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my-soul-sings · 3 years

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just my luck: chapter 1

Fandom: Wannabe Challenge Characters: Taehee x Reader

Summary (placeholder): Having been cursed to live a life filled with misfortunes, moving to a new city to start anew was, as expected, a difficult process. But things start to change after you encounter a mysterious doctor who seems to know you even though you’ve never met him before.

Notes:

Will contain spoilers for Taehee’s Story.

The ‘Reader’ character will be left unnamed, and there are no mentions of ‘y/n’.

Taehee is trained in western medicine here, instead of oriental medicine.

The reader character will not be based on the in-game MC, other than her looks. The differences are because personally I think the in-game MC and Taehee’s personality don’t really match somehow.

This is basically my version of events of how Taehee and MC meet again. The details and events in this are not true to the game, other than Taehee’s backstory.

For now it’ll be here on tumblr (if and until I move it to AO3) and i’ll be using the tag #justmyluck on the blog for chapter updates.

***

The rain was loud in your ears. Cars whizzed by you, water splashing beneath the tires and onto the pavement as they went by, and people hurried about with their umbrellas that did little to keep them dry in this torrential weather.

You stood still in the middle of the hustle and bustle, your luggage by your side and your broken umbrella hanging limp and useless in your hand. The cold rainwater seeped into your clothes, and you shivered as a chill ran down your spine when the strong wind blew against your frame.

You could feel odd stares being directed your way, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care. Your phone battery had been depleted, which meant you could no longer refer to Poogle Maps to get to where your new apartment was. You had already waited for the past hour trying to hail a cab to no avail, and no one was accepting your request on the Duber app.

As if moving wasn’t stressful enough already, all of this just had to happen. But you weren’t surprised in the least—it was just another typical day in your unfortunate life.

For as long as you could remember, you had terrible luck. At first it was trivial things like always getting the shitty prizes in a lucky draw no matter how many times you spun the wheel, and always losing in games of chance against friends. No matter where you went or what you did, it seemed you were doomed to consistently draw the short end of the stick.

Your luck seemed to only get worse as you grew older. Injuries grew increasingly common, and more severe. You didn’t think there were so many ways a person could get hurt—you had to learn it the hard way, from slipping on a banana peel, getting knocked down by someone who accidentally ran straight into you, getting hit by stray soccer balls or baseballs in school… The events were countless.

Your classmates used to joke that you had been cursed by a witch when you were younger. Sometimes you found yourself wondering if that was true after all. There was only so much bad luck one person could have in their life, and you seemed to be attracting a never-ending supply of it.

You’d hoped that maybe things would change after moving to this new neighbourhood. You had even specifically asked for an apartment that had ‘good feng-shui’, hoping that would make some kind of difference.

It didn’t. You hadn’t even arrived in your new home yet, but you could already tell that things weren’t going to change. If you had been cursed by a witch or been fated to suffer neverending misfortune, then moving to a new neighbourhood to start afresh wasn’t going to change anything.

With a sigh and a shiver, you decided to shake yourself out of your low spirits. No point dwelling on these things, you may as well hurry to your apartment before something worse happened. So you picked up the handle of your luggage and continued trudging on, your feet making squelching sounds with each step from the water that had filled your shoes. You’d get home one way or another, and a little rain wasn’t about to stop you.

Just as you finished that thought, the handle of your luggage broke, and the whole thing tumbled straight into a muddy puddle, sending specks of mud flying and staining your jeans.

It took everything in you to suppress a frustrated scream when you dipped your fingers into the dirty waters to pick up your luggage again.

***

By the time you arrived at the apartment building, you looked like you had been to hell and back.

But hey, at least you had come out alive, right?

Your landlord had been surprised to see you drenched from head to toe, and she had kindly offered a fresh towel and some hot tea for you after inviting you into her home. She was a kind elderly lady, and her warm welcome brightened your mood considerably. The tea had felt extra warm as you made small talk with her before taking the key to your apartment.

But then your mood sank right back down to rock-bottom when you realised that you had to carry your heavy luggage up five whole flights of stairs, because it just so happened that the elevator wasn’t working. Unfortunately, there wasn’t anyone you could ask for help—certainly not the sweet old landlady. You felt bad to bother any of your neighbours too.

So an hour and one rough tumble down the stairs later, you miraculously made it all the way up to your door. You would be jumping for joy if your arms didn’t feel like they were about to fall off. All you wanted to do was take a hot shower, lie down and get some sleep. Maybe take some painkillers before that too, because you could feel a migraine coming up.

The apartment smelled a little musty when you entered, but otherwise, everything looked great. It was bare, seeing as there was some delay in the delivery of your furniture, but it was clean. There weren’t any bugs that you could see from a quick survey of the rooms, so that was good enough in your book.

Looking around your simple studio apartment, you smiled to yourself, glad that you had finally made it here despite the many hiccups along the way. Nothing could dampen your spirits now; moving here marked the beginning of a new chapter in your life, and you were ready for your new job that would be starting in two weeks.

You had a good feeling about all this somehow, despite dripping wet all over your floor and even though your sides hurt from falling down the stairs together with your luggage earlier.

Cursed or not, you were excited about living here already.

***

Two days later, your furniture still had not arrived. You had to make do with the sleeping bag you’d packed in your luggage for contingencies such as this. The moving company wasn’t getting back to you even though you had sent them a string of emails asking for updates. You hoped it was just a lack of staff around on the weekends, and that someone would get back to you by Monday.

Apart from that, there weren’t any major problems. Everything in the apartment was working fine. You had made sure to check everything to make sure you wouldn’t suffer some kind of freak accident in your own home—it had happened before, when the ceiling fan in the living room fell just when you left to take a drink. (Looking at it from another angle, you had been incredibly lucky with that close shave.)

The only issue left was the fever that you had woken up to that morning, definitely because you had been caught in the rain. Thankfully, the landlady had informed you that there was a clinic just across the street, so you made plans to go after forcing yourself to eat half of an apple. You didn’t have an appetite but you’d probably faint on the way if you went on an empty stomach, and ending up in the hospital was definitely not on your to-do list here.

It was warm out when you stepped out of your apartment building. The sun was up, and the temperature was just right. Perfect for a walk. You’d probably enjoy it better if your head wasn’t pounding so much.

It wasn’t too difficult to find the clinic. Like the landlady said, it was right across the street, a mere five minutes’ walk from your apartment. And then right down the street was a convenience store too. You’d go pick up some snacks and ready-made foods later — it’d be too tiresome to cook while sick.

The clinic wasn’t too full, thankfully. There were maybe about four to five people inside when you arrived, and after registering at the counter you took a seat and checked your phone. You hadn’t had the energy to reply to anything yesterday, so it seemed that your phone had blown up while you were gone.

The messages were mainly from Seohee, your best friend. You saw multiple missed calls and messages from her, and from what you could glean from the message previews, she had been worried because you just went MIA without updating her on your whereabouts. She had been worried from the start when she heard that you were going to live alone in a new city, without anyone accompanying you.

Grimacing, you swiped right to open the chat, and you typed a quick message to assure her that you were doing fine and adjusting great, casually omitting the part where you had fallen sick and your furniture hadn’t arrived yet. No need to worry her, she had enough things on her plate to manage.

The other messages were from random group chats that you didn’t have the energy to read at the moment, so you locked your phone and closed your eyes momentarily, leaning back in your seat and resting your head against the wall. The doctors seemed to be taking a while…

About half an hour later, your number was called. Finally.

You stood up a bit too quickly, and black spots promptly appeared in your vision while your head started to spin. A nod was all you could manage when the receptionist pointed to one of the rooms down the hallway, while you took hesitant steps forward and tried to steady yourself. Eventually the dizziness subsided and your head cleared up a bit when you read the name written on the door plate: Dr. Taehee Kim.

You repeated the name a few times in your head. It had a nice ring to it. You knocked twice on the wooden door and pushed down on the door handle to enter.

“Good morning.” You heard a deep, male voice, and your first thought was that you liked it. There was a soothing quality to it, and maybe it was an exaggeration but your headache seemed to lessen just from hearing him speak.

You looked up, wearing a polite smile and returning the morning greeting. Or at least, you were about to, but then your voice caught in your throat and you found yourself staring into the eyes of who was quite possibly the most gorgeous man you had ever seen. He had thick, wavy black locks parted to the side, and a pair of deep set, dark grey-ish green eyes—a colour you had never seen before. His complexion was fair and otherwise flawless, and you could tell from his defined jawline and broad shoulders that he worked out regularly too. He looked handsome enough to be a model, and you couldn’t help but stare with widened eyes, while heat began to gather in your face. Whether it was from the fever, or because of him, you couldn’t tell.

But getting to see such a handsome doctor… today had to be your lucky day. For once.

The only thing was, it seemed to be the exact opposite for him. Contrary to the tone of his greeting, he now looked like he had just seen a ghost. He sprang to his feet the moment he saw you, and his chair rolled backwards until it hit the wall behind him with a loud thump. His eyes were blown wide, lips parted as he stared at you, searching your face for something… You didn’t know what, exactly.

The normal thing to do now would be to sit in the empty chair next to his desk and for him to do his job, but you couldn’t bring yourself to move a single step. Not when he was looking at you like this, as if he had a million things to say but couldn’t. So you stood there, feet glued to the spot by the door as you stared back, blinking and confused.

He spoke again after the tense silence stretched on for much longer than you’d have liked.

“Is… Is it really you? Am I dreaming? Is this… real?”

In the silence of the room, his shaky whisper rang loud and clear in your ears.

Affection. Sadness. Longing. They were unmistakable in his wavering voice, in his eyes that were starting to glisten with what seemed like tears.

The only problem was, you didn’t understand why. Much less why it was being directed to you. You were missing something here, or maybe it was him. You didn’t know. Your head hurt, and you just wanted some medicine, and then to go home to sleep this fever off.

But now your doctor was walking towards you, each footstep ringing in your ears as he drew closer and closer, his perplexed expression remaining the same. And for some reason you couldn’t tear your eyes away from his, much less find the strength to push him away when he stood an arm’s length away and gently held you by the shoulders. Even the way he tried to hold you was strange — his hands were shaking and his palms were barely brushing against your shoulders, hesitant and afraid.

Maybe you had spoken too soon. It probably wasn’t a lucky day at all—when would you learn? Now you were stuck in an office with a weirdo who was getting way too emotional over a simple consultation.

“A-Are you… okay?” The words came out as a timid squeak, and you watched as he blinked, though his eyes didn’t lose the glass-like quality to them. The ceiling light was reflecting off his eyes, and they seemed to be glistening with fresh tears.

“I never thought… I… I can’t believe it’s- it’s- H-How could this happen?”

You flinched when you felt something brush against your cheek, and it took a few seconds for you to realise that the back of his hand was ghosting over your skin.

Belatedly, your fight-or-flight response finally kicked in and you pushed his hand away, putting your hands out to make him step back and put some much-needed distance between you. Handsome or not, this guy was getting downright creepy and inappropriate.

“Look, I don’t know who you are, and I think you’ve got the wrong person. I’ll just go to another clinic-” You turned around, ready to hightail it out of his office, when you felt his hand on your wrist, holding you in place.

“No, wait. Please- Please wait. I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry, this is all my fault.”

A voice pounded in your head then. An image flashed in your mind, one of a man who didn’t belong in this time period. He was dressed in traditional clothes, and he was holding you with tears streaming down his face. You couldn’t quite make out his face from the blurred picture that came and went like lightning, but the sound of his voice was the same as this doctor’s desperate plea.

Then dizziness hit you once more, but this time it didn’t subside. The last thing you remembered before your vision turned black was the sound of him calling your name.

***

A/N: I will be leaving this on tumblr for now, I’ll probably start posting on AO3 when I have more chapters ready to post. :) I’d love to hear your thoughts on this first chapter and thank you for reading! :)

#wannabe challenge #wannabe challenge taehee #kim taehee #wannabe challenge fanfiction #wannabe challenge fanfic #taehee fanfiction #my writing #just my luck

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soft-hard-peaches · 4 years

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Reaction: BTS Meeting You For The First Time

~fluff~~crack~

Kim Seokjin

You first met the boys whilst working at an extreme water park. It was your job to demonstrate how to safely enjoy the rides and aid them if needed. You took your job very seriously because you love extreme sports and teaching people to open up to new activities that being said the boys found your energetic personality infectious. But the eldest member, Kim Seokjin, was utterly captivated by your vibrant passion. Almost nurturing, making sure even the most overzealous and hyperactive Jungkook doesn't hurt himself attempting to swing upside down.

Taehyung sits next to Jin, seeing that he's in his own little world watching you work passionately, "Hyung..."

Jin absentmindedly interrupts him with a case of word vomit, "She's so cool."

Min Yoongi

"Yoongi hyung, this is stalking", Jungkook whines but Yoongi pays him no mind. What was at first a simple shopping trip turned into finding-a-way-to-get-your-attention-without-being-a-weirdo featuring a reluctant wingman.

Walking through the electronic store looking for the latest tech was something Kook and Yoongi enjoyed together with Jungkook and his filmmaking and Yoongi and his producing.

He heard your voice before he saw you. A sweet, song-like melody grabbed his attention so beautiful that of course there's a face to match.

The two stay five feet away at all times, conspicuously ducking when you turn in their direction till Jungkook gets tired of humoring his poor hyung. With his unstoppable muscular force, he walks straight to you, of course with yoongi's dismay, and asks you to come and talk to his weird hyung.

Yoongi stews in embarrassment on the way home and won't admit that without Kookies' help he would have never gotten your number.

Jung hoseok

"Hoseok. Y/n. Y/n. Hoseok."

One of his sister's friends. At first you seemed sweet and quite, almost dainty. Other than being pretty, he didn't pay you much mind but you gave him whiplash once the party started flowing. Cracking jokes with everyone, leading party games, and encouraging others to have fun. Hobi is used to being the peppy one in the room but you were refreshing to him. Even more so when you got him on his feet.

"Yah! I've never seen a girl like that!", Hobi told his sister to her displeasure.

But he is no longer listening. He's getting so many ideas already.

Kim Namjoon

Bangtan was growing weary of the blasé halved-baked interviews they've been scheduled to do. And by no means was Namjoon feeling any younger giving generic answers to generic questions but he did what he had to do as the leader and designated translator.

Interviewer's faces started to blend into him and at first you were no different till the session went on. He wasn't expecting the type of question you were asking. About the group's history and relationship with music, you let everyone speak comfortably and seemed genuinely invested in what they had to say.

In the end, off the record, you let them know you were an ARMY for a long time and was honored to interview them but secretly Joon was honored to have finally met you.

Park Jimin

"Welcome!", you greeted Jimin like you'd greet every other customer. His listless response only complements your lackadaisical energy as an overworked retail worker so you paid one another no mind. He went on his merry way shopping for clothes as you talked with your co-worker. You both were clueless to the fact that you were about to find the love of your lives in each other. Especially since your co-worker tended to him while you stayed at the register.

Once he was done shopping he walked up to you and you both caught eyes. Almost staring at each other with dumb heart eyes, you finally remembered that you're a person and you're supposedly working, "uhmm, is that all?", you ask awkwardly smiling.

Jimin continues to gaze a little more, smirking, "yeah, I think so."

Kim Taehyung

It was like a piece of cheesy European cinema honestly. Picture this: you met at an art exhibit viewing a new installation from an unknown artist.

Taehyung was walking around the building observing everything and listening to everyone's "astute" interpretations. Tae stopped at a particular piece that draws him. "I don't know what the hell this means...", he mumbles, not noticing you suddenly next to him, he jumps but you both laugh it off and begin to discuss it.

After a while he still doesn't really get it but admits it's beautiful and so painstakingly detailed that he admires it but he reiterates with, "I still don't at all know what this means." None the less he finally introduces himself.

"I'm Kim Taehyung. Nice to meet you."

You smile and take his extended hand, "I'm the artist."

Jeon Jungkook

Jungkook has been debating whether or not to approach you. You seemed so relaxed and poised but you could be waiting for someone but you've been sitting alone for twenty minutes but maybe you could just be enjoying the atmosphere; listen, all he knows is you're really freaking pretty and he wants to know what kind of pop tart do you like.

He texts the '97 group chat to their surprise and they all cheer him on and gas him up. Nervous, he steps outside himself to shoot his shot, not caring anymore about endless possibilities.

"Hello, my name is Jeon Jungkook. Is this seat taken?"

*note: sorry for the wait. couldn’t post through the app so i had to go mobile. i really hope you enjoy your request :3

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rwbyremnants · 4 years

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WARNINGS: teacher/student roleplay, nipple play, paddling, safeword usage, footjob, stocking fetish, vibrator, hot wax, trampling, foot worship (a LOT).

=Chapter 8

Only once they were alone again did Ruby poke her head out from under the desk, leaning her chin on Winter's leg. She didn't want to make any snide comments or jokes yet; just looked up at her, grinning rather mysteriously while she quite obviously had a few speckles of her fluid on her face.

Winter's look down at Ruby was full of conflicted feelings. However, all she said by way of response was, "Did… you know the headmaster was my father, Miss Rose?"

Giggling, Ruby wiped the small amount of fluid off her chin. She couldn't help herself! That was by far the most risky thing she had ever done. "Nah, not until you called him ‘Daddy’." She had to play along again, but that didn't stop the grin. "But I hope he didn't notice."

She pressed her hand to her mouth, staring off at the door. A few seconds went by as she allowed herself a few breaths. Then she whispered, "I can't believe I just came in front of my father. I… I came hard, too. It was so good; as good as I've ever had. How… what should I… is this okay? Am I a terrible person?"

That was a pertinent question. But at the end of the day, if Winter was bad for enjoying such a sensation in plain sight of another, Ruby was just as bad - if not worse for giving it. Simply tilting her head against Winter's thighs, she smiled up at her, dancing around the subject. "How is enjoying yourself making you bad? It's a good thing. Like, you had fun."

"It was. But I… he was right there! Two feet away, talking to me! It's not as if I wanted him to find out; I don't know if I could go on living if he did. But… having him in here…" Her face was now far redder than Ruby had ever seen it before, and she looked as if she might start crying. "At first, I hated feeling that way in front of him, but when it kept happening… it was too much of a thrill. All those scenes I've done, all those humiliating positions, the severe kink play, and I've never been hotter or wetter than…"

"It was… really that good?" Ruby raised her eyebrow. It was flattering enough for her to be told that her Dom had came that hard, but for her to admit it was one of the best times she had ever had? It was more than enough to bring the redness back to her cheeks again.

Though upon finally noticing that Winter was truly distressed about this, that it might not be merely part of the scene, she tilted her head again, asking out of character, "Umm, are you okay?"

"And he liked your drawing of me. I think a little too much." It seemed Winter had scarcely heard Ruby, staring into nothing as she tried to process what had just happened. "Looking at it while your mouth was on my cunt… I would never have imagined any of this. Did… you like hearing me try to hold it together?"

Shrugging her shoulders again nervously, she finally made an effort to crawl out from beneath the desk. Dusting off her knees, she looked back up at her with a slightly more nervous smile. "I gotta admit… It was really hot. Just hearing how cool you were, despite what was going on. Was really, like, exciting?"

"Despite that you were fucking me in front of my father," Winter accused. Though her tone wasn't quite accusatory; it was somewhere between there and sheer disbelief. "Well, I guess this is my life now. Miss Rose, eating me out and fucking me while Dad tries to open the Facebook app."

Lightly biting her lip, the description enough was getting her warm down below. She could feel herself being more ready than ever for whatever Winter had in store. So much to the point she wanted to beg her for it. But she had a more sneaky way of doing that.

"Was that bad, Miss Schnee? Do I… deserve another detention?"

"Yes. Yes, you do, at the very least." Taking a deep breath, she set aside her more complex feelings as she looked over at Ruby, her face set. "I expected better from you, Little Rose. And now… I'm going to punish you. So much that you never forget it."

Though her character swallowed, and appeared more nervous than ever, Ruby herself was hopelessly excited. She had to clench her fists and bite her lip again to stop her yelling out something needy – especially when Winter's hands jerked the necktie up just enough so that it slid over the shirt collar, then pulled her jacket down so that it covered Ruby's forearms and hands. Leaving it there, she then began to unbutton her shirt efficiently, needily.

"You're so well-behaved now," she commented as she jerked the two sides of the garment open, revealing Ruby's simple little white bra and her stomach. "No one would ever believe that you had just done what you did to your favourite teacher."

Inwardly, Ruby was screaming with glee. She had been looking forward to this all day, from the instant she put on the uniform! And now that it was coming off, she forced herself to be, as Winter said, on her best behaviour. That started with her backing up against the wall when Winter pushed her there, letting the shirt and jacket drop from her arms and exposing her fully.

"But didn't you enjoy it, Miss Schnee?" She remembered just how much her Dom liked to be teased while they were in play. So she fought back with words. "I think you did. You loved feeling me take you, right there in front of 'Daddy Dearest'!"

Winter hesitated, eyes flicking toward the door and back to Ruby again. Her cheeks had never quite gone back to their normal hue, and they certainly didn't look like they were going to now. Slightly side-stepping Ruby's accusation, she said, "Y-you… really did a number on me, it's true." She reached around behind her to unhook her bra, hoping it would distract the girl from noticing she hadn't truly answered.

Suddenly gasping in shock, Ruby by instinct covered up her chest. It seemed like something her character would do, given the situation. But that didn't stop her taunting yet. "You really loved it. You've wanted me to do something to you all this time, haven't you?! That's… why you gave me this detention, isn't it?!"

"You think I gave you detention so you could pleasure me in front of my father?!" Her expression was outraged, but still aroused and full of the shame that had become such a permanent fixture since Ruby first began teasing her under the desk. "I thought you liked me, and yet you think me capable of… of wanting something like that to happen?!"

"I meant to pleasure you in general!" she reaffirmed, still trying to cover herself as best she could; not that she wanted to at all. She was still thinking of all the things Winter could get up to. "You… you wanted me and you to have a thing! You've had the same feelings as me all this time, right?!"

"I…" Her hands drifted behind Ruby, sliding under the hem of her now-untucked shirt to lightly tease the skin on her back. That’s right; they were still in a scene. She tried to master herself as best she could. "Wanting something doesn't mean you can just… take it. That's called 'stealing', isn't it?"

"But you knew I wanted it, didn't you? You suspected I did! So you found a way to give me detention, so you could get me alone." Forced forward by Winter's hands, Ruby's hands were raised. She wanted to return the favour and tear Winter's shirt from her, join in a passionate embrace rather than their simple session. But for now she kept them apart, reinforcing her role as the slightly scared student.

Winter's lips drifted down, grazed so close to Ruby's that they were in such danger of touching… and then retreated. "N-no." Her voice took on such vulnerability that it was almost heartbreaking. "Miss Rose, I would see you looking, but I… just thought you were paying attention in class. I didn't dare think you could return my feelings. Not me, an old woman, and your teacher!"

"Then…" Finally, she held onto her shoulders, using it to keep her body close to her, just like she needed. Placing one hand on her cheeks she stared up at the orbs of blue, swallowing again to calm herself down. "You clearly underrate yourself, Miss Schnee."

Their lips met then, Winter no longer able to restrain herself. She let out a pained whine in the back of her throat, to show Ruby that she was still playing the role of a distressed teacher who was losing a battle with willpower. Right away Ruby kissed back deeply. She opened her mouth against Winter's, allowing her tongue to enter her mouth, sliding against hers as they intimately embraced. At long last, she allowed herself the privilege of moving her hands to her shirt, eagerly tugging at it to undo the buttons and rid her of it entirely. The sooner she could get more Winter, the better, for both the student and Ruby herself.

"Miss Rose…" Another kiss before she could continue speaking, feeling small patches of air caress her skin as her linen blouse was opened. "You're s-so bold… I would almost wonder how many of the other teachers here have… had the pleasure."

"Zero. J-just you." She ran her hands down her arms, pushing the shirt downward and off her. Straight after, she embraced her, stroking her hands up and down her back as she tried to reach for her bra strap. Even if she was fumbling, it was enough to mask that as a desperate attempt to get close. "There's only been you, Miss Schnee. No one else can compare."

"Why? I still don't understand…" Gulping, she took a few breaths with closed eyes, relaxing into Ruby's caresses, even just her arms around her. "I know what I see in you; petite and perfect, clever, studious. And talented." A fresh flash of shame passed over her face. "In too many ways."

"And you…" She pressed a kiss against her lips again, finally finding the strap as she pulled it in to release the clasps, releasing it to let it drop with the shirt. "You always see the best in everyone, even when they get on your nerves. You're fantastic, always fantastic."

Far too late, Winter raised her arms to cover her chest. "Y-you shouldn't look… I know it's stupid, you've already t-tasted me…"

"It is stupid," she agreed, grasping her teacher’s hands. She didn't pull just yet, merely looked up at her questioningly. "It's okay, I know you’ll be beautiful. A work of art."

"Well…" Lowering her arms, she thrust her chest upward, almost daring Ruby to admire her body. Or to hate it.

But her student only giggled. She had seen it before, but that didn't make it any less amazing when she saw it again. Smiling in delight, she allowed her hands to drift forward again, delicately caressing one of them. Winter had always had a rather impressive bust, much more compared to her idol; plenty for Ruby to get her hands on.

"There; like I said, beautiful."

Winter absolutely melted into the touch, throwing her head back and letting Ruby explore her. They might not have actually done that before; most times, Winter was decked out in an outfit that prevented pure sensation, or else hidden under blankets. For a moment, she was willing to let the younger girl have her way with her body.

"Absolutely beautiful… Seriously." That last word seemed more Ruby than the role she was playing. Growing ever curious, she ran her thumbs over the delicate peaks of her chest, rotating around slowly to watch for her reaction. Her skin was always so soft, and this was no different, as she expected. How many people were allowed this privilege? she wondered; especially when she favoured outfits so much.

"Thank you," Winter whispered. The thumbs on her peaks made her shiver… and she shook her head slightly. How had she let Ruby cloud her mind this easily? That would have to change. They had a scene to play out, after all. "Now then, Miss Rose," she breathed shakily, knowing that too sudden of a change would be as bad as letting her continue. "I asked why you started thinking about me this way… but I didn't ask what you wanted me to do to you."

Swallowing, Ruby's hands remained perfectly still. Looked like she was no longer playing the more dominant role over her teacher anymore; back to their more typical play. Looking up to her eyes, she could already feel herself heating up at the thoughts of what she wanted.

"I…" she began, having to swallow again. "I want whatever you throw at me, Ma’am."

"Come on," she muttered, an indulgent, secret little smile playing across her lips as she gently stroked Ruby's back. "I already told you that whatever happens in this room tonight is a secret. You had to have fantasized once or twice. Tell me."

Looking her up and down a moment, she bit her lip again, imagining the possibilities. There were quite a few fantasies Ruby had about the teacher in question back in the day, mainly involving that very accident with the candle. Now Winter knew that, it seemed no waste to repeat it.

"When you knocked the candle onto me, um… I really liked that. And I mean really liked it."

"Oh?" At first, Winter didn't look phased, but then she drew back with her eyebrows knitted. "Ohhh. So you meant… oh. I didn't think about that, not at the time." With a little shrug, she adjusted the necktie still hanging loosely around Ruby's neck before reaching down to remove her skirt instead, doing it painstakingly slow. "What else? Suggestion box is open."

"U-um…" Taking the small steps out of the skirt once it was pushed out of the way, Ruby looked down again toward the remains of what she was wearing. The tights. That was all; she had made sure to leave undies off due to her and Winter having their session. It made things easier that way. And a tad more scandalous with her next request: "Well… I don't mind if when you finally go in for the kill, uh, you make it as rough as possible." She parted her legs a little, mainly to show off the tights. "Even if there's a little… destruction."

Taking her meaning, Winter winked. "I think we can manage that. I was right; you do want to be punished." Then she tapped at her chin. "You know, we used to have… corporal punishment here at this school, Miss Rose. But they decided it was too clandestine." Pulling at her necktie, she drew Ruby close enough so that their eyelashes touched before whispering, "Would you like to bring it back? Just for tonight?"

Taking a few deep breaths, she looked back toward Winter with an ever growing eager smile. That was the more dominating role she was used to from her Dom. Confident, eager to please. She could only feel her smile turning into a grin at that proposition. And then… another idea came to her. One that involved something in particular left in her case. Something Winter had planted from the beginning but seemed to have forgotten about.

"Perhaps that… and something involving my 'neck massager,' Miss Schnee?"

"Ohhh, yes. You naughty girl." And then, with no forewarning, she reached down to cup Ruby's warm sex - feeling it already drenched. "Tell me… have you ever used that in my class before? Maybe during one of the movies we watched?"

It was a mixture of a sigh and a moan that sounded from her student as her sex was touched directly. She had never been that bold in school; in fact, she never owned a sex toy even to this date! But it was there for her character, so she had to make up a story. "Sometimes, if I know it's a really long lesson or if we’re watching a movie. Like, it gets me going and keeps me awake…"

The finger picked up speed as Winter growled into her ear, "Right there, in front of me? In front of all your fellow students? What if they had heard you? Smelled your heat?"

The next sound was clearly a moan. She was growing far more needy, it wouldn't be long at all until she would practically beg Winter to begin. "Didn't you wonder why I sat at the back?" she teased.

"Dirty little girl, Miss Rose. You've done terrible things in my classroom. I really will need to punish you." Then she let out a quiet gasp that was followed by a smile. "And I have just thought of something."

Tugging her by the necktie, Winter began to lead her over to one of the filing cabinets. Following without another word, Ruby followed. Ironically, as though she were a dog being tugged on her lead, even without that type of play currently. She grinned eagerly as she stood in front of the cabinet as commanded, waiting for what her teacher had planned next.

"Assume the position," Winter told her as she drew something not from inside of it, but behind the metal mass. A long wooden board, four or five inches wide, with a crosshatch pattern burned into its centre. One end had been whittled down and sanded to form a comfortable handle. It had even been stained and lacquered so that it was a beautiful chestnut brown. For an instrument of pain, it was fairly elegant.

"Oh…" This was going to be both terrifying and exciting. Ruby had never really imagined she might enjoy being paddled; but with her teacher dressed like that, how exactly could she resist? Trying her best to guess what position Winter wanted, she leant forward, making sure her petite rear was in clear view for her, and rested her hands on one of the cabinet’s handles.

A low hum of approval sounded from Winter as she paced behind Ruby. "You know, I expected you to lean over the desk. Interesting. Not bad, but interesting." Then she began to caress the round, fleshy backside with the cool wood. "Are you prepared for this?"

"Hmmhhh…" How could one truly be prepared for oncoming pain? Especially when the worst she had before was just a little candle wax. Bracing herself as best she could, she gave a nod. "As ready as ever, Ma’am."

"Very well." Then, drawing the paddle back and taking deliberate aim, she let it swing down with a loud SMACK!

Right away Ruby was forced forward by the impact, letting out a shrill yelp from the sudden pain Winter inflicted. But it was more than enough to send tingles through her body, to set her nerves on edge; she was so ready for more.

"One," Winter told her in a cold tone of voice. Then she reared back for another one, admiring the very slight redness on her target before she brought it down again. Another yelp, another flinch forward again. This time however when she braced, she made sure to bite her lip, so she didn't yell too loudly for the third round. The last thing they needed was for someone to come in and hear her.

"Two. You're really loving this, aren't you? Must have known you needed it." Another swat, just the tiniest hair harder. "Deserved it after what you've been doing in my classes."

"MFF!" she groaned again with her lips sealed. The more she struck in the same spot, the more tingles it sent through her body. And though it was a remarkable sensation, it was beginning to test her tolerance. Especially when the paddle was so large! To hold herself together, she didn't speak; only nodded gently in agreement.

Winter took a moment to reach forward and grasp one of the cheeks, twisting it slightly. "Yeah, that's right. Little whore, getting herself off in front of the entire class. Just hoping someone would turn around and see her, hear her. Hoping I would see how dirty she is."

Growling under her breath, Ruby couldn't help but push her backside out further toward her, trying to give more to Winter, to prove she needed her more; whether that came by a paddle or not. She needed her to stop teasing. Of course, Ms. Schnee took that the other way. That she wanted more punishment. So she released her and drew back once more, delivering a sharp blow to her behind.

"How many times did you come for me, huh?"

"NNNN!" She groaned once more, grasping the handle of the cabinet even tighter. With the same spot being hit repeatedly, she was beginning to feel more pain than ever, bordering on the edge of what she could handle. She still wasn't giving an answer yet, not until she knew she couldn’t take another blow.

"You don't care who's watching, do you?" Winter's voice was becoming sharper, colder. "Classmates. Headmasters. The President himself - you don't… care!" The last word was punctuated by the hardest swing yet, right into Ruby's sensitive backside.

This time the pain was white hot, and she knew she couldn't handle anymore. Shuddering in pain, she shakily announced, "Strawberries!"

This time, however, Winter didn't do as she normally did. There was no question if Ruby was alright, no gentle hands. Just the sound of the paddle being laid down upon the desk. Panting heavily, Ruby's grip was finally beginning to loosen from the handle, her body beginning to relax now that it was no longer being tortured by the wooden paddle. Slowly she turned around to try and get Winter's reaction, unclear as it was.

The elder woman was crouched over the back of her chair, hands clutching at the top of it. Breathing heavily. After a moment, she glanced over to notice Ruby watching her and asked in a very mild voice, "Are you ready to continue?"

Taking a moment longer to regain her breath, Ruby eventually nodded. She released the handle to stand back upright, wincing when she placed her hand upon her backside to test how bad the tingling was. "Nnn… J-just don't make me sit down for a while."

"How about laying down? That was my next… step." Winter definitely seemed to be a little distracted, and still didn't turn to look at Ruby fully.

Which she seemed to notice. She didn't know why, or how to bring it up, but she noticed a huge difference in her behaviour all of a sudden. Was she mad that she had used the safeword again? Too scared to ask, she simply nodded, moving on quickly. "Where?"

"I'll direct you." Clearing her throat, she picked up the paddle again. "Say the words."

"Wh-" Looking at the paddle again, Ruby couldn't help but suddenly flinch; trying once more to cover her backside to protect it. "You… what, more? I don’t think I can!"

"What?" Finally looking over at her properly, Winter rolled her eyes, favouring her with a smile. It wasn't quite as energetic or warm as would be usual when cast in Ruby's direction, but there all the same. "No, I meant to resume play. I was holding this when we stopped, that's all."

"OH! Oh I… Right, sorry." Straight away she relaxed again, letting her hands drop to her side rather than at her rear. Taking a couple of breaths again to prepare herself, she finally nodded again. "Resume play."

Immediately, the paddle came up to push under Ruby's chin, as if she were inspecting her face. "Hmm… I think I took some of that boldness out of you with that. Good." Then she pinched her cheeks with her free hand as she laid the paddle up against the wall, pulling her closer. "But I believe there were a few other things you wanted to try, weren't there?"

With her cheek in her teacher's grip, she could quite obviously feel Ruby begin to smile eagerly. She knew that Winter would soon do things that would make her forget all about the pain to her backside. She gave a small nod.

"Yes… alright." Although, despite Ruby's worry about the abuse her rear had taken, Winter reached down and swatted her upper thigh lightly - just enough to jiggle her ass cheeks without hitting them directly. "Up on my desk, flat on your back."

"Eep!" Although she lightly yelped, she did as told. Right away she hopped onto the desk, instantly wincing when she had to sit on it for a moment until she laid down, taking the weight off the abused flesh. By instinct, she was beginning to cover her chest again, looking over to Winter.

A hand drifted up and caressed Ruby's soft face, a benevolent smile cast down at her from Winter's flawless face. She whispered, "I believe you ordered something." Then she reached past her to pick up…

The candelabra. That was exactly what Ruby had been wanting all this time, to test this strange new desire of hers to the full in a safe situation. Already she could feel herself grinning again, she couldn't help herself! But of course, Winter was nothing if not professional. Instead of tipping the entire thing right away, she reached down with her other index finger, caressing it down along the plane of her stomach.

"What is it about hot wax?" she mused as she watched the muscles clench involuntarily. "Everyone seems to agree it's fairly safe… stimulating. Alluring, even."

Already, there was gentle twitching. And already, she was getting wetter by the minute at the possibility. It was just as her Dom said: alluring. There was just something about the sensation that wasn't painful, but was rather comforting, even. Familiar, gentle agony.

Taking one of the tapers from the candelabra, Winter slowly carried it until it was suspended above Ruby's body, not having dripped just yet from her careful movements. "I hope you're ready for this to happen. For this delicious pain." Taking aim, she tipped until a single drip of wax fell, landing an inch above her navel.

"Oooohh!" At first, there was intense warmth on her stomach, but within an instant it disappeared as the wax hardened, clinging to her skin. All that tiny amount did was make her crave more of it, shown by a needy moan.

Reaching up, Winter brushed the necktie so that it fell back over one of her shoulders. "Does Miss Rose like that?" she breathed in a sultry voice. Seemed she was slipping back a bit more into her teacher role. Whatever she had become during the paddling had been… something else. "Does she want more?"

Slowly nodding, Ruby knew she could wait it out, see how things went with Winter before she asked about the attitude change properly. If it truly was a case that she didn't want to keep hurting her, she wouldn't be there with the candles anymore.

"Then she has to do something for me." Winter's eyes raked up and down the length of her student, as if trying to think of something to ask of Ruby. "Hmm… what could Miss Rose do for Miss Schnee?"

"Something for you… Hmm." But then she remembered: Winter had an affinity for a part of her body, one that she had just discussed with Penny a few hours ago. So she flicked her heels against each other, managing to hook off her shoes one by one. Once they were free, she allowed her feet to hang over the desk, and wriggled them in glee.

Winter's eyes were drawn immediately to the shoeless feet. A suspicion was brewing behind her eyes as she glanced back at Ruby's passively pleased expression, then at the stockings again. After considering for a moment, she decided to turn back to her with a wry smile.

"So… why would Miss Rose think her teacher would be pleased by that? It's a very… unusual thing to try."

"Well, Miss Rose… knows her teacher very well." And in a more bold move, she crossed her legs, looking up toward her confidently as it meant that one of her feet was facing in her general direction. Enough, she hoped, to keep her attention on them. Smugly smirking, she added, "Or I'm good at guessing…"

Eyeing them for a moment longer, she whispered, "You… do seem to know how best to drive me crazy." Licking her lips, she shut her eyes for a moment before turning back to Ruby. "Very good. My good little Rose has earned a reward."

So she tilted the candle again. This time, two or three hot droplets landed on various parts of Ruby's stomach - one on her hip, actually.

"A-Aaah! Oh… yeah!" She couldn't help but moan out in pure delight, which forced a reaction Winter would no doubt enjoy when she curled her toes in sheer delight when yet more hot wax had clung to her skin. The pain was temporary, but the lasting warm sensation remained. And that kept her going.

Indeed, Winter's eyes kept flicking between the canvas on which she was painting her wax, and the ends of Ruby's legs where an interpretive dance was playing out purely for her benefit. Blinking a few times, she focused on Ruby's face for a moment.

"You're really getting off on this, aren't you? Fascinating…"

"I can't help it," she admitted, looking down at the speckles of wax that had dried on her. If only she could keep that evidence there forever. "When it's you, Miss Schnee, how can I?"

Spotting the way Ruby was staring at the speckles affectionately, Winter formed an idea in the back of her mind. But she decided to hold off. Instead, she merely smiled cunningly and said, "Then I hope to provide you with more. First, however, you must show your gratitude." Almost as if worried, she added, "In whatever way you choose, of course. Whatever you wish."

Looking to between Winter's legs a moment, she debated on just what to do. How did this affect her, exactly? Deciding to test it out, she edged herself forward slightly so she could aim to bring her foot upward, and toward the middle of Winter's thighs. That action earned her a few blinks from the Dom, and then a mildly flustered chuckle.

"Alright, alright - now you have me quite curious. What are you going to do down there?"

"I know you like them." That was a little out of character again as she tried to speak directly to Winter rather than 'her teacher'. Once more she attempted to move herself forward, and touched at her thighs with her feet again. "I wanna see how much…"

"W-who says I like them?" But Winter was definitely preoccupied by what was going on by her thighs, the light sensation caused by the thin material stretched over Ruby's feet. Her cheeks, which had just gone back to normal, were starting to redden again. Even while trying to deny it, it seemed Winter was proving Ruby right.

"I figured it out," she taunted again. Seeing as Winter didn't actively shove her away or show her distaste for it in other ways, Ruby continued, delicately stroking up and down between her thighs. With each pass, she went further until she was pushing up her skirt. It was quite clear she was aiming for Winter's centre.

And Winter was allowing it. Seemed she had run out of reasons to protest. After a few more seconds, she set the candelabra down, afraid she would drop it and start a fire.

Bingo. She does like this. It couldn't be confirmed any more than that! And so Ruby made the most of it. As best she could from the awkward position, flinching from the lingering heat in her seat, she moved her foot straight to Winter's crotch. She could already feel slick wetness through the thin layer of the tights as she teased her, wriggling her toes as much as she could. With a mischievous smirk, she listened for a reaction.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhh, Ruby…" That was what she got for listening. Winter was bracing against the edge of the desk as she swayed, lost in dark pleasure. A moment later, she cleared her throat and said in a shaky voice, "I m-mean, Miss Rose… where did you learn such… unusual tactics to please a woman?"

It was purely guesswork. She never knew a person could please someone with such a method before, but Winter had proved otherwise. Continuing to apply pressure there as she aimed a little further into the folds, she continued to smirk darkly from how great a reaction it was making, even through her tights.

"This is really good then, Miss Schnee?"

"I…" Gulping, she swooned slightly, hips squirming from side to side as if unconsciously trying to get away from the taunting little toes, even though she wasn't doing much about it otherwise. "Y-you seem to be finding all s-sorts of kinks of mine tonight." Licking her lips, she then added in an undertone, "And… yes, it's good."

The smirk turned into a grin instead. "Looks like I'm learning well! You’re such a good teacher!" However, as she felt the moisture continuing to build up on her tights, she managed to adjust herself to look properly, with only minimal pain to her rear end. If she was getting this much pleasure with those on, what would it be like without them?

"Would you prefer me to remove my tights, Ma’am?"

Winter was shivering, her mouth hanging open as her cheeks remained full of rouge. Blinking up at her through her eyelashes, she whispered, "Aren't… I supposed to be treating you, Miss Rose? Why are you so eager to… to pleasure me, and not let me pleasure you?"

Her sub did want to be pleasured. She did want Winter to continue to drop wax over her body, continue the sweet sensation of light pain that came with it. But she enjoyed this far more. It was becoming more apparent in her that she enjoyed the giving part more than the receiving. She always had, even with Penny. And the more she thought about it, the more she knew it was related to her personal feelings about Winter. They really were getting stronger after all. Finally with that in mind, her foot backed away as she nervously swallowed.

"Sorry… I'm forgetting that, aren't I?"

"Can… we come back to that?" Winter's index finger alighted on Ruby's big toe for just an instant, then she smiled slightly as she pulled it away. "Wet…" Clearing her throat, she smiled down at Ruby. "So you figured out one of my secrets yet again. I'll take you up on that, if you really don't mind – but after I see that Miss Rose has enjoyed a little more… fruit of the candle."

Biting her lip to try and keep her grin at bay, the ‘student’ nodded. That was definitely something they could come back to, given how much Winter was enjoying even the brief taster! But she was right in one regard: this was now her time. She had already enjoyed one orgasm of her own, it was time for Winter to get even. Picking up the candelabra again, Winter hovered it over Ruby. The entire thing.

"Hmm… I'm starting to think we should raise the stakes…" With a slow smile, she then asked, "Where did we leave your 'eraser'?"

Then Ruby's attempts at holding back her grin were gone. She released her lips to do just that, already eager for what was to come. Looking over to the pencil case again, she pointed to it. "Just in there, I tucked it behind my pens."

"Good. I'll be right back." Before she walked to the desk, she shook the candelabra just enough so that a single drip of wax fell to the top of Ruby's breast; then she was off, retrieving the pencil case.

It was enough to coax a moan from her. Right above her breast peak, she felt the sudden heat hit for a moment, until it cooled down more or less right away. Yet more dried wax to add to her small collection. Even if it was strange, it made Ruby feel important to Winter, as though she was owned. Winter was leaving her marks all over her.

"Now… my hands are going to be far too busy to keep this on you. Which means you're going to have to do it yourself, Miss Rose." Her smile was dark as she paced around the desk, holding the tiny vibrator. "You've proven yourself a very studious young lady. Now, you're going to keep proving it to me when you don't stop driving your little pussy wild for me. Not even for a second. Can you do that?"

"Oh gosh…" she whispered to herself. That sounded so exciting already! Simply the idea that she couldn't stop until Winter asked- no, demanded her to; that could take minutes, or even hours depending on Winter's mood. Either way, she knew Winter wouldn't let her be anything other than driven completely insane. Taking it from her, she turned the top to activate the buzzing sound once more. Looking up at Winter, she continued to grin as she nodded.

With a satisfied smirk, Winter held the candles higher for emphasis as she said, "Then what are you waiting for? Let me hear you moan."

And straight away, she got to work. Just as Winter asked, she pressed the small device up against her tights firmly. The result was almost instant; her toes curled and knees bent when she moaned loudly. The fact she no longer had to worry about her volume came as a welcome relief; she could call out into the air without any stress – a luxury Winter wasn't allowed when it was her turn.

"There…" Pacing all the way around the desk, Winter took the time to simply watch Ruby at work, listen to her proof of arousal. Then, once she was in position again, she reached forward and tipped the candles nearly sideways; three drops fell onto Ruby's skin this time, in various spots.

Suddenly the moaning increased in volume. She didn't expect so much of the wax in one go! Most of it landed on her stomach, the rest dripped around her lower breast; all sent tingling sensations all through her body again. And the small bullet wasn't helping at all – not when she rubbed it up and down the length of her folds through her increasingly-useless tights. Already she was starting to squirm back and forth to try and keep herself under control, to no avail.

Meanwhile, Winter was hungrily watching this unfold, the girl’s entire body writhing in response to the wax. Of course, that wasn't the Dom's first experience with it, but it was their first shared experience. Her other hand reached out and ran over some of the cooler flecks of wax, nothing the difference in sensation where she touched.

It all seemed to help while Ruby continued to treat herself. The more she rubbed and circled her clit, the more she could already feel her heat building and hear her own heart pounding. A phenomenal sensation that was only going to get better as she felt her release getting close. But she knew how much Winter would want to see her go above and beyond. Her only hope was that she could last that long.

However, it also seemed like Winter was determined to spur her on to orgasm much faster than usual. This was evidenced when she drew her hand away and raised the candelabra, shaking it so that all five candles dripped onto Ruby - some of them more than one drip. All over her chest and stomach, and a couple on the arm she was using to hold the vibrating device in place.

She succeeded. Ruby's moans got even louder as she stared at the ceiling. The sensation of both the amount of hot wax splashing and drying against her skin fused with the speedy vibrations below sent her flying into orgasm. Her legs drew in as she quivered, feeling her wetness splash against the material as she came hard. Far harder than she could ever remember doing in her life!

A satisfied groan of triumph issued from deep in Winter's throat as she watched Ruby writhe, as she particularly paid attention to certain parts of her flexing and twisting. But once she had finished, she leaned in and whispered in her ear, "My little Rose really liked that. How long has it been since you got off in my classroom?"

However, she wasn't finished yet. She knew that Winter needed to give the command before she could, and had to continue pressing the small device against her now sopping sex. Both that and the whispering caused a higher-pitched whimper, a sign she was getting overstimulated. But she obediently continued.

Switching hands, Winter trailed her now-free fingers down to Ruby's sex, laying it beside the hand already pressing the toy into herself. "Goodness… soaking wet. You're a squirter, aren't you? Tights are a good way to stop you from squirting." Then she whispered in an even darker voice, "Not that I would want to. I love it."

Yet again, she felt more of the liquid force itself out and against the material with a small squeal. There was no way she would return these to Penny now, not after this much of herself was on them. She had to keep going though. Even when she could feel her poor clit beginning to ache, her body crying for a break, she had to keep it up, breathing heavily to stay on task for her teacher. But there was no energy left to respond in a way other than faint squeals.

The sounds were beginning to let Winter know Ruby was more than finished. Tempted as she was to push her until she broke, or called out the safeword, she slid her hand over Ruby's directly. "That's enough, Miss Rose. You sounded like an A-plus."

Finally she felt Winter pull her hand away. Instantly, her body began to relax, and she rested her feet flat against the surface of the desk as she dropped the vibrator to the side. Taking continuous deep breaths, she stared up blankly at the ceiling as her heartbeat gently dwindled to its normal pace, seeing nothing but stars.

Winter watched her for a moment, observing how weak and distant she seemed. Then she whispered, "Strawberries. Do you need to stop? You can just nod or shake your head."

Right away, she shook her head. In the midst of her panting, she managed to smile after a few breaths, even if she couldn't quite look at her. "No," she spoke breathlessly. "I'm fine to keep going… I-I just need to chill for a second."

"God, you squirted a lot," she whispered while they were still between scenes. Her hand came up to set down the candelabra, then helped Ruby arrange her hair. "I could tell. The wax does it for you that much?"

"Well… I guess it helps it was you doing it…" Straight away, however, she shut her mouth tight. That didn't mean to come out in that way, especially not in the middle of a scene! The last thing she wanted to be doing was pushing her feelings on Winter, especially when she promised herself she wouldn't. Quickly trying to recover, she stuttered, "I-I mean… y-you're experienced! You know how to do it!"

But Winter didn't seem to fully believe her. "Oh? I'm that good? Or… you just prefer my technique?" Kissing her forehead, she whispered, "We should probably start the scene again, I mean… if you still wanted to…" She cast a shy glance down toward Ruby's legs, but didn't elaborate further. "Or we could stop it here. You seemed pretty exhausted by that orgasm."

After a few more breaths, she seemed relieved. It seemed like Winter hadn't noticed, or at least was making out she didn't for her benefit. Either option was good. Once she was calm enough, she looked back to Winter again. She didn't even explain. "Resume play."

"You're so soaking, Miss Rose," she said almost immediately, having been ready for either option. "How does it feel, being laid out and messy right in front of your favourite teacher?"

Rather than act all too submissive, Ruby’s spare hand reached down toward her sex, taking in some of the moisture that had trapped itself on her tights. And while she maintained eye contact, she brought her fingers up toward her mouth. A moment later, she let her tongue out her mouth, lapping up what she had collected for herself, exaggerating a moan while she did so.

Winter watched with lustful eyes, still in command but indulging in the little show Ruby was putting on for her. Then she leaned in and gripped a hand in her hair before she whispered, "So very naughty." Without pausing for Ruby to answer, she took her mouth roughly, tasting the essence that was held on her tongue.

"HMM?!" So forceful! She could already feel Winter teasing at her tongue, eager to get to more – either the taste of her sex, or just a general taste of Ruby, or all mixed together as one. She didn't care, she simply wrapped her arms around Winter in response to such harsh grasping and pulled her closer, stroking up and down her back from her position on the desk.

Only when they broke apart for breath did Winter pant, "Delicious." Then she smirked down at her. "Now then… I get the feeling that you really seem to enjoy a little foot-play. Is that what you want next?"

Her sub wasn't prepared to just lie back and take everything anymore. Now she was going to give as much as she got, starting by smirking back at Winter as she brought one of her feet upward again. Purely for Winter's display. "I think it's you that likes the foot play, Ma’am."

Before she could be too distracted, Winter pushed her knee so that the foot went back downward. "Maybe so, but… you acted like you wanted to continue that for me. Do you?"

Raising one of her eyebrows, Ruby held back instead for a moment. "What do you have in mind?"

A grin spread over Winter's flushed face. "Lie flat and you'll find out, my little Rose." And she stayed perfectly still, waiting to see if Ruby would do it. To see how curious she truly was.

Without a single word of argument, Ruby laid flat on her back, shuffling herself fully onto the desk so no part of her was hanging off of it, and waited.

"Excellent. Hold still."

There came a thump-thump from the floor, and then Winter was climbing up onto the desk, using the chair to propel herself upward. All the while, her pale blue eyes remained trained on her sub, piercing through her. Standing above her, and on the desk even, was her Dom. As much she wanted to overpower Winter, or at least put up a fight again… seeing her that high above her did intimidate her.

Glancing upward, Winter reached to catch onto the fluorescent lighting fixture with one hand, the other one held out to one side. Then, with a menacing grin, she placed her shoeless foot between Ruby's breasts… and began to lift her other so that her weight pressed down onto her chest.

"Oh… O-oh…." The more weight was taken, the more difficult it was becoming for Ruby to breathe. She bore the weight of her Dom easily so far, but other than that, she had no option but to lay there and take it. Still laying perfectly still, she was attempting to contemplate her next move, particularly focusing on her exposed, and once again wet, centre.

"Isn't this what you wanted?" Winter asked in a harder voice, though she was still grinning. Once Ruby had taken all of the weight that wasn't being supported by her grip on the light, her other leg slowly drifted forward until the blade of the foot rested against Ruby's throat. The pressure on that was quite a bit lighter, but still just enough to be felt.

"Nnnn… I- it's very… different." And she had to admit, it was. Being stepped on by someone wasn't ever something she had imagined as erotic, but somehow, Winter seemed to make it so. Or at least, maybe that was just how Ruby felt. Everything about Winter was special. So she would have to make sure to do something special for her. Yet again she raised her leg as best she could, and aimed for in between her Dom’s. Even still in tights, it was worth a second try, given how much she was enjoying it.

Winter felt the toes just barely able to poke at the bottom of her thigh, but she only smiled. "Aww, the little Rose wants to show me her thorns."

Leaning slightly forward, she applied more pressure to her windpipe, slowly cutting off her circulation. The effect was almost immediate. Ruby's leg began to lower slightly as she gasped, quickly grasping the foot with both hands simply to keep it that same distance. That she could handle; anything more would cause her severe discomfort.

But Winter only applied more pressure. Still, it was a very controlled increase; the Dom was practiced, and obviously continued to balance mostly on Ruby's chest, using the fixture above her to withhold her full weight from resting on the girl. But now, it would be getting truly difficult for the smaller woman to draw breath.

Sure enough, her next attempt to breathe was a failure. That was it; she had that time while Winter was distracted – and she was still conscious – to continue to shuffle her feet, finally feeling the material begin to move down her legs when her toes snagged just right. And then finally, after a few minutes of toil, she miraculously kicked the tights free. She was now laying below, completely naked, with Winter none the wiser.

To surprise her before she found out, her leg quickly drew up before she could stop it, and a bare foot went straight to caress her centre again.

"O-oh!" Winter gasped, trying to glance behind her. When her balance wavered, she forced herself to become very still, not wanting to accidentally crush Ruby's windpipe. "Y-you… what do you think you're doing back there?" When she noticed Ruby's eyes were half-closing, she took the foot away slightly, using it to cup Ruby's cheek instead. "Well?"

Gasping, she opened her eyes again once breath returned to her lungs, managing to just look down at what she was doing. Now that she could see for sure, she could better adjust herself, shifting to move her foot a little further down so when she wriggled her toes, it would be directly against her clit.

"Pleasing you, Miss Schnee." She licked her lips. "Is it working?"

"It… it is, Miss Rose. You're… apparently very adept in… that area." Her cheeks were reddening again, but she was still maintaining her persona, her control. "But… there's something else I want."

Pressing her toes in further rather teasingly, she smirked from down below, half closing her eyes. "And what’s that, Ma’am?"

This Winter looked a little more guilty. Still Domming her "pupil", and still with that vaguely sadistic personality that went along with that, but it was evident that this request was a little more personal, and she therefore felt regretful even before she spoke again.

But even so, in spite of her guilt, she slid the foot on Ruby's cheek over until her toes were perched on her mouth. Then she whispered, "If… you could…"

When they were once half shut, Ruby's eyes began to open wider again. She wanted Ruby to treat her feet, as well, with her mouth. Was she serious? Never had she entertained such an idea before, but Winter expected her to do it without question. What about germs?

Hey, you had Winter's pussy up against your mouth. You didn't complain about that. Weighing the pros and cons, she decided there were more pros – because her Dom would enjoy it. But the convincing thought was when she reminded herself that she always had the safe word.

That's when she opened her mouth, and took both the big toe and the next inside.

Instantly, whereas she had been putting up such a good fight moments before… Winter was moaning, swaying on top of Ruby's chest as she was both being teased and teasing with toes. Moments like that made her wonder if she was losing her grip on reality. After another few seconds, she panted, "Wait! W-wait, okay, I…" Gulping, she drew the foot away and used the heel to brace next to Ruby's shoulder as she stepped down with the other, standing right next to Ruby's hip now.

Now that her breathing was far easier again, the student smiled again when she took the foot back into her hands. Now that there was less danger of being crushed, she fell back to work. Drawing her close to her mouth again, she at first lavished the sole with a few kisses, even giving the toes a couple, before she returned them back into her mouth, where she lavished them with her tongue. A long, satisfied groan issued through Winter as Ruby worshipped her toes, eyes drifting closed as she continued to brace against the ceiling with one hand. Even if Ruby had never done this before, she seemed to be fast on the uptake. The light pressure and wetness was pleasant and somewhat familiar from her previous sessions, but Ruby's tongue was definitely one of the better she had experienced.

As best she could, she attempted to continue the two stimulating punishments for Winter. It took all her concentration to keep wriggling her toes against Winter's sensitive clit, move against her folds all over to keep her going. If she could get Winter off twice in one night, she would consider it a victory.

And it was working. The twin forms of worship were very obviously driving Winter insane, the as the toes twitched and writhed in Ruby's mouth in reaction from both the tongue and what was happening up against her dripping sex. Her fingers were white-knuckling against the lighting fixture, straining to keep herself upright despite how weak her knees felt from the constant stimulation.

Smirking as best she could with a foot in her mouth, Ruby's lips locked around Winter's biggest toe. Just as if it was a cock, even though she had no experience with those, she began to suck and lap gently, pushing herself up and down the tiny length of it; all while that foot continued to taunt. As best she could in a final move, she tried to move her toes around the clit in particular, focusing on it to try and finish the job. Not much longer from the feel of things!

"Ru- Miss Rose!" Winter scarcely caught herself. Her mouth was hanging open as she panted for air, hips beginning to buck against the infuriating foot within her skirt, as her sub's tongue caressed her toe so tenderly. "Yes! YES, it's s-so good! You… I can't believe you're… MMHHH!!"

Perhaps this would take longer than she thought. Struggling to keep that up, she had to speed things along in another way. To do that, she moved on to the next toe, wrapping her lips around it in the same way. And then another, then another… And while that was continuing, she increased the speed of her teasing with her own toes, increased the pressure.

That was enough. The minute she felt Ruby's tongue threading between and caressing all five of her toes, combined with how diligent she was stimulating her overly-sensitive clit and folds, she couldn't hang on any longer, and came nearly as hard as she did earlier while seated at her desk. Except this time, she was standing. A few droplets of wetness rolled down Ruby's sole as she convulsed and cried out, her own toes curling and freezing up inside Ruby's stuffed mouth.

The curling of her toes caused Ruby's mouth to open slightly, making her giggle slightly more when she eased her foot away slowly from her mouth. There was even more of a grin to herself when she felt Winter's fluid rolling down her foot and then her leg, and she eased it down and back onto the surface of the desk. She looked back up toward her innocently, tilting her head. She had done it; she had brought Winter to climax with flying colours.

"Was that good, Miss Schnee?"

After a few more pants and gasps, she looked down at Ruby. One of her hands was still bracing herself up, but the other one raised and traced fingertips through her bangs, patted down along her own neck. She cleared her throat before trying to answer.

"That was… definitely… extra credit, Miss Rose."

Smiling gratefully, Ruby began to shuffle backward on the desk. The instant she tried to sit upright however, she winced. Her backside still wasn't ready to take too much weight just yet it seemed. "O-ow… I think I needed it, Ma’am. That's going to hurt next lesson…"

"Oh, you'll be fine. All in the name of… learning." Then she slowly crouched down over the nice form of her "student," smiling weakly. "Now, let's just see if I can climb down… you stay put for a moment." Nodding, Ruby laid herself back down again to ease the pressure, maintaining eye contact with her all the while. Winter stepped straight into her heels and shivered.

"Ohhh, that feels so strange with your saliva in there…" But she recovered quickly, turning back to Ruby. "Is your rear end really smarting that much?"

The girl didn't even bother trying to sit up anymore. Instead, to make her way off the desk she rolled to her front, pushing herself backward that way. "Yeah, I think I should have stopped it sooner. Live and learn, I guess."

"Wait." Her hand fell to the back of Ruby's calf to stop her. "May I…? For a moment. Just a moment, if you don't mind."

"Huh?" Only just managing to look around to Winter, she paused for a moment. What more could she possibly play out for their scene?! Curiously however, she nodded. "D-do you want me to roll back over?"

"No, no, you're fine where you are." Her hands began to slide up and down the backs of her thighs, delicately gliding around her hips instead of over her backside. Then she leaned down and pressed her lips to one of the reddened cheeks.

"I'm sorry you're in pain. But I hope you'll use it to remember me fondly."

The soft lips of her Dom were enough to bring a smile to her own lips again. A soothing gesture such as that was more than enough to put her at ease, and she relaxed against the hard surface of the desk. Winter always took such good care of her. "Oh I will, Miss Schnee," she agreed, smiling in her direction. "This has been a lesson I'm never gonna forget."

"Excellent. Now… your teacher wants one last little fringe benefit." Her hands began to slide down Ruby's legs, then wrapped around her ankles, gently raising them upward. "If that's alright with Miss Rose."

Too curious of what Winter would do, she nodded without hesitation. Seconds later, Ruby could feel lips pressing into the ball of her foot, then again in her arch. Tender and affectionate, all too happy to be where they were. Right away Ruby's toes curled. In comparison to the harsh spanking this was a godsend, the perfect way for her to unwind. Quietly humming with joy, she laid still against the desk obediently, letting her Dom do as she wished.

Seemed their scene included aftercare this time.

As her lips made their way to the toes, her fingers began to knead gently into the tender arches. As strong as her desire to enjoy this particular kink seemed to be, Winter was also determined to give back. Worshipping and massaging at the same time wasn't too difficult of a task. Back and forth, Ruby flexed her toes with the tender kisses. And now with the massaging against her sole. She was skilled at this as well it seemed, given from how instantly relaxed she was even after a few seconds. Only just managing to look back, she spoke softly.

"Wi- Ma’am… Why are you so good to me?"

Switching her mouth from one set of toes to the other, Winter whispered in a passionate voice, "Ruby, who wouldn't be good to someone as perfect as you?"

Ruby. Not "Miss Rose".

The once-relaxed expression suddenly seemed to be deep in thought. Unlike her in every way, Winter had slipped out of character. It was usually only something drastic that would cause her to do that, why did it happen now?

Because she likes you, too. The way Winter went above and beyond with every scene's setup, checking every detail. She even took the time to save her from a potentially damaging Dom, something that another might not have done. The more she thought about it, there was only one reasonable explanation.

Holy shiz, she actually does. She actually does like you back!

But for now, she was too scared to say anything. She needed to weigh the pros and cons of whatever her next move would be. Whether she should continue with her plan to keep things strictly a Dom-and-sub arrangement, or do what Penny suggested; tell the truth and hope for the best.

Meanwhile, it really seemed as if Winter hasn't noticed her own slip; she was far too preoccupied with the rare treat her sub was offering. After another few minutes, she hummed and said, "My essence on your toes… it's a really unique flavour…"

Flexing them back and forth one more time, Ruby finally took the steps to get off the desk. While she was undecided, she still wanted to spend time with Winter. And they had time; as far as she knew, Winter's roommate was away all night and tomorrow until the afternoon. As long as she left before then, they could extend their aftercare until the next day.

Once she had returned to her feet again, she smiled, curling her toes against the ground. "Was certainly interesting trying to get you off like that, Ma’am."

"Was it now?" Smiling over at her, the temporary teacher wiped her mouth as she told her, "You took to it like a duck to water. I'm impressed."

Grinning back, she nodded lightly in agreement. It was good to be complimented when she stepped outside her comfort zone, it helped her feel motivated to do more. However, sensing there wouldn't be much left of the scene from now, she asked a question. One that could potentially give the best clue as to how Winter felt.

"So… do you like-like me, Miss Schnee? Or are your feelings… is this still just a fling-thing?"

But Winter was still in a professional state of mind. "Oh, Miss Rose… even if I did find you… perfectly suited to me, nothing can come of it. You're my student; we've already gone too far as it is. Trying to be with you on a more permanent, romantic basis…" Her shrug was resigned.

"…Why?" Ruby didn't accept that answer. Not without hearing the proper reason. She wanted some sort of info she could use, and not just that of her character in this scene. Approaching her to wrap her arms around her, she gently looked into her eyes again. "We're both adults, no one would ever know. Why wouldn't you want to do more?"

"Because… oh, Miss Rose, of course I would." Petting along her naked back, she whispered, "But I can't ask you to throw away your future on an old woman like me. It wouldn't be fair to you. Find another girl your age and…"

"What if I don't want a girl my age?" She couldn’t help but squeeze her closer, looking up as she rested her chin close to her collarbone. Smiling happily at the warmth of her body, she went on, "I don't want boring girls from my class, they're all the same. But you… I don’t care if you’re a teacher; you're a lot of things I could want. I'd love to have the chance to show you."

Gulping, Winter began to run her fingers through Ruby's hair as she leaned closer, eyes half-closed. After a few seconds, she whispered, "You really… want to try a relationship with me? It would be difficult. We would have to hide who we were together, every day at school. Being fired from my job would be the least of my worries if they ever found out."

"I'm pretty good at keeping secrets. But, if the risk is that great… I don’t wanna ruin your life." Her student seemed to think on that for a moment. The very thought of having to leave even had her tightening her arms around her, like she never wanted to let her go; but she didn't want to risk getting her teacher in trouble.

But it got her thinking; what were the risks outside play? Now that she knew Mr Schnee would barely bat an eyelid, there didn't seem to be any. Penny had given her blessing. There was possibly Yang, considering what Winter had done to her before; but that was so long ago and she had forgiven her. When she thought about it, there really was nothing in reality that could stop them.

But she hasn't given Winter a real answer yet. "Then perhaps… one night? Then we can return to normal."

"I thought that's what this was. Unless…" Winter's expression was mildly puzzled when she pulled back, peering down at the shorter woman with something like disbelief. "Do you mean to come home with me, little Rose?"

Right away, Ruby nodded. She finally released her grip again to look at her properly, and instead placed her hands on her hips. "If you'll have me there? It's up to you, Miss Schnee."

Indecision reigned supreme on the Dom's face. "Hmm… it's unwise. And what will your parents say when you never come home tonight, hmm? Do you make a habit of this?"

Ruby could only laugh to herself. "You think I do this with other teachers? No, I'd just tell them I'm at a sleepover with… one of my fellow students."

"And that would be… accepted by them? You're sure?" Petting along Ruby's back absentmindedly, she contemplated the idea. "Well… not sleeping alone might be nice… but why would you want to? We've already enjoyed each other to the fullest here in the classroom. You're not still horny, are you?!"

"Miss Schnee, there's way more I like about you besides just being hot." But on that subject, she finally began to move away from Winter and to the pile of clothes. There was no point in even wearing the tights when they were drenched, so she skipped them.

"Really?" Her eyes followed the "student's" every movement as she began to dress in… most of what she had worn that evening. "Such as…?"

"I thought I told you this earlier?" But she just continued to slide on her skirt, then move onto the shirt and jacket. As she buttoned it up, she went on, "You're caring of your students, even when you don't have to be. You go above and beyond when it comes to teaching… and I know there's a lot for me to learn about you, but I want to. I want to learn about a more romantic Winter Schnee."

But the instant that slipped out, she immediately froze up, inwardly cursing herself. Not like that! Quickly she stammered, "M-miss Schnee."

Winter did blink a few times, and it took her longer than usual to respond. But when she did, what she said was, "V-very well. Just this once, but we can't make a habit of it; the risk to both our futures is simply too great." Her hands raised as she walked over, and she began to adjust the buttons and the necktie, making Ruby a lot closer to how she had looked before arriving that night. Without the tights, of course.

"Y-yes… Yeah, of course." The tightly shut eyes were enough of a clue that Ruby was still beating herself up over that slip of character. How long would it take for the inevitable to happen? For her to slip so much she might confess to Winter before she was ready? That was the recurring question in her head.

But her Dom’s soft touches were enough to calm her down. At the least, she was fairly confident that even if she did realise her crush was real, her Dom would respect those feelings enough to acknowledge them and simply admit she didn't feel the same way without holding it against her. At the very least, no matter what she did, there was still a lasting friendship. That's what mattered more than the "and more" part.

"I can't wait." Winter picked up a briefcase that was on the floor next to the desk, then turned to help Ruby collect her supplies and stow them in her backpack. "Would you fetch me your… eraser?"

That was a point. Where was it? She had let it go when Winter allowed her to, it must have rolled off somewhere. In fact… when Ruby remained quiet a moment, she could still hear its muffled buzzing. Turning around to crouch by the desk, she soon managed to find it beneath. Immediately she turned it off, then handed it to Winter. "Must have rolled under there! Oops."

"Of course," she chuckled as she gave it a little kiss, then tucked it into the pencil case. Once everything was stashed, she handed the bag to Ruby. "Are you ready to go?"

Hauling the bag onto her shoulders she smiled, and nodded once more. "Yeah, Ready."

"Good. Let's go, little Rose."

And with that, Winter led Ruby from the room. The minute they were out in the hallway, she sighed and said, "Aaand, end play. Whew! That was… quite a ride!"

For a moment, she blinked. Her student has assumed their play was going to continue into the night, like the first time they did their Harry Potter scene. But now Winter had other thoughts, she forced a smile. "Y-yeah! That was… Pretty exciting!"

"Thank you for indulging my… well, what you figured out about…" She moved the tip of her high heel from side to side for emphasis. "Wasn't expecting that, but it was a lot of fun."

It was enough to prompt a very real chuckle from her sub. Looking down to her feet, she moved one of her own forward into Winter's vision. "You really liked that, huh? Didn’t expect you to be that into it."

"Sorry." Her cheeks were warming again as she led Ruby toward the living room. "It's… not something I go around advertising. Hopefully you understand why, since it's looked down upon by most people. I'm not even sure when it started; probably after I entered the BDSM scene, since I don't remember caring one bit about feet before then."

"I… guess different kinks appear at different times." Although as soon as they were headed in the direction opposite to her bedroom, she looked in that direction, then toward Winter again, then back. "Wait… I thought I was staying the night?"

"What? Oh, I… assumed that was just part of play. That Miss Rose would be staying the night with Ms. Schnee. You know my roommate will be here tomorrow afternoon." Looking uncomfortable now, she added, "Though I guess I could set an alarm…"

"O-oh… Yeah, right, I forgot." In actuality, she didn't at all. But it seemed a better excuse than divulging exactly why she wanted to stay the night. That she would rather leave for another day. For now, she shrugged her shoulders, quickly trying to change the subject. "No, don't worry! I can get Penny to come get me. It's not too late, s-so…"

"Penny dropped you off? Ah. Well… I could drive you home." Glancing down at her "teacher" uniform, she laughed and added, "Do up a few buttons, and I'll be presentable enough. Is… unless you'd rather I don't."

Sparing a quick peek again at the lovely amount of cleavage Winter displayed, Ruby quite obviously bit her lip, looking back up again.

"Maybe not… just yet."

#Lady Stardust #ruby x winter #rwby smut #rwby fanfiction #rwbyremnants #nsfw-Text

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thedragonslibrary · 5 years

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Is it possible to be blocked like magick or energy wise? I do not know how to put it in words but sometimes I feel like there is something that i should connect to or should be able to do but I am not. Maybe I am not idk well practiced enough but it sometimes feels like I am running against a glass wall. Maybe I Idk man. I am just really frustrated. I cant really give examples just everytime I do something magick related it feels like running against a wall and it makes me wanna cry. Sorry

Yes, of course it’s possible to be blocked!

To clarify, your first statement about feeling as though you should be able to “connect” to something is a common beginner issue. It may simply be that you haven’t found the thing you’re supposed to connect to yet - whether that’s opening your third eye and being able to talk to your guides, finding the deity and/or pantheon you connect most to in a religious manner, or simply opening your psychic awareness fully enough to feel the energies around you. The best advice I can give is to experiment. Try everything, and don’t hold yourself back!

When I was a beginner witch, I tried everything from Wicca to demonolatry to Christian witchery, from reiki to hexing and cursing, from psychopomp work and shadow work and light work and everything you can imagine. If you can think of it, I probably tried it in some way. Only by putting yourself out there in as many avenues and paths as you possibly can, will you find what works for you. If something doesn’t work, doesn’t fit or “feel right,” put it away and move on. Read everything you can - on Tumblr, in books, in every single resource you can find. It took me probably five or six years of exploration to figure out what generally “worked” for me, and I still feel like I’m learning and discovering new outlets for my magical expression.

An extra “something” is not for everyone. Often in magical practices, you are the source of your own power. Sure, crystals and herbs and grounding and gods help, but ultimately the magic is coming from you. You might not necessarily need an extra “thing.” Let your magic be intuitive, don’t let books or Tumblr bloggers tell you how to do your thing step-by-step. Take spells or rituals and modify them to fit your needs - that is how they’ll be most powerful and useful for you.

But back to the topic of blockages, if you have already had magical abilities previously: I have gone through blockages myself, and they are exactly what you described here: frustrating, like hitting a wall. Sometimes it feels as though all your “power” has been taken away, and you’re left without your previous magical agency. You might have the thought that perhaps you were just making everything up all along, that maybe you’ve been deluding yourself. Trust me, you didn’t, and things will get better!

In my experience, there are two general types of blocks you can have. I’ll outline them for you and how they can be worked through.

The first is a bit simpler, and is more like an art block. Lots of magic-users go through periods of this softer, mental blockage at some point or another on their path. It can be sometimes referred to as a Fallow Period, which comes from a similar phrase in farming used to refer to when a partition of soil is meant to rest for a season or two to regain its fertility.

A Fallow Period can arise from burnout, especially from outside sources creating stress in your life.

Magic, especially psychic and spirit work, is infinitely more difficult when you are stressed, going through a rough mental health period, or when you are physically ill.

Fallow Periods can also be caused through divine intervention - your spirit guides or deities may have decided that you need to take a break to focus on real life, or to focus on taking care of yourself for a little while.

Blockages of this nature eventually right themselves, but it can take time - it can last anywhere from a few months to over a year.

The best thing to do when you’re experiencing a fallow period like this is to not force it. You are only going to frustrate yourself if you continue to attempt to perform magically and have little to no results. Additionally, you’re going to create a deadly cycle of feeling disappointed in yourself, and eventually burn out so hard you won’t want to do magic at all anymore.

Instead, take some time to create: write poetry, draw, or paint. Write devotional poetry. If you want to do magical work, work on your grimoire or book of shadows. Focus on practical magic you can do with your hands - cooking, creating items with intent, cleansing and clearing your home.

Take time to meditate and perform self-care. Perform practical, easy meditations like the simple, free ones in the Headspace app, or find guided meditations for free on YouTube that bring you into fun, brightly colored astral spaces. Take baths and imagine all of your troubles washing away down the drain when you’re finished. Give yourself room to heal and just feel good about yourself.

When you feel ready to move out of your Fallow Period, it will come very naturally. Like an urge to pick up a witchcraft book or to astral travel suddenly. Don’t worry about easing back into it - while taking it slow might be good for some, it’s not for everyone. If you’re really excited to get back into magic, and you’re being urged to do it right now, go ahead and do it!

The other type of blockage is a physical, energetic blockage. These are usually sudden-onset conditions. If one day you are performing just fine magically, and the next you wake up and you can’t feel any of your sixth senses, and you are not physically sick or particularly more stressed out than normal, you probably have a physical energetic blockage.

Ensure first that it’s an energetic blockage. Perform a reading on yourself, check your energy centers, figure out how you’re feeling physically. Meditation goes a long way here, as well as visualizing your energy moving through your body. Does it seem to stop anywhere? Likewise, do you feel extremely hopeless and drained energetically for no discernible, tangible reason (i.e. depression or a recent traumatic experience)? Can you not even muster up the motivation to check yourself? Then you probably have an energetic blockage.

Find an energy healer in physical proximity to you. Trust me when I say that it is not enough to go to the local Hand & Stone and ask for a reiki massage (I have tried this for you already, and please believe me when I say it’s not going to solve your problems). Distance healings do work and are worth it, but in my personal experience physical healings tend to be much more powerful when it comes to dismantling blockages in this way.

Ask around at your local metaphysical stores. Find someone who is a reiki master or another type of energy healer, who has great reviews outside of what’s posted on their website and who has a great deal of experience. Ask them if they have unedited testimonials anywhere they can share with you (such as Google reviews).

Ask what their process is, ask to see their healing space, ask them what physical tools they use in their session. Ask them if they’d be willing to charge a small fee for them to examine you and figure out what’s going on (don’t expect them to do something like that for free). Remember that they should never suggest that they can heal physical ailments or claim that their services replace allopathic medicine - they should only focus on your energetic issues.

Explain to them that you feel blocked energetically and that this is exactly what you are looking to be treated for - psychics and healers are not mind readers, and they cannot help you if they’re not told what they need to fix.

Pay attention to your gut and what feels right. Even in a blocked state, you always have decent access to your intuition.

I won’t lie, you will likely need to shell out a good amount of money for this. A good healer worth their salt most likely won’t charge you less than $60 for an hour session.

If you don’t feel some kind of energetic release during your healing session, mention that to your healer. Since you’ve already told them about your issue, they may be able to give advice as to why you didn’t feel any specific change, as everyone’s process is different and the healer you’ve chosen to work with is going to have the best understanding over the situation, after you. Again, pay attention to your gut. Give the healing a couple of days to set in, and make sure to drink plenty of water and pay attention to how you feel.

When I personally dealt with my own physical energy blockage, when it was finally healed it felt like a dam breaking and all of my energy flowing back into my body. It felt like I had had one of my senses shut off, and for the switch to finally be turned back on. Not everyone is going to feel this way, but if you’ve been blocked for a particularly long time, it may feel very strong and overwhelming to have yourself be un-blocked.

Whatever your situation is, I hope this post was helpful! Good luck on finding your solution!

#witchcraft #energy work #fallow period #spirit work #blockages #energy blockages #energy blocks #healing #energy healing #energy healer #talymaly

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lovemesomesurveys · 3 years

Text

do you have a lot of barbecues during the summer? Not anymore, but growing up we did quite often.

do you plan on going to the movies soon? to see what? I’d like to, but probably not anytime soon.

do you tie your shoes or just tuck in the laces? I tie them.

What is one present you got for your last birthday? A new pair of Adidas.

What is one thing that you took to show and tell as a kid? Hmm. Probably a Barbie or something.

Do you remember losing your first tooth? Not the very first, but I remember eating an apple and loosing a tooth.

In the summer would u rather have the windows down or the AC on in the car? I’d definitely turn the AC on. Rolling the windows down just blows hot air.

are you itchy anywhere right now? Not at the moment, but I probably will now.

Have you ever thrown anything at a moving car? Uh, no.

Have you ever been addicted to a game? What game? I get really into Mario games. And The Sims.

What song makes you laugh when you hear it? Hmm.

do you believe in "the one"? I don’t know.

Do you like maple cookies? I don’t think I’ve ever had a maple cookie before. <<< Me either, but that does sound good. I love maple.

Have you ever volunteered anywhere? where? Tons of places.

are you afraid to pop a balloon? Yes, haha. I’m such a jumpy person. Even if I’m expecting something I’d still get scared.

Name one person you'd like to see this month. I don’t want to see anyone outside of my parents and brother right now.

How high do you put the volume while using headphones? When listening to ASMR I put the volume all the way up. If I’m watching a regular video or listening to music then maybe like half way, it depends.

When was the last time you laughed when you shouldn't have? I don’t recall. What would be the worst possible way to be woken up? I hate when I wake up from a horrible dream that feels so real that I wake up literally sobbing and shaking.

which was better: lion king 1 or lion king 2? Oh, the first hands down.

Do any of your grandparents have a tattoo? No.

When was the last time you had a bubble bath? When I was a kid.

have you ever had a pet rock? No, but I did collect rocks as a kid.

Do you believe in marriage? Sure, I just don’t see myself getting married.

What word do you say way too much? “Nice.”

What do you usually buy when you go to the corner store? I haven’t gone to like a 7/11 or anything in quite awhile, but I used to all the time cause I live close to one and I’d go and get all kinds of snacks and a drink, like a soda or Slurpee.

are you currently cold? No.

do you believe that your pets feel love towards you? Yes.

what is a creative way to paint your nails? I wouldn’t know.

does your computer have built in speakers or do you have some plugged in? They’re built into the laptop.

bubbles or sidewalk chalk? I liked drawing with chalk as a kid.

What do you use to tell time when your gone out somewhere? My phone.

what color is your alarm clock? I use my phone, which is gold.

what brand is your TV? Philips.

are you proud of your body? Nooo. I’m extremely self-conscious.

Watermelon or Cherries? Watermelon.

What is your all time favorite song? I couldn’t choose just one.

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character? On TV shows and movies, yeah. Eric Northman on True Blood started my love for Alexander Skarsgard.

What is the band you've listened to most lately? I haven’t been listening to music lately.

how much effort do you put into how you look? Not at all anymore. :/ I’m a mess.

Favorite brand of cookies? Not really a favorite brand, just favorite types like sugar and shortbread.

what would you do if you found out your mother had killed someone? Uh, wow. I don’t know...

If you could meet anyone who lived before your time, who would it be? Lucille Ball.

Do you pay for your own things? Some things.

Have you ever been rushed to the hospital in an ambulance? Yes.

Do you think the world is getting worse every year? Kinda feels that way.

Have you ever had a reoccurring dream? Yeah, a few.

Have you ever gone a day without eating? Yeah.

How do YOU believe the world & universe started? I believe God created the world and everything in it.

What was the topic of the last essay you wrote? I don’t remember.

how old were you when you discovered what sex was? Uhhh. Elementary school sometime.

Do you wish you had smaller feet? My feet are small.

Have you ever stuck gum under a desk/chair? EW, no. That is so incredibly disgusting like why do people do that?? *barf*

When shopping at a grocery store, do you return your cart or just leave it? We return it.

What is one thing you'd never want your parents to find out? Hmm.

Who is the best cook in your house? My parents and brother are all great cooks and have their own specialties.

When you were little, did you like Dr. Suess books? Yeah.

Have you ever felt trapped in a relationship? In a way I did.

How many dryer sheets do you put in a load of laundry? I’m not the one who does the laundry, my mom helps me with that.

Recommend a good book to me. Check out the many different series from Willow Rose and Mary Stone, as well as the Emma Griffin series by AJ Rivers if you’re into murder mysteries and psychological thrillers.

What would you consider unforgivable? If someone murdered one of my family members? <<< Most definitely.

When you hear someone talking about lice, does your head start itching? Ugh, yes.

What would be a clever name for a giraffe? Haha, I named one of my giraffe stuffed animals Gigi, as in GG, meant to stand for Giant Giraffe because it stands 4ft tall.

Are there any items of jewelry you never/rarely take off? No, not anymore. I haven’t worn any jewelry in a long time.

What's something you like to do while you're drunk? I haven’t been drunk or drank alcohol at all in almost 10 years.

Do you think you deserve more than what you have? I don’t think I deserve anything.

Would you rather give your food to a homeless shelter or money to charity? Give food to a homeless shelter. And other items.

Kiss on the neck or kiss on the cheek? Depends.

True or False: you this read wrong True.

Don't you hate when you hit your tooth on your cup trying to get a drink? Yeah. Or with a fork is even worse.

Which store would you choose to max out a credit card? I wouldn’t ever want to max out my credit card. <<<

Who has the loudest mouth in your house? My dad talks loud.

Can you understand Shakespeare English? No, but that’s why there’s SparkNotes or modernized versions. <<< Ha, yep. Quite helpful.

Do you usually buy or make your Halloween costumes? I just put simple stuff together.

Do you like eating out at restaurants? I used to. These past few years I’ve become a major homebody and just prefer takeout. With the pandemic I’ve had a ton of takeout.

What was your least favorite year of your life so far? These past few.

What is the most ridiculous law you ever heard about? There’s a lot of really random, ridiculous ones.

Is your name common? Very.

If you could have any pet in the world, illegal or not, what would you get? I just want doggos.

Do you like fried bologna? I’ve never had it, but I do love regular bologna sandwiches.

How do you act around people you dislike? Probably the same, just slightly more disinterested in what they have to say. <<< Yeah. I’m also more short and don’t engage much in the conversation.

Do you like decorating rooms or would you rather have someone else do it ? I don’t have the creativity or knack for that, it would just stress me out. I’d much rather hire someone.

Have you ever been to Canada? No.

have you spent money on a game online? I have on apps on my phone.

Are you good at making small talk? Noo, I’m the worst.

Has someone ever taken something from you that you could never replace? Yes.

Are you a fan of tattoos? Eh, I kinda want a little one but it’s not a big deal if I don’t.

Are you bikini ready? I don’t wear bikinis or any kind of bathing suit.

What do you dislike the most about being the gender that you are ? Menstrual cycles sucked.

#personal #text #survey #surveys

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ohwereusingourmadeupnames · 4 years

Note

“ how the hell did this happen? ” - starker

Fire, Burning Me Up

Pairing: Peter Parker/Tony Stark (Starker) Rating: Mature (M) Notes: For some reason, my brain went to this - hope you don’t mind! Word Count: ~2k Summary:

Peter is transfixed by the man at the bar - a firefighter with a trimmed goatee and the most gorgeous eyes. What he expects to be something fun turns into something that could easily turn into forever.

do the thing, send in all the prompts

The first time Peter saw him, he was out for drinks with Ned and MJ – they’d been balls deep in thesis research for the last ten days, getting out of the dimly lit lab and behind the wood of a bar absolutely needed to happen. He just didn’t expect that night to change the rest of his life like it did.

Peter liked to let the image of the man he’d come to know as Tony sit in the front of his mind, like a picture in a wallet or sitting on his desk in a frame. The NYFD on the back of his shirt was the first thing to draw him in. In all of his adult life, Peter hadn’t encountered a firefighter before. May’s cooking was dismal, and the local Queens department knew her by name, but he hadn’t had any unfortunate accidents like that since moving out and starting his schooling at TISCH; and that was 6 years ago.

He was sitting next to a beefy blonde man who was in the same shirt – the firehouse numbers on the side of their sleeves matched, too. There were a couple of empty stools next to them, but drinks rested in front of them waiting for their owners to return. Peter watched the two men closely, the obvious familiarity between them much like him and the two goons getting sloppy at their table. His breath caught when Tony turned to look at him. He could’ve gotten lost in the cognac color of his eyes; they were warm and staring at him intently.

Already too deep into the staring contest to look away, Peter flashed him a smile. In the times they’d talked about it since then, Tony told him it looked shy on his end, but he remembered feeling confident, happy to have caught his attention. Tony didn’t hesitate to smile back, either. The side of his mouth crinkled when he did, the well taken care of goatee framing the look on his face spectacularly. He mouthed ‘hi’ at Peter and shook his own beer bottle, his eyebrows raising.

Looking down at the last sip of his beer, Peter picked it up and downed it. He watched Tony chuckle and turn to flag down the bartender. For a few seconds, Peter forgot he was with his friends – MJ’s voice stopped him as he got out of his chair with the clear determination to head across the bar. “Where you off to, Petey?” He caught her eye and saw the sarcasm swimming there – in all the time he’d known her, MJ lived to give him shit.

“There’s a firefighter at the bar that’s making eyes at me. I’m going to go see what all the fuss is about.” Nodding his head at her, Peter turned back around, his long legs carrying him over to the bar dizzyingly quick. The seat next to Tony was vacant, the tall blonde now hovering over by the pool tables across the room.

It probably should’ve felt weird, sitting down next to a total stranger – but it didn’t. Tony turned towards him with a smile, his eyes gleaming in the fluorescent light. “Hey – I’m Tony.” It was simple and wholesome and the hand that Peter grasped a second later was rough and fit so nicely against his palm.

Peter switched to something a little lighter so he could absorb everything about Tony – they spent the rest of the night talking about his Interactive Telecommunications degree and where he wanted to take it after graduation in a couple of months. Tony told him about the fire station that he manned as the acting chief – he kept a smile on his face the entire time he recalled the men that worked with him and the adventures they’d been on.

Some of them made Peter cringe with a terrible sort of discomfort – but, they were interesting and made Tony even more badass than he initially thought.

The biggest shocker of the night came when Tony mentioned a 5-year-old daughter. He’d been married briefly before deciding that hiding in the closest wasn’t worth all the heartache he’d caused. His ex-wife kept Amelia during Tony’s nights on shift, and the rest of the time was spent with Tony, learning and getting into as much trouble as possible.

A piece of his mind was jumping up and down, trying to signal the need to get out while he still could. Peter wasn’t keen on that, though – Tony caught his attention; that was so much more than anyone else in his life over the last few years.

Over another 3 drinks, Peter got to know more and more about the fire engine driver turned team lead – he had a degree in Mechanical Engineering and originally got into firefighting just to work on the trucks. Every new piece of him made Peter wanted to know more, so when Tony asked him for his number a couple of hours later, he didn’t hesitate to give it to him.

They had a date planned before Peter walked back to his apartment with the friends he eventually caught up to. The smile on his face gave him away – he spent the rest of the early morning telling MJ about Tony; she grinned at him the entire time he talked.

“You’ve got it bad, Cupcake,” MJ stated plainly, her arm wrapping around his shoulder when he didn’t deny it. The blush on his face was answer enough, anyway.

Actually dating Tony Stark was even more interesting the man himself. He kept the weirdest hours, because of the many chaotic days he was used to at the station. It took a while for Peter to adjust to the requests to meet Tony in the weirdest places, but he did for the sake of the precious human who wanted his attention. The very first time he met Amelia, Tony texted him to meet him at the grocery store – he had a few hours to spare and wanted to have Peter there for them.

The little girl didn’t bat and eye – she held out her hand the same way her father did when Peter first sat down next to him. “I’m Amelia,” she said simply, the 5-year-old way more articulate than Peter was at that age.

“Hey Amelia, I’m Peter.” He gave her small hand the briefest of squeezes before letting go, a beaming smile slipping across his face. She looked so much like Tony; it was kind of eerie.

She nodded her head at him, her own lips tilting up into a grin. “I know. Daddy spent the last half an hour telling me all about you. You do cool things with art, right?” Tony looked at her with narrowed eyes when she threw him under the bus – she laughed and shrugged; the man’s own gesture being used against him. “Well, it’s true.”

Peter wanted to throw his arms around the two of them – he didn’t know that he could like Tony any more than he already did, but he was constantly being proven wrong. He looked between them before answering, his arms seriously itching for a group hug. “I’m not mad about that. It’s kind of cute,” he said, looking up at Tony with a quick wink. “That is me, though. I’m currently doing research with Virtual Reality creation and usage.”

How quickly he bonded with Amelia amazed him – it was even more seamless than his connection with Tony. The girl was smart and curious; she asked why constantly and wanted to know how everything worked. Sometimes, Peter would head over to the Stark household just to hang out with Amelia; Tony’s schedule was perfect for random drop-ins that turned into hours watching the girl while his boyfriend ran into work because of some crisis or another.

During one of the many times that happened, Amelia had the idea to make cupcakes. She talked him into downloading the Pintrest app and searching for the most complex ones that she could find. The smile that passed across her lips when she realized he would be helping her making rainbow unicorn cupcakes made it worth it – no matter how much he would wholeheartedly deny it.

Tony didn’t do a lot of cooking, so they had to wait for a grocery delivery to get to the house. While they did, Amelia told him about all of the unicorns they would be making and the names she picked out for each of them. Peter sincerely hoped they’d be able to make something at least edible – the thought of her crippling disappointment almost enough to make him back out at the last minute.

Always one to keep his promise, Peter shook his head and found some resolve – they were cupcakes, how bad could it really be? When the doorbell rang, Peter set Amelia up with some crayons at the table and went to grab the bags from the delivery guy. He gave him a good tip for all of the help and carried their loot back to the kitchen.

Luckily, Amelia was still young enough to not know the difference between from scratch and out of the box – Peter poured the white cake mix into the bowl before she could even question it. They cracked a couple of eggs and added the oil and water – she used both hands on the whisk to combine the mixture. Peter might’ve got a video of it, but he knew better than to tell her that. When she deemed it mixed enough, they separated it into a couple of Ziploc bags and added the different shades of food coloring to try and mimic the colors from the recipe.

They weren’t quite the same, but she didn’t seem to mind to much.

Distracted by the need to get the frosting out and into a bowl so they could get it ready to get it on the cupcakes, Peter set the oven way hotter than necessary. It didn’t even occur to him to check – Amelia was demanding that they get the colors spot on this time around.

By the time that Peter noticed the fire, the oven was steaming black smoke and the detectors in the house whirred with loud pitched sounds. Amelia covered her ears and ran to the pantry. She threw open the door and started gesturing wildly.

Knowing that’s where they kept the fire extinguisher, Peter ran over and grabbed it. “Get out of the kitchen, Ames. Go call your dad and tell him I’m an idiot.” She quirked a brow at him but was quick to comply. Being the child of a fire chief meant that she knew how to get ahold of her father and 911.

It wasn’t nearly as bad as he figured by the billowing smoke flying out of the oven as he sprayed the foam over it. All of the cupcakes were totally charred, but the entire oven wasn’t up in flames – so he counted that as a win. When he could think clearly, he called out to Amelia – her feet on the tile floor sounding immediately, the little girl flying into his arms before he knew it. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, her arms around his neck. “I’m fine – Dad sounded a little grumpy on the phone. He’s on his way, though.” Her lips grazed his cheek, like the consolation of her affection would be enough to smooth the entire situation over. He kept her in his arms until Tony walked in the back door, a panicked look on his face.

Amelia got down and ran over to Tony – he leaned over to grab her without a second thought. “How the hell did this happen?” Tony questioned; his eyes wide as he took in the mess of the oven. “If you were trying to burn the cupcakes, you totally succeeded.” The words were meant to soothe the blow, his attempt at a smile making Peter laugh.

“We were trying to make rainbow unicorn cupcakes. I got so caught up on making the icing perfect that I… forgot them. The smoke was black, so they were really burnt. I’m sorry,” Peter muttered, his hand coming up to rub at the back of his neck. He’d been pretty stupid, putting someone else’s daughter in danger the way he did.

Yet, when Tony and Amelia’s arms came around him, he was enveloped in the sort of hug that suggested relief for his sake as well. “I’m glad you’re okay,” Tony whispered, his lips pressing against Peter’s ear.

The gagging sound Amelia made had Peter pressing in, giving her a sloppy kiss right in the middle of her forehead.

Peter didn’t expect a family to come out of chatting with a cute guy at a bar, but now that he had it, he sure as fuck wasn’t letting it go.

#starker #ironspider #ask prompts #au prompts #firefighter #bobbie writes #fire burning me up #nonnie #anonymous

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nickelkeep · 5 years

Text

Twas the Night

Pairing: Dean/Cas - Timestamp to Like the Angel Rating: Teen, to be on the safe side. Word Count: 3500 Warnings: Tooth. Rotting. Fluff. Written For: @notfunnydean‘s 2019 SPN Advent Calendar Day 11 - Christmas Story On Ao3

Quick Side Note - I’ve been sick, which is why you haven’t seen one of these in a while. I missed days 12 through 15, which I have made reference to in the fic. There’s a better explanation if you follow the Ao3 Link. 😘

---

“Daddy?”

Dean shook his head as Emma called him from down the hallway. Sixteen years old, and she knew that she could get just about anything she wanted by singsonging ‘daddy’ instead of just calling him Dad. “What’s up, Em?”

“It’s Christmas Eve!”

“Uh, yeah.” Dean got up from his bed and walked down the hallway to Emma’s room and leaned against her doorframe. “You gonna tell me something I don’t know, Kiddo?”

“We need to get started!” Emma was sitting on her floor with her back to the door. “It’s Cas’ first Christmas with us, and I want to make sure he enjoys it.”

Dean smiled. “Whatcha got there?”

“It’s uh, it’s a part of his Christmas present.” Emma looked over her shoulder and smiled.

“You’re not going to tell me what it is?” Dean stepped closer to look over Emma and see what she was making or doing. “You know I can keep a secret, Em.”

Emma blushed bright red. “I was gonna, you know, that thing we talked about a week ago.”

“Say no more, Kiddo.” Dean squatted down next to Emma and pulled her into a hug. “Cas is gonna love it.”

“Thanks, Dad. I’m glad one of us is sure of it.”

Dean stood back up and rested his hands on his lower back. “You gonna come help me make breakfast?”

“Cinnamon Rolls? Or are you going to try that new recipe you found?” Emma gathered the items that had been spread out on the floor around her and stacked them neatly in a pile before standing up. “I’m okay with trying something new for breakfast.”

“Is this that new tradition thing you’ve been pushing?” Dean crossed his arms over his chest and smiled fondly at his daughter. “I love how much you want to make sure Cas is included.” He started backing up towards the door. “Come help me make the Honey Bread?”

Emma returned the smile and followed down to the kitchen.

---

Cas made it downstairs to the smell of freshly brewed coffee and something baked or baking in the oven. Emma was sitting at the kitchen island drawing while Dean was standing over the stove dancing and singing along to some Christmas song. “You still working on that drawing, Em?

Emma looked up and shook her head. “Nope, these are just some warmup sketches. Wanna see?”

“Of course.” Cas stopped and gave Dean a kiss before sitting on the stool next to Emma’s. “Looks like you’re in the Christmas spirit.” Cas pointed to one of the figures. “Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Be?”

“Yep! I really liked Mr. Roche’s lesson on A Christmas Carol.” Emma smiled. “Did you check to see if I get to be in your class next semester, Cas?”

“Which one?”

Emma shot one of her Uncle Sam’s bitchfaces at Cas. “Really, Cas?”

“Yes, you are in my Mythology in Modern Literature class.” Cas chuckled. “But, remember, Ms. Milton wasn’t really sure that with your dad and I dating that it would be a good idea. We gotta prove that this will work.” Dean set a mug of coffee in front of Cas, and Cas immediately picked it up to drink. “I know that we’ll be fine, but we have to make sure I’m not showing favoritism.”

“I didn’t slack last year.” Emma pouted.

Cas tucked a piece of hair behind Emma’s ear. “Which is why Ms. Milton said it was okay for you to be in the class and for me to teach it.”

“Coming in!” Dean placed a plate in front of Cas and waited as Emma moved her drawing stuff before setting hers breakfast down. “Sorry to interrupt serious school talk.”

“Dean, you told me you guys do cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning.” Cas tilted his head. “What’s this?”

“Em and I found the recipe online and thought it might be something you would like.” Dean set some sort of spread on the table. “It’s a honey bread, with cinnamon sugar butter. And of course, bacon, because God forbid I don’t ever make you two bacon.”

Dean’s quip earned a chuckle from both Emma and Cas. Cas watched as Dean finished putting together his own plate and sat down with them before taking a bite of the bread. “Wow,” Cas replied with food in his mouth, causing Dean to roll his eyes. Cas swallowed his food before speaking again. “I’m serious, this is really good.” He reached for the butter and started spreading it on.

“Well, I’m glad you’re enjoying it, Cas.” Dean popped a piece of bacon in his mouth.

“I am.” Cas took a bite of the bread with the butter and moaned happily. “So good.”

“Cas, you’d think you never had food before.” Emma snarked.

“I’m always a sucker for new foods that are delicious.” Cas winked at her. “So, you two haven’t told me what you all do on Christmas Eve, besides breakfast, of course.”

Emma looked at Dean, who nodded in approval. “Well, after breakfast, we usually go and get any last-minute gifts and pick up anything that Gramma Ellen might need for dinner.”

“Ma feeds us at the Roadhouse,” Dean elaborated, “She won’t know for certain what she needs for dinner tonight until she does a quick inventory check after closing. She’ll probably be calling in the next…” Dean looked at the clock on the microwave. “Ten to fifteen minutes.”

“That sounds like an adventure.” Cas propped his chin on his hand. “So should we get dressed?”

Dean shrugged. “Not to sound apathetic, but while it sounds like a day of adventure, we’re still kinda lazy. Usually, Ma calls, then we get dressed. But, if you’re raring to go.”

“Sorry, just looking to spending this Christmas with my…” Cas looked back and forth between Dean and Emma. “With my family.”

“Well, Cas. We want to celebrate it with you too.” Dean stood up and grabbed the empty plates, taking them over to the sink and rinsing them off.

“We want to know your traditions too. We don’t want to force you into a mold. We’ve grown as a family, so we have room to take in and make new traditions.” Emma took Cas’ mug and took a drink from it. “You really need coffee with your cream, Cas.”

Cas laughed and ruffled Emma’s hair. “Let’s go get dressed then, and your dad can follow suit. I’ll show you two what I do on Christmas Eve.”

“Do we need to get fancy-dressed?” Emma raised her eyebrow.

“No, Emma, jeans are fine.” Emma did a little happy dance and headed off to her room. Cas looked at Dean. “‘Fancy-dressed’ is your phrase, isn’t it?”

“What can I say, Angel? Emma and I are simple creatures.” Dean closed the dishwasher and started it before crossing over to Cas. He pressed his lips against Cas’ temple, leaving a soft kiss. “Let’s go get changed.”

---

As Dean had promised, Ellen called with a list of groceries for their dinner. After stopping to pick up their last-minute Christmas Gifts, Dean, Cas, and Emma stopped by the grocery store to grab the items for dinner. They swung by the Roadhouse and dropped them off, asking if there’s anything they could do to help with dinner. Ellen playfully swatted at Dean with a towel and promised that Jo and Charlie already claimed the elf honors for the year.

After joking about food poisoning - “Did they forget that Charlie could burn water?” Dean complained in jest - Cas took Dean’s phone and plugged in an address in the maps app.

The location Dean pulled the Impala in front of turned out to be a homeless shelter. “What’s all this, Cas?”

“It’s a bit of a story,” Cas explained, but he continued when Emma leaned over the front seat. “I haven’t told you much about when I was in college, Emma. But I didn’t go for what my parents wanted me to go for. It was bad enough that I was gay, but to completely misuse their gift of college was the last straw. I was just short of disowned. So, my first year after I graduated college, I was completely alone on Christmas Eve.” Cas paused and ran his fingers through Emma’s hair. “It’s okay. I’m okay, as you can see now. But then, I was a new teacher, I didn’t know anyone well enough, and I had nowhere to go.

“Instead of moping around my empty apartment watching TV by myself with just Chinese food to keep me company, I pulled out my laptop. I found the closest LGBT friendly shelter.” He gestured to the building they were parked next to. “I called and asked if they did any kind of dinner, and the rest is history. I felt loved, I felt safe, and I felt good giving to people who didn’t have even the little bit I had. So, every Christmas Eve I come here. To thank them for taking me and accepting me when my own family wouldn’t. Some years I even join in for Christmas, even though they don’t necessarily need me on that day.” Cas turned to face Dean. “Remember, you asked where I sometimes go when I don’t come home right away?” Dean nodded. “It’s here.”

Cas patted the back of the seat and smiled. “Let’s get you two inside and introduce you both to the people who run the shelter and those in charge of the kitchen.”

“That sounds great, Cas.” Dean beamed at him.

Once inside, Cas was greeted by several members of the staff with whom he was familiar. They were excited to meet Dean and Emma. They had heard so much about them over the past several months. Cas had bragged about Dean’s skills in the kitchen, and he was quickly got roped into helping cook. Cas took his usual spot on the serving line. Emma was a little too young to help with the food– “I just turned sixteen!” She complained. –but they asked her to play with the younger kids and watch over them.

They stuck around for as long as they could. Dean had to literally pull Emma away from the younger kids, and Cas bribed her with the promise they would come back sooner than next Christmas. She spent the entire drive to the Roadhouse recounting her stories of playing with the kids, bringing smiles to Dean’s and Cas’ face.

Once they pulled into a spot, Emma practically leaped out of the car and ran inside. Dean and Cas took a moment to look at each other and revel in her enthusiasm before getting out themselves and grabbing presents out of the back of the car.

“You think she would have helped us.” Dean smiled at Cas, kissing him on the corner of his mouth before heading inside. “Oh, by the way. Ma has probably hung up at least a dozen sprigs of mistletoe.”

Cas laughed and looked up. “Looks like we hit the first one.” He leaned over and kissed Dean on the cheek.

---

After dinner and introducing Cas to their Christmas Eve Present tradition, Dean excused the three of them from the drinking games portion of the evening. There was no argument from any member of his family, which Dean was grateful for. He walked behind Cas and Emma, watching as Cas wrapped his arm around Emma and hugged her tightly. Warmth flowed through him, and he silently kicked himself for not having his phone out to snap a photo.

Emma curled up with a new blanket that Charlie made her, while Cas admired a first edition copy of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn that Sam gave him. Dean snuck glances at them both on the ride home, excited for what was next.

As he pulled into the driveway, Dean looked at Emma. “You wanna tell Cas about our last tradition, Kiddo?”

“Cas, do you know The Tailor of Gloucester?” Emma yawned and slid out of the backseat before Cas could answer.

“I do,” Cas replied, getting out of the car right behind Emma. “Beatrix Potter. It’s a Christmas story of hers. Why?”

“Dad tucks me in and reads it to me.” Emma blushed. “I know I’m probably too old for that now.”

Cas pulled Emma into another hug. “You’re never too old to enjoy having someone read to you. Your dad bugs me to read to him occasionally.”

“Will you read it tonight?” Emma asked.

“But, you just said it’s you and your dad’s thing.” Cas looked at Dean with a look that Dean was pretty sure equated to asking for help.

“It’s fine, Cas. I already knew Em was going to ask.” Dean winked and walked to the front door. “Let’s get inside, so we don’t freeze, and then we can all curl up in Emma’s bed and enjoy the story.”

The suggestion appeared to calm Cas down, and the trio entered the house to warm up. Emma ran ahead upstairs, while Cas and Dean took their time climbing the stairs.

“Dean, I don’t want to step on your toes,” Cas commented, concern still in his voice.

They entered their room, and Dean cupped Cas’ face in his hands. “I promise that you’re not. Do it this year, and next year we can do it together, or we can take turns to who does it.” Dean ran his thumb over Cas’ cheek before crossing to their dresser. He grabbed a pair of Cas’ pajama pants and tossed them to him. “Let’s not keep her waiting.”

Cas and Dean finished changing and walked down to Emma’s room. She had left the door open for them to come in.

“Hop under the blanket, Kiddo.” Dean pointed at the bed, and Emma obliged him, quickly scrambling to climb under the covers. She grabbed the book off of her nightstand and waited until Cas was sitting next to her.

“Last call, Emma. Are you sure you want me to read it?” Cas hesitated as he took the book and opened the cover.

“Yes, Cas, I’m sure. I’m positive. I’m 16, not six.” She stuck her tongue out at Cas and was bopped on the nose playfully.

“I hear you. Just…” Cas took a deep breath and relaxed, leaning back against her headboard. “Thank you, Emma.” He shot a warm look at Dean, which Dean responded to with a hair ruffle. “‘In the time of swords and periwigs and full-skirted coats with flowered lappets—when gentlemen wore ruffles, and gold-laced waistcoats of paduasoy and taffeta—there lived a tailor in Gloucester…’”

As the story continued, Dean would occasionally poke Emma to keep her awake, knowing how she was prone to fall asleep when being read to. He smiled as he watched Cas animate the story with his body and his voice. Even Dean could admit to finding a new love for the story, with Cas reading it in his own way.

“‘He made the most wonderful waistcoats for all the rich merchants of Gloucester, and for all the fine gentlemen of the country round.

“‘Never were seen such ruffles, or such embroidered cuffs and lappets! But his button-holes were the greatest triumph of it all.

“‘The stitches of those button-holes were so neat—so neat—I wonder how they could be stitched by an old man in spectacles, with crooked old fingers, and a tailor’s thimble.

“‘The stitches of those button-holes were so small—so small—they looked as if they had been made by little mice!”

Cas turned the page to get to “The End,” but found in its place a sticky note. “What’s this, Emma?” He pulled it off and read it. “‘Ask Emma for your card.’ What card would that be?”

Emma reached under her pillow and pulled out a card. “Merry Christmas, Cas.” She handed it to him and smiled, cuddling up against Dean. Dean wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her head.

“Thank you?” Cas tilted his head and opened the envelope. “Oh, good, no glitter.”

“Glitter is the herpes of the craft world, Cas.” Emma laughed.

“Is that your Dad or your Aunt Charlie?” Cas pulled out the card. On the front was a stylized picture of two dads and a daughter. “‘Your art only gets better and better, Emma.” He opened the card and started reading it to himself. Cas smiled until he got to a particular spot and froze. He looked back and forth between Emma and Dean, tears building up in his eyes. “Emma?”

Dean had pulled out his phone and set it to record. “What’s it say, Cas?”

“You knew.” Cas pointed at Dean and sniffled, fighting to hold back his tears. “Dear Cas. I want to thank you for so many things. First, for being my teacher. You have taught me so much, and not just from the books you share. I’ve learned about caring and compassion.” Cas smiled at Emma, “Your dad has taught you a lot of that too.”

“Hush, Cas, keep reading.” Dean smiled.

“Thank you for making Dad happy and becoming apart of our family. While we were content, you brought a new kind of happiness to our lives.” Cas reached forward and tucked Emma’s hair behind her ear. “You two have brought such joy to my life.”

Emma leaned into Cas’ touch, smiling.

“Since I’m running out of the room on this card, let me thank you for being my other Dad. I never knew I was missing a second parent until you became mine.” Cas sobbed softly. “Merry Christmas, Papa. I love you, Em.” Cas pulled Emma into his arms. “I love you too, Emma.”

“If you don’t like Papa, we can pick something else.” Emma looked up. “Or I can keep calling you Cas.”

Cas wiped away a tear from Dean’s face, and then one from Emma’s. “Emma, I am proud to be your Papa. Thank you for letting me.”

Emma surged forward and wrapped her arms around Cas’ neck. “Love you, Papa.” Dean wrapped his arms around both of them, causing Emma to giggle. “You know I love you, Dad.”

“Of course I do, Kiddo. I just needed to hug my two favorite people.” Dean planted a kiss on the top of her head. “Time for bed, though.” Dean stood up and walked to the other side of Emma’s bed and offered his hand to Cas, helping him to his feet. “If you don’t go to sleep, Santa won’t come.”

“Really, Dad?”

“Yep. No presents for daughters who remind their Dads of their age, either.” Dean pointed at Emma, winking as Cas dragged him out of the room. Dean quietly closed the door behind them and turned to smile at his partner. He gently cupped Cas’ cheek and rested their foreheads together. “Can I give you your present now?”

Cas smirked as they walked to their room. “Did you get me the nutcracker I asked for?”

“You were serious about that?” Dean laughed, entering their room, and heading to the closet. “I thought you were just a Grinch when I asked what you wanted.”

“I was a little facetious.” Dean handed Cas a few presents as he continued. “Remember what I said at the shelter earlier?”

“Of course, Angel.” Dean loaded up his own arms and gestured to the door. “I knew about your family, that was one of the first things I learned about you. I want to give you the holiday that you haven’t been able to experience in years.”

Cas led the way downstairs to the Christmas Tree. “You’ve already done so much, Dean. You and Emma both. I haven’t had a Christmas this memorable since my first one after graduating college.” He set the boxes down and turned to look at Dean. “I love that you want to do this for me, and I love you.”

“I love you too, Cas.” Dean set the presents under the tree and took the ones out of Cas’ arms. “You still didn’t answer my question.”

“I did, I asked if you got me a nutcracker.” Cas crossed his arms. “None of those boxes look like they could be a nutcracker.”

“Cas.” Dean rotated toward Cas while dropping to one knee. He pulled a box out of his pocket. “I know this is probably a little soon, but when you know something is right, you shouldn’t let it go.”

Dean watched as Cas’ face twisted in confusion before brightening in understanding. “Dean, is that what I think it is?”

“Yeah, Cas.” Dean swallowed and nodded, his hands shaking slightly as he cracked the box open. “Emma said it best: We were happy, but you brought us something we didn’t know we were missing.” Dean paused and let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. “Marry me, Cas?”

Cas broke out into a brilliant smile and reached to the Christmas tree, pulling off an ornament. “I lied about this one.” Cas fell to one knee in front of Dean, putting them at the same level. “I’ll marry you on one condition.” He twisted the ornament and took the top off, revealing his own ring. “You say yes, also.”

“Hell, yes.” Dean lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Cas’ - his fiance’s - neck, and enveloped him in a tight embrace.

#spnadventcalendar2019 #profoundnet #spncreatorsdaily #writersofdestiel #deancas #destiel #timestamp #domestic fluff #christmas fluff #marriage proposal #nickel writes

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decaffs · 5 years

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university note-taking 101 ~

one of the hardest things parts of adapting to life in university is finding a note-taking method that is efficient and easy for you and your learning style.

it took me 18 months at university, experimenting with different note-taking styles, to settle on a few that work best for me. i thought i’d share all of the different methods i tried and the pros/cons of each & hopefully it’ll help you land on some note-taking styles quicker than i did! :-))

SO...i’ll start by saying obviously not all note-taking techniques are going to be included in this post because i’m just one person and these are just the styles i’ve had personal experience with and not everyone will like or dislike the same methods, it will take a little bit of trial and error to find your perfect style :-))

i’m going to split the different methods into 3 separate sections (and i’ll highlight my personal favourites):

⇢ handwritten

⇢ ipad/tablet

⇢ macbok/laptop

starting with what we all know and (kind of) love! we’ve spent the majority of our school education making handwritten notes for high school so it makes sense to start here.

1. basic handwritten notes

this type of note-taking is the most basic of all basic note-taking techniques and it’s probably what you’re used to. it involves any kind of paper - lined, squared, plained, whatever you fancy - and a single pen or pencil.

all this involves is writing down everything important you think is being said or discussed by your lecturer or your classmates! there’s nothing fancy involved, it’s all about getting down the most important points.

pros:

- you’ve already been doing this for years

- no time wasted doodling or highlighting

cons:

- can be time consuming if you’re not a quick writer

- if you’re writing on loose paper, it’s super easy to lose

- not easy to work out what notes relate to what slides / what comments were being made

- you may end up trying to write down everything on the lecture slides - waste of time when you can view them at home and you might miss important adlib!

2. annotating print-outs (*fave*)

this is a technique i adopted in second year of university! all you have to do is print out your lecture slides beforehand and bring them along with you. you can write at the side of slides or right on top of them.

pros:

- less likely to repeat what is said on slides so you can spend time listening for the nuggets of gold from your lecturer

- having slides prepared before a lecture means you can read them and familiarise yourself with some content

- easy to know what notes relate to what specific slides

- super quick to make important and accurate notes!

cons:

- it can be expensive to buy a printer/ink or to use your university’s printing facilities

- again, you can easily lose loose paper if you’re not careful

- your lecture slides may not always be available beforehand

3. cornell note-taking

cornell note-taking is something you’re probably already aware for those who don’t know - it’s a note-taking system devised in the 40s by a cornell professor.

cornell notes have to look a particular way in order for them to work (see here) and they’re geared towards helping you pass your exams.

you do your main note-taking in the right-hand box - these notes should be brief but include enough detail to act as a revision source. take these note in lectures or in classes and make sure to note down and highlight anything your lecturer emphasises.

use your left-hand column to write down potential exam questions you could be asked regarding the notes you’ve written on the right. these questions should act as test questions when you’re revising!

finally, in the bottom box you should summarise the key points to take away from that page of notes.

pros:

- excellent note-taking method for exam revision

- can be super efficient once you’re used to the style

cons:

- can take a while to set up pages if you’re doing it by hand

- can take some time adapting to this new way of note-taking

- not a flexible note-taking system, no person wiggle room

handwritten notes general pros and cons:

- hand writing notes is the most reliable way to remember important information

- you can use personal abbreviations and symbols to make your note-taking quicker

- you might lose papers here and there meaning your notes are incomplete or totally make no sense anymore

- it can be time-consuming trying to decide what is the vital information and getting it down before the topic of discussion changes

1. goodnotes for set reading annotations (app link here) (*fave*)

goodnotes is an app designed specifically for taking efficient and nice-to-look-at-notes! i personally use it for note-taking and annotating set readings at university.

i create a checklist on the first page of each module’s notebooks and write down each research paper or journal article i have to read so i don’t lose track. i then important PDFs straight into the notebook and annotate and highlight over the top of them.

pros:

- it’s super easy to have all of your reading notes and annotations in one place

- no risk of losing papers as everything is stored electronically

- the app uses icloud to sync your notes across all your devices make everything super accessible

- you can quickly share your notes with anybody through email/airdrop/imessage/pretty much anything!

cons:

- you do have to pay for the app (but it’s cheaper than printing out all of your readings)

- can be difficult to navigate at first

2. onenote for in-lecture notes

onenote is a microsoft app that lets you type and draw in one place! it works in a similar way to goodnotes.

i used onenote in first year to take in-lecture notes because it also allows for audio recording (DISCLAIMER: DO NOT RECORD YOUR LECTURES WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM YOUR UNIVERSITY AND LECTURERS) and it was super handy to have my notes and audio stored in the same file.

pros:

- super versatile and allows for many note-taking method in one app

- syncs across your devices (if you have onenote downloaded)

- allows you to collate different methods of note-taking in one place

cons:

- can be hard to organise your information! pages are blank and there’s no end to them, there’s also no grid for your items to snap to so it gets messy very quickly

- i’ve experienced personal issues with the syncing feature

ipad tablet/notes general pros and cons:

- tablets are generally really lightweight and easy to carry around - making them preferable over heavy notebooks or laptops

- having access to the internet makes note-taking super easy when you need to search terms or find photos

- you do have to make sure your tablet is fully charged if you’re taking it onto campus

- tablets can be super expensive

now for my holy grail - taking notes on a macbook or (insert laptop of choice here)!

1. brief in-lecture notes (*fave*)

i use microsoft word or pages to take most of my in-lecture notes and i fleet between using my ipad and macbook - i’m sticking it in this section because 9/10 i’m using my macbook.

with these kind of notes i set myself a specific structure and carry that out through the whole module!

first i lay my title across the top of my document - i usually just use the title of the lecture / general lecture topic. I then use my first indentations for the titles of each individual slide and bullet points for important comments made about each slide i also note particularly interesting things written on the slides themselves!

i stick to one font and one size to avoid wasting time on formatting!

i usually print out these notes so i can annotate them with any research i’ve found so it helps with my finalised notes.

pros:

- super quick if you’re a fast typer

- easy to correct notes or go back and add more detail at a later date

- easy to share and sync between devices

- simple format makes it easy to follow and a good revision resource

cons:

- notes can look a little boring and uninviting

- not easy to use abbreviations or symbols because of autocorrect!

2. extensive revision notes (*fave*)

i also use my macbook to create my finalised notes that i use to write my essays and revise for exams.

these notes take more time to make because of the formatting but they’re super nice to look at and make a wonderful resource at the end.

for these notes i start by picking a colour scheme (usually one within microsoft word) and i stick with this colour scheme for a whole module. i allocate one colour to research names and dates, one colour to titles, one colour to highlight key information with. i also use a variety of fonts! i typically use 4 fonts: one for the title of the lecture, one for subheadings, one for researcher names and dates and one for the main body of text - the main body font is usually a standard Helvetica or Arial!

i really take time to flesh out these notes so they reflect all of my learning - lectures, seminars, set reading, extra reading and knowledge i already had! i print off the notes and stick them in a ring binder and this becomes my bible for the semester!

pros:

- really inviting to look at so it makes revision a bit more enjoyable

- gives you time to show off your knowledge and create an extensive revision resource

- easy to share with friends or lecturers to get feedback

cons:

- can take a while to make these notes

- if you’re printing, this can cost quite a bit!

3. mind-map notes

finally! mind-map notes.

i use SimpleMind Lite to create mind-maps as the last part of my learning. each lecture gets its own mind-map and the nodes represent the key themes within the lecture!

it’s super important you don’t just use slide titles for your nodes as your mind-map will get crowded easily and you won’t want to use it as a revision resource.

keep your branching-off nodes short and sweet - think of them as knowledge cues! by the end of your learning you should be able to look at a node and remember the information regarding that point. these cues are also easier to remember and jog your memory in exam settings.

pros:

- good to see information presented in a new way

- you can use bright colours to make it more exciting

- great way to prep for exams

cons:

- hard to print also your canvas within the app is endless

- can be hard to share with others

macbook/laptop notes general pros and cons:

- can help you create a wide variety of notes - from short and sweet to fleshed out and fuuuuull of all the detail in the world

- allows you to correct, add to and print off your notes however many times you’d like

- you do have to make sure your laptop is always charged / you always have a charger!

- laptops can be heavy and impractical to carry to university

- if you’re not saving to a cloud you could lose some of your work (don’t be silly like me, use an external hard drive or dropbox!!!)

you made it!!! congrats :-))

hopefully i’ve given you a good idea of some of the note-taking methods you could use in university and you fancy trying a couple out!

if you have any questions or note-taking tips yourself, leave a message in the replies below.

decaffs x

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mylittleotomecorner · 5 years

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Rainy Day Care Lucien x MC Rating: aww

I finally leave the office. We’ve been pulling late nights to get the proposals done for the next project and finished with little time to spare. Kiki and Willow wanted to get drinks, Minor insisting he check my drinks like last time, but I had to turn them down. I wanted to go home, relax and refresh myself before the next proposal meeting. Walking home, I planned to stop at the store and get a few things to fix for a quick dinner. The air was crisp and the night was calm… until something hit my forehead.

“Huh?” I look up and a few raindrops hit me as drizzle slowly began to fall. I walked briskly to the store and make it inside just before the downpour came. Sighing as I looked outside, I muttered, “There wasn’t any forecast for rain…” With nothing else to do, I grab a shopping basket and wander the store for the things I wanted for dinner.

Once I have all I need, I looked around to see if there were any umbrellas for sale. When asked, the clerk said they ran out and I was left to wonder how long I would have to wait. Paying for my items, I decided to wait outside and see if the rain will lighten up enough to walk home.

The awning was large enough and a few others waited as well. The clerk said we could wait inside if we got cold. Time passed, the other people waiting eventually left to take their chances or found friends that so happened to pass by. I heave a heavy sigh. “At this rate, I’ll never get home…”

“[___], are you waiting for someone?” Turning to the voice that spoke to me, there was Lucien holding an umbrella and a look of gentle concern.

I must look like a wet rat to him. Looking me over, it felt like he must. “I didn’t know it was going to rain so I didn’t bring an umbrella. I was just on my way home.”

“And you went grocery shopping hoping it will stop?” I nodded, feeling pretty pathetic. I’m sure I look it. But all I got from Lucien was a smile and an offered hand. “Let me to take you home and carry your things.”

“Thank you, Lucien. I’ll be okay carrying them while we walk.” I smile as I join him under the umbrella.

Still with that smile, he wrapped a warm arm around my shoulders. “I suppose this will have to do. I didn’t realize it might be a tight fit under here since I don’t walk with anyone in the rain. Maybe that might change. I hope you don’t mind.” I can feel the flush rise on my cheeks and I shook my head no, too afraid my heart might jump out of my throat. I didn’t have to look up to know his smile was there shining down on me as he held me close to him the whole way home. I was grateful for the warmth as I didn’t realize how cold I was. I hope he didn’t notice the shivering as I shifted the bags in my hands.

“I must be lucky that you’re living right next door,” I say as we reach our floor.

“Yes, though, I won’t always be there to take you home.” Lucien sounded worried as he took his keys out. “Why don’t you join me for some tea. Maybe we can even share dinner? I just want to make sure you didn’t catch cold after getting caught in the rain.”

“Oh, it’s okay, really,” I say in objection. “I feel fi-choo!” I sniffles and rub my nose.

A hand goes to my forehead and more concern grows on Lucien’s face. “You’re burning up a little. Come in. No arguments.”

Darn, I just had to make myself a burden. Obeying, I enter his apartment as I hold my bags in both hands. It’s still the same as I last saw it, hardly lived in since he’s always away at the lab working on some research project. Lucien closed the door and took my bags. “I think we can save these for another time. I’ll order us something.”

“Really, I-“ A slender finger was placed on my lips and my wide eyes went to the owner. His smile was one of comfort and gentleness.

“No arguments, remember?” That look made me feel so safe somehow and I merely nodded. He then went and placed my groceries in his fridge and took his mobile to order takeout. He looked up and frowned. “You need a hot bath and a change of clothes.”

I forgot my clothes had gotten damp from the rain and look at them. “They seem okay. I could just-“

“I’ll draw you a bath and give you some spare clothes. It’s no trouble.” There he goes, to draw a bath and get me clothes. Wait… spare clothes… his clothes?! What about my damp ones?! I’m mortified and embarrassed and other things mixed into one moment. How could this have happened to me…

*****

Freshly bathed, I feel really embarrassed to have to wear a man’s large shirt as a gown. The sweatpants he gave me were so long, I had to roll the cuffs up. It made me feel like a little kid. Lucien is somewhere on his phone. I can hear him talking to someone so I’m left to take a seat on the couch. Somehow, the need to hug a pillow was there. I grab a throw pillow and held it in my arms.

“That is one lucky pillow.” Lucien had come over with a blanket in his arms. “If only to know how that pillow feels…” How can he say that with that smile of his? My cheeks flamed up and I try to hide behind the pillow. I even tried tucking my legs under, feeling greatly exposed. “Here, this will be much warmer than that pillow. It’s just a simple throw, but I can get you something heavier if you’re feeling cold.” He held it open and it was big enough for two people.

“What about you? Will you be alright? Were you in the rain long?” I couldn’t help but worry that if I was caught in the rain that he was as well. I took the blanket, trying not to shiver despite the warm bath I took. But, our hands grazed each other so he must have felt how cold my fingers were. His were exceptionally icy so that made me even more worried.

“Oh, don’t worry about me. Let’s just get you settled in. Food should be here soon.” No sooner was the throw on my lap did the doorbell rang. “That should be it now.” He went to answer the door and returned with a large bag of takeout. He moved the coffee table closer and set the bag down. Out came containers of soup and dumplings. “I figured you would want something simple and maybe got a little hungry?”

My stomach replied with a loud growl just as I opened my mouth. I snapped my mouth shut and wished I could be swallowed up by the cough. All Lucien did was chuckle lightly and take out more dumplings. How does this man know how to take care of me? “I’ll have to repay you for all this food.”

“Nonsense,” he said once everything was set. “I’m just happy to have a meal with you.”

I smile, now not sure if I have a fever or feel embarrassed that this is seeming like a date. Shifting so I can have my soup, I blurt out, “This kinda feels like a date.”

Lucien was passing a container of dumplings my way, that smile ever present on his lips as he set the container before me. “A date? Hmmm, I’ll have to get you flowers next time I take you home for dinner then.” The hot soup was as good a cover as I was going to get as I avoided looking at the scientist neighbor and try to determine how to feel about all these comments. Again, he chuckles. “You look adorable,” he said before sipping his own container of soup. “Had I known you could make my clothes look so cute, I might hope you’d get caught in the rain more.”

“Huh?” Did I hear him right? Not paying attention, I burn my lip on the hot broth. “Ah, hot…”

“Here, let me cool that off for you.” Lucien took the spoon from me and moved to sit closer, practically shoulder to shoulder with the professor. He scooped up the broth and blew on it, steam being blown away. “Here,” the spoon was brought close to my mouth and I froze, looking between spoon and wielded. “You need your strength. You won’t have this opportunity to be fed by a world renowned professor, after all.” Knowing he would say I couldn’t take care of myself, I caved in and allowed Lucien to feed me. All the while, he wore that worried smile. “So cute,” he muttered. I blamed the soup for my face feeling so hot.

The rest of the night was spent watching movies on Lucien’s tablet until I fell asleep. I think I protested staying the night but all I remember was feeling lifted into the air before I lost consciousness.

**********

Lucien had made sure the movie they watched was something [___] liked. He honestly didn’t know since he never had time to even think about dating. His life was spent with his work. But there was something about her that made him think outside his usual boundaries. Somehow, he felt the desire to keep her safe.

When he saw her outside, taking shelter from the rain, he knew right away that she was so focused on her own work that she didn’t think to get an umbrella. As she began to doze, Lucien brushed hair from her brow as she leaned slightly against him. Soft fringes fell against warm skin as he felt her forehead. “Hmm, you’re burning up,”

The only reaction he got was a slight shift and a sigh. The movie had been playing all this time, but no one was paying attention to it. The person it was meant for has fallen asleep and the person that provided it was more interested in watching the other sleep peacefully.

Before the movie was over, Lucien carefully lifted [___] into his arms as if she were as light as a doll and carried her into the bedroom. There, she was placed on the bed and tucked in for the night. He left her there, door ajar, and returned to the living room where he closed the movie app and opened some research material. It would be a long night and he wanted to make sure he was awake in case she needed him again.

#mlqc #mlqc lucien #mr love lucien #mr love queen's choice #mr. love queen's choice #mlqc fanfic

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archiefm · 5 years

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... claws my way up from hell once more and vomits onto the dash.... hello. its nora. i used to write rory bergstrom, but if u were here before that u might remember me as greta or alma putnam or..... som1 else.... an endless carousel of trash children..... this is finn, who i actually wrote for an early version of this rp abt 5yrs back now...... grits teeth..... so forgive me if im rusty i havent written him in a long time but seein honey boy gave me a lotta finn muse n im keen to get Back On The Horse yeehaww...

DYLAN O’BRIEN / CIS-MALE — don’t look now, but is that finn o’callaghan i see? the 25 year old criminology and forensic studies student is in their graduate year of study year and he is a rochester alum. i hear they can be judicious, adroit, morose and cynical, so maybe keep that in mind. i bet he will make a name for themselves living off-campus. ( nora. 24. gmt. she/her )

shakes my tin can a humble pinterest, ma’am....

finn has a bio pasted at the bottom (n written in like.... 2015.... gross) but it’s long so if u don’t wanna read it here’s the sparknotes summary..... anyway this was written years ago n a lot of it seems really cliche and lame now but..... we accept the trash we think we deserve

grumpy, ugly sweater wearing, tech-savvy grandpa

very dry sense of humour and embraces nihilism.

if ron swanson and april ludgate had a baby it would be finn

he was raised in derry, just south of dublin.

from a big family. elder sister called sinead. he also has a younger sister (aoife), a younger brother (colm), and a collie named lassie because his father lovs cliches (finn hates cliches but loves his dog).

his father was a pub landlord and his mother worked at the market sellin fruit n veg when they met but got a job as a medical receptionist when she had kids cos it meant she cld be there with them in the day and work nights.

his parents met when they were p young and fiesty and rushed into marriage cos they were catholic n just wanted to have sex. his family were literally dirt-poor, but they had a lot of love i guess

hmmmmm his relationship w his father wasn’t the best cos i can’t write character who have healthy relationships w their parents throws up a peace sign. yh, had a pretty emotionally distant, alcoholic violent father n so gets a lot of his bad habits i.e. drinking as a coping mechanism and poor anger management from him BUT anyway

as a kid he was never very motivated in class, he always had a nervous itch to be off somewhere doing something else. struggled under government austerity bcso there just wasn’t the resources to support low income families where the kids had learning difficulties n needed support. fuck the tories am i right

his mum suggested he try sports to help w his restless energy but he was never any good at football so he took up boxing and tap dance instead. he took to tap dancing like a fish to fuckin water. as adhd n found this as a really good way to use his excess energy in a creative way

had a few run ins with the police in his early teens for spray painting and graffiti, but he straightened himself out n now actually considering becoming a detective inspector??? cops are pigs.

he had a youtube channel where he posted videos of him tapdancing and breakdancing as a kid, basically would be a tiktok boy nowadays, n had like... a small fanbase in his early teens. attended several open auditions unsuccessfully, until he was finally cast in billy eliot when he was fifteen.

during billy eliot he began dating an italian dancer called nina. they became dance partners soon after and toured across the republic with various different shows (inc riverdance lol the classic irish stereotype). their relationship was p toxic tbh, they were both very hot tempered people and just used to argue and fight all the time.

he went semi-pro at tap dancing, and nina couldn’t stand being second best so she moved back to italy with her family. ignored his texts, phone calls, etc, eventually he was driven to the point where he used his savings to buy a plane ticket, showed up at her house and she was like wtf?? freaked out and filed a restraining order accusing him of stalking.

he was fined for harassment and then returned home to derry, but after the incident with nina he quit dancing for good and finished his leaving cert before heading to university in the US to get as far away from nina and his past life as poss. and basically since he quit dancing to study forensics (death kink. finn cant get enough of that morgue. just walks around sayin beat u) he’s become a massive grump and jsut doesn’t see the good in people any more.

u’ll find finn in an old man bar drinking whiskey bc he is in fact an old man at heart or sat on his roof smoking a joint, drawing wolves and lions and skeletons and shit, playing call of duty or getting blazed or at the corner of the room in a house party ignoring everyone and scrolling through twitter. is a massive e-boy. always up-to-date on memes and internet slang. has reddit as an app on his phone

not very good at communication. rather than solve his issues by talking, he’d prefer to just solve them through fighting or running away from his problems hence why he has come halfway across the world to get away from an issue which probs cld have been solved w a few apology emails.

takes a lot to phase him, but when his beserk button gets pressed he can become a bit pugnacious like an angry lil rottweiler. in his undergrad he was in a few fist fights but doesn’t really do tht any more as he doesn’t condone violence.

in the previous version of this rp he was hospitalised like 5 times. pls, give my son a break. stop tryin to kill him. he literaly got a bottle smashed over his head and bled out all over his favourite angora rug that was the only light of his life

works at the campus coffee shop n always whines about how he’s a slave to capitalism. always smells of coffee

lives off campus with an elderly woman named Marianne, and basically gets reduced rent bcos he makes her dinner / keeps her company. they have a great bond

fan of karl marx. v big on socialism

insomniac with chronic nosebleeds

cynical about everything. too much of a fight club character 4 his own good n has his head up tyler durden’s sphincter

always confused or annoyed

statistics

basic information

full name: finnegan seamus o'callaghan nickname(s): finn age: 25 astrological sign: aries hometown: derry, ireland occupation: phd student / former street entertainer fatal flaw: cynicism positives: self-reliant, street smart, relaxed, intelligent, spontaneous, brave, independent, reliable, trustworthy, loyal. negatives: hostile, impulsive, stubborn, brooding, pugnacious, untrusting, cynical, enigmatic, reserved.

physical

colouring: medium hair colour: dark brown, almost black eye colour: brown height: 5’9” weight: 69kg build: tall, athletic voice: subtle irish accent, low, smooth. dominant hand: left scar(s): one on the left side of his ribs from a knife wound that he doesn’t remember getting cos he was drunk distinguishing marks: freckles, tattoo of a wolf howling at a moon allergies: pollen and the full spectrum of human emotion alcohol tolerance: high drunken behaviour: he becomes friendlier, far more conversational than when sober, flirtier, and generally more self-confident.

psychological

dreams/goals: self-fulfilment, travel the globe, experience life in its most alive and technicoloured version, make documentary films, help the vulnerable in society, grow as a human being.

skills: jack-of-all-trades, very fast runner, good at thieving things, talented tap dancer, good in crisis situations, dab-hand at mechanics, musically-intelligent, can throw a mean right hook and very capable of defending himself, can roll a cigarette, memorises quotes and passages of literature with ease, can light a match with his teeth.

likes: the smell of the earth after rain, poetry, cigarettes, shakespeare, whiskey, tattoos, travelling, ac/dc, deep conversations, leather jackets, open spaces, the smell of petrol, early noughties ‘emo phase’ anthems.

dislikes: the government, parties, rules, donald trump, children, apple products, weddings, people in general, small talk, dependency, loneliness, pop music, public transport, justin timberlake, uncertainty.fears: fear itself, drowning alignment: true neutral mbti: istp – “while their mechanical tendencies can make them appear simple at a glance, istps are actually quite enigmatic. friendly but very private, calm but suddenly spontaneous, extremely curious but unable to stay focused on formal studies, istp personalities can be a challenge to predict, even by their friends and loved ones. istps can seem very loyal and steady for a while, but they tend to build up a store of impulsive energy that explodes without warning, taking their interests in bold new directions.” (via 16personalities.com)

full bio (lame as fuck written years ago..... pleathe...)

tw homophobia

born in quigley’s pub on the backstreets of sunny dublin, young finnegan o'callaghan was thrown kicking and screaming into the rowdy suburbs of irish drinking culture. the son of a landlord and a fishwife, he never had much in the way of earnings, but there was never a dull moment in his lively estate, where asbo’s thrived, but community spirit conquered. at school, finn was pegged as lazy and unmotivated, though truly his dyslexia made it hard for the boy to learn in the same environment of his peers and only made him more closed-off in class. struggling with anger management, finn moved from school to school, unable to fit the cookie-cutter mould that school enforced on him, though whilst academic studies were of little interest to the boy, he soon found his true passions lay in recreational activities. immersed into the joys of sport from as young as four, finn was an ardent munster fan and anticipated nothing more than the day he could finally fit into his brother’s old pair of rugby boots.

his calling finally came unexpectedly, not in the form of rugger, but through dance. to learn to express himself in a non-academic way, he began tap dancing, finding therapy in the beat of his soles against the cracked kitchen tiles (much to his mother’s disgrace). it wasn’t a conscious choice, finn just realised one day that dance was something that made him feel. a king of the streets, finn made his fortune on those cobbled pavements – dancing and drawing to earn his keep. by default, finn became a street artist, each penny he earned from his chalk drawings saved in a jam jar towards buying his first pair of tap shoes. though many of his less-than-amiable neighbours called him a nancy and a gaybo, finn refused to quit at his somewhat ‘unconventional’ hobby, for the young scrapper found energy, life, and released anger through the rhythm of tap. soon he branched out into street dance, hip hop, break dancing, lyrical, his days spent smacking his scuffed feet against the broken patio into the night.

when he was thirteen he took up boxing, and as expected, his newfound ‘macho’ pastime conflicted with his dancing. the boxers called him ‘soft’; the dancers called him ‘inelegant’. he felt like two different people; having to choose between interests was like being handed a knife and asked to which half of himself he wished to cut away. he couldn’t afford professional training in dance, with most schools based in england and limited scholarships available. instead, he made the street his studio, racking up a small fanbase on youtube. when he was fifteen he made his debut in billy eliot at the olympia theatre in dublin. enter nina de souza, talented, beautiful and italian; ballet dancer, operatic singer, genius whiz kid, and spoiled brat. she was selfish, conceited, hell bent on getting her own way, and every director’s nightmare. finn fell for her like a house of cards. he’d always had a soft spot for girls who meant trouble. and so their hellish courtship began.

by the time they were seventeen, the two young swans had danced in every playhouse across the republic. they were known in theatres across the country for their tempestuous personalities, their raging arguments with one another, their tendency to drop out of shows altogether without any notice, yet the money kept rolling in and the audiences continued to grow. for three years, their families continued to put up with their hysterical fights followed by passionate reconciliations. he was too possessive, and she was too wild. their carcrash of a relationship finally came to a catastrophic halt when nina broke off the whole affair and returned to italy with her family. for months finn tried to contact her, yet his phone calls, texts, facebook messages were always ignored, until finally he was driven to drastic measures and used his savings to get a plane to her home town. when finn turned up uninvited at nina’s house she freaked out – and rightly so – she contacted her agent, accused him of stalking her, and had a restraining order placed against him. finn was arrested, held in a station overnight, and charged with harassment before he was allowed to return to dublin.

after the incident with nina, finn lost the fight in his eyes. he became far more hostile, far less likely to retaliate with his own fists, and picked fights not for the thrill of feeling his own fists pummel another into a wall, but for the sensation of his own brittle bones cracking. he dropped his tap shoes in a dumpster, stopped talking to his friends, followed his father’s advice and went back to school to complete his leaving certificate. a few short months later, and finn was packing his bags, saying his bittersweet goodbyes, and travelling half-way across the globe to be as far away as possible from his past self, his mess of a life, and most of all nina. it seemed somehow ironic that the boy who had been cautioned by the garda so much during his youth for spray painting, busking without a liscence, and raucous parties would become the grumpy, aloof overseas student studying a degree in criminology; that his once reckless spirit could be crushed so easily.

of all things that finn could be called, straightforward would never be one of them. ever since his first days in atticus, the boy was pegged as hostile, hot-headed, cynical, rude. he seemed to spend more time in his thoughts than engaging in conversation. like a ticking time-bomb, finn’s anger was of the calm kind, liable to explode without a moment’s noticed. his unpredictable personality make him something of an enigma to those who aren’t amiable with the lad, though hostile as he may appear, he harvests a good heart. loyalty lies at the centre of his affections, and whilst his friends are few in number, he makes a lifelong partner. somewhere within finn, there’s still some fight left, but mostly he has recognised that his hedonistic lifestyle did little to leave him fulfilled – mostly, it just emptied him out – and over his three years at university has resigned himself to a nihilistic predicament.

if u wanna plot with me pls pls pls im me or like this post!! i am always game for plots i love em so excited to write with you all here r some ideas

study buddies. finn is now a phd student so has to start takin shit seriously. he gon be in the library every day doing that independent study. if he had ppl who were also regular library goers n they get each other coffees to save time.... tht wld be sweet

ppl who love techno dj sets and going super hard on the weekends!!! fuck yea

friends with benefits. exes on bad terms. ppl he tried to date but couldnt because he’s always emotionally hung up on someone else. spicy hook up plots

ppl he met touring?? maybe ppl who were also in the entertainment industry..... anyone got a character who is ex circus hit me up

does anyone else study criminology / forensics / criminal psych / law? phd students sometimes lecture so he cld be an assistant lecturer / tutor if ur character is in a younger year

gamers !!! social recluses !!! hermits !!

finn goes to the skatepark and all the young boys there think he’s a gradnpa which he is!

#huntingtonintro #is tht the tag....... idk..... msg me xo

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5hfanfiction · 6 years

Text

Burning Memories (One Shot)

Summary: Camila and Lauren reunite by fire at the beach as they reflect on their past relationship while active in Fifth Harmony and struggle to wrap their heads around what’s in store for them as they navigate adulthood and contemplate the future.

Burning Memories

Camila Cabello was no more than ten yards from her car and already breaking a sweat from the weight of the logs and kindling she was carrying. She silently cursed the spontaneity of her plans and the resulting poor execution. The notebooks tightly squeezed into the backpack on her shoulders may as well have been bricks when combined with the other supplies that she brought along to the beach. However, it was inching near sunset, so being aware of how dark it would get afterward inspired a slight hustle in her to find the perfect spot for setting up.

There were a few other people within eyesight scattered along the beach but nobody close enough to get a good look at pop music’s stream queen. Ideally wherever she landed would stay secluded and afford her the privacy desired to conquer the evening’s mission without fear of recognition. At just about the point when she felt like her arms might fall off or her legs might give out from under her, Camila found a space that met her criteria and she gently dropped her supplies down to the sand in relief.

In hindsight she realized it may have been more effective to kidnap a girl scout as numerous unsuccessful attempts at starting a fire had come and gone. She opted to take a break and enjoy viewing the sunset when her frustration with the fire-starting reached a peak. It was difficult for Camila to remember the last time she let herself get lost in the beauty of her landscape, and in a way it helped relax her mind away from thoughts about the reason she came out there in the first place.

As the last visible piece of the sun dwindled away from view, Camila returned her attention toward the unlit logs and the unzipped backpack lazily tossed a few feet away. It was barely visible at that point, so she broke the “no cell phone” policy she intended to enforce in order to use her flashlight app. Unfortunately, breaking this rule meant she saw she had received a text from her second least favorite person in that moment, and her level of restraint to prevent her from reading it was minimal to none once she knew it was there.

“Thx, Camz! After the date’s set I can send you an invite. Is your parents’ address ok? It’d be good to c u. Matthew is welcome as your +1, ofc. :)”

Camila took a deep breath as she flipped her phone over so the screen was facing away from her again, against her leg. Lauren wasn’t her friend anymore, far from it, but enough time had lapsed that they could be civil enough to acknowledge each other when congratulations were in order. Ty had apparently proposed to Lauren a while ago, but the media somehow didn’t catch on before the couple chose to announce it themselves on Instagram a few hours before Camila’s escape to the beach.

It had been barely tens minutes after Camila read the announcement and found the courage to text Lauren her well wishes about the news that her boyfriend, Matthew, requested to FaceTime from overseas. He told her he wanted to take a break because of their disagreement over when to have children. He explained how he needed time to think about whether he could wait as much time as Camila needed to ride the wave of her current career success. Although she recognized that the pressure to start a family was a risk that could come from dating a significantly older man, it didn’t occur to her the topic would be pressed as soon as it was. This “break” seemed more like an ultimatum, so she decided on a whim that if her relationship was going to burn to ashes, then so too would the evidence of all the emotions past loves have made her feel.

Camila flipped her phone back over with every intention of going straight to the flashlight, but she felt a tug in her gut that told her to send a response to Lauren’s text first.

“The address here (Miami) is fine. But if I don’t have a +1 anymore, am I still invited?”

She felt stupid the moment she hit send, as her response was practically begging for questions, yet a part of her truly was curious if being in a relationship made her presence in Lauren’s life less awkward now. Rather than waste time obsessing over receiving a response, Camila tapped on the YouTube app and resorted to searching “how to build a lasting fire.” She had begun taking mental notes from the video she selected when a “ding” indicating a new text message interrupted.

“Here? Are you in Miami RN 2?”

‘Too? Oh no..’ Camila thought to herself as she reread the text to be sure. Lauren spent so much downtime in LA last she checked (not that she was keeping tabs or anything). It didn’t even occur to her they could both be in Miami at the same time.

“Yeah 4 1 wk. U?”

Camila barely had a chance to re-open the video before receiving another text alert.

“I fly back to LA tmrw. Want to grab a drink 2night?”

Camila felt her heart rate increase at the suggestion. Last time they intentionally spent time together she hadn’t been old enough to go out for a drink in the states, not that her celebrity status couldn’t have gotten her around that. What would Lauren think of her now? Sure, she had proven herself in the industry despite the controversy surrounding her exit from a group that had since gone on hiatus, but what would Lauren say to the scene that was laid out before her on the beach? What would she make of Camila aimlessly sitting in the sand beside notebooks filled with her most private thoughts, lyrics, and ideas, one of which was exclusively filled with content related to once loving the woman in question?

“I’m @ the beach.”

It wasn’t a direct invitation for Lauren to join her, but it may as well have been. It certainly wasn’t an outright rejection to meeting up either.

“What part? Is any1 else w/ u? I can meet u there.”

Camila sent a text back with more specific details about her location based on where she had parked, after which Lauren had announced that she would “see her soon & bring some treats.” Camila didn’t waste anymore time preparing the fire, as anxiety about the situation to come gradually crept up on her. The last thing she wanted to admit upon their reunion was how pathetic she was at something as simple as building a campfire, so she was determined to have it going strong before Lauren’s arrival.

It slipped Camila’s mind to conceal the contents of the backpack before it was too late. A noticeable figure was approaching her location quickly, and whether it was Lauren or a stranger out for blood, she wasn’t certain she wouldn’t die either way. To the relief of millions of fans worldwide, it was in fact Lauren who eventually came into full view and not a random sociopath excited to claim their next victim.

“I remember when you used to be afraid of wandering alone in the dark,” Lauren reminisced aloud as she retrieved a bottle of Grey Goose from a bag she had been carrying.

“Who’s to say that isn’t still true? Some emotions overpower fear depending on the circumstances,” Camila countered before gesturing toward the liquor. “Is that standard for celebrating an engagement?”

Lauren took a seat beside Camila in the sand, being sure to keep a safe distance from the fire that was finally burning properly.

“Probably not, but it’s good enough to celebrate being two people who are catching up after going through shit. Besides, Ty and I celebrated the engagement properly right after it happened.”

Lauren took a decent-sized swig directly from the bottle before offering it to Camila. Camila didn’t hesitate to accept, although she stuck to a more manageable sip. She was a lightweight and knew better than to start off with too much, too fast.

“Congrats again, by the way. Marriage is a big step. How’d you know you were ready?”

Camila knew it was a heavy question, but the way they used to be never involved treading lightly.

Lauren took another sip from the bottle and shrugged.

“It’s so rare to find someone who supports you for you, for everything you are, and everything you stand for despite all the noise in the world trying to sell us a false image of what perfect people and perfect love should be. Ty has never tried to change me. He understands nobody ever could.”

Camila pondered Lauren’s response carefully, before settling on a nod followed by a much bigger gulp of the vodka than she intended.

“Matthew wants me to stop taking birth control,” Camila blurted before the more reserved part of her brain could censor the thought from spilling out.

Lauren’s eyes widened noticeably before she tried to play it off by digging a small hole in the sand to store the bottle in temporarily.

“Wow,” is all Lauren managed to reply, taking the time to let it sink in where they both were with their lives now compared to when they had been close.

“Today he asked for us to 'take a break’ because the last time we saw each other we argued about it, and I guess it’s giving him second thoughts about me.”

Camila reached across Lauren to retrieve the liquor bottle and take another gulp, only wincing a little as she underestimated how the amount consumed would burn on the way down.

Lauren had to bite her tongue to the point of almost drawing blood to stop herself from saying something she’d regret. It wasn’t her place to judge someone’s relationship. She hated when it happened to her, and happen it did…almost constantly.

Lauren settled on her first question carefully.

“Are you having second thoughts about him?”

“I’m having second thoughts about everyone I’ve loved and everything I’ve felt,” Camila confessed as she gestured toward the now-scattered collection of notebooks almost forgotten against the sand. “I’m always preaching about love to my fans and how much it has inspired my music and who I claim myself to be. But what if I’m a fraud? Do I have it all wrong? If love is what inspires my music, but being in love is also what’s going to force me to take a break from music, then what am I really doing here?”

A single tear escaped from Camila’s left eye and out of instinct Lauren pulled their bodies together into a hug. Camila could feel herself calming down from the embrace, so she laid her head against Lauren’s shoulder and allowed the contact to continue despite their history and how it should make her wary of sharing physical affection.

“Did you write about me?” Lauren whispered against Camila’s head, although she knew from listening to all of her music that she unmistakeably had.

Camila pulled away from Lauren and bent over to retrieve a bright blue spiral with several doodles and scratches along the cover.

“Almost every day until there was no room left to cram anything else in here,” Camila explained while holding up what they would suspect to be the most condemning item proving there had once been more than friendship between the two of them while they were still band mates.

Lauren looked across the fire, toward the ocean, as she motioned for Camila to put the notebook back down beside them.

“I don’t need to read that to know that everything described in it was real, because I lived it, too. I felt it. All of it. I broke both of our hearts, because I thought it was necessary, and that’s one of the most naive things I’ve ever believed, apart from thinking that signing that goddamned contract after The X Factor without proper representation was a solid idea.”

In the midst of painful memories, Camila still managed to crack a smile at the cheap shot Lauren took at the paperwork that guaranteed the beginning of their careers. It had been a disaster, but it launched them all into a level of spotlight they needed in order to land where they were in present day, despite the hardships.

“I don’t blame you anymore. But you know me…when I close a door, I slam it. So that meant finding a way to forgive and forget even if the wound was still fresh at the time I decided to put it behind me. Now here I am out here preparing to burn all these memories I already put energy into mentally blocking.”

“You didn’t successfully conceal everything, Camz. 'I Have Questions’ wasn’t exactly subtle. I had to block so many accounts after you released that song.”

Camila nodded in understanding as she picked the notebook back up and flipped to the approximate page where she knew some of the original IHQ lyrics could be found.

“The version that got released was tame compared to how it all started.”

Lauren accepted the notebook this time and glanced over the page presented carefully.

She slowly read through one of the rough verses:

“How could you turn your back on me

Leave me helpless when I was already weak

I imagined pictures of our future

As I would lie awake in bed

But they blurred out of focus

as you eagerly erased our past”

“Why didn’t that make the final cut?”

“It alludes to romantic feelings, and the final version was spun so I could play it off like the relationship could have been platonic.”

“Kind of how I spun our relationship to seem platonic?”

“Pretty much exactly like that.”

Lauren continued to read the rest of the page, front and back, silently while Camila got lost in thought.

“I should have asked if you had any memories you wanted to bring and burn,” Camila said, breaking the silence casually.

“You’re not really going to burn this one, are you?”

Lauren looked conflicted at the thought of letting it go, although so far she had only read lyrics to the one song.

“I was going to burn the pages from that one first, actually.”

“Why?”

“You’re engaged. Not only is that door slammed shut, but it should be locked, bolted, and probably guarded by a three-headed dog on the other side,” Camila joked, although her tone didn’t convey that she really felt the humor.

“I was thinking though. If things don’t work out with Matthew, you could safely revisit some of your lyrics about heartbreak, and nobody but you and I would ever be any the wiser that someone else inspired them.”

“It almost sounds like you’d prefer if things didn’t work out with Matthew,” Camila accused with a raised eyebrow.

“That’s not true. The only relationship of yours I’ve ever tried to control was ours, and seeing how poorly I handled that one, I’d never try to interfere with others.”

“To be honest with you, one of the notebooks I brought here does have stuff inspired by him, and I was planning to burn it tonight, too.”

“Well then, the only proper way to handle a break up is with a ton of dessert!” Lauren remarked enthusiastically as she pulled s'mores ingredients out of the bag the Grey Goose had been in earlier.

“If I did get pregnant I could eat as many s'mores as I wanted and nobody would even bat an eyelash,” Camila pondered as she grabbed one of the marshmallow roasting sticks.

Lauren rolled her eyes as she pulled open the box of graham crackers and tore the plastic holding one set of the crackers apart.

“That doesn’t sound like break up talk to me. But leave it to you to consider food as the primary pro of being knocked up.”

“Ugh, I hate when people refer to pregnancy that way. It makes it sound like…scandalous? Or something. We’re adults. The process of growing and birthing a new life is beautiful. We should refer to it in a way that respects women who are becoming mothers.”

“Maybe we should have drank more. You are still way too articulate right now.”

“You used to be able to handle spending time with me sober,” Camila reminded Lauren as she crushed her first marshmallow and chocolate between two graham crackers in delight.

“I also remember that I had many other, effective ways of shutting you up, all of which are off limits now,” Lauren added with a smirk as she completed her own s'more and prepared to take her first bite.

“Watch it, Jauregui. That was suspiciously close to flirting.”

Camila moaned in satisfaction as she finished the last few bites of her s'more, before reaching for another marshmallow.

“Watch it, Cabello. Sounds like that are suspiciously close to teasing.”

Camila took her marshmallow stick away from the fire to jab it toward Lauren’s neck threateningly before returning it to the best part of the fire to get the desired marshmallow texture.

“That could have burned me, you know? And I bet the mark would look pretty similar to a hickey.”

“I guess we’d have to hook up then to not waste the accusations of cheating on false evidence.”

Lauren nearly choked on the piece of chocolate she had begun nibbling on as she waited for her next marshmallow to be melted.

“Camz, you can’t say shit like that. Fuck.”

Lauren unexpectedly picked up the Grey Goose bottle and took two big gulps, clearly seeking to become more intoxicated.

“You’re right. That crossed a line. Ty would definitely take me off the wedding invitation list if he knew I never got over you. If he even knew there was something to get over.”

“He knows. We asked each other about our longest, previous relationship and what we would have done differently to make it last. I started to talk about Lucy at first, but then I realized depending on where you start our time line, we were in love much longer. Just because we hesitated to define the relationship doesn’t mean it shouldn’t have counted.”

“I’m surprised you’re not more freaked out by me still having feelings for you. I’m also curious what your answer was.”

Lauren and Camila laid out beside each other on Camila’s blanket after each having consumed three s'mores, washed down with more vodka. They both felt lighter from the effects of the alcohol, and although it was cooling down quite a bit, they welcomed the breeze as they looked up at the stars.

“Neither of us received closure the way I ended it, Camz. That’s why our feelings aren’t resolved. Just because we’ve moved on and love other people now, too, doesn’t mean that we bumped our heads and forgot what it felt like to be in love with each other.”

“Wow, and Ty knows all this?”

Lauren rolled onto her side facing Camila and kept her head propped up with her elbow.

“Yes. What I told him I would have done differently about our relationship is one of two things. Either I would have come clean about it to everyone and tried to salvage it despite the pressure from management to tone it down, or I would have at the very least attempted to find closure once I knew you were leaving the band instead of shutting you out. Ty knows I’m with you tonight and he isn’t worried about it.”

Camila rolled onto her side opposite Lauren, bringing their bodies much closer to one another.

“He should worry,” Camila admitted as her eyes looked back and forth between Lauren’s eyes and Lauren’s lips.

“Why?”

“You know why,” Camila insisted as she leaned in close enough that Lauren could feel her breath on her cheek.

“Yeah, I know,” Lauren agreed softly as she closed the gap between them and let their lips meet for the first time in more than two years. It started out tentative, but Camila pressed back a little rougher to deepen the kiss and sighed soon after when Lauren pulled back slightly to disconnect their lips and look her in the eyes.

“You and Matthew are on a break for sure, right?”

Camila gave a quick nod in confirmation.

“So there’s no reason to feel guilty for what I’m about to do, right?” Lauren pressed one more time.

Camila reached out her hand to Lauren’s face and stroked her right check with her thumb as she pulled her back in closer. Camila proceeded to address Lauren softly.

“Tonight we’re burning memories. Nothing that happens on this beach will be carried into tomorrow unless we both agree. Don’t worry about whether this begins or ends a chapter for us. Just stay in the moment with me and see where it leads.”

Lauren showed no more hesitation as she closed the gap between them once again and they made a silent pact to let their hearts lead.

AN: I wrote my stress away until 4am and this is the product of that decision. After the longest writer’s block of my life I just needed something to come out. Thank you for reading. [I have also published this on Wattpad].

#UPDATE #one shot #non AU #slash #camren #angst drama #submission #Burning Memories

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