#more tags than i thought the post would have

[lenaswritingandstuff]

Dating the Slytherin boys (+ Harry) - HEADCANONS

Requested: No

Characters: Mattheo Riddle, Tom Riddle, Theodore Nott, Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, Regulus Black, Harry Potter (+ y/n)

Warnings: NSFW mentions, English is not my first language

A/N: I'm not sure I like this but here we go. However I have to say I like Regulus' one so I might turn his version into a one shot one day (when uni won't be killing me slowly). This will include also the pre-dating/flirting stage as well. Comments and feedback are always appreciated. Enjoy! ^^

Tag list: @helendeath @im-jesus

Tag list for this story: @anawritez-posts @pumpkinchee @alwayslatetothefandoms

Mattheo Riddle:

His feelings for you probably confused him at first 

If he falls first, he either won’t let you know or will do everything to get your attention (‘Hey, y/n, come sit here, the seat is free!”, “y/n, do you mind helping me with homework for Snape? I can’t bloody do it”, “How about we go to Hogsmeade, just you and me?”, “you look beautiful, y/n”)

Your love for him always calms him when he gets anxious or when he’s upset, especially after his father comes back

Will tell you things he never told anyone

Would rather spend time with you than with his friends

Is terrified something will happen to you because of his father 

VERY jealous, but trusts you

Despite easily getting angry, he can’t get mad at you. Even during arguments 

LOVES sleeping in your arms or when you just hold him

He's crazy about your body

Loves showering with you, and we both know how it often ends

HOT, passionate sex

Will randomly eat you out without expecting anything in return (doesn't mind if you return the favor, though)

100% calls you "baby" or "love" all the time

Doesn’t care about what anyone thinks of him as long as you love him

Your love makes him feel lighter and stronger

You're his whole world

Feels bad when he hears someone criticize you for dating him 

Always makes sure you don’t overwork yourself, and makes sure you get enough sleep, water and food, and comforts you when you're anxious

Holds your hands when he's anxious or stressed

Will listen to anything you have to say 

Crazy about your perfume

Theodore Nott:

Struggles to express his love or feelings in general, at least in the beginning 

Has never done serious relationships before, and it may cause some trouble in your relationship, as you end up believing he doesn’t care about you

It causes many fights, and the last one will be the first time he says ‘I love you’

Always goes to you for comfort 

Loves sleeping with you in his arms/on his laps, or cuddling, and with time he can’t sleep without you

Loves watching you sleep 

Loves having you on his lap

Always gets you great gifts (even randomly)

“Well, it thought it was pretty, and…it reminded me of you.”

Will fight any guy who is rude to you or acts like a creep 

Very jealous (trusts you, doesn’t trust others)

Doesn’t mind PDA at all, will gladly hold your hand or kiss you in public

Always has a hand on your waist or around your shoulders 

Very supportive in everything you do, even when he doesn’t understand it/isn’t really interested in it

Isn’t very good with comforting people (mostly because he's not used to it), but will hold you and listen to you as long as you need, can even give you advice/reassurance 

Every compliment/'I love you' you say melts his heart and means much more to him than he shows, same goes for anything you do for him

Loves doing fun things, even if it’s just throwing snowballs at each other during winter (which ends in loving kisses, just savouring the joy of being together)  

Love getting in a pool with you and playing "childish" games during summer

Any form of intimacy means A LOT to him 

He's used to hooks up and "fucking" but it takes him a bit of time to have sex with you (despite being crazy about you and your body) because you mean everything to him and with you it's really making love instead of just "fucking"

The first time is loving and slow yet passionnate (eye contact at all times, hands holding, desperate kisses from him), and it gets a bit rougher and passionate the next times (but aftercare, which he isn't used to, is always on point and keeps getting better)

Is secretly very insecure, and is terrified you will leave him (especially for another “better” guy) 

Craves your touch and your love but won’t admit it

His boggart is probably you being dead alongside his mother

Will tell you sweets things in Italian

Very clingy in private - and also in public with time

With you he learns to be happier and discovers a happier side of himself he didn't know he had

Loves you much more than he actually shows at first 

Will often say you're all he has (and means it)

But with time, you have no reason to doubt his love and he’s the perfect boyfriend

Blaise Zabini:

Probably will court you like the gentleman he is

He doesn’t trust people easily and might be a little distant (while always polite and kind) in the early stages of your relationship 

But with time he becomes very warm and smiles a lot

Always kisses the top of your hand or your forehead 

Doesn’t do much PDA except for holding hands and kisses on your forehead

However in private he’ll 100% cuddle you and hold you

Dates in parks or restaurants  

Get you flowers at least once a month

Will always defend you against others 

One of his love languages is acts of service

Lorenzo Berkshire:

You either were friends before dating or he fell in love with you at first sight, there is no in between

Takes you on fun dates (arcade, funfair, theme parks) 

Can be shy at the beginning, which will make it a bit hard for him to talk about how he feels about you

Movie nights where you two eats lots of snacks and sweets while cuddling 

Always smiles when you enter a room

So supportive 

Loves when you're on his lap

He has no problem with PDA

Quickly willing to meet your family if you agree

He’s a great listener and mostly gives good advices 

Loves taking naps with you 

Always makes you sure you get enough sleep, water and food

Won’t let you get yourself into dangerous situations

Loves to go anywhere with you, no matter the activity and even if he just follows you around 

Many pet names

If you're Muggleborn or grew up among Muggles, he will totally ask you questions about the muggle world

Passionnate sex, will get rough if he hasn't seen you in a long time or if it's angry sex after he got jealous

His aftercare is the best, and he's always thankful you trust him enough to have that form of intimacy with him

Draco Malfoy:

Won’t flirt at first with you but keeps wanting your attention

Tries to seduce you with expensive gifts, and is a bit taken aback when you say he doesn’t work

Continues to get you gifts, but will make sure they match your interests/tastes, and keeps expensive gifts for your birthdays and Christmas (even though he’d like to get them all year for you) 

At first he doesn't show any weakness in your presence

With you he’ll learn patience and to focus of more positive things, and also to stand up to his father

Takes you on dates every chance he gets

Will ditch his friends to spend time with you

Probably makes Crabbe and Goyle carry your bags or do things for you

So proud to be dating you, it might even make him more arrogant

Gets grumpy when jealous but after a kiss on the cheek he’s back to his normal self 

Will invite you to his home and write you nearly everyday during holidays

Hates it when Harry or any Gryffindor boy tries to talk to you

Surprisingly has no problem with PDA

Loves when you come to see him play during Quidditch matches

Tom Riddle:

Oh boy

It started with him admiring/watching you from afar, for he reason he can’t understand

SUPER confused by what he feels for you and why

Will probably try to get closer to you through homework or through books if he sees you read one

Will know everything about you, and will secretly follow you, saving you if you’re in danger with you never knowing who it was

Crazy about your perfume, so much so that it makes him steal one of your clothes just to be able to smell it anytime he wants

After a while, he’ll spend most of his time with you without ever admitting he likes it

Will probably let you know his feelings for you after he cast a spell on a guy for being a creep with you 

Won’t let another man touch you

Will ask Mattheo for advice to be better or to make you fall in love with him

Will do your homework without hesitation, even if he pretends that he hates it, and will leave explanations so you understand his answers/his work

No PDA except for holding hands or your hand under his arm, but will make sure to stay close to you at all times 

Is a surprisingly good listener 

VERY jealous, but surprisingly isn’t mad or suspicious at you

“Did you enjoy having his attention? Do you wish for me to show you how my attention is better?” 

He doesn't stress over homework or stuff like that, so he finds it ridiculous when you do (learns with time to be more understanding)

Will let flowers in your room with a note on it

Pretends to not care about the gifts you get him for his birthday or Christmas but it actually means so much to him as no one ever got him any gifts before 

Nothing the others say about him gets to him, but he gets angry when he hears someone say that you deserve better than him

Is secretly insecure about his background and the fact that he’s poor, and thinks you deserve better 

As Voldemort: Might be torn between continuing his goals for power or spending a simple life with you; is aware you’ll leave him if he gets on a darker path 

As Voldemort’s son: would do everything to protect you from his father, and if he’s forced to get the Dark Mark, he will makes sure you don’t know 

Possessive kisses 

Would hurt anyone who does you wrong

Borrows money from Draco to take you on dates or to get you gifts, as he feels like you deserve the nicest things, even though you keep telling him his mere presence is enough

May feel a little bit guilty that he can’t properly show you his love like “normal” boyfriends do 

Won’t admit it but considers you the only good thing in his life, and if he ever lost you he’d get on a dark path

Won’t cuddle at first, but if you wake up first you’ll find him sleeping close to you, with at least one of his hands touching you

Always notices when you don’t eat, sleep or drink enough

You’re the first (and only) person he will feel romantic love for

He has a bit of sexual experience before, but with you it's completely different - once you guys have sex for the first time, he becomes obsessed with your body and how it makes him feel

Loves fingering you

"You like it, dove?"

Even if you guys don’t work out, he won’t ever be with somebody else 

Would ask your parents for you hand in marriage, but honestly it's just out of politeness, the only answer that matters to him is yours

Regulus Black:

Like Blaise, he was raised the old fashioned way

Acts coldly towards everyone except you, his tone and eyes gets warmer and kinder when talking/looking at you, and you’re the only person he’ll smile at

You were his best (and only) friend and he has been in love with you for years

He hides his feelings very well, but one day you start dating someone else (thinking Regulus doesn’t share your feelings) but he can’t bear it and confesses his feelings

Always defends you

He’ll take you on restaurants or picnics dates, always bringing flowers

Mostly fine with PDA (holding hands, hands on your waist)

Thinks he’s very lucky to have you

Probably already starts thinking of marrying you during your last year at Hogwarts 

A bit jealous, but can’t stand it when Sirius tries to talk to you

Will gladly do your homework with/for you

Loves it when you sleep in each other’s arms, loves feeling you close

Loves it when you call him “Reggie” (only you is allowed to)

Will literally do everything you ask him to

You’re everything to him

Can’t stay away from you for long

Will get worried if you’re five minutes late

Always calls you “sweetheart” or “love”/”my love” 

Slow, romantic sex most of the time but sometimes he needs to be rougher

Thanks to you he’ll feel lighter and he will become kinder

You’ll even make him change his views on blood purity and stand up to his parents, and with time he gets closer to Sirius thanks to that (and you) 

If that doesn’t change and he still joins Voldemort, he’ll leave you a letter before going to the cavern, saying how much he loves you and how much you mean to him

Harry Potter:

Don’t expect any pet names from him, but he might create a nickname with your name (like he calls Ginny ‘Gin’ in the Cursed Child) 

His love languages are fierce protectiveness, loyalty and a patience he didn’t knew he had

Has no problem with PDA because he doesn’t care about what other people think  

Loves cuddles

Rarely gets mad at you, and feels guilty when he does

Mostly gets mad at you when you hurt yourself (for example during Quidditch) but it's also because he was scared for you

Hot kisses in private

Will be jealous if he sees you with another guy 

He’s passionate in a lot of things he does, and it includes you and everything you do

Will fiercely defend you again anyone, can even throw hands

Gets FURIOUS when Umbridge hurts you during detention, and will cuddle you for hours and do everything he can to make the pain disappear

Knows people are mean to you during fifth year because you're dating him and he hates it

During that year the only peace he feels is when he's holding you or when you sleep in his arms (it's also the only time he doesn't get nightmares)

Very supportive 

Loves getting you gifts 

You make him feel SO happy, he’ll just keep smiling for no reason 

Gets more and more clingy with time

Always write to you during the holidays (you always invite him to come to your house)

I'm not sure about sex while you guys are at Hogwarts but he 100% feels lust for you, there will definitely be hot making sessions when you guys are alone in a dark corner of the castle and it often ends up with you against the wall with your legs around his waist while he kisses your neck and caresses your legs

However sometimes he just can't stop himself and will eat you out (even maybe finger you at the same time), and will be proud when you come

Any act of service you do for him means a lot

You're always worried about him when he's at the Dursleys but he reassures you that he's fine

Comes to you in the middle of the night if he has a nightmare and generally comes to you for comfort or to rant 

Needs you more than ever after Voldemort comes back and after Sirius’ death 

Misses you like crazy during his quest for Horcruxes, and he can’t bear the thought of something happening to you 

Might struggle to show it, but he knows and is thankful of how patient and comprehensive you are with him, and that makes him want to be the best boyfriend he can be

Terrified Voldemort might hurt/kill you

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[emjayewrites]

Sakura Dreams 🌸 🇯🇵 🗼Jules Kounde (3/6)

SYNOPSIS: It was supposed to be a guys' trip to Japan after a disappointing ending to Euros, however, fate had another thing in mind.

PAIRINGS: Jules Koundé x fem!blackOC (Ayo Pratt) (faceclaim @/joie.ade)

WARNINGS: cursing, poor google translations, football b.s & drama, flirty!jules, eventual smut. MINORS DNI!!!

TAGLIST: @hopefulromantic1 @lettersofgold @sinflowersugar @mauvecherie-writes @queenshikongo3 @perfecttrashface @alika-4466 @peyiswriting @leilaxaliel @serpenttines-library @certifiedlesbianbaddie @niahxo @julescpu @jack0357 @chaoticcoffeequeen @greedyjudge2 @yeea-nah @saturnville @taytropicana @trentswrld @cranberryjulce @vile-harlot @2serenity0 @elyseesarchive @peaceiswonderful

A/N: Jules was in Japan, so of course I had to make a short series about it. Also, if you're a Jules girl, please let me know and I'll tag you in more chapters.

accordingtoayo • posted on their story 4 hours ago

story comments:

jkeey4:🚆⏩⛩️

nikkigal: ♥️♥️♥️

symonenotbiles: kyoto here we come!

Ayo shifted in her seat as the bullet train hurtled toward Kyoto, the sprawling countryside blurring into streaks of green and gray. The cool air inside the train was a sharp contrast to the heat that had been rising between her and Jules, especially last night. She stared out the window, but her mind was miles away, replaying the events of the night before.

She couldn’t help but wonder—what would have happened if Symone hadn’t gotten sick? Would she have stayed with Jules on the dance floor, let him pull her closer, tighter? Would she have followed him back to his room, let the heat between them finally boil over?

Ayo shifted again. It’s been awhile since she’d been with anyone, and there’s only so much her vibrator could do. Jules had been so close, his hands on her waist, his breath hot against her ear. She’d felt the hardness of his body pressed against hers and the slow, deliberate grind of his hips, like he was daring her to give in.

But then her friends needed her, and just like that, the moment evaporated. As she looked back at him on the dance floor, left alone and frustrated, she felt something she wasn’t used to—regret.

Across the aisle, Jules was deep in conversation with Wilhelm, his laughter cutting through the quiet murmur of the train. He glanced over at her, and their eyes met for just a second. There it was again—that flutter in her chest that made her both excited and anxious.

Last night had felt like a step forward, but just like that, they’d taken two steps back. Jules wanted her, that much was clear. But she wasn’t sure if she was ready to let him in. She usually enjoyed the chase, but this time… she wondered if he was getting tired of the back and forth, or worse, maybe she was.

"You good, Ayo?" Symone's voice cut through her thoughts. You've been staring at that window like it holds the secrets of the universe."

Ayo rolled her eyes. "I'm fine. Just... thinking."

"About a certain French hottie?" Symone waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"Shut up," Ayo muttered, but she couldn't help the small smile that tugged at her lips.

"So," Nikki leaned over the back of her seat. "What's the plan for Kyoto? Please tell me we're hitting up some hot springs. Mama needs to soak."

Ayo chuckled, grateful for the distraction. "I think there's an onsen near our hotel. We can check it out."

As the group buzzed with excitement, Ayo felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned, her heart skipping when she turned around and saw Jules sitting behind her seat. His expression was softer, more serious than before.

"Hey," he said quietly, as if the words were just for her. "I was thinking… maybe we could explore Kyoto together tonight. Just the two of us."

His offer hung in the air between them. Ayo hesitated for a moment, her heart racing. She could feel her defenses rising, the excuses forming on her lips. But there was something in the way he looked at her—like he was waiting for her to let him in.

"Yeah," she said finally, her voice softer than she intended. "I’d like that."

As the train pulled into Kyoto Station, Ayo felt a mix of excitement and nerves bubbling up inside her. The group gathered their belongings, chattering excitedly about their plans for the ancient city.

"Okay, so who's ready to go to some hot springs?" Gigi asked, practically bouncing as they made their way off the train.

Ayo hefted her bag onto her shoulder, stealing a glance at Jules. He was helping Nikki with her oversized suitcase, his muscles flexing under his t-shirt. She quickly looked away, cursing herself for acting like a horny teenager.

______________________________________________________

The bus ride to the hotel was filled with lighthearted chatter, the group's excitement palpable as they discussed their plans for Kyoto. Ayo found herself stealing glances at Jules, enjoying the way his eyes crinkled when he laughed.

Their hotel was a beautiful blend of traditional ryokan and modern luxury. The girls' suite was spacious, with sliding paper doors and a view of a serene garden. Meanwhile, the boys were staying at a different hotel just down the street.

As they settled in, she quickly changed out of her travel clothes, opting for a cute midi dress that showed off her curves without being too obvious.

Gigi noticed her primping in the bathroom and raised an eyebrow. "Ooh, someone's getting dolled up. Hot date?"

"Jules and I are going to explore a bit in an hour," Ayo mentioned casually to Gigi as she put on her lipgloss.

Gigi's eyes lit up. "Oh really?" she said, a hint of mischief in her voice. Before Ayo could respond, Gigi opened her big mouth and spilled the beans to the others.

Symone grinned mischievously as she made her way into the bathroom with Nikki hot on her heels. "Girl, are you finally gonna let that man show you his Eiffel Tower?"

Ayo rolled her eyes, fighting a smile. "We're just going sightseeing, you perv."

"Uh-huh," Nikki chimed in. "Sightseeing. Is that what the kids are calling it these days?"

Laughing, Ayo threw a bag of cotton balls at her friends. "Y'all are too much. Besides, Symone, if you hadn't gotten sick last night..."

Symone held up her hands in mock surrender. "Hey, don't blame me for unintentionally cockblocking. I'm just glad I'm feeling better to enjoy all this. 'Bout time you gonna let ol' boy hit. Lord knows it's been a while since you had Grade-A dick anyways."

"'Cuz you definitely wasn't getting it from Jamaal," Gigi quipped.

"Forreal," Nikki added with a disapproving frown. "Ol' two-pump-chump headass."

Ayo snorted, grabbing her perfume. "And you would know, huh?"

"Damn right 'cuz you told all of us!" Nikki said, winking. "But seriously, don’t act like you weren’t ready to take Jules home last night. Your eyes were screaming, ‘get me out of here.’ If it weren’t for SySy hugging that toilet bowl, you would’ve been out with him, sis."

Ayo couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, okay, I’ll admit—maybe. But you know I’m not that easy."

"Girl, ain't nothing wrong with getting what you need. Shit, I'm doing it myself with AK." Gigi said.

Nikki pointed at Ayo’s dress with a knowing look. "She didn’t put that on just to sightsee. You tryna get dicked down, don't lie."

Ayo rolled her eyes, a warmth creeping up her cheeks. "It’s just a dress. Can’t I look good for myself?"

"Sure," Symone drawled, smirking. "But if Jules doesn’t hit tonight, I’m gonna be disappointed in both of y’all."

Nikki chuckled, "Yeah, Jules ain't the type to play the long game forever. You might just find out tonight what that man’s working with."

Ayo sighed but smiled to herself, her nerves mixed with excitement. Her friends were right; she had been ready to go home with Jules last night before everything derailed. But she wasn’t sure what she’d have done if they’d made it back to his room. It had been a while since she’d been with someone, and despite her flirtations, Ayo wasn’t used to letting someone get this close.

"Well, no matter what happens, at least I know y’all will be nosy as hell about it," Ayo teased.

"You already know," Symone laughed. "Now go get yours, girl."

Just as the teasing died down, there was a knock at the door. Ayo glanced at the time—it had to be Jules. She took one last look in the mirror, fluffed her hair, and grabbed her purse. Time to see where tonight would lead.

Ayo took a deep breath as she approached the door, her heart fluttering with a mix of excitement and nervousness. She opened it to find Jules standing there, looking handsome in a casual button-down shirt and jeans.

His eyes lit up when he saw her. "Wow, Ayo," he said, his voice warm. "You look amazing. That dress, your hair - everything."

Ayo felt heat rise in her cheeks. "Thanks. You clean up pretty well yourself."

Jules's eyes lingered on her for a moment longer. "I really like your hair like this. The way it frames your face - it's beautiful."

Ayo smiled, feeling her nerves melt away as she looked up at him, her head touching her top knot unconsciously. "Thank you. Ready to go?"

Jules nodded, stepping back so she could join him in the hallway. As they started walking toward the lobby, she could feel the teasing gaze of her friends burning into her back, but she ignored them. Tonight was about her and Jules.

As they left the hotel, the gentle evening air of Kyoto enveloped them. The city's blend of ancient traditions and modern life created a magical atmosphere.

"So, where to first?" Ayo asked, falling into step beside Jules.

"I thought we could start with a walk along the Philosopher's Path," Jules suggested. "Then maybe we could grab something to eat. How does that sound?"

Ayo smiled. "Sounds perfect. I’m excited to see Kyoto like this."

Jules gave her another lingering look before nodding. "Yeah, me too."

They walked in comfortable silence at first, the sounds of the city buzzing around them as they made their way down the narrow streets. Every now and then, their arms brushed against each other, sending little sparks up Ayo’s spine.

As they passed through the old wooden buildings and paper lanterns lining the streets, Jules broke the silence. "You know, I was thinking... about last night."

Ayo felt a twinge of nervousness. She turned her head slightly, meeting his eyes. "Yeah?"

Jules nodded, looking thoughtful. "I just— I was really hoping we’d get more time to talk, you know? It felt like we were starting to get somewhere, and then..."

"Symone got sick," Ayo finished, a soft smile on her lips. "Yeah, I know. I was thinking about that too."

He looked at her closely, his eyes searching hers. "And? Where do you think we were heading?"

Ayo paused, biting her bottom lip as they continued walking. She had asked herself the same question earlier—what would’ve happened if she hadn’t had to leave? "I don’t know," she admitted quietly. "But I guess we’ll find out."

Jules’s eyes darkened slightly, his lips curving into a slow smile. "I like the sound of that."

They continued walking, the conversation flowing easily between them as they explored the streets of Kyoto. The soft glow of lanterns illuminated their path, and the air was filled with the scent of cherry blossoms and street food. Ayo felt her nerves fading as she became more comfortable with Jules, the teasing, the shared smiles—it all felt natural, as if they’d known each other much longer than just a few days.

Eventually, they found themselves at a small, tucked-away restaurant. Jules led her inside, and they sat across from each other in a cozy booth. Over bowls of steaming ramen and shared appetizers, the conversation continued to flow effortlessly.

"So," Jules said, between bites of gyoza, "tell me more about your modeling. How did you get started?"

Ayo smiled, twirling her chopsticks in her ramen. "It's kind of a funny story, actually..." She paused, wondering how much to share. "I was discovered at a McDonald's, of all places."

Jules raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips. "McDonald's? Were you the new face of Big Macs or something?"

Ayo snorted, nearly choking on her noodles. "God, no. I was just there with my friends after class, probably looking a hot mess, when this woman approached me."

"A hot mess in McDonald's? Sounds like my kind of night," Jules teased.

Ayo rolled her eyes, but couldn't help grinning. "Anyway, she handed me her card and said I had 'the look.' I thought it was a scam at first."

"To be fair, 'you have the look' does sound like a creepy pickup line," Jules mused.

"Right?" Ayo laughed. "But it turned out to be legit. Next thing I knew, I was doing local shoots, then New York Fashion Week, and now..." She gestured vaguely. "Here I am, eating ramen in Kyoto."

Jules's eyes sparkled with amusement. "Quite the upgrade from McDonald's, I'd say."

Ayo felt a warmth spread through her chest. "What about you?" she asked, trying to keep her cool. "How'd you end up in sports?"

Jules's expression turned thoughtful. "It was always the plan, I guess, but I never thought it could actually be reality."

Ayo's eyebrows shot up. "Why? What changed?"

Jules shrugged, a hint of vulnerability in his eyes. "Luck, I guess. Sports became my path when I was a teenager and I got lucky..."

Ayo leaned in, intrigued. "You're being pretty vague about this whole sports thing. What exactly do you do?"

Jules grinned mischievously. "I kick balls for a living."

"Come on," Ayo pressed, playfully narrowing her eyes. "Don't make me Google you."

Jules held up his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright. I play football professionally."

"Premier League pro?" Ayo asked, impressed. "Are you on FIFA?"

Jules chuckled. "Not quite. It's La Liga... same but different. La Liga is the top Spanish league, while Premier League is English. Both are top-tier, just different countries."

Ayo nodded, processing this information. "So you're kind of a big deal, huh?"

"I do alright," Jules said with a modest shrug, but his eyes twinkled with amusement.

"Mmhmm," she said, tilting her head to the side. "Enough to buy a Rolex? Seems better than alright to me."

Jules chuckled, a hint of color rising to his cheeks. "You caught me. I guess I'm doing better than just alright."

Ayo leaned forward, her curiosity piqued. "So, Mr. Big Shot, what's it like? Playing in front of thousands of people, being recognized on the street?"

Jules paused, considering his words carefully. "It's... intense. Exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. One moment you're on top of the world, the next you're public enemy number one because of a missed pass."

"Sounds stressful," Ayo mused, stirring her ramen thoughtfully.

"It can be," Jules admitted. "But there's nothing like the rush of a good game, you know? It's addictive."

Ayo nodded, understanding the feeling. "I get that. It's like when I'm on the runway. Everything else just... fades away."

"Exactly," Jules said, his eyes lighting up. "So, tell me about your most memorable show. Any wardrobe malfunctions I should know about?"

Ayo groaned, hiding her face in her hands. "Oh God, don't even get me started..."

Jules nodded, a smile playing on his lips. "Alright, well let's try this then. Favorite fashion show?"

Ayo's eyes lit up. "Oh, that's easy. Milan Fashion Week. It was my first time modeling internationally, being flown out and everything. There's something about being flown out, you know?"

Jules leaned in, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Maybe I'll have to fly you out to Barcelona sometime."

"Barcelona?" Ayo raised an eyebrow. "Is that where you live?"Jules nodded, and Ayo furrowed her brow. "I thought you lived in France?"

"For the summer, yeah. For the Euros," Jules explained, then noticed Ayo's confused look. "It's a major international football tournament," he added with a chuckle.

Ayo nodded, processing this information. "Barcelona, huh? Have you ever met Messi?" she asked jokingly.

Jules replied casually, "Yeah, he's a nice guy actually." Ayo's eyes widened in surprise, and Jules couldn't help but laugh. "It's crazy," he said, shaking his head in amusement. "You barely know anything about football, but you know Messi?"

Ayo shrugged, a sheepish smile on her face. "I only know minor things about football, mostly from conversations or social media. And it usually revolves around Beckham and Messi."

Jules pondered this for several beats, his expression thoughtful. Finally, he grinned. "Could be worse, I suppose. At least you didn't mention Ronaldo."

Ayo found herself increasingly drawn to Jules's charm and wit. She couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to see his world, to visit Barcelona and experience the excitement of a match day. But she quickly pushed the thought aside. This was just a vacation fling, wasn't it? No need to get ahead of herself.

After dinner, they wandered back through the quiet streets, their steps slower now, more deliberate. The tension between them had shifted—it wasn’t nervous or awkward anymore, but something charged, filled with unspoken potential.

Finally, as they reached the front of her hotel, Jules turned to her. "So... I’m picking you up for the temples tomorrow?"

Ayo smiled, nodding. "Yeah. I’m looking forward to it."

Her heart raced a little faster, but she wasn’t quite ready for the night to end. Jules was still standing there, hands in his pockets, looking at her with that relaxed, half-smiling expression that made her stomach flutter. Before she could think too hard about it, the words spilled out.

"Are you tired, Jules?"

Jules blinked, a bit taken aback. "What?"

"Are you tired?" Ayo clarified, her voice low and playful. "You know, sleepy?"

He tilted his head, catching onto her vibe. "Not really. Why, what’s up?"

Ayo glanced down the street toward his hotel, then back at him, her lip caught between her teeth in thought. She took a small step closer, her confidence building. "Well... I was thinking, maybe I could see where you're staying?"

Jules raised an eyebrow, amusement flickering in his eyes. "You wanna see my hotel?"

Ayo gave a playful shrug. "Yeah. I mean, if it’s cool with you. I’ve heard good things," she teased, biting back a smile.

His eyes gleamed with interest, and without hesitation, he slipped his hand to the small of her back, his touch warm and grounding. "Say less."

They walked together, heading toward his hotel just down the street. The energy between them shifted, the anticipation building. Ayo felt a mix of excitement and nervousness bubble up inside her, but she squared her shoulders, determined not to let it show. Jules walked a little closer to her now, his hand remaining at her back as they made their way down the softly lit street.

When they arrived at his hotel, the difference was obvious. While her hotel leaned into the traditional Japanese aesthetic, Jules's was sleek and modern, with sharp lines and glass walls.

"Okay, I admit it," Ayo said as they stepped through the automatic doors. "This is pretty nice."

Jules smirked. "Told you."

They made their way to the elevator, and Jules tapped the button for his floor. As they ascended, Ayo’s nerves stirred again. She wasn’t exactly sure what she was getting herself into, but the steady pressure of his hand on her back kept her grounded. When they stepped out of the elevator and started walking down the hall to his suite, Jules suddenly paused, his hand dropping from her back.

"Hold up," he said with a grin. "Let me check if any of the guys are here."

Ayo nodded as he slipped inside. She waited outside the door, her heart beating a little faster now. A few minutes passed before Jules’s head poked back out, a mischievous grin on his face.

"All clear."

She followed him inside, the door clicking shut behind her. Jules’s suite was spacious and modern, much like the hotel itself. The view of the city stretched out beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, but it was the cozy, dim lighting that made it feel more intimate.

Ayo wandered into the room, pretending to take in the view but acutely aware of Jules standing behind her. She could feel his presence, the warmth of him, and when she turned, their eyes locked. The unspoken tension between them thickened, both of them knowing this moment had been building for days.

Jules stepped closer, his eyes scanning her face as if waiting for a sign. "You know," he said softly, "I’ve been wanting to do this for a while now."

Before Ayo could respond, he cupped her face gently in his hands and leaned down, his lips brushing hers. The kiss was slow at first, soft, testing. But then, something shifted. His lips pressed more firmly against hers, and Ayo melted into him, her hands sliding up his chest. She kissed him back with a kind of urgency she hadn’t realized she’d been holding onto, her body pressing closer to his as the kiss deepened.

Jules’s hands moved to her waist, pulling her closer, his fingers curling into the fabric of her dress. The warmth of his body, the taste of him—it was like everything else in the world fell away, leaving only this moment. Her pulse quickened as she tilted her head, giving him better access, her lips parting as their tongues met. The kiss was intoxicating, a mix of heat and tenderness that made her knees weak.

He groaned softly against her mouth, and that sound sent a shiver down her spine. She could feel the tension in his body, the way his hands gripped her a little tighter, like he was barely holding back. Ayo responded in kind, her fingers tangling in his hair as she pulled him closer still. Every brush of their lips, every shared breath felt electric, and when they finally pulled back, both of them were breathless.

Ayo stared up at him, her heart racing, her lips tingling from the intensity of it all. She could see the hunger in his eyes, the same hunger she felt coursing through her.

"Still not tired?" she whispered, her voice teasing but breathless.

"Not even close," Jules chuckled softly, his forehead resting against hers for a moment. "You wanna see my room?"

Ayo’s heart raced, but she couldn’t deny the pull between them, the magnetic energy that had been simmering since they first locked eyes in Tokyo. "Yeah," she whispered, her voice barely audible but filled with desire.

Without another word, Jules took her hand and led her down the short hallway to his bedroom. The door clicked shut behind them, and the atmosphere shifted. His room was minimalist, sleek and modern like the rest of the hotel, but none of that mattered as he turned to face her again, this time with a hunger in his eyes that made Ayo’s breath hitch.

Jules stepped closer, cupping her face with one hand while the other rested at her waist. He leaned in slowly, capturing her lips again, this time with more urgency. The kiss deepened, both of them melting into each other, tongues exploring, breaths mingling. Ayo felt his hands glide down her back, pulling her closer until their bodies were flush against each other.

The bed was just a few steps away, and with a gentle push, Ayo felt the cool sheets against her skin as they tumbled onto it. Jules hovered over her, his weight pressing down just enough to make her feel enveloped, safe, yet electrified with desire. He kissed her again, slower this time, savoring every moment as his hands moved from her waist to the hem of her dress.

Ayo arched into him, her fingers slipping under his shirt, feeling the taut muscles of his back. One by one, their clothes began to disappear, discarded onto the floor in a blur of motion.

Jules' lips were back on Ayo’s, soft but insistent, his hand cupping her cheek while his other roamed her body. As they kissed, he shifted them both until Ayo lay beneath him, his weight pressing into her just enough to make her feel wanted—claimed even.

He pulled away for a moment, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face, his eyes filled with hunger and something deeper. "Tu es magnifique" ("You’re beautiful"), he whispered, his breath warm against her lips, eyes locked onto hers.

Her breath hitched, her body already alight from his words, the low timbre of his voice sending heat straight through her. His lips traveled downward, grazing her jaw, her neck, and further still until they found her breasts. His tongue swirled slowly over one of her nipples, and her hands instinctively reached for his locs, tangling in the soft strands as he sucked gently.

Jules' mouth moved with purpose—focused, determined, yet unhurried. His teeth grazed her skin just enough to make her gasp before he soothed the spot with his tongue. She tugged at his hair, earning a low groan from him that vibrated against her skin.

When he finally started to trail kisses lower, along her stomach, Ayo’s heart raced in anticipation. Every inch of her body was on fire, every nerve ending alive as his lips teased her inner thighs.

"Jules…" she breathed, barely able to get the word out as he pressed a kiss to her already soaked core. He pulled back for just a second, his eyes dark and full of mischief as he met her gaze.

"Je vais te goûter, bébé." ("I’m going to taste you, baby.")

Her entire body tensed, not in fear but in anticipation, and then—oh God—his tongue made contact, slow and deliberate, licking a long, wet stripe from her entrance to her clit. She moaned, louder than she meant to, her grip on his locs tightening as her back arched involuntarily.

Jules groaned against her, the vibration of his mouth sending ripples of pleasure through her body. "Putain, tu es délicieuse" ("Fuck, you're delicious."), he muttered against her skin, his French slipping out like a prayer.

His tongue was perfect. He kissed her like he had all the time in the world, licking her with slow, languid strokes that had her toes curling. He alternated between flicking his tongue over her clit and sucking gently, each movement so precise, so intentional that she felt like she was losing her mind.

"Shit," she whispered, her breath coming in ragged gasps. His tongue felt like heaven, each flick making her legs tremble and her pull on his hair tightened. He didn’t seem to mind—in fact, he encouraged it, moaning softly as he worked her over, his hands holding her hips firmly in place.

"C'est ça, tire mes cheveux, bébé. Je veux que tu jouisses sur ma langue" ("That's it, pull my hair, baby. I want you to come on my tongue."), he murmured, his voice husky, sending another jolt of arousal straight to her core.

Ayo could barely breathe, let alone respond, as his mouth worked her closer and closer to the edge. His tongue swirled around her clit before dipping lower, teasing her entrance, then returning to suck her clit with the perfect amount of pressure. Her legs shook harder, the pleasure spiraling through her like nothing she had ever experienced.

"Fuck… oh God…" she gasped, her voice breathless as her orgasm built, her hips moving against his face on their own accord.

Jules didn’t let up, moaning against her as he flattened his tongue, massaging her clit with slow, sensual strokes. Her body was alive, pulsing with heat and tension as he teased her relentlessly, bringing her higher and higher.

"Jules… I’m gonna—" She couldn’t even finish her sentence before the world shattered around her, her orgasm ripping through her with a force that left her breathless.

He groaned in response, his mouth never leaving her, tongue continuing to work her through her climax. The sensation was too much, yet not enough, her body shaking uncontrollably as he lapped at her, moaning against her skin like he was devouring the sweetest meal he'd ever tasted.

Her juices dripped down her thighs, and Jules didn’t waste a drop, his tongue making her body sing with every soft moan he made.

When he finally lifted his head, his lips glistening with her juices, he smirked up at her, eyes dark with satisfaction. "You taste so fucking good, bébé. Je suis déjà accro." ("I'm already addicted."), he murmured.

Ayo was panting, chest heaving as she came down from the high, her mind still spinning. She watched as Jules leaned back on his knees, his lips still glistening from her arousal as he looked down at her, his gaze dark and intense. His chest rose and fell heavily, his breathing ragged as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Ayo's pulse raced, her body still trembling from the orgasm he'd just pulled from her. She could feel the heat between them growing, the charged air making it impossible to think clearly.

Ayo slid down the bed, her fingers trailing over his chest, then lower to touch his cock. It was thick, hard, and slightly darker than the rest of his body, a contrast that made her mouth water.

Jules’ cock was beautiful, curved slightly upward, with veins running along the length of him. She wrapped her hand around the base, feeling the weight of him, and slowly began to stroke. He was already leaking pre-cum, the head glistening in the dim light. Ayo smirked as she leaned forward, teasing him with her tongue, licking a slow stripe from the base to the tip. Jules hissed through his teeth, his hand resting at the back of her neck.

"Putain, Ayo… oui, c'est ça" ("Fuck, Ayo… yes, just like that."), he groaned as she swirled her tongue around the head before taking him into her mouth.

She sucked him slowly, taking her time, savoring the feel of him on her tongue, the weight of him pressing against the roof of her mouth. Jules’ hand tightened in her hair as she bobbed her head, her hand working the base of his cock while her mouth worked the rest. His moans grew louder, a mix of French and English curses spilling from his lips as his hips bucked lightly against her face.

"Mon dieu, tu me rends fou" ("My God, you're driving me crazy."), he muttered, his accent thickening as his breathing grew heavier.

Ayo could feel him throbbing against her tongue, the salty taste of pre-cum spreading across her taste buds. She increased her pace, hollowing her cheeks as she took him deeper, gagging slightly but loving the way his grip tightened in her hair. His moans became ragged, and she could tell he was getting close, his hips moving more insistently.

"Ayo, I’m gonna…" Jules groaned, his voice tight, but then he suddenly pulled her off his cock, his breath coming in short gasps. "Non, bébé. I want to come inside you."

He was already moving off the bed, reaching into his suitcase in the corner of the room and pulling out a condom. Ayo laid back, her heart pounding as she watched him tear open the packet and roll it on. He was gorgeous—every inch of him toned, his skin glistening with a sheen of sweat. He climbed back onto the bed, positioning himself between her legs.

Jules grabbed her thighs, spreading her wide, his eyes locked on her still wet, swollen pussy. He stared for a moment, almost mesmerized. "Fuck, you have the prettiest pussy I’ve ever seen," he whispered, his voice filled with awe.

Jules spit directly onto her pussy, and the warmth of it made her shudder with anticipation. His hand followed, spreading the moisture around as the other guided the head of his cock to her entrance. He rubbed the tip of his dick along her folds, teasing her clit before slowly pushing inside.

The stretch was incredible, the head of his cock thick and filling her inch by inch. Ayo gasped as he moved deeper, her body tight around him, gripping him like a vice. Jules groaned loudly as he pushed in further, his hands gripping her thighs tightly as he pressed forward.

"Christ, you’re so tight," he growled, his eyes locked on the place where their bodies met. "Relax for me, bébé."

He bent her legs, pushing them back toward her ears as he thrust deeper, his cock sinking into her inch by inch until he was fully seated inside her. Ayo whimpered, overwhelmed by how full she felt, how perfectly he stretched her.

Jules paused for a moment, looking down at her with an almost possessive gleam in his eyes. "Tu te sens tellement bien" ("You feel so good."), he groaned, his voice rough with desire.

Then he began to move, slow at first, pulling out almost all the way before thrusting back in, each movement sending a wave of pleasure coursing through her. His hips moved fluidly, his cock dragging against her walls in a way that made her eyes roll to the back of her head.

"Look at me," Jules commanded, his voice low and filled with heat. Ayo’s eyes fluttered open, locking onto his. His gaze was intense, burning into hers as he thrust into her harder, deeper. "I want to see you come for me, bébé."

His dirty talk mixed with French had her unraveling beneath him. His pace quickened, his strokes becoming more deliberate, each one hitting a spot inside her that had her gasping, moaning his name. His thumb found her clit, circling it gently as he fucked her harder.

"Tu es à moi ce soir" ("You're mine tonight."), he groaned, his voice ragged.

Yes, yes, whatever you say.

Ayo didn't have a clue what he was saying, but that didn't stop her back from arching violently off the bed as her orgasm slammed into her, her body trembling with wave after wave of raw pleasure. Every nerve seemed to be on fire, and all she could do was hold onto Jules, her nails digging into his biceps as her climax ripped through her.

But Jules wasn’t letting up. Not even close.

"Shit, bébé, that’s it. Come for me," he growled, his deep voice rough with lust as he pounded into her harder, his hips slamming against hers with an unrelenting rhythm. The intense eye contact between them never faltered—his dark eyes burning into hers, his gaze locking her in place as if he owned every inch of her in that moment.

And he did.

Ayo whimpered beneath him, her mind unable to catch up with her body, the sensation of his cock stretching her, filling her, too much but not enough all at once.

"Look at you, fuck," Jules rasped, licking his lips as he watched her lose herself to the pleasure. "Tu es tellement belle comme ça… si putain de sexy" ("You're so beautiful like this… so fucking sexy."), he groaned, his locs falling forward into his face as he thrust into her, his pace picking up even more.

Ayo’s breath hitched as her body tightened around him, her pussy clenching in time with each thrust, and Jules could feel it. "I can feel you, bébé. Tightening around my dick, huh? You’re so fucking close again, aren’t you?" His voice was low, a seductive growl as he licked his lips, eyes glinting with satisfaction.

His words were driving her wild, the dirty talk pushing her deeper into the haze of her pleasure. "Jules, fuck, I can’t—" she tried to speak, but her voice was a breathless whimper, swallowed by the intensity of it all.

"Oh, you can, and you will," he cut her off, his tone commanding. His hands gripped her thighs tightly, spreading her legs wider, so he could get even deeper. He thrust into her, harder, faster, his body relentless as he fucked her through the pleasure. "You gonna come again, bébé? You feel so fucking good wrapped around me. Let me feel you."

Ayo’s body began to tremble uncontrollably, her legs shaking as the pleasure built up inside her once more. Jules knew it too, his eyes locked on her, watching her fall apart beneath him. "That’s right, bébé. Come for me again. Let me feel that tight little pussy squeeze my cock."

Her second orgasm hit her like a freight train, her body tightening around him as the pleasure surged through her. She screamed his name, her voice breaking as her body shook uncontrollably beneath him.

"Fuck, Ayo, that’s it," Jules groaned, his own body shuddering as he felt her clench around him. He kept thrusting, his hips slamming into hers with powerful strokes, drawing out every ounce of her pleasure. "Good girl… keep coming for me."

Ayo couldn’t stop, her body wracked with aftershocks as her orgasm pulsed through her, her legs trembling around Jules as he continued to fuck her. His locs fell forward, brushing against her face as he leaned down, capturing her lips in another searing kiss. His tongue slid into her mouth, and she moaned into him, her body still tight around him.

Jules’ thrusts grew erratic, his breathing ragged as he neared his own climax. "Fuck, bébé, you feel so fucking good," he groaned, his voice rough as his body tensed. He licked his lips again, his eyes half-lidded with pleasure as he buried himself deep inside her one last time.

With a guttural moan, he came, his body shuddering as he emptied himself into the condom. His cock throbbed inside her as he held her close, his chest heaving against hers.

For a moment, they were both breathless, tangled together in the sheets, their bodies slick with sweat. Jules finally pulled back slightly, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, his lips still tingling from the intensity of their kisses. His hand slid up her side, resting on her waist as he looked down at her with a satisfied grin.

"You’re fucking amazing, you know that?" he murmured, his voice still husky with desire.

Ayo smiled weakly, her body still trembling slightly from the intensity of it all. "You’re not so bad yourself," she managed to tease, her chest still rising and falling heavily.

Jules woke slowly, the soft Kyoto sunlight filtering through the curtains and casting a warm glow across the room. For a moment, he felt disoriented, his body heavy with the satisfying weight of deep sleep. But as the memories of the night before came rushing back, a slow grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. Ayo was still beside him, her body curled against the sheets, her breathing steady and peaceful.

He stretched lazily, careful not to disturb her, but his eyes remained fixed on her face. Jules had always enjoyed sex, craved it even, but last night with Ayo… it was different. The way her body responded to his touch, the way her soft moans had filled the room, the way she held onto him as if the world outside ceased to exist—it had flipped something in him. It wasn’t just about release or satisfaction. It was like he’d gotten a taste of something more, and now he was hooked.

Ayo stirred slightly, the soft flutter of her eyelashes and the curve of her lips making him want to pull her closer, to press his lips to her skin. There was something about her that he hadn’t felt with anyone else in a long time—if ever. It wasn’t just lust anymore; it was hunger. A need for more of her. More of the way she’d looked at him when he’d kissed her. More of the way she let him in, trusted him with her body, her pleasure.

He ran a hand through his locs, biting back a groan as he replayed every moment from last night.

Merde, he thought, already feeling that familiar pull.

He hadn’t planned on getting so wrapped up in someone, especially not on a trip like this, but Ayo had crept under his skin.

"Tu m'as rendu accro," Jules whispered to himself, his voice rough with a mix of disbelief and amusement.

The way she’d made him feel last night—like he couldn’t get enough of her, like every inch of her was a mystery he wanted to solve over and over again—it had him craving more. Jules wasn’t naive. He knew that what they had could easily be labeled as a fling, a one-time thing, but he didn’t want it to be. He wanted her again. And again.

He shifted slightly, propping himself up on one elbow, unable to resist the urge to touch her. Lightly, he brushed a finger along the curve of her back, watching her skin react to his touch, goosebumps rising in the trail he left. It was subtle, but it was enough to remind him of how her body had felt under his hands last night, trembling, warm, so responsive.

As Ayo began to stir, her soft murmur pulling him back to the present, Jules' heart thudded in his chest. He wondered what she’d say when she woke up. Would she regret it? Was it just a moment for her? Part of him didn’t care because he knew what he wanted. He wanted more of this. Of her.

Ayo stretched lazily, her eyes fluttering open as she turned slightly toward him. Their gazes met, and for a moment, Jules was unsure what she was thinking. But then she smiled—soft and a little sleepy—and that was all the confirmation he needed.

"Morning," she whispered, her voice a little rough but full of warmth.

Jules' grin widened as he leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "Morning, ma belle. Sleep well?"

Ayo nodded, her fingers brushing his arm lightly as she blinked away the last traces of sleep. "Yeah, I did. You?"

He chuckled, his eyes darkening as he leaned in a little closer. "I slept like a baby… but I’ve gotta admit, I was thinking about waking you up in a different way."

Ayo’s laugh was soft, but she met his gaze with a hint of playfulness in her eyes. "Oh really? And how would you do that?"

Jules raised an eyebrow, the teasing grin tugging at his lips. "Let me show you." He leaned in again, capturing her lips with his, slow at first, but with a heat simmering just beneath the surface. As the kiss deepened, his hand found her waist, pulling her body closer to his, that familiar hunger stirring within him again.

He was already addicted—now, he just had to figure out how to keep her.

His kisses moved from her mouth, trailing down her neck and over her collarbone, each touch a promise of what was to come. Ayo's breath hitched when he reached her inner thigh, his mouth hovering dangerously close to her core. Just as he was about to kiss her there, a loud knock interrupted the moment.

"Yo, Jules ! Tu es réveillé ? On pense à prendre le petit-déjeuner et à visiter les temples. Ça te dit?" Nicholas’ voice rang out from the other side of the door.

Jules cursed under his breath, his forehead resting on Ayo’s thigh in frustration. "Ouais, je passe sur le petit-déjeuner. Je vous rejoins dans un moment," he called back, his voice steady but a little strained. He glanced up at Ayo with a mischievous grin before pushing himself up. "Now where were we?" he asked with a playful smirk.

Ayo blinked, curious. "What did he say?"

Jules sighed. "Just asking about breakfast and the temples. Nothing important."

Ayo raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile on her lips. "Aren’t you hungry? You did a serious workout last night."

Jules’ grin widened, his cockiness shining through. "Oh, I’m about to have my breakfast." He didn’t waste any more time, lowering himself between her legs, his tongue working expertly against her core. Ayo’s moan echoed in the room, her body arching in response.

"Shh, bébé," Jules murmured, pausing just enough to speak, his breath hot against her skin. "I don’t want my friends to hear all those lovely sounds you’re making. They’re just for me."

Ayo whined softly, rolling her hips teasingly against his mouth. "But, baby… I can't."

Jules chuckled darkly. "Oh, you can." His hands gripped her hips firmly as he rolled her onto her stomach, propping her up so that her ass was in the air. He bent down, his breath hot against her sensitive skin. "Bite the pillow, bébé," he commanded before diving into her again, his tongue licking and sucking from behind with an intensity that made Ayo’s legs tremble.

She moaned into the pillow, the sound muffled but still full of need as Jules worked her with expert precision. Her body tensed, then released as her orgasm washed over her, her thighs shaking with the intensity of it. Jules pulled back slightly, licking his lips as though savoring the taste of her. He gave her ass a playful smack, his voice husky. "Delicious."

With a satisfied grin, Jules walked into the bathroom, returning with a warm washcloth. He gently cleaned her off, the intimacy of the gesture making Ayo's heart race. Then he rummaged through his bag and handed her a fresh toothbrush. They brushed their teeth together in comfortable silence, the normalcy of the act juxtaposed against the intensity of their earlier moments. Ayo slipped back into her clothes from the night before, while Jules pulled on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt.

When they were ready, Jules opened the door, glancing around the suite. The guys weren’t around, thank God. He guided Ayo out, his hand resting protectively on her lower back as they made their way outside and then down the street to her hotel. Jules noticed the way Ayo walked, slightly stiff, and concern flickered across his face.

"You okay?" he asked, his voice soft.

Ayo chuckled, a bit sheepishly. "I’m fine. It’s just… it’s been a while."

Jules nodded, understanding but with a knowing grin on his lips. "Gotcha."

When they reached her hotel, Jules surprised her by pulling her close and kissing her deeply. The affection was unexpected, but Ayo melted into it, her hands resting on his chest. She pulled away, slightly breathless, and he flashed her a playful smirk.

"I’ll see you soon," he said, his voice low and promising.

She smiled, walking awkwardly into her hotel lobby. Jules watched her until she disappeared inside, then turned on his heel, heading back to his own hotel to shower and get ready for the day. His mind was already replaying last night, but there was still something about this that felt different—like he was still craving more of her, more of them.

After a quick shower and changing into fresh clothes, Jules met up with the guys in the lobby, who greeted him with knowing smirks.

"J'ai entendu des bruits intéressants venant de ta chambre hier soir," (I heard some interesting noises coming from your room last night,) AK teased, wiggling his eyebrows.

Jules just smiled, shaking his head. "Un gentleman ne raconte pas ses secrets," ("A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell",) he replied smoothly.

"Allez, mec," ("Come on, man",) Nicholas pressed, kissing his teeth. "C'était Ayo?" ("Was it Ayo?")

Jules remained tight-lipped, but his friends could read the answer in his eyes. They continued to prod for details as they made their way out of the hotel, but Jules wasn't one to share, especially ones that involved Ayo.

As they met up with the girls, the group set off for their day of sightseeing. Their first stop was Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion. The temple's golden façade gleamed in the morning sun, its reflection shimmering on the surface of the tranquil pond surrounding it. Jules found himself constantly stealing glances at Ayo, admiring her beauty.

Somehow, in such a short period, she managed to erase the 'thoroughly fucked' look she was sporting earlier that morning, and now was fresh as a daisy with her hair styled in her signature two puffs and wearing a a baby tee with cargo pants.

They strolled through the meticulously manicured gardens, the gravel crunching softly under their feet. Jules and Ayo lagged slightly behind the group, their hands occasionally brushing as they walked side by side.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Jules murmured, gesturing to the scenery around them.

Ayo nodded, her eyes wide with wonder. "It's like something out of a fairy tale," she replied softly.

Their next stop was Fushimi Inari Taisha, with its thousands of vibrant red torii gates winding up the mountainside. The group began the ascent, the vermilion structures creating a tunnel-like effect that seemed to stretch endlessly before them.

As they climbed, Jules found himself walking beside Ayo, their playful banter returning easily despite the intimacy they had shared earlier. She shot him a knowing smile whenever their eyes met, and he couldn't help but wonder if she was thinking about last night, too.

Halfway up, they paused at a clearing that offered a breathtaking view of Kyoto below. While the others snapped photos, Jules and Ayo stood slightly apart, catching their breath.

"Holding up okay?" Jules asked, a teasing glint in his eye.

Ayo raised an eyebrow at him. "I may be sore, but I can handle a little hike," she retorted playfully.

"Just making sure," he said, moving closer to lean in her ear. "I kind of wrecked that little pussy of yours."

His unexpected dirty words made her eyes widen and darken, causing Jules to lick his lips in anticipation, praying that she was yearning just as much as he was for another moment.

"You kinda did, but I'll be alright," she murmured.

"I'm sure you will, ma belle," he winked.

Later in the afternoon, they found themselves wandering through the bustling Nishiki Market. The narrow street was lined with vendors selling everything from fresh seafood to handcrafted knives. The air was thick with the aroma of grilled meats, sweet confections, and the chatter of locals and tourists alike.

They sampled all kinds of local delicacies—skewers of grilled chicken yakitori, chewy mochi in various flavors, and sashimi so fresh it practically melted on their tongues.

As they navigated the crowded market, Jules found himself gravitating towards Ayo. He leaned in close, ostensibly to be heard over the market's din, but really just to feel her nearness.

"You know," he murmured, his lips nearly grazing her ear, "there's still one thing here I'm dying to taste again."

Ayo's cheeks warmed, and she playfully swatted him away, but the look in her eyes told Jules she was thinking along the same lines. Her laughter was soft, mingling with the clamor of the market as they moved past stalls brimming with colorful produce and sizzling street food.

Ayo leaned in close, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Well, maybe if you're lucky, you'll get a chance for seconds," she whispered, her breath tickling his ear.

Before Jules could respond, Nikki appeared beside them. "Hey lovebirds, we gotta go. Sushi making class, remember?"

The group made their way to a traditional Japanese kitchen, where a sushi master waited to guide them through the art of roll-making. Jules and Ayo stood close, their hands occasionally brushing as they prepared their sushi rolls.

"Alright, everyone," the chef said, "let’s get rolling! Start by laying out your seaweed and spreading the rice evenly."

As they worked, the group chatted and joked, taking turns snapping pictures of their culinary creations.

Jules stared at the mess of rice and nori on his bamboo mat, a mixture of frustration and amusement etched on his face. His fingers, usually so deft with a football, seemed hopelessly clumsy as he tried to shape the delicate ingredients.

"Merde," he muttered, his voice a low grumble of defeat. The roll - if you could even call it that - had fallen apart for the third time, looking more like abstract art than anything remotely edible. "I think I'll stick to football."

Ayo leaned over, her shoulder brushing against his as she assessed his handiwork. The warmth of her body so close to his sent a shiver down his spine, momentarily distracting him from his culinary disaster.

"I don't know," she mused, her lips curving into a playful smirk. "It has a certain... abstract charm to it. Very avant-garde sushi, if you ask me."

Jules couldn't help but chuckle, the sound rumbling deep in his chest. He pulled out his phone, angling it to capture his misshapen creation. "I'm just gonna take your word for it," he said, his eyes meeting hers.

The sushi-making class continued to buzz with laughter and chatter, the air thick with the scent of vinegared rice and fresh fish. Jules found himself speaking with AK and Wilhelm as they recounted the day's adventures.

From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Symone sidling up to Ayo, her expression playful and knowing. Despite his best efforts to focus on his conversation, Jules couldn't help but tune into their exchange.

"Girl, I see you over here getting cozy with Jules," Symone teased, her voice low but carrying just far enough for Jules to catch. "Maybe you should take another ride on him before the night’s over."

Ayo rolled her eyes. "Nah, I don't want to seem like I'm thirsty."

Symone waved a dismissive hand. "Bitch, that man wouldn’t mind if you were in his bed every night. You have ten days left until we never see these men again. Make it count, Ayo."

Jules felt a jolt at Symone's words, the reality of their impending separation hitting him hard. The revelation that their time together was limited, that this vibrant connection with Ayo might end soon, struck him like a sudden gust of wind. He hadn’t fully grasped how much her presence had become a highlight of his days, how the mere sound of her laughter had become something he anticipated.

As he refocused on AK and Wilhelm’s conversation, nodding along with forced ease, Jules’s mind was a whirlwind. How could he turn this vacation connection into something more lasting?

One thing was certain – he wasn't ready to let Ayo go just yet. Not when it felt like they were just getting started.

accordingtoayo • posted on her story 6 hours ago

Ayo laid back on Jules’ bed, her mind a flurry of conflicting thoughts.

Am I dickmatized now? Because sex should never be this good.

Ayo had always cherished the emotional connections in her relationships, with sex being a gratifying addition, a cherry on top. Her previous boyfriends had never managed to make her body react like this—never made her mewl, beg, and whine for more. Vibrators had once been her go-to for the ultimate satisfaction, eliminating the need for a partner to meet her needs. But Jules was different. Potent, eager, and incredibly skilled, he blended sweetness and dominance in a way that was both thrilling and dangerous. It was an addictive combination, making her wonder how she could possibly give this up when their vacation ended.

Barcelona isn’t that far, an intrusive voice whispered in her head. The thought was tempting—European travel was relatively easy compared to crossing states. But could she really take that leap? Would she for him?

The way Jules had devoured her, like she was his Last Supper, was something she never experienced before. It was raw, uninhibited, and intensely pleasurable. It was a level of passion she hadn't anticipated, nor had she ever imagined she’d crave it so much.

But oh, did she enjoy it. At least until the inevitable goodbye.

As Jules pulled away from her core, his breath hot and ragged, he gave her a sly smile. His voice, a low, commanding purr with that tantalizing French accent, wrapped around her like a promise. "Chérie, ride me," he said, his English words laced with a French lilt that made his request sound both urgent and seductive.

Ayo swallowed hard, her body still trembling from the aftershocks of his touch. He reached into his drawer and pulled out a condom, his eyes never leaving hers as he sheathed himself. The sight of him so confident, so assured, only heightened her anticipation. She nodded, her hands reaching out for his shoulders as she positioned herself above him.

As she began to ride him, her movements tentative at first, then gaining confidence, her thoughts raced. The pleasure was intense, the friction exquisite. Jules’s hands roamed over her hips, guiding her, his eyes locked on hers with a mixture of intensity and affection.

"Tu es tellement magnifique comme ça," he murmured in French, his voice a velvety crone that made her shiver. His gaze held hers, a smoldering look that made her feel both desired and cherished.

"Jules," she gasped, her voice breathy with pleasure. "You feel so… amazing."

He responded with a soft chuckle, his lips brushing against her ear. "C’est ce que je veux entendre (That’s what I want to hear)," he said. His hands slid up to cup her breasts, his thumb and fingers teasing her nipples, making her moan in response.

Ayo’s movements became more fluid, her rhythm steady as she rode him. Jules’s grip on her breasts tightened, his eyes never leaving her face. He leaned forward, his tongue flicking out to taste her nipples, sending waves of pleasure through her.

"Such a good girl," he praised, his voice a mixture of adoration and dominance.

Ayo’s body arched as she felt him spank her ass playfully, the mix of pleasure and pain making her gasp. As she continued to ride him, her moans filled the room, the connection between them both electrifying and comforting. Jules’s touch, his voice, the way he commanded yet adored her—it was all addictive. The pleasure, the intimacy—it was everything she had been missing, and she couldn’t help but wonder how she would cope when the vacation came to an end.

Jules’s relentless focus on her, coupled with his soothing yet authoritative voice, pushed Ayo to new heights of pleasure. His grip on her hips was firm but tender, guiding her movements with expert precision. Each time she sank down, the sensation of him inside her brought forth a mix of delight and desperation.

"Look at me," Jules instructed softly, his eyes boring into hers. "I want to see that beautiful face of yours as you come apart for me."

Ayo’s breaths came in ragged gasps, her body trembling with every thrust. Her eyes fluttered open to meet his gaze, and she saw nothing but raw desire reflected back at her. The connection was electric, and she could feel the heat of his passion melding with her own. Her rhythm quickened, driven by the mounting pressure inside her.

"You’re taking this so well," Jules praised, his voice a throaty mix of admiration and raw lust. Jules’s hands slid to her ass again, kneading the flesh before delivering another firm, pleasurable smack.

The sting of his hand on her ass combined with the pleasure of his cock made Ayo cry out, her moans spilling from her lips as she moved harder against him. Jules’s words were a mix of command and caress, pushing her closer to the brink.

"Come on this dick," he urged, his voice a low growl. His eyes remained locked on hers, a dangerous glint in them as he watched her unravel.

Ayo’s body was a symphony of pleasure and need, her moans growing louder as she approached her climax. "Jules," she gasped, her voice barely a whisper as she felt the edge of her climax drawing near. "I’m... I’m so close."

He responded with a smirk, his expression one of both satisfaction and anticipation. He knew he had brought her to this point, and he couldn't wait to feel her release. "I know, bébé," he said, his own voice rough with need. "I can feel you tightening around me. Let go for me."

With a guttural cry, Ayo's body convulsed in ecstasy, her climax washing over her in waves. Jules followed soon after, his own release overtaking him as he buried himself deep inside her.

As Ayo’s breathing began to slow, Jules gently rolled over, bringing her with him, until she was nestled comfortably against his chest. He pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head, his arms encircling her in a protective embrace.

Ayo let out a contented sigh, her body still tingling from the aftermath of her orgasm. Jules’ touch was warm and reassuring, a stark contrast to the intensity they had just experienced.

"Hey," Jules murmured, his voice a low rumble as he looked down at her. "You okay?"

Ayo nodded, her voice muffled against his chest. "Yeah, just…thinking."

Jules chuckled softly, his fingers lightly tracing circles on her back. "Mmhmm, let me clean you up."

He gently disentangled himself from her and reached for a condom, carefully disposing of it in the trashcan. Then he grabbed a washcloth from the nightstand and wiped her clean with tender care, his touch gentle and considerate.

"Sorry for the mess," he said with a playful smirk, his eyes warm and affectionate.

Ayo smiled up at him, her eyes still heavy with the remnants of their passion. "No need to apologize."

Jules settled back down beside her, patting the space next to him. "Come closer," he murmured, his voice soft and inviting.

Ayo shifted closer, resting her head on his firm, muscled chest. She let out a contented sigh as she snuggled against him, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath her cheek.

"You know," Jules said, his voice filled with a soft seriousness, "I really like us like this. Just chilling after sex. It feels… good."

Ayo smiled, her fingers lightly grazing his chest. "I do too."

Jules’s hand rested on her back, his touch soothing. "You feel so good," he admitted, his voice a mix of vulnerability and affection. "It’s like I can’t get enough of you."

Ayo tilted her head slightly, looking up at him with a soft, sleepy smile. "Same, you're like some drug I can't kick. Too good."

Eventually, Jules’s breathing evened out, and the gentle rise and fall of his chest and his light snores filled the room. As Ayo lay nestled against Jules, her eyelids growing heavier with each passing moment, she found her thoughts drifting. Despite the blissful haze of satisfaction, a soft tension tugged at the edges of her mind.

Did she like him too soon? Or was it just the allure of the vacation, the foreign city, and the intoxicating allure of a man who seemed to understand her body in ways no one had before? It wasn’t just the sex, though God knew that was incredible—it was how easy it felt with Jules. How their bodies fit together, sure, but also how their conversations flowed, how his teasing smile could light up her day, how his quiet moments felt more intimate than any words they could exchange.

She shifted slightly in his arms, feeling the strength in his embrace even as he slept. Could she give this up when the trip ended? Barcelona wasn’t that far from London. Hell, she’d flown longer for work meetings.

Ayo let out a quiet sigh, her breath mingling with Jules’ soft snores and the darkness of the room. The thought of never seeing Jules again after this trip created a pit in her stomach she wasn’t ready to deal with. For now, though, she’d just focus on this—on him, on this moment.

accordingtoayo - Kyoto, Japan

liked by jkeey4, symonenotbiles, gigithegreatest, nikkigal, and others

accordingtoayo: kyoto, you have my heart ♥️ ⛩️🍡

view all 290 comments….

jamaal_erickson: still not answering my calls? wtf ayo?

jkeey4: 🫶🏾🫶🏾🫶🏾

jamaal_erickson: nigga who tf are you replying to my girls’ IG?

symonenotbiles: my bestie is a baddie 😝

gigithegreatest: 😍😍😍😍😍

nikkigal: why are you this fine, ma’am?? 😭😭

TO BE CONTINUED....

[hero-israel]

Hey sorry if this is offensive but I've been seeing a lot of 'Gaza before' videos and Gaza seemed pretty nice in them. Granted it's probably the lives of the elite but the fact that they had a large enough elite for luxury shops and a seemingly existent middle class makes me wonder how bad things were post 2005. What I want to know is if these videos are legit or just either Israeli fakes, or fake outrage mongering from Hamas.

The reason I'm inclined to believe it is the behavior in a lot of Gazan tik tok/Instagram vids. Where the people in them do stuff like refuse to eat halal mres or canned meat. Or complain about not using hair spray more than actual necessities. It kind of seems like the way rich people who took everything for granted would react. Idk I'd like to hear your thoughts on this one case I'm being duped.

You are correct, the videos are real. Before late October 2023, Gaza was like every major city in the developing world, there were poor areas and affluent areas depending on where the well-connected lived. There was no starvation, there was a modern economy, there was a large and comfortable middle class.

I have a ton of sources in this post about what life in Gaza was actually like and how the general public had no clue, but of all of them, this 2017 Al-Jazeera broadcast about the economy is perhaps the most jaw-dropping. Also if you are on Twitter, check out this particular account and tag.

I will never - EVER - forgive or forget how many "respectable" media outlets and NGOs spent year after year claiming that Gaza would become uninhabitable in 2020, then they all just shrugged and kept their jobs anyway.

[yukidragon]

Sunny Day Jack - Oopsie Baby 2

I've been scrounging up spoons as best I can to continue with the Jack accidentally getting Alice pregnant idea. I did a small continuation of it in a reblog replying to some tags, but I figured I'd make another proper post for as long as my spoons last.

Let's touch on a bit of the timeline for how this sort of AU might unfold. Beware of spoilers for Sunshine in Hell.

Content Warning: This post contains some spicy talk about sex and intimacy, both positive and negative experiences. I mean, how else is babby formed? There's also discussions about pregnancy, birth control, chronic illness, sickness, contemplating abortion, manipulative behavior, and a dash of overprotective sketchy yandere spice.

@channydraws @earthgirlaesthetic @sai-of-the-7-stars @cheriihoney @illary-kore @okamiliqueur @kurokrisps

As you may remember me mentioning from previous posts, Sunshine in Hell is my personal alternate continuity of the Something's Wrong with Sunny Day Jack story and won't follow the games one-to-one. For example, as I've also mentioned in previous rambles such as this one, the relationship that develops between Alice and Jack is more of a slow burn, and that includes being intimate. Their first kiss isn't going to be the same day or just a couple days before they wind up making love for the first time.

Still, the morning after they go all the way for the first time is the same day Shaun shows up to stay at Alice's place. It's just too hilarious to me to imagine how flustered she'd be about the whole thing, especially after Jack seduces Alice while Shaun is there to mark his territory.

So it'd be even more hilarious that this is when Jack accidentally gets Alice pregnant. She was already mortified and upset after she figures out he intended for Shaun to hear them, so why not have that moment cause further drama later~?

Though I suppose their first time could be when it happened as well. I mean, getting knocked up isn't an instantaneous thing. It takes a while for the sperm to reach the egg and what not, and Jack is definitely going to seduce Alice a fair amount of times before the seed that he planted starts to take root.

Which is more reason why Alice kicks herself for not buying Jack condoms. Maybe the surreal and supernatural aspect of their relationship made such consequences slip her mind. Being with Jack is like living in a happy dream, detached from the regular struggles of reality. There's also the fact that condoms are expensive, and she's barely struggling to keep afloat with her meager paycheck.

It's so easy for Alice to forget such troubling details when Jack is there, whispering sweet words into her ear, caressing and kissing her body so lovingly. He makes her feel so beautiful, desirable, perfect, and irreplaceable. It's so easy for her to get swept up by him. She's never felt so loved before. No relationship has felt so right. It scares her sometimes how naturally they fit together, so effortless in spite of challenges they face. It's nothing like her previous relationship.

Not to mention their connection causes his horny urges to rub off on her, increasing her libido. Sex with Jack is actually a pleasure for Alice, unlike previous experiences, and she's found herself hornier than ever after they start getting intimate. She never thought penetrative sex could feel so good, make her feel so connected to someone without any barriers between them.

Granted, Alice was a lot more cautious when she and Ian were together, and she always made sure he wore a condom when he was going in down south. Despite often losing control of himself when horny, and really, really wanting to do it bare, he was pretty good about making sure he was always wrapped.

Though I wonder if Ian remembered to use a condom when he cheated. I mean, he clearly forgot he was in a relationship at the time, so I'd imagine using protection would slip his mind as well. Hopefully he didn't get his affair partner pregnant. That would make things so much more complicated.

Ian and Alice had discussed having kids before, but as a far, far future thing. Though Ian was terrified about being a father, as he wasn't sure he'd be a good one. He never knew his father. The closest thing he had to a father was Alice's dad, Ambrose, and even then Ian felt guilty even thinking about as Ambrose like that, like he was betraying his mom somehow. Perhaps it was because of all his mom's talk about him being selfish with his desires and how all men are cheating scum...

Alice had yet to talk about kids with Jack.. well, outside of him being a kids TV host and being fond of them in general. Certainly, he imagined having children one day with his sunshine, but Alice was taking things slowly with Jack.

Of course now the topic is at the forefront whether they're ready for it or not.

Alice was so distracted by her new relationship with Jack and all the pleasure and complications that comes with it, pregnancy never crossed her mind. Too much is going on for that to come up.

First there's the relationship itself, then using introducing Jack to Shaun as a trial run before Alice tries to do the same with her family. This comes with the whole embarrassing incident of Shaun overhearing Jack and Alice going at it and having to deal with the awkwardness that follows. There's also helping Shaun move into his own place and getting settled in.

It's only after things settle into a new normal that Alice starts bracing herself for how she's going to introduce Jack to her family, though she's started talking about him to them without yet mentioning his supernatural nature.

It'll probably be sometime after Shaun gets moved into his place that things start seeming amiss. Alice suffers from chronic illness, and sometimes this causes her cramps, exhaustion, nausea and food aversion/sensitivity. As such, when these pregnancy symptoms manifest, she just assumes it's business as usual, more or less, even if the nausea gets pretty intense. She's learned she just has to deal with it by this point.

It's only when Alice realizes that she hasn't had her period for way too long that the thought pops into her head.

One missed period is something to take note of, but not necessarily anything bad. Sometimes a period skips a month. Two though... that's when things get dicey.

Heck, Alice could even be as far as three months in if she mistakes the light bleeding that's common to experience in the early weeks of pregnancy for her period.

It's possible Jack noticed something different about Alice. Being a ghost(?) he might possess more supernatural powers than we've seen thus far in the story. It's possible a part of him picked up on some sort of change in her warm light that he can't quite put his finger on. Maybe to him it's like she's glowing even more radiantly than she used to?

Though Jack is more focused on taking care of his poor sunshine while she's sick. Alice has to work even on days when she's throwing up. It's so unfair. If only he could work in her place. If only he could provide more. He spoils her even more to compensate, and she appreciates how far he goes to take care of her, but he can't take away all of her troubles and woes.

Once Alice has the thought she might be pregnant, that's when the fear sets in. She hesitates to say anything to Jack, at least not until she takes a pregnancy test, but it'll be very hard to hide anything from him. Since she's been sick lately, he's particularly keen on going with her everywhere, especially if she's doing something to exert herself. Still, she does manage to talk him into staying home to cook dinner while she picks up "a couple things" from the corner store, one of which being a tester.

Alice doesn't like keeping secrets from Jack, especially since they've become so intimate, but this fear feels... irrational? Like she shouldn't worry Jack about something that might not even be possible.

Like she shouldn't crush his hopes considering how isolated he is...

It's even possible she had a pregnancy scare in the past with Ian and, well... I have a feeling that would've been a very stressful situation involving a lot of tears and fears.

It's better if Alice is the only one freaking out about what might be nothing at all.

Besides... Alice is on birth control. There's no way it failed... right?

Jack does pick up there's something amiss when Alice starts acting dodgy around him. When she rushes immediately to the bathroom after coming home from the errand, he's willing to chalk it up to being related to her illness, but the feeling of panic he senses from her when she takes a while to come out has him soon knocking on the door asking if she's okay.

When Alice gets the positive result from the pregnancy test, at first all she can do is just stare at it in disbelief. She did buy a second one, just to be sure or in case she somehow messed up the first, but the result is the same.

That's when the panic sets in.

When Jack knocks on the door and Alice hears his sweet, concerned voice, that's when she has a bit of a breakdown. She didn't tell him to come in, but when he heard her sob through the door, he couldn't stop himself from rushing in.

Home pregnancy tests in the 80's weren't an easy to read stick, but a whole miniature chemistry set, so Jack isn't likely to recognize the iconic little device Alice is holding in her hand. As such, he has no idea what's wrong and needs to calm her down so she can tell him.

Needless to say, Jack is floored when Alice tells him through tears that she's pregnant.

At first, Jack stares at her, stunned, then when it's clear that he heard her correctly, he's overcome with emotions - disbelief, joy, and worry being chief among them. The idea of being a dad is terrifying, but at the same time he's elated. A part of him wants to spin her around in the air and shout for joy.

It's her fear and tears that mollifies his excitement.

Jack focuses primarily on reassuring Alice, tucking away his excitement and his own worries for later. His sunshine needs him now... as does their unborn child.

Alice is so angry with herself. She should've thought about this possibility. She should've known better... bought condoms, got better birth control, done something! It's all her fault. After all, it's not like Jack can get his own birth control, and he always dutifully follows her lead. How could she have never even thought about this before? She was so reckless.

Jack remains strong for Alice, talking her down from spiraling while cuddling her close. He gets her off the bedroom floor and onto their bed where where it's comfy. She's not hungry for the dinner he made for them, but that's okay. He can heat it up later. Right now taking care of her comes first.

The situation is complicated. Jack understands full well that this is going to be a huge challenge, but he assures Alice they can both handle it. He promised to always be there for her and take care of her after all. He'll take care of her and their child, no matter what.

Alice worries about the logistics of it. This place is too small even for two fully grown adults, let alone a baby. Her apartment in Sunshine in Hell is much smaller than the one she lived in with Ian, with only one bedroom, one bathroom, and a common room sectioned off into a living room and kitchen/dining room.

Her paycheck is pathetic. Even though Alice always makes sure Barry doesn't stiff her on all the overtime she works, it's still barely above minimum wage. She has student loans to pay off, medical bills she has to pay with chronic illness and the like... plus having meals with Jack so he can feel more like a regular human means she's spending more on grocery money. How can that pitiful paycheck stretch enough to handle a baby on top of all that?

Then of course there's telling her family. Alice hasn't even told them about her situation with Jack yet. How is she supposed to explain this?

How is this even happening?

The rest of the day is spent with Jack comforting Alice and talking her through her panic and anxieties. It worries him how upset she is by this news that overall has made him so happy. He does share with her that he's worried too, but he knows that together they can handle anything. They'll be good parents.

Alice does consider abortion as an option, but the idea is too much for her to handle. She can't even vocalize the thought. She's pro choice, but that means understanding herself and what choice is best for her. As hard as having a baby will be at this point in time, the idea of getting in an abortion... she can't even think about it. It's just too much.

Fortunately, she doesn't have to. Jack does pick up on this line of thought and how hard it hits Alice, so he redirects the conversation away from it gently. He gets her to focus on the things they can do to make things work.

It might be happening a little sooner than Alice expected, but she said she wanted to have kids one day, right? It was something she mentioned while they were still just friends (likely when finally spilling her guts about Ian and lamenting all the dreams that were destroyed there). Even if the situation isn't ideal, she has a partner who loves and supports her. No matter what, Jack will be there for her and their baby. He's taken care of her so far, hasn't he?

After quite a long and emotionally exhausting conversation involving a lot of reassurance and love, Jack does manage to coax Alice into eating a little before she finally passes out. They have a plan of action in place, to see the doctor as soon as possible to get this confirmed and make sure she and the baby are healthy. After that, they'll take things step by step.

Money is the biggest issue in this capitalist society. Jack knows it all too well. Though he runs away from memories of being Joseph, the days when he was a penniless drifter still haunt him. He won't let that happen to Alice and their baby.

It's not a good thing what Jack is considering, but he did promise to take care of their little family, didn't he? What kind of man would he be if he just sat back and let Alice do all the hard work?

Still... Jack can't bring himself to go too far (yet). He's Sunny Day Jack! Sunny Day Jack would never consider doing something underhanded and illegal, even if he really needs the money.

But maybe... a few nudges to her boss might help grease the wheels a bit. Barry is such a bully, constantly forcing Alice to come in, especially when she's sick, pushing her to work long hours, trying to squeeze extra free hours of labor from her where he can. He owes her for all of that, as well as all those days off he yanks away at the last minute and overtime he just expects her to do day in and day out.

Jack always thought Barry was taking advantage of his sunshine. He encouraged Alice to stand up for herself more and make sure she got what was owed. He helped on her end, but clearly it's Barry that truly needed the lesson here.

Besides, it's not like a nightmare ever hurt anyone before, or a few sleepless nights for that matter. Jack is just teaching a naughty boss a lesson about respecting his employees and treating them fairly. A hefty raise and some bonuses are the least Barry can do after all the suffering he put Alice through.

If that's not enough... well, Jack will just have to brainstorm more ideas about ways he can take things into his own hands.

What's for sure is that Jack isn't going to let Barry push more overtime on Alice either. If anything, she needs more time off to rest! Pregnancy is hard on the body - especially a body that's already suffering from chronic illness!

Jack doesn't go too far, at least not right away. Terrorizing Barry is something he can excuse as justified in his mind right now. Outright theft or other highly illegal activities to acquire money? Not so much.

At least... not until Ian comes back into the picture, trying to act like the hero and save Alice from her plight.

Ian doesn't find out about the pregnancy until Alice mentions it on her socials. She joined some online support groups for people unexpectedly expecting for the first time, and Ian stalks every single account and who she follows to snatch up any scrap of info about her that he can.

It crushes him. At first, Ian almost believes that it's his baby Alice is pregnant with. It must be.

But that's just impossible. They've been broken up for over a year now.

Not to mention Alice has talked about a new boyfriend in some posts. Ian was going crazy trying to find more than just some drawings she posted about him, but this "Jack" character is like a ghost, with no footprint online.

Ian isn't even sure Jack is real. After all, that face paint and strange outfit look an awful lot like the part he's been hired to play. He actually convinced himself that Alice was stalking him like he was her (which makes it totally okay!) and found out about the part, which means she's indirectly telling him that she misses him by drawing "him" as his new persona that's going to make him a star.

But Ian doesn't say as such to her. No, not with how Alice is stubbornly distancing herself. She's been vulnerable since they broke up. She nearly accidentally killed herself after finding out he cheated. Anyone could've swept in while she was vulnerable to take advantage of her then dip out when she got knocked up.

It boils Ian's blood to think of such a predator targeting Alice like that, especially after he hurt her so badly already. Now more than ever he needs to step up and help her. He needs to cross the boundaries she put up to keep him out, for both their sakes.

So Ian gets in contact with Alice through a mutual friend. Heck, maybe even gets them to trick her into meeting with him someplace where he's waiting with a bouquet of flowers and a tearful apology.

Which isn't going to go over well. Alice would be freaking out at the ambush, especially since she'd be very visibly pregnant by this point and extra emotional due to hormones.

Ian was prepared for that though. He manages to keep Alice from running away and puts his metaphorical foot in the door. He apologizes. Not only that, but he offers her money, claiming there's no strings attached. He owes her at least this much for all that he's put her through.

It's a very unpleasant conversation for Alice to say the least, but she knows Ian well enough to know he's sincerely sorry. She knows he's in pain. He might have tricked her with this meeting, but he does care... He knows she wouldn't have the heart to abort or give away her baby. She's so kind, and she'll be a wonderful mother. He always knew she would be.

Ian feels sorry for himself for a bit, lamenting his mistakes, but he's going to make it up to Alice. She and the baby need help, and he'll do that for her... It doesn't even have to mean they're back together as a couple. Conceding this point is like a spiky lump in his throat, but he reminds her how they've always been each other's best friends, and he wants to be her friend again now. He won't push anything on her. He just wants to help.

Of course we all know Ian isn't going to be satisfied with just remaining friends, but he's learned over the past year or so since they broke up how to adjust his tactics. He's had to learn the art of the deal and how to make people want you in order to make it anywhere in his model and acting career.

Is it manipulative? Of course not, Ian would insist! How could it be? He's just making things up to Alice and showing her how sorry he is. He's proving it with his actions and not just his words. If he proves it well enough then he'll be able to make amends and make things right between him and Alice.

Ian doesn't even care who the father of her child is. He's not ready to be a father, but he views it as a sacrifice he's willing to take in order to have Alice back. He'll do his best no matter how scared he is, since losing Alice has been far worse than all the what ifs and fears he built up in his head.

If not for the pregnancy, Alice would turn down the money. She left the big apartment, her old job that she enjoyed, and a lot of possessions behind after the breakup just because they were tied to Ian. She willingly threw away all that money just so she wouldn't be reminded.

But Alice has a baby to think about. Her child is far more important than her hurt feelings or how icky she feels about accepting charity from her ex. Sure, Barry has surprisingly given her a pay increase lately, but it costs so much to get baby supplies and rent a bigger apartment. Plus there's the medical bills...

It... it should be fine, right? Ian owes her for all the pain he put her through and this makes them even... right? But how can she tell him not to contact her again after accepting it? He might claim there's no strings attached, and maybe he believes it, but the emotions tied to it can't be so easily severed.

Naturally, Jack is anything but pleased by this whole thing. He can't do much to stop it, save encourage Alice to leave, but Ian keeps drawing her attention away from him with pitiful attempts to gain her sympathy. Alice is so kind. Even after how much Ian has hurt her, even though this meeting itself is painful, she still doesn't want to hurt him.

Jack does help bolster Alice's resolve to turn down the money, at least initially, but Ian is surprisingly insistent. He drops the money into her account before she can stop him. He still has her account details from when they lived together and had started intermingling their finances. Alice forgot about that since he never did anything related to it since the affair.

When Alice sees that amount hit her bank account, she's just stunned. How the hell did Ian get so much money? Sure he looked good, and he was wearing expensive clothes and product, but...

Then again, Ian has that modeling job now. He's popular. He talked about this show he got a starring role in. It's hush-hush right now, but he'll let her in on the details since she's his oldest friend.

Alice isn't interested in details. She keeps trying to avoid letting this situation get more personal... but Ian has become more confident since he moved away. He's so different in a number of ways that it's hard to recognize him... yet he's also the same in ways that are maddening and make it so hard for her to stop caring about the little bullied boy who was her only friend in school.

Jack helps Alice cut the meeting short, or at least shorter than Ian would've liked. Ian accepts her retreat reluctantly, but offers that she can contact him at any time. If she needs more money, help with anything, a shoulder to cry on, or anything else, all she has to do is ask. He's there for her... always.

Oh you bet your butt Jack has a lot to say about that sentiment.

Unfortunately Jack can't tell Ian off, at least not there. Sure, he could expose himself, write a message like he did with Shaun, but that needlessly complicates things.

They'll just need to have a private discussion later.

For now, Jack focuses on Alice, reassuring her that she doesn't need Ian or his money. She doesn't have to deal with feeling hurt or awful like she does whenever she even thinks about Ian. She has Jack, someone who loves for her and their baby and will move heaven and earth for them.

Alice did make it clear right away that she's in a new relationship with someone else. She's happy now. She even mentioned Jack by name, though that resulted in Ian giving her strange look she couldn't quite understand. He didn't seem as crushed as she expected him to be. He even asked about Jack, and Alice declined to answer, not wanting to prolong the conversation.

Ian caught how Alice winced when he asked to meet Jack, maybe get his phone number or photo. Her avoidance of any of these just felt like proof to him that he was right about the identity of this "boyfriend" of hers.

The entire encounter was stressful, and felt far longer than it actually was. Alice was left feeling a bit conflicted and unhappy with herself for letting Ian get to her like this. Fortunately, Jack was with her the entire time. It was reassuring to have him holding onto her while she had to face Ian. He gave her the strength she needed and made dealing with suck an icky situation just a bit easier with his reassurance that it was okay to just leave Ian behind. Jack continues to reassure and comfort her after the meeting, which she needs badly after being so shaken.

Keeping the money is something Alice is the most torn about. She doesn't feel good about it, and Jack says they don't need Ian's help, but... they do need money. She's living paycheck to paycheck, and the baby isn't even here yet! She's barely keeping her head above water.

Can Alice really let something as petty as pride keep her from giving their baby a good life?

Jack has been helpful the entire time. His help has been invaluable. Alice doesn't think she could hold it together without him. This money doesn't take away from how important Jack is to her or how much she loves him. It doesn't change who her baby's father is.

Jack can't do anything his sunshine doesn't want, and that includes returning the money.

So Jack will just have to take matters into his own hands. As long as Alice doesn't need that money, she won't feel pressured to keep it.

Alice also won't have to feel obligated to let Ian back into her life if Ian is the one who decides to leave her alone once and for all.

Alice was right that a parent can't let their pride get in the way of taking care of their child. That includes Jack's pride in being the flawless role model of Sunny Day Jack.

So what if a law or two is broken? It's not like the law applies to someone who doesn't legally exist. Jack might as well take advantage of this almost nonexistent state he's in to get away with things no one else can.

Ian might have a lot of money to throw around, but Jack can do so, so much more than Ian could ever dream.

Jack just has to figure out a way to not get caught by the only person who can see him. It's not that Alice would reject him for what he did for her and the baby, oh no! It's just not good to stress her out more than she already is.

Alice doesn't need to know, just like she doesn't need to know about the person Jack used to be. He's still clean as long as she doesn't know. Jack can stay clean and perfect and everything Alice will ever need.

Things might've gotten a bit out of control, but that's okay. Jack can fix it. He's quite the problem solver. All Alice needs to do is take care of herself and love him with all her heart, just as she's been doing.

Jack has been given a second chance. He'll never let anyone get in the way of that.

I think I'll wrap things up on that fun yandere note, as I'm starting to run out of spoons. Maybe next time I can go into the King family's involvement and how Jack might try to win over his new in-laws despite a lot of obstacles standing in his way. I hope you enjoyed this ramble about the drama that comes with unplanned baby making!

[dailyrothko]

Hi! I'm a painting student and I'm really interested in understanding if Rothko worked in series or just individual paintings that have some traits in common? I know he had the dark paintings series (and his Chapel), but what about his more colourful ones? Are the numbered titles indicative of that or not? Thank you so much for your time! 🌟

Hi

The chapel, the Seagram Murals and the Harvard Murals are all a series.

What are called the Black Form paintings of 1964 are thought to have been a series but it was not said explicitly by Rothko as far as I know. Since those paintings look alike to a certain extent and because of the time they were painted I think the assumption might be right. The numbers go up to 6, but number 3 is missing and there is one number repeated.

It's said that UNESCO pursued the idea of pairing late Rothko black and gray works with Giacometti sculptures, as they did at the paris show this year but we don't know if that would have happened or if he would have created new works for it.

And that's it, no other series, the numbers don't mean anything we know about, he just didn't want to use titles because it would lead the viewer to have an impression of what the painting was about, which was very against Rothko's philosophy.

Many of my scans here should be updated to better ones, as I try to do regularly but sometimes time interferes or, more likely, I have not obtained a scan i consider definitive or even an improvement. Sometimes the scans are good color-wise but were made in the time of lower resolution screens and suffer by being dated.

I am working on these issues, ongoing, however, I do have these series all up if you'd like to be more familiar. Tumblr was really messing up reblogs for years retagging everything, so just a note that the original post is the one that gets updated

The Seagram Murals and studies for them (Rothko always did a lot more than he needed) are here

The Black Form Paintings (many different scans) are here (this tag is a bit of a mess right now)

Rothko chapel and related works here

Harvard Murals here

[listentoace]

Hey, I wanted to address a couple of things.

I have been receiving several asks regarding some of my recent posts. I admit they are darker than the usual stuff. That was a decision I consciously made, because I do tend to have darker fantasies and wanted to see how they would be received. I consider most of the criticism I received to be valid points. Here are a few of them:

The whole idea of "ruining yourself"/"ruining your body" as you're gaining weight can be found fatphobic

Connecting feederism to habitual behavior, addiction, loss of control, and even brain damage can be found scary or even disturbing

Encouraging people to embrace health issues (both physical and mental) because of feederism can be found toxic

Constantly connecting feederism and weight gain with the negative side effects (sluggishness and laziness, health issues, societal judgement, etc.) can lead to the conclusion that feederism, obesity, indulgence, etc. are generally bad things

I won't try to defend myself. In fact, I completely agree with (most) criticism I received. The only kind of "criticism" I don't recognize are attacks toward me personally, but that's just reflected in a minority of the asks I receive. To all people who have sent me asks: it's great that you're sharing your opinion and thoughts, and I encourage you to keep doing so!

I think it is necessary to mention again that I don't mean anyone any harm. I am not fatphobic, and I do not mean to force any kinks upon anyone. This is just me writing and recording some horny ideas I occasionally have for those people who are into the same stuff. It is also very important to mention that in many cases, the fantasy of something can be very hot, while the reality of it could be very stressful and traumatizing. This is especially the case with more intense fantasies and kinks, e.g., being kidnapped and fattened. Everything I write takes place in "fantasy land". Nothing I post is meant as a threat, actual encouragement for dangerous behavior or self harm, or other harmful behavior. Pleae keep this in mind!

Getting back to the criticism: Yes, I like the dark stuff. I am very intrigued by the idea of feedees getting fatter for pleasure, despite all the negative consequences that can come with weight gain and obesity. I also enjoy calling people out for it, both with mild teasing and with very direct "you're damaging yourself" claims. I know that this is not everybody's cup of tea, which is why I already tag all posts with darker topics related to self-destruction, severe health issues, permanent damage and even death with "#death feederism" and "#death feedist". This is also mentioned in my pinned info post under "My Content", encouraging people to hide these tags who are not into certain content I post. However, it is quite clear that this isn't a great solution – otherwise I would not be receiving these asks.

I am very open to solving this issue together. After all, it always has been my personal ambition to write and record content for your enjoyment and pleasure. I want to make you – the readers and listeners – feel good and excited. I don't mean to scare or disturb you with my darker fantasies and kinks that don't appeal to you. Nonetheless, I do enjoy causing "holy shit, this is really bad, but it just feels so good!" pleasure and horniness.

In the past, I occasionally made use of trigger warnings at the top of my posts. If I recall correctly, I did hide the main content behind the "Keep reading" button. This was not consistent, but I am open to generally implementing this for all future posts that include sensitive subjects, such as death feederism, consensual non-consent, heavy conditioning and brain damage, or severe degradation and objectification.

However, before I do that, I first wanted to recognize the asks I received and open the conversation by addressing these issues. I encourage you to share your thoughts on this with me in the comments, asks, or my dms. Please let me know whether you think the combination of a trigger warning and a "Keep reading" button is sufficient and reasonable. I will still be tagging my posts accordingly, like I've done in the past, so filtering through hiding certain hashtags will remain an option either way.

I'm looking forward to your feedback and ideas, thank you for the criticism! :)

[lemotmo]

I'm not sure how you feel about getting these anymore but I thought this was hilarious so wanted to share for you at least to read even if you don't want to post. 😊

Q. I really was trying to hold onto the belief that the show wasn't going to make Eddie gay but it's really hard to see what other storyline is possible given those latest Ryan interviews. I would love to say gay or not the show would just keep Buck and Eddie as platonic best friends but there is zero chance of the show not pairing them together. They really did just use my man as filler until they were ready to tell the Eddie story. That's so gross.

A. Well, anon that's the point of a plot device. Their only reason for being is to move a larger story forward. By definition their filler characters. They have no individual significance or purpose. Their purpose is the story they're being used in. I've been telling you this for months now. Many of us have. He was never going to be anything more than a plot device. The show wasn't subtle about it either. It's been pretty much a connect the dots picture of plot device usage. Go back and watch his scenes in season 7 with this new found realization and I promise it will not be hard to see. And I agree, especially with the context the latest Ryan interviews gave, there's really not any other story it could be. He also confirmed they're not turning him into the new Bobby, and he's not siding with Gerard. So it was nice of him to debunk the latest round of ridiculous takes during the interview. If I could offer you a suggestion though I would encourage you to give the story a chance. If you pay attention to Eddie, and not your fandom people telling you to hate him, you will like him. After all there's a reason you all tried to hijack his entire backstory and history for Tommy. Let yourself enjoy the character those things actually belong too. Let yourself enjoy the actual story.

Oh Nonny! I feel joyous and happy whenever I get another of these posts in my ask box. While I'm asking people to not ask Ali any questions through my blog, I'm still perfectly happy posting her asks here. 😋

Especially since, for most of us, this is the only way to read Ali's posts and we do love her posts very much. So don't hesitate to drop something in my ask box. The only things I don't post about are the direct posts about the BT fandom, but Ali has told me she isn't replying to those posts anymore anyway, so that eliminates that problem.

As for the ask itself...

Yeah, so many of us have been saying this since day one. Tommy was only ever there to help Buck out of that closet. He was never really meant to be anything more than that. Sure, the change of the storyline because of the early renewal, gave Tommy some more time on the show, but that's where it ends.

So yeah, going back to rewatch the previous seasons, knowing what you know now? It will change the way you see Eddie and Eddie and Buck's friendship and maybe you'll find some joy in them. Just let it happen.

IMPORTANT! Please don't repost this ask and/or a link that leads straight to my Tumblr account on Twitter or any other social media. Thank you!

Heads up! For anyone who is giving me the shifty eyes for reposting Ali's updates instead of reblogging. Read this.

Remember, no hate in comments, reblogs or inboxes. Let's keep it civil and respectful. Thank you.

If you are interested in more of Ali’s posts, you can find all of her posts so far under the tag: anonymous blog I love.

[ilys00ga]

𝙔𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙙, 𝙄'𝙢 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧

(PROLOGUE) → FIRST CHAPTER

: ̗̀➛ synopsis: you're in the wind, I'm in the water.. somebody's son, somebody's daughter..

OR: Sirens and humans were made to be at war with one another. To sear their deadly bond, not with love, not with wealth, not with rules and restrictions... but with flowing blood and torn flesh. That's what history says. That's what's bound to be.

: ̗̀➛ pair: yoongi x f reader/oc.

: ̗̀➛ tags: mute human!yoongi, half siren half human!reader, reader is obsessed (almost yandere-ish (we'll see as the story progresses)), forbidden love and relationships, middle ages/old times era theme, supernatural, slow burn, strangers to lovers (?), fluff, angst, bloody or dark themes. more tags could be added eventually.

: ̗̀➛ note: hi :) finally decided to post this! first off, I know first-person povs are somewhat "controversial" in the fanfic community, BUT please give this one a read, and I hope you will have a fun ride! second, I know this prologue is longer than it should be (?) but I had a certain idea in mind, so, who cares if it was long af, right? enjoy! I hope u like it.

★ MASTERLIST.

PART ONE:

It was in the middle of a bright, warm spring day that I found the moon reading on a boat.

That day, I took the risk and sneaked Aftreen—my well-trusted and loyal maid—up to my favorite spot.

The first whispers of the fresh air brushed against our skins, and I smiled at the lovely memories it brought along with it.

And oh, how I missed those precious, precious old days.

We hid behind a large, isolated sea stack perched somewhere close to the coast line, but still far enough from the danger that a small distance could bring to the two of us.

“This is as far as we can go. Hurry up, Afreen.” I warned and watched as Afreen was comfortable in climbing the huge rock, eager to get a better view of the island awaiting beyond it.

“Woah, Your highness…” She gasped, a smile stretching her mouth. “Is that it, you highness? your village?”

I hummed in response, my mind elsewhere. She was marveling at the sight of the golden sand and the life of the village sitting at the edge of the island, while my eyes were stuck on the sight of him.

He with his arms crossed to his chest and his eyes fixed on what seemed to be a book he had on his lap, floating on a boat behind the huge rock. His hair dark and grown, its tips brushing against his broad shoulders as it danced with the gentle wind.

Calm, graceful, pale. I blinked. He glowed under the basking sunlight. So lost in his book that he didn't pay attention to anything else around himself—much less being in the presence of a siren princess and her siren maid propped on a huge rock not so far away from where he sat.

I always loved watching the moon, and I always envied the lucky stars to be in the presence of such a creation crowning the night sky. I wasn’t aware that the heavens were kind enough to put one wandering the earth for me to find.

“Afreen, get down.” I ordered, my voice hushed and stern.

Her lower lip jutted out in a slight pout, but she wordlessly obeyed and jumped off of her spot at the top of the stack and into the water daintily.

The dive made an audible splash echo through the air around us. I swiftly hid myself behind the rock right as the human's head jerked up, a soft gasp slipped me unconsciously.

Afreen didn't emerge again. I took the chance to peek over the stack and steal another glimpse of the stranger.

He wasn't reading anymore. He moved to handle the sail of his boat instead. The thought of him leaving spread a sour feeling in my chest.

The siren inside of me growled, urging me to swim to that boat myself, but I fought against it. I knew better than that. I wasn't supposed to be out there in the first place.

Yet, I could feel it. And I couldn't blame her on it. He looked so inviting to her. She was eager to see how his skin would look underwater, if I were to yank and take him deep, deep into the ocean with me. How he would feel against my skin if I were to trace his features with my thumb and caress his hair with my palms. How his face would twist if I were to card my fingers into his dark locks and pull them hard, or if I were I were to hold on his jaw in a tight grip and watch him writhe before me, searching to reach the surface and breathe some air into his weak, human lungs before his soul is put to rest between my arms. How my piercing fangs would feel if I were to—

I felt a persistent tug at my tail. Then, it was Afreen who popped up from underneath the water beside me.

“Your highness, what's taking you so long?” She asked.

I quickly brushed her curiosity off with a shake of my head, then led her deep into the saltwater again.

Every time I met the other moon after that, I'd talk to her about him. About how he looked more entrancing than any human I have ever laid my eyes on. About how he was more delicate and beautiful than she could ever, ever be.

About how I wish I could see him again, even for one, only and last time..

PART TWO:

A dark night sky, a tilted crescent and a pitch black ocean. Darkness cradled the four boats as they glided their way across the ocean, but their lanterns guided them towards their destination.

On each boat were three ruthless and tired sailors. Their journey almost reached its end as they approached Dogon Island.

A small boy that looked to be in his twelfth or thirteenth summer accompanied his father—after much begging pouts and determined promises—on this particular one.

While the adults were lounging on their vessels, the kid was leaning over the gunwale, watching his own reflection in the water with an intense gaze. His eyes soon perched up when he noticed a faint ripple in the image. He turned his head to glance at his father, only to find him sipping on rum, completely unaware. He darted his eyes towards the other two sailors still lounging on the other side of the boat, just as unaware as the previous one, then back to his own reflection again.

Some moments passed like that. The waves calm and steady, the wind gentle and crisp. Until all four boats started rocking from side to side in gentle motions. As if the ocean was soothing them onto the unpreventable.

The father put his rum down, a faint smile adorning his face for a brief moment, before it melted into a neutral frown as he stood up tall.

Everyone was up on their feet. Everyone looked around, alert. All except for the kid, who's hands were still holding onto the gunwale before him.

The rocking halted. A pair of hands gripped the wood right in front of the young boy. Then, it was a dark pair of eyes that locked with his youthful ones.

A soft gasp slipped his mouth at the angelic creature that came face to face with him, her wet skin bathed withed in the lantern lights.

He waited for her to move, like his father had told him she would, but she didn't. She just ogled back at him, her eyes carrying a baggage his young brain was unable to recognize.

More sirens rose and clung around the four boats. Each more breathtaking than the ones before.

Their lips parted as they hummed ? their songs to the men above the water, beckoning them closer and closer, right into their embraces.

The father held his son's shoulders and led him to the center of the vessel, his eyes not once leaving the siren at their boat. Then, he slowly approached her, bringing one knee down in front of her in complete devotion.

Without hesitation, her arms stretched out to cup the man's face in her hands. Closer and closer, she leaned her upper body forward, their noses almost nuzzled together. A wicked, yet faint smile appeared on her face when she felt the sailor's arms wrapping around her in response, pulling her towards the male.

Her deadly song was cut off with a loud, piercing shriek that erupted from her throat instead. The sailor pushed his dagger deeper and deeper into her writhing back.

Several shrieks and shouts erupted all over the area within an instant. The boats quivered violently. The small boy screamed and stumbled to the bottom of the vessel, trying desperately to hold onto something and not fall right into the freezing, salty water.

Hungry humans stabbed sharp tools into inhuman flesh. Angry sirens fought back in desperation after their feast attempt had come to be a dooming failure. And as history said and told, hundreds and millions of times all across the stars, siren blood had, once again, covered the wood and flowed into the ocean.

Victorious grins split the sailors’ faces as they pulled the small pieces of beeswax out of their ears. The father raised his rum flask in the air, keeping a firm grip on his son's shoulder as he stood next to him and bellowed to the open ocean: “To the kingdom!”

The other men seared the victory in loud and proud roars, with blood dripping from their lethal knives as they rose them to the air, and lifeless sirens gathered on each of the four boats.

[0hnogracie]

I Love You, Im Sorry. - P2

I open instagram to a Dm from someone i never wanted to talk to again. Christopher Sturniolo. I havent talked to him since the cheating situation, Which im still hurt about but not that much.

Christopher Sturniolo ✔️

Hey y/n

0hnoy/n ✔️

what do you need?, i thought i told you to never text me again.

Christopher Sturniolo ✔️

Look. Im Sorry, I was being stupid back then. I promise You that i have changed from before too now. Please Can we maybe start over?, Your my only true happiness.

read 7:38Pm

I dont know what to respond with. I have been missing Chris but what he did to me was fucked up. He had me looking stupid, I dont even think i can trust him anymore. I pick my phone back up

0hnoy/n ✔️

Okay fine, BUT if u tell anyone we’re seeing eachother im blocking you permanently.

Christopher Sturniolo ✔️

Thank you y/n. I wont fuck this up i promise, Meet up?

0hnoy/n ✔️

My house 8

Liked by christophersturniolo

I can’t believe chris is coming back over in months. I wasnt even ready at all. ( You can imagine your own fit! )

I heard my doorbell ring and i go get it. ‘ Hey.. ‘ i say softly avoiding contact ‘ Hey. Can I Come In ? ‘ he says firmly and i move aside so he can come in. ‘ So How Have You Been ? ‘ He says sitting down on my couch while i close my door ‘ Im good. ‘ i say being dry towards him ‘ Thats It? Good? ‘ he says looking at me.

‘ Uhmm. Yeah, What About You? ‘ I say looking down at my lap ‘ Kind Of Bad. I’ve Been Missing You, Like More Than I Expected. ‘ He says fiddling with his hands. Its a habit he has, it was kind of cute. ‘ Chris You Cheated? You Had A Choice To Cheat Or Not And You Choose The Option To Cheat. ‘ i spoke clearly finally looking up at him.

‘ Im Sorry. I Didnt Know What I Was Thinking To Do That. I Would Do Anything To Go Back In Time To Fix What I Did. I Never Meant To Hurt You, Your The Love Of My Life And Im Sorry That I Never Showed You The Love You Deserved. ‘ He makes eye contact and doesnt look away. I was speechless i didnt know what to say. ‘ Chris i- uhm- I dont know what to say. ‘ i say looking down to hide some of the blush i have on my face.

‘ Am I Forgiven? ‘ Chris said looking at me with pleading eyes. I nod giving in ‘ Im Glad. ‘ he says hugging me tightly and not letting me go. ‘ Me Too, But Dont Make Me Look Like A Fool Please. ‘ I say softly with my heart racing ‘ Never Again. ‘ he says giving me a soft kiss. I missed those soft lips i wanted to meet again.

0hnoy/n has posted on instagram

Liked by Christophersturniolo and 123,929 others

maybe those “i love you’s” we’re real afterall.

TAGGED : Christophersturniolo

———————————————————————————

Christophersturniolo : My Girl? 💜

↪️ 0hnoy/n : Your Girl 💌

USER : Omg my fav couple is back

Mattsturniolo : I got this to happen 👍🏽👍🏽

Comment we’re limited

Christophersturniolo has posted on instagram

Liked by 0hnoy/n and 129,113 others

We’re back in dont know

TAGGED : 0hnoy/n

———————————————————————————

Comments we’re turned off

‘ I Love You ‘ Chris said to me before he fell asleep in my arms. ‘ I Love You Too ‘

A/N : Okay well I was gonna do a plot twist and make y/n wake up and all that was a dream BUTTR IM NOT GONNA DO YALL LIKE THAT. SHOULD I MAKE A TAG LISTTTT?

[vanfleeter]

My Love: Chapter 3

Characters: Jake Kiszka x Sara Warnings: 18+ || Language. Gore. Mentions of blood. Dead body. Stabbing. Angst. Threats. Betrayal. Smut. Allusions to sex. (let me know if I missed anything so I can add it.) A/N: Posting this early because I have a family reunion tomorrow and won't have time to do all the tags ;) ENJOY!

The morning soon comes and the dread of leaving her fills my body. Her own is draped over mine, her legs entangled with mine and her arm draped over my chest. Her chest expands with each breath she inhales. I absentmindedly trace the curve of her bare shoulder. Leaving her for who knows how long is going to be absolutely horrible. I’ve never gone more than two days without seeing her, and even then it was never a good feeling.

I would miss her entirely too much. And who would protect her while I’m away? Surely not my own brothers. Not when they have their own responsibilities.

Looking down at Sara once more, I gently kiss her forehead. She stirs slightly but moves to rest her head on my shoulder before her body relaxes again. Carefully I slide out from beneath, careful not to wake her. After redressing, I leave her a note on the pillow, informing her of my departure but that I will be home as soon as I can, and then I am leaving.

Chris had sent a car to pick me up, almost as if he’s assuming that I cannot drive myself to the airport. Though seeing his presence inside when the door is pulled open is quite the surprise. He gives me a smile and holds out a glass of whiskey.

“Surprised?” He says as I slide inside the car.

“I thought I would be meeting you in Boston?” I say as I swirl the amber liquid in the glass.

“I figured we could ride there together.. Discuss the murders of this newborn.”

I hum in acknowledgement and take a drink of the whiskey. “Soo.. Any updates on this newborn? Any witnesses?”

“Well,” He takes a drink from his own before continuing. “Any witnesses would no doubt have been murdered..” He shifts in the seat. “I had the body of the latest victim brought to somewhere private.”

“How did you get it from the coroner?”

Chris smirks. “The same way I always do..”

I roll my eyes and finish off my drink. “One of these days, your little trick won’t work.”

Chris shrugs his shoulders. “We’ll see about that.”

The rest of the ride was quiet, save for the soft blues music playing over the speakers. My mind drifted off to Sara. A couple hours into the trip, I received a text from her. A solemn one, wishing she could have seen me to say goodbye before I had left. I do agree that I wish I would have woken her up but I had kept her awake late the night before, tangled in the sheets of the guest bed. She needs her rest, unlike myself, for she is still a human. God, how am I to survive this trip for who-knows-how-long before I can get my hands back on her body?

I left strict instructions for Josh to keep his eye on Sara while I’m away. Though I know she is capable of handling herself, I still want some form of protection around her with this supposed newborn on the loose.

Why must I be roped in to solve this problem? Sometimes I curse myself for possessing so much knowledge on how they operate. There have been no dealings with newborns since.. Well, since myself and my brothers. And that was nearly five hundred years ago. So how did this newborn come about? Especially here? We know of all of the vampires within North America, all of whom are in their respective areas and living as normal as possible. None of which have been careless to kill another soul, nor turn someone.

Chris shoves my knee and nods his head towards the door. Looking over I find the driver holding the door open. Sliding out from the car, I step out onto the pavement and adjust the ring on my right ring finger. Chris leads me into the nearest alleyway and to a solid wood door. He knocks a few times in a certain pattern and soon the door is being opened. I follow him inside and the door is shut tightly behind us. Candles flicker to life along the walls, illuminating a long hallway and there he leads me down to a separate room guarded by two taller men. Men that I’ve never seen before.

They let us through the guarded doorway and we enter into what I presume is the makeshift autopsy room. The body of the latest victim is laid out on a table, a female, a sheet covering most of her body except for her neck. For obvious reasons.

“This is–” Chris starts before I stop.

“I do not wish to know,” I say, holding up my hand to silence him.

He nods his head and steps around the table. “I have forgotten that you do not like knowing who they are.. Too personal.”

It is too personal. Even though it is not my doing, I do not want to know who they are, for the guilt would be too much. Looking down at the woman again, all I can see is Sara. The guilt of leaving her alone fills me more than the secondhand guilt of this woman’s untimely death.

“The gashes on her neck indicate to me that this newborn has no self control.” I say as I bend down closer to examine the woman’s neck better. “He ripped out her jugular vein when he was done feeding.”

“You suspect it to be a male?”

“I’ve learned newborn males have less control than the females do. They feel less guilt, even less so if they have learned how to turn off their emotions. The females, before they learn of the switch, are more likely to be guilt ridden just from feeding on a human. Newborns also have yet to learn how to compel someone to relax and to not be scared.”

“Is that what you did with Sara?” Chris says, making my head snap upwards to glare at him. “What? No human in their right mind would fall in love with a vampire.. They only say they would because we are romanticized in movies and tv shows.”

“She fell in love before I had told her what I was.”

“What, not a who.” Chris hums as he circles the table again. “Interesting.”

I straighten back up and clear my throat. “I’m going to talk to the locals, see if they know of any newborns running around here.”

Turning away from the body, I leave the room and make my way back down the hall and out to the alley. My phone rings in my pocket and I pull it out to see Sara calling. Timing could not have been better.

“Hello love,” I say when I answer the call. “I was just thinking about you. Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, I just wanted to call.. I miss you already.”

I smile and turn on my heels to go back out to the street. “I miss you too.. I’m sorry I couldn’t stay longer for you to say goodbye this morning.. I fear that I wouldn’t have left if I did let you say goodbye.”

“And what makes you say that?”

I chuckle. “You may be human, but you have this way of making me do things against my will.”

“Oh really? I was not aware that I could.”

“Mmhmm..”

She giggles, the sweet melody filling my ears. “How long do you think you’ll be gone?”

“Honestly? I’m not sure.. I’m on my way to talk with some of the local vampires around here to see if they know of any newborns.”

“Ah well, I will let you go-”

“Wait!” I exclaim. “I want you to do something for me.”

“And what would that be?”

“Every night before we go to bed and every morning, I want you to call me.”

“Okay?”

“I.. I just want to know that you are safe.”

“Are you afraid this newborn might make his way inwards?”

“I don’t know.. But just please call me.”

“Okay, I will.” She says.

Chris steps up beside me and I glance over to him before going back to the phone call. “I have to go, I’ll talk to you tonight.” I say before hanging up.

“No ‘I love you’?” He questions as he sticks a cigarette in his mouth and lights one. He offers me the pack but I decline.

“I should get going. The sooner we find this newborn, the sooner I can get home.”

“Missing your human already?” He teases.

I roll my eyes and turn to face him. “I get it, alright? You don’t approve of our relationship, but last time I checked, it’s none of your concern. I do not care what you have to think about it.”

Chris’s demeanor changes and he pins me to the nearest brick wall with his hand gripping my throat tightly. “And the last time that I checked, I am the one who turned you and your brothers. So I would be careful how you speak to me.. I turned you, and I can easily get rid of you.” I claw at his hand, trying to free myself from his grasp. “I’m not just here to catch this newborn, Jacob.. Onyx sent me here to take care of that human.. I do not want to hurt her, because I know how much you love her, and it would pain me to see you go through the pain of losing someone again.. So, do not cross me again and we won’t have problems. Am I understood?” I nod my head and he drops me to the ground. “Good.. Now go talk to the locals and try to find out any information.”

Standing back to my feet, I straighten out my clothes. I wait until he gets into the car and it drives off before I start going down the street. There’s a clan of vampires that don’t live too far from here. They own a small boutique that’s open at all hours. They had to have seen something.

The bells chime above me as I push the door open. The air conditioner is blasted on high, already chilling me to bone. As if I wasn’t already cold to begin with.

“Jacob Kiszka..” I hear a male call as he steps out from behind the counter. “I have not seen you in a very long time.”

“Hey Anthony,” I say as we hug. “It’s been what–sixty years?”

Anthony chuckles. “Try eighty four. I’m wasting away like Rose from the Titanic.”

I playfully roll my eyes as we pull away. “At least you survived the Titanic.”

“So did she!”

“She’s fictional!” I laugh.

“Alright, alright.. What brings you up here anyways?”

“There’s a newborn on the loose.. Leaving bodies along the coast.”

Anthony hums and turns around to go back to the counter. “A newborn you say?”

“I guess so..”

“You guess so?” Anthony says. “You aren’t sure?”

I shrug my shoulders and lean on the counter. “This last victim is consistent with the patterns of a newborn..”

“You would know,” Anthony smirks. “Though I sense a ‘but’ coming.”

“But…” I lean on my chin. “I feel like there’s something off about this.. Yes, newborns can be erratic and uncontrollable, but this seems messy.”

“Well they are newborns. They crave blood and that’s all they want, they don’t care about being clean.”

“I know, I know, but still.. This doesn’t feel like a newborn.”

“I can tell you that I haven’t seen a newborn running around here. Their scent is very distinguished for the first year. If there was a new one, we would’ve known already.”

“That’s it!” I say as I push off the counter. “Anthony, you’re a genius.”

“Well I did study at Oxford so..”

“I gotta go.”

“Don’t fucking disappear for another eighty-four years, got it?”

I chuckle and shove open the door. “I got it.” I say before stepping out of the boutique and back out to the street. Going back down the street and slipping down the alleyway, I knock on the door in the same pattern that Chris had done moments ago. The door is pulled open and I am allowed inside. Making my way down the same hallway, the candles lighting up as I go. Finding the room again, the guards stare at me before allowing me to pass. If I had just a few more inches added to my height, I wouldn’t feel so intimidated by them.

Closing the door behind me, I walk over to the table and pull the white sheet away from the woman’s face. Leaning in close to her neck, I take a long sniff. Her scent mixed with the dried blood has me clenching my jaw. A secondary scent lingers lightly.

Not a newborn.

It’s a familiar scent.

Taking another whiff, the realization dawns on me. My blood stills and a chill runs down my spine. This is definitely not a newborn. Rather someone experienced. Someone who knows exactly what they are doing but chooses to be reckless.

“I always knew you were the smart one..” Turning around, I am faced with Chris. A knowing look on his face.

“It was you..” I say as the pieces finally fit together in my mind. “You have been the one terrorizing the coast..”

“Twas I..” He sighs. “I’m surprised it took you this quick to figure it out.”

“Why are you doing this?” I say as I walk around the table, putting distance between us. “Why bring me into this? Were you trying to get caught on purpose?”

Chris chuckles. “It was indeed a ploy to get you involved and away from home..” The wicked gleam shines in his eyes. “Remember what I told you earlier.. I was sent here to take care of Sara.. I needed you to be distracted. Though I really was hoping that you would have taken slightly longer to figure it all out.”

“Chris, you said it yourself you didn’t want to see me go through this pain again. Why are you doing this?”

“Because Jacob, you have broken the rule.. You didn’t think you could hide this from the Onyx, did you? They know all and they see all.”

“No, you can’t let them do that!”

I start to lunge at him but he only grips my neck again. I feel something pierce through my chest and I look down to see the silver dagger that Josh threatened me with just last night. I look back up at Chris, betrayal evident in my eyes.

“How could you?”

“I’m sorry,” Were the last words to leave his mouth before I fell into darkness.

if i have missed you and you would like to added to the taglist for this, please do not hesitate to comment or message me!

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[wasyago]

we're at it again🕺

[lotus-pear]

i think you guys are onto smth..

i unironically got invested in this HELP

[surreal-duck]

live drama adaptations part 2 (prev)

cast reveal and girls movie night 🔥

[unluckedtj]

hello great ace attorney and wuwa fans

have a nice day great ace attorney and wuwa fans

[nenoname]

stan twins the canon cptsd brothers i will always think about all your unaddressed issues that would make perfect plot fuel for your spinoff

and also the whole 'stan getting that poem by bill via a website which contrasts with bill getting one from the axolotl via a website' foreshadowing thing

like idk i would love something like su future but like more optimistic, aka not an accumulated breakdown that has to be mostly resolved off screen at the end :/// but something thats being kinda addressed throughout? (although would love to see one of them turn into a monster thats always fun lol)

stan having severe issues from his dad and those years of being homeless that we keep on getting more info on but never really getting confronted on (the drifter catalogue and tijuana incident...), him being completely alone for like twenty years when running the shack before soos comes along to the point that 1998 is noted as his low point, and him not really learning about bill+what he did to ford until ages after he killed him if he ever did get the full context

while i think amnesia and everyone seeing him as a hero actually helped with stan's 'i'm a worse version of my brother' thing its still a lingering issue too and we now got him being insecure over his own hands

ford being immediately thrown from 'being tortured by bill' to 'being stuck in the multiverse and being chased by bounty hunters constantly', him fully expecting himself to die when destroying bill, and him only now being safe for the first time in 30 years ....relatively safe, he's still in constant danger because of course he is

idk in the end the series wants them to be happy and they deserve it, its why i wasn't too worried about the book being like 'ooh bill is back!! and the book is haunting ford' thing cos i knew they'll be ok

[batsplat]

Your post about sete/vale rivalry is literally so informative it's like a pivotal post to fully understand the way valentino's mind works. You're his friend just up to the point you are not (mainly after perceived crimes not backed up by any real proof apparently). Valentino literally turbodivorced every guy he was friendly with in the paddock (and the irony of two of those turbodivorces happening in the same place isn't lost on me)

I did do my best to keep marc out of that post and let the parallels speak for themselves but like. yes

what's interesting to me about this rivalry is that it's... kind of his first rodeo. I mean he'd obviously had rivals before and a feud and all that and him and biaggi were constantly *gestures* - but one of the most common complaints about valentino is that he switches up towards you when you actually become a serious threat. which!! I still fully believe to some extent is natural, this is sports, they're competing, and I take more seriously with some of valentino's victims than with others. (melandri is always the one where I'm a bit? valentino no offence but why would you bother, in 2005 there wasn't a title fight and in 2006 valentino actually got on really well with two of the four other main contenders and at the very least didn't actively have a problem with dani. so maybe just a melandri problem question mark.) but I do feel like sete was... maybe not the first, but the first that was this extreme. and, very much topic for another post, but he really does learn a lot from the sete rivalry. a lot of the tactics and performance art and all of that, how he uses all of it to demoralise his enemies - this rivalry was kinda the blueprint

but, at the same time, of course it was a different valentino that marc ended up fighting, and not just in terms of how fast and competitive valentino was at that stage of his career. this is something that's quite hard to get across sometimes, because the natural inclination is to just... look at all the past instances in which valentino was a dick and conclude that he has, in fact, always been a dick. but he wasn't just statically malevolent for a twenty plus year career, and it's important to... reinsert context to assess how he developed as a rider and as a character during that time. it's not twenty non-stop years of valentino feuding. and marc is facing a valentino who had inevitably changed as a result of years of injury and poor results on a poor bike. valentino was pretty open in 2012 that he was returning to yamaha after two years on a donkey of a bike to, y'know, see if he was still fast, if he still had it in him - because he genuinely did not know (stop me if this reminds you of anyone more recently). he was so frustrated in 2013 with constantly finishing in fourth place that he took the truly radical step of firing his crew chief jb. one more try, one more change up to see if he could still be fast

it was only in 2014, where, okay he was losing to marc, but he could feel that he was competitive again, he could semi-regularly beat jorge and dani at the very least... then comes misano and he beats marc in a direct fight, draws an error out of him, gets him to crash, and marc shows up at his ranch and manages to strongly signal that he does actually really want to beat valentino. and that, in a way, shows that he was beginning to take valentino seriously as a competitor again (which I would suggest he wasn't doing at the end of 2013). that's something that's easy to miss about the ranch episode: yes, it's notable how much they were treating each other like hardened rivals, but it was also notable they were doing so in 2014, given the kind of season marc was having. maybe it truly was the worst possible timing. maybe it truly was the race in misano that made both of them go. hey. this really could be happening

but it's still a humbled version of valentino, it's still a version of valentino who has already kind of had to make his peace with the fact his time might very much be over. to me, in a way it's more dramatically satisfying if he did make peace with it, if he was more or less all right with marc making the sport his own. okay, there's always going to be a little bit of bitterness, a little bit of envy... because he wished he could still do what marc was doing, of course he did. but by the end of 2013, he knew it was more likely than not he would never be involved in another title fight. he thought his career might be ending after the 2014 season. he told the world if he wasn't competitive in the early races in 2014 then that would be that, and I think he meant it

there was no guarantee he'd have a season like 2015 - sure, he was working harder than ever and making radical personnel choices, all in the hope he still had something more to give... but he didn't know it would happen. it was really really unlikely!! there's a giddiness to him in early 2015, almost like he couldn't quite believe himself he'd get that chance. and then, yes, he does withdraw from marc, he does go back into title fight mode... but relatively speaking, this is still a more agreeable version of valentino. this is still a version of valentino who is determined to not start shit with jorge - it's odd to watch, but in those 2015 pressers valentino is constantly engaging him in conversation, at a time in which the marc chatter was already dropping off pretty sharpish

(incidentally, I think vale was proper pissed off at how jorge reacted to the whole sepang thing and how jorge was angry with valentino, which is very funny to me. like at catalunya 2016 vale's going!! I actually made an effort with this bitch!! I was nice to him for three years, does that count for nothing??)

valentino also doesn't blow shit up over assen, even though by his standards marc should be giving him plenty of reason to. he's definitely cooled off towards marc, but he's still giving him the benefit of the doubt where he wouldn't have done so with past rivals - which, yes, I do think partly reflects how he felt about marc, but also reflects how he was approaching that year and that phase of his career as a whole. he didn't really want drama; he wasn't really looking for any distractions from the actual title fight. which doesn't mean that he wasn't already changing his behaviour towards his competitors in response to the demands of the season - it's just a question of the extent. here from a write-up of assen 2015 (I don't entirely agree on the point of the effectiveness of valentino's mind games, though I do agree - like valentino himself does - with the general idea that most of the work needs to be done on-track):

in the end, he cracked. I guess that's what generally happens when you put someone under that kind of pressure - you make them revert to type. valentino wasn't arrogant or entitled or over-confident in that season, he was desperate. he'd been given this unexpected chance and he was throwing everything he had into making it work. body, mind, soul, all of it, wringing himself out in pursuit of this dream. he could feel it slipping away at several points that season... that four race jorge win streak where he led every single lap and it was kind of like? okay, you just can't do anything about that. valentino can't match that, not at this stage of his career. or brno, after which they were level on points and jorge led on countback and it just felt like valentino so obviously had a consistent pace deficit that surely this could only go one way. all these moments where it felt like it might actually be over, in the least dramatic way imaginable. in many ways, this wasn't really a title fight that should ever have been so close - and it's to valentino's credit as a rider, his versatility and willpower, that he was even able to push things as far as he did. but he did know he was hanging on by a thread, and he ended up playing the last hand he felt he had available

obviously, it wasn't really rational calculation that made him do what he did in sepang - though there probably was an element of, y'know, might as well. but he believed he detected a pattern of behaviour in marc - not entirely incorrectly, because it did feel like marc approached his battles with valentino differently - and fashioned himself a conspiracy on the basis of it. he hoped it could change the momentum one last time; he decided to make one final roll of the dice. and then, of course, marc reacted in a way that has ensured valentino will never stop believing in his conspiracy theory. because of course marc did, because of course he never would have taken it lying down. because valentino knew from the moment marc engaged him in that battle at sepang that it was almost certainly all over, because he lost his temper - which usually helps him, except when it doesn't. because they both lost their tempers and ended up just wanting to hurt each other, to prove a point. because that's who they both are

the main point I'm trying to make here is kind of.... it's just how I personally read the sete stuff - yes, these are the same patterns of behaviour, yes, a lot of parallels do obviously present themselves. I've long felt that sete is the single most significant valentino feud to understanding what happened with marc. he's the only other one who valentino was friends with, the only other one valentino felt hurt by on a personal level, the only other one who valentino changed his behaviour towards from one day to the next. and I think under the right circumstances, if you give valentino enough of an excuse and enough of a prize to aim for and have planted enough seeds of suspicion in advance... you can get this situation where the competitive paranoia takes control and he buys into this whole betrayal narrative and he decides he needs to go nuclear. and it also gave him a script to follow - one he knew could work because it had. except of course it could have gone very wrong in 2004 too. what happens if he's so desperately determined to ruin sete that he bins it in phillip island and finds himself only barely ahead in the points going into the title decider? compare that race to phillip island 2009 - obviously, there's a sizeable difference between the level of opposition (especially at that circuit) and the '09 race probably wasn't winnable, but he still ends up eventually deciding to settle for second behind casey because he doesn't want to risk losing the championship to jorge. he's not casey's biggest fan either, but he never came close to losing his head fighting him. it's different. he might do some of his finest riding when he's angry, but where there's anger there's also volatility. and, on occasion, there's also some really bad choices

if 2004 is the moment where he's properly learning to play these games, then 2015 is him falling back on these tools when he really had basically discarded them. it'd been five years since he'd engaged in mind games in earnest (I know him and casey were constantly at it in 2011-12, but whatever the hell that was about, whatever part of their psyches they were appeasing there, it obviously had fuck all to do with on-track competition). that's a long time! there's a 2014 interview where he's asked about his work on the 'mental side' against his rivals:

the first thing he immediately stresses is that there's zero point in doing any of this if you're not fast enough on-track to back it up. if you are fast, sure, you can do some off-track 'work', especially if you know it makes your rivals suffer :) but it won't have the same effect without the on-track performance. so even if we want to say valentino hadn't mellowed post-2012, even if he hadn't grown one jot humbler in his heart of hearts, even if he wasn't swayed by any genuine fondness for marc, he still knew the maths just didn't work out in his favour with his current opponents. he couldn't deploy his favourite tactics against jorge because jorge insisted on spending the entire season either two spots ahead or three spots behind valentino, and the off-track stuff just can't work if you're never sharing space on-track. it could and did work against marc, but he wasn't trying to score psychological victories against marc! certainly not by the time they reached assen and marc was basically out of that title fight. so there wouldn't have been any point in trying to fuck with either of them in that way off-track and, well, it could easily backfire. which is something valentino understood perfectly well until they were 88.9% of the way through the season, and then he changed his mind at what was almost the very last possible moment. which I think speaks to how desperate valentino was to make a mistake like he did at sepang: he felt it was all he had left to try

the other way in which marc comes into this whole thing is that.... I mean, he knew about all this stuff! this is the thing right, maybe he wasn't watching the sepang 2004 press conference as an eleven year old and later going 'huh' but broadly speaking, he will obviously have been aware of how this went down, qatar controversy and all of it. he's sitting right there in that jerez 2015 presser when valentino is asked about sete and in response valentino says sete played 'dirty games'. he's obviously aware of the whole jerez 2005 situation, not least because he copied valentino's overtake in his third ever premier class race. which in turn sete was watching unfold, and is still having thoughts about in 2023:

so it's kind of... y'know, you've got marc, you've got someone who's still very much the heir apparent despite all the drama between him and valentino. if you're sete, do you look at marc and see somebody who valentino hurt in similar ways to what he did to you, or do you look at marc and see another version of valentino? do you see both? it's again that thing of, if you have a problem with some of valentino's more aggressive riding then you will definitely have a problem with marc. because of course marc is the escalation, because valentino generally picked his moments a bit more and adjusted his levels of aggression more to the situation, whereas marc is mostly just Like That. so sure, if you're sete gibernau you can look at marc and see another one of valentino's victims, but at the end of the day you're also going to see his legacy

and this from 2017:

not an original thing to say obviously, half of motogp has said it at one point or another. but. still. meaningful to me!

that tension between 'fellow valentino rival' and 'valentino's successor' is imo inherent to the jerez pass situation, because (along with laguna seca) it's an example of marc actively inserting himself into valentino's legacy. and the thing is, right, these aren't just neutral fun passes that everyone remembers because they looked cool: they're the biggest flashpoints of their respective feuds. marc did to jorge what valentino did to sete - and then he did the most valentino thing imaginable and went to jorge when he must have known jorge would still be furious, making him publicly reject his handshake and starting up a whole lot of discourse™ that would take forever to die down. marc knew immediately how controversial what he did would be and was completely at home in the chaos. it's not just the pass that does valentino proud, it's the shamelessness

while that race might not have had the same repercussions as '05, at the end of the day you do have to remember that those passes have a lot of baggage and controversy attached that marc is also making himself a part of. in the case of laguna, it's valentino addressing livio suppo in the presser because of all the grief suppo and casey had given valentino over the '08 overtake. in the case of the jerez pass, it's sete talking about how alienated he is by this whole approach to riding that marc so completely embodies. and the whole thing has come up quite a few times since 2013, because everyone loves bringing up last corner passes at least once a year when they show up again at jerez

so for instance we have this clip from 2016 (fourth race of the season, vibes still in hell), where the riders are asked whether they'd prefer to be in first, second or third position heading into that final corner. not all too much to say about this one, really. jorge, who it seems has at long last learned his lesson about what to do when you've got a lunatic sitting on your rear wheel headed into the final corner of a race, stresses that he'd protect the inside line - not least because these two fuckers would dive on the inside through the grass if you give them half a chance. also, decent gag from marc! good on him. not always easy for those who have decided they hate him so much so that they refuse to laugh at anything he says

then we have this from 2017 - where sete is in the room - asking four riders who they'd want to arrive at jerez's final corner with. three guys give pretty boring answers, though you'll note in 2017 valentino does actually mention his battle with sete (*gestures with his head in sete's direction*) in the same breath as the one between "marc and jorge". those three boring answers are followed by a great response courtesy of jorge. the question doesn't actually specify, but obviously jorge immediately zeroes in on valentino and marc since they are. you know. the two guys with a history of doing last corner jerez crimes. and they're also two confirmed lunatics, though jorge believes that valentino at least might be a little less reckless now that he's a little older. hey, maybe even marc has become 3% more sensible at the advanced age of 24 (funnily enough, vale when making that overtake in '05 was two years older than marc is in this clip). it's a sweet moment - but, without wanting to belabour the obvious, it's also another way of showing how irrevocably linked both the passes and the blokes executing them are. both valentino and marc are 'hard brakers', to put it lightly. two peas in a pod, from a man who would know

we do also of course get sete reacting to valentino's answer. idk what this facial expression is but I sure am compelled by it (thank u to dani pedrosa for working with sete in 2017 so that we'd get live sete reaction shots. I am very grateful)

okay so those two I included because. well it's just kind of neat and fun that this is a parallel they won't ever escape. linked legacies and all that. but I am actually building up to a point here, and it's to do with how even post-2015, it's not like marc is always overflowing with sympathy and compassion for valentino's other victims. he knows his lore! he will know at least the general details of the sete relationship and how it deteriorated and what valentino did to him afterwards! so let's bring in austria 2017, a time at which the vibes between the two of them aren't actually. catastrophic. exhibit a:

so in this presser, valentino is asked if his overtake on jorge at catalunya '09 is the favourite of his career, and he says it was special because it was the last corner - he can't remember any other examples of him making a last corner overtake in the premier class. at which point marc taps valentino to point out sete:

the expression marc makes in the thumbnail - that's how he looks when he's eagerly waiting for valentino to put two and two together. the thing is, right, this whole feuding business, the way valentino treated his rivals, how he was pretty awful to them... all of it will have been stuff that marc actively enjoyed as a fan. and even post-2015, when marc has experienced some of the very worst valentino has to offer, marc still finds the whole jerez thing pretty funny, not just the overtake but what it meant for the relationship between valentino and sete. he makes valentino aware of sete in the room, because of course he would never forget valentino's greatest hits. like, remember why this exchange is funny: everybody knows this overtake was a super controversial thing and a big source of tension between the two of them and valentino's forgotten about it. and marc's laughing at this!! in 2017!! "after we have a bit problems" and marc thinks it's hilarious!! buddy

one more presser moment, from 2019. just a bit of context here - earlier in the presser they were asked about dani getting a corner named after him at jerez and valentino went 'yeah good for him but I wouldn't want a corner named after me !!' and marc talked about how he'd gotten a corner at aragon named after him the year before. so now, the riders are asked what their favourite bit of the jerez circuit is. the joke here goes a) marc says 'last corner' the way he does because everyone knows he did a terrorism there, b) jack miller says 'you mean jorge lorenzo corner' because everyone knows it's funny marc did a terrorism on jorge there like a day after jorge got the corner named after him, and c) marc says 'it's valentino corner' because everyone knows his move was copying the move valentino did on sete. and... 'valentino corner'... first of all why would you do this to your literal teammate jorge lorenzo... but again the whole reason this exchange is funny is because the premise is that they did the same thing, valentino to sete and marc to jorge. implicitly, it's making the link between the pair of them and how they terrorised their rivals in the same way. still. in 2019

speaking of legacies, there's a moment in the 2016 catalunya presser where valentino is asked how that duel compares to his past duels in 2007 and 2009 at that circuit (notice the blatant and unchallenged sete erasure - 2004 and 2005 were really great but okay). and valentino says he counts it on the same level as the jorge fight - "was three great battles with three great opponents". which, y'know, I really love 2016, I think it's fantastic, but marc makes a mistake on the penultimate lap and denies us the most dramatic of finales. like I think it's completely reasonable and nice for valentino to count it in that same camp as the 2009 duel, but I also think it wouldn't have been crazy or disrespectful or anything if he'd gone 'yeah that was great but not quite the same thing'. this definitely might be reading too much into it (surely not) but given how valentino has since occasionally left marc out of the rivalries list, said he wasn't his toughest rival etc etc, I do think it's kinda notable that during that moment of 'reconciliation', valentino allowed marc to be part of his legacy - even if it's just in a small way. 'great valentino catalunya battles' is a pretty cool group of races to be a part of, y'know? the infamous overtakes, the duels, these are the things people remember. these are the things marc remembered, as valentino's fan - inevitably, it'll mean something to him. it's a legacy he wants to be a part of, by fighting valentino, by emulating valentino, and sometimes valentino lets him and sometimes he'd rather leave marc out in the cold. you'll note that in 2019 he doesn't really engage with the "valentino corner" gag from marc and instead goes with the far more neutral turn 5 as his own pick

in the very very immediate aftermath of sepang (aka december 2015), marc did openly make the comparison between himself and valentino's other rivals:

and it's informed his whole approach since then - it's a big part of why he's tried to be quiet about the drama with valentino over the years. he knows how valentino behaves towards his rivals, he always has. he knows he can't beat valentino off-track... but (beyond his undeniable mental resilience) he's just fortunate enough that with his talent and the way their career windows have overlapped, more often than not he's been able to out-perform valentino on the track. and y'know, it's an interesting element to the whole thing I feel... marc was a fan of valentino's for a lot of reasons - he was very much a fan of the complete package, if you will. including what valentino did to his enemies! it's not like that aspect of vale was some kind of closely guarded secret; it was like a top three valentino rossi talking point for years and years. (part of the subtext of assen 2015 is marc not really enjoying being on the receiving end of one of those classic valentino scam wins, when marc had been intending to do that to valentino.) again, those overtakes of valentino's weren't just famous because they were cool, they were famous because they helped valentino fuck with his rivals. it's not just about emulating his on-track aggression, it's about emulating how valentino did his best to get in his rivals' heads. when we talk about marc 'being a fan' of valentino, then it shouldn't be ignored that this involved marc being a fan of what an absolute and utter asshole valentino was. and like with all things relating to valentino, I'd wager marc has pretty complicated feelings about this. at the end of the day that's also part of his make up as a rider... but it also really burnt him personally...

it's almost like an identification thing, isn't it. if you're marc and you're thinking about valentino's past rivalries, whose shoes are you placing yourself in? in many ways it should be valentino's rivals, because of course some of their experiences mirror marc's. and there's a rare moment in the winter of 2015, when he's still in the process of trying to make sense of everything that's happened, where he does make the connection. but apart from that, he's shied away from it - even when he's criticising valentino, he's generally not framing what valentino did to marc as indicative of some broader character flaw. it's casey and jorge who explicitly make that link, not marc. he's still kind of... idk, separating that out. obviously, marc would far rather be valentino's successor than another one of valentino's victims, even if he hasn't really been given a choice in the matter and has ended up being both. I don't really have any evidence to back this up, but my guess is that deep down he feels like what valentino did to him was different from what he did to those other guys. and in some ways he's right and in some ways he's wrong

unfortunate, isn't it. you're a fan of somebody with a reputation for fucking with his enemies, which is fun and neat and you kinda want to copy how he does it - maybe put your own spin on the whole thing but you're still into the general vibe. you enter the sport at a time when you can still fight your hero, but he's kinda washed and he's too old to be starting new feuds (*bzzzzt!!* incorrect! you are never too old to start feuds) so there's no real danger. and you share a bond you think on some level is different from whatever those other guys had going on, even sete gibernau, whoever tf that is. and then you become real rivals and realise how extremely not enjoyable it is to be losing to him yourself and you really want to show him and maybe you do push it a little far along the way. but it'll be okay. it's all fine... until he decides it's time to destroy you. and on one level you do obviously see the parallels because you're not an idiot... but on the other hand, none of that stuff, none of what he did to those other guys - it wasn't ever going to stop you from being a fan of his. it's the bits he did to you that are the problem. and at the end of the day, you'll never quite be able to let go of the twelve year old boy inside of you who found jerez 2005 really, really cool

anyway