primary focus. You find any excuse to put on your heels and slap on a red split dress just to feel that exciting rush as you glide across the floor.

Which is why you’re here at the open house…or in this case, an open dance hall. Students of the studio invite anyone they see fit to this event. The dance instructors will go around, invite them to dance, and show them various steps and dances. You didn’t bring a guest though. It’s just events like this are perfect to show off your skills…and perhaps find a suitable dance partner. Unfortunately it takes two people to really do the smooth dances justice, and so far you haven’t found anyone that can be a decent lead. So here you are, standing in the corner as your eyes search the throng of people for a partner.

The swinging door of the entrance way caught your attention. You see one fellow student, you believe her name is Kyrie, walking in holding the arm of a young man with short white hair. Kyrie enrolled about a month ago, to brush up on her waltz for her wedding, and it seems she was finally able to convince her fiancé to join her. You recall his name to be Nero if memory serves you right. As they move towards the registry table you notice that the happy couple didn’t come alone. A woman close behind them is grinning mischievously as she follows the couple. You raise your eyebrow quizzically as you see her cowboy boots, jean shorts, several tattoos and…is that a tool belt? You blink your eyes in disbelief as another figure suddenly appears beside the odd group.

Where the hell did he come from? You ponder as you take in the fierce presence of a man that appears to be their guest as well. He was tall, pale, and every bit as stoic as you can get without being called stone. His attire was out of the ordinary for today’s standards. A dark blue coat with light blue embroidery and three coattails, a blue formal vest, black pants, and boots with several straps. It was striking, but you had to admit he pulls it off. You couldn’t help to admire his long legs, noticing their strength and elegance as he strides purposefully towards the table.

I wouldn’t mind feeling those legs guide me on the dance floor, you thought suggestively to yourself as he comes to a halt at the group. Now that he’s a bit closer you can get a good look at his facial features. His white hair is swept up out of his face, showcasing one the most handsome faces you’ve ever seen. It reminded you of the marble statues of ancient times, every angle and contour carefully carved into a masterpiece. You’ve touched one of those statues once. It was cold to the touch, and soft as satin. By the way he carries himself, he seems to be calm, cool, and you absently wonder if he’s also soft as satin.

While the rest of the eccentric group talks with the instructor at the table the white haired gentleman, who you guess must be related to Kyrie’s fiancé since their hair color is similar, steps to the side and observes the room. His head slowly turns as his eyes inspect the room, his face expressing no emotion as he surveys his surroundings. You know you should look away before his eyes makes their way to where you stand, but how could you tear your gaze from a work of art? Besides, its not like he’ll notice one lone woman staring among the crowd…

His eyes sweep over to where you stand. Suddenly, he pauses and his intense gaze directs all their attention at one corner…right where you’re standing. He’s staring straight at you. A small shiver rushes through your body as you gasp out a shuddering breath. His captivating silver eyes pin you down and you don’t dare move, afraid that if you do the moment will be lost. Outside distractions seem to fade, your mind no longer registering the classical music and the company of dancing bodies. All of your focus is on the white haired gentleman, whose face has now molded itself into scowl. Great…he’s probably wondering why a weird woman is gaping at him with no sense of decency. You were caught red handed and you should just break eye contact, walk away while picking up what was left of your dignity.

But you don’t. For some reason, your gut tells you to stand your ground. You feel that this staring contest is a test…as to what its testing you for, you have no idea. So, you remain trapped by his gaze, lifting your chin little in defiance and hope its convincing enough to relay the message that he doesn’t intimidate you. The scowl lifts off his face as he regards you in curiosity. I guess I passed? A pleased grin graces your lips and you tilt your head to the side in a teasing manner, inviting whatever trouble this man has in store for you.

The white haired gentleman moves his elegant legs, his eyes never straying from your form as he approaches you. Your heart begins to beat faster in anticipation. While you wait for the walking work of art to arrive you let your eyes drift all over his body. You get the impression that he likes to be in charge, which suits you fine as long as he proves to be a good lead. You can practically feel his eyes roam over your body as he reaches you and halts just out of your personal space. He silently stands there for a moment, the blue hue in his silver eyes shining as he studies you up close. You raise your eyebrow questioningly as you slightly pop your hip out in mild amusement. If he thinks he can keep me waiting...well, he’s in for a rude awakening.

“Is this where you impress me, or should I find someone else to dance with?”

Your shrewish voice seems to knock him out of his thoughts as his eyes focus on your face. He stares down at you with a bewildered expression on his face and that makes you grin triumphantly as you wait for his response. A few seconds of silence pass before he does something that takes you off guard…he laughs. The sardonic timber echoes in the air as he steps within your personal space and bows down. His height towers over you as he presents his hand. Then, in a confident and very sensuous voice, he asks the question you’ve been longing to hear since arriving here.

“May I have this dance, my lady?”

You place your hand into his open palm, giving him a sultry glare. “And who do I have the pleasure of following into a dance?”

“Vergil. And who do I have the pleasure of leading into a dance?” he requests in turn as he leads you to the dance floor. You give him your name as he pulls you close, preparing you for a waltz. You’re so close that you can feel his chest vibrate as he hums, repeating your name softly. “So that is the name of my temptress…well, let’s see if you can truly dance with the devil, my lady.”

Either this man is extremely confident in himself or very arrogant, you mused as your body reacts to his words, a warm tingle runs down your spine as the dance begins. He proves to be an excellent dancer, masterfully leading you into a refined Viennese waltz. He knows exactly when to be direct and when to be subtle with his body. You find yourself easily following him, enjoying the rush of adrenaline dancing with a dashing stranger.

For the rest of the evening you spend all your time with Vergil. Your conversations with him are vague, both of you wordlessly acknowledging that you want to live in the mystery of each other for as long as possible. And the dancing…he leads you into a couple more waltzes, but its when you goad him in a tango that your attraction for this man ramps up. You thought he was reluctant to tango because he didn’t know the steps, but you were quickly proven wrong when he kept up with you on the dance floor. That’s when you decide to up the stakes in this little game between the two of you. Alluring glances out of the corner of your eye as he guides you across the floor. Sensual caresses across his chest, waist, and arms as you follow his lead.

And by the way his actions become more demanding you knew he took notice…and he mercilessly reciprocates. The next tango is full of his suggestive touches and intense gazes. His warm fingers teasingly stroke your waist, neck, and legs. His strong arms hold you close as he effortlessly lifts you in the air. And his long elegant legs brush you constantly. When he slips his knee high between your thighs and slides it across your skin, the heat of his body making your slick heat quiver…you come to the decision to tempt this man straight to your bed.

When one of the instructors announces that the last dance of the night is about to commence you lean up and whisper into Vergil’s ear. “As much as I want to dazzle everyone with one last dance…I’d rather have you all to myself.” You step away from him and raise a suggestive eyebrow at him. “Show me what you’re really capable of, Vergil. Follow me…and don’t hold back.” You give him the best come hither look you can muster, hoping that you’ve enticed him enough before turning your back and walking away from him, grabbing your clutch purse as you go through a side door.

Being one of the top students here gives you some privileges…such as a key to a private dance room. The butterflies in your stomach get stronger with each step down the hall. You can’t shake the slight worry that he won’t follow, thinking you too forward and rejecting your offer. But the way he looks at you, talks to you, touches you…you feel certain that he’ll follow, if not to dance then…well, you’re open minded and quick to adapt. That’s what makes you great dancer after all.

Light footsteps reverberate through the hall behind you. You turn your head and see Vergil close behind you, fierce eyes piecing right through you. His smooth gait reminds you of a predator stalking their prey and you relish the idea letting him catch you, but only after he gives you a good chase. Exhilaration overtakes the butterflies in your stomach as you reach the door to the private room. As you place the key in the doorknob you feel the dominate presence of Vergil enclose around you, stealing your breath away as his lips brush against your neck.

“You play with fire…still think you can handle the heat?” he murmurs as he drags his lips to your ear, making you shiver at his chilling touch.

You turn the knob and open the door. “It’s the heat that makes me thrive,” you reply calmly as you gesture for him to come in. When he steps though you close the door and lock it before looking back at him with fiery conviction gleaming in your eyes.

“Light me up, Vergil.”

You seductively strut past him to the corner of the room where a phone speaker sits on a table . A deep rumbling purr emanates in the air as Vergil follows behind, no doubt enjoying the view of your shapely behind. You make sure to really rock your hips, adding to the already splendid bounce of your ass. You’ve managed to somehow make it this far, and you’re going to make damn sure you have your way with this cocky man…hook, line, and sinker.

Vergil growls and you feel his strong hands grab your arms, pulling your back to his chest. His lips brush against the shell of your ear, making you shiver in delight. “Brazen temptress,” he remarks, pressing his hips to your body. You feel the distinct bulge of his arousal against your butt. You almost break down and turn around to end this game, but you stick to your task, determined to go through what you have planned. You shrug him off and continue on, taking your phone out and hooking it into the speakers. You make sure it has the song you want queued up, putting it on repeat just in case. Once everything was in place you turn to face a tantalizing sight.

Vergil has removed his signature coat, revealing his bare arms. Seeing a bit more of his skin gives you tingles in all the right places. His gloves are also gone. Those calloused hands are slightly twitching as his side, preparing to enact whatever you bring. You bite your lip and lower your eyes as you lean forward a bit, hands clasped behind your back as you shamelessly show off your ample cleavage.

“Would you do me the honor in joining me in a tango, sir?” you request playfully.

Vergil hums appreciatively. “How could I say no to such a riveting display?”

You don’t even try to hide the delighted smirk that appears on your lips. Turning slightly you swipe at your phone as Vergil makes his way to the center of the room. He stands patiently facing the mirrored wall, a fine example of grace and prowess. You hurriedly join him, getting in close behind him and put both hands on his back as the beginning of the song plays. You wait a moment before sliding one of your hands around until it rests on his chest, fingers spread wide as you slightly dig your nails into his vest. His own hand comes up to rest on it, warm and rough as his fingers curl in between yours as the words of the song plays through the air.

Show me how

Show me how you like it done

You're all mine

I'll make you feel like you're the one

Your hand slowly withdraws and Vergil leans to the side, as if to follow your smooth touch. Your body shifts around to his side, your lustful eyes meeting his as he leads you in a soft twirl and brings your back to his chest. One of his hands presses on your abdomen while the other glides up your side, stopping just short of your cupping your breast. Your mouth opens as you let out a sigh of pleasure, extending both arms out to the side as you ready for his next move.

Take off your clothes

Give me your trust

Look me in the eyes and confess your lust

His body leads you to the side and you let him spin you in that direction, snapping you still after one step. His arm encircles your back as you grasp that arm, your other free hand brings itself to back of his neck. Vergil rests his forehead upon yours, his fervent gaze meeting yours as you nuzzle your nose against his and both your lips are but a breath apart. In the corner of your eye you catch a glimpse of this delectable image in the mirror. It takes all your willpower to not let out a wanton moan as desire flows through you.

Get on your knees

Beg me to stop

I promise I'll love you if you do it

So do it for me

Your rub your fingers into his hair at the base of his neck as he steps into a contra check, changing your direction as you leisurely twirl with him until he pauses your body beside him. He rests his hand against your rib cage, his thumb grazes the underside of your breast. Your breath shutters as you feel yourself give in to this arduous haze. His arm behind your back gently pushes you forward, commanding you to take a couple steps as he comes in close. Once again his face is unbearably close. You can feel his steady breath against your mouth. His hand on your rib cage slides up, barely cupping your breast. As he continues past your breast his thumb firmly brushes against your nipple, causing you to whimper softly.

The corners of Vergil’s mouth turn up in a smug grin. Shooting him a frustrated glare, you decide you about had it with him being a big tease. Time to show him why I dared to dance with the devil, you thought mischievously as you wait for your opening. The sneaky hand that made you whimper reaches the underside of your arm. He extends his touch, caressing every inch of skin, before ending at your hand. He bends his knees slightly, you following his lead as he slinks to the side and fully grasps your hand in his. As you both straighten up, you bring your face in just a tad bit closer, seizing your chance at payback. You open your mouth and let your tongue peek out, the tip swiping across Vergil’s pouty lips. He bares his teeth and snarls. He jerks your body even closer, your chest meeting his as he positions you both for his next move. His silver eyes glare down at you, warning you to behave…or else. You know the music is about to pick up the pace, so you ready yourself for a spirited ride.

The air around you ignites as he leads you into a fast paced tango, his legs showing no mercy as your high heels keep up with their stride. You gave just as much as you got though, completely in sync with each other as he guides you passionately across the floor. You close your eyes, giving him total control as you just bask in the moment. The firm grasp of his hands as they direct you wherever he wants. The gentle caress of his hips as they slightly rock with his movements. The titillating stroke of his thigh between your legs on occasion. Vergil was cool and reserved when you first met him, but now…he was extremely zealous in this dancing, setting your body aflame with lust.

Give me your hand

I'll show you things you've never done

Hold my head

I'll make you feel like never before

Even in your delirious stupor you admire his technique; so precise and controlled as your bodies move as one. If this is how he is with his clothes on…you couldn’t wait to see what he had in store for you at the end of this thrilling game. Your eyes flutter open as both your bodies spin, and he continues to lead you in a few more as he stands stationary. His hand on your back signals you to stop and he dips you down to his knee, his glorious legs spread wide to accommodate your body. In turn you grandly extend your arm out, showing off your sexy red dress as your daring leg lunges out. A sultry grin pulls at your lips, enjoying the rush of elation that wafts through you. As your about to be lifted back to your feet your eyes catch the reflection in the mirror.

Vergil isn’t looking down at you as you sensually stretch your body. He’s looking up…at the mirror. Jaw clenched, mouth partially open as he harshly breaths, and his eyes are practically glowing as they roam your body. Pleasure surges through your body as you witness for the first time a slip in his controlled façade. It’s very sexy and you want nothing more than to pull his face down and kiss him senseless. But your in it to win it. So, you decide to test his resolve once more. You show off your slender neck as you raise your hand up to it and stroke your skin all the way down your chest while letting your mouth drop open in ecstasy.

Take off your clothes

Give me your trust

Look me in the eyes and confess your lust

Suddenly, he forcefully lifts to your feet and pulls your backwards, a hard chest colliding with your back. Vergil takes your hand and encircles it around you as his lips come to your ear, pressing lightly as they descend down to your neck. You feel his lips smirk against your quickening pulse as his tongue comes out to taste your skin. This time you don’t even try to stop the soft groan that leaves your lips. His arousal is very evident as you instinctively rub your bottom against his hips. Vergil hisses and nibbles at your neck as he spreads your arms out, rocking his hips forward to indicate where he wants you to step. God damn tease! you thought exasperatedly, but you also had to applaud his tenacity. You can feel yourself slipping, but you press on, not wanting to give in just yet.

Get on your knees

Beg me to stop

I promise I'll love you if you do it

So do it for me

Just as you take a step away from him you feel him follow, lingering for just a moment before leading you in a twirl back to his side. You raise your hands gracefully above your head, doing a couple more turns before coming to a halt in Vergil’s arms with a sudden snap. His body is as close as it can get, the bulge in his pants now against your hip. You feel his fingers fondle your waist as he lowers his head atop yours. His eyes are half closed, darkening with desire as he unabashedly looks at your lips. As your hands lower onto his sculpted arms, you tilt your head up as far as you can. You stare up at him desperately as you offer your lips, seeking some relief from the hot tension that’s been steadily rising since the start of this dance.

Vergil lowers his head until his lips are but a scant breath away from your mouth. His eyes peer into yours, gleaming as his lips firmly brush against yours own. You hum your appreciation at this long awaited moment, eagerly kissing back as his hands come up to your arms. Instead of deepening the kiss he infuriatingly bends his knees, intending to continue on with the dance. You weakly whine in protest, but a low rumbling growl alerts you that he will not be swayed. His lips sadly leave you as he guides you once more, his steps even more demanding than the last time.

You follow him…except this time you don’t let him have all the reins. To show your displeasure at his torturous teasing you decide to put more emphasis on your legs. Specifically, taking advantage of the split seam of your dress. You spread your legs wider than necessary, showing off your skimpy panties in a risqué manner every so often. Normally this action would be a waste, but with the mirrored wall…there’s a chance that Vergil can’t resist checking out the reflection. By the way his movements start to be more domineering and the distinct cadence of harsh breathing he was indeed noticing your very sheer panties.

Say my name

All I wanna do is hear you scream in pain

Say my name

I promise I'll love you if you do it

So do it for me

After a couple more flashes of your clothed sex, Vergil abruptly pauses and you can see fire in his eyes. Not so fun when its turned on you now, is it? You just keep the routine going, trusting that he’ll support you as you give him a naughty smile, bending your back in a full arch towards the mirror. You can see yourself there, hair dangling wildly and your breasts boldly displayed for only his eyes to feast on. This rewards you a guttural grunt and you can’t help to feel accomplished at finally hearing him let loose.

In the mirror you can now see his face openly showing his ravenous desire. His hand slides down behind you and grabs a handful of your ass, squeezing it as he grinds his hips into you. A sharp dart of pleasure shoots through you as a gasp escapes your lips. You gradually lift your body back up to him and purposely sift your fingers through his hair, hoping that it will be enough for him to finally give in and have his way with you. No such luck. All he does his scoff indignantly and twist you around, determined to endure until the end.

You huff in agitation, but also refuse to back down as well. The song is nearing its end, blasting its erotic beat as Vergil holds nothing back in this explosive finale. He swirls you around relentlessly around the floor, using his body to support you sporadically as your feet flicker and kick in the air. At one point he displays his strength when he wraps his arms around your waist, picks you up, and flips your body up onto his shoulders. You let the momentum carry you as your legs swing around behind his neck, trusting him to carry you through this stunt. His arms expertly catch you and immediately he twirls you a few times before ending in a triumphant dip.

Holy shit. You are so aroused that you couldn’t stand it anymore. Your body goes limp as Vergil picks you back up carefully, having no more energy to go on in this state. He gently cradles your head and lifts it to examine your face with scrutiny. You breath is rapid, your breasts straining against your dress as they rose and fell in time with your breath. At this point you probably look totally flushed and sweaty from the sexual intensity of the dance. But at this point you didn’t care. You needed this man to kiss you, to touch you…to fuck you so badly. This whole scenario was your idea, confronting him about this obvious attraction you both have for each other and doing something about it. He’s responded above and beyond expectations spectacularly at this point, but you feel that you’re at the point of no return. All you can do is hope that the risk was worth it…and await his next move.

Vergil traps you in a vice grip close to his body. His hand angles your head up and you notice that his face is immobile, but his hooded eyes shine with satisfaction. He leans in and captures your lips ferociously, making you cry out in delight as your arms wrap around his neck. His tongue instantly demands your mouth to open and you comply, enjoying the taste of black tea and mint as he explores every corner of your mouth, leaving no place untouched by him.

Distracted by his heavy kisses you didn’t notice his hand leave the back of your head until you felt a soft smack on your butt. You release a muffle moan against his mouth, encouraging him with a small bite on his bottom lip. He merely grumbles and proceeds to mercilessly make out with you. His sly hand creeps down over the curve of your ass, its path unyielding as it slides over the backside of your thigh. He prompts you to lift your leg with a slight squeeze of his fingers. You groan meekly as you do as your told, his hand holding it in place before slipping down over your knee and extending the rest of your leg out. He abruptly pulls his mouth away from yours, ignoring your cry of protest as he holds your foot high in the air. He then moves his body in a way that tells you he wants to turn you away, and to keep your leg up as you sweep it around.

He’s still trying to finish the dance…what a handsome, insufferable man. You sigh and shake your head in disbelief, but you didn’t want to disappoint him. So, you spin your back to him, making sure to really show off your lovely leg. When your back is completely flat with his chest Vergil bends your leg backwards around his waist as he lowers his body as if he was dipping you. This stretches your body in a pleasing pose, open and reliant on his arms to keep you steady. You happen to notice that you're facing the mirror, and its only then that you realize what he’s done. His expression is pure sin as his hands quickly shoot across your body. One hand gropes a breast while the other glides over your delicate center. You gasp out, unable to move away as he strokes your damp panties at an agonizing pace. All you could do is moan and watch all this unfold in the mirror, completely at this wicked man’s mercy.

A husky chuckle sounds close to your ear. “My, my…all this for me?” Vergil softly scoffs as his hand speeds up slightly, emphasizing the slickness in which they move. You whimper as you try to move your hips to ease the pressure, but its no use; he’s got you right where he wants you. You feel a hum vibrate against your ear. In the mirror you see Vergil nibble on your ear, making you twitch against him as his hand completely cups your sex. His eyes catch yours in the mirror and he grins smugly.

“Look at you…wet, wanton…and all mine,” he grumbles and bites down on your neck, sucking it hard as he marks you. You gasp out in pain, but the fingers on your wet panties tease you, rubbing close to your hot clothed entrance which eases the pain into rough pleasure.

“Ah…Vergil…please…I need…ah!” You plea softly, hoping that he either gives you release with that wonderful hand of his or tears your clothes off and fucks you senseless.

Vergil releases your neck and whispers in your ear. “Your begging pleases me…so, what does my temptress want, hmm? Tell me…hold nothing back. And perhaps I’ll reward you with what you desire.”

You take a shaky breath and find his eyes in the mirror, making sure you have his attention as you voice all the things you’ve wanted to do to him since you’ve first met. “I want to see you naked. I want to run my hands up and down your legs as I suck your cock. I want to taste you…fuck you…please, Vergil! I need-”

Suddenly Vergil straightens his form, taking you with him as he forcefully turns you around to face him and slams his lips against yours. His arms squeeze you against his chest as he lifts your feet off the floor and props his thigh in between your legs. The sudden hard friction against your aching center makes you moan in sweet relief, your hips rocking subconsciously as you sought out any kind of release. You didn’t care if your looked like an animal rutting in heat…it felt too good for you to care at the moment.

Vergil’s keen eyes took notice of your subtle humping of his leg and one hand reaches behind you, expecting him to halt your movements…but instead he guides your hips as he presses his thigh closer to you. You can feel every indention of his pants and the smooth shift of his muscled leg. Your mouth leaves him as a stunning moan escapes your lips. It felt absolutely delicious, but you could feel your cheeks redden in embarrassment. This also didn’t escape his notice as a wicked laugh leaves his devilish lips.

“A truly salacious sight! Playing coy while finding pleasure on my thigh…does it feel good? Pleasuring yourself on my leg?” he asks as he grinds against you to add extra friction. You whine and nod your head, desperately trying to hold back from reaching your peak. But he continues to rock your hips against his thigh, and at this rate you’ll explode before any of your clothes come off. Vergil bends his head down against yours, his eyes fixate on your face as he spoke in a low, rumbling tone. “Don’t wait. Show me what my temptress looks like when she’s in the throes of passion.” Your eyes widen in shock at his words, your vulgar hips slowing a bit. Vergil huffs in displeasure and presses you closer to his leg. Taking the hint that he really meant it…you vigorously rub yourself on his thigh, letting go of all reservations and just give in to his naughty demand. All the tension that’s built up since meeting this man is coming to a head. You can hear Vergil’s labored breath as he watches, enraptured by watching you pleasure yourself on his leg.

“That’s right,” he mutters, spurring you on with his deep sensuous voice. “Come on.”

Vergil’s soft command is all it takes to finally bring you over the threshold. Your body tenses as you cry out in fervor, no longer caring that you got off on a man’s thick thigh. You vaguely register your dress being unzipped and a warm hand cupping your breast, a calloused thumb circling your nipple as it prolongs your high. Your hands clutch onto Vergil’s vest urgently, making sure that you were secure as a shiver runs through body. It makes your toes curl in your heels and your legs twitch as you slow your hips, letting the pleasurable wave carry you before it recedes and you float back down to reality.

When you come to your senses your open eyes and see Vergil staring down at you with awe. “Now that…was a ravishing show,” he marvels as he fully takes your dress off up over your head. “Worthy of applause…” He removes his thigh, the obvious slickness of your orgasm shining on his pants. You feel your cheeks blush as Vergil takes a finger and swipes some of it. “And an encore.” He brings that finger to his mouth and sucks, moaning softly at the taste of you.

You bite your lip and tilt your head to the side as you trail your hand down your body, pulling on the skimpy strap of your panties and snapping them back against your hip. This entices Vergil into action as he steps up close to you and grabs your hands, placing them on his still clothed chest. “Remove all my clothing and get on your knees,” he orders fiercely, making you shiver in anticipation as your fingers swiftly undid the buttons of his vest. You peel it away to reveal his well toned chest, and it takes everything in you to not reach out and feel every muscle. You kneel down and unbuckle his boots, removing them as he lifts each foot for you.

That only left him in his pants. As you undo the clasp at his waist you gaze up at Vergil, silently thanking him for letting you indulge in your fantasy. He smirks and his fingers caress your cheek, thumb coming up to your bottom lip and brushing it tenderly. You open your mouth and gently suck his thumb in, giving him a preview of what is to come. His lips curl up in a quiet snarl as your hands begin to pull his pants down with his underwear, your fingers caressing every inch of his legs you can get to on the way. His cock pops free and you can’t help to pause and admire its impressive size. You hear Vergil laugh, its cocky cadence echoing throughout the room.

“Eager to suck my cock and taste greatness?” he inquires boldly as he raises an eyebrow at you. You finish removing his pants and look back up at him, flashing him an impish grin as you blow a bit of air on the white hair trailing down to your prize. He hisses and grabs a handful of your hair, holding you still as he lightly palms his erection.

“Mmm…if you want me to taste greatness then you better hurry and shove that glorious cock of yours in my mouth,” you remark playfully. Vergil scoffs and releases your hair, his eyes gesturing for you to proceed with your dirty deed. You scoot a bit closer and make good on your claim, sliding your hands all over his calves and thighs. One of your hands gently grabs the base of his cock, holding it steady as you take your first lick on the tip. A pearl of precum spreads across your tongue and you moan at the taste. Cool and salty…just like the man standing before you.

You lavish every inch of his cock in earnest with your tongue, getting him ready for the warm cavern of your mouth. A long rumbling growl lets you know that he’s feeling good. His fingers are back in your hair, stroking your scalp encouragingly as you worship him. You suck the tip of his cock into your mouth, swirling your tongue all round his head. Vergil grunts openly, not longer trying to retrain himself. You open your mouth and take in as much of him as you can, and begin to lazily suck his cock. His fingers massage your head enthusiastically and his breathing becomes staccato. Your eyes flicker over to the mirror and see his face the picture of total rapture. This makes your body heat up, seeing this man so relaxed…and it was all thanks to you.

Feeling motivated to really impress him you prepare to blow his mind. Your hands trail down his thigh, nails slightly scratching his skin as you open your throat and take all of him down to the base before quickly withdrawing to the tip. Vergil gasps above you, the muscles of his legs going taunt as his fingers grip your hair roughly. You do this a few more times, working your throat for his size before grasping his ass with both hands. Your eyes drift back to the mirror as you bury his entire length into your mouth, stopping at the base and suck hard. Vergil’s head falls back as a groan bursts from his lips and he growls when you start to gently thrust your mouth against his cock. His eyes again meet the mirror and you both watch as you do your damn best to drive him crazy. Your nipples harden and your slick heat aches as you feel the skin of his cock growing taunt, a sign that he’s close to release. You moan and once again your hips subconsciously rock to ease the tension. Vergil rubs your hair as he pointedly looks you in the eye in the mirror.

“Bring yourself pleasure once more. Let me hear how much you love the taste of my cock,” he commands.

You don’t have to be told twice. You bring one hand down to your core and slip it beneath your soaked panties. Remembering that Vergil is watching you in the mirror you balance yourself on your heels and provocatively spread your legs wide, making sure he sees you energetically rub yourself. You don’t last too long as you feel your body quickly respond to such an erotic sight. Your let your muffled scream ring out as you come again, almost missing the distinct quiver of his cock about to release. His guttural snarl signals you to prepare for his seed as it gushes into your mouth. You swallow every single drop, humming as you savor this man’s unique taste.

When his cock has no more seed to give you slowly remove your mouth, careful not to scratch him with your teeth now that he’s growing soft again. You settle down on your knees and rest your head on his hip as your arms hug his legs for balance. Vergil’s hand is still in your hair, gently petting your head as his labored breaths start to even out. In the mirror you see him staring calmly down at you. His hand cradles your head and lifts it up so he can see your face. Smoldering silver eyes with flickering blue hues take in your messy hair, swollen lips, and shaking body. You stare back up at your dancing devil and grin mischievously.

“So, did I truly dance with the devil?” you ask as your hands knead his thighs.

“Mmm…you are a bewitching vision on the dance floor, my lady,” he says with a charming grin. You beam up at him as he helps you to your feet. You sigh in relief to be off your knees as Vergil pulls you close, his bare chest against your sensitive nipples as he kisses you softly. You instantly respond and let him deepen it, the heated rush of before gone and replaced with lazy strokes of the tongue. When he breaks away you take the opportunity to voice the inevitable.

You tilt your head questioningly. “Well, that was the best dance I’ve ever had, but…now what?”

Vergil’s brow furrows in deep thought and for the first time since meeting him…he looks hesitant. “I am uncertain. I normally don’t indulge in spontaneous trysts.”

You squint your eyes in amusement. “Spontaneous trysts? That’s the fanciest way to say one night stand I have ever heard,” you giggle softly as your hands rub his smooth chest.

Vergil leers down at you mockingly as his hand spanks your bottom. “If you know what the proper etiquette is for this social situation then by all means…enlighten me.”

You bite your lip to hide your gleeful smile. “I don’t know if I would call it etiquette...but you just need figure out if you and your partner want to continue to see each other. If we decide to end it here and go about our separate ways, then we take the lovely memories of each other with us and recall them fondly when we’re lonely…but…” Your voice trails off as you slide your hands around his neck, looking up at him with hooded eyes. “The night is still young and as much as I love idea of letting you have your way with me standing in front of that mirror…my heels are killing my feet.”

You take a step back and look Vergil directly in the eye. “Come home with me. I have music, wine, and enough space for more dancing if it suits you.” Your eyes pointedly glance over at the mirror. “I also happen to have a mirror…right above my bed.”

Vergil has you back in his arms in an instant. He growls as he grinds his hips against you, his slightly hardening cock rubbing against your sheer panties. “You would invite the devil into your bed? Well, well…you truly are a brave temptress.”

You moan softly and give him a peck on his cheek. “I just know what I want…and I want you, Vergil,” you whisper as you wait for his answer. His fingers dig into your hips for a moment before he captures your lips in a heated kiss, igniting your desire once more. When he pulls away you see can practically see the dark promise of pleasure gleaming in his eyes.

“Allow me to lead the way out, my lady.”

Both of you help each other get dressed, once again letting your touches linger in your renewed game of seduction. Once you had all your belongings gathered you notice that Vergil is now holding what looks to be a katana. You raise your eyebrow quizzically, not really knowing how you haven’t noticed it until now, but you just shrug it off because its not strangest thing to see around here. As you head towards the door Vergil stops you and directs you to stand behind him. You are about to ask him why when he unsheathes his sword and swiftly cuts a cross in the air. As he sheaths his sword with a disciplined flourish, a blue light suddenly lights up the room as reality seems to rip open a portal before you. All you could do is stare dumbfounded at this display of power as Vergil turns to you and offers his arm to you. His nonchalance about the whole thing snaps you out of your astonished daze and you look at him incredulously as you take his arm.

Vergil lets out a cocky laugh. “I hope you’re prepared, my temptress.” He leans down and his low tenor voice whispers in your ear. “Because I won’t be leaving your bed until you’re bargaining for your sweet release and screaming my name.”

Once again he sets your body aflame as you finally realize that he must one of the prolific demon hunters of Red Grave City. Well shit…I really did dance with the devil! Vergil flashes you a devilish grin before leading you through the miraculous portal, towards whatever sinful games he has planned for you. You wrap yourself around his arm, pressing your breasts against him and looking up at him with hunger in your eyes.

How can you not resist another dance with this handsome devil?

Read on my Ao3

My Master List of you want more. ❤

[beedalee]

Adoptables - Halloween 2019 on DeviantART!

🎃 Adopts Terms of Service 🎃 What Are Adoptables? 🎃

🎃  RULES/INFO:

- Terminology: OPEN = available | #/# = number of designs left on sheet | HOLD = 24/48 hour hold is active | PENDING = invoice sent | SOLD = adopted - First come, first serve! I will hold for 24 hours- My Paypal Invoices will expire after 24 hours after they are sent! - I reserve the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason! Please be polite when inquiring about buying a design. - You may buy the design as a gift for someone else, but you must tell me who the giftee is! Contact me via note if it's a surprise! - After payment is received, you will get the FULL SIZE, un-watermarked, transparent version of the design you purchased! Please do not upload the full size anywhere to prevent theft, and do not remove my signature from the design for any reason! Please read my ToS and Adoptables journal linked above for more information. - Lace border credit: here!

🎃  PAYMENT:

- I accept paypal, debit/credit (no paypal account required), or DA points equal to the cash value! - If you pay by e-check/directly via bank account, I will send the full res after the payment clears! Please leave sufficient funds in your bank for it to clear properly like a one would with a regular check. Read my ToS for more info! - You receive the full size un-watermarked transparent version of the design after payment has been received! Thank you!!

Please click the read-more for information, order form, and availability status; OR go to the deviantart link above! If you want to buy one via tumblr, please private message me ONLY, do NOT use asks or they may get lost!  💓  If you have a question please don't hesitate to ask!!! I'll do my best to help you out!

🦇 Temporary Limit: 1 DESIGN PER PERSON! (This includes via gifting) Limitation expires November 4th at 3:00pm MST 🦇

Gifting limit is 1 gift per buyer, and only if the giftee hasn't already purchased one on this sheet themselves! Example: Buyer 1 may purchase 'adopt A' for themselves and purchase 'adopt C' as a gift for Person 2- ONLY IF Person 2 has not bought one themselves. Giftees cannot buy a 2nd one during this limitation if they have been gifted one already! This post will be updated and watchers notified when this limit is over, thank you for understanding! 💓

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🦇🎃   PRICE AS MARKED! 1/6 OPEN! 🎃🦇

Each comes with little character blurbs, but you don't have to keep them! Feel free to change their powers/theme color/gender id/personality to your liking. Also, feel free to shift their color theme as well! These are just fun prompts for me.

🦇 ROW 1: 45.00 USD PER SET

Cute Lil Devil: O P E N !

-  A sickeningly sweet little girl who knows just how to play up her charms to get what she wants. she's spoiled and smart, a clever little monster not to be trifled with! Although she could recruit just about any human soul to do her bidding with a poke of her tail, she has high standards... they must be pretty and cute like her!

Autumn Shadow: S O L D ! 🎃

-  A meek young girl suffering from low self esteem- she's lonely and would consider herself a coward, often obedient to mean girls her age and hiding from conflict even if it meant putting someone else in harms way. but the night after a festival turns frightening when a strange supernatural creature attacks civilians, sending her fleeing into the dark woods with an injury. unexpectedly, she's approached by a mysterious person who seems to understand what's happening- and they have a proposal for her. will she accept the power to protect others, and at what cost?

Will-O-Wisp:  S O L D!

-  Librarian by day, this dreamy lady is friendly and sweet, if not a little mysterious- here one moment and gone the next. By night, she is an ethereal banshee and gatekeeper to another dimension- of mystical spirits and terrifying monsters. Though she may be gentle and soft-spoken, there is a reason she alone was tasked to guard this doorway-- and she will show no mercy to those that aren't granted permission to enter it!

🦇 ROW 2: 48.00 USD PER SET

Dark Arts: S O L D !

- This lazy kid spends most of his days sleeping through class, loafing around after school, playing video games and staying up too late. Who would suspect such an underachiever would have expertise in all that is paranormal, and be such good friends with sometimes unsavory mischievous spirits? well, we all have our hobbies...

Half Wolf:  S O L D !

- A young street urchin that's there one moment and gone the next, stealing what they can to survive. This abandoned halfling werewolf was raised by real wolves, who they are fiercely protective of. They're searching for other werewolf companions in a world where they're ruthlessly hunted. Being isolated from other people for so long, they barely know how to speak human tongue.

Kiss of Death: S O L D !

- A gentle but mysterious woman, she enjoys the company of birds and always seems to know the future before it happens. well versed in tarot and astrology. as the goddess of death, she is kind and merciful to those that deserve it, and will gracefully guide those to the afterlife with a kind smile. for the dark-hearted souls that try to defy the rules of death, however...

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🎃 ORDERING:

You MUST include the order form in your comment or note, or you may miss out on the adoptable! Please use it. If you're on mobile, you may just type it out instead of copying it if it's easier. Here's a breakdown of each entry:

do you agree to my ToS?: by writing "yes", you agree to the terms and conditions listed in it, so be sure to read it!

payment method: paypal, DA points, bank or debit, credit card, etc!

email: either your paypal email or an active email i can send the paypal invoice to. If a family member or friend is paying on your behalf, you must state that here.

design name: name of the design you're buying, which is listed on the design sheet!

is it a gift? optional, you don't have to include this section if it's just for you! if you want the recipient of this gift private, please note me your order form instead!

🎃 ORDER FORM:

do you agree to my ToS?: payment method: email: design name: is it a gift:

[relievingthewardrobe]

100 ways to be Elegant

1. Send thank you notes, always and to everyone. 2. Practice good posture 3. Speak more softly 4. Listen without interrupting 5. Wear solid colors 6. Ignore fads, or use them sparingly 7. Have a signature wine that you serve at home 8. Wear only 2-3 accessories 9. Have impeccable manner 10. Read on a variety of topics 11. Maintain a budget 12. Study the arts 13. Have one signature perfume/cologne 14. Show restraint in expressing anger 15. Learn the art of conversation 16. Learn French 17. Wear a trench coat 18. Learn how to wear a scarf 19. Wear a tuxedo, when one is called for 20. Practice quality over quantity 21. Don't yell or scream 22. Learn to dance the waltz 23. Have one fabulous signature meal you serve guests 24. Remember birthdays 25. Go on picnics 26. Wear dresses/suits more often, and on dates 27. Simplify your life, your home and your calendar 28. Wear pearls 29. Open the door for ladies 30. Let him open the door for you 31. Remember that it's more important to be kind than it is to be right 32. Serve coffee or tea after meals 33. Arrive exactly on time 34. Don't complain 35. Dress to travel 36. Be well traveled 37. If you're a women, don't wear black shoes between Memorial Day and Labor Day...wear spectator pumps instead 38. Keep your home clean and uncluttered 39. When guests stay over, put a small pitcher and glass for water on their nightstand, along with a book they might enjoy 40. Learn how to host a small dinner party 41. Have one subdued solid color scheme throughout your home, use accessories to add color 42. Learn how to make the perfect martini 43. Learn how to tie both a regular tie and a bow tie (whether you're a man or a woman) 44. Be a lady or a gentleman at work, especially when delivering a difficult message or when tempers flare 45. Wear lovely/handsome hats 46. Don't point out the mistakes of others 47. Wait your turn patiently 48. Don't curse 49. Chew each bite 20 times 50. Sip your drink 51. Learn proper etiquette for all situations 52. Accept compliments graciously 53. Be quietly self confident 54. Don't boast 55. Be respectful of others 56. Have fresh flowers in your home 57. Write a letter rather than send an email to those you love 58. Keep your nails well manicured 59. Maintain your shoes and clothing 60. Don't ever lose your joie de vivre 61. Be well groomed 62. Remember that money does not equal elegance, nor is it necessary to be elegant 63. Wear less make-up 64. Wear well-fitting clothes 65. Spray lavender on your sheets 66. Be positive 67. Learn to politely say no 68. Be concerned with making others feel comfortable 69. Maintain good health 70. Don't overindulge 71. Hold yourself to high standards 72. Turn your mobile off at dinner PLEASE 73. Wear simple, classic hairstyles 74. "Think before you speak or act. Ask yourself, can anything good come from this? 75. Apologize quickly and sincerely 76. Have integrity, even when no one is looking. 77. Don't speak ill of others, or gossip 78. Always take a gift to your host or hostess 79. Tie a scarf on your handbag 80. Take a clutch in the evening 81. Wear well fitting jeans with either a long sleeve white shirt or solid sweater for more casual events 82. Only wear sneakers for exercise 83. Use white sheets, white towels, white dishes 84. Be sure your clothes are pressed 85. Your car's horn should say "pardon me, but do you see me?", rather than get out of my way!" 86. Overdo empathy 87. Light candles in your home 88. Go for walks in the park on Sunday 89. Give others sincere compliments 90. Understand your own worth 91. Learn how to open a bottle of champagne 92. Dress appropriately for the occasion 93. Do small favors for others, without expecting anything in return 94. Say please and thank you 95. Take the time to stop and listen to others, especially children 96. Take responsibility for yourself and your own happiness 97. Keep a journal 98. Give thoughtful gifts, rather than expensive ones 99. Less is more 100. Savor the moment