#she doesn’t want to unpack this but knows she should but doesn’t wanna

[beezyland]

When I can’t sleep and my brain is like if we write one more glass onion fic then we can get this outta our system for good that’s the scientific method baby

[redxwater]

Waiting Room (Chapter 2)

Leon Kennedy x F!Reader

(Content warning : this chapter contains bad eating habits, depression.)

Chapter 1, Chapter 2

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Leon doesn’t really like to make dinner himself. You on the other hand? Love this kitchen.

It’s small but practical.

You also study music, just like Leon does. but your cooking skills definitely come in handy.

After finishing off the last few boxes you had to unpack the next morning you decide to make some breakfast.

You’re not a morning person, but you were exited for the first week at college.

You decide to be nice and make your roommate some breakfast too. You knock on his door and he groans “what?” He says with a very annoyed tone. “I have breakfast left over for you” you say and open the door a bit.

“I don’t eat breakfast” he mumbles. “Oh, okay. Well classes start in 10 minutes you should get up.” You smile trying to help a bit. The blonde guy stands up from his bed all of a sudden. “Don’t involve yourself in my way of living, and don’t bother me” he says while walking over to the door in a harsh tone. After his scold he slams his door shut just hard enough to make you flinch slightly. You stand there in slight awe before just walking out the door.

Leon put on his clothes for the day and went to lay in bed for a few minutes more. He was gonna have a bad day and he knew it. He was tired, and overall just meh. He eventually got out the bed and went to his class.

“Okay so, who here sings or likes theatre or musical songs?” The professor asks curiously. Leon was unaware of the fact you were in that same class as him now. He didn’t think you studied music, but it’s not like he really thought about it.

Leon zoned out fully during the question, so when the professor snapped his fingers in front of him and calls out his name he flinches. “Mr Kennedy, are you paying attention?” He asks. “What? Yeah I’m sorry..” he shakes his head and sits up again. “If you think this is boring, i suggest you pick another major.” The professor says with a harsh tone. “No, no i’m just tired. Should have gone to bed earlier sorry” you see Leon in a vulnerable light right now. Which was completely different from this morning.

Leon isn’t really intimidated by anyone except professors. But somehow he always manages to get out of all his classes with just a warning. “Yes, you should have” the professor answers again and goes on with the history of theatre and musicals.

-

“Uhm, yeah but do you want me to stay thanksgiving and Christmas?” Leon asks his best friend over the phone. “We don’t mind, maybe Christmas is better cause you got more time?” Claire’s voice sounds on speaker “Yeah Christmas is better, but i don’t like spending thanksgiving alone” he talks softly while cleaning the kitchen up a bit. “We can do thanksgiving then, maybe Christmas too” she speaks loudly as she walks in another room quickly. A second later she’s back. “Yeah sure, i’ll see you soon. Miss you!” Leon speaks up before hanging up. He goes into his room and starts on his homework, completely ignoring the fact he has a roommate who’s playing guitar on her room with the door open.

The blonde guy puts his headphones on and starts some studying after that, he takes a little nap on his bed with his door open. Your guitar strings ringing in a rhythm from a small distance helped him a bit, though he doesn’t know that himself.

Around 1 am he wakes up by your feet shuffling around the floor and some coughs. He slowly rubs his eyes and sits up to look at the light out of his door your shadow moves around to grab a glass of water, he hears silent shaky breaths and gets out of bed to grab some water and see what’s going on. He’s just a curious guy, he doesn’t know you. And you’re pretty sure he doesn’t wanna.

“Hey” he says in a tired voice. Raspy and soft. “You okay?” Leon speaks and grabs a glass and fills it with water. “What?” You try to compose yourself. Trying to not let your breaths get to erratic “I heard you- i mean i wasn’t listening i just picked up the shaky breaths and coughs..” he takes a sip of water. He doesn’t want people to end up like him, feeling shitty every day, all day. “Why do you care…?” You ask with a confused look on your face. “Don’t know..” he says and turns around. “I’ll be fine, but thanks for asking” i smile softly and take a big sip of my water before filling it again. “Right, of course” he says and shuts his bedroom door.

In his head, every time he tried to care it ends up wasted. It’s not true, you just don’t get why he’s nice now. Maybe he’s just not a morning person?

The next day you decide to skip breakfast, feeling shitty about what happened last night, you just pictured college a lot different. Especially your roommate.

Today you barely pay attention to the classes, and even guitar isn’t going well. You sit in your room after classes are done, the day seemed so long. Usually you’d play guitar to kill time, but it was like everything sounds out of tune. Fingers don’t know on which fret or which string they have to go, and your right hand doesn’t know what strumming pattern to follow.

Eventually Leon barges in, holding some new groceries. “You making dinner?” You speak up. “Oh, no. I can’t cook very well. Only pasta and stuff.” He replies loud enough for you to hear from the small kitchen. “Alright” you nod and continue trying to figure out your guitar block.

Eventually you put the guitar away and put your shoes on. “I’m gonna get some dinner, you need anything?” I ask opening the door, looking at Leon putting the groceries he got away. “Uhm, no thanks” he says, a but surprised by the question. You leave and decide to get some microwave burittos.

When you’re back you open the door and see Leon making some homework in his room with the door open and his headphones on like the other few days. “I got you a buritto if you want” you say, he doesn’t hear you so you put the burittos in the microwave and warm both up. After a few minutes you take them out and bring one to Leons room. You put it down on his desk next to his notes. He looks at the food and turns around. “What’s this?” He takes his headphones off. “Dinner” you say and turn back to face him. “Why?” Leon asks again with a confused look. “Because you need to eat?” You furrow your brows. Leon looks at you a bit strange. “Thanks” he says a bit hesitant. He doesn’t really get this treatment from anyone except Claire. You give him a tight smile and walk off to eat your own dinner.

After you finish you start a bit of homework and put on a movie on the tv in your room, before Leon approaches the doorframe looking tired. “Hey, thanks for the dinner…” he practically mumbles. “Oh, yeah no problem. Everything okay?” You ask him trying to be nice. He blinks slowly from exhaustion. “Yeah, just can’t sleep.” He leans against the doorway. “Oh, i’m sorry” you say and put your notes away a bit. “Can i do anything to help?” You add and sit at the edge of your bed facing Leon. “No, i just tend to feel guilty about things after i do them. So i just wanted to say sorry for being so worked up about the breakfast thing yesterday. I’m not used to people making or giving me things, so i just snap easily.” He tries to explain while picking at his nails. “No worries, if i can do something just let me know” you smile softly, hoping to help him. “I will, thanks for being so nice” Leon smiles for the first time since he’s been in college. “I try, now try to sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow?” You crawl into bed slowly and turn off the lights. “Yeah, see you.” He waves and shuts the door.

Well that was nice of him.. maybe he’s not that bad you let your thoughts run your mind.

The next morning you make 2 sandwiches and leave one on the counter. You don’t wanna bother Leon because of last time, but you hear him on the phone. You knock on his door twice and wait. “Yeah?” He says a bit annoyed. “Sorry, i have breakfast in the kitchen if you want some.” you say softly. “Is that your roommate?” A girl speaks through the phone on speaker. “Oh, yeah it is.” Leon speaks with a bit of hesitation again. “Can she hear me?” The girl over the phone speaks again. “Yeah i can” you say a bit louder. “Cool, i’m Claire. Leons friend” the girl, Claire says a bit louder. “Hi!” You introduce yourself with your name and smile a bit. “Yeah i know, thanks for making breakfast for him!” She says sincerely. “Yeah it’s not a big deal, anyway i gotta go now i’ll see you. Bye Claire, nice to meet you” you smile and wave to Leon before walking out the door.

Maybe it’s not that bad.

[kisara-kaiba]

OKAY THE KINKY BLUES HAS ME INTRIGUED PLEAAASE HEAR ME OUT ON SUGGESTIONS/BRAINSTORMING/HOPES/DREAMS. alright so it cant be in Temptation, the kink requires its own pocket dimension, first of all. as the biggest fanboygirl of their cycle of dominance and submission im gonna start off with that. a really fun and naturally flowing dom-sub dynamic for them is born in ancient egypt. if set put her aside as his property and tried to experiment with her ka with slowly increasing pressure whilr kisara was like "this kind man who saved me twice feeds me and shelters me who cares if hes tying me down and writing spells on my skin lol" it goes apeshit from there. TWO-this can be from many modern aus with little work, basically an in love blueship that seemlessly slipped into a dom-sub dynamic consciously switching it up a lil. whether that has seto giving orders while tied up on his knees or kisara begging to tie him up would be..that would go BRRRR. THREE. biting kink. straight up. no notes. id be fine with a 400 word introspective of either of one of them watching the bite marks they left on the other and their feelings about it. id settle. itd be enough.

how we feeling. any of thesr sound desirable. wanna brainstorm more. ill come knocking at your door like an unhinged mormon. anyway wanna tell you regardless, absolutely no pressure what you may or may not end up writing i just wanted to yell at someone about kinky blues, have a great day

S C R E E C H I NG this is why ily blueshipping king you just get my vision <333 that ancient Egypt idea has got me going f e r a l just thinking about it and i’ve thought for so long that i should write some mizushipping at some point anyway so yesssss. also biting is uh. yes please.

anyway okay now you got me started so strap in because this is gonna be a long ramble. so i feel like there’s several points about how i imagine their dynamic that i have to unpack here (putting it under a cut bc length or if ppl are uncomfy with this stuff)

↓↓↓

i am unfortunately boring in the way that i’ll ultimately always wanna write Seto as the dominant one just bc of my own personal preferences. BUT that obv doesn’t mean Kisa wouldn’t have a fair amount of control over the situation, both bc a healthy dom/sub dynamic requires it in terms of consent and boundaries ofc, but also bc a) Seto is so extreme in his need for Kisara’s explicit permission to do basically anything to her (even the vanilla stuff) because he’s so painfully precious about her well-being and also constantly plagued by not feeling worthy of her and b) while i think Kisa wants to be dominated i think she also realllly enjoys the control of knowing she’s got Seto wrapped around her little finger and could make him do any depraved thing she wants to her just by looking at him in the right way. so yeah i think they both know who’s really in control behind the scenes lol

i’m also DYING to get into Seto’s inevitable mental struggle to reconcile his thoughts and feelings of “she is a perfect goddess and i’m a mere mortal unworthy of even looking at her let alone touch her” and “i’d die to protect her and if anyone hurts her i’ll fucking kill them” vs his desire to be the one who gets to take this perfect goddess and make her submit to him, kneel before him, own and control and ruin her perfectly (because if there’s one thing we all know about Seto Kaiba is that he’ll make sure the divine yields to him, and not the other way around). I guess the key things there is that he alone is allowed to hurt her and no one else.

On this note i do however think Seto would be so conflicted about physically hurting Kisa, even if she very clearly and explicitly wants him to, because he just struggles with being so overprotective of her and not wanting to see her injured or in pain. but this would also be delicious to write him being all conflicted due to the guilt of causing her pain vs the fact that doing so is super fucking hot and he can’t resist doing it, esp not when she’s literally begging him to. Taking all of his frustrations after a long day out on her more than willing body would be so cathartic and tempting but also associated with so much guilt and worry about getting too into it and going too far.

I also definitely see Kisa as being the more extreme of them, to the point where i can actually see her be just a little bit unhealthily masochistic because she doesn’t really value herself due to past trauma, giving her a self-destructive streak and kinda fucked-up notions along the lines of ultimately being deserving of pain and suffering, that someone hurting her equals caring about her and wanting her, and that the ultimate thing she can do to show someone that she really loves and trusts them is to just offer herself up completely to use and do whatever they want to, which Seto would have to try to handle and mitigate because he’s ultimately not gonna let her use him to actually really hurt herself (and you know it would also break his heart a thousand times over to realise just how little she values and cares about herself due to her fucked up past). But I could also write it kinda funny in that whole “sub suggesting increasingly violent/fucked up things while the dom goes ‘idk that’s scary’” lmao. I think Kisa is a bit annoyed that people (especially Seto) tend to see her as this fragile, porcelain flower and wants to prove that she is perfectly capable of taking a (consensual) beating.

Outside of strictly sexual stuff i can also see Kisa as very much an ‘everyday/domestic acts of service’ kinda sub who just wants to bring Seto his coffee when he’s working and a drink when he comes home from work and make sure to always wash and iron his clothes and put them out before he leaves in the morning, tying his tie before he leaves and untying it when he gets home and cooking and serving his meals for him (which tbh wouldn’t just be about her being submissive but also bc she just wants to make sure he actually takes care of himself with like, eating and taking coffee breaks bc you know that man doesn’t take care of himself if left unchecked). And I think this also ties in with her sense of self-worth being tied to being useful and helping others because she doesn’t really see herself as valuable unto herself, but also maybe acts of service is just kinda her “love language” too. i feel like this is the sort of thing i could maybe include in Temptation bc she’s already pretty much like this there, with to me pretty obvious undertones that her working as Seto’s assistant is definitely triggering a submissive side in her.

Temptation also has the whole thing with Seto secretly enjoying Kisa wearing her KaibaCorp pin while working because it marks her as his for the world to see, and I definitely feel like that’d be a thing for him too. Branding her, either by things like visible bite marks/hickeys that she’s not allowed to cover up or something like a discreet necklace that is actually a collar (although tbf, with the fashion we see in the Yugioh universe, would anyone even blink at a BDSM-style collar? Like Yugi’s already wearing fetish gear as his everyday clothes lmao). I mean, Seto’s already pretty big on putting his branding on literally everything, so Kisa would be no exception (also imagine the ridiculous extravagance and amount of money and care Seto would put into a collar for Kisa).

While I’m not really into the idea of Seto being submissive per se, I do think both he and Kisa could easily have praise kinks because they both crave validation in their own ways and for someone to telling them that they’re doing/being good (Seto wouldn’t admit that though, but if I allow for some submissiveness on his part I think being called a good boy could fix him). But with him as the dom it also totally tracks for him to make Kisa worship him and stroke his ego in that way. On that theme, however, I could also imagine him making her allow him to worship her as a kind of ‘punishment’ bc he knows she has a hard time accepting that but that it’s also something that’s good for her to hear.

Also I can totally see Kisa being a little bratty as a sub sometimes because she likes to talk back to Seto and be deliberately cheeky, disrespectful and provocative (both because she enjoys the control of getting him riled up and because she knows that the more she gets him worked up the more forceful and intense he’ll be about putting her back into place afterwards).

Okay so this turned into a fic-chapter length essay about this topic instead of actually writing the fic (bc *ofc* i’d do that) but please lmk what you think!!! (and hopefully i'll use your ideas + my rambling and turn in into fic eventually)

[stolenoc]

Villainous Nights Fanfiction

Like fully two years ago I started writing a Villainous Nights AU where MC got recruited by Optimus before the Syndicate found her. I've stopped writing it, but I've always liked this scene and I'm sick of scrolling past it in my wips and being sad it won't be used, so here it is.

3500 words, MC x Juliette (Monarch & Bat too, I guess)

When I glance at the screen, it's to find an incoming call from one of my contacts- specifically, from Bat.

I'd be the first to admit I've been pretty forgetful lately- How could I not be? Thanks to all the hit and run attacks the Syndicate have been making lately, I’ve been basically working nonstop. I’m tired in a way that sleeping doesn’t even fix but, even so, I’m pretty sure I would remember saving one of the guys who are trying to kill me as a contact.

Did he like, hack into my phone and add this? Is that a thing you can do? I guess it's probably a thing he can do. His name is listed as "Bat- Just wanna talk", which is… well, it’s in character for him, if nothing else. He does like to talk.

After taking a quick, guilty glance around to make sure I'm mostly alone (I'm not strictly sure if I'd be allowed to accept calls from the people the company is actively at war with), I answer the phone, heart pounding in my ears.

"Hey, Monarch," says Bat, even now sounding as awkwardly, inappropriately casual as ever.

I scoff. It's an angry sound, and I realise that I am angry. How dare he know who I am? We had such a good thing going, the Syndicate and I. It was like a game- A high stakes game that sometimes resulted in broken bones but, you know. It felt like there was respect there.

"You might as well just use my real name," I say, and it comes out as a growl through my gritted teeth. "What's this about, dude? Just trying to scare me? Because congrats, yeah, it's working."

A sudden intake of breath. Then, "No- no, Monarch, uh... Lana. This isn't a threat- okay so, in retrospect? I can see how this-"

"Oh, it's not a threat?" I hiss. "That's funny, because I am feeling exceptionally threatened. I swear, Bat, if the Syndicate goes after my-"

"The Syndicate doesn't know who you are, Lana!" he says, cutting me off. "I do. Just me. I haven't told anyone else. I really do want to talk, just the two of us."

Well. Okay. That shuts me up. I take a moment- there's just a lot to unpack with that. Bat knows who I am, and is calling me "just to talk", and wants to keep the rest of the Syndicate out of it. I... can probably work with this.

Toning down the aggression a notch, I say, "So, what is this, then? Are you looking for a job, Bat? Should I put you through to HR? There’s a couple positions open, actually."

I regret making the joke instantly- that particular wound’s still pretty raw for me- but Bat does laugh. He says, "No, I'm good, thanks. And I'm no turncoat- the Syndicate knows I'm calling you, just not who you are."

"Wait, so you're saying that they know that you know- and they're okay with you keeping it a secret?" I ask, dubiously. "Even Murderpants McKnifeguy?"

Bat snorts. He says, "They're... well, they can't do much about it, really. I'm kinda irreplaceable? They love me for my big genius brain and stuff. But yes, Falcon is extremely pissed."

"Yeah, I bet."

"It helps that I'm kinda keeping away from them, also," he admits. "Full disclosure? Everyone's shouting at me today, it completely blows. But that's not why I'm calling you."

Even though every suspicious instinct Optimus drilled into me is telling me to hang up, to go tell Rene or someone about the intrusion, to run screaming to Juliette's apartment to make sure she's okay, I have the strangest urge to just give Bat a chance.

It's true that he's always seemed a little different to the rest of his team. He rarely makes an appearance in person, and only seems to fight under sufferance- he's treated almost like a consultant. Could he have different goals? Goals that don't involve spearing me with ice lances or burying me under tons of rock?

I say, "Okay, I'll bite. What's this about?"

"I'd like to meet with you in person," he says, after a long moment of hesitation. He quickly amends, "In costume, obviously. Both of us. We can make it look like an accident during one of your patrols."

Oh, that sounds safe. I ask, "What's wrong with talking over the phone? And also, why would I keep this a secret from Optimus?"

"I want to give you something, and I need to make sure you actually get it," he says, then he chuckles a little nervously. "And as for the secret thing… You don't have to, but I'll be meeting you alone. Ideally, Scarlet Brighid won't show up and break my spine. I'd like it if we could both trust each other, here."

Ironically, the grisly description helps me relax. He's not wrong- even if he's lying through his teeth, I'm the one with the army of megacorp superheroes as backup. But if he's telling the truth… No, I can’t risk letting Scarlet show up to do her thing. Enemy or not, I don't want the man dead.

And so, just under an hour later, I make a tiny alteration to my patrol path, with Rene's permission. I started a little late, so I'm in a little bit of a rush- the second I cut the connection with Bat, I called Juliette to make certain that she was completely fine and un-kidnapped, and I ended up soaking in the reassurance of her voice for a bit longer than I should have. I wanted so badly to just tell her why I was freaking out, but...

Well. Lying to her sucks, but lying to Rene is starting to come pretty naturally. The trick is tying the lie to something vague that they can't reasonably predict- for example, it's easy for me to just tell them that I'm 'checking out some unusual activity' as I pass the location that Bat specified, a construction site that's nice and quiet. 

It's a tall building, probably fated to be some big office space once the walls are filled in and the scaffolding ends up wherever scaffolding goes after it's finished its job. I could use it to climb to our meeting point, on the building's roof- but flying is only getting easier with each day of training. It's getting to the point that I might just stop walking altogether.

It only takes a minute, and I'm touching down on- not actually on a roof, exactly, because there's pillars sticking up all over the floor that are clearly intended to eventually hold up a ceiling. I resolve to think of it as the ‘top floor’, rather than ‘the roof.’ 

Bat's already waiting for me, far away from the building’s edge- and he's not looking so good.

"Bat? You doing alright?" I ask, feeling unexpectedly concerned as I jog to his side. He's bent over double, panting audibly even through the mask. He holds up his hands as I approach, as though to fend me off.

"I'm... good..." he says, between desperate huffs of air. "Just... just got here, too... Underestimated... hah... how long it'd take to... to climb all those stairs…"

He looks up at me, still breathing heavily. His digital faceplate displays an emoticon I haven't seen him use before- a pained expression, with a semicolon sweatdrop running down its face. 

It's only then that it really clicks with me that Bat's just.. some guy. An extremely smart 'just some guy', granted, one with an interesting power and access to a lot of very cool toys, but he's not like Scarlet, or even Marquis. He's not like the rest of the Syndicate. He's not like me. I could flatten him to paste right here, right now, without even breaking a sweat.

I swallow, hard. Somehow it hadn’t occurred to me before now that just having powers doesn’t by itself turn you into a superhero, or supervillain. When, then, had I made the change from ‘just some girl’ to ‘Monarch’?

Welp, that's a thought for the vault. I just say, flatly, "The Syndicate could really use a flier or two, huh?"

"Oh you have no idea," he says, finally straightening up. His faceplate displays anger, now, but his tone is joking as he says, "You have it so easy, you know that? You never have to touch a stair again."

"Eh, flying has its ups and downs," I say, and even stressed as I am, I can't help but giggle when Bat's faceplate goes completely blank in protest. I have to admit, he's always fun. I say, “And you seriously didn’t bring the whole gang with you?”

He looks around, demonstratively holding out his hands. “I’m the only one here, right? Paranoid much?”

The flippant response really bothers me, for some reason, and I feel that spike of anger again. I say, bitterly, “Well, I guess I have reason to be paranoid. Apparently, I’m awful at keeping secrets. For all I know, my real name is gonna be trending tomorrow.”

He swaps his digital emotion again, this time signifying laughter- but he doesn’t laugh, himself. God, I bet you could write a book on the nuances of Bat’s expressions. He says, “You? No way. You’re great at secrets."

Then, after a beat, he continues, "That is, uh- I peeped your social stuff, you know- Facebook, Twitter, Yelp reviews, etcetera. You look so normal it’s boring.”

“Then how-”

“It was, um. Kinda an accident, honestly,” he says, displaying a blush. “Don’t tell anyone, but I work at Optimus-”

“You work- what?” I interject, dumbfounded. “No, you don’t. At this point, I’m willing to bet cash that Optimus is tracking my periods- you’re not hiding nightly corporate sabotage from them.”

“Hey, does it bother you a little that your opinion of Optimus has gotten so low that you just automatically assume they’re committing unforgivable violations of privacy?”

“It bothers me plenty,” I admit, with a shrug. “It sucks, but that’s corporations for you.”

Bat shakes his head. “Wild. Anyway, I don’t get screened, for the same reason Scarlet Brighid doesn’t get screened. I’m above suspicion.”

That’s absolutely terrifying. I say, “If that’s true, then you’d have to be a board member, or something. Couldn’t you just talk to me directly?”

A big X flashes on the faceplate. Bat says, "Negative. If you think being high on the food chain means nobody will try to eat you, then you’re not suspicious enough. Case in point: I bet you didn’t even know about all the mics on your suit.”

I blink.

"My what?" I ask, genuinely mystified. "Bat, I don't have a-"

"You have thirteen microphones on you right now- I’ve been jamming them since before I called you."  Bat cuts me off, and starts pointing at seemingly random parts of my costume. "There, there, there- that zipper there’s actually got a camera in it, not that Optimus would ever use the footage for transparency-"

I bat his hand away, irritated now. I've trusted him this far, but he could easily be just talking out of his ass. I just say, "I'm still on Optimus's side, Bat, even if they're invasive and weird. If you've called me here with the exact same 'Oh, Optimus is totally evil, trust us instead' pitch Wolf’s always trying on me, then I’m gonna get back to work."

"No, that's fine. I'm not asking you to trust my word," he says easily, before pulling something out of the pouch at his waist. It's a lanyard- the same style that important guests at Optimus tend to wear. Hanging from it is a keycard. He holds it out to me, and the card dangles there between us. "I'm asking you to trust this."

I take it, and rotate it in my hands. It's just plain white plastic- I have an identical card in one of my own pouches, since Optimus doesn't exactly go around writing things like 'SECRET SUB-LEVEL SIX ACCESS' on its keycards. I ask, dubiously, "And this tells me... what? Why do I want this?"

A cheeky smile lights across Bat's faceplate. He says, "You know how I'm sorta just, all up in Optimus's business? All the time?"

I roll my eyes. "Yeah, yeah, you're super cool. You've aged Paris Optima about twenty years with all the hacking, by the way, she hates you the most."

"Ah." The smile fades, replaced by a blank darkness. "Ouch. But um, anyway, I've read most of your chat logs with her-"

"Creepy."

"-and I know you've been cautioned, repeatedly, for asking about a particular room on Basement Level 10. It's down the end of a long hallway, no number on the door? Is that ringing any bells?"

At some point I started gripping that keycard very, very tight. I look down at it now, and feel my pulse quicken with equal parts excitement and dread. I say, "You're kidding, right? Not even Scarlet Brighid gets in there, she told me herself."

"Optimas only," Bat breathes it like a prayer. He's looking at the keycard very intently- or at least, I guess he is. His face is kinda angled towards it? "All-access- or at least, close enough. The right person could do a lot of damage with that keycard."

It was pretty obviously the wrong thing to say, and the way he straightens right back up tells me he realises that too. I pocket the card, then say, shaking my head, "You know what, you're probably right. If this belongs to an Optima, I need to take it to one. Like right now."

"Lana, wait, listen-"

"Where did you even get it?" I demand, taking a step back, wary of any sudden lunges. "No, don't answer that. Do you have any idea how much trouble I'd get in if I was caught using some bigwig's access card, Bat?"

He holds out his hands, placating. His faceplate stays blank, but I can hear something like panic in his voice as he says, "Yes, yes, I do- but I don't think you do, Lana, that's the problem-"

"It's not a big mystery, my guy! I'd get fired!" 

"Fired?" Bat asks, with a laugh of disbelief. "They're not gonna- do you seriously think Optimus would fire you? The woman who can fight the entire Syndicate to a standstill on her own? You're irreplaceable, too."

Despite myself, I feel my face heat up at that description. I say, "That's... obviously a bit of an exaggeration." 

"No, it isn't." In another context, those words might be an encouragement, or flattery- but Bat says them grimly, like he just thinks it's very unfortunate for me. "But that doesn't mean you're safe from them, it just means they have some other way to control you.”

I don't know what to say to that, so we just... stand there, staring warily at each other. I've heard enough to know I should just turn around and hop right back off the building, but... something in what Bat just said jolts out an old, forgotten memory. What was it that Marquis had said? Something about Optimus wrapping around you like a parasitic vine, controlling your every movement? I doubt she meant it literally, but…

Well, even if I've been acting the part in front of the Syndicate, I'm not just some corporate bootlicker. I said I trust 'Optimus', but that's not really true. I trust people in Optimus, the ones I know. I trust Rene, and I trust Scarlet. I trust Juliette, too, more than anything. If I rotate the thought around in my mind, I can even say that investigating the company isn't really betraying those people- really, I'd just be finding proof that the company deserves them. Right?

Or maybe I'm just looking for excuses to go somewhere I've been told I can't. I think that might be it.

Bat doesn't seem to mix well with silence. He buckles under the pressure, first by plastering a few new emotions on his faceplate (He settles on a tonally inappropriate smiley face- I guess this is how he forces a smile?), and then by saying, in a rush, "Look, if you're worried about getting caught, don't be. I'd be right there with you, and I can delete you from any logs you end up in."

I quirk an eyebrow. "You'll be with me?" I ask, doubtfully. 

"I mean, uh. Digitally. You know. I'll be monitoring you, and inside the system," he says, and his mask becomes a blushy face. "And if what you find in that room doesn't convince you to listen, then... well, then we're done, I guess. But I wouldn't be here if I wasn't confident."

He closes the distance between us, and I let him. He holds out a gloved hand, and asks, "Whaddaya say? Frenemies?"

That's the last little nudge I need, and I won't pretend the fact that Bat's being a huge dork about this has nothing to do with it- I have a soft spot for dorks, as it happens. I clasp the proffered hand tight.

"Frenemies," I repeat, and we shake on that promise. A happy, pointless little thought occurs to me, and I say, “You know, if we’re ever not actively on opposite sides of a corporate war, there’s someone I’d really like to introduce you to.”

The handshake lingers, though not uncomfortably- this moment of truce is a soothing balm to the months of fighting each other, and I don’t think either of us want to be the one to end it. Plus, you know. I like Bat. We can hold hands a little if we want.

Finally, Bat’s faceplate changes- an angry face, again, though it doesn’t remotely match the cheer in his voice as he exclaims, “We’ve been frenemies for ten seconds and you’re already setting me up with someone? Is he at least cute!?”

“You have no idea,” I say, through a laugh. I let the hand drop, and fix the bright LEDs in Bat's mask with a stern glare. "But look, Bat, this isn't going to work twice. If this is just some kind of trick, I’ll…well, I won’t like you anymore.”

I meant it as a joke. There’s really nothing else I could do to him, revenge wise, or at least nothing I’d also be willing to do. And yet, Bat's response is completely sincere, his voice contrasting with the goofy, unchanged expression on his faceplate as he responds, “I know. I hope you can at least believe me when I say that I really, genuinely, do not want that.”

...Then he does change it, into a winky face, which kills the mood a little. I huff out a laugh and say, “Yeah, whatever, man. Listen, I have to go- they’re gonna wonder what I’m looking at.”

I take a few backward steps towards the edge of the roof (the building’s ‘top floor’, I correct myself internally), as Bat replies, “Yeah, it’s been a hot minute. When do you wanna do this?”

My foot lands on scaffolding, and I lean to take a peek over the edge of the building. It’s a long drop to the construction site below, maybe thirty floors. I say, “No time like the present, I guess. I’ve still got my patrol to finish- will you know when I’ve started?”

Bat shoots me a thumbs up. He says, “I can patch into your comm earpiece no problem, so we’ll be able to talk. Give me an hour, then just say 'hey'. We can go from there.”

I look at him a little dubiously. I have no idea where the dude lives, but just getting up here almost knocked him out. Could he even climb down and then get back to his secret bat-cave in time for that?

I gesture over my back with a thumb, and ask, “Do you, uh- do you want a lift down?”

He laughs, sounding just a little uncomfortable. Arms crossed, he says, “Um, no, I’m okay actually. Thanks.”

I insist, “You’re gonna have to climb all the way down. I can get you there in like ten seconds.”

“Or in like, one second…” he mutters, and he hesitantly joins me over at the edge. He takes a peek down at the street below, and shivers. “God, how do you do that?”

“It was scary at first,” I admit. I don’t mention that I still haven’t stopped having those nightmares where my power stops working mid flight and I plummet to the ground, because I’m not sure if that'd be much of a comfort. I step off the edge of the building, where I do not fall, but instead do a languorous midair twirl to face him (I can admit to showing off a little). I say, “Come on, you’ve seen me catch rocks big enough I think they technically count as continents. I can carry two people.”

Bat says, dryly, “Yeah, don't get Badger started on that. She says that fighting you just boils down to us finding fun new ways to give you ammunition.”

“What was it you said? You hope we can trust each other?” I ask, cutting through his nervous snark. I hold out my hand. "I’m not gonna make you, but- look, do you really think I’d just let you fall?”

"I know you wouldn't," he said, and he takes my hand, holding it tight.

[ladyathenawisdom]

Dandelions and Control Pt. 2

Warnings: Past Trauma, Past Sexual Abuse, Past emotional Abuse, Language, forced marriage.

Pt. 3

❀•°•═════ஓ๑♡๑ஓ═════•°•❀

"I wanna make a deal."

Hero looked up from where she standing, she was out in the balcony in her new room since the two newly wedded couple wouldn't and didn't want to share a room.

It was a fairly large, bigger than her room in her apartment, that was for sure. There was very large walk in closet which was empty, except for her clothes which only fit in a small portion in the whole closet.

The bathroom was also nice, there was a nice big tub, a jacuzzi, a elegant glass shower with a mirror and decent looking decorative things. The curtains were clear, showing the shower itself. There was also a bench in between the sinks and the small table and baskets for laundry and other accessories.

The bedroom itself was pretty amazing. The bed large enough for atleast five people, the pillows soft and fluffy, the sheets silver and black. The walls painted a light shade of gray with black lamps. The windows were fairy normal with black curtains, along with a small balcony.

Fair to say was that she would never run out of material things.

"What?" Hero asks in confusion, turning to him.

Supervillain slowly walks inside the dimly lot room, staring at Hero who stood right in the light of the moon. She looked beautiful. He shook these thoughts away and moved around the few boxes in the room that still weren't unpacked.

He then joins her on the balcony, staring at the dark night sky. The airspace was clear, except for the fact that it was lit with stars and a few clouds were floating above.

The moon was full, and it was a view Hero would not forget. She had never seen the moon in such a pretty position, considering, her bedroom was on the second floor of a mansion.

She turned to him, frowning. "What deal?" She questions, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Supervillain clears his throat. "I wanna make a deal with you, Hero." He turns to her, choosing his words carefully. "I know that this.....marriage.....is not what you want, me either for the fact but both of us are now married. The treaty will not change, nor will it stop it. It was futile,"

"Is there a point to all of this?" Hero asks, letting out a sigh. She twiddles with the jewelry on her hands and wrists, eager to have them off along withe the dress and heels.

Supervillain stares at her, glancing away and clenching his jaw. "Look, I know we don't have the best relationship but I do believe in marriage, and know I do not like cheaters nor do I like divorces." He states.

Hero looks away but still listens carefully. "I would never cheat, even if this marriage is against our will,"

Supervillain slowly nods. "Look, our marriage is just a show for everyone, we'll keep our end of the bargain... for a few months before we start attacking." He shrugs, leaning against the railing. "Not that the Heroes could stop us since your not there anymore, you were clearly the brains. They gave you away, their loss, our gain."

Hero cracks a small smile.

Supervillain smiles back at her, although it doesn’t reach his eyes. He looked tired, like he had aged a millions year up. He wasn't the same conceited, laid back, cold, full of amusement villain that she knew. He looked like a guy who had lost his freedom.

Still, Hero listened carefully.

"Our..." Supervillain starts, hesitatinly. "...relationship. It's not ideal with me being a villlain and you being a hero. But I don't want our relationship to be disastrous either,"

"Then what?" Hero asks, she then proceeded to take the gloves off since they were bothering her. The cold air felt nice against her bare arms, the gloves had been long and reached past her elbows.

"We should have a mutual respect for each other, in public and in...private." He trails off, shifting in his stance. "Although this may not be what we want, I want us not to hate each other. We will have respect for each other, but don't try to stop me from doing villain stuff, nor will I stop you from doing anything you want."

Hero stares at him before slowly nodding. "Trust me, I have no intention to stop you or the other villains, not anymore." She says bitterly, looking away.

Supervillain stares at her, surprised.

She glances at him. "Don't look at me like that, he abandoned me. I couldn't see it before, maybe because I was so blind, but Superhero was never trying to help me." She swallows hard, fisting her hands. "He left me. He betrayed me. You and your friends can do whatever you want," she looks away.

Supervillain frowns as he watches her. He didn't like Superhero, no scratch that, he hated his nemesis. But now seeing the fight leaving Hero's eyes, he felt pure hatred for Superhero.

Hero glances at him. "I won't stop you. What else?"

"You can have whatever you want," Supervillain tells her, looking out in the distance. "Nothing can put a dent in my bank account, so you can buy whatever you want. Do whatever you want,"

"I'm not a material girl." Hero mutters with a shrug. "But okay."

Supervillain bites his lip, letting out a sigh. "I can't promise you that you'll be happy here, but I will try to make you happy. And," he adds hesitatinly. "You will be protected here. I will always protect you,"

Hero frowns and looks at Supervillain.

He looked like he was remembering something. His eyes were cast in the distance, in a daze of some kind. It was like he was in a memory of some sort, remembering something.

She didn't say anything. Unlike other times, the silence between them was comfortable. Hero could distinctively remember when she and her team used to get captured by Supervillain, her team would do the talking with Supervillain.

She would usually say silent, but she could always feel his eyes on her. Always.

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

"You know you'll never win," Leader smirks, he may have been handcuffed like his teammates and on his knees but that did nothing to conceal his arrogance.

Supervillain only stared at him, his eyes raised and cold amusement on his face. He leant back his desk in his office, staring at the team of Heroes.

Leader was in front of them, on his knees since he was the main hero. Other Hero, Other Hero 2, Youngest and Hero were in the background, stood behind their so called Leader.

Supervillain could see that Other Hero was glaring at him, her eyes narrowed with disgust. She was trying to discreetly break free but she couldn't, and she was doing a bad job at it.

Other Hero 2 was also trying to break free, in his gaze was arrogance. He kept looking back ans forth between him and Leader, his lips pursued.

Youngest looked scared, however she did well to hide it, a futile attempt since she was shaking with fear but it was honorable.

The only smart person on the team, from what Supervillain could gather, was Hero. She had stayed silent and had been observing everything silently, looking around and she wasn't trying to break free. A smart move on her part.

She didn't look scared, she instead looked annoyed, she looked absolutely done with her Leader. But for some reason, she had stayed silent and instead watched her Leader babble stupid stuff.

Supervillain was starting to like this Hero. Every time he saw her, she had stayed silent and was always observing everything. She was smart and intellectual. Something he could tolerate.

"And why pray tell, will that happen?" Supervillain asks, cocking his eyebrow.

Leader grins. "Because villains are always destined to lose. Our organization will come for us."

"Like hell they will," Supervillain heard Hero mutter under her breath. He raised his eyebrows, a smirk growing on his face.

He looks at Leader. "Hmm, you may be leader but your not the brains, no, your too stupid for that." He rolls his eyes.

Leader clenched his jaw, glaring at him.

Supervillain looks at Hero. "You however, unlike your incompetent team, look smart enough." He smirks. "Tell me, do you think you'll get out of here."

Hero blinks. No one ever talked to her, she was only ever a background hero. She hesitatinly glances at her leader.

"Why are you looking at him?" Supervillain asks. "I asked you the question. Not your dumb leader."

"Hey!" Leader protests. "I'm the team leader, not her!" He snaps, clenching his jaw.

Supervillain raised an eyebrow. "Really?" He mocks with a chuckle, he glances around tye room at his people. "Because here I thought the hero organization tasks the smartest people as the leader, not the dumbest. Look like I was wrong," he shakes his head. "Because to be honest, she looks like the smartest."

Laughter rang around the room.

"Sweetheart," Supervillain says turning to Hero. "You didn't answer my question." He raises an eyebrow at her, leaning back and crossing his arms.

"No, I don't." Hero answers.

"Hero, what the fuck?" Other Hero asks with a glare.

Hero ignores her. "We can't escape because at the front of your lair you have a two key system which can only be opened by your recna scan, your eye scan to be specific. And most, or well, all of your guards have a gun which is a MG3 Machine Gun, which can be dangerous." She nods to the guards.

"Your lair also has a set of traps, the staircase has a sensitive system which can determine if someone is running and can, therefore turn into a slide or trap them with a net." She explains.

Her team gawks at her.

"Each door in your lair has a lock with a pin, which we do not know. All the windows are probably, most likely, locked and even if they are unlocked, they will most likely hold a trap of some sort. Your guards also carry stabs which guess also have a lightning shock or taser in them which can be used to shock people. Your guards also know how to fight with a sword due to their marks, they have calluses on their hands, I have the same calluses. Your also too smug, which can mean you can fight each of us and defeat us easily. And this room, I'm betting, has a touch system too." She smiles. "Each hallway also has a camera, which can also help you to see us if we mayhe even escape, and that is a hard maybe."

Everyone stares at her, one of the guards shifts uncomfortably.

Henchmen stares at her, his lips parted, he looks around before looking at his boss.

Supervillain stares at her, his gaze cold before he smirks with amusement. He slowly brings his hands up and together and claps, an impressed look on his face.

Leader stares at her, his eyes wide with shock while Youngest stares at her with awe. Other Hero stays silent but she gulps. Other Hero 2 stares at Hero, his eyes wide.

"Was I right?" Hero asks, raising an eyebrow. She smiles at Supervillain, leaning back on her feet.

"I knew you were the brains. I knew you were smart but not at this point," Supervillain grins, he stands up and goes to stand in front of her, impressed. "And yes, you were right." He whispers.

Hero smiles.

He slowly raised his hand and caressed her cheek, looking into her eyes. "How would you feel to join me? I could certainly use you on my side." He asks, his tone gentle and soft, his eyes boring into hers.

Hero stares at him, her cheeks heating up but she composes herself.

"The fuck?" Other Hero asks, looking wise eyed. She looks at Hero with a glare.

"Hero...." Leader glares at her, why couldn't she have stayed silent?

"Tempting, but no." Hero backs away, narrowing her pretty eyes at him. "Never in my life."

Supervillain pouts. "I've never been rejected before, hmm, oh well." He shrugs. "Maybe next time," he winks. "I'll see you soon, Hero, along with your dumb team." He smirks.

"Hey, we're right here!" Other Hero 2 snaps.

"Oh," Supervillain breathes. "I know. See you next time, Hero." He smiles.

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

There meeting may have not been ideal but she had certainly caught his eyes, he had been impressed with her from the beginning. He had observed her.

Unlike other Heroes, she didn't judge villains based on what they did. She didn't care if they were a villain or not, she helped them no matter what. And she didn't do it for the glory.

Supervillain looks at her. "I'll leave you too it," he says before turning around and walking out of the room. The door closed behind him.

Hero sighs and looks back at the sky, her eyes flashing with contempt.

Would this be her life now? Living with the city's most dangerous and notorious Supervillain? Being married to him? Why would this even matter?

Would they even care? No, she supposed not. She didn't like him, not that much, but she tolerated him better than the other villains. He might have been dangerous and a killer, but she knew him.

Unlike other villains and supervillains, he had morals. No innocents or children involved. She knew that because she had seen it firsthand, she had kept an eye on him. He was somewhat....good.

That felt weird. Saying he was good.

Hero shakes her head, no, she supposed she wouldn't ever get used to it.

Being married to Supervillain, she guessed would be a nightmare. She swallows hard, she's always hated crying, she thought it made her weak.

Stop crying, it's weak.

Weak people, cry, Hero. Are you weak?

Stop. Crying!

She heard Superhero's voice in her head, along with the familar slash of the whip. She still had the bruises.

It was all her fault. The bruises were all her fault, every failure, every time she failed. Every time she was weak. Perhaps Superhero was right, she had to keep Supervillain happy so he didn't attack the city.

But nothing could stop the Villains. Would Superhero blame her? Would he hurt her again? Would he punish her?

But he couldn't. She would be protected here. But what about everywhere else? Was she still technically a Hero?

Why was all of this so confusing? She shakes her head and decides to sleep on it. After changing of course.

....

The next morning when she gets up and gets ready, she walks down the stairs to see in the living room, Henchmen on the sofa.

He looked busy with paperwork around on the table. She looks around, seeing that the mansion was empty. She spots a few maids cleaning and setting stuff up but no one else.

"Morning." Henchmen tells her with a smile, he grabs hid glass of what wither seemed to he bourbon or whiskey and took a sip.

"Morning." Hero answers tightly, she plays with the short white dress she had on. The sleeves were short and ruffled and the length was just aobe her knees, she wore matching white heels. "Where's Supervillain?" She asks, sitting across from him.

She sees a maid bring out a plate with a croissant and a chocolate chip muffin with a large cup of coffee. "Thank you," she smiles kindly at the maid.

The maid only nods fearfully.

Hero watches her go with a frown, she turns back to Henchmen.

"Supervillain was called on urgent business." Henchmen smiles at her awkwardly. "He left super early in the morning, he'll be back in a week."

"Oh."

"Yeah." Henchmen smiles. "Sorry about that.":

"Why be sorry? It's not like we like each other," Hero shrugs and picks up the muffin.

Henchmen slowly nods, however a frown grows on his face as he watches his boss' wife eat her breakfast. He knew that the two didn't really, well, like each other. I mean, they were enemies of course. On opposite sides.

But that wasn't the case anymore. No, it wasn't. Hero was married to Supervillain now. That meant she was on their side, on his side now. Probably.

That meant that they would have to get along. Henchmen wasn't thinking like romance and stuff, not yet anyway. Maybe get along like friends or something like partners, but they would have to get along.

He wondered what would happen in the future?

Only time could tell.

"What's your favorite flower?" Henchmen all of a sudden asks.

Hero raises an eyebrow.

"What?" Henchmen shrugs. "I'm saying if we're gonna be family and shit like that, we should get to know each other."

Hero stares at him for a few seconds. "Dandelions. I like Dandelions." She smiles. "White is my favorite color."

"Gray is mine,"

"Obviously." Hero snorts.

Henchmen laughs. Yeah, he has a feeling that wuth Hero here, things will be looking brighter already.

[spideyjimin]

jungkook‘s character and his baybmothers character disgusts me.

i don’t like how he feels entitled to take time away to „think“ about this situation when he didn’t do it in the first place like a man who‘s raising a child for years should’ve done. he wanna act like he has a „perfect“ family well let’s unpack how he’s not even a man in the first place. he doesn’t know how to raise his daughter and put boundaries with his babymother including not talking about his past relationships with her when they’re not together i mean yeah you can be friends and what not but i don’t feel comfortable knowing his babymother knows about oc when she a) doesn’t even know oc and her past and b) puts her two cents into the situation when she has no right to all because she’s oh so worried for kookie right? like get the fvck out of here (sorry for cursing but she doesn’t come off as innocent you‘d like her to be) i also could care less about his damn daughter or the name of her even when it makes me angry knowing he did it out of spite like who in the right mind would do that knowing your „love of the life“ wanted that name for her own child?again his character just shows us how immature and childish he was and still is he didn’t change and never will. i mean he has a child and didn’t choose to change his attitude why would oc think he’s gonna do it for her now lol? hes the most selfish man i‘ve ever read in a fic and im not trying to bash your characters it’s just shows how we involve us with your story’s because it’s so interesting right? so pls don’t think this is me criticizing you no. i would also like to add that i believe his babymother is threatened by oc bc why else would she say stuff like that to jungkook (no i don’t believe that she’s worried for him lol💀) i mean where was she when he fucked around? could’ve told him to stop doing it before he has a 2nd babymother and what not see this is why i don’t like her she’s threatened bc oc is not like the others im pretty sure she’s scared that her own child’s gonna call her mom or some sht.

also i do not wish for oc to take him back, she deserves way better than this whole sht show. i also don’t like how she should take care of his daughter later on fuck his family (ON GOD) when she can have her own kids on her own with somebody who’s willing to take their time and energy to understand HER and HELP HER instead of tossing her away when things start to get difficult and as if she didn’t have feelings too. i wouldn’t want to be tied down with these kinds of people in real life they give off to much toxicity and some might think where did you come up with that when you can see it how they act as if everything was ok between them. god im gonna puke bc i didn’t forgot how he said „this is my perfect family“ well then whats stopping yourself from pursing your babymother idiot? he did all of this to hurt oc let himself get manipulated by his babymother and i don’t fuck with that at all especially if you have a child and are in an age where you don’t have time to play around. #teamoc

sorry for writing so much and again hope you didn’t get offended about your characters i love you’re writing it definitely makes one think about how they would’ve done in such and such situations. 😊💛

since it was a long ask & i don't want to make a long post, my answer will be right under 🤗

hi angel, first of all, thanks a lot for your ask 💞 i wasn't offended at all by your ask, i've liked reading all your thoughts on the fic & especially on jk, it has made me laugh a lot 😂 i also take them into consideration for perfect time, it helps me build the characters and it also helps me to understand how you perceive them. because i imagine one thing but i can be understood totally differently.

the perfect example is eunjin, the baby mama. for me, she's simply trying to help, she doesn't want anything from jk and she doesn't feel threatened by oc because she isn't in love with jk nor does she believe that her daughter would call oc mom. she's concerned and wants to help. i didn't build her to be toxic but some of you perceive her like that.

then yeah, jk has been acting like a complete idiot. he hasn't moved on at all, and is very immature. he simply was overwhelmed with everything & didn't know how to act when he finally got what he desperately wanted for 10 years.

for sure, oc deserves better, jk didn't treat her right. he didn't move on from their relationship & treat her badly when she's finally back. however, I want to believe that people can change with time & maybe jk will change in the future 🤷🏻‍♀️

honestly, reading your ask made me even more excited to share perfect time with you but it's still in progress 😭 once again, thanks a lot for your ask, it was a pleasure to read it 💛

[extremelyblackandwhite]

WAIT WAIt!!! Billy asking Steve for Daisys hand?

pairing: steve kemp x dark!reader

warnings: 18+ topics (under 18 year olds do NOT interact/reader), mentions of miscarriage

a/n: steve and the kemps are back. requests are back on!

part of toxic

        - I don’t know, darling. - Y/N fixed her hair in front of the mirror, her left hand holding a golden crimson lipstick bullet. - He said he wanted to speak to you tonight. 

       - Why would I subject myself to speaking to William alone? I barely like speaking to him when Daisy’s around. Speaking of whom, why is she not coming? 

       - Daisy’s unpacking the stuff at their new place. She’s 24, Steve. She can go a week without seeing mum and dad. - she crossed her arms. - Besides should I remind you of your other children?

       - What other children? Rose’s in Los Angeles and you know how I feel about that, the triplets are scattered around various universities and my boys are grown. 

       - Aaron is grown and he won’t go to bed if you don’t check the room for monsters. What are you talking about? 

       - I miss my girls and I was expecting Daisy to at least come with her disappointing boyfriend. - he sat on the bed staring at his wife. - We need a new baby. 

       - Don’t change the subject. - she sat next to him, holding his hand. - You should be proud. Our girls are doing so well and they’re very well rounded considering they have you for a dad. 

       - I wanna see my girl not her knucklehead boyfriend. - he rolled his eyes as he heard the bell ring.

No matter how long Daisy’s boyfriend had stuck around, Steve never fully came around him. He put up with him for the past seven years, even when Daisy begged for him to come along for family vacation, Steve still didn’t like him. Y/N had naively thought that after a while he’d come around to Daisy having a boyfriend, specially when they started living together on their second year of university. However, it seemed that no matter how hard the poor boy tried, Steve just did not enjoy his existence. He opened the door to see his worse enemy - his words - standing in front of him with flowers and a bottle of wine. 

       - Dr. Kemp. - he cleared his throat.

       - William. 

       - I got these for your wife. - he extended the flowers and the wine. - I don’t expect to be here for much longer. I have to go back and help Daisy. 

       - Where’s she?

       - She’s at home. She doesn’t know I’m here, I wanted to speak with you alone.

       - How nice. - he smiled tightly. 

       - Dr. Kemp, I wanna marry Daisy. I’m gonna ask Daisy to marry me tomorrow night and I am here asking for your blessing.

Steve’s mouth couldn’t have gone more agape and Y/N swore that if it hadn’t been for the fact that he didn’t want to appear weak in front of his daughter’s boyfriend, he’d probably fainted from the mere shock. In his eyes, Daisy was still his little girl begging him to buy any and every single ducky plushie she found when grocery shopping. Now, here was this boy asking for her hand in marriage. His little girl. She was too young to get married? Right? 

       - Billy, why don’t you come in? - Y/N opened the door, motioned with her head towards the living room. - I’m making some tea. Do you want some tea?

       - Can I have some whiskey? - Steve mumbled, still somewhat shocked. - Bring the whole bottle. 

       - Sure. - she kissed the top of his head before leaving the two of them in the living room. Hopefully, he wouldn’t kill the poor boy. 

       - I have bought the ring and I have the reservation. I am gonna propose to her because I love her very much. She’s the love of my life, she’s been the love of my life since I first spoke to her. Honestly, I know you don’t like me and I don’t like your very much either but Daisy adores you and it would make her very happy if you gave your blessing. I am here asking for it but I don’t need it. 

       - That’s ... - he swallowed in empty. - That’s bold of you to say, William.

       - I’m gonna marry her if she accepts and I don’t want to create a wedge between her and you because you refuse to accept or wedding invitation. I know how important it is for her to have your approval. 

        - You’re awfully confident that she’s going to accept. 

        - We’ve discussed marriage before and children and partnership. We have the same life goals and I have a stable job lined up. Both our names are on the apartment lease if anything happened and I ... I just really want your blessing, Dr. Kemp. You can hate me all you want but I love Daisy. I wanna make her happy.

        - Can you give me a second? 

He exited the living room, finding his wife not so secretly listening in to the conversation. Yet again, if she wanted she could always listen to the security cameras. She gave him an unreadable look, one which he couldn’t decipher even after 25 years of marriage. It was always a mix of both sincereness and threat - something he believed only his dear wife could pull so effortlessly. 

      - Steve. 

      - I have to say yes, don’t I?

      - I don’t think he’s asking, darling. I think he’s saying he wants your blessing because of Daisy. You know ... the daughter we love so much?

      - It’s just ... remember when all she wanted and made her happy was to have duck stuff and be with us? What happened?

      - She grew up. - she cupped his face. - They all do, eventually. All we can do now is make sure she’s happy with someone who’d do everything to make her happy. I know you don’t like Billy, but he loves Daisy. You love Daisy. Can that be your common ground? 

      - Fine. - he sighed, turning back around.

He knew she was right, of course she was right, and even though he disliked and would dislike every single person one of his babies brought home - William wasn’t the worse of them. He was brash but he loved Daisy. Steve just didn’t want to let go, not yet, so he just stared at the photos in the wall for a bit. Her first day of kindergarten, the first Halloween, graduation day. 

      - William, you have my blessing.

      - Really?

      - Yes, really. Now go, before I change my mind. - he pointed at the door. 

      - Thank you. It’s means a lot to me and Daisy. 

      - This better not be a shotgun wedding. 

      - It’s not.

      - If I found out you impregnated my child and this is a shotgun wedding, I will haunt you myself with a shotgun. 

      - Regular wedding, no babies. 

      - And tell Daisy to come visit me before I die. 

      - Will do, Dr. Kemp. 

He sighed once more as the door shut, only being comforted by his wife who wrapped his arms around him. 

      - Do you want that bottle of whiskey now?

      - Yes, please. 

[dynamic-power]

The Happiness We Deserve

Chapter 6

Read it here on ao3

Rated E

Words: 2.3k (10.5k total)

CW: mention of past abuse

Ian comes by for drinks

Start from the beginning here

“Hi, Mickey.” 

Mickey stepped aside and waved Ian into his apartment. “Hey.”

Ian held up a six pack of Old Style with a grin. “Like old times, yeah?”

Mickey laughed and took the beers, shutting his front door and moving past Ian to head towards his kitchen. “Old times?” Mickey asked as he opened his fridge and added the six bottles to the other half dozen already filling his top shelf. He pulled out two of the older ones and kicked the fridge shut. “This is every Wednesday night for me.”

Ian hummed. “Doug’s got me drinking fancy shit,” he said as Mickey popped the caps off both bottles in quick succession. He took one, taking a long pull. 

“Sorry, I should have asked-” Mickey realized belatedly. 

Ian waved him off, understanding immediately what Mickey was talking about. “It’s fine. All things in moderation, and all that shit. I’ve been on my current shit for years now. I’m still a lightweight, but alcohol doesn’t screw with anything anymore.”

“Right,” Mickey said, taking a sip of his own beer. “Well come on, I wanna hear about the shit you get up to in New York.”

They settled on either end of Mickey’s couch. Mickey laughed as Ian toed off his shoes and folded his tall frame so he could sit sideways, back to the armrest and feet shoved between the couch cushions. Mickey propped his feet on his coffee table and marveled at the surreal feeling of it all. Being around Ian made sense to him, and being here in his own home made sense, too, but something about the two things coming together, having a friend from his youth in the space he’d made his as an adult, was a little odd. 

“Right. Well. How much have you already been told?” Ian asked, shifting in his seat and settling his bright gaze on Mickey. 

“Nothing. I showed up on your brother’s doorstep a few years ago and he said you’d gone. Then, you showed up again. Haven’t heard anything other than that.”

“Right,” Ian said, sighing and scratching at his jaw. “Well. You went to prison. And I was…” he trailed off for a moment. Mickey recognized that Ian was nervous as he dug his toes into the couch and squirmed and looked away from Mickey again. 

“You don’t have to tell me any shit you don’t wanna,” Mickey said. “Life’s been rough, and I get that. I just wanna know how you’ve been, man.”

Ian smiled, but it didn’t meet his eyes. “I know. I know, I just- I feel like I owe you an explanation. Or some shit like that.”

“You don’t owe me anything.”

“I know.” Ian paused again and took a few more sips of his beer before leaning over to set his bottle on the coffee table. “But I want to tell you. I wasn’t in a good place. You know that. I was sick. I got real low, Mick, but eventually the meds started to pick me up again. At least enough that I felt like I could reach out the way I needed to. In the middle of all of that, I ended up saving someone in an accident and made friends with some firefighters, and was encouraged to become an EMT. To be perfectly honest, there isn’t much I remember about the time between you getting locked up and me winding up in EMT training. My brain still has a lot of that on lock down.” He chuckles but there isn’t much humor in the sound. 

“Yeah, makes sense,” Mickey says, because it does. There’s plenty his own brain still hasn’t been able to completely unpack from his own past. “What led you to New York?”

“Well, I started working as an EMT here in Chicago. Did it for, fuck, two years, I think?” Ian rubs at his jaw again. “Loved it. Still do, ya know? Wouldn’t be doing it otherwise. At first, I thought the whole bipolar diagnosis was going to get in the way, but my boss, she, uh, vouched for me. Ensured that I could keep my job. I owe her everything, really. 

“Anyway, couple years driving around Chicago, and I was desperate for something new. So I just- I left. I packed my shit in a couple bags and took what little savings I had and took off. Hopped on a plane to California.”

“California?”

“Not the good parts, not like Mandy,” Ian said with a grin. “The ticket I could reasonably afford landed me in Sacramento. Middle of California. Too far north for good beaches, too far south for real mountain views.” Ian reaches for his beer again, taking another few swallows. “I kinda miss it, actually. I ended up in this shitty little studio apartment on the north side of the city. North doesn’t mean nice out there. It was like living southside all over again. I got a job as an EMT, thanks again to my boss in Chicago, and was encouraged by my team out there to train as a paramedic.

“I stayed there for six years. Moved around a little. By the end, I was renting this nice little house in the suburbs. It wasn’t perfect, exactly. Even when my meds are as balanced as they can be, I still have highs and lows. I think I experienced my worst high while I was there. Apparently, I have a thing for stealing vehicles. Ended up manic, stole an ambulance. I was halfway to Fresno before I gave myself up. I’m actually kinda surprised you guys didn’t hear about that all the way over here; it was a pretty big deal in Cali. Paramedic loses his shit, goes nuts, all that crap. Ended up doing time in another facility. They wanted to keep me for 72 hours, but I ended up staying nearly two weeks. Mostly ‘cause the mania was settled, I slipped in the other direction. Went real low again. When I was released, I was sacked from my job. Not a surprise, really, but a real blow anyway. Two weeks later, I was packing my shit again. 

“See, I’ve got this friend, Crystal. I met her in group therapy not long after I got to Cali, and she and I became friends pretty quickly. She’s like me. So she gets it. She’s been my support for the last… fuck, ten years? She was there for me when I got out. But she’d been planning on moving. I’d thought about going with her, but me losing my job was the real nail in the coffin. Or, not really a coffin, actually, ‘cause going with her was a great idea. We left three weeks after I got out. Landed in a shared apartment in Brooklyn. That’s where I still live. Crystal has gotten married since then, so she lives with her husband in Jersey, but I’m still in New York.”

Mickey listened and sipped his beer as Ian talked, taking in every detail that he could. When Ian finished, he settled back again, reaching out with one of his feet to poke at Mickey’s thigh. 

“What about you?”

“Did time,” Mickey grunted, still trying to imagine Ian and his pale ass living anywhere in California. “Got out. Ended up in contact with your family again.”

“Seems like more than just ‘in contact’,” Ian said with a grin. “My nieces and nephews have no clue who I am and call you Uncle Mick.”

“S’what happens when you fuck off,” Mickey said, hoping to come across teasing rather than accusing. He was successful, if Ian’s chuckle meant anything. “Yeah, okay, so maybe your family and I are pretty close. I showed up on Lip’s doorstep and he took me in.”

“Like a stray cat.”

“You gonna interrupt me every other word, or can I tell you my story?”

Ian continued to smile around the mouth of his bottle. 

“Right. Landed on his porch.” He doesn’t mention why he’d been there in the first place, but then he doesn’t think he really needs to. “He invited me in. And then invited me back. About six months later, V and Kev mentioned wantin’ t’sell the bar and move. Carl was between jobs, and I was working security, so we did some talkin’. We ended up buying it from them for way less than it was worth. The rest is fuckin’ history, I guess.”

“I’m glad,” Ian said when Mickey paused for more than a few seconds, “that you went to the house. I know Lip is, too. You two seem close.”

“We are,” Mickey said. “Carl and I are, too, of course, but. I dunno. Lip’s a good friend.”

“So what about Jay, then?”

“What about Jay?”

Ian picked at the corner of the label on his bottle. “How’d you meet him? Are you happy with him? Are you-” Ian paused, twisting the bottle around in his hands. “Sorry, unless that’s too- I don’t know. I don’t know what’s normal in this situation, I guess.”

“When have we ever been normal?”

“We were for a little while. Hidden, maybe, but we were a proper couple for a while.”

Mickey watched as Ian’s cheeks turned red. Neither of them said anything for a few moments; Mickey was staring hard at Ian and Ian was watching anything but Mickey. 

“Want another beer?”

“Please,” Ian rushed out. “Sorry.”

“You gotta stop saying that, man,” Mickey said as he stood and plucked the empty bottle from Ian’s fidgeting hands. “This is weird, we can agree on that. And occasionally, one of us is gonna say something that’s fuckin’ awkward. You can’t apologize every time it happens or we aren’t gonna get anywhere.” 

He wandered into the kitchen, putting the two bottles by the sink. He leaned against the countertop for a moment, taking in a few deep breaths. This was proving to be just about as strange as he thought it was going to be. He was really glad they were hashing this out now and not around their boyfriends. There was only so much discomfort he could take. 

Two fresh beers in hand, he went back to the front room where Ian was still sitting on the couch, face flushed a light pink as he picked at the corner of a cushion. He glanced up when Mickey came back in, muttering a quick thanks when Mickey sat again and passed him the cold beer. 

“So,” Mickey said, tipping his head back against the couch, “Jay. Yeah, he’s, uh, he’s a good guy. Like I said, the guy wandered into the Alibi about six months ago. He’d been drownin’ in the rain while waiting for an Uber. One of our regulars invited him in. Sat at my bar, we got to talking, and, yeah.”

“He seems nice.”

“And normal as fuck.” Mickey doesn’t even realize he’s said it out loud until Ian laughs, long and loud. “Fuck. I just mean-” Mickey said, trying to not sound like the world’s worst boyfriend, “I mean that, compared to other partners I’ve had, he’s pretty normal. Like, he’s got a job in finance. He lives in a house on the northside.”

“Spend a lot of time there?”

“Nah. He mostly comes here. I dunno, it’s weird up there. The life he lived as a kid was really- I dunno.”

“There’s a lot you seem to not know,” Ian pointed out. 

“It’s a different world, y’know? It’s great, don’t get me wrong, but not for me. I don’t fit up there.”

Ian hummed. “Yeah, I do know. He doesn’t seem to mind.”

Mickey snorted and shook his head. “No, he just keeps his trap shut.” Mickey knew Jay wasn’t always comfortable in his world. Of course he knew; it was hard to ignore the way Jay tiptoed around the Gallagher home, or constantly looked to Mickey for reassurance when they were out on the southside. He was trying, though, so Mickey couldn’t really fault him. 

“Doug doesn’t,” Ian grumbled. He stared down at his lap and picked at the fresh label in his hands. “He’s been pretty vocal about what he thinks of this part of Chicago.”

“Not his favorite place?”

Ian laughed. “Not at all. I warned him. We live a very different life in New York than I ever did here. But he still insisted. He’s here for another shoot, and I figured… But now I’m wondering if it wasn’t a good idea.” Ian rubbed his hand against his face nervously. “He’s a good guy. Really, he is. I know it hasn’t really seemed like it, but when it’s just him and me, he’s different. Sweet.”

Mickey had heard that before. Teenaged Mandy was the first person to come to mind; claiming that a guy was good, was different around her, a few days before she would mysteriously gain a new bruise. He always felt like he could call her boyfriends out, though; she was his sister, had been so young, and it was his place to protect her, even from the scum that she brought around. 

But he wasn’t sure if that was his place with Ian, not anymore. Besides, he didn’t know nearly as much about his relationship with Doug. He’d seen them interact once. 

So instead, he admitted, “I’m glad you made the trip.”

“Yeah?” Ian asked, perking up. 

“Yeah.”

A comfortable silence fell over them for a few blissful minutes before Ian cleared his throat. Once again, he was looking around the room and not at Mickey. 

“I’m sorry,” he said again, “for the way we left things. I know-”

“We don’t have to have that conversation.”

“I know, but-”

“Fucks sake, Gallagher. Alright. But I am way too sober for this. Do you still smoke weed?”

Ian offered him a small smile. “Gotta bong?”

[oddlittlestories]

So I just saw a Dexter gifset about him “not having a next level” and the reminder of how his empathy was handled vs. empathy & ethics in Woe.Begone slingshotted me into ✨Meta Brain Space✨ come into my Meta Danger Circle ⭕️

Disclaimer that I haven’t watched Dexter in a WHILE and I don’t remember a lot of specifics. Also I get a bit critical of Dexter here, so if it’s your fave ever, you might just skip this meta post and go listen to Woe.Begone instead bc I think you’ll like it.

Spoilers ahead.

I’ve tagged it too so you can go blacklist it if you don’t want Woe.Begone spoilers from s1e1-4.

Okay okay so Woe.Begone handles empathy in such such such a cool way. The main character, Mike Walters, tells everything in retrospect in a detached manner, describing how he was terrified / sobbing / etc. *at the moment*. It’s actually impossible for me to tell whether this character has low empathy or atypical expression of empathy.

Like when the challenge is to kill a pig:

goddamnit! I don’t wanna kill a pig! I mean, I know, I eat meat, specifically pork, and so I’ve just been outsourcing this exact labor for my whole life. I’m a hypocrite if I’m willing to let suffering happen as long as it’s just outside my eyeline, but f-fuck it! I can be a hypocrite. I’m worse shit than that all the time. I’m a liar, I’m a bad friend, I’m a shitty podcaster. Just throw “hypocrite” on the heap, it’ll fit right in.

This isn’t a perfect example but you can see how he has a detached approach to his own flaws that I’m not sure I’ve ever seen in a character.

In episode 2, he talks about himself. How he is with people.

[Mike:] I’m not always the best guy. I remember on my freshman floor in college, a new friend was on the phone with her parents, and she was talking about everyone she had just met. When she got to me she said,

MIKE [electronic voice effect]: “There’s the dude, Mike. He’s pretty cool. He’s not nice, but…”

MIKE [normal voice]: Woof. I’d like to think that I’ve done some self-reflection since then but have I really? I tend to bulldoze over other people and their needs and problems more than I should. And more than I would like, I would add. I don’t always like myself and I definitely don’t like when I figure out that I’ve done this. So, this could just be my reputation finally catching up with me… Or it could be WOE.BEGONE.

This feels so incredibly ND to me, especially paired with the flat tone he uses in the show (it’s not monotone, in fact it’s quite engaging, but it IS flat, you should listen to it if you haven’t)

And the show REFERENCES DEXTER. When Mike cuts off his own arm, he puts up plastic sheeting, because his main real reference for the brutal gory IS Dexter.

He decides to do horrible things for the sake of the game bc he decides he wants to win. He reminds himself that a person’s life is more important than feeling embarrassed.

And he goes on a (gentle) rant about how Dexter is a ridiculous show and the only reason he doesn’t get caught is because the PD in the show is ridiculously incompetent.

But having a show make deliberate parallels between Dexter and the MC by making the MC reference the show (even if not referring to the character). And it’s a show ABOUT a clearly ND person, possibly low empathy, deliberately making both ethical and unethical decisions (by his own framework). HOLY MOLY IT’S GIVING ME THE BRAINROT

Mike unpacks the ethics around half the things he chooses to do. He cares about other people but sometimes verbally logics himself into empathy (in a way that’s often unclear to me—is he speaking that way because he doesn’t know how else to express what he feels? Or because he doesn’t feel it and has to logic himself to the moral decision?)

In some ways you could almost read Woe.Begone as a counter to Dexter. Because Dexter, too, does terrible things with (usually) an ethical framework. He explicitly lacks empathy. He’s handed the moral framework and the narrative pretty much uncritically says “he was always going to be a serial killer. so what was he going to do with that?”

And in Woe.Begone, Mike’s motives are complex. Messy. A little bit of empathy here. Curiosity there. Desire for power in the corner. Fear of consequences looming over him. He wasn’t always going to do Woe.Begone. He makes a deliberate decision. Both for every challenge he completes (as far as I know, I only just finished episode 4). And for the game as a whole. And it’s not about being good, and he claims he’s actually a kind of shitty person. And yet to me he feels like a better person than Dexter so far. Or, at least, less hollow. Filled to the brim with his own internal world.

I’d have to rewatch some Dexter to do a full cross-comparison meta, and I might. But I’m absolutely fascinated by what feels like deliberate narrative comparisons here as Dylan Griggs writes more or less a death game about what I read as a low/atypical empathy character.

[loverontheleft]

Strip Poker (revised)

Original request: ooo I have a suggestion. So what if b is hosting like a poker night or some sort of game night with his guy friends and the reader is bored watching so she pulls up a chair beside him and then starts messing with him under the table and gives him a hand job? Haha sorry if that’s stupid - O DAMN BUT WHAT IF poker turns into (totally consensual, all parties very much cool with it) strip poker which just makes b hot because he knows he’s the only one who actually gets to touch you, his friends might get to look at you, might even fantasize about you, but it’s his bed you’re in, and goddamn if he doesn’t wanna flaunt that fact occasionally

Brendon x reader.

Warnings: language, dirty talk, arguably public sex, voyeurism, sex.

Word count: 3.8k➡️8.6k

-||-

You’ve had a very long day shopping with your sister and her children at the mall, and while you love them, they’ve exhausted you. All you want now is to curl up in Brendon’s arms. He’s wonderful at taking your stress away just with his presence, plus you love his hands on your body. The way he strokes your hair, caresses your waist and holds you close, or just spoons you on your couch makes any tension melt away.

You can picture your evening now: the two of you intertwined on the couch, Sinatra playing in the background, a bottle of wine and whatever he’s made for dinner on the coffee table, and the way his kisses turn more urgent and his whispers more suggestive before he takes you to bed. You can practically feel his soft tongue working between your thighs and his hands all over you; Brendon gets you so hot and desperate for him, but he always delivers.

“Brendon, love, you home?” You enter your home from the garage, drop your purse on the kitchen island, and listen, head cocked to the side. Your gaze shifts; through the kitchen window, you can see that his car is in the circular driveway behind the house, along with several cars belonging to his friends. You can hear a low rumble of chatter from downstairs now, and you remember: Brendon’s hosting a game night in the lounge of your newly remodeled basement.

It’s a huge space; what used to be one massive unfinished area has been renovated into multiple rooms. The stairwell opens into the lounge and game room, which in turn connects to the hallway with its multiple doors: there’s the theater with a fully stocked wet bar and walk-in wine fridge, three guest suites, a soundproofed recording studio and office space, and, behind a double-locked door in the studio, is the only room that isn’t quite done yet—what Brendon playfully calls your sex dungeon.

It’s a dark, luxurious space, and while you both agree you didn’t really need a separate area designated for sex—because you regularly fuck all over the house—it’s still nice to have an ultra-private retreat that’s dedicated to each other’s pleasure. With the walk-in closet’s shelves for toys and accessories installed yesterday, you can finally start unpacking the dozens of packages strewn across the floor and actually organize the space. Brendon insisted on stocking the room with duplicates of all your favorite things, mostly because he didn’t want either of you to be searching for something, only to realize it was two floors away in your bedroom. Nothing, he’d said, would kill the mood more than pausing to walk up, and then back down, two flights of stairs.

The only thing that’s left to add is the furniture; the rope rigging is arriving in the next few days, and the bondage-friendly headboard and frame should be here within a week. Meanwhile, the California king mattress and box spring are on the floor, waiting more patiently than you. You’ve told him that he needs to be stretched and hydrated whenever the bed is officially assembled, because you will be dragging him to it and keeping him there for many orgasms. You’ve been fantasizing about being cuffed to the headboard while Brendon works you over with a paddle, and you know he’s game to act out any scenario you suggest once the bed is ready.

“B,” you call as you head down the stairs, beaming when you find your husband, Spencer, Zack, Jake, and Dallon gathered around the card table in the lounge. Brendon has a deck of cards in hand, and there’s several empty beer bottles on the table.

Brendon’s eyes light up when he sees you. “Hi, sweetness! You’re home!” He beckons you over, but quickly abandons the cards to meet you halfway as you cross the room. He scoops you up as you fling your arms around his neck; his hands curve under your thighs, and he kisses you longingly. You cling to him, wrapping your legs around his waist and squealing a little when he moves to settle back in his chair with you in his lap.

“I’ve got you, my love. Don’t worry. So happy my sweet girl’s home,” he murmurs against your lips. You love when he holds you and uses his petnames for you around others; it’s just one of the ways he makes you feel special and brings a little intimacy to everything he does.

Once he’s seated comfortably with you straddling him, he kisses you deeply, his hands framing your face and tongue teasing yours, and you both ignore the reactions of his friends. They’re used to how affectionate you two are, and you’re used to their over-the-top responses. They always tease that you two are shameless, while Brendon always retorts that you’ve got no reason to be ashamed.

When he pulls away now, he strokes a thumb over your cheek tenderly while his eyes meet yours. “Damn, you are so beautiful, sweetheart. You had a good day? It’s late—did you all get lunch out? I’ll make dinner later if you’re not too hungry now. Or we can order in. Whatever you’re feeling. How’s your sister? The kids?”

You fill him in on your day, and he leans over to kiss you again, just as intently. “Sorry to pepper you with all the questions. I missed you today, babydoll. Now that this tour has been announced, I feel like I’ve got to take advantage of every moment I’ve got with you. Love you so much.”

You murmur it back to him, resting your head on his shoulder. “I’m glad you’re all breaking in the game table.” You turn to eye the pile of chips. “Poker?”

“We just now started another game. You want me to deal you in?”

“No, that’s okay; thank you though.” You snuggle in closer. You’d wanted alone time with him, but he’s great at making you feel special even in a crowded room, and you get along well with the guys. It’s a change from your anticipated evening, but not a bad one. And after all, they’ll go home eventually, so you can use this time now to work Brendon into a horny mess—you know he won’t mind. “I’ll just watch for now. You need another beer?” You twist in his lap to glance around the table. “Anyone need one?” The guys look at Brendon, and Brendon shrugs.

“If you’re buying.” He grins and swats your ass when you hop off of his lap, making you shriek with delight as you head for the small kitchen in the corner of the lounge.

“My love, I’ll always ‘buy’ for you.” You crack open the fridge, grab five bottles and return to place them squarely in the center of the table for everyone to grab. “As long as we keep the fridge stocked. But the next round will require a trip to the full bar in the theater, because this fridge is now empty. We should really think about putting a full bar in here too.”

Brendon murmurs that he’ll get the next round and talk to the contractor tomorrow, and then he pulls you down into his lap again, one arm draped over your waist with his other hand holding the cold bottle. You settle back against him happily as he kisses your cheek, but then realize you might be blocking his view. “Will you be able to play with me on top of you? I can pull up a chair,” you offer, and Brendon reluctantly nods.

“That’s probably a good idea,” he sighs. “As much as I love having you on top of me and in my lap, playing will require my full focus. I fear having you on me will draw my attention elsewhere, making me crave a different game—one for just me and my pretty girl.” He nuzzles your neck with this comment while his fingers stroke your waist.

Zack groans under his breath at the innuendo, and you grin, standing to grab another chair and dragging it to Brendon’s side. You might not need to do too much work to get him where you want him; his mind seems to be headed there already. “Oh, we’ll play later, don’t you worry. I’ll try not to be too distracting for now though,” you promise, leaning your head on his shoulder and resting your hand on his thigh.

-||-

“Shit,” Brendon groans, and Spencer chuckles, leaning forward to drag the pile of chips towards him. “I really thought that was a good hand.”

“It was a good hand,” Spencer concedes. “Mine was just better.”

“Fair enough.”

You rub your husband’s upper thigh soothingly. Zack and Dallon both folded in the second round, while Jake and Brendon both pressed onward enthusiastically, only to fall short of Spencer’s straight flush.

“Sweet baby, that feels so good,” Brendon murmurs against your hair as he turns to kiss the top of your head. You smile, slipping your hand up higher, pinky pressing along his zipper. You know he can feel it, because he inhales sharply, coughing to cover it up.

“Just doing my wifely duty to cheer you up,” you reply softly, eyes closed as you move closer and adjust your hand to cup him fully. He knows how much you like to tease, and you know how much he likes you to tease him. “Is it working?”

“Oh baby, you know it is. Alright, Dallon,” he sighs. “Deal.”

-||-

“Read it and weep, boys; read it and weep,” Brendon declares, showing his hand, and the others swear as they realize he’s got a royal flush. “You,” he declares, pulling you in for a long kiss, “are my good luck charm.”

You grin against his mouth. “So now would be a bad time to ask to be dealt in?”

He groans, and you laugh, speaking quickly to reassure him. “I’m just kidding; I’m happy to stay arm candy and your good luck charm.”

He shakes his head with a smile. “You’re so much more than just arm candy or a lucky charm. And you’re more than welcome to play. Double our odds of winning.” You nod, standing to retrieve another round of beers for the table, and you’re considering a glass of wine for yourself.

“Wait,” Brendon protests, standing after you and catching your hand. Your fingers now interlocked, he pulls you close. “I said I’d get the next round.” He seems to read your mind, because he adds, “and I’ll get you a glass of wine, doll. That case of the 2011 Malbec you like so much was delivered earlier. But feel free to walk with me; I love your company, and I’ll need help carrying everything.”

You give him a quizzical look, because you have no idea what wine he’s talking about. Instead of giving any clarification though, Brendon just wraps an arm around your waist as he walks you out of view of the table and down the hall.

In the back of the darkened theater, he grabs you by the hips, lifts you easily up onto the bar counter, presses a quick kiss to your lips, and then whirls around to grab more beer from the fridge. “Don’t move, babydoll. I’ll be right back. Let me just get them their beers first, so they don’t come looking and interrupt us.”

“Interrupt us?”

Instead of replying, Brendon winks at you and disappears back to the lounge where the guys are waiting. When he returns moments later, he moves with purpose towards you and captures your mouth in a deep, heated kiss.

“Thank god this is what you meant,” you moan, wrapping your legs around his waist and grinding against his growing erection. “Need you, B. Missed you so much today. I fucking need my man. You promise they won’t interrupt?”

His hands are in your hair, his tongue is exploring your mouth, and he groans your name when you scratch at his back longingly, begging for his fingers. “They won’t interrupt if we don’t take too long, so we don’t have much time,” Brendon murmurs, sliding a hand down the front of your leggings. “My best girl, always so damn wet for me.”

“Always,” you whimper, rubbing against his fingers desperately. “God, I’ve needed this so badly. Want to come all over your hand, fuck!”

Brendon nods and curls his fingers, smiling into the kiss when you whine. “That’s it, baby. All over my hand. Grind on your husband’s fingers; let me feel your pussy when you come for me. You gonna come on my fingers, all hot and wet? Wish I could lick and suck your clit, get you coming on my face and tongue, but—shit, you like that? Can feel how wet that made you. Yeah, you love the dirty talk, don’t you? Be my dirty girl and come on my fingers; let me lick them clean. Want to taste my girl.”

He hisses in a blend of pleasure and pain; you’ve dragged your nails down his back and are biting at his lower lip as you come. You’d apologize, but you know he loves the pain. Your thighs are tense around his hand, and you’re trembling from the way Brendon’s got his fingers still curled and flexing. When you finally go limp and are left clinging to him, Brendon slips his hand from your panties and slides two fingers into his mouth. He winks at you playfully as he shows you his tongue twisting around them, and you groan, scratching at his chest.

“That’s not fair,” you whine, making him laugh. “Don’t tease. My underwear is already soaked.”

Brendon raises one eyebrow, but chooses to say nothing as he finishes sucking his fingers clean. Instead, he helps you slide off the bar and holds you close for a long moment. You relish his warmth and the firm pressure of his body against yours; you’re already fantasizing about getting him alone after the guys leave.

He seems to share your thoughts, pressing his lips to your temple and promising you can have him soon. His hips rock forward a little, letting you feel how hard he is for you. “Soon,” he repeats. With that, he adjusts his erection in an attempt to hide it a bit better, ducks into the walk-in wine cellar, grabs a bottle to pour you a large glass of wine, and leads you back to the lounge.

-||-

You eye the pair of cards you’ve been dealt and consider, glancing at the three community cards. “Call,” you finally declare, nodding at Brendon, and he looks at you with interest as your other hand slips over the bulge in his jeans. He pushes more chips into the center for you, and Jake raises his eyebrows.

“Why are you handling all the chips, Brendon? It’s your wife’s bet.”

Brendon grins, saying nothing; his hips rock ever so slightly when you squeeze. “Y’all are probably being gross. We should do a hand check,” Jake muses and calls as well. You wonder if he has any idea of how right he is. They can all almost certainly see your arm disappearing under the table at an angle, clearly reaching toward Brendon’s lap. One thing you don’t miss about touring is the spontaneous ‘hand checks’ the band implements for you two; the ones that inevitably mean Brendon slipping his fingers from you or you releasing his cock during movie nights and any other group activities on the bus where you can get cuddled up together under a blanket. Fortunately, Jake seems to be kidding for now.

Zack calls too before standing to go to the bathroom, and you know now is your chance. Once the toilet flushes, you quickly unzip Brendon’s jeans under cover of the sound. He glances over at you, and you smile innocently, wrapping your hand around his length through his boxers. Brendon’s hips raise ever so slightly; you can tell he’s enjoying your touch.

Spencer deals the final community card, making you laugh merrily. “That’s a little scary,” Dallon comments, and you give him a wide grin. “That’s not helping. Okay; two pairs,” he states, sounding only somewhat confident.

Jake tips his cards. “Three of a kind.”

Zack laughs grimly. “Three of a kind.”

Brendon looks at you, and you look back; your fingers tighten a little, and you raise an eyebrow. He caves. “Flush.”

You smirk, stroking a hand over his cock to ease the blow. “Four of a kind, gentlemen.”

-||-

At Brendon’s nod, Zack has made a trip to the bar and returned with a large bottle of Jack Daniels and a single can of Coke. That round of strong drinks, plus your glass of wine and the men’s multiple beers, means you’re all more than a little tipsy. Brendon is leaning back in his seat; you’ve worked your hand into his boxers and are stroking a little faster. It’s probably the liquor’s influence, but you’re not worried about the rest of them seeing anything. Honestly, they’ve all been on tour with Brendon, which means, even with their hand checks, they’ve seen much dirtier behavior from you two than a handjob under a table.

Jake and Dallon once found the two of you contorted around each other in an empty storage closet, Brendon’s hand down your leggings as he loudly encouraged you to come on his fingers.

You’re positive they also witnessed The Germany Incident, in which Brendon had been laying naked on a green room couch with you, also naked, reclining against his chest in his arms and on his cock. He’d been fucking you with deep, urgent thrusts; you had your head tipped back to rest on his shoulder while he used one hand to tease your breasts and had the other stroking over your clit while he worked his cock into your wet cunt from beneath you.

You can still hear his voice, telling you to use your man, use his cock, come all over it, all over him, just let go, really soak him and the couch. He’d pinched a nipple then with wet fingers, making you squeal and cling to his arms. It only became an ‘Incident’ with a capital ‘I’ because you’d come hard and promptly lost consciousness—you later blamed the intensity of the orgasm, but also sleep deprivation from travel, plus some mild dehydration.

At the time though, Brendon had naturally freaked out when you went limp on top of him after shrieking his name, and—according to Brendon’s recollection of the Incident—Jake and Dallon had been there almost immediately to help get water, ice packs, and whatever else Brendon could think of—before he’d even had a chance to call for help.

When you’d regained consciousness, you were laid out on the couch, still naked but covered in a fleece blanket from the merch table with an ice pack wrapped in a t-shirt on your forehead. Brendon had tugged on sweatpants and was seated on the floor by your head stroking your hair, and Jake and Dallon hovered in the background. For the rest of the tour, neither could look at you without flushing deep red.

In hindsight, Brendon admitted, they’d probably been watching from the cracked doorway that had a direct line of sight to the couch. This had made you laugh; you’d kissed him hard and agreed that seeing you sprawled on top of him, legs spread wide while he fucked you desperately, noisily from underneath almost certainly had something to do with their awkward behavior.

As for Spencer, he'd walked in on Brendon eating you out in a dressing room post-show. You’d dragged your husband back there, begging for his tongue, and he’d dropped to his knees without hesitation. Leaning against the wall and hitching your dress up, you rolled your hips forward; Brendon had taken the invitation readily. The tip of his tongue on your clit with two fingers thrusting and spreading and curling in you had driven you wild.

You hadn’t seen him in six weeks at that point, and you were climbing the walls with desire. He’d been on edge too: you heard the zipper of his pants followed by the urgent sound of his hand stroking over his cock. Your eyes were closed in bliss, one hand cradling his head as he worked his tongue over you, and the other reaching down to spread yourself for him with two fingers.

Your eyes were still squeezed shut as you came with a sharp cry, your hips bucking and back arched off the wall; Brendon, his face still buried in your pussy and tongue moving frantically, let out a desperate groan that told you he’d just come all over his hand. At that exact moment, you heard the door open, followed by a low swear and the door slamming shut again. The only way you and Brendon knew it’d been Spencer was the set of drumsticks on the floor.

You can’t even pick the filthiest moment Zack has witnessed in your relationship. He’s found you both in various and complete states of undress in bus bunks, hotel rooms, showers, dressing rooms, elevators, cars, and, on one memorable occasion, an inflated lifeboat on a friend’s yacht.

Brendon had been on top of you, his swimsuit tugged down in the front just enough to get his cock out, and he’d pulled your bikini bottoms to the side so he could fill you. You can still hear the urgent squeak of the rubber and Brendon panting over you, telling you how badly he needed to feel you come for him. His low groan in your ear after you came and he finally spilled into you is still one of your favorite sounds. You didn’t love hearing Zack swear when he came around the corner and then mutter, “you fucking perverts,” but Brendon laughing in that exhausted, post-orgasm way of his and rolling off of you to bury his face in your neck is always fantastic, no matter the circumstances.

Now though, here in your basement, they all might get a live and up-close viewing of Brendon coming all over your hand. It’s not ideal, but you have no intention of stopping, of leaving your husband throbbing and in need of release. Brendon bites his lip, and you’re not sure if he’s close or if he’s just reacting to the newest community card. His hips are twitching though, and he’s giving you a long look, as if to ask, ‘how?,’ and also, just as important, ‘where?’

These are things you hadn’t considered when you started this little tease. You really can’t make him come like this; he’s wearing a dark shirt, and the way he’s slightly sunken down in his chair means he’d definitely come all over his chest. You’re pretty sure it has to be in your mouth. Not that you mind—you love swallowing for him. It’s just the logistics of your current situation.

You briefly consider dropping your phone and crawling under the table to let him finish in your mouth, but there’s a few problems with that. It would probably take too long, Brendon probably wouldn’t be able to keep silent, he definitely wouldn’t be able to maintain a neutral face, and it would just generally arouse his friends’ suspicions. Although, and you glance around the table, you can get rid of them temporarily by appealing to their stomachs.

“Jake, I got that French onion dip you really liked,” you say, trying to control your voice. “You and Dallon should head upstairs and get it. I’m too tipsy to try the stairs.” They nod and stand, and you smile to yourself.

“Zack,” Brendon mumbles, his eyes locked on yours, “will you show Spencer the list of new tour locations? They’ve added a few since we last talked. The complete schedule is in my office.” Zack gives him a confused look but nods, and he and Spencer head down the hallway to Brendon’s office and studio.

As their footsteps fade, you slip out of your chair and under the table. Brendon shoves his jeans and boxers down his thighs, groaning and coming the moment your mouth closes over him. “Jesus fuck, that’s it; swallow for me, babydoll,” he grunts, both hands in your hair as you suck greedily; your head is bobbing as you take him deeper and swallow happily. “This is exactly what I needed; goddamn, my gorgeous wife sucking my cock—making me come, yes, that’s it, swallow, honey—fuck, you make me come so hard; that’s all for you—my cock is all for you, it’s all fucking yours. God, you’d better believe I’m gonna eat your pussy later til you’re screaming my name; I need to get your sweet cunt all over my face before I fuck you the way you deserve.”

You can feel his hips tense as he finishes—he’s fighting the urge to thrust in between your lips. Normally you’d gladly let him fuck your mouth since that’s a good way for him to get hard again, but you both know you just don’t have the time. The guys could be back any moment.

Instead, Brendon’s petting your hair and breathing hard; you’re still between his legs, tongue softly licking him clean and your hand stroking his length gently when you hear footsteps.

“Shit,” you hiss, pulling off of him. Zack and Spencer come back just as Dallon and Jake come downstairs with bowls of chips and dip. You crawl out from under the table while Brendon tries to catch his breath. His friends stare between you down on your knees and Brendon, with his head tipped back, his eyes closed, face flushed, and his lips slightly parted. In your mind, it’s pretty obvious what’s just happened, but your pride requires an attempt at a coverup. “I dropped my phone,” you offer casually, wiping at your lower lip with your thumb.

“It’s on the table,” Zack points out dryly, and you shrug.

“Whoops. I’m drunker than I thought. Could’ve sworn I dropped it.”

“Where were we?” Brendon asks the question loudly to distract the group, and they settle back in their chairs, picking up their cards. “Spencer, I think it’s your turn to act on this round.”

He folds, and Zack deals the last card. It’s your turn; you fold. Brendon and Jake eye each other. Brendon ultimately folds too, and Jake turns his attention to Zack, who tips his hand. Three of a kind. Jake sighs and shoves the pile of poker chips to Zack before downing the rest of his drink. You stand and grab the bottle of whiskey, refilling the drinks in front of each of you.

-||-

“Dammit,” You swear as Brendon flips the fourth card. “Shouldn’t have folded.”

Brendon grins and eyes you. “You know,” he drawls, “you can get back in. For a price.” You arch an eyebrow, and he laughs. “Piece of clothing…or a truth. No dares when we’re this tipsy.”

Jake leans forward, rubbing his hands. “Strip poker; excellent.”

Zack snorts, while Dallon sits back in his chair and says nothing, but his eyes are bright. Spencer nudges Jake hard and looks between you and Brendon, who shakes his head a little, clearly amused by the silent conversation happening between the guys.

“I’m not opposed,” Spencer finally says. “I just don’t want…anyone to feel uncomfortable.” He’s clearly offering this to you; Dallon and Zack agree. You shrug, telling Brendon he plays dirty while tugging your hair tie out and freeing your ponytail.

He leans over and ruffles your hair affectionately. “You love when we get dirty together, doll. The hair tie will work to get back in for this round, but just know that if you lose…you owe another piece.” He looks at the rest of the group. “Are we doing all losers or just the lowest hand?”

You scoff. “All losers.”

Zack laughs. “You’re feeling confident, aren’t you?” You nod smugly as Brendon flips the fifth card. Spencer doesn’t react, Jake calls, you call, and Dallon and Zack both check. Brendon studies his hand, your face, and the community cards before calling as well.

Dallon and Zack both have two pairs, while Spencer sits comfortably with his three of a kind. Jake reveals his flush and you grin, showing off your full house. Brendon shakes his head with a smile. “Sorry, sweetness.”

He drops his cards to show his four of a kind. “You can take the truth if you want,” he offers casually, and you glance at him.

“Do you want me to take the truth?” You’re pretty sure you know the answer, but Brendon appears to consider the question as he takes a long sip of his drink.

“If you’re comfortable stripping, then I’m comfortable with you stripping.” He looks at you meaningfully as he sets the glass down, and you nod. You knew he’d say that. What’s left unspoken is that he knows his friends won’t be able to keep their eyes off of you; you both know that the possessive part of him loves when others can’t stop staring at you.

You both also know it’s a little backward, but you love knowing that they’ll look at you, think about you, and even want you —yet, ultimately, everyone at this table understands he’s the only one you’ll take to bed; he’s the only one you’ll ever want. You pull your cardigan off, letting it hit the floor.

The other guys are more modest and each sacrifice a sock, and you roll your eyes. “You’re all lame.”

Brendon laughs, leaning back in his seat. “They’re just starting slow because they know it’s gonna get a whole lot worse for them. Like you with that hair tie.” He throws a glance at you. “But someone feels confident—going right for the cardigan, hmmm?”

You nod, accepting the two cards you’re dealt and wait patiently.

-||-

“Take it off, baby!” You giggle, helping Brendon get his shirt off before standing and wriggling out of your tank top to reveal your blue lace push-up bra. If the guys notice Brendon’s jeans are still unzipped and half-open from your interlude under the table, they don’t comment on it.

“I don’t even mind losing, because you’re getting naked with me,” you say, reaching out to stroke his bare chest while he traces a finger over your bra strap.

“Gross,” Zack deadpans, crossing his arms. He’s won this round, while Jake has lost his other sock at this point, Spencer too, and the rest of you are shirtless. Brendon is gazing at you steadily over the edge of his drink, and you wonder what he’s thinking. Fortunately, you don’t have to wait long.

He sets his drink down and turns to Zack. “You’re just jealous,” Brendon tells him with a smile, and Zack grins, shaking his head. “You don’t have to admit it; I already know. Everything my wife brings to the table and she looks like this? Fuck, just look at my girl. We don’t mind you guys looking. How could you resist? She’s fucking gorgeous.”

You stretch and preen under Brendon’s praise, and he watches you hungrily. “Yeah,” you murmur, “you can look all you want—just remember I’m all his.”

Brendon finishes your sentence. “And more importantly, I’m all hers, which makes me the luckiest guy at this table.”

He beckons you into his lap, cupping your face as you straddle him. “I can’t even say I lost this last round when you’re on me like this,” he murmurs while he draws you in for a deep kiss. You return the kiss eagerly, moaning into his mouth when his fingers start caressing your breasts. “Can’t ever lose when I’ve got my girl half-undressed and on top of me, rubbing against my—shit, guys, go get more beer. I need a minute with my wife.”

“Only one minute?” Dallon teases in a slightly strained voice, but Brendon is already kissing you again, one hand working its way into your bra and the other grabbing at your ass to keep you moving on top of him.

“Go away,” you moan, grinding down against Brendon urgently while flinging a hand at Dallon and the rest of them. “Go get beer or something, and then count to three hundred.”

“You heard the lady,” Brendon mumbles, rocking his hips up to press his cock into you. “My wife needs five minutes with me.”

You hear their chairs push back, and you rise up high onto your knees above Brendon’s lap once they’re gone.

“You’ve got me alone for the next five minutes. Now what?”

“Now I make my girl come.”

Brendon slides a hand down the front of your leggings. “Fuck, your panties match this bra, don’t they? Can feel the soft lace; wanna get you out of them with my teeth and then lick your clit until you come on my tongue.”

“We have like four minutes left,” you murmur, rocking back and forth on his hand urgently. “You know I want you to eat me out, but we’re running out of time.”

“Grind on my cock then, babydoll; come on your man, get off from rubbing your wet pussy all over me. God, but what I wouldn’t do to get my cock in your perfect cunt right now and feel you lose control.”

He slips his fingers from you; you’re moaning loudly into the embrace, tugging at his hair, and pressing down onto his cock throbbing under you. It feels so good, but you both know that in order to come the way you both want to come, you need to really ride him. “Need you in me,” you groan, and Brendon nods desperately, telling you to do it, take whatever you need, he’s yours. His jeans are still open from earlier; it’s easy to grasp his cock and pull him free. You consider just shoving your leggings down slightly, but you know you won’t be able to straddle him as long as you’re dressed. Instead, you slide your leggings and underwear off fully.

Finally, you spread your legs over him again and, grabbing his cock to press it against your pussy, you sink down onto him. You gasp, tossing your head back as you take him inside you, whining as you settle in his lap. You can feel every inch of his cock, and it’s creating the perfect amount of pressure. Moving urgently, desperately, you grip his shoulders. “Bren, tell me—”

“Fuck yes; you’re so damn hot. That’s it, ride my cock, you’re my best, dirtiest—”

He’s cut off by Dallon yelling from down the hall that you have two minutes left.

You’re both breathing hard. “Running out of time,” Brendon groans. “Come for me, baby. Come all over my cock.” Order given, Brendon buries his face in your cleavage, licking and suckling at the exposed skin. You know you both need more, so you abandon his shoulders to shove your bra cups down. Your nipples now exposed, you gasp happily when he closes his mouth over one and starts rolling it with his tongue.

“I’m gonna fucking come,” you whine, grinding down against the base of his cock while he thrusts up into you. “Shit I’m close; right there, give it to me just like—give me your cock, yes, Brendon yes! Fuck me, oh shit, oh fuck I’m—Bren, now!”

He sucks hard at your nipple, and you shriek, tugging his hair and riding out your climax.

“Oh fuck,” you groan, still moving on him as you come back to full awareness. “God, you’re so hard—you gonna come in me, B?”

“Could,” Brendon grunts, gripping your ass with both hands. “Just need—fuck, a little bit more t—”

“Time’s up,” Zack yells, and you both groan. Brendon rests his forehead against yours and lifts you off of his cock. You make a small sound of protest, but you know it’s no use. Brendon gives you a longing look, and you know he’s just as disappointed as you are. You love when your husband makes you come, but you’d always rather come together. “Fix your clothes, you freaks,” Zack adds. “We’re coming back.”

Exhausted, you guide your bra back into place, slide out of Brendon’s lap, and tug your underwear and leggings on. Before you can get both up over your hips, Brendon slips a hand down between your thighs and moans low in the back of his throat. He loves feeling you after you’ve come for him, loves getting you sprawled out in bed so he can explore your body and see all the different reactions he can coax from you post-orgasm. You both know Zack means it though, and you don’t have the time.

Brendon pulls his hand back, you get your clothes back on, and you curl into his side, nuzzling his bare shoulder. He drapes an arm around you, kissing the top of your head affectionately. “To be continued, sweet baby,” Brendon promises in a low voice before sucking his fingers clean.

The guys walk back in, and Brendon gives them a not-entirely-playfully dirty look. “You guys are the worst. Not even a little grace period?”

They pile back into their chairs, and Dallon shrugs. “She came, didn’t she? What else was there to do?”

You roll your eyes and lean on Brendon’s shoulder, fingers grazing over his cock slowly. You love the way he throbs at your touch. “She could’ve gotten her husband off too,” you tell Dallon, who mimes gagging. “He was close, and you all cock-blocked him. But I’ll take care of my man later. Now,” and you direct this at Spencer, “it’s your turn to deal.”

-||-

You glance at the two cards on the table and wait. You don’t really want to fold, but you don’t have a good feeling. Sure enough, you end up with one pair; you sigh, going for the waistband of your leggings. Brendon’s eyes flit between your face and the delta of your thighs, and it dawns on you.

You can feel how wet your lace panties are, which means the guys would probably see how wet you are through them. That’s a little more than you want them to get right now. You make the decision. “I think I’ll opt to answer a question. Does Spencer get to ask it because he won this round?”

Spencer glances around the table, unsure of what to ask. “I yield the floor,” he jokes, and Dallon leans forward to claim the question.

“What were you really doing under the table when we came back downstairs with the snacks? We know you didn’t drop your phone.”

You exchange looks with Brendon, who just grins and shrugs a little. You take it as permission. “Sucking my husband’s cock,” you say casually, and Jake chokes on his drink. Brendon starts laughing, and Dallon points out that Brendon didn’t actually need to come during your five-minute interlude earlier, since you’d already gotten him off.

“I knew it,” Zack says triumphantly, prompting questioning looks from both you and Brendon. “I mean, I suspected. I didn’t know for sure, obviously. Although you did crawl out from under the table, wiping your mouth with that smug smile.”

Brendon keeps laughing and pulls you closer. “I need another, stronger drink,” you tell him, and he nods decisively. “Shots. Tequila, probably,” you add, and he grins, gesturing for everyone to follow him to the bar.

Once in the theater, he situates himself behind the bar, grabbing a selection of shot glasses, a bottle of tequila, and pouring across the glasses.

“Come and get ‘em,” he announces, and everyone reaches for one. The tequila leaves a warm trail down your throat, and you each set your glass down in front of Brendon. “Another?”

When you all nod, he fills them and his own again. You reach for yours, and he shakes his head. “No ma’am,” he says with a teasing finger wag. There’s a longing look in his eyes, and you think you know where his head is at. “You have to earn your second one. Hop up.”

You know exactly what he wants, and you love it. Doing body shots off of each other reminds you of being on tour with him in the early days: sneaking around, fucking in dressing rooms, and generally partying without any care for the consequences. Just as in love, just as wild about each other, but even more uninhibited and reckless in the best ways.

You accept his hand and lay yourself flat out on the bar, smiling up at him. His eyes roam over your body. “Jesus,” he sighs, taking you in with hungry eyes. “You’re so damn pretty, doll. I’m so fucking lucky to be yours.” With that, he reaches for your waist, and you know what’s coming next. If he’s okay with it, you are too. You both like showing off.

Brendon guides your leggings down, revealing your very wet underwear. You glance around the room in amusement. It’s just like being on tour: Zack and Spencer are taking another shot and studying the ceiling, clearly trying not to notice the way your leggings hit the floor, while Jake and Dallon are both openly watching Brendon’s fingers tease your skin.

“Don’t move,” Brendon warns you now, moving the waistband of your underwear down just a little to lick the newly exposed skin between your hip bones.

“Fuck, I love your mouth,” you whisper, squirming. Brendon winks, grabs the salt shaker, and sprinkles the coarse salt onto you, nodding decisively when it sticks to the wet path he’s left with his tongue. You reach down to your side for a lime wedge, placing it between your teeth.

“Don’t shiver and make a mess.” He maintains eye contact with you as he pours the shot onto your stomach.

“Fuck,” you hiss, and his tongue scoops up the salt, his lips suck up the tequila, and his teeth snap at the lime, sucking hard to tug it out of your mouth. Lime sucked and discarded, Brendon’s lips are back on yours, and he’s kissing you desperately. The combined taste of residual tequila and Brendon’s mouth has your head spinning.

“You earned your second shot,” he murmurs, but you’re not interested in just taking the shot.

“Let me take it off you,” you beg, sliding your legs to the side and finding your footing. Brendon grins, tucking your full shot glass into the waistband of his jeans while leaning against the bar.

“Should’ve known my baby would’ve wanted to get her mouth on me.”

“Damn right.” You lick greedily at his collarbone, pour the salt, and pop the lime wedge in his mouth. “You ready?” You hope he is, because you’re ready to make a scene. The two of you perfected the upright body shot during his Vices tour, and even though it’s been a few years, you know you’ve still got it. Even Zack and Spencer are watching you closely now.

Brendon nods, and you run your tongue back over his collarbone before moving down his body, lips closing over the shot glass and pulling it out of his pants, knocking your head back sharply to take the shot. You drop to your knees in front of him and, finally using your hands, set the glass aside. For the last step, you grab his waistband to bring him to his knees too, so you can seize the lime from his mouth.

“Well shit,” Jake breathes, and Brendon laughs, tugging you close and kissing you deeply. He rocks back off his knees and sits, his fingers running through your hair, and you need him.

“More,” you insist, crawling into his lap, rubbing against him. His hard cock is pressing into you through his jeans, and grinding on him in just your underwear is creating amazing friction. “Get your pants off entirely, B. Let me ride you again, get you coming in my hot, wet cu—”

“Audience,” Spencer interrupts, and you groan, pulling your mouth back.

Brendon is breathing hard, eyes dark and locked on you. “I’m gonna kick our audience out so I can fuck you,” he tells you, ignoring the fact that your audience is present and listening. “Poker night is over; I’ll see you guys later,” he mumbles in their direction without breaking his gaze with you, and they head for the stairs.

“Make good choices,” Zack calls, and Brendon flips him off without looking as he kisses you again.

“Once they’re out of here, you’re mine,” he tells you, and you rock your hips against his.

“I’m always yours,” you remind him and he nods, grasping your hair and tilting your head back gently so he can kiss your neck. “Bren, your mouth feels so good, need you to bite my neck while you fill my cunt; give me all your cum,” you moan, admittedly louder than you intended, and Dallon yells back that they’re still in the house. “Whoops,” you giggle, and Brendon grabs your ass, nipping at your skin.

“Bad girl,” he teases in a low voice. “Letting our friends hear you.” Your eyes flutter closed as his lips move over your neck and down to the swell of your breasts in the push-up lace. “They were so damn turned on by you,” he whispers, running a hand up your side to pinch one of your nipples lightly. “Blowing me under the table, sending them away so you could get off on my cock, letting me lick you all over in front of them, watching you drop to your knees for me…fuck babydoll, they’ll never admit it, but they are so hot for you. Their wives and girlfriends are in for such a good fuck when they get home.”

“God, Brendon…you like your friends getting all horny from me?” You’re murmuring this in his ear as you snake a hand down the front of his boxers. He groans, and you grasp his cock, jerking him off slowly with one hand while the other shoves at his jeans. “You like that, B?”

“Yeah, fucking love it. Love letting them see how goddamn sexy you are, letting them see exactly why I’m so fucking wild about you. Letting them see how I’m wrapped around your finger, completely yours—you’re the only one who gets me, and I’m the only one who gets you.” He moves to your mouth and lets his tongue explore before pulling back. “I don’t quite remember when, except that you were in the bathroom— but Jake leaned over and asked how good of a girl you really are.”

You arch an eyebrow in question, and Brendon smirks. “I told them you let me fuck you any and every day, in any and every way I want, and you don’t just let me; you positively beg for it. You say my name so sweetly when you come and then you plead with me to come in you.” While the possessive part of him loves others getting turned on by you, the possessive part of you loves when he brags about your sex life.

His fingers slip down between your bodies, and he groans when he feels how wet you still are. “And you get so damn wet for me; you really want me to fuck you, yeah?”

“Yeah,” you whisper urgently, bucking against his fingers. “Give it to me, Brendon. Fingers, tongue, cock. Anything, just give it to me.” He brushes a hand over the side of your face.

“And you beg so nicely too,” he comments, rocking up on his knees a little bit to shove his jeans down further, arm tightening around you so you won’t slip backwards. “Slide your panties to the side, honey, and ride my cock, bounce on it like we love.” You obey, body quaking when he’s fully in you. “That’s my best girl,” he groans quietly, unsnapping your bra as you work yourself along his length. “Love watching your tits move while you take my cock.”

“Brendon, you feel so good,” you whimper, and he bites your earlobe. You love being on top, because you can control the exact pace and angle; you can make sure his cock presses right where you want and guarantee you’ll come hard. Plus, the look on his face is always incredible—you love knowing he’s feeling that good just from having you on him. However, sometimes you really want him to take charge and take you.

“Want you to fuck me, B.” He nods, understanding. He curves over you with a hand pressed to the small of your back so you’re lowered gently to the carpet and he’s above you. Your hips are still twitching against his, and he kisses you hard.

“Let me take care of you.” He grabs one of your thighs and lifts it over his hip so he can fill you at a sharper angle. His hair has fallen into his eyes and he flips it out of the way, fucking you quickly with short, rough strokes. “You feel fucking incredible,” Brendon whispers, closing his eyes for a moment, relishing the way you meet his thrusts.

You’re breathing hard, panting, and your fingers are digging into his shoulders. “Incredible,” you echo, desperate for more. “Make me come,” you tell him, eyes wide. “Rub my clit and make me come.”

“Not yet,” he groans, taking both of your hands and pushing them over your head. He’s leaning over you, forehead to forehead, and you arch to kiss him. It’s sloppy and dirty, your tongues teasing and moving together, but neither of you are complaining. “You know,” he pauses to grunt sharply when you contract around him, “fuck, your sweet cunt—you know I like to come together. But I’m so close, babydoll; give me a few more moments, and I’ll come for you.”

“Brendon, I want you to come in me.” The words are plain, and you’ve said them before because you always get the same result. He gasps, his rhythm faltering. “Come in me, just let go and come inside your wife.”

“Jesus Christ,” he hisses, thumb rubbing your clit gently until you grab his hand and apply more pressure. “Oh god, baby, I’m gonna—”

“Fuck Brendon, I—”

“Fuck, fuck, fu—gonna take it all?”

“Yes, fuck yeah, I need it, gimme that hot cum, oh my god, oh— fuck!”

“You want me to give your pussy all my cum? You want it filling your cunt, a hot, slick reminder of who fucks you best?”

“Oh fu—you fuck me best; oh shit, only ever you—god, Bren, fuck my pussy, fuck me, fuck me, fuck me, yes, give it to me, B, fuck! Right th—oh—!”

“Coming,” Brendon finally gasps in your ear, and you let yourself go with a sharp cry as he comes, fast and hot. The heat spreads through you, and you moan, clutching his back and clenching around him. Your entire body is quivering, and his hips move in little spasms as your pussy milks his climax from him.

“I can’t—Jesus, Brendon. I can’t stop— you’re the only one who—makes me come like—” you kiss him, and he lashes his thumb over your clit. “Again; oh God, oh Brendon, baby, yes, yes, yes!”

“That’s my girl,” he whispers against your lips while you thrash under his touch. “I love watching you come,” he tells you and you tremble, coming down from your high. “You’re so beautiful.”

“The same to you,” you say with a grin, your chest heaving as you try to catch your breath while running your hand through his hair. “Love you, Brendon. So much.”

“Love you too, babydoll. So fucking much.” He pulls out of you, groaning your name. “I’m gonna take you upstairs now, and we’re gonna take a hot bath.”

“Mmmmm,” you purr, tracing a finger down his chest. “And then what?”

“Then, tomorrow I’m going to call the contractor to have them add a whirlpool tub to our sex dungeon bathroom so we can clean up and relax there after.”

You raise an eyebrow, and he laughs, gesturing between your bodies. “Want to be able to drag my wife right to the tub after I fill her up with cum and make her soak my cock. Stairs sound miserable.”

“Agreed,” you murmur, clinging to him. “But while you’re on the phone with the—”

“Don’t worry, love,” Brendon whispers against your forehead as he presses a gentle kiss there. “I’ll also mention the full wet bar in the lounge, because that was a great, highly necessary idea. Even if it means we won’t be able to send the guys out of the room or sneak away under the pretense of getting alcohol.”

“No pretense needed. I’ll just tell them I want to ride your dick and I don’t want them to watch, so they need to go amuse themselves in the theatre for ten minutes. As we’ve learned, five isn’t enough.”

Brendon smiles down at you. “My best, dirty girl,” he teases. “So clever. But tonight, after this bath upstairs, I’m going to tease you by licking and sucking every inch of you except your pussy, until you beg for my tongue. And then, I’ll eat you out til you can’t say anything but my name. Once I’ve made you come a few times with my mouth and we’ve made out with the sweet taste of your cunt on my tongue, I’m gonna get you on your hands and knees, so I can give you my cock from behind, just like you like it.”

You whimper, clinging to him and nodding. Brendon strokes a hand over your hair, murmuring, “I know you love feeling me fill you like that, slamming my hips into your ass, working my cock deep into you, rubbing your clit with two fingers and making you lose control.” His soft voice is a contrast to the explicit words, and you love it. “What do you think of my plan, pretty girl?”

“I think you’re the smartest, sexiest, best man I could ever ask for, and I’ll come up with some very explicit ways to thank you for your hard work and generosity.”

“That’s all I ask, babydoll.” Brendon kisses you softly before nuzzling your neck and scooping you up. “Now, let’s head upstairs.”

[feralandmoonstruck]

Moonstruck Ch 4. First Date

18+ only! This WIP contains explicit material

“Thanks for grabbing us a table,” Ezra said as he took the seat across from Apollo. A nervous sigh escaped him.

Apollo, all ease, gave him a smile. “It’s nice to see you somewhere outside of the coffee shop.”

“Couldn’t leave all of our meetings up to fate.” He grinned back and picked up his menu.

“I’m glad you thought so too. How’s the unpacking going?”

“Long. I’ve got another six boxes to get through before I’m done.”

“Moving is always a pain in the ass.”

“Tell me about it,” Ezra sighed. “Actually, don’t. I don’t want to talk about moving.”

Apollo chuckled, “What do you wanna talk about?”

“How was work?”

“It was good. Got to work with one of my favorite clients.”

“Yeah?”

“Lizzie’s great. She’s been a client for about three years now.”

Ezra nodded along. “Three years is a long time. I think?”

“I just supplement her other stuff. She’s a professional burlesque dancer but she comes to me for strength and endurance training.”

“I remember those days. I was a gymnast all the way up through high school.”

“Really? That’s awesome!”

Ezra hid a smile in his menu. “Thanks. I got tired of the constant, grueling schedules. Being told what to eat and do and wear every minute of the day. I gave it up the minute I could.”

“Damn. That sounds like it’s even more of a pain in the ass than moving.”

“It was,” Ezra laughed. “The older I got, the more annoyed I became with the food restrictions. Especially during competition season. I started researching more and more about foods and how it intersected with athletics, and it just grew from there.”

“Do you only work with athletes?”

“Nah. I work with everybody, but my special interest lies in athletes and former athletes.”

“That’s really cool, man.”

Ezra grinned. “Do you work every day?”

Apollo shook his head. “My schedule is really flexible, so I can take off when I need to.”

“Did you-”

“Nope. Lizzie was my only client today. Tomorrow I’m booked solid though.”

“Lucky I asked when I did then.”

The waitress arrived to take their order and their menus. When she left, Apollo picked up the conversation where it had left off.

“I’m glad you did. Going another week without getting to see you would have sucked.”

Ezra’s cheeks grew pink.

“Shit. Did that come out weird?”

“What?” Ezra tipped his head to the side, “Weird how? I don’t think it was weird.”

“That’s good. I haven’t been on a first date in years.”

“That makes two of us then. Tell me something else about you? I know you like to run and see the sunrise.”

“I do search and rescue sometimes.”

“Jesus. And I thought my job kept me busy.”

“I don’t like downtime. I like to keep moving.” Apollo took a drink of his water.

“I like downtime, but when it happens at work it just makes the day drag. That doesn’t happen often though. Busy days can drag too, but not in the same way.”

“That I completely get. Sometimes there’s just too much stuff and not enough hours.”

Ezra chuckled. “Those days are worse than unpacking.”

“My offer still stands to help you unpack.”

“There’s only six boxes left.”

“And how long will they take to get through?”

Ezra dropped his head, “Longer than they should.”

“You have my number.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“What do you like to do for fun?”

“I know what you’re gonna think, but I like going to craft breweries. They have fun flavors you can’t find at a store.”

“I don’t drink, so I’ll take your word for it.”

Ezra gave him a smile, “Your turn.”

Apollo returned it. “You’re one of very few people who haven’t immediately asked why I don’t drink.”

“Lots of people don’t drink for lots of different reasons. It’s like me saying I don’t like watermelon.”

“Thanks for that. I like to play video games.”

“Let me guess, first person shooters?”

Apollo laughed. “That’s what everyone always says, but no. They make me mad motion sick. I like co-op RPGs or fighting games. Something I can play with Ilya.”

“Is Ilya your roommate?”

Fuck. That wasn’t supposed to come up yet. Shit. I wasn’t prepared for this. Goddammit I shouldn’t have said anything.

“You good,” Ezra asked at the worried look on Apollo’s face.

“What? Yeah, I’m fine. What about you? Do you game?”

“I play dating and farming sims. Lame, I know,” Ezra laughed.

“Never played one. But if that’s your jam then that’s your jam.”

“They’re super chill.”

“I bet they would be.”

The waitress brought out their food.

“Fate says you should let me try a bite of that,” Ezra said, pointing to Apollo’s crepes with his fork.

“Fate says so?” Apollo chuckled, “better not tempt it anymore than we already have.” He pushed his plate closer to Ezra so that he could take a bite.

“Fuck that’s good. You want some of mine?” Ezra slid his plate towards the middle of the table, offering up his eggs benedict.

Apollo leaned over, cutting out a bite with the edge of his fork. Egg yolk and hollandaise soaked the english muffin, creamy avocado, and the crisp bite of pickled jalapenos burst with flavor within Apollo’s mouth. He closed his eyes and sat back. “I’m definitely ordering that next time I come here. They didn’t have it last time.”

“We could keep sharing,” Ezra offered.

Apollo’s eyes flickered to him. “Do you think it’s what fate wants?”

“It’s what I want.”

“Should we get extra plates?”

Ezra shrugged, “ I don’t mind eating like this.”

“I don’t either.”

They ate a few more bites in silence.

“I wonder,” Apollo said, “if I could replicate that benedict.”

Ezra blinked at him, “You cook, too?”

“Someone in the house has to. You can only live on takeout and pizza for so long.”

“Is there anything you can’t do?”

Apollo shrugged. “Dunno. I can’t do my taxes. Does that count?”

Ezra shook his head and laughed. “You work out, you cook, you like nature, you’re a personal trainer, you’re funny, you’re a Greek god. How have you not been on a date in years?”

“A few reasons. I mostly haven’t been interested in anyone. How have you not been on a date, Mr. doctor, cutie, gymnast?” He took another bite of his crepe. There was one bite left, which he saved for Ezra.

“My last relationship didn’t end great. I haven’t been interested in anyone else since.”

“Sorry to hear that, Ez.”

“It’s whatever. I’ve moved on.” Ezra shrugged.

“I saved this for you,” Apollo said in an attempt to lighten the mood. He spun his plate so the final bite faced Ezra.

“That’s yours, you should have it!”

“Fate says it’s yours now.”

Ezra laughed. “If fate insists, I guess I should then.” He picked up the last bite with his fork and brought it to his mouth. “Thanks, Apollo.”

“Of course.”

“Here, you can have the rest of mine if you want it. I’m stuffed.”

“You sure?”

“Definitely,” Ezra nodded.

“Thanks.”

After breakfast, Apollo walked Ezra to his car. Ezra leaned against the door, shielding his eyes from the sun with one hand so he could look up at Apollo. Apollo adjusted so that his shadow fell on Ezra’s face.

“Um, Ez?”

“Yeah?”

“I have a confession to make.” Apollo’s fingers began to tap against his thigh.

“You’re secretly married and I’m going to be your mister.”

Apollo laughed. “That’s surprisingly close, but no. Well, I mean, kinda? But not really.”

“Now you really have to tell me.”

Apollo’s hand moved from tapping his thigh to running his thumb over the edges of his nails.“I’m polyamorous.”

Ezra blinked, but Apollo rushed on.

“I know. I’m sorry. I really hope you don’t think I was stringing you along. Because I do really like you.”

“Do you-”

“Have a boyfriend? Yeah. His name is Ilya. I hope that’s okay?” Apollo hung his head, heartbeat throbbing against his chest.

“Wow. That’s uh, I was just joking when I said that.”

“I know, but you were really close to the truth.”

“Closer than I expected.”

“Much closer.”

“Well fuck. Okay. If we’re dropping bombs, I guess I should share mine, too.” Ezra took a deep breath and exhaled. “I’m trans.”

Without hesitation, Apollo’s face split into a grin. “Hell yeah! One of my little sisters is trans, too. Her name is Abigail. Maybe you could meet her someday.”

“You took that surprisingly well.”

“And you took me being poly surprisingly well.”

“About that,” Ezra said.

All of the air went out of Apollo. His smile disappeared, heart falling to his feet. This is it. This is where he leaves. Fuck!

“When would I get to meet your boyfriend?”

Apollo blinked, trying to reign in his hopes. “Whenever you want. If you want, that is.”

Ezra chewed his lip. “The thing is, Apollo. I’ve never been with someone that’s poly. Hell, I’ve never even met someone that’s poly. Or at least not that I know of. But I do like you. I do. Does he even know about me?”

“I told them yesterday. Kendrick, Ilya’s boyfriend, is the one who found your note in the bag. That was clever, by the way.”

“Hold on. Let me see if I’m following along correctly. You’re dating Ilya, who is dating Kendrick?”

“Yeah.”

“But you and Kendrick aren’t together?”

“Not romantically, no.” Apollo scuffed the toe of his shoe against the ground. “Kendrick and I have known each other since we were kids. He’s my best friend. But, we do sleep together.”

Ezra frowned. “Wow.”

“I know,” Apollo mumbled.

“Where do I fit into this?”

Apollo finally looked up. “I like you, Ezra. I want to keep getting to know you. You don’t really need to worry about Kendrick, he’s not interested in anyone that isn’t Ilya.”

“Except when he’s fucking you.”

“Except then.”

“And Ilya?”

“He’s fine with it. We want each other to be happy. That’s the most important thing for us.”

Ezra nodded. “That’s good. Happiness is important.”

“I want you to be happy, too. Whatever that means for you. For us.”

Ezra’s mouth twisted. “I’m going to need some time to process all of this. It’s.. it’s a lot to take in.”

Apollo nodded. Nervous fingers were clenched into fists to steady them. “I understand.”

“I’ll text you in a few days. Is that alright?”

“Yeah. Sorry to drop all of this on you, but I thought now would be a good time to bring it up.”

“It was. I’ll talk to you soon, though.”

“Talk to you soon.”

Apollo stepped back so that Ezra could get in his car. He waited until the engine started before he moved out of the way and crossed the parking lot to his own car.

Alone, he couldn’t breathe anything that wasn’t Ezra’s scent. It clung to his clothes, the inside of his car, his heart. He inhaled deeply. For just a minute he let himself close his eyes and daydream. Let himself get swept up in every little moment of the breakfast they had shared. That, at least, was worth remembering.

Finally, he pulled himself back to the present and started his car.

[winns-stuff]

LO APPRECIATION:

It’s been a while since I did one of these honestly, I believe the last one I did must’ve been with Demeter but yeah, I have an underrated and wonderful character in mind that I must appreciate or else I won’t be able to live with myself. This is one character that I genuinely wanted to read about and wasn’t as insufferable and unlikeable as the main cast is every single chapter. When this character popped up on the screen it was like the heavens opened up and angels started singing, birds were tweeting happily, the flowers began to bloom, all the cloudy days I’ve had started washing away to reveal the sun all because LO decided to introduce Morpheus.

The only thing I wish changed about her was her character design, it’s still pretty don’t get me wrong but I’m tired of this blue and black format I mean she’s the goddess of dreams surely it could’ve been something more creative and abstract or something. But that’s just a personal nitpick. Anyways, I’m sad that she had to be introduced in one of the worst conclusions ever in LO which was the Kronos boss battle but honestly her and Zeus kept me going the whole episode. Her timid and friendly nature was such a breath of fresh air from everyone dick riding Persephone, I loved all of her dialogue and I thought it was wonderful that she got a happy ending she deserved that much and more.

The only thing I was sad about was that she played such a big part in taking Kronos down yet we barely got to see her after the dream thing. I wanted to know more about her character cause she seemed so interesting and enjoyable, I wanted to see more about her journey to find her dad and even their relationship with each other, and also I wanna know how she would feel about Hades because of the whole Thanatos mistreatment. I feel like that would be interesting but genuinely I just want more chapters with her, I’m so tired of new characters being shown and introduced within the story yet their stories get cut off or reduced to HxP lovers. That’s really annoying to me cause we have so many fucking side characters that have so many complex situations and stories that we could learn about yet it all gets sacked just so Persephone and Hades can have more “romantic uwu steamy” moments. I’d rather not even meet the characters at this point and just stick to the main cast just so I don’t have to feel the heavy disappointment anymore.

I appreciate Morpheus for bringing a different vibe to LO, it really sets her apart from all the rest of the characters. I can’t put my finger on it but her overall energy and personality is so different from the rest of the gods that we see on the daily, and I appreciate that greatly because again it’s a huge breath of fresh air. Sometimes I feel like I’m watching the same characters talk to each other because there’s not many complex personalities anymore, it’s all very one sided. It’s either you’re on HxP’s side or you’re a villain and I like that Morpheus was on neither. She really just wanted to find her father and reunite with him which really pulled my heartstrings, everything about her character and interaction was beautiful and I loved everything about her very much.

Petition to bring her back because I’m getting sick of Hades’ POV like sir it’s not even your story to tell you’re only a love interest not the main character. But honestly with LO I could be wrong, it’s probably been his POV the whole time. But I believe Morpheus should have way more chapters, there’s a lot of things that could be unpacked about her and I really love how relatable she is.

Anyways, that’s it for this appreciation. I’m upset that Morpheus was only used once even though there’s so many things I yearn to know about her and her story, hopefully one day we’ll get more content about her because no one ever even talks about her anymore. Like all the edits and everything is now gone and it’s like she doesn’t exist even in the story. Hopefully this post reminds people of her more though because I’ll always remember her and the genuine relief she gave me.

[totaldramafan-lauri]

Unhappy Campers

Hoo boy.....for such a simple, back-to-basics VOTW episode, my thoughts on this one are.....complicated. I had to watch it three times in a row to get everything straightened out. There’s a lot to unpack here, but I’ll do my best to explain myself for those interested.

First of all......yeah. On my first viewing at least, there was an element of disappointment that held me back. It ties back to what I said in my post talking about last episode- I REALLY wanted an immediate follow-up to what happened with Stolas. I....I got my hopes up. I didn’t want this to be like Seeing Stars again. I’m not saying that I want Stolas in every single episode, cuz I know he shouldn’t be. Other characters should get enough time to shine so this doesn’t just become The Stolitz Show. I know that, but.....i-in this case, the ending of last episode was SO impactful to me that I just.....didn’t wanna ignore it right away. So, when I saw that this episode wasn’t what I wanted it to be, I felt a bit let down.....

However, I’m not holding that against this episode. I KNOW we’ll get back to him, so I shouldn’t worry. That’s why I gave this episode multiple watches...to wipe that feeling away, and enjoy it for what it is. ^^

So....this episode is....like I said, complicated.

First off, my biggest issue.

I have a very.....hard time with cringe comedy. I have that hyper-empathy problem that a lot of autistic people have. I HATE HATE HATE HATE watching people, even fictional characters, embarrass themselves. And Helluva doesn’t usually do this, so I was very unprepared for this much of it. Heck, that’s MOST of the comedy in this episode! It REALLY wants you to laugh at Moxxie and find him pathetic, like the writers are putting him up on stage and giving him a wedgie. I’ll get to Moxxie himself later, but my point is.....it doesn’t matter what character is in that position. I don’t find it funny. Even if it’s a random nobody, I still won’t find it funny. Cringe comedy is the best way to make me wanna mute my headphones.

As a result....I’m sorry to say this, but this is the least funny episode of Helluva Boss to date for me. It’s the only time I didn’t laugh ONCE. I did like the episode for other reasons, but the comedy is not one of them. I’m glad that they’re trying to still throw in lighthearted and comedic episodes, rather than ignoring that part of the show, but I really hope they don’t do this particular style of humor anymore. At least....not going this hard on it.

But....again, this is just a personal taste thing, so I’m not holding it against the episode. I know those jokes do have fans, or else....they wouldn’t be a thing. XD So, yeah, literally just a me problem. If you find this episode funny, you’re valid. I wish I was like you.

So, on to my favorite part of the episode, then.....Millie development! WOOOOOO! I was able to get over my Stolas disappointment easier than I would’ve normally, cuz....well.....sure, we didn’t get to see him, but hey, we got an episode about MILLIE! We get to learn more about her outside of her adorable relationship with Moxxie! We learn that she wants to feel important! She’s from a very large family, AND she’s probably feared by most people she knows, TBH, so I totally buy this. XD And honestly? Same. Sometimes I worry that I don’t matter. I found her very adorable this whole episode. She didn’t let it get to her head, she didn’t grow an ego or anything.....she still supported Moxxie the whole time while finally being able to live her best life as....well, a “regular joe”. These people don’t know her, they don’t know she’s an assassin with a berserker-level temper, and....they love her! No doubt, she loves her job, but taking time away in a place where her reputation doesn’t follow her everywhere she goes......I can see why she’d love it.

She feels important. She feels like she’s more than her fighting skills. She feels.....like she’s capable of more than she expected. And she feels GOOD about herself.

I hope I don’t seem like a jerk when I say this, but I LOVED seeing Millie the more vulnerable one for once, when she’s talking to Moxxie. She’s always seemed like such an...invincible character. The only one without trauma to deal with, and the only one who seemed to have her crap together. She’s amazing at her job, she has a great personality, she’s sweet, kind, supportive, strong....but seeing that she has these insecurities makes me appreciate her even more.

This episode....REALLY made me adore Millie as her own character more, and I already liked her beforehand. Heck, I was one of the people who didn’t agree with the “flat character” criticisms! I loved her attitude! She had so many memorable quotes, and she’s adorable! But yeah, I was still waiting for her to get a focus episode, and this episode.....while not perfect in other aspects, flipping NAILED Millie. So, good job to the team.

Not only that...but I also enjoyed Moxxie here (other than the cringe comedy). I can totally see why some viewers might find him unlikable in this episode, don’t get me wrong. They’re clearly TRYING to make him in the wrong, and yes, he IS. But.....I’m sorry, I’ve always related to this man so hard and that doesn’t change here. He is still SUCH a mood to me. Being given a leading position for the first time ever, feeling super excited......but then getting wrapped up in myself, so focused in getting my first time exactly right, so much so that I start overthinking EVERYTHING and ignoring the obvious......hahahahaha I’m in this picture and I don’t like it. PLEASE don’t let me lead anything ever hahahaha.....I feel Moxxie SO badly here, which....makes the jokes even harder to sit through. Cuz he’s trying his best, maybe even TOO hard, and those kids are just- UUUUGGHHH! >__<

I will admit, tho, that even tho it was believable, I....REALLY didn’t like watching M&M fight. Especially the first time. It’s....pretty hard to watch. Say what you will about them being “boring” or whatever, but M&M are one of my favorite parts of the show, and one of the reasons is that they DON’T fight. That there ISN’T any drama. Their wholesomeness provides levity from the dysfunctional relationships everywhere else in the show. So.....yeah, even if it wasn’t forced, and made perfect sense for both of them, the fight still put me on edge. I don’t want that from my M&M. BUT, fortunately, Moxxie immediately realizes he messed up, and makes it up to her as soon as possible. Saving me my sanity. Thank god, or Satan. XD

My favorite moment in the whole episode is after Millie’s performance, when Moxxie tells her he’s proud of her. That, combined with the look on Millie’s face melted my heart. It’s such a simple, yet sweet moment. I love them.....so much.....Again, Millie’s always felt....untouchable before this episode, and it was Moxxie that always needed validation from her. So, seeing Millie so vulnerable when she doesn’t think her husband supports her really shows how in love they are. And that moment....just.....you can tell how much it meant to her to hear him say that. That, no matter what.....his approval means more to her than that of anyone else. Flipping perfect.

(Also, can we talk about how the climax involved Millie performing on stage, and Moxxie taking part in the big action scene? Talk about a cool role reversal, huh? XD)

So, overall, M&M were the best part of the episode (minus the cringe comedy surrounding Moxxie). But it was still pretty cool to finally meet Blitzo’s sister after so long, altho she isn’t the focus of the episode.....

And....that, sadly, brings me to my other....issue? I guess? Not really a complaint, but more of a missed opportunity....

I wish this episode had been split into two.

Now, I can see why they’d think that the camp story wouldn’t be enough to fill an episode, but.....why couldn’t they have come up with a different b-plot? Something....simpler, like Blitzo, I dunno.....betting on a hellhorse race, or something? Pffff, sorry, that was off the top of my head, but- Y-you get the idea!

I really feel like Bltizo finding his sister should’ve been its own episode. I mean, c’mon, we’ve known about Barbie Wire since the pilot, and she’s been mentioned multiple times since then. We were all waiting to see her...and here she is! And she seems really cool so far! But....she’s not the focus of the episode she’s finally introduced in? What was the thought process behind this? This is Blitzo’s SISTER! Her introduction should’ve had more fanfare! Was this literally just to get the audience guessing and wanting more? Cuz it worked-

I REALLY hope we’re not waiting too long.....What the heck is going on with Blitzo’s family? First something happened with his mom, and now we learn his sister hates his guts and UGH I WANNA KNOOOOOOWWWW- Blitzo, what did you DO? (altho, TBH, that kinda reveal sounds like “season finale” material, so-)

S-sorry this got so long, but....l-like I said, my feelings toward this episode are very mixed. Not a fan of the comedy, which is an issue, but I love the character development for Millie, Moxxie being relatable and learning from his mistakes, and Bltizo trying to reach out to his sister was great even tho I feel like that should’ve been its own episode.

Overall....this is NOT my least-favorite episode of season 2. It doesn’t have the tonal whiplash problems that Seeing Stars had. The tone of this episode is handled really well, which is another thing I’ll give it. It never felt like it jumped from one tone to another too quickly. Being a more simple story with not much serious stakes probably helped there. The best scenes in Seeing Stars were probably objectively better than this episode’s, but as an overall package, I like this one better. (And Millie stuff helped it out too)

However, it’s not nearly as good as Exes And Ohs, and I would also say it’s sliiiiightly worse than Western Energy too, so yeah, that’s where I stand with it. I enjoyed myself. It’s a grower. It’s just that the comedy dragged it down too much for me. But again, that’s just a me problem, and not a problem with the show itself! ^^

[ghosthunters-posts]

Nicole finds her room and walks in and Kelly looks up from reading a magazine

Kelly: look what the cat dragged in. I really thought you would be in Lina’s room

Nicole looks at Kelly not in the mood.

Kelly: let me guess, she completely iced you out

Kelly: sounds just like her. She did the same thing to me when we were training at hard stone

Nicole: that’s not what happened

Nicole ( walks over to an empty bed) why do you even care so much

Kelly: I don’t , it’s just entertaining to hear other peoples drama

Nicole: well it’s not drama. Lina didn’t do anything wrong. I did. I was having an off day and I said she’s not good enough to go the Olympics

Kelly: wow, savage

Kelly: if you want my opinion she got this far by sheer luck , she’s not even that good

Nicole: I didn’t ask for your opinion

Kelly ( sits up) I honestly didn’t think you had it in you, I’ve been saying Lina sucks for years

Kelly: she can’t even do an Arabian dismount with having the twisties

Nicole: well that’s why here right, to train and prepare for Olympics

Kelly: right…

Nicole ( starts to unpack)

Kelly ( eyes nicole up and down) you look nice. With your hair that .. way

Nicole: uh. Thanks you too

Kelly: relax. Just because I’m bi doesn’t mean I’m coming onto you

Nicole ( frowns ) okay? I didn’t even know you were Bi

The door swings open abruptly. A guy with a man hun walks in.

Kelly: Ew . What the hell are you doing? Are you lost?

Matthew: No? I’m not retarted. I know directions. This is the one I got assigned. Chill

Nicole ( stays quiet and unpacks)

Kelly; is this even legal? A guy staying In a room with two girls?

Matthew: in some colleges , yes it’s allowed. I’m not a student tho obviously, I’m here to train for gymnastics

Kelly( laughs) you? I’m sorry you don’t look like a gymnast

Kelly: I know every male and female gymnast in the country and you don’t look familiar at all

Matthew: what can I say, I like to remain a mystery

Matthew ( eyes an empty bed and gets distracted by Nicole)

Matthew ( eyes Nicole up and down) No hi?

Nicole ( turns around) Oh. Sorry. hi

Their eyes meet and Matthew turns profound. Nicole comes face to face with her ghoster

Matthew: don’t I know you?

Nicole: Doubt it.

Matthew: no I could of swore I seen you somewhere. You look just like the girl I was talking to…

Matthew: Nicole?

Nicole: yeah. I’m Nicole

Matthew: what the f…

Kelly: wait you guys know each other

Nicole: Not really. No

Matthew: really? You wanna act like that?

Nicole: how should I act then? Tell me? You know what I can’t deal with this now

Matthew : should of known you would say that because that’s what you do best, always disappear when shit gets too real

Nicole: you don’t know me Matthew. Why do you think I disappeared, because this is my life , I wasn’t allowed to be close to anyone!

Nicole: and you showing up here. I didn’t even know you were a gymnast yourself

Matthew: whatever. It’s obvious you were fucking with my feelings

Nicole: wow, okay.

Matthew: whatever, fuck this. Ima switch rooms

Matthew: fuck this

Matthew storms out

Kelly ( folds her arms) what the hell was that about? Who was that?

Nicole: someone I knew back home. We liked each other but he ghosted me

Nicole: that’s all there is to it

Kelly: wow I’m sorry. Guys can be total douche bags

Kelly: my boyfriend cheated on me for one of my best friends. They lied to me for months that nothing was going on

Nicole: that’s awful. I’m sorry

Kelly: I was mad at first but I’m over it. You’ll get over it too.. over him I mean

Nicole: trust me I am. I didn’t come all this way to Pennsylvania to be distracted by him

Kelly: I know that you're here for the big 0

Kelly: sucks only one of us will get that Gold medal though

Kelly: and you know what they say, I'm the best in the state

Nicole: Right, we"ll see. That can change

Kelly ( grows a bit annoyed) doubt it.

Kelly ( holds up two midi dresses) which one should I wear?

Nicole: for what?

Kelly: didn’t you hear? There’s going to be a party outside in the courtyard. It’s a tradition here before gymnasts start training

Nicole: No. I didn’t hear about that

Kelly: well put something on girl.

Nicole: I’m not even sure what to wear…

Kelly ( walks over and grabs her luggage) you have plenty of cute stuff to wear

Nicole: okay? Can I have my bag back?

Kelly ( grabs a strapless pink dress ) this will definitely show Matthew what he missed out on. Wear this

Nicole smirks

[alvertesongdiary]

Thundercat & Tame Impala - No More Lies

I'm sorry, girl Didn't mean to drag you in my dreams Baby, no more lies Feeling free That's the way it's supposed to be For you and me You and I both know it's harder than it seems Love is a two-way street I'm letting go because the both of us don't need to drive Baby, it's one at a time

That's just the way it works Or you and I keep getting hurt We're going to lose control of the wheel So put your seatbelt on I think we're about to crash In a world of pain There's so much work to do So much to unpack But it's not your fault I'm just kind of ass

It's looking like I won't be home for another year Long left undone 'Cause I might just drift on out of here On the run I'll just be on my own I'll just be home alone My troubles are my own Unless she wants to come back

I'll just be on my own I'm dancing on my own I'll just stay on my own Unless she wants to come back Yeah, yeah

As you go out in the world Don't look back to move forward, there's no time In our lives As you know There's something wrong in your mind (In your mind) If you think there's no pain in my heart To say goodbye Please don't cry I'm letting go

I'll just be on my own I'll just stay home alone My troubles are my own Unless she wants to come back

I'll just be on my own I'm dancing on my own I'll just stay on my own

I mean, my longest relationship was like 7 years Unless she wants to come back And she, she was fine Yeah, yeah But I need to know what I'm doin' between one to two years with you Either way it goes My therapist told me that I should tell you the truth But you're still angry So sometimes I still feel like I should have lied I tell you the truth because I care But I also lie to you because I care But if I tell you the truth I guess I can sleep better at night? But then, it looks like I don't care because I'm telling you the truth I mean I guess I'm just not a Everybody hates when they get to that part when they realise that I don't wanna tell you I don't care but if it seems like I don't care It doesn't mean I don't care It just looks like I don't care Because my emotions have been sanded off I live in LA, sweetie, what do you expect?

05/05/2023

[chai-ssi-latte]

london boy 💞

Henry Cavill

About: You’ve been talking to Henry for months. You decided to take a vacation in London to meet him in person soon, and dating news ensues.

Masterlist | Prompt List | Masterlist (Taylor Swift Songfics)

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Gif not mine :)

You hoped that there wouldn’t be paparazzi waiting for your arrival at the airport. Well, paparazzi in London seems to be more chill and have always kept their distance with you unlike when you’re in New York and any part of the United States, really. Not like anyone would know you’d be here anyway. Still, the media has their ways to get information. You’re just wishing for the best on your visit in the capital of England.

 Thankfully, you had left the airport without breaking a sweat. Your assistant has hired wonderful people. The driver that she hired was one of the nicest people you have ever met. He had asked about your flight and how you’re feeling. He even told short stories about his family which automatically brighten up your day. When he dropped you off on a rental house, you made sure to give him the biggest tip you could. People like him deserved it, especially when they’re doing their job at their best.

“This is too much, Ma’am.” He had tried to give back some change but you shrugged it off.

“You just made my day. You can use it to buy the barbie doll that your daughter has been wanting for ages.” You said. He smiled and repeated his gratitude before driving away. “What a great dad.” You muttered under your breath. Letting out a big sigh, you made your way towards the door.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

You have unpacked all of your clothes and necessities. The only thing you need to do is to fill up your fridge for the next three weeks. You were tying up your boots when your phone dinged with a notification. You catch a glimpse of your phone screen before it turned back to black. 

Henry 

“Oh shit.” Your cursed, forgetting the fact that you told Henry you’ll be arriving today in London. 

Henry I’m here in London, too. Wanna meet up?

What? Your eyes widened. Henry told you two days ago that he’ll be home three days after your arrival. You nervously bit on your lip, not sure what to reply to him. You didn’t plan on meeting up with him yet. Your confidence over texts and phone calls is not as high in person. And the fact that you’ve been overly attracted to him for the past weeks of talking to the one and only Henry Cavill, may or may not cause your untimely death.

I just arrived. Not fully settled yet. I’m out to get groceries :) Rain check? You replied, hoping to have the meet-up rescheduled.

Henry I can come with you. I don’t mind, I’ll wait for you there? 

You hesitated for a bit, “Fuck it.” You mumbled. Sooner or later, you’ll have to meet him in person, anyway. Sure. See you in Whole Foods Market :)

Henry stalled. Should he really be hitting up a woman through her social media account? Does she even use this account herself? There were a lot of what-if’s in his brain. He doesn’t mind if her manager or assistant saw the message but he surely will be happier if she saw it herself.

Hey there Y/N. This is Henry. We met last week at a dive bar, remember? 

To say that Henry was infatuated by you was an understanding. He couldn’t keep his eyes off of you the whole night. You’ve had a few conversation with him but you’re also too occupied with your friends to have you by himself. He didn’t get the chance to ask for your number. All he remember was you getting dragged by one of your friends on the dance floor. By the time he had finished his talk with his friend, you were gone.

Now here he is, trying to reach out to you through instagram. Finally, Henry clicked the send button and all he needs to do now is wait, hoping that you’ll remember him and send a message back.

Henry almost jumped up from the couch when a notification popped up on his phone while he scroll through the movies in Netflix. His heart beating rapidly through his chest when he saw your name right next to the instagram logo.

Good afternoon Mr. Cavill, This is Claire, Miss Y/N’s assistant. She had surrendered her social media to us for her monthly phone flush (deleting unwanted messages and blocking trolls). We’ll be returning her socials next week. I’ll make sure to tell her about your message. Have a great day.

Henry’s smile dropped, throwing the phone on the couch. “Yeah, right.” He thought. He instantly knew his message won’t reach you. Being in the industry for a while, he knows that that just how it works in Hollywood. 

You and Henry dropped off your groceries at your temporary house. He helped you with the unloading and arranging everything on the cupboards and fridge. Currently, you’re both in the car on the way to Camden Market. It would be your first time being there and you’re excited. Henry Cavill as your tour guide? You couldn’t ask for more.

After filling your tummies with street food, Henry asked you to take a walk on Camden Beach. You didn’t even know there’s a beach in London. People have looked at you and Henry, most probably recognizing two celebrities strolling around Camden. No one dared to go near though, no one even asked for a picture. But you’re sure as hell that after you both leave this place, there would still be photos that would fly around the internet.

You and Henry sat mindlessly on the sand, far away from the crowd of people. The sun is starting to set, adding hints of pink and orange in the sky. The breeze has always been cold, you almost laugh at the thought of Henry saying the ‘sun don’t sun here’

“Hope you’re enjoying your first day, so far.” Henry said, snapping you out of your bubble.

Smiling, you looked at him, “I mean, I have you as my company.” You even send a wink his way.

He laughed wholeheartedly, “I must say, I did enjoy grocery shopping with you too.”

You both enjoyed a moment of silence, watching the sky fade into gray. The flash of the camera had you and Henry looking on where it came from. Rolling your eyes, you see a boy running away. 

“Wow, I can’t wait to see what’s going on on the internet, right now.” You scoffed. Henry stood, holding out his hand for you to take. You thanked him as you rise and wipe the sand that clung on your sun dress.

“To be fair, I’m sure people have been taking pictures in secret. That boy was just really bad at taking one.” Henry took your hand again and held it tightly. “I wanted to spend the night with you at the pub but I know you need a rest.”

You agreed, already feeling the soreness on your foot as well as the slump on your shoulders. “We can do that the other time.” And so Henry drove you home.

When the car stopped, Henry jumped out of his seat to round next to the passenger seat. He opened the door with a sly smile. “I had to open it for you, queen.”

You pursed your lips, trying to hide the teenage smile creeping in. He walked you to the front door, chuckling when you struggled to put in the key. “I can’t believe you just watch me grapple with the door knob.”

“It’s cute, and you didn’t ask for my help.”

“So... this is me,” You trailed. “I really enjoyed spending time with you Henry. I’m looking forward to our next one.”

“Hmm...” He replied, looking at your eyes and down at your lips. Your breath hitched when he did. “I, uh, yeah.” Henry stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck. You can see a faint flush on his cheeks and ears.

Biting your lip, you tiptoed and catch his lips in yours. It was a short yet tender kiss but you can still taste the sweetness in your mouth. 

“Have a great evening.” You said as you pulled away.

“Have a great evening and rest well.” Henry turned his back to walk away and you watch his retreating figure. This man... Don’t you just love them English?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tea just taste so much better in England and you’re unsure why. You have been scrolling through instagram search feed seeing various photos of you and Henry yesterday. There was a photo of you and him in front of a food truck, Henry’s hand on your back. You didn’t even realize he has his hand on your back the whole time. Maybe you just got comfortable on his presence that you don’t mind him being like that. 

The more you scroll the more you find unexpectedly cute photos of you two together. Like the one where you both staring at a distance, sitting on the sand, and the one where you walk hand in hand towards the car with Henry opening the door for you as you get in.

A message bubble popped up with Henry’s name. You smiled, clicking on his name. He had sent you an article. Giggling, you opened it with confidence, ready to read people’s assumptions.

Who is Henry Cavill’s new girlfriend? Take a look at their sweet moments yesterday in Camden 

Y/N I’m rating the title 2/10

Henry Rating it 0/10 ‘cause who still doesn’t know your name?

Y/N Have you seen the pictures? Not upset or anything?

Henry It happens. I’m not that upset if I’m being honest.

Y/N  Good ‘cause I saved some cute photos of us :P

Henry Send me some too. Also, are you free tonight? I want you to meet some of my best buds.

Y/N  Sure :) Where are we going?

Henry Somewhere in Brixton. I knew a good place. I’m picking you up early to have you by myself for a bit.

Y/N Why don’t you come over now? We can watch a movie or two ;)

Henry Why not.