#photo-proofed kisses. its kind of a tradition

[crunchycrystals]

this is extremely percabeth-after-annabeth-takes-the-knife-for-percy core

[captnjacksparrow]

it baffles me how much s*sus*ku stans have to use secondary sources — especially the novel — to support their ship. in the novel, it was stated how sakura’s skin was glowing since sasuke’s return, indicating that sasuke and sakura were having s*x when he comes home late at night when sarada isn’t aware.

to me, this seems heavily ooc as he doesn’t even show affection to his own wife in gaiden whereas he has no issue showing affection towards Naruto with pet names, close proximity, smiling and eye contact, etc.. just where the hell does this kind of thing come from? why would he willingly choose to neglect spending time with sarada to have s*x with sakura late at night? like honestly

and it’s funny because the majority of these novels who depict sasuke in this manner are written by DIFFERENT AUTHORS! that says enough for me.

but anyways, have you seen the SP’s illustrations of sasusaku’s relationships in the blank period? you know, the journey that sasuke wanted to go on to atone for his sins but sakura decided to selfishly chase after him? 🤔throughout the whole thing sasuke’s character was absolutely shat on. since when is he a blushing mess? since when does he come late at home to shag his wife that he supposedly hadn’t seen in 12 years? why does he suddenly tolerate and love sakura? it’s hilarious how much the novels and gaiden manga don’t make sense together. this awful characterization of sasuke makes me sad and hateful of what his character was turned into for SS fan-service.

Thanks for the ask, Anon!!!!

it was stated how sakura’s skin was glowing since sasuke’s return, indicating that sasuke and sakura were having s*x when he comes home late at night when sarada isn’t aware.

This!!!!!

This is not the first time I am hearing this. I heard that, in the novels, since Sakura's skin was glowing, according to Japanese Tradition, it indicates that the woman was having an active and healthy Smex life.

Well what can I expect from a thirsty and horny fandom who once enraged about Sasuke had smex with her with just One Arm!!!!! They were so worried that he couldn’t have done IT properly... PUKE!!!!

Seriously??? What can we expect from them other than horniness just like their kween???

They didn't care about Sarada at all... Instead they were so pissed about Salad throwing tantrum and questioning their 'Relationship' when Gaiden was released... For them, every thing revolves around Smex, Smex, Smex....

They were not worried about any other problems that were addressed in the Gaiden Manga, such as Sasuke not making any contact with them for a decade, having given birth in a Orochimaru lair, no wedding photo, no Birth certificate for Sarada... But they quickly went into Horny Mode when Sasuke called her 'My Wife' and then this panel....

"Kyaaah!!!! Sasuke-kun checks on Sakura..... He was so in love with her.... They were going to have some steamy smex tonight!!!!" ... This was how they reacted, as I heard....

Somehow, whenever they share a panel or Sasuke cares about her, their fans always associate his gesture with smex.... That's how low their fandom was thirsting and craving for, even till this very day.

Why would he willingly choose to neglect spending time with sarada to have s*x with sakura late at night? like honestly and it’s funny because the majority of these novels who depict sasuke in this manner are written by DIFFERENT AUTHORS! that says enough for me.

Like I said earlier, they are one of the horniest fandom in Narutoverse and the piss poor Authors are catering to their needs by writing Sasuke into an OOC mess who fell in love with those green emerald eyes.... Who couldn't tolerate seeing a small wrinkle in her face.... Without Sakura, he wouldn't know how to survive in this world and she is the most important person in this world.... EWWW.... I can't even write this without making a disgusting face.

And I don't even know what will happen if that Sasuke Retsuden will be adopted into the anime..... Anyways, I am just going to wait for that abominated mess to happen...

have you seen the SP’s illustrations of sasusaku’s relationships in the blank period? you know, the journey that sasuke wanted to go on to atone for his sins but sakura decided to selfishly chase after him? 🤔throughout the whole thing sasuke’s character was absolutely shat on. since when is he a blushing mess?

Actually it was a Doujinshi published by the Boruto Animator, Sekibeing, I guess. I don't think those panels belong to SP.

But still, those ungrateful SS fans harassed that Animator guy because he drew a fanart of NH and this spurred SS blokes who went to his Twitter handle and called him out with unpleasant words... 

And yes, I watched those Illustrations and all I felt was I need to bleach my eyes so badly...

Sakura was seen leaning on him, covered with Sasuke's robe and his Susanoo armour!!! Pfft.... Really??? Atleast I could envision Naruto doing something like this for Hinata. But Sasuke????

And the problem is, they completely believe that this is what happened during the Blank Period. I have seen an SS shipper coming into our tags and lecturing us that, 'You people don't understand Sasuke, he has a softer side that he only shows towards Sakura. A special smile that he only projects towards Sakura'...

When I asked that person, 'Well, I've never seen Sasuke did anything as you mentioned in the Manga, Where's the proof?'.... That poster just bailed off....

it’s hilarious how much the novels and gaiden manga don’t make sense together. this awful characterization of sasuke makes me sad and hateful of what his character was turned into for SS fan-service.

I think we shouldn't worry too much about that stupid novels where Sasuke was portrayed as an horny man who wants to be with Sakura always... Because it doesn't match up with how he was portrayed in the Boruto Manga.

In the Manga, Sasuke was portrayed as someone who wanders alone and does his job on his own accord without any trappings of a Family. I think it's just these fillers pay more attention to this Domestic Drama which feels like a Total cringefest.

Logically, they could never adapt those novels. Because if you have a version of Sasuke who behaves in a certain way in Canon Episodes.... and if you make him do something OOC in fillers, that character will lose its credibility and people lose their interest altogether. And that shitty Anime was still running on the shoulders of Naruto and Sasuke’s popularity. If you make them go horny for their wives, 12 year old kids who are watching this drama would feel , “Ewww.... Instead of showing us how Boruto romancing Sarada, why the fuck they are showing some old peeps kissing each other??”

In my opinion, let them dream about their Gospel as much as they want. As long as the Anime Team don’t adapt those craps, I can begrudgingly digest this series!!!!!

[percyjacksonfan3]

The Last Olympian Thoughts

So because I have absolutely 0 self-control or restraint when it comes to this series and its characters, and for The Last Olympian in particular, I could not put TLO down. Because of this I figured I couldn’t do the usual photo reaction posts I have been so far, because the spam would just be ridiculous, so I am stealing the idea from @yourstrulytaaay​ to do a masterpost instead. (Adding a Read More cause this got ridiculously long)

Fun fact, TLO came out right after i finished reading the series for the first time so it's the first PJO book i bought  and my only hard cover one for the og series. I checked the year and turns out it was published 2009, which means i was actually 9 when i read the series for the first time. I realize this is not really a fun fact but i thought i was older when I first read the series so it's blowing my mind a little ‘cause now I’m 21 and everything hits different and i still have so much love for this series and the characters Okay onto book thoughts: - i was right that this book is gonna destroy me, the first line alone made me so excited and nostalgic it's ridiculous - I love Rachel and Percy sm tbh. Her being a bit of peace and normalcy in his life without always reminding Percy of who and what he is is so good for him. Just a little escape

- of course by the end of the book that's not the case any more but by the end he's lived his prophecy so he doesn't need it as badly, plus he and Annabeth are solid again - Percy saying Annabeth has been hard to be around lately... Ouch my heart. Luke really is the last thing that keeps them from being together and Percy is so jealous and Annabeth so torn and in pain, i feel so bad for them both

- Beckendorf 🥺🥺 - the telkhine with the Lil Demon lunchbox!! I forgot about him. Percy: 'i left him alive, partly because his lunchbox was cool' is one of my absolute favourite lines tbh - Paul taking Percy crabbing and being imperative in helping Percy kill the giant crab 💖 Paul Blofis is important and deserves the world, okay? - aw Percy, you can't save every demigod bb

- 'i had to fight him eventually. Why not now?... What difference would a week make?' Oh Percy you have no idea - real talk tho, the fact Kronos possessed Luke's body would also mess me tf up. Percy keeps forgetting it's not Luke anymore and yeah, that would be so so hard and confusing af, like what another smart little mind game for Kronos to pull on top of everything else - the fact Percy fights Kronos before getting the Achilles Curse and actually doesn't die within seconds is... Astounding. He kicks him in the chest! And yeah Kronos is weaker and still adjusting to Luke's body, but Percy is having trouble fighting Luke cause they used to be friends - Percy breaks Kronos' time magic!! Like?! Boy is POWERFUL.

- OUCH - honestly Luke, Thalia and Annabeth's family breaking the way it did... Don't talk to me. Poor Annabeth, Luke betrayed them, Thalia joined the Hunters because of Luke's betrayal so she's pretty much AWOL all the time and then Luke dies. Like Rick wtf, my heart can't take it? -Percy and Tyson having each others backs when talking to Poseidon in the underwater palace is the brother-brother relationship we love to see - Percy trying to stick a sand dollar in the vending machines at school 🤦🏻‍♀🤦🏻‍♀ - the whole underwater interaction at Poseidon's palace? Perfection. Awkward family drama and all - Connor falling out of the tree when he sees Percy because he's so excited 😂😂

- 😭💖

- k, ik Clarisse isn't perfect but tbh if i was a child of Ares whose father was disrespected and hated by my fellow campers (ares deserves it but still) and that disrespect trickled down to how the other campers treated ME (which if Percy is reliable here, it obviously does) then i would also be irritated at being used for muscle and nothing else? And just expected to fight with the people who act as if they'd rather not have Ares kids around the rest of the time. Like Clarisse isn't totally wrong - Percy reading the prophecy, seeing he's meant to die and just being like 'i do not see it' and refusing to outright think about it makes me so sad for him - (but it taints every action after and he's super reckless afterwards bc of it- including finally breaking and accepting the Achilles Curse) - (also him taking this as the last straw and finally beginning to show Annabeth how he really feels, cause fuck it, he's dying anyway) - Give me more info about Rachel's backstory and family Rick!! -  how did i forget Percy willingly eats chocolates that taste like cardboard because 'i didnt have anything against cardboard' like sir? Ik Silena didn't want them but still? - 'she'd always been cute, but she was starting to be seriously beautiful' STOP, MY HEART CAN'T TAKE IT - Percy staring at Annabeth and forgetting what they're talking about cause hes so distracted 👌🏻

- hmm yeah... For some strange reason.... - i forgot how Percy totally bombs this convo bw them and now want to cry 😭 Annabeth is trying to talk about what's important and Percy, you sweet oblivious man, you're shooting her down without even realizing - love that they're both on the same wavelength tho. Percy two lines before, hmm it's cool to date ppl from other cabins, wonder why im thinking that around Annabeth, my best friend in the world, and then Annabeth a beat later, hmm, let me bring up Silena and Beckendorf and how it's important to be with the people you love when you have the chance, no way Percy will miss this huge hint right? - they're the best - k i honestly forgot Percy full on physically intimidates Leneus like that - luke telling his mom if he ran away the monsters wouldnt get her..i can just imagine luke crying when he says good bye before running away because he thinks it's his fault his mom is like that and he cant take care of and protect her anymore because it's too hard - uh oh now i have angsty pre-lightning thief luke fic inspo... Him, Thalia and Annabeth on the run... The ANGST -  Rick holds absolutely nothing back in this book and i am in pain - HESTIA!! 💖💖🥰 - actual loml - i love that Rick titled this book after her and that he wrote such a great series about the importance of family (biological, found or otherwise) and home, and that he said actually Hestia is the most important bc shes the most humble and keeps the peace and knows when to fight and when to yield and you protect what you love, which is your home - i just... Adore Hestia - Grover! Missed you babes - Hades is so so horrible to Nico, always comparing him to Bianca :/ - but i do love Hades, Persephone and Demeter together they make me laugh - oh god the River Styx - Achilles 🥺 - Annabeth being Percy's lifeline is, and continues to be, A Lot™ - 'my name was Percy Jackson. I reached up and took Annabeth's hand.' LOL Why am i crying? - Like the fact there is no Percy without Annabeth, and that remembering her literally reminded him of who he is in his very soul... It's fine im fine - i won't even get into the parallels of her being his lifeline now and then later when Hera takes his memories but leaves the memory of Annabeth for Percy to fight to get back to (anyone who wants to yell about it with me... Feel free to message) - badass Percy is my fav Percy tbh - him defeating Hades?? Like? Hades is arguably the most powerful god, okay - i feel bad for Nico but if i was Percy I'd do the exact same, Nico, sorry man but this is a high stakes time crunch deal and Nico is literally the only hope of persuading Hades and distracted by his own internal stuff - flashbacks to Luke, Thalia and Annabeth hurt, ow - George and Martha are the best - damn i forgot Hermes full on nearly kills Percy here, yikes - Luke stop cockblocking Percabeth challenge

- i love!! Percy's love for New York!! So much!! - Percy leaving to live in New Rome in HoO is a lie and this is all the proof i need for why - the fact the entire last half of the book is the battle and aftermath... Such great buildup and pacing. All the tricks and twists and battles in this War of Manhattan? I would not take out a thing, Rick, you legend - of course then the final battle in hoo with the gods is what? Two pages? Ugh, don’t talk to me about my hatred for BoO and HoO - 'no detours you two' is still the cutest thing!!! - THE HUNTERS!! Thalia i missed you - good job Percy, you finally spent your sand dollar - Minotaur!! - 'dont i get a kiss for luck? Its kind of a tradition right?' Percy finds out he's gonna die and is out of fucks to give and honestly I support him - also Michael just standing beside these two while they're flirting like umm 👀 👀 while a monster army marches towards them, nbd - Annabeth taking Ethan's knife meant for Percy!!! Cause she just knows his weak spot without him even telling her! They literally invented love - Feral Percy is so scary omg, i love how well Rick incorporates the Achilles Curse in this novel, with the whole heightened weaknesses and stuff ans the parallels to Achilles arrogance being what killed him and Percy's loyalty, fierceness and protective instinct being his own heightened weakness - the fact that Percy is the one who inadvertantly kills Michael Yew tho, I'll never recover from that - the fact Hades offers Maria di Angelo a golden palace by the Styx like how Poseidon offers Sally a palace under the sea tho. Let's talk about that parallel - the entire talk with Prometheus is so so good - not me picturing young Luke hiding in the closet to get away from his mom when she has an 'episode' -i love callbacks in stories and all of the callbacks to the rest of the series in this book make me very happy (medusa, minotaur, the underworld, Rainbow!! My baby!!, Daedalus and more) - Percy summoning a wholeass hurricane against Hyperion - the Party Ponies! They're so chaotic, i love it - Dionysus! 😁 I can't help it, i love him - Percy absolutely losing it when he sees Sally and Paul asleep in the car 🥺 - Rachel telling Percy he's not the hero screws with him so much :( poor bb - although i really really love how Rick wrote this, it's so refreshing to not have one chosen one save the world, but a combination of people - the drakon, Silena and Clarisse make me cry - the Patrochilles references, im not okay - Annabeth giving up on Luke after hearing what he did to Silena and Percy telling her that doesn't make him happy 😭 that whole interaction makes my heart ache - Percy giving Hestia Pandora's pithos 🥺 - and Hades, Nico and the others coming for a final attack is so badass, i love it - listen im glad the og trio were the ones to confront Luke on Olympus but the fact Thalia got so close and then pinned by a statue of HERA makes me so sad. Ik her and Luke were finished and she coped by cutting him off completely and giving up all hope but i would pay money to know what they would have said to each other to say goodbye - Ethan 🥺 - Poseidon joining the fight against Typhon is so cool, such a great scene - 'PEANUT BUTTER!' - Annabeth you brilliant badass you - RIP Luke, you werent great but you werent the worst either - the gods just rolling up seconds too late, wondering wtf happened in Olympus and who the dead body is - the chapter where the Olympians meet and give out rewards is one of my absolute favourites (again i am incensed we didn't get anything like this in HoO) - will Percy turning down immortality ever not make me scream in glee? No? Alright then - Annabeth being relieved like Percy was relieved at the end of Titan's Curse tho - oh Hermes :/ - its so hard reading all this and knowing what comes in HoO... Like it's such a cathartic, earned and mostly happy and peaceful ending and then HoO comes along and undermines it all - aww Rick let Paul see Olympus somehow pls, he deserves it, he killed a dracanae - (i would also love to see it) - Percy being more upset Rachel took his pegasus than her going to Camp and possibly dying, lol, priorities dude - i honestly think that Rick had other ideas for the second Great Prophecy and how things would go down in BoO, cause the prophecy like... Barely applies to BoO, Doors of Death are in book four, and explabations of it is all so unclear when Rick is usually pretty good with that stuff - PERCABETH - lol Percy complaining about privacy when he and Annabeth are caught kissing literally in the middle of the very open and public dining pavilion, okay - BEST UNDERWATER KISS OF ALL TIME - that's it and im a glass case of emotion - very happy to say that this series remains my favourite of all time 💖

 If anyone ever wants to come gush about anything Riordanverse related feel free, because as you can see I have a lot of thoughts about it all

[spencers-renaissance]

Hear it in the Silence

Summary: A short, fluffy chronicle of Spencer realising in increments how in love with Derek he is, and navigating a real, beautifully sweet relationship that's not always smooth sailing, especially since he's been hurt before. (Based on Taylor Swift’s You are in Love.)

Tags: major fluff, angst, past abuse, hurt/comfort, fights, making up, falling in love, dev relationship 

Pairing: Morgan x Reid

Word Count: 3.7k

Read on AO3 (detailed cw in notes)

They’re careful to arrive separately but unsurprisingly, subtlety is not Derek’s strong suit. Spencer has a good poker face -- although logically he knows that a cheerful, passive expressive is the best actual poker face due to its non-threatening nature -- but Derek absolutely cannot get rid of the smug, pleased smile he’s wearing proudly. It’s a good thing Spencer looks as unsuspicious as possible because as soon as he enters the room, Emily’s teasing him about the hot date he clearly had last night. 

Derek might look smug but Spencer feels it: a soft swirl of satisfaction settling in his tummy, though he’s careful not to show it. He’s proud of himself for how smoothly the date went last night, much more comfortable than the first three, and he’s even happier that he can now call himself Derek Morgan’s boyfriend. He’d stayed the night for the first time last night and it couldn’t have been more special in Spencer’s eyes. 

He may not be grinning like Derek is, but he’s filled with a happy sort of warmth completely unmatched by any feeling that’s ever occupied his body before. It festers and grows and develops even throughout the gruesome briefing, even when discussing the profile of an enucleator, even when looking at crime scene photos. Pretty colours still ripple through his brain, comforting him with the promise of more, the promise of purpose beyond his day job.

The colours only intensify when they walk to the jet together with Emily and JJ, chatting about their weekends in vague as possible terms. They’re nearly at the door when Derek looks at him like he did last night: like he can’t quite believe what, who, he’s seeing, like Spencer’s everything he’ll ever need to be happy. If anyone caught it, they’d be found out immediately, but they don’t.

It’s a look meant just for him. 

He wants to bask in this moment for just a little longer, but they force themselves to pull their eyes away from one another and board the jet. At this point, he has no choice but to acknowledge that he will be working this case with his insides a messy, melted puddle of sentiment. And he’s not even mad about it.

⭐️

The insides of his eyelids don’t solely exist to serve their intended biological function anymore: they’re no longer just protection for his eyes but a cinema screen playing moments shared with Derek over and over again. Their first date, their first kiss, the first time Derek held him closely as he pushed slowly inside him. The looks he sends his way, the feeling of Derek’s hand in his, his broad chest and how it’s the perfect pillow for Spencer’s tired head. 

Time moves too fast so Spencer has no choice but to play it back, over and over again. 

“I’ve never been more jealous of your eidetic memory,” Derek chuckles when Spencer tells him this a little shyly on their next date. 

At first he’s terrified his boyfriend is mocking him, not appreciating just how deadly serious he’s being, but the earnest, adoring look Derek is wearing across his features tells him otherwise. His expressive face is one of the things Spencer loves so much about him; social situations and cues are hard for him to read, but one look at Derek’s face and he knows exactly what’s happening, exactly how to respond and behave. 

“It’s one of the few perks,” Spencer concedes, slipping his mittened hand into Derek’s. It’s late November and the evenings are cold, even in DC, but walking down the quiet street lit up by Christmas lights together after a delicious meal warms Spencer from the inside out. 

They pause a little way down the street when Derek points up at a Christmas light decoration in the shape of a mistletoe. “It would be bad luck if we didn’t,” he says seriously despite the playfulness in his eyes.

“Can’t have that,” Spencer hums, and he plays with the wide buttons on Derek’s double-breasted coat as he leans in and connects their lips in a soft kiss, feeling Derek’s hands come to his waist in the way he likes far too much, feeling small in his boyfriend’s hold. 

“An extra one for good luck,” Derek whispers as he leans in for one more after they pull away, brushing a lock of Spencer’s hair out of his eyes. “That’s how it works, you know.”

“It is?” Spencer laughs, eyes crinkling fondly at the look on his face. 

“Mhm,” Derek confirms, moving his hand to Spencer’s lower back as they continue their walk back to Spencer’s apartment. “I’m a Christmas tradition expert. I know more than you, probably.”

“Sure,” Spencer grins diplomatically, leaning in closer to the warm body next to him, contentedness flooding his insides.

Derek only stays for an hour before driving back to dump his stuff and repack his go-bag for the upcoming week, but it’s sort of a good thing. A lot has happened in a very short span of time and Spencer appreciates having a bit of uninterrupted alone time to really think about what’s been going on. 

They’ve had five dates by now: Derek had given him a little present to commemorate the moment, immediately making Spencer feel guilty for doing nothing of the sort, guilt which had quickly been assuaged by a gentle touch to the back of his hand. At first, he hadn’t known what to say. It was an understated necklace, a silver chain with a small triangle pendant on the end of it. He wasn’t a big jewelry person really, but on their first date, Spencer had talked at length about why triangles were his favourite shape (not his proudest moment) but Derek was so thoughtful. He could wear it all the time while easily concealing it at the same time, and it was just the most perfect gift he’d ever received.

He rolls it over in his fingers as he curls up in bed. He was falling in love with Derek, and he had absolutely no proof he was falling in love back; no proof, but he’d seen… something. Even just the present felt like statement enough. Maybe this was going to be it for him. Maybe Derek was going to finally give him the very thing he’d been craving all these years. 

It’s a comforting enough thought to dampen the doubts and fears niggling at him, and it sends him to sleep with the kind of peace in his heart he’d written off as impossible a long time ago. 

⭐️

Go-bags are packed, the case is wrapped up, and the team are saying their goodbyes to local law enforcement when Hotch gets the phone call. 

He’s wearing a mildly irritated frown when he heads back over a few minutes later. “There’s been a problem with the jet,” he informs them, grimacing at their annoyed reactions, “so you can either drive home yourself or wait. Garcia’s re-booking the hotel for the night and I’m informed that the plane should be ready to go by the morning.”

Spencer shoots a look at Derek who immediately understands and nods in return. Columbus, Ohio is a 6/7 hour drive back to DC, and the alone time after being so close but so far for almost a week sounds like heaven. It’s only 4pm: they won’t even get home that late.

“It’s funny, isn’t it?” Spencer muses once they’re on the road, curled up in the driver’s seat with his trusty blanket tucked around him as he admires his sexy boyfriend at the wheel. 

“What do you mean, baby?” he asks, looking over briefly. 

“Well just last week we were talking about taking a road trip together and then Hotch not only gives us the opportunity but also provides the transport,” he says, thumbing the pendant around his neck. It’s become almost a self-soothing thing now: even if it’s usually hidden under his ties at work, just knowing it’s there settles something deep inside him. 

Derek chuckles at that. “I’m not sure I imagined Hotch being quite so involved in our romantic get-away, but yes, it is one hell of a coincidence,” he agrees. “Although mark my words, I will take you on a proper road-trip one day. And I want to take you on a nice holiday, too. Paris, London, Florence. Bali, Thailand, maybe.”

Blush spreading across his cheeks, Spencer smiles over at Derek. “Yeah?” 

“Oh yeah,” Derek grins over at him, “I’m gonna treat my pretty boy like it’s my job.”

“You already do.” He feels shy suddenly, a little overwhelmed at the emotions Derek is eliciting in him right now. 

“Baby,” he says, shaking his head, mischief dancing in his eyes, “you ain’t seen nothing yet.” 

Spencer’s already thinking of counting it as their eighth date, but Derek seals the deal when he pulls off the interstate and onto a much quieter road as they near DC. It’s just gone 10 and the December night is cool and clear, but he still looks quizzically at his boyfriend as the engine shuts off.

“Trust me,” Derek says and gets out of the car. Spencer, of course, trusts Derek implicitly so obediently gets out of the car and joins him at the front of the jeep, leaning against the hood. “Look how beautiful it is.” 

They’re on a country road, surrounded by wheat and barley fields, but Derek’s looking up. The night sky is littered with stars, constellations clear as day against the inky black backdrop of mid-December. “My favourite constellation is probably Cassiopeia, you know,” Spencer explains, barely observing the sky before looking to Derek to impart his knowledge. “She’s one of the only figures banished to the heavenly realm as punishment and not in honour, and it was because she flaunted her beauty too much, and her vanity--”

He’s interrupted by a hand on his forearm. “Spencer,” Derek says softly, catching his attention and slowing his info-dump. “Look up.”

Instead of thinking about all the intellectual and academic aspects of astronomy, astrology, and physics, he takes a good while to just absorb the beauty of the night, probably for the first time in his life. He lets himself rest in that moment, sinking into Derek’s side as they shiver a little in the frigid air, staring at the bright, twinkling lights smiling down at them. 

For some reason, it feels like the universe’s blessing. The stars aligning, the inky sky approving, frozen air applauding. Derek leans over and kisses Spencer, holding his face in both his hands as their insides warm against the cold and in that moment Spencer knows. He still has no proof Derek feels the same way, but with one touch he knows that he’s in love. 

⭐️

Spending Christmas apart is hard, but they make up for it with their eleventh date, Derek driving them over to the National Zoo and listening diligently to Spencer’s info-dumping. They spend the whole afternoon walking through all the exhibits and Derek buys him a pretty steady stream of candy-floss, hot-dogs and cuddly toys throughout their time there, keeping Spencer flushed and happy, completely in his element. 

Derek cooks them dinner at his apartment afterwards, making Spencer’s favourite, a simple spaghetti bolognese with a healthy amount of homemade garlic bread on the side, and they eat at the cosy kitchen table, cheesy candles aflame as they chat easily. 

They get ready for bed in tandem, brushing their teeth together, toothpaste spilling down their chins as they laugh wildly at each other in the mirror. It’s a comfortable sort of ease, a domesticity that feels far too natural for such a youthful relationship. It works though, and neither of them are complaining as they fall asleep folded into each other’s arms. 

Spencer wakes up first but Derek isn’t far behind him, kissing his scrunched up nose almost as soon as he opens his eyes to find Spencer lazily curled up on his chest. “Breakfast?” he asks.

“Please.” 

The toast Derek puts in ends up burning when they get distracted by one another, but Derek just laughs and puts it in the bin and drives them to McDonald’s instead. “I hope you know I’m keeping this shirt,” Spencer teases as they pull on loose sweatpants and trainers and hop into Derek’s car. 

“I wouldn’t expect anything less, baby,” Derek says sincerely. “My entire wardrobe is open for your perusal. Seeing you in my clothes does things to me.”

“I know,” Spencer says, face full of faux innocence. “Why do you think I want to keep them?” 

“You are such a fucking tease,” Derek smirks, shaking his head disapprovingly, “but you know I love it.”

“Mm, I do,” Spencer agrees, reaching across the console and resting a hand on Derek’s thigh. 

“Oh, God, baby, you just wait until we get home.” 

Spencer pulls his hand away, satisfied smile playing across his lips. 

“Brat,” Derek mutters under his breath as they pull into the drive-thru. Spencer just smiles wider. 

Spencer lets his guard down with Derek in a way he’s never done with anybody else and you’d have to be stupid not to notice, so of course Derek is fully aware of the responsibility on his shoulders. Later that morning, after a greasy breakfast, satisfying fuck, and a shared shower, they sprawl across the sofa, nestled into one another comfortably as the TV plays some hallmark movie in the background. 

“My last boyfriend didn’t turn out so nice,” Spencer says when Derek brings up the topic of exes. It brings a heavier note to their light-hearted conversation, but he knows they’ll have to talk about it eventually and it might as well be now. “He got into it because he thought I was innocent and attractive, but when it came to actually spending time together and he found more out about me, he changed his mind.”

“Baby,” Derek murmurs into his hair, “dId he hurt you?” His voice is full of apprehension, afraid of the answer but needing to know. 

“Only once,” Spencer whispers. “I left him after that. But he was kind of emotionally cruel before that and it compounded on a lot of issues I already had from when I was little, you know, with my dad and bullies and everything. It took a long time to rebuild myself, I just…”

He trails off, not knowing how to put what he wants to say into words. 

“Sweetheart, I need you to know that I will never hurt you, not like that,” Derek says earnestly as he catches onto what Spencer’s afraid of deep down, caressing his arm softly. “I can’t promise I won’t make mistakes or accidentally say something wrong, but I will never hurt you like others have done in the past. You’re safe with me, pretty boy. And I am so proud of you for building yourself back up after trauma like that: you are absolutely the strongest person I know, and I don’t say that lightly, yeah?” 

And, yeah. That feels like proof for Spencer.

⭐️

They keep it a secret for as long as possible, but Emily finds out in late March and Rossi follows shortly after. Even once it’s out to everyone, though, they don’t change their work dynamic, they don’t give into any kind of temptation in the field, despite not having to hide anymore. They know the only way they’ll be allowed to stay on the same team is if it doesn’t affect their actions and choices one bit. So even though Derek’s protectiveness is ratcheted up several notches, he swallows it down and doesn’t comment on dangerous situations Spencer goes into. He’s sure Spencer would find that pretty hypocritical anyway; he’s constantly chastising his own recklessness in the field.

Just because Derek bites his tongue at work, though, doesn’t mean he can’t comment on it at home. So after a particularly irresponsible decision Spencer makes in a hostage situation, seriously endangering himself, he holds it in until they step into Derek’s apartment and Spencer looks at him, confused at why he’s clearly stewing in something and not talking about it. 

“What’s going on?” he asks as he toes his shoes off and makes himself at home in the same way he’s done for months now. 

“What’s going on?” Derek repeats incredulously, raising his voice ever so slightly. “You were so fucking rash and reckless today Spencer, you could have died! And you ask me what’s going on? Are you fucking kidding me?” Really it’s fear manifesting itself as anger but right now the rage bubbling up inside him feels almost suffocating. 

“I knew what I was doing,” Spencer says defensively, looking completely bewildered at the sudden outburst. 

“You know that what you were doing was seriously endangering yourself, Spencer,” Derek argues, voice rising even more. “Yes, you saved a hostage today. But you also could have gotten yourself killed, and you have to understand that your life is not worth less than anybody else’s, okay?”

“Derek, I signed up for this life, she didn’t--”

“No,” Derek shouts. “No, don’t give me that. It would fucking crush me to lose you, Spencer, and it seems like you don’t even care about that. Do my feelings even matter to you?”

“What? Of course, they do, Derek,” Spencer says, still looking caught off guard and confused as he tries to figure out the situation and why his boyfriend is so angry. He tries to temper the unpleasant feelings filling his chest cavity, like muscle memory, fingers remembering a piece of sheet music played far too many times. 

“Well then fucking prove it,��� Derek yells. “You aren’t listening to me! You endangered yourself and that’s terrifying for me. Your life matters Spencer, and sometimes I feel like it matters more to me than it does to you!”

“Derek, please calm down,” he pleads, wanting to talk about this properly and not feel so ambushed. “You’re scaring me.” 

That immediately catches Derek’s attention and the anger seems to leak out of him like a stopper’s been pulled out, draining him dry for only a moment before fear and guilt fill its place. “Fuck,” he mutters, sitting on the sofa and burying his head in his hands for a second before sitting up and making eye contact with Spencer. “I’m sorry, Spencer, I shouldn’t have yelled. I just… you scared me. You went against protocol today. You know that the FBI does not mandate agents putting themselves at serious risk of death or injury, even if it would save a life. Your life matters so much, to me, to the team, to your mum. People care so much about you, baby, and I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you, okay? You put the fear of God in me earlier and sometimes… sometimes anger is the only way I know how to deal with those emotions.” 

“I know,” Spencer whispers, and though it’s unsaid they both understand he’s acknowledging every part of Derek’s speech. “I’m sorry, too. I didn’t think about how my actions would affect you. I guess I’ve gone so long as a solo act, only having to think about myself and with very little to live for, it’s just taking time to adjust to remembering that I have you and your emotions to consider now. I need you to know, though, that I can’t deal with it when you shout at me like that, if you have a problem I need you to discuss it with me because I can’t figure out what’s going on when there are lots of emotions and raised voices, it confuses and upsets me.”

“I will, Spencer, I promise. I’m so genuinely sorry I handled it so poorly this time.” 

“Thank you,” he whispers gratefully. 

“Come here,” Derek says, the beginnings of a smile playing over his lips. He pulls Spencer into a gentle embrace, relishing the feel of Spencer, alive, pressed against his body. His warm skin, beating heart, soft curls, all shared with him, entrusted to him. 

“Next time I’ll stop and think about you, Derek,” Spencer says softly as he rests his head against his shoulder. “I’ll remember to prioritise us, remember that we can’t save everyone.” 

“Thank you, baby,” Derek says. “And I’ll be more patient; remember that you haven’t had anyone to remind you properly of the worth you have in a long time. We’re good, though, aren’t we?”

“So good,” Spencer confirms, pulling back and smiling properly before kissing Derek softly. He moves down to nose at his neck slightly, pressing a few tender kisses there, too. “Shall we head to bed? You look exhausted.” 

“That sounds like a plan,” Derek agrees before a cheeky smile plays across his features. “As long as you wear one of my shirts again…”

“Oh, what a hardship,” Spencer groans, winking at him in the lop-sided, awkward way he always does. “But I suppose I’ll do anything for you.” 

Spencer stays up for a little while after Derek falls asleep, reading over some casenotes, a few consults, and figuring out a new angle for a research paper he’s working on. Quiet, methodical work -- no matter how gruesome -- helps him wind-down after the high adrenaline of a case and it feels extra necessary tonight after the argument he’d had with Derek. 

He feels his boyfriend stir only a few hours after he’s dropped off to sleep, staring up at Spencer in the soft glow of the pink lamp on the bedside table bought for exactly these sorts of nights. A strange look plays across his face as he reaches for Spencer’s hand and holds it. 

“You’re my best friend, Spencer,” he says, completely serious. “You know that, don’t you?”

Spencer’s done obsessing over proof. 

“Yeah,” he whispers, looking down at their intertwined hands before back at his face, “I love you, too, Derek.” His smile softens even more when he sees Derek’s face relax into a relieved expression, knowing that his meaning was understood. 

“Good,” he whispers, kissing the back of Spencer’s hand before lying his head back down on the pillow. “Night, pretty boy. I love you.”

As Derek drifts back off to sleep, he hears those words echoing around in the silence, a soothing, methodic rhythm of reassurance that what he’s wished for since the very first look on the way to the jet has materialised. 

Knowing it is one thing, but hearing it is another. Derek loves him. He hears it in the silence, feels it on the way home, and when he curls up next to his boyfriend, he can even see it with the lights off. 

[karajaynetoday]

ours, for the rest of forever | ashton irwin

Hello friends! Here is a godparent!Ash one shot, based on this blurb about being godparents with Ashton and also inspired in part by that scene in Season 5 of One Tree Hill when Brooke is randomly looking after a baby but has to also finish fashion sketches so Lucas comes to her rescue with babysitting and it is overall very soft and cute. You know the one! Lol. 

A very big thank you to Jex @sadistmichael​ , Anna @cheekysos​ , Jae @jae-writes-fanfiction​ and Hailey @talkfastromance4​ for proof-reading and providing feedback on this when it was in its draft stages. You’re all absolute gems! 

Anyway, enjoy the softness and as always, please let me know what you think! I’ve got some thoughts for a potential part 2, so we’ll wait and see how part 1 goes :)

(This is a fem reader insert)

Word count: 3.3k words

Warnings: none

More writing here | send feedback/thoughts/suggestions here

When your best friend Alice told you she was having a baby, you were over the moon. She was honestly one of the most kind-hearted people you knew, and the amount of love in her heart for others would only bloom more for a little baby to hold and cherish. Her partner James had been by Alice’s side since your university days, and their relationship was one that was literally #goals. They’d moved over to Los Angeles because James had an opportunity to work at an indie creative agency working with music artists, and when you followed a year or so later to pursue a consulting job, they’d welcomed you with open arms into the little community they’d formed of Australian ex-pats, LA creatives and generally good quality, salt of the earth people. 

In the early days, there were lots of late nights (that became early mornings) running amok in West Hollywood, going from one house party to the next, but as you grew older, it became more likely to be a quiet Sunday sesh in someone’s backyard, with a barbeque cooking and someone playing their favourite tunes on a portable speaker while you floated in the swimming pool or lounged about on the grass with everyone’s various pets in attendance. When you met Ashton, he was drumming shirtless at his own house party, and then doing shots with James and their friend Calum. You were more than a little intimidated, although he had a kind face and welcoming nature, Ashton was forthcoming his opinions. On the other hand, you were always more reserved, and it took you  time to feel like you belonged with their crazy crew of friends. One night, you and Ashton ended up alone in the kitchen sharing some chicken nuggets and potato gems tater tots after a wild night on the house part dancefloor, and from there you could feel a solid friendship starting to take hold. 

A few months after Alice and James told you they were expecting, they’d invited you and Ashton out to brunch at one of your favourite spots. It was a little hole-in-the-wall café in Studio City that you’d first come to after Ashton wouldn’t stop raving about how good their iced coffees were. You all ordered your favourites (avocado smash with a side of smoked salmon and a hash brown for you, raspberry hotcakes for Alice, a breakfast burger for James, and pulled pork eggs benedict with a side of halloumi for Ashton) and were chatting away about your weeks at work when Alice reached down and pulled two envelopes out of her tote bag and handed on to you and one to Ashton. You took them, looking confusedly at Alice and James, who had big goofy smiles on their faces.

“Well, go on! Open them!” Alice half-shouted excitedly, squeezing James’ hand on top of the table. You and Ashton glanced at each other, perplexed, before tearing open the envelopes and finding a card inside. Yours read, “Will you be my godmother?” in gold writing on the front, and inside was an ultrasound photo with a handwritten note from Alice that made you tear up when you started reading it. You could see in your peripheral vision that Ash had a corresponding card in his envelope too, and he was standing up to give James and Alice a hug with an enthusiastic “Fuck YES! Of course I will!” that garnered some disapproving looks from the middle-aged women sitting near you. You held it together just enough to stand up and exchange hugs and choke out a “Y-y-yes” to Alice and James, before basically bursting into full blown tears of happiness and apologising profusely as your brunch was delivered to the table. As you wiped away your tears and managed to begin eating your avocado smash, you felt Ashton squeeze your hand reassuringly under the table, and when you glanced towards him he was grinning at you with a smile that was as bright as a thousand suns. 

It was a normal June day at the office a few months later when your phone pinged with a text from Alice in your group chat with her, James and Ashton that 

 read “It’s go-time. We’ll keep you updated!”. You replied with lots of exclamation points and crying emojis, and for Alice and James to let you know if they needed anything, and a few minutes later Ashton had penned a full paragraph about the beauty of the creation of life, how he knew that Alice and James would be incredible parents, and that he couldn’t wait to meet the little one once they made their way into the world. Ashton was frustratingly eloquent sometimes. Later that night, you received a photo message of a small, pink baby snuggled up on Alice’s chest, with James’ arm thrown around her shoulders, and the caption “Charlie Rose, ten fingers, ten toes. Come visit tomorrow, she can’t wait to meet you x” and you could barely sleep from the anticipation of meeting your darling goddaughter for the first time.

Ashton insisted on meeting you at the hospital so you could visit Alice, James and Charlie together (“Dude, we’re a godparent team here! A package deal! A dynamic duo! Can’t have you getting in there as the favourite from day one!”) and you’d never seen him more gentle or smitten than when the small, wriggly bundle of blankets that was Charlie Rose was placed in his arms. Ashton rocked her gently, kissing her head, and whispering to her about how incredible she was and how excited he was to see her grow. James was snapping away with his camera, and he asked you and Ash to stand together for a photo holding Charlie, which would later be stuck on your fridge for years to come (and possibly be your phone lockscreen, but no need to mention that to Ashton). 

Charlie was a tricky baby at first, resisting sleep and struggling with colic, but Alice and James were incredible and persistent and by the time she was 6 months old, they basically had the hang of this parenting thing. They didn’t want to christen Charlie in a church, but instead decided to hold one of your cherished backyard barbeques as a naming celebration for her. All of your nearest and dearest were there, and Alice’s mum had even flown in from Australia to meet her newest granddaughter. Despite it being an incredibly informal affair, Ashton insisted on making a speech about how he felt to be in Charlie’s life, to love and support her through every milestone and challenge she might encounter along the way. Charlie was happily gurgling in Ashton’s arms as he spoke, and she reached up to grab at his cheeks when he told her he loved her. Alice’s mum insisted on getting photos of everyone, including you and Ashton holding Charlie, and you tried to ignore the butterflies you felt when Ash slid his arm around your waist and pulled you into his side for a cosy photo pose. Were you actually starting to fall for him, or was it just the baby fever talking? Because damn, that man looked good with a baby in his arms.

When Charlie was almost 12 months old, Alice decided that she wanted to go back to work a few days a week. Charlie would be in childcare for most of the days, but you’d recently adopted a flexible working arrangement with your own office, and you insisted that you would love to look after Charlie for one day a week. The older Charlie got, the more adventurous she became, so what you’d originally envisioned as nice, quiet days of baking and craft activities and napping soon became full of visits to the playground and the beach and the zoo. Once Ashton heard about your regular babysitting day, he insisted on clearing his schedule as best he could, and joined the outings you and Charlie went on. It’s so much easier to cope with her boundless energy (and occasional temper tantrums) when you and Ash are together, and you have to admit it’s just as nice on the quieter days as well, when you snuggle in on your couch to watch a Disney movie, or do some puzzles with Charlie on the lounge room floor. 

When Ashton was back out on tour, he’d insist on FaceTiming with you and Charlie on your babysitting day so he didn’t miss out on all the fun. Sometimes he’d read her a story or sing her a lullaby before naptime, and sometimes the timezones wouldn’t work out and he’d end up calling during naptime, so the two of you just spent a little time catching up on each other’s lives from your opposite sides of the country or the planet. Ashton also loved collecting little souvenirs for Charlie on his touring travels, and your group chat with Alice and James was regularly filled with photos of snow globes or little soft mascot toys he’d found in one city or the next. It was so cute how excited Ashton got when he found a new souvenir for Charlie, and you couldn’t help but imagine how adorable he’d be when he had his own children and carried on little traditions like this for them too. 

One particular weekend, Alice and James were going away overnight to attend a friend’s wedding nearby, and despite their anxiety and nerves (and admittedly, your own), they decided to leave Charlie with you for the night as your house is the main one besides their own that she spends time in. They dropped Charlie off just after lunchtime, and after a teary goodbye, she’s soon happily playing with her toy cars and trains on the lounge room carpet (including making broom-broom noises, what a cutie) when you get an unexpected call from your boss. They’re rambling about a client needing an urgent rewrite on something that you’d submitted the previous day, a pretty sizeable project, and you could feel yourself starting to fill with dread at the idea of having to rework the entire thing while also keeping Charlie happy and entertained. After managing to jot down the gist of the rewrite on the back of a colouring in page you found on your coffee table and ending the call with your boss, you took a deep, calming breath before looking over to where Charlie was still playing on the floor. Sure, she looked content and adorable now, but nap time was fast approaching, and then dinner, and then eventually bedtime, and there was nothing Charlie liked more than stomping her feet and putting up a fight where sleep was involved. It was time to call for help, and your fingers found Ashton’s contact in your phone and hit “call” before you realised what you were doing.

“Hey, how’s it going with my favourite girl?” Ashton answered cheerily, and your heart stopped beating for a moment before you mentally face-palmed when you realised that he was talking about Charlie, not you, being his favourite girl.

“Hey Ash! All good so far, but um… I think I’m going to need some help. My boss is having a crisis, so I need to smash out some edits and new content in the next three hours, but Charlie’s due to go for a nap and you know that she -” You could feel yourself starting to sound more panicked with each word that you spoke, but Ashton quickly cut you off with his soothing voice.

“That she likes to pick a fight at nap time, yes. A truly assertive future world leader on our hands, I reckon. I’m just finishing up a demo, but I’ll be there in 20 minutes. I’ll sort dinner as well, spaghetti sound okay?” He mused, sounding as calm as ever.

“That… would be amazing. Thank you. You’re actually the best human to exist, you know that?” You gushed, feeling some of your anxiety immediately begin to disappear. 

Within half an hour, Ash was in your lounge room handling Charlie’s nap time negotiations while you were furiously typing away at your laptop at the kitchen counter and fielding more frantic phone calls from your boss. Another 20 minutes passed before Ash proclaimed victory as Charlie lost her battle against sleep, and he came to see you in the kitchen and make a start on dinner. You were so lost in your task that you didn’t hear him come in, and you jumped a mile out of your seat in fright when he gently touched your shoulder in greeting.

“Jesus christ, Ash! Don’t sneak up on me like that!” You huffed, taking your glasses off and rubbing your eyes in exhaustion. 

Ashton leaned on the counter opposite you and raised his eyebrows in concern. “Sorry love, didn’t realise you didn’t hear me come in. You good?” 

Damn it, why was he always so nice to you these days? Remember the days when you were scared of him because he used to argue with you about politics and the state of the world? Why did those seem somehow easier because fear was more natural to you than whatever this other feeling was that you were starting to have whenever Ashton was around you. 

You sighed and put your glasses back on, frowning briefly at the screen before hitting save one more time (just in case your bad luck took a turn and fucked you over with lost documents). 

“Yep. Sorry. It’s just been a bit of a day. Did Charlie go down okay?” You forced a smile as you glanced up at Ashton over the top of your laptop screen. 

“Yeah, she gave in once I offered another bedtime singalong. And maybe, juuuust maybe, I might have mentioned something about some sweets after dinner…” Ash looked at you guiltily, licking his lips nervously. You rolled your eyes and shook your head at him, but you couldn’t keep the small smile off your face.

Ashton got started on making spaghetti while you tapped away at your computer, and soon enough you heard Charlie calling out for Ashton in her little sing-song voice on the baby monitor you had set up on the kitchen counter (“Asht-aaaaa! Where are youuuuu! Asht-aaaaa!”). The spaghetti smelled incredible, and when Ashton brought Charlie into the kitchen from her nap and she’d had a little while to play a bit more, you settled at the kitchen table to tuck into some dinner. Well, Charlie was more interested in playing with her food than actually eating it, but yours was delicious and for the third or fourth time that day, you thanked Ash profusely for being such a gem (to which he just gave you one of those dazzling smiles in response).  

After dinner, Ashton took Charlie for a bath and read her a bedtime story while you powered through the final part of the project edits you needed to finish before your boss burst a blood vessel. You could hear Ashton reading to Charlie on the baby monitor, doing all of the different character voices, and her little giggles in response were both breaking and warming your heart. Warming it with the cuteness and how much you loved that little girl and her cheeky soul, and breaking it with the guilt about how it was supposed to be you snuggled up reading to her, but instead you were frantically typing about key messages, marketing strategies and budget lines. You were doing your last section of re-writes when Ash came back into the kitchen, and this time you didn’t jump when he gently placed his hands on your shoulders. In fact, you leaned into his touch, and moaned quietly in relief as his thumbs began to work into the tension in your muscles.

“How’s it going?” Ashton asked quietly, continuing to press his hands into your back and shoulders.

“Almost there. Mostly just proof-reading now, and then I can send it and not fucking think about it for another second until at least Monday. Ash, I’m so sorry again, I know this isn’t what you had in mind for your Friday night and I should’ve been more organised but I just didn’t think that -” You began to ramble, feeling the guilt wash over you.

“Hey, hey. Stop. It’s fine. We’re a team, remember? The dynamic duo? Gotta stick together. We’ve got a whole lifetime of dealing with Charlie meltdowns and milestones ahead of us, love. It’s our job and our blessing, for the rest of forever. Don’t feel guilty over one night.” Ashton said softly, squeezing your shoulders and pressing a soft kiss to the top of your head. There were those butterflies again, and your skin was almost burning from where his hands had touched you. You simply nodded at his words, before returning to your laptop and the task at hand. Ashton stepped away and quietly began washing the dishes (honestly, is there anything this man didn’t do?) as you began typing again. 

Finally, about twenty minutes later, you hit send on the email to your boss with the completed rewrites, and shut your laptop with a deep sense satisfaction, letting out a triumphant whisper-yell, mindful of the sleeping child down the hallway from you. Ash looked up from where he was sat on the couch, scrolling on his phone, and rushed over to high-five you when he realised that you’d shut your laptop.

“Right. You go shower and I’ll put the kettle on, then it’s one episode of Sons of Anarchy and then off to bed with you.” Ash began, tugging you out of your seat and pushing you towards your bedroom before you could protest.

“Wait… how did you know I was watching Sons of Anarchy?!” You turned and asked, with one hand on the door to your bedroom.

“I was stalking through your Netflix earlier when you were lost in editing land. Plus, I know you can’t resist a charming male lead who has a killer smile and looks damn good in a leather jacket.” Ash chuckled, shooting you a wink and one of those goddamn smiles. 

You hated to admit it, but you felt so much better after your shower, and having Ash pull your feet up over his lap and absentmindedly run his hands softly across your legs from time to time wasn’t exactly bad either. You stuck to your promise of only one episode of Sons of Anarchy, and after pulling your groaning self up off the couch and jokingly half-carrying you to your bedroom door, Ashton bid you goodnight with a hug and a kiss to the forehead before disappearing into your guest room. 

As you settled into your own bed, alone, and pulled the blankets up over you, you couldn’t help but think how nice it was to have Ash so present with you and with Charlie, and how sweet it would be in the morning to wake up together in the same house and go for breakfast at your favourite little brunch spot down the street, before waiting for James and Alice to return in the early afternoon. It was all your own little family unit, and as you felt yourself being lulled into sleep, you also felt a deep sense of content in your heart about the loved ones in your life. And then also there were those butterflies, just slowly but surely making their presence known, and getting a little bigger every time you thought of Ashton, and how much he loved Charlie, and how much she loved him and you, and how much you loved them both.

Shit. Did you actually love him? Were you falling in love with Ashton Irwin? Before you could panic too much, the need for sleep won out, and you slept peacefully knowing two of your favourite people were also sleeping calmly in the rooms either side of you. 

More writing here | send feedback/thoughts/suggestions here

[shit-uhm-sorry]

Renee and Neil ultimate friendship headcannons

Listen i need more of these two being bros in my life so here we gooooo

Neil had once revealed all the colors he had died his hair when the foxes had asked one time, and so Renee shows up to his room one day with a thing of bleach and a box of silver hair dye. "Help me?" She asked sweetly while jiggling the boxes

Neil stood there slightly confused but agreed

Truth be told Renee didn't need help and if she did she usually asked Allison. She'd done this rodeo so many times that it's something she could easily do by herself

But she wants to be closer to Neil so she leads him to the girls suite and sets up in the bathroom

"I need to redo the roots" she tells him as she starts mixing the bleach

Neil nods kind of dumbly and puts on the gloves she hands him

He is fast and surprisingly very gentle, clearly having done this many times

Afterwards Renee thanks Neil and gives him a very small kiss to the top of his head after asking with a yes or no

She managed to catch the small smile just in time before she pulled away

They love to criticize movies together

Renee usually kept her mouth shut on many of the inaccuracies of the movies because she didn't want to spoil anything by bringing up the knowledge kept by Natalie

But then Neil joined in on movie nights and he didn't seem to have that filter

After the fifth time of nit picking the movie the foxes told him to shut up and watch

To his credit he did. But Renee wouldn't be a fox if she didn't like to indulge in annoying her teammates every now and then too

"That wound would kill him in seconds. Especially since he just ripped the knife out immediately."

Neil looked at her and Renee looked back smiling with a mischievousness to her eye

He smiled

The foxes looked flabbergasted that Renee of all people would say that

They soon became annoyed as the two of them bounced back many many inacurracies over the next hour and a half

They have a sort of tradition that on each other's birthdays they will get one another the most ridiculous gag gift possible

It started at first with Neil when he gave her an "atheism for dummies" book

Andrew had apparently suggested it saying shed find it funny but Neil was all tension and nerves when giving it to her

Once she started laughing he noticeably relaxed

Since then its been a constant contest to see who could have the most ridiculous one each year

Whoever laughs the longest at the gift is in the number one spot until it is usurped

They literal time this shit with a stop watch thats how dedicated they are

Neil gave Renee a friendship bracelet that Neil actually made that says "my brest fiend Ranie" in the most atrocious colors imaginable

It had taken the number one spot for two years

Renee wears it every day

Sometimes Renee will invite Neil to the sparring matches with Andrew. She insists he doesn't have to join in, that he can just watch if he'd like

Thats usually what he does

Renee's specialty is spur of the moment decisions when it comes to fighting

Neil doesn't know how fight beyond bare basics but he can read people very well

Specifically their fighting habits and patterns

One day when Andrew and Renee are pretty decently matched, Neil grows bored of seeing the never ending stalemate

He calls out "He favors his left Renee!"

Neil can see the cogs turning in her head on how to strategize with that instead of usually taking the punches and slashes as they come

Andrew never looked away from Renee but he scowled

That split second distraction was all she needed

He ended up on the floor with her knee to his throat a moment later. Andrew flipped Neil off as Neil's jubilant laugh echoed through the sparring room

(Neil made it up to Andrew later by smothering his neck in kisses)

After Renee and the girls graduate Neil makes an effort to write her a letter every now and then

Renee started doing it as a means of giving everyone she loves something physical to cherish

So Neil returned the favor by responding

They'll send eachother things as well like photos, jewelry, cat hair ("No Andrew, its not gross. She needs physical proof that they're real besides just pictures")

One day Renee sent over an old photo she had taken back in their Palmetto days

It was of Renee and Neil at the movie theater with all the upperclassmen when Neil had fallen asleep. He unknowingly flopped right onto Renee's shoulder and she had taken a picture with her phone and had printed out a physical photo

It was worn on the edges and had fold lines and looked like it been kept safe for a long time

The back had "me and my brest fiend Norl" written in sharpie

[illfoandillfie]

The Dinner Party

Pairing: Ben Hardy x Reader + Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Joe Mazzello, Gwilym Lee 

Summery: Ben finds out about one of your fantasies and offers to help make it a reality.

Warnings: SMUT 18+ !!! it’s a big ol’ gang bang folks! unprotected sex, dom/sub dynamics, sensory deprivation (blindfolds), gags, restraints, choking, slapping, biting, spanking, oral (f and m receiving), a*al, orgasm denial, overstimulation/forced orgasm, nipple play, fingering, degradation, sexual objectification, handjobs, i think thats everything oh god i dont know theres a lot

Words: 11,538 (jesus)

A/N: I am so sorry I made you wait so long for this one - the last couple of months have been fucking whack as heck. Anyway, I hope she was worth waiting for! I’m gonna go have 12 cold showers in a row and scream for a while.

(its so fucking hard to find photos of all of them together jesus christ)

Taglist:  @idontbelievethiss @somekindof-cheese @dtfrogertaylor   @ezmina98  @vee-ndetta @atomic-watermelon @kellypenac @labessieisallama @deakyclicks 

“So, uhh, that fantasy you sent me the other night,” Ben ran his fingers lightly up and down your arm, “You really got off to that?”   You could feel the sweat caught between your back and his chest, skin sticking together where you leaned against him. His hand was heavy on your stomach, moving with you as you wiggled around, trying to decrease the sticky discomfort.   “Well, yeah, otherwise I wouldn’t have sent it. Was it too much?”   It was something you did when you were away from each other. When you’d been apart for too long and you were yearning for each other's touch. You’d message each other with what you’d thought about while masturbating. Like a lot of the little traditions and patterns you and Ben developed, it had started as a joke. But now it felt weird to not do it. Sometimes it was links to porn videos or erotic stories found online. Sometimes it was reminiscences about previous nights together. And sometimes it was just one word. You.    “No, it was pretty hot actually.”   This time the distance had been caused by Ben’s filming schedule taking him overseas for three whole months. It was the longest you’d been separated in a while, and your game had turned into a bit of a competition. Trying to one up each other with wilder fantasies. You’d sent the last one, drawing on something you’d thought about a lot but never really divulged to anyone before in order to claim victory. The moment you’d hit send you’d worried it was too much. Ben knew you had a thing for exhibitionism and for being treated like an object, happy to help you indulge in them from time to time, but you’d never really exposed how deep they went. His response amounted to an oh my god and a couple of flushed face emojis. No come back, no one upping. Just three words and two little symbols. You hoped it was because he had nothing hotter to counter with and not because you’d freaked him out too much.  

Three days later he was back home, hurriedly removing your shirt within minutes of walking through the door. The sex was neither sweet nor soft, though the way Ben sat up and pulled you against him afterwards, kissing your temple in the process, was both.    “Glad you think so. It’s one I’ve thought about a lot.”   “And you’ve never mentioned it before why?”   “I don’t know, not every guy would be cool hearing about how his girlfriend dreams of being used by a bunch of strangers.”   “Okay, yeah, spose that’s fair.” He was quiet for a moment, absentmindedly stroking your skin with feather light touches, “But if you got the chance, you’d really want to do something like that?”   “I think so, yeah. Maybe not actually with strangers. Don’t think I’d feel comfortable enough to get into it if I didn’t know and trust everyone there. But in theory, yes.”   “What if... what if I could arrange for something like it to happen?”   “What?” You sat up straight and turned to face him, convinced you’d misheard him.   “If I found some people you were comfortable with who... wanted to help make this a reality would you want to do it?”   “You’re taking the piss, right?”    “I swear I’m being serious. If you wanted to actually do something like that, I’d be into it. I’d help set it up.”   “Are you feeling okay?” you pressed the back of your hand to Ben’s forehead like you were checking his temperature but he just laughed, grabbing you by the wrist so he could bring your hand to his lips.    “I feel fine, babe.” His smile hit you like a ton of bricks. Fuck you’d missed that smile.   “Can’t blame a girl for checking,”   “Look, what you described was incredibly hot and the idea of watching you be used like that...” he trailed off but you didn’t need him to say anything else, his rapidly hardening cock was proof enough. You repositioned yourself on your hands and knees, taking his cock in one hand, “You wanna watch me, blindfolded and restrained, being fucked until im crying? Wanna see me helpless and desperate and used by a whole group of people?” Your strokes along his shaft were interrupted as Ben wrapped his hand around your throat.   “I really do,” he growled as he pushed you back onto your knees, “but I think I need to fuck you again, make sure you remember who really owns your cunt.”  

Ben didn’t mention it again that week, though he barely let you out of his reach. He always got extra clingy and cuddly after you’d been reunited, surprising you with soft deep kisses and tight hugs at random. Always finding some reason to touch you, a hand on your back while you were standing at the stove, brushing fingers as you slipped past each other in the corridor, clutching your waist as he pulled you onto his lap while you played video games together. You figured he’d forgotten about your conversation now that the immediate heat and need for each other had been replaced with a softer desire to just be close. Not that you minded. You were happy to let that fantasy remain a fantasy, and if you were honest you hadn’t fully believed Ben when he suggested making it happen for real. Until he brought it up about a week and a half after his return.  

You were watching TV, resting your head on his shoulder, his arm wrapped around you, when he spoke.   “So I got a call from Lucy today, turns out in a couple weeks time the whole band will be in London. We’re planning on meeting up for a few drinks, something like that.”   “Oh that’s so great Ben,” you said, pulling your eyes from the ad for bathroom cleaner you’d been mindlessly staring at and looking up at him, “Be nice to see everyone again, all at once.”   “Yeah. Actually, I thought I might suggest they all come over here for dinner one night.”   “That’s a wonderful idea.”   “And, uh, if you were still interested, we could maybe give them all a chance to fuck you.”   You choked, an exclamation of surprise catching in your throat.   “Sorry, couldn’t resist,” Ben said, almost laughing as he hurried to get you a glass of water. You glared at him through watery eyes as your coughing fit subsided, gulping down the water as soon as he’d handed it over.   “What the fuck?” you rasped out once you were back in control of your voice.   “I didn’t think you were going to choke. Just thought it’d surprise you. You alright?”   “Yeah, fine. But what the fuck?” You grabbed the remote to mute the TV, a signal that you wanted Ben to take this conversation seriously.    “It was just a suggestion,” he said with a half shrug, “You said you’d be interested in doing it.”   “I am, I just.... They’re your friends Ben, wouldn’t it be kinda weird?”   He shrugged again, “Maybe at first. But you said you’d be more comfortable if you knew the people involved. Well, you know them. And I trust them. It’s worth thinking about at least.”   You paused, chewing your lip as you took in what he was saying properly, the original shock having passed. It did kind of make sense.   “Would… would they be into it?” you said slowly.   “I mean, I’d have to talk to them. But, yeah, I think so.” he shrugged slightly.   “And you’d be okay with it?”   “Yes,” he answered matter-of-factly.   “Really? Ben it’s one thing to think about it while you get off or talk about in the abstract. It’s a whole other thing to actually watch your girlfriend having sex with other people, especially your friends.” you shifted in your seat, moving to kneel beside him and reaching out to stroke his cheek, “I don’t want you to do something you’re not fully comfortable with just to try and make me happy. It was my fantasy to begin with and I am totally okay with leaving it like that. Really think about this before you say anything else.”   He reached up, taking your hand in his and tracing lines over the back of your fingers, “But I have thought about it. A lot. Kind of non-stop actually. And I want to do it, if you do.”   “Really?”   “Yes. Look, it’s not like there’s gonna be feelings involved. This isn’t making love on a bed of roses type stuff. I’m not gonna be watching you have a romantic night with anyone. I’m gonna watch you being treated like a living sex toy by multiple people. Probably join in a bit too. And you’re not the only one who can set boundaries. If there’s anything I don’t feel comfortable seeing happen I’ll let everyone know.”   You opened your mouth to speak but Ben cut you off.   “If you ask me ‘really?’ one more time,” he laughed, pulling you off your knees and onto his lap, “Y/N, I promise you I am more than okay with this. It might have been your fantasy but it was my suggestion to actually do it. If it was strangers involved it’d be different. But the guys? None of them are going to hurt you, they’ll all respect whatever rules we put in place, and they’ll make sure it’s fun.”   Your eyes roamed over Ben’s face, looking for any sign of discomfort or unease but all you saw was a plea for trust.   “Okay. Talk to them, see how they all feel about it. But if anyone isn’t into it, the dinner stays as just a dinner. Deal?”   “Deal.” He rested his forehead against yours, “I love you.”   You hummed, kissing him softly.    “Love you too, Benny.”  

Over the next week Ben talked to everyone individually, gauging their interest in the dinner party and any extra activities that may involve. Some were a little more hesitant than others but by the end of the week everyone was a hard yes. It made your stomach tighten every time you thought about it, anticipation and excitement and nerves building as you counted down the days. You and Ben worked out the rules, where lines would be drawn and where boundaries would lie to ensure the night was safe and fun for everyone involved. You collected supplies, discussed and re-discussed how everything would work as well as planning the actual dinner party aspect – food and drink and music. As the night got closer you found yourself more and more aroused, constantly wet, unable to think about anything else for too long. Ben for his part seemed just as affected by it as you were and you found yourselves naked together much more frequently than you’d expected to. Not once was it rough though. It was like the two of you were saving all your energy for the dinner party, spending the hours in bed having lazy, gentle sex, soft kisses and gasped names and whispered ‘I love you’s. By the time the actual night rolled around you were burning for something harder and faster, looking forward to being used and bruised.   

Half an hour before everyone turned up you started to get ready. You’d been wearing your plug all day, at Ben’s suggestion, but it still made you shiver when you caught a glimpse of it as you were getting dressed, the sparkly jewel catching the light as you checked your reflection. The lingerie you’d picked out left very little to the imagination, a crotchless thong and matching sheer bra, the garter belt and stockings the most modest part of the outfit. You fixed your makeup, adding extra mascara and reapplying your lipstick knowing it would just end up smudged.   

“They’ll be here in ten babe, you ready?” Ben asked as he knocked on the bedroom door. You took a deep breath, looking over yourself one last time before you left the room. The soft ‘wow’ Ben gave you made you giggle as he led you through your unit to the mixed living/dining room. You’d rearranged the furniture earlier, shifting the coffee table over to the wall which left space for you to kneel in front of anyone on the couch. The dinner table was already laid out for everyone, except you of course, a tray of champagne glasses waiting to be offered around. You headed towards the coffee table, running your hand along it as you checked all the toys were there. Some of them were things you’d used before, some were newly bought specifically for tonight. Each had been carefully considered between you and Ben, only those you were both completely comfortable with being put out.   

“Okay, let’s do this,” you said as you headed to your position in the middle of the room.    Ben grabbed the spreader bar off the coffee table, attaching the cuffs to your ankles, forcing you to stand with legs wide open. The butterflies in your stomach went wild, everything suddenly feeling more real.   “You all good?” Ben asked as he stood back up.   “I’m wonderful. You?”   “Brilliant.” He flashed you a reassuring smile and pecked you on the lips before turning to pick up the ball gag and press it into your mouth. Your lips stretched around it as he adjusted the fastening at the back of your head. You nodded to show you were comfortable and he turned once more, reaching for the black bandana that was going to be your blindfold for the night. You wanted to touch yourself, relieve some of the pressure that had been building all day but Ben grabbed your hands, pulling them in front of you, palms up. You heard him walk away and then come back with the tray of drinks, placing it carefully on your upturned hands.    “Okay, all set. I’m gonna go check the dinner but everyone should start arriving soon. See you afterwards.”    You hummed your agreement as he brushed a strand of hair behind your ear and pressed a kiss to your forehead. His touch left you but he was still close by. You felt him lean into your ear, sending a shiver down your spine as he growled a final warning in the voice he reserved for dominating you.   “Don’t drop the drinks, slut.”  

You were left in almost silence. Your unit wasn’t huge but the kitchen was far enough away that the noise was muffled. Or maybe you were just so aware of how much being left alone in such a vulnerable position turned you on, that outside noise just wasn’t getting through as easily. It was just you and your pounding heart and your steadily growing arousal. Nothing to do but wait and hope your arms didn’t give out under the tray of glasses. You had no idea how long it had been. You’d had about ten minutes when you’d started being set up, surely that time would have passed by now. Saliva was beginning to dribble under the gag and over your lips, trickling slowly down your chin to drip onto your chest. You heard Ben come back into the room, heading towards the speakers he’d set up and beginning to play the mix he’d created, music turned down low so it filled the background without distracting. Still you waited, trying to focus on keeping the tray of drinks balanced. Then suddenly, the buzzer, shocking you slightly and making your heart race. Ben answered, giving whoever it was access to the building and moments later you heard talking at the door, listening intently for who had arrived.   “Ben!”   “Lucy, looking lovely as always.” A pause, “Rami, great to see you buddy. Head on in, grab a drink and have a look. No touching yet though, we’ve got some rules to go through once everyone’s here.”    You heard footsteps, a pair of heels clicking over the floor and the duller noise of someone in flat shoes, getting closer. A girly giggle as two drinks were removed from your tray. You prayed it wasn’t going to change the balance and tip everything over. They were both quiet for a moment. You could feel their eyes on you, looking you up and down.   “You know I half thought Ben was joking,” Rami said quietly making Lucy laugh.   “Glad he wasn’t.” She said and you heard her heels again as she began walking around you slowly, taking in every inch of your helpless form, “She’s very pretty. Always thought Ben lucked out with her.”   “Alright, Luce, keep it in your pants,”   “Can’t help it. You know I can’t resist a helpless, restrained toy. And you have to admit she looks like she’ll be fun.”   “She definitely does. Almost can’t believe it’s Y/N. She always seemed so sweet and not one for this sort of thing.”   “Are you kidding? I knew she’d be into some kinky stuff the first time Ben introduced her to us.”   “What? No way,”   “Well okay, maybe not the instant I met her. You remember when we were at the restaurant with them, I went to the bathroom with her so I could chat to her, woman to woman, and I caught a glimpse of her wrist. There was a very clear mark that she was trying to hide, looked like it came from too tight handcuffs.”   You felt your cheeks grow warm at the memory. God, if you’d known then that Lucy had worked out what you and Ben had got up to that morning, you would have died from embarrassment. But now all it did was turn you on more, heat pooling in your stomach.   “God, see that?” Lucy suddenly exclaimed   “See what?”   “Right there, on the inside of her thigh,”   “Oh my god, you’re right, she’s dripping.”   The warmth of the oven spread through every room but you couldn’t suppress a shiver running down your spine as they both laughed, continuing to talk about you as if you weren’t there. You heard Ben walk back through the room as the buzzer rang a second time. The door opened and you said a silent thank you that Joe and Gwilym had arrived together, your arms already sore from holding them still for so long. Ben greeted them and told them the same thing he’d told Rami and Lucy – grab a drink, have a look, don’t touch. You were briefly forgotten as the two newcomers entered the room, everyone more focused on greeting each other until Joe asked where they’d got their champagne from.   “She’s got them.”   “Woah,”   “Right?”   “Is that really Y/N?”   “Go on, have a closer look. She’s absolutely loving this.”   “What d’you mean?”   “She’s wearing crotchless panties and you can see she’s completely soaked.”   “My god,”   Your tray lightened again as another two drinks were removed from it.   “Where’d Ben go?”  “He said something about giving us a chance to have a look around. I assume he meant her.”   “Hope he comes back soon, I’m itching to touch her.”   “Jeez Luce, didn’t realise you’d be so into it.”   “Well excuse me for getting into the spirit of it all.”  

They kept talking, the conversation a mix of catching up and comments about you. When Ben came back, his footsteps audible beneath the chatter, he was met by dozens of questions though he wouldn’t answer anything about you straight away. Eventually he took the last glass, leaving you to hold the empty tray despite the ache in your arms, and tapped it with his fingernail to get everyone’s attention.   “Sorry, don’t want to interrupt for too long” he said as everyone quieted down, “I just need your attention for a moment. There’s a few rules we need to cover before the fun can really start." He paused and you felt the energy of the room change, an electric current running through everyone as they focused on you and Ben.    “Firstly, just to be clear, this has all been set up with Y/N’s consent. Everyone has agreed to participate but of course you aren’t obligated to, and if anything that happens makes you uncomfortable, please talk to me about it.”   There was a brief murmur while Ben paused but once he started speaking again it stopped.   “Y/N and I can stop the scene at any time. Our safe word is red but obviously it may not be possible for Y/N to speak throughout the night so she also has a safe signal, three slaps against something. It could be the floor or a wall or her own thigh or whatever, but three slaps or the word red means everything stops instantly. There shouldn’t be any need for us to use them though, if everyone follows the rules, which are, one: you can touch or fuck Y/N just about however you want, as long as there is no anal play. You may have noticed she’s wearing a plug tonight but her arse is off limits to anyone who isn’t me.”   You whimpered softly behind the gag but Ben ignored you.   “Two: For the boys specifically I guess, you are not allowed to finish in her cunt, but down her throat or over any other part of her is fine. Three: We expect some bruises and marks, especially if you choose to use some of the toys provided,” he gestured towards the coffee table, “but please nothing that will leave permanent scars, no burns or blood. Four: Degrading names are fine but stick with things like slut and whore and bitch, nothing too personal. And finally, on a slightly different though no less serious note, five: no forehead kisses or anything that has a romantic connotation. That one is less for her sake than mine. Everyone understand?”   There was a chorus of yes’s in response before Ben spoke again.   “Good. We trust you, it’s why we were comfortable setting this up and inviting all of you, but my main concern is keeping this fun and safe for everyone, especially for Y/N.”   If it weren’t for the restraints and the desire to be good that had practically taken over your brain, you could have melted at the way he said your name. It carried the same weight as the words good girl or the ‘my’ in my slut. But before you had a chance to really appreciate it he’d moved on.   “I promise, this is the last thing I’m gonna say. Tonight this is not the Y/N you all know. This is a toy who happens to look like her. She is an object, a breathing blow up doll, here for your entertainment, for you to talk about or talk to or to use however entertains you most. Her pleasure is not the priority. Now have fun.”  

Everyone was still for a moment, not quite knowing how to start but then Lucy was coming towards you, the clacking of her heels almost ominous.   “Can we get rid of the tray now? Maybe the blindfold too?” She asked. The general chatter started up again behind her but you focused on Lucy’s voice.    “Sure thing,” Ben sounded more amused than anything, “You wanna leave her arms out or put them behind her back?” Ben took the tray and you let your arms drop, heavy with the strain of holding them up, a slight ache already in your shoulders.   “Restrained I think”   “Oi, Gwil, chuck us those handcuffs will you?” He called across the room before he turned back to Lucy, “I’ll give you the keys, Luce, let you decide how long she stays like that.”   “Ben, you’ve just made my day,”   They were both laughing as you felt your blindfold being tugged off and you blinked as your eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness.   “Much better,” Lucy teased, standing right in front of you, her voice low and pouty, “now we can see those pretty eyes.”   A familiar hand gripped your wrist, pulling it behind your back, followed quickly by the other one as Gwilym joined Ben behind you and handed over the cuffs, the fluffy black cover in place to make it easier on your wrists. Lucy dragged her hand down the side of your face, distracting you from the two boys behind you.   “Look at you, all dolled up for us. Don’t quite know where to start.” Her hand trailed lower, sliding along your jaw and down onto your neck. Your heart raced as the handcuffs clicked into place and Lucy opened her hand as if to choke you. Instead she lightly ran her thumb and fingers down the column of your throat, laying her hand flat once she reached your sternum. You jolted as Gwilym’s hands landed on your arse, grabbing you firmly and almost sending you toppling forward. Lucy continued to trail her hands down your body, squeezing your breasts and teasing your nipples through the thin fabric of your bra. You wanted to beg for more, for them to stop teasing you, but the gag prevented you. All you managed to do was let more saliva drip onto your chest.   “She’s got a nice arse, can see why you want to keep it to yourself,”   Ben laughed, “Can’t expect me to share everything mate.”    “Nice tits too,” Lucy said before she reared a hand back and brought it forward to slap one of them. You whined behind the gag, and Lucy’s face lit up.   “Let’s hear that again.” Her hand rose up into the air as Ben grabbed your arms, holding you still as she brought it down on your other breast. You whined again, partly because of the slap and partly because of the way Gwilym’s fingers were sliding along your cunt. Every noise you made only served to cover you in more of your own spit.   “You were right about how wet she is Lucy.”   “Why don’t you bend her over and fuck her,” Ben said as he let go of your arms, “that’s what she’s here for and I can promise her cunt is just as good as her arse.” He gave you a final tap on the hip as he walked off, winking at you from over Lucy’s shoulder before joining Joe and Rami in their conversation.  

The next thing you felt was Gwilym’s hand on your back pushing you to bend at the waist as he grabbed your bound arms where Ben had just let go. You looked up at Lucy as best you could, eyes wide at the sound of Gwilym’s zip being pulled down and the shuffle of his clothing. This was it. This was what you’d been secretly dreaming about for years, or close enough anyway. Lucy bent down slightly, bringing her face to your level as your hip was grasped hard by the man behind you.   “She’s gagging for it Gwil, drooling everywhere.”   That was the only encouragement Gwilym needed before he was sliding into you through the opening in your underwear, not giving you any time to adjust before he was fucking you hard and fast. The plug in your arse increased the fullness and tightness you felt and you squeezed your eyes shut as his hips snapped against you repeatedly. When you opened them Lucy was gone. Disappointment washed over you, compounded by the fact that Gwil was doing nothing to intentionally push you into an orgasm. His thrusts were forceful and made you whine around the gag but he wasn’t angled the right way to hit your g-spot and he refused to touch your clit.   “Slow down for a minute would you Gwil, wanna get that gag off her.” Lucy was back, pulling Rami along by the hand. Gwilym adjusted his pace, slowing enough for Lucy to remove the ballgag from your mouth, a long string of spit dripping from your lips as it was thrown to the side.    You gasped out, “thank you,” as Lucy ran her thumb over your chin, pushing the drool back up to your mouth.  “Liked it better when you couldn’t talk. Rami, sweetie, why don’t you put her mouth to good use.”  You whimpered as Rami released his cock and Lucy wrapped her hand around it, pumping a few times before she threaded her fingers through your hair to hold your head still.   “Good girl, keep that mouth open nice and wide for us,” she cooed as Rami eased himself inside.   He must have given Gwil some kind of signal that you’d missed, too focused on Lucy’s voice, because both of them began thrusting into you at the same time. This time Gwilym started slower, matching Rami’s pace as he worked himself down your throat, gradually speeding up again. Every noise you made in reaction to how Gwilym was fucking you was lost in a wet gag as your throat was used. Complete contrast to the slapping noises of Gwil’s hips against you and the grunts from both men. You knew they were both going to cum and that, at the rate you were going, you wouldn’t be just yet, and that only made you more desperate to touch yourself. It was very very rarely you’d been able to get off from penetration alone and though you tonight could potentially prove to be another of those times, it certainly wasn’t going to happen this quickly. Lucy must have sensed your need because she began to trail her fingertips down your back as she walked away from your head, eventually bringing her hand to your clit. You moaned as you finally felt some kind of relief, the sound muffled by the cock jammed down your throat.    “So needy,” Lucy commented to no one in particular, laughing as she removed her fingers and heard you whine. And then she was back in front of you, sucking on the fingers she’d touched you with as she watched more saliva drip off your chin.   “Oh, f-fuck,” you heard Gwilym grunt, his cock twitching as he slowed his hips and pulled out of you. You barely had time to register the sudden emptiness and increased desire before you felt him covering your lower back with his cum. He tapped your arse in appreciation and walked away. Lucy leaned in to whisper something in Rami’s ear and with another two thrust he was cumming too, making you swallow every drop before he fell from your lips and tucked himself away.   “Think I need a stiff drink after that,” he said as he headed off to find something, leaving you alone with Lucy.    You let out a breath as you stood up again, the ache between your legs stronger after Lucy’s much too brief touch.    “Think I could use a top up too actually,” Lucy said as she looked around, “I’ll be back in a minute and then we’ll find another use for your mouth.   You whimpered as Lucy walked away as well leaving you alone, unable to move properly, dripping and needy, back itchy where Gwilym’s cum had landed. You could see Lucy talking to Ben as he topped up her glass of champagne, Rami and Gwilym standing with them. Turning your head, you found Joe, standing at the table where you’d laid out the toys that you and Ben were open to people using on you. He picked up the leather paddle Ben liked to use when you needed a punishment, tapping it against his palm a few times. Your instinct was to squeeze your thighs together but the spreader bar prevented you. Instead you watched, holding your breath, as Lucy joined Joe. You could see them talking and laughing, Joe still tapping the paddle against his hand absentmindedly. And then they were both walking in your direction, still talking, Joe still holding that damn paddle. You swallowed hard.   

As soon as Lucy was in front of you, she wrapped her hand around your throat again, squeezing slightly as she took a sip of her drink.    “I checked with Ben, he said this was okay,” She brought her lips to yours. Your first thought was that they were softer than Ben’s. Your second was that she tasted like champagne and strawberry lip gloss. Your third was how much it hurt when she bit your lip and pulled it.    “Had to know,” she shrugged, looking at Joe.   “Hey, no complaints here,”   “D’you want to uncuff her, or should I?”   “I’ll do it, you keep making out,”   Lucy giggled as she handed over the keys.   “Uncuffing me?” you croaked; voice rough from a mixture of not talking and how your throat had been used.   “Only because I want your fingers. Gonna use them and that pretty mouth to get me off.”   You whimpered and heard a chuckle from behind you as your wrists were finally released.   “She hasn’t even heard what I’m gonna do to her yet,”   “I was gonna let that be a surprise Joe,”   You rolled your shoulders, stretching the stiffness from them, and confessed that you’d already seen the paddle. Lucy tutted as she undid the clasp of your bra, dropping it to the floor as she turned towards the couch and fell into it gracefully, “Might have to blindfold you again after this. Can’t have you ruining any more of our surprises.” She crooked her finger at you and you awkwardly followed her, the spreader bar inhibiting your movement so that each small step drew everyone’s eye. When you were close enough to grab onto the couch for support you eased yourself to your knees and shuffled as close as you could get. Lucy raised her dress slightly, hooking her leg over your shoulder. You could feel the heel of her shoe resting on your back as you were drawn towards her still clothed pussy, a large wet patch proof of how much fun she’d had so far. You hooked your finger into her underwear, pulling it to the side, just as Joe began to speak to the room at large. Lucy’s hand in your hair kept you focused on her, kitten licking along her lips, as Joe began to take bets on how many spanks you could handle before you begged to stop. You weren't sure who said which number, everyone’s voices bleeding into each other as they argued and defended their bets. The lowest you heard was a pitiful five, the highest you were sure came from Ben who put his money on twenty. After all, he knew he’d reached that with you before. You tried to keep your tongue on Lucy as the talk died down again and the nerves rose in your chest, everyone waiting for the first strike. The was a pause, almost silent, and then the paddle came down against your arse, splitting the air with a sharp slap followed by a chorus of voices counting the first strike. You let out a small hiss as you relaxed back into Lucy, drawing a gasp from her as you circled your tongue around her clit. You were a little more prepared for the second spank now that you had an idea of how Joe moved, how forceful his first one had been. It only made you jolt forward, your hitched breath covered by everyone calling out two! The spanks with the paddle came faster and harder as they progressed, making you gasp into Lucy’s cunt as you continued to lick along her folds, gradually adding your fingers one at a time. By the time they’d reached ten spanks you were fighting back tears, three fingers pumping in and out of Lucy, trying to distract yourself from the sting in your arse by listening to the moans and sighs falling from her lips every time you curled your fingers and lapped at her wetness. You could tell she was getting close, rhythmically clenching round your fingers, her heel digging into your back as you took yet another hit. You sucked Lucy’s clit into your mouth as you pressed your fingers in deep, curling them and making her moan. It didn’t take much more than that to have her cumming, though the way you whined as Joe spanked you again probably helped push her over the edge. You let her ride the orgasm out on your fingers, licking up her release until she pushed you away and let her leg drop from your shoulder. As soon as you were free you felt another spank, this one hard enough to push a sob from your throat and tears from your eyes. Everyone yelled out the number thirteen and you braced yourself for another.  

You finally broke, crying out to stop at number twenty-two. Mascara stung your eyes and left black lines down your cheeks in the wake of tears you couldn’t stop. As chatter filled the room once more, discussing your performance and claiming Ben shouldn’t win any money since he clearly knew how long you’d last, you heard footsteps approach. Ben’s hand was warm against the back of your head and for a moment you let yourself drop out of the scene, leaning your forehead against his leg and breathing deep to control your tears.    “Hey, that wasn’t too much was it?” Joe asked, eyes flicking between you and Ben.   “No, not at all. Y/N knew how much she could take and you stopped when she said so.”   “Okay, good. Just wanted to check. You seemed a little tense towards the end there.”   “Mate, you’re fine. Just not the easiest thing to watch my girlfriend in that position when I’m not the one controlling how hard or how often she gets hit.”   “Yeah, Joe, that was great,” you said, looking up at him through watery eyes, “Broke my record.”   “And won me fifty quid,”   “Good luck getting everyone to pay up,” he chuckled.   For the briefest of moments, it felt like the three of you were just hanging out, joking around over a beer down the pub, until Ben leaned down to ask if you were alright to continue.   “Yeah, I am,” you nodded, sitting back on your heels and hissing slightly as they came into contact with your red, stinging arse. Even the pain wasn’t enough to dull the ache between your legs.   “Then why don’t you be a good whore and give Joe a proper thank you,” he turned to leave, stopping long enough to tell Joe not to be afraid to be rough.   “Well come on, thank me. Haven’t got all night,” Joe towered over you as you hurried to unzip his pants, setting his cock free as you slid them down over his hips. You wrapped your hand around him, thankful to be able to use your hands, as you leaned in to drag your tongue over his tip, collecting the precum that had already begun to accumulate. Clearly he’d enjoyed spanking you. From the way he bucked his hips as you took him between your lips, running your tongue along the underside of his cock, you’d say he enjoyed it quite a lot. He let you set your own pace, bobbing your head as you took him deeper before pulling off him entirely, pumping your hand over his length. Your own need was too much to ignore and you trailed your free hand over your thigh, desperate for some sort of relief. You didn’t get very far though before Joe noticed.   “Didn’t say you could do that,” he says as he knocks your hand away with his foot.   “Please, Joe, need to cum so bad,”   “Things like you don’t need anything. You just want it. Maybe you can convince me though.” He pushed on the back of your head and you took the hint, taking him back into your mouth. He left his hand resting lightly on your head but you could feel the weight of it, aware of how easy it would be for him to hold you down and make you choke. It did nothing to alleviate your desire.   “That’s better,” he grunted as you hollowed your cheeks. You picked up the pace, the mere possibility of an orgasm spurring you on. He let out a string of muttered curses as you let him sink deeper, reaching up with your free hand to squeeze his balls lightly. You looked up at him when he grabbed a fistful of your hair, eyes meeting as he snapped his hips towards you, making you gag. When he brought his other hand to your hair you knew you weren’t in control anymore. All you could do was brace your hands on his thighs and try to relax your throat as he thrust into you again and again, heedless of your comfort, your breath, your choked moans. You knew he was getting close by the way he sped up, grunting as he held you down. And then he was out of your throat, covering your chest with his cum while you desperately sucked air into your lungs. You were still gasping when he pulled you back to your feet. He lazily trailed his fingers down your stomach, stopping right before he reached where you wanted him most.    “Joe, please,”   “No. Didn’t convince me. But maybe someone else will take pity on you.” He withdrew his hand, walking away.  

Once again you were going to take matters into your own hands when you were stopped, this time by Ben who was clearly keeping a close eye on you.  “Uh uh uh, that’s not allowed.” he said as he grabbed your wrist, pulling your hand away from your dripping cunt, “if you don’t play along properly we’ll have to stop the game, and then you definitely won’t get to cum.”   You whined as he pulled the black bandana from his pocket and tied it round your eyes again.   “Didn’t expect you to lose this so quickly, let’s see how long it lasts before Lucy takes it off again.”   You nodded, vision removed once more.   “Now, are you going to be good or should I tie your hands up again?”   “I’ll be good.”   “Good. Can’t have you misbehaving in front of everyone.” He gave your arse a swat, making you whimper, as he walked off, leaving you alone and unable to see. It didn’t last long, the being alone part at least. One of the guys, you couldn’t tell who, trailed his fingertips over your collarbone, raising goose bumps and making your breath quicken. He remained quiet, giving you no hint to his identity, as he moved up your neck, fingers coming to rest where it met your jaw. He tilted your head to the side as he leaned in to attach his lips to your skin. You could feel your pulse beating hard under his tongue, a moan dropping from your lips as he kissed his way down your throat. He sunk his teeth into your shoulder before he left chuckling at the way you’d cried out. About a minute passed and then another set of hands were on you, rougher than the last. He, whoever he was, grabbed your wrist pulling your hand out so he could spit into your palm before wrapping your fingers around his cock.   

This was exactly how your fantasies normally went – just you and a series of anonymous people using your body however they wanted, rutting into your hand, squeezing your throat as they pinched and pulled your tits, bending you over so they could shove their cock into your mouth or examine the bruises forming on your arse. You could hear snatches of conversations as you were pulled around by numerous hands, never quite sure who was touching you at any given time. On your left you could hear Joe telling someone about the road trip he went on with some friends last month. The juxtaposition of such a casual conversation while you were being fingered to within an inch of your life made your head spin. It was the third time you’d heard the story during the night. Right before he got to the part about almost being left in a truckstop bathroom you heard the familiar click of Lucy’s heels. She was the only one you were certain of when she came close. Well, her and Ben – you had no trouble picking his footsteps or scent from everyone else’s. Perhaps you could have worked out the others except that thinking was becoming harder to do. Your body was covered in splatters of cum at various stages of drying, making you itch, your arse smarted, and you felt like if you didn’t cum soon you were going to combust. You’d been close more times than you could count but never quite got there before those who were fucking you pulled out and left you with their cum straining your underwear or dripping from your lips. You moaned as the fingers still pumping into you sped up.   “C’mon Gwil, be nice and let her cum, she looks desperate,”   So that was who was tormenting you at the moment, Gwilym was the reason you’d been saying nothing but the word please for the last three minutes.   “Think you mean pathetic,” he made no move to alter his pattern  “Well if you wont, I will,” her fingers drifted down towards your clit, circling you slowly as Gwilym continued finger fucking you. It only took a few seconds for her to have you moaning out your release, coating both their hands in your juices as you rode the orgasm for as long as they let you.   “Thank you,” you said breathlessly as both of them removed their hands from you.   Gwilym tapped his fingers against your lips until you let him push them into your mouth. Leaning into your ear he softly said, “I’m going to fuck you again before the night’s done. Properly.” You heard him retreat but then Lucy was grabbing your hand, placing it between her own legs.   “Fair’s fair.”   She was wet, her cunt welcoming you with a squeeze as you let two fingers slide into her. You began to build a steady pace, searching for that spot that would make her knees buckle. She threw her arms over your shoulders for support as you added a third finger, her nails digging into you as you let your thumb land on her clit. Her moans were muffled by your neck as you pushed her closer to her release, curling your fingers and stroking until she came on shaking legs.   “I’m going to have to ask Ben if I can borrow you for a night. Chain you to my bed and play with every inch of you until I can’t cum anymore.”   You lost track of how long you’d stood there, being repositioned over and over. Sometimes you had less than a second before one cock was replaced by another, sometimes you were left alone for what felt like hours, listening for any hint of someone approaching but only hearing the conversations happening around you.   

When Ben announced that dinner was ready everyone moved toward the table, replacing chairs they’d moved around during the night, a couple of people giving you a last squeeze or slap as they passed. Ben knelt down to release your feet and you almost collapsed against him as he led you towards your designated seat. It was one of the chairs taken from the table everyone sat at, pulled off to the side so you were still within view without being the center of attention. He pulled your arms behind the chair, securing you in place with the handcuffs so you couldn’t move. You could smell the roast Ben had spent the afternoon preparing, along with all the accompanying sides that you’d helped him make.    “Is Y/N not eating with us then?” Lucy asked.   “Toys don’t need to eat,”   “She’s probably full anyway,” Joe said matter-of-factly, “y’know, from how much she’s swallowed tonight.”   There were snorts of laughter amongst the tinkling sounds of cutlery and glasses, followed by the melodic buzz of talking, sometimes discussions that involved the whole table, sometimes just kept between two or three people. Occasionally you heard your name mentioned making you jump and focus on the conversation. More often than not it was Ben mentioning you in passing as he talked about the day trip you’d taken to the beach last week or something else equally mundane. But the few less innocent comments you heard made you squirm. Hearing Rami describe how incredible your tits were was enough to have you whimpering, and hearing Gwil talk about how hot you sounded when you came had you clenching your thighs together in your chair.   “Fuck, look at her now,” Joe said, accompanied by the sound of someone shifting their chair for a better look, followed by a louder, “you alright?” directed towards you.    You whined, knowing you sounded completely desperate but beyond caring, as you tried to get some sort of relief.   “Needy whore,”   “Wants to be fucked some more,” said with an accompanying laugh.   “Someone should do it. Dinner and a show.”   “Nah, let her squirm a bit longer,”   “If you boys are quite done, I think I have an idea,”    “She’s all yours,”   You whimpered as Lucy pushed her chair back, listening as the sound of her shoes went past you and then returned a few seconds later.    You got a whiff of her perfume, floral and sweet, as she leaned down, hands resting on your thighs. You could feel something pressed between her palm and your leg but couldn’t work out what it was, not with her talking to you so softly, her breath tickling your ear and sending a shiver through you.    “You wanna cum again, don’t you? Poor thing.”   All you could do was nod, whimpering out a soft, “please.”   You were already trembling as she knelt between your legs, caressing your thighs softly before she hooked her fingers into the band of your thong and slid it off you. She lifted one of your legs onto her shoulder so she could push the unknown object into you before she let your leg drop back down and stood up again. You were panting, unsure why she’d teased you so, as she took her seat again.   “What’d you do, Luce? Nothing happened,” Rami barely finished speaking when you felt the egg vibrator come to life and a small oh slipped out of your mouth. The vibration increased sending you hurtling towards the orgasm you so badly wanted. You clenched your legs together as you moaned through your release, Lucy reducing the power of the vibrator as you came down. You had maybe five seconds to compose yourself before it was being turned back up again, pulling a string of moaned expletives from you as you fell into another orgasm much more quickly than you ever had before.    “There’s your show,” Lucy laughed over your whines as your sensitivity grew.   “Pass me the controller for a minute,” Joe said, “how do you use it?”   “Just spin that wheel, up makes it vibrate more,”   “Like this?”   You jerked in your chair as it got stronger, whimpering when he turned it down again.   “Oh, easy. Think I’m a little scared of you now Luce.”   There was laughter as you tipped over the edge again.   

They didn’t let up until they’d had their fill, finishing their dinner to the sound of your heavy panting and moaned requests to stop as you unsuccessfully tried to squirm away from the constant vibrations. The controller was passed from person to person, each one changing the settings according to their own whim. For a while you were left with a low-level buzzing as the controls sat by Gwil’s plate, untouched, giving you as much respite as you could hope for under the circumstances. But then it was back in the hands of Joe who delighted in making you scream as he turned it up high. By the time everyone had eaten their last bite and complimented the meal, the controls were in Ben’s hands. If you’d hoped for leniency, for a kind word of praise as he set you free, you’d hoped wrong. Ben did halt the vibrator, turning it off as he walked towards you and removed your blindfold again, but he also twisted his hand through your hair so he could tug your head up, forcing you to look at the table. Four pairs of eyes were fixed on you as Ben spun the controls to the highest possible setting, watching as your hips bucked and your back arched as much as your bound position would allow you. You couldn’t even scream as you came again, your voice catching in your throat as all the air was pushed from your lungs at once. When he was satisfied with your performance, Ben turned it off and reached between your legs to pull the egg from you, pocketing it as he began collecting dirty dishes with the help of an insistent Lucy, leaving you twitching in the chair. You closed your eyes for a second in an attempt to settle your pounding heart, opening them to find Rami standing in front of you.   “I know you lost count of how many orgasms you just had,” he said softly as he kneeled between your legs, “but I’m going to take another one from you.” He pushed your legs wider, probing at your entrance with two fingers as he rubbed your clit with his other hand. You didn’t think you could cum again but his unhurried movements built you up despite how sensitive you felt. He watched your every reaction as he changed the angle of his fingers until he found your gspot. You shook as you tipped over the edge again, unable to resist his steady strokes.   “Good girl, knew you had another one for me.” he said as he wiped his hands on his pants. 

“What do you think Rami?” Joe asked as he and Gwilym approached.  “What do I think about what?”   “Best way to play with a girl’s nipples,”   “Oh, I guess, like this,” Rami reached out with one hand, pinching your nipple and rolling it between his fingers before tugging it away from your body, making you loudly whine.   “Is that really your favourite way?”   “It’s a classic. Simple. Easy to control. You can add a twist,” he twisted your nipple until you tried to jerk away, “for a little extra pain if she’s into that.”   Joe scoffed, “You cannot beat sucking on a nipple. It’s clearly the best way,” he lowered his head to your chest, his breath fanning out over your sensitive nipple as he moved closer. He took it into his mouth, tracing his tongue around it and sucking gently. Your eyes fluttered closed, releasing a soft moan at how good it felt until he suddenly clamped his teeth down, making you wince.   “See? Nothing beats a little bit of tongue and teeth. Well okay Gwil, since you clearly disagree, you wanna demonstrate for the class?”   “I don’t necessarily disagree. It just depends on what you want to achieve.”   Joe raised his eyebrows and waved his hand, inviting Gwilym to go on.   “Well if you want her to moan then yeah, either of your methods is great. But if you’re looking for something a little more painful, maybe more of a punishment, you can’t beat the flick.” Without any warning he dropped his hand towards your other nipple, flicking it quickly, making you jolt.   “It’s especially good if you surprise them with it after you’ve been fairly gentle. And the more you do it, the more it hurts.”   “Show me again?”   Gwilym repeated his flicking motion on both your nipples at once, and then again, each one sending a shock of pain through your chest. You whimpered as his fingers were replaced by Rami’s on one nipple and Joe’s on the others, both testing the flick for themselves.   “Okay, that’s pretty good.”   “I’ll expect your cheques in the mail soon,”   “Wonder what Ben thinks,” Joe said, heading off to find out, followed by Rami. Gwilym stayed behind.   “What say we get you out of those cuffs now?” Gwil said as he picked up the keys from where Ben had left them near you. You nodded, expecting there to be a catch, but he leant down behind you and unlocked your restraints without another word. You brought your arms to your front, rolling your wrists, but didn’t have time for anything else before he was dragging you from the chair to the table and pushing you down over it.   “Told you I was gonna fuck you again.”   Your nails scratched over the smooth surface of the table, looking for something to cling on to as he bottomed out. The best you could manage was to grasp the side of the table, knuckles turning white and plea for him not to stop, as he fucked you. You clenched around him, reaching your peak and falling into an underwhelming orgasm right as he pulled out of you. Before you could stand up again he was pulling you backwards and pushing you to your knees.   “Mouth,” he grunted and you had a few seconds to register the way Gwilym was pumping his fist over his cock before he was coating your lips and chin. You had just enough time to swallow what you could lick up before Rami pushed his cock between your lips. It took you by surprise, not having realised the others had returned but you tried to stay relaxed as he thrust into your mouth a couple of times before Joe replaced him. Your hands flew up to grasp their shafts as you alternated between them, sucking one as you jerked the other. Suddenly your hair was being tugged on as Lucy spun your head towards her. She used her free hand to remove her underwear and you obediently leaned in to suck her clit, still jerking Joe and Rami. Lucy pushed you closer to her, your nose nudging her clit as your tongue wandered lower, pulling a few softly spoken expletives from her. You felt like you’d just found the perfect rhythm to please the three of them when you were grabbed under your arms and pulled away. You were dropped on your feet in front of Ben, who sat on the couch. He spun you round and you squealed as he swatted your still sore arse but you bent over for him all the same, trying to relax as he carefully removed the plug he’d wiggled into you that morning. The lube was cold as he squirted a generous amount onto you, using his fingers to make sure you were ready before he pulled you backwards, spreading your cheeks as you slowly sunk down onto him.    “Breath,” he said into your ear and you realised you’d been holding your breath, “You good?”   “Mmhmm,” you tilted your head back, eyes closed as the stretch settled into a deep fullness. Ben leaned into the back of the couch, almost lying down, and you felt your legs being spread. You barely had time to react to Rami plowing into your cunt, the moan getting caught in your throat as Joe filled your mouth with his cock. Somewhere to your left you could hear Gwilym and Lucy laughing about you being sealed airtight but the joke barely registered in your brain, much too concerned with how incredibly full you were. Joe timed his thrusts to match Rami’s, the force making you rock on Ben’s cock even as he stayed relatively still. Your eyes fluttered shut, stray tears clinging to your eyelashes as you tried not to let the mix of sensations overwhelm you. You felt the couch dip a little as Lucy knelt beside you, grabbing your hand and placing your fingers at her entrance. She rocked against your hand, chasing the release she’d been close to getting from your tongue. Gwil grabbed your other hand, wrapping it around his cock, but you hardly noticed his rutting as Ben suddenly thrust up into you. Your whole body felt hot, a fire spreading through you as you were fucked from every angle, a fuzz settling in your brain as the pleasure took over. You shook as an orgasm rolled through you, Rami pulling out of you and jerking himself off onto your tits. As soon as Rami stepped back Joe took his place, pushing deep into you as Lucy brought your head to her chest. She arched her back into you as you sucked a nipple into your mouth. Joe and Ben were so in sync as they thrust in and out of you, filling you more completely than you’d ever felt before.   “Fuck,” Joe grunted as he pulled out of you, cumming over your stomach. You whined as Lucy pushed three fingers into your overly sensitive cunt, your head being pulled away from her breasts so Gwil could fuck your throat. Your own choked moans echoed in your ears as your whole body buzzed and your vision slipped in and out of focus. You felt like you were floating between them, unable to find anything real to cling on to or ground you. You were vaguely aware of Lucy’s rapidly increasing ohs as she rubbed her clit and reached her own release on your hand. She continued to pump her fingers into you, curling them until you were seeing stars. The moan you made around Gwil’s cock had him cursing as he filled your mouth with his cum, watching it drip over your lips as he pulled out. You hastily sucked in a breath of air, it going some way to making you feel less lightheaded, but the breath was quickly pushed from your lungs again as Ben grasped your hips and began to slam you down on his cock repeatedly. It didn’t take him long to reach his own climax, pulling out as he released his load so that it dripped down between your legs.   

You still felt floaty and dizzy as Ben picked you up and lay you down on the couch with a pillow under you head.   “She’s done guys,” he said to the rest of the group, nodding his head to the table as an invitation to join him. Everyone stayed a little while longer, sitting around and talking over coffee and cake like it was a regular dinner party, like they hadn’t just collectively fucked you into a different realm. You stayed curled up on the couch, dozing on and off as you gradually got the buzzing in your body to stop. Your dazed state stretched on as everyone left, snatches of goodbyes floating to you from the doorway. When you thought back a week later you could distinctly remember hearing Gwilym say he’d love to do that again if you were ever going to repeat the experience. Once the door was shut and the music stopped, Ben knelt down by your head, brushing your hair away from your face.   “Y/N?” He said softly. You blinked your eyes open and smiled up at him.   “That was fun,” you felt groggy and tired but you laughed as Ben pulled you into a tight bear hug, “You shouldn’t hug me Ben, I’m covered in cum and smudged makeup and lube and whatever else, gonna ruin your clothes.”   “Clothes shmothes. As if I’m not gonna hug you after that. You were fucking incredible.”   You buried your face in his neck, breathing deeply.   “How do you feel?”   “Like I need a shower.”   “How about a bath?”   “Even better.”   Ben kissed the top of your head before he let you go, wrapping his arm around your waist as he led you to the bathroom. You picked up a facecloth as Ben ran the bath, using it to clean the mascara tear tracks and smudged lipstick from your cheeks and chin.    “Let me help,” Ben said softly, dropping to his knees and unhooking your stockings from the garter belt, sliding both down your legs and throwing them into the laundry hamper. You ruffled his hair in gratitude, the tiredness you felt only getting more pronounced as the seconds slipped by.   The tub wasn’t full but you needed to sit down, carefully stepping over the edge and easing yourself into the hot water. Ben quickly shed his own clothes, adding them to the hamper, and climbed in behind you. You stayed sitting just long enough to turn the water off before the tub overflowed, and then leaned back against Ben.   “How do you feel?” he asked again as he picked up your soap and washcloth, “now that you’re in a bath I mean.”   “Tired and a little sore. And kinda feel like crying but I’m not sure why.”   He ran the washcloth along your shoulder and down your arm, beginning to scrub your skin clean.   “Well I’ve booked you in for a massage tomorrow afternoon, so that should help with the sore. As for the tired, I am gonna make you stay awake a little longer, but you can relax while I take care of you and you can sleep in tomorrow.”   “And the random crying?”   “Just your brain rebalancing. It was flooded with a bunch of endorphins and different emotions. Cry as much as you need to, it’s cathartic and it’ll make you feel better.”   You nodded, tilting your head back to look at him, “did you have a good time?”   “Absolutely. That was so unbelievably hot. Definitely gonna keep me going next time I’m away,”   You both laughed softly as he gently pushed you forward so he could wash your back. He pushed your hair out of the way and traced his finger over a mark on your shoulder.   “You got a few souvenirs from tonight,”   “Is that the bitemark?”   “Yeah. Do you know who left it?”   “Not really. At the time I thought it might be Rami but I’m not sure. What else have I got?”   “Couple red spots where people slapped you. Quite a few scratches.”   “Lucy,” you both said at the same time with a chuckle.   Ben kept talking to you as he shampooed and conditioned your hair and while he wrapped you in a big fluffy towel. He kissed you on the forehead again and told you to go hop into bed, that he’d be with you in a moment.   “And don’t go to sleep yet either. I’ll be quick.”   You did as he asked, having just enough energy to slip into one of his tee shirts and a fresh pair of undies before hopping under the covers. You snuggled down deep, closing your eyes as your head landed on the pillow, ignoring Ben’s request to stay awake. But, try as you might, sleep wouldn’t come. Your body was too amped up, still kind of horny despite everything, leaving you simultaneously dead tired and wide awake. Sitting up again you reached for your laptop, figuring you might as well watch some Netflix or something. And then the tears started, virtually out of nowhere. When Ben came back, in fresh pyjamas straight from the clean washing yet to be put away, he found you hunched over, clutching your knees to your chest and crying uncontrollably. He placed the items he was carrying down on his bedside table before he joined you in bed, wrapping his arms around your shoulders as you leaned into his chest. He rubbed your back and mumbled soft words of praise until you managed to stop.   “Sorry,” you said as you wiped at your eyes, “it just hit me,”   “Nothing to apologise for babe, I told you to let it out. Do you feel better?”   “A bit, yeah,”   “Here, brought you something,” he handed you a glass of water and a plate of food, everything from the dinner you’d been unable to eat, put aside especially for you, “wanted to make sure you ate something and drank some water before you slept,”   You nodded already biting into a warm potato.   “What d’you want to watch?”   “Don’t care, as long as I don’t have to think.”   He picked an episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine at random. You’d both seen it before so it wouldn’t matter if you fell asleep while it played but it was funny enough to keep you entertained as your brain and body relaxed. After you’d finished eating Ben offered you a row from a block of chocolate claiming it’d help your body balance itself and feel more normal. You didn’t know if that was true but you ate it regardless. Finally he was ready to let you settle down. He got up to turn the light off as you packed away the laptop and once again snuggled down under the covers. You hissed slightly as he slid in behind you, coming into contact with your bum.   “Shit, I’m sorry babe, should have got a cold compress on that earlier,”   “‘s alright. Do it tomorrow, it’ll be fine.” your eyes were much too heavy to be worried about how you’d bruise. Ben agreed, pulling you against his chest carefully.   “I love you Y/N, so much,” he said softly as he leaned his head against your neck.   You were already asleep.  

[spaceotter42]

Terri Minsky Talks About Her Finale Decisions

Andi Mack EP Terri Minsky on Legacy, the Series Finale and Movie Possibilities

Photo Courtesy of The Disney Channel

From Paste

Andi Mack is over; long live Andi Mack!

By Alexis Gunderson  |  July 26, 2019  |  5:41pm

If you haven’t caught up with the Andi Mack series finale, turn back!

Well there you have it friends. With Andi’s (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) momentous high school decision, a joyous group singalong to “Born This Way,” and the long-awaited proof that both Buffy (Sophia Wylie) and Marty (Garren Stitt) and Cyrus (Joshua Rush) and TJ (Luke Mullen) like, like like each other, Andi Mack, Disney Channel’s boldest and most groundbreaking original series to date, is officially over.

Having gotten Andi Mack showrunner Terri Minsky on the phone for a long, deeply spoilerific conversation earlier this month, we’ll have a lot more to say about the finale’s wholesome perfection and the series’ parameter-shifting legacy in a moment, but first, let us just say this: Honestly, more series finales should just be one big party.

Get the drama out of the way early! Turn down the lights and turn up the jams! Give a grandma an inflatable T-Rex costume and an open dance floor! Sit a couple of boys down on a romantic fireside bench and let them finally hold hands! Seriously, showrunners—dancey, joyful series finale parties are where it’s at. Don’t sleep on Andi Mack’s excellent example.

If you’ve paid any attention at all to Paste’s previous coverage of Disney Channel’s groundbreaking family dramedy, you’ll know that this isn’t the first time we’ve suggested that more shows should be doing what Andi Mack was doing from Day One. More shows should be exploring the shape of non-traditional family setups. More shows should be letting teens tackle platonic friendships with thoughtful joy. More shows should be making intergenerational family dynamics a focal point of their storytelling. More shows should be letting the specificity of their characters’ full identities—from cultural background to race to sexual orientation to the ability to see crafting treasure where anyone else would see trash—inform their growth. More shows should let teen boys be tender, and more shows should gently call teen boys out when they’re being benignly oblivious to the inner lives of others.

More shows, in short, should just BE Andi Mack. And while its series finale, “We Were Here,” was a disappointment insofar as it officially marked the end of our time with the Good Hair Crew, it was a wild success in showcasing every other thing, big and small, that made Andi Mack so fantastic from the beginning. From the emotional (and actual) growth in Andi’s new-normal family set-up to the core four’s rock-solid friendship to the official blossoming of the puppy love romance between Cyrus and TJ, “We Were Here” found its sense of finality in the same kind of infinite possibility wrought by change upon which the series originally began. Nothing is final, the finale told its fans, except how we care for others.

But enough of our sentimentality. We promised a FULL SPOILER exit interview with series creator Terri Minsky, and we live to serve. Note: The following interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Paste: Terri! First of all, congratulations on the series! How are you feeling, now that the finale is finally here?

Minsky: Thank you! You know, it’s actually gotten harder as we’ve gotten closer to the finale, because I think I was in some sort of state of—I won’t say denial, but [making] something from start to finish, that’s a first for me in terms of a television show. So originally I was feeling really, really good about it, like I did something. But now […] that I’ve done what I wanted to do, exactly what I wanted to do, and it’s turned out even better than I had imagined, it’s kind of weird to have done it!

Paste: Oh, we can only imagine. That’s not a feeling a lot of people get to have.

Minsky: And now that it’s really over, over, over, I [do] miss it more than I really have at any other point. I just look at the finale and I remember how those kids were so emotional, but how they were able to snap right back into the scene and whatever they were playing and not have that ending feeling about them. By the end they were all just such amazing, professional, incredibly talented people, I just look at them and I think, Oh, I wish I could be THEM when I grow up!

Paste: Same, honestly. To have that kind of emotional maturity at any age, let alone fourteen, fifteen?

Minsky: Incredible. I’m dying to see what they all become, all of them for different reasons.

Paste: What was the process of getting Andi Mack to this specific ending point? Did you have a three-season arc going into the project, or did you even know that three seasons would be where you’d be ending?

Minsky: I would love to say yes, but the truth is, I didn’t. It really was very much a process—the stories that came out of the room, a lot of them were obviously very personal to the writers themselves, and then the actors, what they brought, who they were. Everything was kind of like a plant that grew on its own, developed its own ecosystem.

In terms of when we learned that this would be the series finale, I don’t totally remember, but we were breaking Season Three and looking for our cliffhanger, this is like episode 10 out of 21, when we found out. So it was early enough that it was really great to be able to think, okay, we want to tell these stories, we want to get them in, we want to make sure that they lead to a place where it will conclude. I didn’t want to have people feeling cheated, especially if they’ve been watching the whole time. But it was hard, very, very hard, to know at Episode 10 and not be able to tell anyone. We definitely cried a little in the writers room, but [in terms of organic storytelling], it also made sense.

Paste: When it came to actually writing the finale, how did you approach that? What was the feeling like on set as everything was wrapping up?

Minsky: So, this is the first finale that I’ve written. It was the last episode, I was obviously going to write it, but we were still editing and writing and punching up and shooting all the ones leading up to it, and so it was almost the easiest script I ever wrote, because it was, like… we knew what was going to happen, it was just a matter of at what point, and what were the words going to be. Then I was done, and the writing room was so great about it and very supportive, and then we turned it in, and then there was the table read, and then we were shooting, and I was like WAIT A MINUTE! Wait a minute, this is the FINALE!

Paste: What was the process behind making “Born This Way” the party’s climactic moment?

Minsky: I have to give total credit to Paul Hoen, the director for [the episode], because we knew that we wanted to have the 2.0 party from the first season, we wanted to do a callback to that. So we had the story, but in terms of performing a song, that was all Paul. He’s done so many movies, and so many set pieces, I think he just had it in his head. So he made a list of songs and showed it to me, and the next day he said, we’ve got “Born This Way.” And I was blown away. I still am. I couldn’t believe it. I don’t know how he did it, but we have it, and it was so great, so great.

Paste: Well, and it’s such a recognizable dance party anthem, and so recognizably an LGBTQ pride anthem, that it feels like the perfect finale button to the episode. Like, saying that Cyrus’ coming out arc wasn’t just thrown in to be thrown in, but was developed very intentionally.

Minsky: Oh, it makes me so happy to hear that.

Paste: So we know the show has a very passionate fanbase in general, but when it comes to the Cyrus+TJ storyline, that passion is even more intense.

Minsky: Well, I think a lot of it is the fans reacting to seeing things on a Disney Channel show that they hadn’t seen before. On the one hand, I feel sad that this is the first time, I feel honored that we were the first time, but I also would like nothing more than to not ever again have something like this be such a big to-do. I just want characters to get to be who they are, to not have to explain, apologize, come out. But the fact is, now there’s this audience that’s paying attention, and you want to do right by them. I felt like they were there for us, and I wanted to give them something to thank them for being patient, for sticking around, for hoping, for paying such close attention. I’m just really hoping the finale is… I know it can’t be everything, but I hope it’s going to be something.

Paste: Can you talk a little bit about the process of deciding what that end moment for TJ and Cyrus would be? As both fans of the show and professional critics of serial storytelling, we found the quietness of their big moment to be exactly right, but we know that there will be fans who will still wish there had been more, or who will hold up the kiss between Buffy and Marty as a comparison, wondering why Cyrus and TJ couldn’t have the same thing.

Minsky: I feel like… they’re still in middle school, you know. And I know that people do things in middle school, but I guess I feel like it’s so. much. for, you know, the captain of the basketball team, to hold hands with a boy in the middle of a party. Like, the look on his face? I feel like a kiss, in a way, would have not been realistic to these characters. A lot of that story, a lot of that journey between Cyrus and TJ was subtext, and I think that whatever they were saying to each other, they weren’t actually saying in words. And even that final conversation isn’t explicit. I love that they have that moment reaching for each other and holding hands, in my mind, in the world that we live in, in the story of this relationship, that is a lot.

Paste: Oh, we remember being fourteen! Holding hands felt way more intimate and scary than some kind of awkward first kiss.

Minsky: I think that first physical contact with somebody is so intense. The feeling of their hand and your hand intertwined, how unusual and connected and intense that is. I just felt like this was the story of these characters, that they finally understood what they were saying to each other, and it wasn’t like they had to wonder, is he saying this? or is he thinking this?

In terms of the story, it didn’t need a kiss. Adding a kiss would have been doing it just to do it, to be first, and I didn’t want that. I would love if we were going to go on and have another season or another story, I would love to have the first LGBTQ kiss on Disney.

Paste: Well, at this point, if an Andi Mack movie ever did happen, it seems like the ideal outcome would still be that theirs wouldn’t be the first gay kiss on Disney. Like, the real power of Andi Mack has always been for us the number of doors it has opened to the shows that will come next. Cyrus and TJ walked so characters we have yet to meet could run.

Minsky: Oh, that’s true, yeah! I DON’T want to be the first gay kiss on the Disney Channel, you’re right.

Paste: We’ll come back to the dream scenario of a movie in a minute, but first, are there any stories you got to tell that you’re especially proud of?

Minsky: You know, the funny thing is that from Season One, we had wanted to do a story about that sort of casual racism, that idea of people thinking it’s okay to touch a black girl’s hair because it’s so cool. And we had touched on that in different moments, but then finally here we were in Season Three (Note: episode 3.17, “Arts and Inhumanities”) and it was like, we’re doing it! I’m very happy that we managed to get that in. But I’m also so happy that we did a Bar Mitzvah. I’m thrilled we got to read from the Torah. I love the shiva episode, Cyrus coming out to Jonah over bagels. I’m just so proud of all of it.

But if you want to know the one thing I’m most proud of, it I’m proud we got that cast. When I think back to the beginning of it all, Peyton was eleven. You just don’t know how these things are going to go. So to have it come to life the way that it did, it was just one of those things, like a Black Mirror episode, but a good one? You know, I’ve wanted to do a mother-daughter show for a long, long time, but I guess it took me this long to do it because I had to wait for Peyton Lee to be born!

Paste: Is there anything else you’d like to say about your experience with Andi Mack?

Minsky: It sounds GOOP-y, but it really was a dream experience. Working in television, people are always like, that’s so cool! But it’s really not. It can be hard, there are compromises, you can feel like you’re not doing anything worthwhile, and this was the exact opposite. And when this girl in Kentucky started this Andi Mack Thousand Cranes Project and there were these paper cranes with people saying what the show meant to them… I mean, that was very powerful and meaningful and a gift, and none of it was anything that I could have foreseen, and I’m just so grateful. I’m grateful to the willingness of the cast and to Disney’s support and to fans being so expressive. I’ve never had a job like it before.

Paste: What do you hope audiences will take away from the show?

Minsky: To me, the thing that I felt like I wanted to say to the audience is when Andi says to Jonah, do you ever wonder what it would have been like if we had met when we were older? And he says, someday we will be. And I think, for me in my life, nothing that I thought, “well that’s the end of that story!” turned out to be the end of the story. And I do want people to see those [kids as] people and think of them and wonder where they are, or try to guess what they might be doing.

Paste: Okay, we promised we’d get here—what about an Andi Mack movie? Any thoughts on what that could look like, should every fan’s dream come true?

Minsky: Oh, gosh! I would love to do an Andi Mack movie at some point. I want to get back with those characters, I want to get back with that cast, I want to be back in that world. But as my mother always said, you should leave a party when you’re having fun. And we had so much fun.

All three seasons of Andi Mack are now available to stream on the Disney NOW app.

[rhaellatully]

La Galette des Rois (Fanfiction)

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22133302

FF.net: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13471075/1/La-Galette-des-Rois

Summary: Alya, Nino and Adrien go to Marinette's to celebrate la galette des rois

AN: So yeah Miraculous Ladybug is French so I though I’d write something for the galette des rois, well I was mostly eating my galette when I realise this holyday? (I don’t know if it counts as one we don’t get a day off but it takes place on a Sunday ?) had a strong potential for fanfics

Even up in Marinette’s room you could hear the noise made by the clients down stairs. La Galette des Rois was one of the busiest time of the year for a Boulangerie-Patiserie, a funny tradition, a cake that is to be eaten on every epiphaniy, with a fève hidden inside, the one who founds it in his slice his crown and they can crown someone else as their King or Queen.

Alya could have told you a lot about la Galette des Rois, she was a journalist and she had done her research. She could have gone about its original purpose and it’s Christianisation. But that’s not what she was here for; she was here to help Marinette.

When she had made the plan for her Nino and Adien to all come celebrate at Marinette’s home she had known that it would be a difficult day. She hadn’t figured out how much, of course she couldn’t have predicted that Adrien would start dating Kagami and Marinette something with Luka.

You’d think this would have made things easier, but being with Luka hadn’t made Marinette’s feeling toward Adrien disappear. If she had seen her friend having breakdowns over him before it had never been this bad.

“What if Adrien gets the fève, he’ll have to choose a queen, and he can’t pick you because you’re with his best friend, and he can’t pick my mom because that would be weird. He’ll have to pick me! And will I do then! I’m not supposed to be happy about it because of Luka, but I kind of want it to happen! I could refuse, oh no that would be rude. What will I do? Oh Alya what will I do?!”

“He could also pick Nino.” Alya answered. There was nothing wrong with picking your best friend as king, no law against it. And Alya knew just how close the two boys were.

Speaking of which, Nino had just texted her that the boys were finally on their way. It would still take a while for them to get back from Adrien’s photo-shoot. She texted back that it was fine and that they were waiting for them.

“And will I do if I get the fève! I can’t possibly pick Adrien! How would Luka reacted?!”

‘Probably very calmly’ though Alya, she honestly had no idea if Luka was in anyway capable of getting angry. Alya knew she had no reason to worry over his reaction, or the kings and queens at his celebration. She knew from Rose’s instagram that the galette had already been eaten, and that Juleka had gotten the fève and picked Rose as her queen. A nice pictures of the two of them with cute little crown was the proof.

“If you get the fève than pick your dad, or me if you think it’s lame to pick your parent.”

She got distracted of Marinette’s reply by a text from Nino, “no matter what happen you’ll always be my queen” it read. Alya smilled and chuckled, that boy never mist an opportunity, did he?

 She saw that Marinette was still freaking out, she grabbed her by the shoulders, “ Look girl, it’s just a gallette, nothing fancy, nothing special, no one is giving it any importance, okay?” Marinette nodded. “Take a deep breath” Alya ordered and Marinette did so.

“Let’s just play ultimate mecha strike III, that should calm your nerve”

And so she spend the next thirty minutes getting her ass handed to her at that game. To be fair the fact that she was spending more time on her phone did gave her friend a great advantage. When asked about it she would simply say that she was making sure nothing about ladybug showed up on social media, but the truth was she was simply chatting with Nino. He kept finding knew theme appropriated pick up line and loved it, not that she would ever admit it of course.

“What’s making you smile that way” asked Marinette.

“Nothing”

Marinette was about to press, but Alya was rescued by the voice of Mister Dupain-Cheng.

“Marinette, Alya, the boys have arrived!”

Alya dashed for the trapped door, she got to the leaving room, where Nino greeted her with a quick kiss. She was so glad to see him she almost forgotten that they were other people in the room. Thankfully Missies Dupain-Cheng calling them at the table brought her back to reality.

The second after they sat down there was a slice of galette in their plate. Alya started eating and enjoyed the nice taste of the frangipane in her mouth. She immediately congratulated the Dupain-Cheng for this was the best galette she had ever eaten. Adrien told them just the same. Instinctively after hearing his comment she turned toward Marinette. She noticed that her friend was eating anxiously and trying to make herself as small as possible.

She was worried again, Alya didn’t know how to help her, she knew everything would be okay, even if either Adrien or Marinette got the fève. But to help her friend she would probably give them indication on whom they should pick. She was about to go whisper a plan in Nino’s ear, when winced and brought his hand to his cheek.

“Are you okay” she immediately asked, he had hurt himself, but how?

He brought his hand inside his mouth and she expected him to take out a tooth, but instead he took out a porcelain Ladybug.

“Nino got the fève!” said Missies Dupain-Cheng happily.

“I almost broke my tooth on it”

“Congratulation man” said Adrien, as Mister Dupain-Cheng put a carton crown on his head.

Alya suddenly felt very happy, she had been so caught up in Marinette’s love life that she had forgotten someone else could get it. This was great for Nino, he had a notorious bad luck and rarely won anything that relied on chance. Perhaps this was the first time he was crowned.

Nino took the second crown in his hand and turned to Alya, he got on one knee and said “Alya Cesaire would you make me the happiest man on earth by accepting to by my queen.”

The others were laughing at his dramatic proposal But Alya choose to get up, making her chair fall over in the process, and in an ever more over the top manner answered “Oh Nino, yes! A thousand time yes!”

He got up put the crown on her head and kiss her. She could hear the fake cheer and laughter as he did, but she didn’t care, she was far too busy kissing him back.

If there was one thing this afternoon taught her, it was that she needed to focus less on what was happening in Marinette’s love life and more on her own. She had a wonderful boyfriend and he deserved more attention.

[let-it-raines]

Second in Command (Epilogue - Part Seven)

Summary: Life as the “spare to the heir” isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be when you’re the supposed screw-up of the family, but people don’t know what really happens behind closed doors.

Rating: Mature

A/N: You guys are totally going to be annoyed with me for how I left it on a cliffhanger when I totally didn’t have to except to show some character growth and how things change...which I guess is exactly the reason I ended it that way :D

Found on AO3: Beginning | Current

Tumblr Chapters: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20

Epilogue Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 

Tag list: @nikkiemms @resident-of-storybrooke @kmomof4 @wellhellotragic @ekr032-blog-blog @bmbbcs4evr @onceuponaprincessworld @jennjenn615@a-faekindagirl @mayquita @captainsjedi @captswanis4vr @kristi555 @teamhook @skyewardolicitycloisdelena91 @branlovesouat @dreadpirateemma @alys07 @andiirivera

“Can I come in, son?”

“Yeah, of course,” Killian answers automatically, the shock of his father just showing up at his door stunning him for only a moment. It’s not like he never visits. He usually just calls or texts first. “I didn’t know you were coming over, dad. Why didn’t you call?”

“Oh, I was visiting the kids and thought I’d drop by since I knew that the two of you had returned home.” His dad steps inside, squeezing his shoulder before leaning down to pet Indy. “Hello, darling,” he then greets Emma, kissing her cheek before wrapping her up in a hug. “How are you feeling today?”

“Good, good,” Emma insists, her eyes still blown wide as if she’s actually been shocked. He knows she’s still a bit rattled from the flight and her nausea. The same thing had happened when they went out sailing the morning of their anniversary, before the disaster of the rest of that day, and even though he had been wary of it, Emma insisted she was fine. She never said she wasn’t, but the green of her face told him otherwise. “How are you?”

“Kicking pretty high for my age.”

“You are not old,” she laughs, tugging on Indy’s leash. “Do you mind if I take Indy for a quick walk? Let her run around a bit. She’s been told she’s going outside, and I’m afraid she’ll freak out if she doesn’t get to go.”

“Of course, dear. I’ll chat with Killian, and the second you two come back inside, I want to hear all about how you’ve been since you left us to go holiday in the warm sunshine. I swear it’s rained for the past week.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Emma takes a step over toward him, leaning up and kissing his cheek, whispering that she’ll be right back before taking a step outside with Indy and leaving him with his dad.

“Do you want something to drink? Eat?”

“I’m fine.” His father begins walking to the living room, settling down into the recliner he prefers when visiting all while Killian sits down on the couch next to him, only a side table between them. “So how was your holiday?”

He almost chokes on his own saliva thinking of all of the things he absolutely cannot tell his father about their holiday as well as wondering if he should bring up the privacy issue just yet. He doesn’t know, is never truly sure about these types of things. He could have a nice, normal conversation with his father or it could turn into another tense, stressful one. He’s had enough of those for a lifetime, but he also knows that he doesn’t have all of the time in the world to fix this. He’s got fewer than four months, really.

“It was wonderful,” he finally answers, his lips ticking up on one side. It really was wonderful to get away with Emma and only have each other for awhile despite the disaster that was their anniversary. It got better, though. It wasn’t completely bad. They had the sailing trip and the takeout meal that was better than anything else they’d eaten if only for how comfortable they both felt. He felt his son move for the first time, which was bloody brilliant and most definitely his new favorite thing. “It’s a gorgeous island. Emma mentioned something about asking you to make our beaches like that.”

Brennan barks out a laugh, the wrinkles on his face all gathering together while his gray hair shakes the slightest bit. If Killian was a betting man, he’d guess his dad is getting his hair cut in the next two or three days, keeping up with his lifelong schedule of haircuts. “If only I could. That would be bloody wonderful. But I like the way she thinks.”

“She’s definitely a brilliant dreamer.” He trails off toward the end of his sentence, looking down at his hand and twisting his ring around his finger, his constant physical reminder of his lifelong commitment to Emma, as if he really needs one. “Can I talk to you about something, dad?”

“Of course.”

“I know, well, I know that things were different when I was a kid, that technology wasn’t as advanced, that I was a bit of a surprise child and that you were on the older side when I was born.”

“Well, why don’t you just call me elderly then, Killian? And you have absolutely no proof that you were a surprise child.”

His dad laughs when he speaks, but Killian isn’t finding a lot of humor in it, knowing that he’s likely going to upset Brennan with his words.

“What I mean is, I know you weren’t really, truly involved in my life. And I’m not blaming you or trying to make you feel…upset, but I need a very particular kind of advice that really only you and mum or Liam and Abigail can give. And I’m honestly not even sure you can give it.”

“What’s wrong, Killian?”

He takes a moment to collect himself, hundreds of words on the tip of his tongue but none of them feeling quite right. But he has to say something, so he might as well speak the truth.

“How the hell am I supposed to be a father in a world where I can’t protect the privacy of my wife and my child? There were, um, photographers who rented out a house and used scopes to take pictures of us on the beach. And Emma and I got into a pretty nasty argument about it. She’s worried…I’m worried about Andrew’s privacy. We want him to live a life as normal as possible. We don’t want photographers following him to school or to the park, and I just – I don’t know how to fix it.”

He’s been clenching his fist all while he talks, the tenseness in his hand almost painful while hot tears form in his eyes, every fault and every insecurity he’s had long before the fight with Emma coming back and assaulting his senses, making everything a dark, cloudy blur.

Brennan looks calm, secure, the blue of his eyes not changing while his eyelids rapidly blink, his brows furrowing and the lines on his face increasing. Has he said too much? Shown too much emotion? Asked for the impossible?

“The fact that you have very obviously beaten yourself up about this proves that you are a better dad than I ever have been.”

“That’s not what I meant, dad. I didn’t – ”

“I know, Killian. I’m not taking offense to anything. I was a poor excuse for a father for the majority of your life. I was focused on Liam, on my job, on the protocol and the way that my father raised Albert and me. All I knew was that fathers were not supposed to be close to their children, and as much as that hurt me as a child, I stupidly believed it. The fact that you have forgiven me is something I still can’t believe.”

He leans over and places his hand on Brennan’s knee, patting him before leaning back and wiping at his eyes. “I did it for me, but with the way you’ve worked to change, you deserve it.”

“Thank you, my boy.” His father smiles, settling back into his chair and crossing his hands together in his lap. “But this is not about me. This is about you and your family. So you don’t want Andrew in the public eye? At all? Is that what you’re saying?”

“I mean, we haven’t discussed it in serious length, but yes. I’m sure that Emma will be okay with releasing the occasional photo or having him join us when we go overseas so we don’t have to be apart from him, but I think we’re going to have to take a step back in traditions. And when he gets older, I think we may need to move somewhere much more private.”

The front door opens then, the alarm beep sounding at the same time that he hears the click of nails and the squeak of sneakers as well as Emma’s voice. He straightens up, fixing his hunched back and sitting against the couch in as much of a relaxed position as he can.

“Go find, Killian, girl, yeah,” Emma coos, her voice getting louder the closer she gets to the living room. And then she’s in view, Indy running in first and jumping up on the couch before getting down once she spots Brennan, less familiar people always more exciting than him. Emma walks toward him, sitting down in the seat Indy just vacated and reaching around him to tangle her fingers in his hair, stroking the strands. “What’s wrong? Your shoulders are tensed.”

How the hell does she always know?

“Killian and I,” his father answers for him, seemingly understanding that Killian wasn’t sure what to say, “were simply talking about how you two seem to be suffering from some privacy issues and are worried about your child’s future, that you want Andrew to lead a more private life than normal.”

“Oh,” Emma gulps, her hand stilling in his hair before beginning again, “well, yeah. I know that we all grew up differently and that my childhood isn’t really an option, but that’s what I want, what we want. We want him to be able to be a kid, you know? I don’t want him to be used to cameras everywhere he goes. I don’t know how we’d fix that, but that’s definitely my top priority right now. And forever probably.”

His hand finds Emma’s knee, thumb running back and forth over the material of her leggings while she speaks. He’s here with her, for her, consistently, and he hopes that she knows this.

“Why don’t you two give me some time to think things over? I’ll meet with security. We’ll work out some plans and ideas. You two should probably talk to Liam and Abigail. It’s not, well, it won’t be exactly the same. You have more freedom than them, and they’re not quite as private as the two of you. But they do have experience in all of this.” “Thank you, Brennan,” Emma sighs, leaning back into the couch and scratching at his neck, his eyes fluttering closed for a quick moment.

“Of course, but at the end of the day, above everything else, we’re a family. How you two feel is far more important than any sort of duty and tradition we have, even if I do ask that we stick to the important ones.”

“Actually, I have something else that I want to talk about.”

His head snaps to her, eyes searching for what she has to say, but she’s not looking at him, her gaze trained on the wag of Indy’s tail while her fingers tap over his on her leg, the hand in his hair having stilled.

“What do you want to talk about, love?”

She looks at him then, the smallest of smiles on her face that comforts him the slightest bit, before directing her gaze to Brennan. “I don’t want to walk out of the hospital all made up hours after giving birth. Kudos to Abigail. She is a badass woman for that, but that’s not what I want. Andy doesn’t need to be exposed to so many people as a newborn. I don’t need to be all dressed up when I’ve just given birth. I don’t care about tradition when it comes to this. This is what I’m doing, and I really feel like it’s the first step in taking a stand about him not being some kind of public property.”

He didn’t know she felt that way about any of that, nearly every word she said news to him, but he gets it, supports it. If that’s what Emma wants for this, that’s what they’ll do. He’s never quite understood that tradition anyways, and he likes the idea of a more private celebration with just them and their families while Emma heals and they adjust to the terrifying process of being parents for the first time.

“I’m not sure we can do that, dear.”

“What?” His head snaps over to his dad, trying to process the words. “You literally just said that how we feel is more important than any duty we have.”

“But that we need to stick to the important traditions, yes. New family members are an important tradition.”

“Brennan,” Emma grits, her voice strained as she tries to keep it friendly, “I respect our family and all of the traditions we have, but I am not some kind of human machine who’s only here to produce babies. Yes, of course this is a big deal, but it’s a big deal for us as a personal family, not as some part of the institution. You can still put the sign up, make any and all announcements you want. Hell, I’ll release a picture if we have to, but all I’m asking is that we’re allowed to leave and travel home in peace.”

“I agree, dad. I mean, really. Of all of the things we break and bend, of all of the things we change, surely you can let this one thing go? It’s not hundreds of years ago where people are faking pregnancies and paternities to keep the line intact, which was ridiculous then. I think letting family be family is the most important thing, don’t you?”

“Aye, it’s just…you’ll have to forgive me.” Brennan runs his hand over his face, visibly warring something within himself, the lines on his face stressing. “You were right earlier when you said things are different now. These are not things that I really went through with you, not as prevalent as you. Emma, dear, I’m sorry. I don’t…I shouldn’t have ever considered making you do something you’re not comfortable with. I love you dearly, and you and Killian know what’s best here, not me.”

“I don’t want to disappoint you,” Emma says, getting up from the couch and sitting down on the edge of the coffee table so that she can squeeze Brennan’s hand. “You are so brilliant, and you uphold this family so well. I know that I’m different, that it was difficult to accept me, but change can be good, you know?”

“I know.”

Brennan stays for a little while longer, hashing out a few more details with them before accepting a cup of tea and some food, finally listening to them talk about their holiday all the while scratching behind Indy’s ears, her eyes closed in bliss the entire time. It’s peaceful, relaxing, and he feels his shoulders loosen the longer the conversation goes on, Emma’s laughter and joyful voice sounding throughout the room. In the back of his mind, though, he keeps replaying the conversation, thinking of everything he said, everything they all said, and he’s amazed it all went as smoothly as it did, surprised that his father acquiesced to their private exit from the hospital so easily. He had no idea that Emma wanted that, and he wonders how long she’s been toying with the idea, how many late nights she’s spent worrying about bringing it up. He knows she didn’t just think of it now, that it wasn’t spur of the moment, and he tries to remind himself to ask her about it later, to make sure that there’s nothing else she’s hoarding inside.

She goes through enough, has gone through enough over the years, and she shouldn’t feel like she has to hold things back from him.

But he saves his thoughts for later, letting his dad leave and letting Emma take a nap, her eyes falling shut without her even laying down on the couch. He wakes her before she can get into too deep of a sleep, though, knowing that it’ll hurt her back, and helps her go upstairs to their room, ignoring the curses she’s muttering under her breath about him waking her up. While she sleeps, he goes downstairs to his office, answering emails and clearing out his inbox that he left alone while they were in Spain.

Summer is normally a slow time for them, June and July full of engagements while August is usually taken off to spend in Balmoral. Emma’s due in September, though, a few days after his birthday, and she’s not working after August begins. He is, though, doing his regular work and making a few short trips, making sure never to never travel more than three hours away in case he needs to be home.

But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have things to do now, organizing his files and reviewing the financials for Kidding a Goal until Indy comes walking into his office, her nails clicking against the wood until she’s staring up at him with her mouth wide open, tongue practically falling out of her mouth. He checks his watch and sees that it’s far past seven. He’s surprised she didn’t come and get him two hours ago.

“You ready to eat, my girl?”

That gets her tail wagging before she takes off, running toward the kitchen at such a pace that she’s probably there before he even gets up from his chair. Sure enough, she’s already waiting next to her bowl like the most well-behaved dog in the world, which is not something he expected when he and Emma decided to get a dog last year. But she’s done well, their training working most of the time, but Indy does have the tendency to lick his face when he’s sleeping. He’s not a fan of that.

But she’s his best bud and a constant companion on his runs, so it all evens out.

After feeding her, he hears footsteps coming down the stairs, Emma wandering into the kitchen with sleep-rumpled hair and pillow streaks on her face, her pajama top falling off of one shoulder. She immediately heads toward the fridge, grabbing a bottle of water and some yogurt before settling down on a barstool.

“How’d you sleep?”

She grunts in response, opening her yogurt and eating a large spoonful. “I hate being pregnant sometimes.”

“So not well then?”

“Nope. I felt like my guts were all being squeezed out, but do you know who’s not moving now that I’m awake and out of bed?”

“Andy.”

“Yep.”

She keeps eating her yogurt, quickly finishing it up before getting another carton. He should probably fix something for dinner so she doesn’t consume the entire yogurt supply in their fridge.

“Hey, sweetheart?”

“Yeah?” she mumbles, pulling her spoon out of her mouth and looking up at him, her hair deflating the slightest bit from when she came down.

“You want to tell me what that was earlier? With my dad. When did you decide you didn’t want to do the public announcement?”

“Oh, um, I first thought about it a few weeks ago, but it was really driven home after last week. Why? You have an issue with it?”

“No,” he laughs, leaning down across from her and propping his elbows on the counter. “I think it’s bloody brilliant, that you are brilliant. I like that you want to do things your way…our way. It’s very sexy.” “Oh boy, if you’re looking to get laid right now that is not happening.”

“Well damn. Now I have no reason to compliment you.”

“Shut up,” she groans, tossing her spoon over into the sink, the metal clanking. “But seriously, you’re okay with all that, right?”

“Of course. I want you to do what makes you comfortable. I’m not the one giving birth.”

“Damn right. I think I’m going to give your dad a heart attack though.”

“Aye, definitely. I know he’s trying and he’s being accommodating, but I could practically see the fear of breaking traditions rolling off of him in anxiety-filled waves. But he’s seventy-three. Some things just aren’t going to change.”

“So basically we hit the jackpot today?”

“Yep.” He walks over to the fridge, opening it up and seeing what they have left over from before they left. “What do you want for dinner?”

-/-

“Bloody buggering hell,” he curses, bringing his thumb to his mouth and soothing where he just jammed his finger on the wood.

Building a crib should not be this difficult, but it apparently is. He’s been following the instructions exactly, making sure that each piece is doubly secure, and he’s not sure how it’s taking this long. He should be finished, this crib should be made, and he should be able to move onto the shelves or Emma’s glider that she was insistent on them getting.

He’s spent more time in this room in the past month than he has in any other room in the house, June somehow running away with itself all while he’s been hidden away within these four walls. It took a month and a half for he and Emma to decide on a simple light gray, one that he’s pretty sure is also in their bedroom, but honestly, once they both agreed on the color (likely because they have agreed on it once before), he wasn’t going to say anything else. He did pick out the gray-ish blue that’s on the wall with the shelves (or at least where they’ll go once he gets to them), so he’s pretty proud of it.

Neither he or Emma are much one for designing, though they have gotten a bit more into it since the remodel of the apartment, but he’s pretty proud of how Andy’s room is shaping up, even if the lad will stay in the bassinet in their room for awhile. It’s a simple room, clean lines and clean colors. All of the furniture are different shades of white and warm browns, woods really, with natural accents. Abigail gifted them a large wooden giraffe along with some leaf and animal prints, so those are sitting in the corner waiting to be placed after all of this furniture is built.

His favorite part, though, is definitely going to be the little sitting area by the shelves and the changing table. He’s not under any impression that this is going to be a calm room, a place to relax, but he figures there have to be times when he’s rocking Andy back to sleep in that very spot, the shelves filled with colorful children’s books that’ll become routine reading one day as well as being filled with several stuffed animals and photo frames that he can’t wait to update with pictures. Of course, the cabinets below will be filled with the essentials, the things no one likes to talk about like diapers and nipple cream (that was something Emma did not want to know about, and he honestly doesn’t blame her), but they’re definitely still in the dreamy, picture perfect nursery phase where the messiness of a child isn’t quite a factor.

Really to him, as much as he knows this is real, as much as he sees the physical proof, feels the physical proof (which holy shit is it incredible to be able to feel his son move), it’s still difficult for him to comprehend that in two months he and Emma will have a child. It’s something they’ve talked about for years, something they were planning on, but it’s difficult to put into words just how much love he has for his son.

And his wife.

She’s a rockstar in every sense of the word, and if he doesn’t mention it enough, Emma sure as hell will. He loves her fiercely, and that love is another thing that he can’t quite put into words. He honestly doesn’t understand men who moan and groan about their wives constantly. If anything, he finds it disgusting. Yes, you’re going to have disagreements with your significant other. That’s natural when you decide to spend your life with someone who has their own wants, needs, and opinions, but at the end of the day, his wife is his best friend. If there’s anyone he wants to spend time with, it’s her. No question.

If the answer to who your best friend isn’t your spouse or the person you’re marrying, he doesn’t understand why the hell you’d bother getting married. His mates are great, but they’re not Emma.

Maybe he is a bit of the cheeseball that Emma always claims him to be, but he likes it that way.

He’s definitely going to embarrass his kids. All of the time. He can’t wait. He’s got a few years, but he can’t wait.

“You know we can hire someone to do this, right?” Emma asks, a bit of laughter in her tone that makes him roll his eyes. His best friend, most definitely. The teasing is just a small part of that.

“Aye, but I’ve started it, and I intend on finishing it.” “Okay, but the crib doesn’t need to fall apart while there’s a baby inside of it, and the glider doesn’t need to fall apart while I’m sitting on it. That’s, like, a double disaster, and I know you lived by yourself for a long time, but I’m pretty sure you’re not capable of that anymore.”

“Oh, really? Because I was just going to make them as unsafe as possible so that I could live by myself again. I miss being able to stretch out in the bed.”

“You’re so funny,” she teases from the other side of the nursery where she’s putting away the washed clothes in the closet, organizing them by size. He swears they have enough clothes to last Andy for the first two years of his life, and that’s not counting the piles of things he knows David and Mary Margaret have at their house. “I think I may have bought him too much stuff. I don’t even think I own this many things.”

“You don’t mess your clothes up multiple times a day.”

“Good point.”

“I tend to make those.”

“Eh. Debatable.”

“Not at all debatable.” He turns back to the crib, looking at the instructions to see if he can remember where he left off before Emma distracted him. “Shit, this is impossible.”

“I can call my dad, babe. It won’t be a problem. He’s a bit handier than you.”

“Please, I am plenty handy.”

“Okay, well being handy with me is not the same as being handy when it comes to building things.”

“If we call your dad, he’s going to take over. I want to do some of this myself.”

“I will tell Dad just to help. Come on, babe, you love spending time with my dad.”

“Only now that he doesn’t give me the scary speeches anymore.”

“Yeah, I bet those were a lot of fun.”

“I mean, it’s been a solid half a decade since I’ve gotten one, but he still shakes me to my core.”

He hears Emma laugh, snort really, before she makes her way over to him, slowly settling down on the floor next to him and waving her hand until he gives her the instructions. She looks over them while looking at the crib, her eyes continuously darting between the two.

“You put part G in backwards. That’s why nothing after that is fitting.”

“Bloody hell,” he curses, reaching over and taking the instructions from her hand and checking to see if she really did just solve his problem, “how did you see that when I’ve been staring at it for the past hour?”

“Fresh eyes, my love. Fresh eyes.” She leans forward and kisses his cheek before falling back against the wall. “And that’s exactly why calling my dad and asking him to come over in the morning will be a great idea. I bet Mom will want to come too, and she does a mean job with a power drill.”

So Emma calls her parents who agree to come over in the morning. On top of moving, they’ve also begun to change around the hours of the pub, opening it earlier and letting Will close it out at night. And it’s because of this that they show up at eight in the morning, he and Emma both still asleep when their doorbell rings. Emma groans when she hears it, burying her face into his chest and making it impossible for him to get up without disturbing her. He can feel Andy summersaulting around in her belly, and he smiles to himself knowing that she’s going to have get up. She can’t sleep when he’s moving around like that.

He can’t sleep when Emma’s basically running marathons in bed, but that’s not something he’s going to voice out loud. He can get up and sleep in a guest room if he needs to. Emma can’t get up and walk away from the person who’s running marathons in her stomach.

There’s two human feet inside of her. That’s pretty weird if he thinks about it too much.

Okay, so really weird.

Slowly but surely he gets out of bed, letting Emma flip over into his spot, and heads downstairs to open the front door. David and Mary Margaret have a key, but they never use it, always waiting for either he or Emma to open the door for them, which he appreciates after one too many times having them walk in on he and Emma.

“Hi,” he greets, opening the door and ushering them inside. “Emma’s still asleep, but I’m sure she’ll wake up soon. Do you guys want some breakfast?”

“We ate at home, sweetie,” Mary Margaret greets, giving him a quick hug before David does the same. “So Emma said you guys were having some issues in the nursery.”

“I believe that it was more like Killian not being able to put together a crib in under three weeks.”

“So funny, Dave,” he bites, rolling his eyes and locking the door. “I did eventually figure it out. I just think this mid-July heat is obviously getting to me. Or maybe nerves. I’m not too sure.”

“Well, let’s go help then. We’ve got to be at the pub at two, but I think we should be able to get things done.”

After he fixes himself some coffee, not nearly as wide awake as David and Mary Margaret, they head upstairs and begin working in the nursery, assembling the shelves and drilling them into the walls in half the time that it would have taken he and Emma had they done this by themselves. So maybe help isn’t all bad. Before Emma even wakes up, they have the shelves installed and pictures securely nailed on the wall. There are books already being stacked, stuffed animals and knick knacks being placed, and all of the fun nipple creams and breast pumps being placed in the cabinet.

They’re working on the glider when Emma finally wanders in, her hair falling out of its band so that half of it spills down her back while the other half is piled on top of her head, and she’s got her glasses on, something she only does when her eyes feel too puffy to put her contacts in.

“Hey, sweetheart,” David greets, finishing tightening the screw he’s working on before getting up to embrace Emma. “How are you feeling?”

“Rough today. I think the little dude’s a giant or something because he crushes my lungs and my bladder at the same time. So I can’t breathe, and I have to pee. So, yeah, it’s fun.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Thanks, dad. It looks fantastic in here. You guys have done so much. I feel like we’re not going to have anything to do in the next two months if we finish all of this.”

“That’s kind of the point, love.”

“Yeah,” she yawns, covering her mouth, “I know. Mom, do you want to come and rest with me in my room? My back hurts today, and I just can’t sit on the floor in here with you guys.” “Of course, hon,” Mary Margaret answers, walking away from the closet and stepping over to Emma before she rubs up and down her back. “Are you sure you don’t want Killian to join you? David and I would be fine to work on our own.”

“No, it’s fine. I bug him all day, and I’m kind of thinking that you can paint my toes for me or we can watch movies or something. It’s been awhile since we’ve done that.”

“Text me if you need me, love,” he tells Emma, his eyes tracing over her in a bit of concern. It’s difficult watching her be uncomfortable or miserable on some days when he literally can’t do anything about it.

“Yeah, babe, I will.”

Emma and Mary Margaret walk out of the room, their voices fading away as they walk into their bedroom one room over, and he’s left with just David who promptly gets back to work finishing building the chair. Music plays in the background, an eighties’ playlist he thinks, and it doesn’t take longer before the chair is completely together and he’s sitting in it testing it out. It’s comfortable, probably one of the best seats they have in the house, and he can definitely understand why Emma insisted on this one after shopping around a bit.

“How does someone so small have so much stuff?”

“My child is twenty-eight years old, we don’t even live in her childhood home anymore, and I swear things of hers still pop up all of the time.”

“That’s likely because Emma leaves everything all over the place.”

He folds his hands behind his head, closing his eyes and rocking back and forth while Cherry Bomb plays in the background, which is definitely not a nursery appropriate song. Or maybe it is. Who needs Mozart when you can have The Runaways?

“So is Emma like that every day?”

“Like what?” he asks, popping an eye open to look at David who’s sitting against the shelves, which can’t be good for his back. God, how old is he getting if his first concern is for someone else’s back?

“Exhausted.”

“No, not every day. She’s usually got a hell of a lot of energy, even if there’s always a nap. I think she had a restless night. She’ll tell me like it is, though. If she’s having a bad day, she’ll let us know.” “What about you?”

“Well, I don’t have a baby crushing my lungs and my bladder.”

“True,” David laughs, running his hands through his short hair. Killian swears it’s gotten more gray in the past year, the blonde nearly disappearing. David is only fifty-two, so he’s not exactly older. Hell, if it weren’t for the wrinkles on his forehead and the gray hairs outnumbering the blonde, he’d look much younger. “But I remember being a dad for the first time. It’s terrifying, so you’re allowed to be scared.”

“I am. It’s…” He reaches up and scratches behind his ear, his hair getting long enough that he knows he needs to get a haircut soon. “Emma and I try to make sure that we keep up our normal routines, that we have our normal conversations without talking too much about the baby, but it’s kind of hard, you know? It’s like we’ll be talking about going out to eat and two minutes later we’re making a list of middle names or speculating if he’s going to look more like me or Emma.”

“I know. But it’s an exciting time, Killian. There will never be anything like it, and if you want to talk about the fact that you’re having a kid, you should. You and Emma have been together for so long, and I really don’t think your relationship is going to struggle if you’re not sitting around making references no one else understands for hours on end.”

“Oi,” he protests, resisting the urge to pick up the toy elephant next to him and throw it at David, “that is your daughter you’re mocking, and she can still kick your ass.”

“Trust me, I know. Who do you think raised her to be like that?”

“Mary Margaret.”

“You’re walking a thin line.”

He winks at David, his lips ticking up on the right into a smirk. “I know. You and Mary Margaret did such a good job, still do such a good job, and even with all of the times you’ve messed up – ”

“ – which is a lot more often than even Emma has probably told you.”

“I just…you’re a good dad, Dave. To Emma, to me. I hope I can do half as good as a job.”

“You’ll be great, Killian.” David smiles at him, something genuine, and Killian’s reminded of how much David really has impacted his life in all of the best ways. “I promise. And as much as I love you, I do love my little girl more, and she’s going to be amazing. She’s always…she’s never been too open to a lot of people, but the people she loves, she loves so fiercely, you know? And she’s already doing so well at being a mom. She’ll call me at nights, and I can just hear the happiness and excitement in her voice. At the end of the day, that’s all you want, you know? For your kid to be healthy and happy.”

“Yeah, I know.” He smiles to himself, thinking of how happy he is. “Also, how dare you imply that you love your own daughter more than me. I thought I meant more to you than that. I thought we had something special, man.”

“I can still give you hell. I’d watch yourself.”

He and David finish up in the nursery for the next few hours until David and Mary Margaret have to go to work, leaving after the three of them eat lunch down in the kitchen, Emma staying upstairs for a nap. When the Nolans are gone and he’s finished eating, he heads upstairs, bypassing the nursery and walking into their bedroom where Emma is sitting up on the bed watching TV.

“Your toes look nice,” he compliments, grabbing onto her big toe and moving it back and forth. “Do you feel any better?”

“Yeah,” she sighs, twisting onto her back and scooting up the bed, “it’s just one of those days, you know? I’m not usually this miserable.”

“I know, but it’s okay to have bad days, love.”

“Come here,” she tells him, crooking her fingers and motioning toward him before she turns on her side and wraps her arms around her pillow. He does as she asks, kicking off his sneakers and crawling up into the bed, the mattress moving against his weight until he’s pressed up behind her, his knee stuck between her thighs and his arm wrapped around her waist while the other rests above her head. This is how she’s been comfortable lately, and he can’t say he minds. “Did you guys get a lot done?”

“Aye, it’s almost all finished.” He moves her hair off of her neck, placing a kiss there before resting his chin on her shoulder. “It just needs your finishing touches, I think.”

“And we have to unpack all of the boxes that are in the guest room and put them away in the closet.” “That too, but we’ve got time, Emma.” She hums, and he can feel the vibrations as well as Andy moving around under his touch, the movements following how he taps his fingers. “Has he been active today?”

“Not since I woke up, but he always responds to your voice.” “Yeah, he recognizes me?”

“Of course, you talk so damn much. How could he not?”

He turns his head and presses a kiss against her jaw, biting a bit just to tease her. “You are not a very nice woman, my love.”

“Oh please, I’m, like, the seventh nicest person you know.”

“Seventh?”

“I figured it was conceited to put me at number one.”

“Possibly.” He moves his hand against her stomach again, snaking his fingers up under her pajama top so that he can feel the warmth of her skin. “So he really does get more active when I talk?”

“Yeah, it’s pretty weird to think about, but it’s true. He likes when you talk. I think it’s because you’re a much better story teller than me.” “I mean, obviously.”

“And that he’s probably just glad to hear someone else besides me. Imagine being stuck with someone for nine months. Good God.”

“Well, I’m stuck with you for forever. Good God.”

She groans and curses him under his breath before she scoots over and turns in his arms, slowly but surely moving to face him. “Don’t be an asshole. Also, so I was talking to mom today, and she wants to be called Mimi. I think Dad wants to be called Papa, which I like as long as that’s not what you want. I know that’s what some kids call their dads.”

“Aye, it’s what Lizzie calls Liam, which is weird since Alex doesn’t do that. But I’m okay with dad or daddy, so David can be called Papa.”

“Yeah, I kind of like it. Mimi and Papa. And then your parents are Gammy and Grandpa, right? That’s what Alex and Lizzie call them.”

“Aye, but I know Mom didn’t want to be Gammy. It’s just what happened. She says it makes her feel old.”

“Your mom is not old.”

“I know, but considering your parents are barely fifty while my parents are in their sixties and seventies, it doesn’t help.”

“I’ll tell my parents to get older then.”

He smiles at her before closing his eyes and settling into his pillow, letting his head sink down into the softness. It’s calming in here, the lights turned off and curtains closed while the ceiling fan hums a steady rhythm above them. He could fall asleep like this even if he’s not the biggest fan of naps, always somehow ending up groggy when he wakes up, and it doesn’t help with the way that Emma is playing with the hair at the nape of his neck, her fingers scratching into his scalp.

“Are you working tomorrow?”

He pops an eye open, looking at Emma and smiling when her nail hits a particularly sensitive spot on his neck. “Aye, I’ve got the Investiture ceremony at ten. Why?”

“Just wondering. I was thinking we could go somewhere. Just us. Maybe take Indy to Berkshire and let her run around, spend some time outside.” “We can do it in the afternoon, if you want. I think the weather is supposed to be nice.”

“Yeah,” she sighs, leaning forward and sliding her lips over his for a brief moment, “I think that would be nice.”

The next day after he’s finished with the ceremony, he hurries home, changing out of his suit and into shorts and a t-shirt, slipping a baseball cap onto his head and grabbing something to eat for lunch while Emma does the same, her hair falling out of the back of her hat in a long ponytail. They’ve got all day, but the afternoon’s weather is pleasant enough that he’d like to go now so they can stop by a café for dinner, even if that’s the absolute last thing that Thomas will want them to do.

They want their privacy, but they should be able to go out to dinner.

So he and Emma load up into his car, letting Indy sit in the backseat with the window rolled down so she can feel the mid-July breeze blow through her fur. It doesn’t take long to get to Windsor, pulling into their parking garage less than thirty minutes later, and instead of going inside like they’d usually do, he hooks Indy up to her leash while Emma grabs some water bottles and they head to the private gardens, avoiding the visitors wandering around on tours.

As much as he prefers the spring, mild July days are near the top of his list of favorite things. Everything is brighter, more pleasant. The grass is actually greener, the flowers contrasting against their background to create a landscape of whites and shades of purple, while everything is covered in a clear blue sky, only a few white clouds scattered throughout. New life blooms, and he gets to be the one to appreciate it, to revel in it. England can be so dreary sometimes, the weather somehow reflecting the moods of most people on their morning commute to work, so he appreciates when it’s not. He’s always loved the outdoors, and if there’s any complaint he has about his home, it’s the small private garden that they have to themselves. He’d like something larger, more space to run around, and sometime in the future, he and Emma plan to spend more time in Bucklebury so that they have the privacy.

That’s what they’ve decided on since returning from Spain last month. There’s been more lengthy, draining discussions with his parents and their security team than he’s ever wanted, and as much as he feels like they haven’t really accomplished anything, he knows it’s a slow process. Of course, there are drawbacks to every positive. They’re still going to have to spend most of their time at Kensington. It’s closer to their work, to their families. Hell, Emma’s parents just bought a house so that they could have the ability to spend time with their grandchild, and now they’re going to move away from them. It’s less than an hour drive, but it’s not nearly as close as they currently are.

But everyone understands, and they don’t plan on moving any time soon, not until Andy’s a bit older. They want to be near all of their loved ones when he’s younger, and they’ve spent so much time working on their home, making it exactly how they want. It’d be difficult to leave full time, so it’ll be nice to have the option of both.

It’ll be even nicer to give Andy the most normal life that they can possibly give him.

Emma whistles next to him, her fingers between her lips, while Indy runs back to them from where they let her loose. She was about five seconds away from jumping into a pond full of fish, and as much as they’d usually let her swim, they don’t need to have a wet dog with them for the rest of the day. So she runs back to them as quickly as she can, her legs leaping in the air with her black and white fur bouncing the slightest bit. He’s convinced that she shouldn’t be able to be that quick, but she’s still just a young dog, less than a year old, and though her legs will get longer, he doesn’t think she’ll ever be full of this much energy again.

If she is, he and Emma are definitely in over their heads.

With the dog.

He’s going to choose to not think of what it’ll be like with a toddler than can run and a dog that he can run after.

After she calms from her almost pond dive, Indy walks along in front of the two of them, occasionally wandering off the stone path to sniff around in the plants, nearly tearing up several flowers until they call her back to keep walking. They stay wandering for a little over two hours, not caring where exactly they’re going or if they’re circling back around in the same spots. Indy and Emma get tired around the same time, so they settle down onto a stone bench with a patio cover that’s next to another small pond.

In the distance, he can see the Chapel where they were married, the steeple rising up above the other buildings and stone walls, and he smiles to himself thinking of that day. In the grand scheme of things, he knows that when it comes to he and Emma, as important as it was, they had so many smaller, inconsequential days that he holds just as fondly in his heart.

But that was a pretty damn good day.

He stretches his arm out over the back of the bench, wrapping it around Emma’s shoulder and tangling his fingers into the ends of her ponytail while she leans her head on his shoulder, the bill of her hat hitting him in the chin for a brief moment. He’s glad she suggested them getting away from London for a little bit, for suggesting that they change up the routine and spend a day enjoying summer, especially since they’re missing out on Scotland with the rest of the family.

A month in the same place as everyone is likely a bit long, anyways. He loves his family, but that’s a lot for anyone.

“I love you, you know?” Emma asks out of nowhere, her gaze never falling away from the rippling of the water in front of them, a fish leaping up out of the water while the lily pads float around.

He squeezes her shoulder, rubbing up and down her arm and kissing her head even if she can’t feel it through the hat. “I know. I love you too.”

[strawberrymarshmallowstories]

Oneshot | My Phone, My Win

Title: My Phone, My Win

Pairing: Hoseok/Reader

Word Count: 2k

Rating: SFW guys, it’s all safe!

Summary: Well, if you wanted to name him Bob, you could.

A/N: Story takes place in 2022 because..why not! This is a quick drabble/oneshot-thingie, I hope you enjoy!

 ~

 ~

 'Wait, what is this--? Bob?!'

 You glanced up at Hoseok fiddling with your phone, the corners of your mouth twitching upwards. You loved to watch him, the stern lines of his face and the rare peek of a tongue - only showing itself in deep thought.

 Why he had your phone in the first place was simple, you had poked at his competitive streak to best you in a stupid, silly game you loved.

 Which he never declined.

 But there was a point to it.

 Usually, whenever he touched you phone, you found his contact name as Your Brightest Sunshine or something enough to make you cringe. Sweet as cotton candy dipped in Nutella - a recipe enough to make you gag but gorge on it the same.

 Not that you'd ever tell him.

 Well, maybe one day...

 The TV left to entertain itself, you turned to him with a tease your lips. 'It makes sense, listen-, Hoseok-, Hobi-hobs-bobs-bob.'

 'But really, a Bob?' he gawked, his frown perplexed, and your fingertips itched to soothe the crease between his brows.

 Instead you pushed your fingers into your messy bun, fixing it before it fell all over your face. There was a point in your plan which you counted on - once he had your phone, he'd never give it back without some sort of a payback.

 So when your reached for it, he was up and gone before you could blink. Only a gust of wind proof he'd moved.

 You whined only for the show when he stood outside of your arm's reach, his eyes following your every move. Waiting for you to charge, but that wasn't the plan.

 'You better change it.' A hint of disbelief in his voice, tainted by a threat of melted chocolate with a solid edge. He'd taken the bait.

 Good.

 Crossing your arms with a humph, you leaned into the cushions. But the invitation lingered in the air as the sweetest temptation, and it was hard to resist.

 How complex, needing to resist when you'd started it.

 'You don't like it? I think Bob sounds sexy.'

 A short gasp as his nostrils flared. As if what you said was out of this world. So unheard of that it should be illegal.

 But you knew something he hadn't yet realised - one itty-bitty fact deciding everything.

 Your phone, your win. Bob stayed.

 Not that it tickled your fancy either, to be fair. Not when his own beautiful name tasted of rich honey on the tip of your tongue, rolling off your lips with ease.

 Or sometimes in a breathy whisper, when he did bad, bad things.

 But your mind was set on the golden medal. You knew he'd sulk for a bit, but it'd be fine.

 It'd only be for mere minutes, you assured yourself, before a pair of arms would snake around your waist. Almost a tradition. Its hold strong and secure, as if touching you was never enough.

 It never was.

 And when his thumb unconsciously would trace circles under the hem of your shirt, you'd be a goner, somewhere up in the clouds, sitting on the softest one that tasted of marshmallows.

 You trusted this man with your whole heart.

 Pulled back from a daydream, you saw his eyes clouding over - he'd come to a decision.

 One of his cryptic smirks jostled the hunger in your stomach, an endless black hole now asking for more. He always did, this man whose many smiles you needed decades for to explore.

 You peeked over his shoulder. Before Hoseok, doubts always had a way of creeping into your relationships both ways, phones some kind of a secrecy everyone kept to themselves.

 But not with him - with him you didn't care.

 Because it was Hoseok. You'd never thought it could be so simple.

 His mouth twitched, a dimple teasing on one side. A mischievous glint in those earthy hues, joining the game.

 A never-ending one, where you shared the greatest joys of life with each other. Who cared for the hardships on the way - so overrated and never made anyone feel good. Like small irritating pebbles under your feet - nothing at all, as long as you stuck together.

It was never you against him - it was you two against whatever dared to crash in.

 Barely realising you'd been staring, you glanced back at him. He had a way leading your thoughts astray, an endless circle of inspiration from which many of your own creative works budded from.

 To imagine you'd be used to it by now, but never.

 'Aha!'

 Spotting an opening, you snapped the phone from his grasp. But instead of fighting back, he stretched with feline grace while you kept refreshing the screen again, and again.

 Still nothing.

 'Wait.. you didn't change it?' You peered up at him.

 His eyes crinkled at the corners, his foot tapping against the carpeted floor to a song in his head. A soft hum from his throat made the hair rise on the back of your neck.

 You puffed and continued scrolling.

 A smug content grin. As if he'd won.

 So you poked him into his ribs, earning a yelp. But then he grinned even wider, his dimples denting further into his cheeks. A gentle shove against your shoulder as if he'd seen through your plans.

 Another moment of indulgence you'd save in your heart, tucked away.

 'Close, but not good enough.' He threw an arm around your shoulders and pulled you into his side. His fingers played with baby hair on your forehead.

 Being like this, doing nothing, was a blessing that hauled you into a world of pillows and blankets and everything good, creating a unbreakable fort. No one could get through, only a specific dark-haired man that made your heart run a little faster.

 Again, hunger for more. A yearning to feel like this for years to come - a blessing inciting fear.

 Because what if he stopped feeling the same. What if you stopped feeling like this. What if something happened. Thoughts you knew came from your ego, fed by fear.

 But sometimes it was hard.

 You tried to shrug him off jokingly, but his arm wouldn't budge - when it fell off your shoulder, it slipped around your waist a moment later.

 His fingertips traced feathery patterns on your hips. Each brush tracing its own way, waking every cell of your body. Calling out to it, as if playing a song only you two knew.

 And you couldn't get enough of it.

 It's what kept you going when he was far away, when the distance over the continents and seas felt heartbreaking. Days and nights got mixed up more often than not, and only by sheer willpower you pushed through it.

 Because when he stepped through the front door with a smile that lit up your world, everything was alright again.

 It was as if he brought the sun with him.

 Even when it rained.

 'Stop laughing,' you muttered, still searching for the bundle of mischief.

 'I have no idea what you're on about.' He glanced away with childlike innocence that made you want to pinch his cheeks. But you wouldn't fall for it again.

 Because this was Hoseok, a self-proclaimed expert on what made you tick.

 You shot him a look that would've quieted everyone in a second, but he always laughed. And so, when the sound bubbled out of him, you indulged. Because this was a game.

 His laugh was a free sound that should never be caged, unrestrained pure joy that came from deep within.

 You couldn't stop your own lips from twitching upwards.

 'The best thing is,' he said between laboured breaths, hands flat on his chest, 'is that maybe I did nothing.'

 You scoffed. 'Sure, and pigs fly.'

 With a frown you turned to Google as a last resort. But even Google Assistant couldn't help you find the browsing history. You didn't even know why you'd tried.

 'Argh! I don't have time for this!' You groaned, hands flailing around in frustration. But you wouldn't give up. Never.

 Because if he won, he'd never let you live it down.

 'Then stop,' he said with ease, a muscle on his cheek twitching with amusement. 'Admit it.'

 A hand balled into a fist, you turned your back to him and continued scrolling.

  ~

 Your breath hitched in your chest. You found it.

 Heart wanting to burst in fireworks of a rainbow, you couldn't look away. Sizzling, curling, twirling, doing weird acrobats in your stomach and you couldn't calm it.

 It was a photo of yourself from an hour ago, standing there with arms crossed, at the moment when he'd been acting suspicious.

 Your hair up in a messy bun, dressed in one of his oversized t-shirts that made you take a wisp of the one you wore - it still smelled of sandalwood and something so.. essentially him.

 And you smiled, same as the smile from the photo where you stood with sparkles in your eyes. A blush crept up your neck and onto your cheeks.

 It was a photo, with many lopsided hearts.

  ~

 Loving you since 2019 <3

 ~

  'You cheesy little bastard,' you muttered under your breath. Heart drumming in your ears and if there had been a gust of wind - you'd be gone with the breeze.

 Was this what happiness felt like? Unconstrained joy of warm sunset-orange, rippling through your heart, making it hard to breathe.

 Eyes stinging, you tried to blink it away.

 A finger under your chin and you lifted your gaze to meet his. You hadn't heard him coming, his steps silent on the soft carpet.

 As if he'd unlocked something through his eyes alone, a single droplet left a cool trail down your cheek. You couldn't look away - his eyes a stormy sea of emotions, as if he understood.

 He understood you.

 'Shh..' A hushed whisper, his fingers brushing against your cheek, following the trail.

 Heart-wrenching hues that spoke of yearning, of deep-felt love that left no doubts - this game was for keeps. And you intended to win it.

 His breath kissed your lips, and with a trembling voice you called him a tease. But in your heart you wanted it no other way.

 His nose the gentlest brush against yours, his palms warm at your waist, it's hold secure and reassuring. Only you and him. In the middle of the living room filled with light.

 'Kiss me.' Your hoarse whisper echoed through your body. Your own words making you shudder from head to toe.

 And his heat - his warmth, his strength.

 The shadows of the sunset played on his face as he watched you and you watched him. Taking each other in, closeness an intimacy to give and receive.

 And then he claimed your lips in a way that shattered your world.

 With a kiss like that, who was Bob again?

 ~

[gwiiyeoweo]

But with each loving kiss pressed upon his flaws and marks, Cor found it easier to see himself through Noctis’ gaze. Because whatever Noctis loved must certainly be something worthy of all the adoration.

It goes without saying Cor has amassed his fair share of scars. He's never felt self-conscious of his earnings, but Noctis makes them feel beautiful.

Pairing: Cor Leonis/Noctis Lucis Caelum Rating: T

“Have you ever thought of getting a tattoo?”

“Why? So I can replace Gladiolus as your Shield?”

Noctis smiled wryly, gently smacking a paint-stained hand across Cor's bare shoulder blade. “Yeah, so I can totally mess up centuries of tradition and family honor and all that jazz just so this selfish prince can turn the Marshal into my Shield,” he snorted, sarcasm and amusement dripping off every word and inflection. “It’s just, iunno. Seems like an idea.”

“Perhaps one day then.”

Here, in Cor's private chambers, they gave up all pretenses and honorifics separating their stations. Cor wasn't Marshal or the Immortal or some stone-edged warrior formed from the steel of his blade or the blood of beasts. Noctis wasn't Crown Prince or a living one-man army who could decimate entire squadrons with his deft illusory magics and immense arsenal of mastered weapons.

They were just two men, finding comfort in soft intimacy and softer touches.

Noctis had barged into his office earlier that day, firing orders to make Cor clear his schedule and free up his evening — he had even pulled rank to use his Prince status when the man made to argue. And Noctis rarely used his position to bow others to his whims, and Cor knew how much he hated any reference to his power and privilege as royalty; so the moment he had heard Noctis take advantage of that, Cor had realized just how serious his prince was.

Just, he hadn't realized how premeditated this all was. Hadn't expected the lights turned on the dimmest settings or the oil diffuser misting out his favorite vanilla-lavender scent. Hadn't expected the freshly laundered towels spread across his bed and set in his bathroom countertop, where his heated bathtub kept his oil-infused bath at the ready. With flower petals to boot.

“What's the occasion? Surely I'm not forgetting an anniversary or something?” Cor had asked, taking Noctis’ hands into his own and admiring the red rose stains on his fingertips.

“No, but you've been working way too much. Training and recruiting the Crownsguard, secret intelligence work, keeping contact with the Hunters. All the paperwork that would make even Iggy cry.” Noctis had explained, trying not to blush as Cor lightly kissed his fingers.

It's funny, how Noctis had no qualms with giving affection but tended to turn pink like a young maiden when that same affection was returned.

And here Cor was, stripped to nothing but his bare skin — save for the towel covering his lower half — as he laid himself across the towels on his bed, flopped onto his stomach and head turned to the side on a pillow, with Noctis perched above him. Unlike Cor, he was clothed comfortably in sweats and one of Cor's own shirts, old but soft with use and much too large for the smaller man. To his side, a small platter of handpaints Noctis had already dipped his fingers into.

Noctis traced lines and circles on his back, spending extra time where Cor knew his more memorable scars should be. He's curious as to what his lover was trying to paint, what colors he's dying his scars with, and if he's even trying to create anything recognizable at all or going for abstract nonsense. It's not exactly a massage but it very well could be, with how Cor felt all the tension melt out of his body under each fleeting touch.

Throughout all his years and his line of duty, it went without saying that Cor collected his fair share of battle proofs, scars and burns that etched themselves as permanent fixtures to his skin. There were old wounds that never quite healed right, too late for a potion to erase the scarring, and bullet holes amassed during his time at the front lines against the Niffs, when he couldn't find shelter quick enough or when he threw a greenhorn behind him and took the shot himself. He wasn't like the Amicitia, where its sons and daughters held onto their scars and flaunted them like trophies and war prizes. But neither was he ashamed of them; they were all proof he lived and served, or humbling reminders of reckless follies.

Yet when Noctis was here, tracing his healed wounds with gentle fingers and reverent eyes, Cor felt like precious fine art rather than an expendable soldier. Like finely spun glass, delicate and fragile when he knew he’s allowed to be anything but. Cor was a warrior, a soldier, a stalwart protector and silent spy; being handled like thin china was the exact opposite of what had been ingrained into him. It had taken him a long time to become comfortable with the idea, that someone like him who held so many scars could look like a flawless gem in another's eyes, that he was allowed to let down his carefully built walls down for once in his lifetime. All under the prince’s eyes, no less. But with each loving kiss pressed upon his flaws and marks, Cor found it easier to see himself through Noctis’ gaze. Because whatever Noctis loved must certainly be something worthy of all the adoration.

Cor felt thin splatters of paint across his back, and he opened an eye to peer up at Noctis, straddling his lower back with a definite but comfortable weight. Among the paint stains on his hands, Noctis’ fingertips were covered in white, and the paint threatened to drip off his fingers but never did. He returned Cor’s lifted brow and curious gaze with a satisfied grin of his own, and he leaned to the side to wipe his hands on a spare towel before reaching for his phone.

“Finally finished, Highness?” Cor asked, pushing through the drowsiness in his voice. A few more minutes of that and surely he would have fallen asleep, surrendered to the relaxing and therapeutic touch of his prince.

“Mhmm,” Noctis hummed in affirmation, angling his camera phone just right to snap a photo of his newest art piece.

Ever since he scrolled through that particular blog on the internet, Noctis had been enraptured by the idea of body paints and using bare skin as a canvas. Naturally, Cor had been the first — and only — guinea pig, made to strip down to his pants so that Noctis could find the perfect patch of skin to try his artistic skills on. It had been the arms at first, then the chest, and finally his entire bare body when Noctis made no show or sign at his myriad of scars. Cor had offered once, if Noctis wanted to trade roles and play as canvas, but they had both agreed the younger was far too ticklish, a cover-up for the trauma his own scar that still haunted him. A childhood wound that never quite healed right, when the young prince was but a small thing, attacked by a daemon and almost losing his life.

“Here.” Noctis leaned in and held the screen in front of Cor’s single opened eye.

It’s not a terrible picture, despite the poor lighting, but Cor had to blink to fully understand what he’s seeing. There’s the edges of his untouched skin, where Noctis decided were the borders of his painting, but within was a pool of blues and purples against a dark black, swirls of lighter shades streaking across his skin. There’s the barest hint of soft pink and pale gold, entwining themselves into a lazy river that broke through the darker paints, following the lines of a particularly large scar. It’s a galaxy of navy and burgundy, and clusters of light coiled around his old wounds. Among them all, he knew the white stars, where his little nicks and scar tissues should be, and the bright lines that connected them to each other.

Cor didn’t realize he had been smiling, until Noctis pressed a finger to the corner of his lips. “I think he likes it,” he said, laughter in his voice.

“Very. I think you’ve outdone yourself.” Cor held onto the phone for a while longer, while Noctis moved his hands to rest them on the man’s shoulders. “This constellation is familiar. I’ve seen this one before?”

Despite his attention to the screen, he’s temporarily distracted when he felt those kind fingers suddenly turn firm, kneading into the knots and sore muscles in his back. He knew the paints must still be wet, that Noctis’ merciless hands were now only smearing the careful strokes he had spent so much effort on, and that despite this was how they always ended, he can’t help but feel a bit sorry for the loss. Yet the dismay was short-lived, when Noctis worked his magic into the kinks and tight coils buried deep into his muscle, his skilled fingers turning from artistry to therapy.

Cor let the phone slide from his fingers, and he closed his eye once again to focus where Noctis' palms dug themselves into his skin. The prince must have picked up a few new tricks, no doubt from Gladiolus who doubled as his physical therapist, because Cor breathed out a near salacious groan when Noctis bore down on a particular ache that had bothered him for the past week. They're both a little surprised at the sound, but Cor had no reason for embarrassment and Noctis only found himself feeling smug and triumphant. So Noctis kept on, using Cor's sighs and moans as encouragement and guidance.

Noctis finally answered at the end, a little breathy from the exertion on his arms. “Leo, that constellation.”

Ah, of course. ‘How apt,’ Cor thought. He felt a shift of weight on his back, then the tickle of soft hair brushing against his nape. Noctis’ hands turn reverent again, and they quietly ghosted his spine and hard planes, and Cor recognized the particularly soft press of lips against his shoulder.

“Since you're my lion, y'know.” Noctis nuzzled the fine hairs on the man's neck, gifting a few more last kisses across his skin.

“And you, my night sky.”

Noctis’ laughed a warm breath in the crook of Cor's neck. “We're so cheesy.”

“Agreed. I don't dislike it though.”

“Me neither.”

Cor missed the warmth and weight on his back when Noctis pulled away, and the dip in the mattress told him Noctis slipped off. He kept his eyes closed, basking in the afterglow of the massage but keeping his ears open for the sounds in his bathroom. There's the ripple of water, probably from Noctis checking the temperature, and the sound of bottle caps opening and closing, before he finally heard the light footsteps cross into his bedroom again. Cor only opened his eyes when a warm hand brushed against his cheek, and his heart nearly constricted at Noctis’ tender gaze, his blue-steel eyes promising nothing but ardor and love.

And this. This is the prince he would fight hordes of daemons and armies of soulless machines for. All the battles spent in steel and blood, the silent nights infiltrating enemy lines, the sleepless hours spent leafing through documents and secret files. And if the gods would take that gentle heart from him, then Cor would wage war on even the heavens to keep his dear light shining. For all the cherished moments Noctis gave him, he would do anything to return them all tenfold.

“C'mon, Cor. Up we go, need to clean that mess off your back,” Noctis softly chided, lightly smacking Cor's cheek to route him.

“Join me?” he asked. Cor only managed to push himself off the bed through sheer willpower and the knowledge that Noctis had put in all the effort of preparing a special bath for him. He could have easily fallen asleep as he had been, especially if he had the prince slung under one arm and as a sweet warmth at his side.

“Duh, who else will wash your back? Bahamut?” Noctis replied, lacing their fingers together and pulling Cor out of bed.

“That's a disturbing picture.”

“You can say that again.”

Cor let himself be led to the bathtub, and the warm water washed over him like a sweet balm. With his head lolled back and his arms draped over the edges of the porcelain tub, he watched through hooded eyes as Noctis stepped out of his clothes to join him. It was a bit snug for two men, but Noctis fit in quite perfectly; and Cor was infinitely thankful that the interior designers insisted on a large bathtub. Noctis made himself comfortable, leaning his back against Cor's broad chest.

“Thank you for all this,” Cor said. He placed a kiss atop the prince's hair and watched as Noctis gathered a handful of water and rose petals in his cupped hands.

“Mmm, don't mention it. You looked like you needed this anyway.” Noctis tipped his head back and met his gaze with an expectant look.

Cor knew that expression, the way he liked to raise his brows and purse his lips just slightly. And he couldn’t deny him, not with all he's given him and not when Cor so wanted to give and take all at once. So he craned his neck and stole little breaths in between their lips, tasted a sweetness that could only ever belong to a certain Lucian prince.

Just, he wished he could give him more. Noctis would never want it, but Cor would gladly give him the world if he could. He only had his life to give; his heart had surrendered so long ago. If only he had the power to pin himself as the constellation to his starry sky, to make good on each others’ names.

And perhaps Cor could.

“Actually. About that tattoo.”

[onebadassunicorn]

Three Days

 Book: The Royal Romance

Rating: Teen

Pairings: Drake X MC 

Words: ~2,400

Takes place after last chapter of TRR.  For those of you who love Liam, please don’t hate me for this!  I just envision Drake as being very passionate and protective over those he loves, to the point of giving up everything else for her…

It had been three days since he last saw her.  

Three days since the Royal Guards drug her from the palace and put her on a plane back to New York City.  

Three days since her world came crashing down around her and he was powerless to protect her.

Three days since her lips last touched his in a tender kiss that he would never forget.

Three days since he decided to leave the palace and vowed to never return.

For three days he drank himself into oblivion, trying to quell the seething anger that bubbled inside him and the despair he felt knowing he might never see her again. He felt he was slowly going insane, slipping deeper and deeper into the darkness that threatened to engulf him.  Bottle after bottle, he tried to forget…

Forget the way her soft lips felt against his.  Forget the way her smile made him feel giddy, almost as if he was drunk.  Forget how her body felt pressed against his, how his hands felt in her hair.  Forget the way she would moan his name as he kissed her again and again.  

However, the recurring image of her panicked face, her emerald eyes wide with fear, kept flooding back to him and it was more than he could bear.  He tried to grab her, but the Royal Guards would not let him through. He could see her reaching for him, but she was just out of his grasp.  She didn’t look for Liam as she was being taken from the court…she looked for Him.  She reached for Him. He tried to leave the palace that night to find her, but the guards would not allow anyone to leave. By the time he was able to depart the following morning, she was already hours away on a plane back to New York.  The Royal Family had done everything to ensure every trace of her was gone.  It was almost as if she never existed.  Even the servants were instructed not to utter her name.  

He had warned her about these people and how they are ruthless in their efforts to get what they want. He knew the Queen did not want a commoner from the U.S. marrying into the Royal Family and the smug look on her face as she forced Liam to choose Madeline was proof enought to Drake that she had orchestrated the whole thing.  But in the end, they all turned their backs on her. They all stood there and watched as she struggled and tried to explain.  They all failed her…Maxwell, Bertrand, Hana…himself.  Even Liam, the one person who was supposed to love her and had the authority to put aside custom stood by idly and let the guards drag her out like she was some sort of criminal. He couldn’t protect her.  He failed her…just like he failed Savannah.

Drake had tried to see Liam for the first two days following the scandal, but Liam would not see anyone.  Once the obligatory photos of he and his future wife, Madeline, were taken by the press, he had shut himself away in his room. Drake knew Liam was distraught with his hand being forced to choose Madeline, but he never dreamt that his best friend would shut him out too.  It was easy to forgive Liam for turning him away that same night, but each time he tried to see Liam in the days following, the angrier Drake became each time he was turned away.  

Each minute that passed, his anger turned into a blind rage that even the strongest whiskey could not drown.  As the fury took over his mind, his blood boiled and all rationale began to leave him. He wanted to make them all pay for how they hurt her, how they embarrassed her, and how they took her away from him.  With his temper threatening to overtake him, he knew he had to put distance between himself and the palace.  

On the night of the third day, he packed his suitcase with clothes and plenty of whiskey and headed to his father’s old hunting cabin a few miles away from the palace. He knew the cabin would bring him solitude and the comfort of familiar surroundings.

He had loved coming to his father’s cabin as a young boy and many summers were spent there with he and his father hunting and fishing in the lake outside the back of the cabin. The cabin was their refuge away from the nobles and their pretentious lifestyle…a place where they could be themselves without others watching their every move and silently judging them.  He had hoped that returning back to the cabin would help to ground him as it always had before.  

As he arrived at the cabin, the familiar sights, smells and sounds of his childhood flooded his senses… the smell of the pine trees that skirted the property, the crunch of the pine cones beneath his feet, the smell of the wood logs that made up the walls of the cabin, the sound of the rushing water in the creek that spilled into the lake.  He felt a sudden longing to be that small boy again, planning the day’s adventures with his dad without a care in the world. He breathed a heavy sigh of relief as he pushed open the door to the cabin.  

With the night air settling in, there was a cool breeze coming off the lake.  It filled the cabin and he shivered as the draft touched his skin, sending goosebumps down his arms.  He set his bag down next to the door and placed firewood he tookd from the log rack into the hearth.

Once the fire was burning in the fireplace, he sank into the couch with his favorite whiskey bottle in his hand.  He opened the bottle and took a big gulp from it, the brown liquor going down this throat like water.  As he took a second gulp and a third gulp, the white-hot anger began to leave his body and the dull ache began to set in.  He pictured her face, her emerald orbs gazing at him when she had declared she wanted him. He heard her voice, calling his name and laughing at his snarky remarks.  He felt her gentle hands on him, running across his the muscles in his abdomen and around the waistband of his jeans, making his stomach tighten at the thought of her touching him even lower.  He smelled her perfume, the scent of her hair as he buried his face in it.  If he closed his eyes, it was almost as if she were still there.  

He wondered what she was doing right now.  Was she back in her apartment? Was she out with her friends?  Was she thinking about him that very second? Did she miss him as much as he missed her?  Does she hurt too when she thinks of him?  Does she know how much I love her?

He took a deep breath and turned the whiskey bottle up once more.  Determined the make the ache subside, he drank from it until it gagged him. As he put the lid back on it, he laid down on the couch and let his mind succumb to the darkness.

On the fourth morning, Drake woke early as he usually did and headed out to the pier on the lake’s edge. As he stood on the pier, the sun began to peek over the horizon hesitantly at first, its rays stretching outward like small little fingers in the sky.  The sunrises here were always breathtaking and he remembered waking up early with his dad on their trips here just to watch it.  They would spend an hour on the pier taking in Mother Nature’s beauty in silence, shoulder to shoulder.  It was one of his fondest memories of he and his dad, not doing anything…just being…together. He ran his fingers through his hair and was oddly surprised that he did not have a hangover, considering the amount of whiskey he had drank the night before.  As the auburn rays of the sun beamed brighter and stretched like dozens of arms into the sky, he closed his eyes as the warmth seeped into his skin. His thoughts drifted again to Her and he knew he couldn’t continue like this anymore.  

“Can we talk?” a quiet voice came from behind him, surprising him as he almost jumped off the pier and into the water.  

“Christ, Liam” he startled, turning to look him.  His eyes squinted as Liam came into focus.  Drake was not surprised that he looked like hell.  The scruff on his face was full, indicating that he more than likely had not shaved since the night of the coronation.  His eyes were bloodshot and his clothes disheveled.  “So NOW, you want to talk?” Drake said flatly as he turned back towards the lake.

“Yes” Liam responded quietly.  “I’m sorry I turned you away.  I just needed time.”

“Time?” Drake hissed and he spun back to face Liam.  “Time for what, Liam?  

“I needed time to think through all of this!” Liam exclaimed, angrily.

“What is there to think about, Liam?” Drake asked sarcastically as he stepped closer to him. “You know that those pictures were garbage.  You know that Riley is not that kind of person.”

“You don’t think I know that?  I know she would never do anything with Tariq!” Liam argued back, his eyes narrowing in irritation.  “I loved her and I was ready to choose her!”

“You loved her…” Drake laughed mockingly, glaring back at Liam.  “What do you really know about her, Liam?”

“I – “ Liam started, but fell silent.

“That’s what I thought.” Drake spat out sarcastically.  “Did you know she lost her mother three years ago? Do you know how close they were?  Did you know that her father left when she was only 4 years old and her mother raised her? Do you know that she originally wanted to be a marine biologist before her mother fell ill? Did you know she had to give up her dream after getting her degree?  Did you know that she moved her mother up to New York so that she could receive care in one of the best hospitals on the Northeast coast and she took a job waitressing to make ends meet while looking after her mother?  Did you know any of that?”

Liam shook his head as he lowered his gaze to his feet. “No, I didn’t know any of those things” he answered, sadly.  “The little time I got to spend with her during the social season didn’t allow me the opportunity to know her like that.”

Drake sighed as he looked at his best friend.  “Then what did you talk about the little time you spent with her?”

Liam looked up at him, his shoulders slumped. “We mainly talked about my family, the traditions and history of Cordonia, the noble families of the court…our conversations always centered around those things.  I just wanted to make her comfortable in my world.” he whispered.  “I never really asked about her life… but I did love her.”

“And you fed her to the wolves.”  Drake countered, his voice devoid of sympathy. “You didn’t really love her, Liam. You loved the idea of her… everything she represented.  You loved the freedom she has and how she follows her heart. You love how she is unapologetically herself and doesn’t care whether any nobles accept her or not.  You love how she lives life to its fullest each and every day.  You love her because she lives a life you want.”

“You of all people know that I am a servant to my crown!” Liam yelled in exasperation.

“Yes…and yet you are the person with the power here.  You are the one person that could protect her here in Cordonia.  You could have told the guards to stop and postponed the coronation at that point.  You could have investigated before making any decision as to who you would choose.  You could have done the right thing and the people would have understood because they LOVE you. They have always supported you and they always will.  They know you will be a great king.  Yet, you let them haul her off like she was a criminal. You let them humiliate her and get rid of her the first chance they got, like she was some piece of trash. You wouldn’t even fight for her.”  Drake’s fists clenched at his sides as his blood began to boil.  

“Drake – “ Liam contradicted, “I will not yield from my duties that the crown demands of me.  I can’t. Not after Leo abdicated.”  He sighed heavily as he crossed his arms against his chest.

Drake narrowed his eyes at Liam.  “Then you don’t deserve her.” He stalked angrily past Liam on the pier, heading towards the cabin.

“Drake!” Liam exclaimed, as he follows Drake to the cabin.

Drake kicked open the door to the cabin and grabbed his bag he had deposited by the front door the night before.  He picked up the keys to his car on a small wooden table next to the door and slammed the door behind him.  He walked over to the driver’s side of the car and opened the door, throwing his bag in the back seat.  

“Drake, please…let’s finish talking this through.” Liam pleaded with his best friend, the desperation in his voice.

“There is nothing else to say, Liam.  You will marry Madeline and I will have an even smaller role in your life from this moment forward” Drake said hollowly, meeting Liam’s eyes.  “I cannot live here anymore.  The one woman I have loved more than anything other than my family was hauled away from here three nights ago.”  

This was definitely not how he pictured telling his best friend that he had fallen for his girl, but after everything that has happened, it seemed pointless to hold it back any longer. He needed her.  He missed her.  He loved her. And he knew she loved him.  The thought of her not being in his life anymore was unimaginable and he knew there was only one thing to do.

Liam’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.  Taken aback by Drake’s declaration, and at a loss for words, he could only ask “Where will you go?”

“To find her.” Drake answered, matter of fact. “Because unlike the nobles in this country, I fight for who I love.”  He slid into the driver’s seat, started the car and pulled away…never looking back in his rear view mirror.

 To be continued…

[maylocnuocplasma]

Register

These rites accompanying a Cambodian Khmer wedding have their origins in historic Khmer traditions and are capturing not only to the two individuals but their families and communities too so you will find severe expenses matching major dedication.

Cambodian Email Order Wedding brides

PHNOM PENH (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – A Cambodian child has been provisionally charged with disseminating porn material after defying a cops crackdown in girls exactly who put on skimpy clothing while selling items on Fb. That wraps up each of our greatest places to fulfill girls in Phnom Penh and the dating information, appreciate your time here. From at this moment onwards, when you consider Cambodia, you will consider into accounts beautiful girls. Perhaps you’re going to even consider relationship a Cambodian woman. Like every one of the cambodian internet dating web site the selection Asian females, Cambodian girls are specifically lovely. Aim there are Cambodian mail-order birdes-to-be to give potential to all world-large males will you love to period them.

A good 90% within the females in Cambodia are cultural Khmer, plus the other five percent have some Khmer genetics in all of them. Other public involves ethnic Japanese and much east girls. The Khmer females are short except for those individuals with Cina ancestors so, who all are known to be a little a more elevated. Many are usually thinner, and in some cases those regarded a little bit chubby simply by Cambodian specifications remain skinny compared to their very own European and American comparative. They have more dark skin compared to the Chinese ladies and with of course the dark and direct Oriental wild hair that includes almond-shaped eye. That is certainly how you will explain in addition to the various other females in the region.

Wang, home of the registration office, says forced marriages concerning violence or fraud would be the exception. This individual did say there were many where females voluntarily betrothed Chinese guys, but cannot get used to their very own new life. That they got divorces or fled after disputes with their spouses and family members.

Meet exquisite Cambodian submit purchase wedding brides. Make an impression her with gift items. Cambodian birdes-to-be may well certainly not out-rightly speak to you with respect to gifts, nonetheless they will at all times drop cues in regards to what they demand. You must pay attention to the Cambodian legend japanesemailorderbride.com/cambodian-brides with the event and amaze her with products. Amaze times in attractive eating places can even make your Cambodian bride happy with you.

Despite the fact that countries in Asia happen to be popular types of brides to become, the decision simply being mail purchase is certainly rather than an easy yourself to make. Actually simply modern thinking women ever consider the choice. And that’s why it’s simply likely to ever before satisfy a good and savvy female at the time you get Asian deliver order websites. Asian email order birdes-to-be have the ability to think outside the box to find solutions that no-one may have thought about. Capabilities like these occur very useful at your home, particularly if this woman is in control of running your house.

Buy Brides — CambodianWomen

New Khmer women have detected their woman fellow workers suffer unspeakable abuse using their marriages and get reasonably affordable doubts the fact that same thing could perhaps occur to they. Being with delightful Cambodian ladies is always fun; this is an undeniable fact. They are timid when you meet up with them at the start, however as soon once they arrive to know who you are, they become amazing comedians, exactly who enjoy having awesome and staying generally cheerful.

If you intend to get yourself a Cambodian snail mail order woman to marry you should steer clear of frequenting locations notorious meant for sex travel. However appealing a inn in the red lighting district might seem, you should prevent it. Additionally it is necessary to take notice of the way you dress not to expect to get extremely far on your first night out. Decent Khmer women are reasonably traditional and will never agree with have sex with someone they will hardly know. You might get a kiss goodnight, but requiring on anything past which is to be a definite turn-off for Cambodian women online dating.

When you consider Cambodia, things such as war and dictatorship come to mind. Cambodia cambodian women designed for american males is currently a favorite trip destination since physical condition a place many citizens choose to phone residence. It happens to be an intriguing country. Long lasting foul elements I mentioned while fooling around within just my post referred to as Moving into Thailand compared to Cambodia, I truly have love my personal period now there.

This case impact on online dating sites culture and wedding party practices. In larger locations, the whole thing is nearly exactly like in other countries, although in rural areas female friends remain under estimated. You will not watch virtually any indications of affection between a Cambodian woman and man in public, except for holding hands and sometimes embracing.

Responsible marital relationship agencies strive to bring in buyers as proud as achievable. For that reason, they will consistently enhance searchalgorithms, consist of added filters and recommendations. The client could indicate each of the highqualities that he is trying to find in the Cambodian new bride (grow old, figure, peccadillos, perspective toward kids, home, faith, and so forth ). This are going to browse as useful as possible. You also require to be mindful of a set of equipment for connecting withCambodian new brides. It could possibly only be actually conversation and in addition email or additional benefits (sending photos, online video calls, mailing out over the internet or even proper gifts, etc . ).

A large number of people probably think of Cambodia alongside wars and the reds as opposed to aquiring a population of beautiful potential brides. That era is past, and even though it still has an effect on the kind of lifestyle and general development, Cambodia is usually beginning to wide open its boundaries and hearts to the remaining world and even in online dating.

Fulfill beautiful Cambodian mail obtain brides. Over the past three years, the Jiangxi foreign adoptions and foreign marital relationship signing up middle has become a crowded place. Greater than a couple of, 1000 Sino-Cambodian relationships have been completely registered since 2011. While Vietnam requirements Far east males marrying Japanese women head to Vietnam to join up in person, Cambodia asks only for proof the truth that the to-be-married is a solitary female.

Three Arrested With respect to Trafficking Cambodian Brides To China

Once you think of Cambodia, things such as war and dictatorship come to mind. Whenever there exists a new fad or a new fashion statement, they will rush to embrace this. The fashionistas look for places where they can purchase fashion dresses for women in addition to many places to do so. There are numerous brick and mortar retailers to go to where you can try out all the items. Recently, a large number of online businesses just like Kaymu and Glad Market have started out their own internet shopping markets in which people can certainly buy all the fashion items they need. A large number of famous and well renowned brands have can be present in the country and people nest to obtain their hands on them.

Amazing Cambodian email purchase brides to be are excellent with regards to internet dating and relationship. These kinds of women are the correct ones if you want to develop a critical romance and generate a household. Regional girls happen to be nicely-recognized to make a number of the very best wives on the planet. Cambodian ladies look wonderful, they have all the traits for making perfect life-time partners and they are very enticing, although Westerners don’t also know this.

On a many that, your sweetheart champions girly legal rights in Cambodia, and operates her personal successful enterprise supplying PUBLIC RELATIONS, interaction strategies and digital advertising and promoting. Mu Sochua, a member of parliament and a oral ally for women legal rights, says the an individual solution to discontinue Cambodian ladies via staying trafficked should be to supply connected with economic alternatives at home.

Matrimony is not just between a man and woman although between households. Large dowries are signs of prominence and a demonstration the fact that groom’s family is financially equipped of rendering for the daughter. When ever a girl demands an enormous dowry, she ensures economic security and will repay her parents for presenting her life and elevating her. Khmer children are regarded as being the possessions of their father and mother. The parents can easily send youngsters (most often the girls) to become servants or to work in the commercial intimacy industry to be able to support the family or pay the fogeys back.

Commonly, a lot of the region is very basic, and the classic Cambodian female is likely to be totally, polite and treads correctly when talking with others. In return, all this female asks for is the same worth she is approved with. Getting kind before large audiences is among the main rules of Yoga, of course.

Bài viết Register đã xuất hiện đầu tiên vào ngày Máy lọc nước Plasma - Máy lọc nước RO Nano Chính Hãng.

from WordPress https://ift.tt/3dh5UGK via IFTTT

[kingsoftheweb-blog]

The Top 6 Rules Of Modern Web Design

New Post has been published on https://kingsoftheweb.ca/the-top-6-rules-of-modern-web-design/

The Top 6 Rules Of Modern Web Design

THE 6 BEST RULES OF MODERN WEB DESIGN 

Even the most innovative and expensive ads will get a visitor to your website only once.

Only ONCE, you ask? Yup.

Well, your ultimate goal is turning visitors into leads, and lasting customers. You want the people to keep ‘coming back for more’. So how can you achieve this? Quite simply, you’re looking for a modern web design, and valuable content.  

Now more than ever, websites can make or break your business. An updated and modern web design is an absolute MUST! Your website is the primary place for people to find you online, research you, and to decide if they trust you. Smart businesses know their website is the cheapest and often most important shop front they have.

As a savvy entrepreneur, you want leverage when it comes to your online presence. No worries – we’re here to help! Here are the 6 Best Rules of Modern Web Design, to help you quickly convert leads into loyal customers!

  RULE #1 – SIMPLE WEBSITES ARE BEST 

No matter how sophisticated internet technology becomes, simplicity will never go out of style. Our favourite sites (and probably yours, too!) have always been ones which feature an updated, modern web design, plus easy navigation. You will notice these sites are extremely successful. They not only contain valuable information, but are easy to use, and fast-loading. 

Unless you’re in the entertainment or tech industry, people are not expecting the newest web applications, or advance audio and video. Besides, these extras usually just slow things down and get in the way of the real content.

This is not to say that your website should be boring. You want to capture the user’s attention with a modern web design. This includes components such as: a simple layout, easy navigation, appealing images/photos, and good content. Most importantly, you want your visitors to know right away the answer to the question “what’s in it for me?“

The bottom line here is – you want to get to the point. New visitors should be able to find out exactly what your company or product can do for them in less than 15 seconds. 

In other words, apply the KISS concept. Keep It Simple – Silly 

  RULE #2 – KEEP THE USER IN MIND

You want to get an honest (and objective!) opinion of how effective and easy your website is to use.We suggest having a friend or family member click through it. In the meantime, take notes on where they click and how long they remain in each area.

Next step, it to interview them about your site. Did they understand each link? What kind of feeling did they get when they first saw your home page? How would they define your product and your company values based on your website? Do they see a reason to go back and visit again?

Furthermore, always provide a link back home. No matter where a visitor ends up on a site, they should easily be able to return to the home page. If your site provides links to other URLS, don’t lose visitors by not giving them a quick path back to your site. Creating an extra browser window or mini frame are both good ways to keep visitors from straying too far.

Outside feedback can be extremely valuable, so take advantage of it. You may have to set your ego aside, but it’s definitely a small price to pay for success.  

RULE #3 – DETERMINE WHAT TYPE OF WEBSITE YOU ACTUALLY NEED

Maybe you’re reading this, and you’ve never owned a website before. Or maybe you already have a website, and are looking to update it or build a totally new one. Whatever the case may be, you will need to determine what type of website will be the best fit for your personal or business needs. Start by asking these questions:

Am I selling goods or services? Then you will need an Ecommerce/Online Store. This will provide you and your customers with a fully functional, secure, payment gateway, which is easy to connect and use. You also want to be able to add an unlimited number of items/products, with different attributes and variables.

  Am I wanting to promote a blog, event, cause, or business, without selling any type of service online? Then you will need a basic Informational Website. This type of website provides resources for potential and active customers, subscribers, and investors. These websites are usually content heavy, with an emphasis on design.

How many years should my website’s current design last?

The shelf life of your average website design is about three years. In five years, a site shows its’ age. However, what doesn’t change is the site architecture and the core pages, if they were built strategically.

It’s good practice is to touch up the design every year or so, after looking at what the rest of the market is doing. Even popular social networks change in that time. Therefore, if you have a blog with social-media share buttons, you may need to swap one network for a newer, more popular choice.

You know that term “keeping up with joneses”? You can apply that here.

RULE #4 – MASTER THE ART OF CONTENT CREATION

Writing good content is actually an ancient practice

No doubt about it, every year the content-quality bar rises. Content that would be shared like crazy in 2016, looks average at best in 2019. Big brands are noticing that content is a great way to get attention, and sell stuff! Furthermore, video is proving to be an important competitive element. I wouldn’t say content is getting exponentially better, but I feel comfortable saying it doubles in awesomeness every five years or so. 

The big brands of the world are shifting their marketing budget from traditional channels to online channels. They’re spending unreal sums of money to create amazing content. And it’s now getting harder for small brands and start-ups to have any slice of the “attention-pie”. 

The first time you start to measure how your content is performing, you might end up disappointed. Maybe some tears will be shed. But do not despair! If you want to know how well your content is doing, have a look at the amount of:

Social shares: this gives you an idea of which content is being shared.

Backlink count: this gives you an idea if any other websites are linking back to your content, which shows authority

Check your analytics reports and see which pages are most popular and how much time is being spent on them.

Also, take time to proof all your updates and content with the care. Broken links, typos, and grammatical errors make your site lose credibility. 

There’s no escaping the fact that it sucks to find out that the content you’ve spent time on just isn’t helping your business. Or isn’t helping it enough to justify the time spent.The hard truth is that without measurement, almost everyone can overestimate their content. And once the data is there, egos are ruffled. But there is something thrilling about measuring your content. It means you can improve, learn from your missteps, and celebrate when content actually works.

  RULE #5 – PEOPLE LIKE CONSISTENCY

It’s important to be consistent throughout your website’s branding. Using the same font color schemes will give a familiar and comforting impression to your visitors. You will want to apply the same concept for the logo. The logo is most commonly placed on the top left corner of a web page. The logo helps viewers identify your website when they first land on your page. 

Also, you want to refrain from underlying text unless it’s a link. Doing this will often be confusing to the user. If you want to put emphasis on a word or phrase, consider bold or italics instead.

It’s also a good idea to create a designated spot on your home page to showcase new or updated content. In other words, keep new content in the same designated area. That way, repeat visitors looking for the same information they found before won’t be confused by the change. In addition, you will want to ensure new content is dated. This will encourage new visitors to return to your site again to see something new.

RULE #6 – GET VISITORS TO LEAVE THEIR EMAIL ADDRESS

You want to encourage users to give you their email address. Creating a database of names and gathering information about your customer base is one of the reasons you have a website! Give users an option to be included on your mailing list. Then email coupons, links, and news updates, to spark some interest and keep them coming back for more!

Remember to include “email a friend’ links or other content that gets people talking about your product.

  You CAN do it!

[seniorbrief]

30 Places Where Veterans Can Eat for Free on Veterans Day

Daniel Chester/Shutterstock

Annually, Veterans Day is celebrated on November 11 to honor both our veterans and those who are actively serving in the military. In 2018, because this federal holiday falls on a Sunday, many schools, businesses, and government agencies will observe Veterans Day on Monday, November 12. There are a slew of restaurant chains that pay homage to these brave, selfless individuals by offering up Veterans Day free meals on either the actual holiday or the day it is largely being observed. Use this roundup of eateries to find out where you can order up a complimentary dish as a thank-you for your service. In most cases, all you need is some form of military ID.

Famous Dave’s

Head over to this barbecue joint on either November 11 or November 12 for what Famous Dave’s refers to as a free “2 Meat Salute.” Choose from the tasty menu, which includes items like Sweetwater Catfish Fingers and Georgia Chopped Pork, then add a side and a corn bread muffin to complete the meal. Check out 10 simple ways to support veterans that everyone can do.

Acapulco

On Sunday, November 11, Acapulco will serve Veterans Day free meals to all veterans or current service members anytime from 3 p.m. until closing time. Although not available during brunch, the complimentary meal will be a three-item combo, chosen among tacos, enchiladas, taquitos, tamales, and chile relleno.

Bob Evans

According to veteransadvantage.com, there’s plenty to look forward to if you’re near a Bob Evans location on Veterans Day. The site reports that the chain is offering six free breakfast items all day, as well as select lunch and dinner options.

Applebee’s

Applebee’s has proudly served up 8.3 million Veterans Day free meals to vets and active-duty military since 2008! The chain is continuing the tradition this year by offering a free meal to these folks on November 11. According to its website, it expects to serve a million complimentary meals this year alone. Find out 45 things America’s troops wish you knew.

Chevys Fresh Mex

Over at Chevys, the restaurant will thank veterans and current service members with Veterans Day free meals that allow them to choose from three-item combos featuring tacos, enchiladas, flautas, tamales, and chile relleno. Be sure to bring a valid military ID.

El Torito

Veterans and current service members can snag Veterans Day free meals at El Torito with ease on Sunday, November 11. Simply produce a valid ID (like a U.S. Uniformed Services Identification Card or U.S. Uniform Services Retired Identification Card) from 3 p.m. until closing. Delicious-sounding offerings include a three-item combo, with options including tacos, enchiladas, flautas, tamales, and chile relleno.

El Torito Grill

At El Torito Grill, ordering your complimentary meal on Sunday, November 11, is similar to doing so at sister restaurants El Torito and Chevys, except the applicable dishes are a little different. The Veterans Day free meals consist of a choice among the following items: Two-Item Combo, Fajita Salad, Mesquite Grilled Chicken Tostada, and Carnitas Yucatán. Again, remember to bring a valid ID. Enjoy these 8 patriotic foods during Veterans Day weekend.

Chili’s

Head on over to Chili’s, which is saluting veterans and active military members on Sunday, November 11, with a choice of meals from the special Veterans Day menu. Options include Chicken Crispers, Margarita Grilled Chicken, and Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadillas. Call ahead to make sure your local Chili’s is participating in the Veterans Day free meals promotion.

Rock & Brews

Owned by rockers Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of Kiss, Rock & Brews salutes veterans, active service members, and first responders with a meal on the house, according to ABC News Radio. Choose from the pulled-pork sandwich with a side dish or a “Strawberry Fields” salad. Depending on the location, other menu items may be included in the gratis deal, which is available on Monday, November 12. If you are a military family, you’ll be overwhelmed by these triumphs and tragedies of your military peers.

LongHorn Steakhouse

If it’s steak you crave, on Veterans Day, LongHorn is offering a free appetizer or dessert in honor of Veterans Day. Even better, the chain also gives a full table 10 percent discount so that your whole brood can enjoy savings, according to thespruce.com.

IHOP

This beloved restaurant chain may just serve up the most patriotic plate around. IHOP is giving away red, white, and blue pancakes on Monday, November 12, to both veterans and active military. What a way to start the day! Read up on the top 10 movies to watch on Veterans Day.

Olive Garden

Did someone say free unlimited soup or salad and garlic breadsticks? That’s what Olive Garden is offering up, as well as a free entrée from its special Veterans Day menu, for eligible customers. This offer is available on Sunday, November 11.

Golden Corral

Golden Corral will celebrate on Monday, November 12, with Military Appreciation Night from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. As of last year, it had served almost 5.4 million Veterans Day free meals to active-duty and retired military heroes, and the folks there are excited to serve up more complimentary dinners in 2018. Check out 22 words or phrases you probably didn’t know originated in the military.

Red Robin

Grab a free Red’s Tavern Double Burger and Bottomless Steak Fries by showing your proof of service at the nearest Red Robin on Sunday, November 11. Yum! Red Robin has repeatedly offered Veterans Day free meals year after year.

Krispy Kreme

Satisfy your sweet tooth with a doughnut and small coffee on the house at Krispy Kreme for veterans and active service members (no purchase required) on Sunday, November 11. Take a look at these military battle reenactments you have to see to believe.

Dunkin’ Donuts

Prefer your doughnuts the Dunkin’ way? DD is offering a free doughnut to active-duty service members and veterans on Sunday, November 11. Check with your local store before heading over, since some locations may not be participating.

Chuck E. Cheese’s

Chuck E. Cheese’s isn’t just where a “kid can be a kid”; it’s also a family fun restaurant where they’ll be serving up one free personal one-topping pizza to all active-duty, National Guard, and retired military members on Sunday, November 11. Can’t make it there on Veterans Day? Chuck E. offers military discounts year-round, like a deal where a large one-topping pizza, four drinks, and 45 play points are only $28.99 (normally a $40 value).

Menchie’s

Cool off with a free six-ounce cup of frozen yogurt when you present your military ID on Sunday, November 11, at any Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt location, according to veteransadvantage.com. Give yourself a laugh with these 25 military cartoons that salute the armed forces.

White Castle

Operation We Are Here reports that White Castle has a smattering of options for Veterans Day free meals on Sunday, November 11, for those with a military ID, including a Free Breakfast Combo or Castle Combo Nos. 1 to 6.

California Pizza Kitchen

On Veterans Day, veterans and active military receive a complimentary entrée at CPK. The options include a selection of pizzas, pastas, and salads chosen specifically for the holiday.

CiCis

What’s better than a buffet? A complimentary pizza buffet! CiCis is comping military folks on Veterans Day, according to veteransadvantage.com, and its all-you-can-eat buffet is not to be missed if you love pizza, salads, dessert, and more. Get revved up with these 16 tough military-movie quotes.

Sizzler

Active-duty military and veterans can make lunch plans at Sizzler on Veterans Day with a choice of a free meal from a limited holiday menu, according to military.com.

MOD Pizza

MOD Pizza is known for offering up its thanks to veterans on both Memorial Day and Veterans Day. On Sunday, November 11, military customers can receive a free individual pizza or hand-tossed salad as MOD’s way of saying grazie. Looking to lighten things up with some humor?

Little Caesars

Little Caesars has honored servicemen and servicewomen in the past, and 2018 will be no different. Qualifying customers can receive a free $5 Hot-N-Ready Lunch Combo at participating stores nationwide on Veterans Day from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. This includes a four-slice Deep!Deep! Dish pizza with pepperoni and a 20-ounce Pepsi product. Read up on how these 6 small towns honor Veterans Day.

Buffalo Wild Wings

Try the pregame offerings on Veterans Day at a participating Buffalo Wild Wings, where they will offer free small boneless or traditional wings and fries for all veterans and active-duty service members. To take advantage of the offer, you must dine in, and a military ID is required, according to offers.com.

Wienerschnitzel

It’s the perfect reason to enjoy fair food in November. Wienerschnitzel is offering a complimentary chili dog, small fries, and a 20-ounce drink at participating locations on Veterans Day. Simply remember to bring your valid military ID or wear a military uniform, according to chewboom.com.

Friendly’s

If you’re a veteran or active military, allow Friendly’s to treat you to some grub, on the house and in the house. The chain is serving Veterans Day free meals consisting of dine-in breakfast, lunch, or dinner from select menus on Sunday, November 11, militarybenefits.info notes. Test yourself with these 10 tricky U.S. war-history questions.

Kolache Factory

Start your Veterans Day off right with a free breakfast compliments of Kolache Factory at one of its 57 locations nationwide. Just present a government-issued military photo ID to snag one free kolache (any kind) and one cup of freshly brewed coffee (any size).

Perkins

If you’re near a Perkins, check out its Veterans Day free meals on Sunday, November 11, for former and active military members. The chain is offering a free Magnificent Seven meal, according to military.com.

Toojay’s

Get your deli on with a free entrée from the special Veterans Day menu at Toojay’s on Sunday, November 11. Items include shepherd’s pie, chicken Caesar salad, and a create-your-own omelet. Now read about ways you can help veterans through simple acts of kindness.

Original Source -> 30 Places Where Veterans Can Eat for Free on Veterans Day

source https://www.seniorbrief.com/30-places-where-veterans-can-eat-for-free-on-veterans-day/