#still need to uh. eat more veggies and fruits though.

[harudnae]

I posted a fic already today, but it's the weekend so here's an extra snack!

I was really obsessed with them when I started writing this so a very horny, very smutty Roger Pirates Monster Trio x Reader fic. This one might be a bit unhinged but hey, at least I had fun!

Well, actually I'm still obsessed so there will be more fics with them.

Also, regarding word count: YES I went overboard. There's roughly 3k of padding around pure smut, you've been warned.

I told you: obsessed.

Also posted on AO3 on 2024.01.19

Rating: Explicit

Pairing: Gaban x Rayleigh x Roger x F!Reader (mostly everyone x Reader but every other subcombination is either implied or explicitly included)

Summary: A luxurious summer island, fresh supplies galore, including ripe, sweet and slightly spicy, absolutely delicious but unidentified fruit. What could possibly go wrong?

(A stupidly horny story where Reader's curiosity gets the better out of her, and she gets completely wrecked in return.)

Content warnings : aphrodisiacs, oral sex (Reader giving & receiving), vaginal sex, anal sex, squirting, creampie, sloppy seconds, double penetration, orgasm denial

Word count: <16k

🍑 Forbidden Fruit

After long weeks at sea, the Oro Jackson moors at an uninhabited summer island.

Part of the crew sets up camp under Rayleigh and Gaban's supervision, and the rest is tasked with gathering fresh food.

You got your sea legs long ago, but it's always nice to set foot on firm land once in a while, so you're grateful for the occasion. You've been sent out with the latter group and after scattering in every direction, you're exploring a section of the forest by yourself. The vegetation is dense so you need to rummage through thick bushes to find spots of interest, but you manage to pick up fruits, veggies and herbs that you know of, making sure everything is either ripe and ready to consume, or that it can wait a bit and will still be easily manageable once you're back at sea.

A sweet scent catches your attention and leads you to a small clearing a little further inland. There's a tree there, with bunches of fruits dangling from its branches, a little smaller than apples, deep orange marbled with crimson lines.

You grab a fruit and curiously examine it, feeling the velvety texture of its skin and inhaling its scent. "Ooh, smells like honey, I wonder if it's good?" You carefully press your thumbs into the fruit and it easily splits open, smearing your fingers with sweet juice. You pick the kernel out and tear a small bit from the fruit that you bring to your mouth.

It's tender and soft, melting on your tongue, sweet as expected though not too much, and slightly spicy as you swallow.

You groan in delight. "That's so good! Everyone is going to love this!" You fill up a full basket with the sweet fruit, eating a few of them on the way back to camp. Happy with your findings, you hum a song as you carry the basket full of delicious fruits towards the rest of the supplies.

Crocus sniffs the air as you pass by him, and curiously gazes up.

You beam. "Smells good, huh? I found those earlier!" You proudly show the contents of your basket.

Crocus frowns. "Uh, yeah, but that's a big no. You're going to put that back right where you found it, or this is going to be a long night ashore."

You frown. "Why?"

"Those are fire peaches. The sweet, honey-like scent those have? Basically aphrodisiac juice. The riper those peaches are, the stronger the aphrodisiac is. You gathered enough to turn this whole camp into a literal fuck-fest in a few hours, so..." As he trails out his gaze briefly flickers towards the cabin boys. "That won't do. Sorry, you'll have to find something else." He curiously tilts his head as he glances back at you. "You okay, (y/n)? You look a little pale."

"Uh. Just glad I didn't give any of these to anyone yet", you stiffly say.

Crocus squints. "You didn't eat any either?"

You quickly nod the negative. "Nope!" You force a smile then turn around and make a beeline for the forest. Once you're far enough from the camp you drop the basket, and slump down against a tree, holding your head between your hands. "Fuck... And I ate four of them? Five, maybe? No, nononono this can't be happening. And I lied to Crocus too, so there's no way I can go back on my word now. I'll have to manage somehow... Oh, fuck, I'm so screwed. Fuck!!"

The traitorous fruits, ripe and enticing, seem to taunt you from the basket where they lay.

"Oh, I am so getting rid of you", you grumble, then resume your walk, going as deep into the forest as you can to make sure nobody finds those damned peaches. Once you're done, you gather some more safe fruit and backtrack to join the rest of the crew. You're slightly light-headed when you're back by sunset, and the basket on your head wobbles a little. You try your best to balance it until your reach the tent where the supplies are stocked, but it's slipping from your grasp. "Oh–"

"There, there", Gaban says as he helps you balance the basket on your head again. "You good?"

"Yeah, a little dizzy is all." You clear your throat. "Summer islands, hot weather and all that", you quickly dismiss with a wave of your free hand.

"I'll help you then", Gaban offers, not giving you time or space for refusal as he grabs the basket, tagging alongside you as you store the fruit under a tent.

You take a deep breath once under the shade, it's a little cooler under the tent but the dizziness is still here, so you sit on the ground, not really hopeful but still wishing it'll go away.

Gaban curiously observes you. "If you feel that bad you should go to Crocus."

You fight against the urge to cringe at his words, and offer him a weak smile. "It's fine, really. I promise I'm fine, don't worry."

You're not fine.

Captain Roger called for a party when the sun came down, and everyone got busy with preparing a feast with what everyone found, drinks and everything. If any other occasion would have been a blast for you as well, tonight proves to be quite harder to handle than usual.

You don't drink much because your head has already been spinning for a while, and you have trouble focusing on something else than the urgently growing need inside of you. You tell yourself that you'll go to sleep early, probably masturbate for an hour or two, and everything will be alright, surely? Just the thought of touching yourself forces a tiny moan out from your lips. Bewildered, you quickly glance around you, glad everyone is having fun and being loud enough that nobody heard you. You exhale a strained sigh, swallow around the lump in your throat, then you move away from the rest of the group with the firm intent to lock yourself in your cabin and do whatever you can to deal with your demise, alone.

You're barely outside camp when you hear Gaban's voice behind you. "(y/n), you okay?"

"I'm perfectly fine", you snap back and keep walking.

"Hey, is something wrong?", he asks as he grabs your arm.

You inhale a sharp breath and stiffen at the contact, warm and tingling. You quickly pull your arm out of reach and turn to him, wide-eyed.

Gaban stops dead in his tracks and curiously observes you. "You've been acting weird since earlier. Please, open up, I mean no harm."

Glancing down to avoid his gaze, your eyes find the hand that held you back, already dreaming to feel the contact of bare skin against yours again... Your eyes are drawn to his defined arm, his strong shoulder, his neck, and your head spins again as you observe the moonlight playing on his tanned skin, so kissable, making you wonder how he tastes... You finally reach his face, and find him so fucking handsome even with the worried frown creasing his forehead. Why is he so hot?

Gaban slightly tilts his head. "(y/n)?"

You shake your head to clear it from dangerous thoughts, and clear your throat. "I'm fine, I promise, I just need some sleep", you lie, hoping to get away with it.

"I'll walk you back, then."

You open your mouth to protest but your words die in your throat, suddenly dry at the mental images your brain conjures out of nowhere.

Gaban removes his glasses and leans in a little to make eye contact. "I'm worried about you, I just want to make sure you're doing good, alright?"

You stare at his mouth as he speaks, and you wet your own lips as your gaze drifts to the side only to fall onto his arm again. Fuck, I want him to hold me so bad... You close your eyes and try to ignore more mental images spawning behind your eyelids, then you straighten up and briskly resume your walk. "Whatever", you weakly say, heat rising up to your face.

Gaban walks by your side. "Did something happen?"

You stubbornly watch the path in front of you. "No."

"I don't buy it. Usually you're not that cold."

You huff a startled laugh. Actually, it's quite the opposite. "I told you... I'm just tired, that's it", you snap, a little more harshly than you intended.

"You look... pretty angry, rather than tired."

You heavily sigh.

"Not angry, annoyed maybe? Still, that's unlike you."

You hold your tongue and try your best not to acknowledge Gaban's body warmth as he walks closer to you. You quicken your pace a little, trying to put more distance between you and him.

"Either way, not tired."

You roll your eyes and keep walking in silence. Finally, hopes flares in your chest as you reach the ship. You grab the closest rope ladder and turn to him. "That's it, I'm going to bed. Thanks for everything."

He offers you a worried frown and a soft smile. "You sure?"

Fuck, he's really cute. Your gaze flickers to the side as you squirm on your feet, pressing your thighs together in an attempt to contain the fire growing inside you. "Yeah, I swear", you plead and look back up at him.

"Oi." Gaban grabs your face between his hands, studying you under the moonlight.

You can't repress a needy whine under his warm touch. Close, so close, so warm. You close your eyes, mortified.

"Look at me."

The order makes you squirm a little more, and you open your eyes again, pursing your lips in shame.

"What's wrong with your eyes?"

You blink. "What?"

"Um, I really think Crocus should see you."

"No, no! Please don't tell him", you beg, grabbing his forearms and trying to push him away.

"Sorry, not sorry, you're coming back to camp with me."

"You can't make me", you weakly protest, then you turn back towards the ship.

You barely set a first foot on the rope ladder when Gaban wraps his hands around your waist, and throws you over his shoulder. "Like hell I can't", he huffs.

The feeling of his hands around your waist, his body warmth you feel through your clothes, and the fact that he has no trouble handling you like this makes the fire inside you flare up. It takes you a couple of minutes to calm down, and only once you managed to even your breathing you realize he's walking back to the camp. "Gaban... Put me down", you whine.

"Nuh-huh. I don't know what's going on but you're not in your normal state."

"Please, you don't understand... I mean–" You sigh in defeat. "I'll see Crocus, I promise I will, but please, I don't want to be in the middle of everyone right now." Too much people, too warm, too sensitive.

Gaban sets you back on the ground, and firmly grabs your shoulders. "Look, I don't know what's going on but I'll be damned if I leave you like this."

You stiffen at the contact but do your best to focus on what he says.

"I can bring him back. But will you wait?"

You urgently nod.

He points at a fallen tree. "Alright, you sit there. If you're not here when I come back–"

"I will, I swear", you cut him. At this point it's no use hiding anymore, so you might as well get a proper diagnosis and maybe even some medicine to counter the effects of the goddamn fire peaches. You sit on the trunk in defeat, and focus on your breathing while you wait.

Gaban comes back a few minutes later with the doctor in tow, and sits on the trunk next to you.

Crocus kneels in front of you, and frowns as he examines your eyes. Then he shakes his head, heavily sighing. "How many fire peaches did you eat?"

You cringe and look between your feet. "Four? Five?"

Crocus huffs. "Thought so."

Gaban asks, "Fire peaches?"

Crocus sighs again. "Long story short, a powerfully aphrodisiac fruit. (y/n) brought some earlier, I warned her, she said she didn't eat any and went to throw everything away... and now we're here."

"Oh."

"How long is it gonna last?", you weakly ask, still glaring at the ground.

"Well, with the size of your pupils right now, I'd say you're in for a long, long night." The doctor shrugs. "Maybe 'til sunrise."

"Please, please tell me you have medicine against this. I can't spend the whole night like that."

"I'm afraid I don't! And I heard it can be painful if not relieved too, so... You might need to find someone willing to help you with–" He vaguely gestures at you with a hand. "...that."

"No, no, this can't be happening", you desperately whine as you bury your head between your hands, squirming on your seat as tears threaten to spill from your eyes. You wish you could dig a hole deep enough to disappear into it.

Gaban clears his throat.

You give him a shy side-glance, noticing only now that he's been silent for a while.

He asks Crocus, "How painful?"

"Hmm, enough that any painkiller I have wouldn't change much. It supposedly gets worse as time passes, and with the amount she ate? I'm fairly sure it'll be awful. To be honest there's not much I can do at this point, but she'd rather be far from camp and in good company."

A darker shade dusting his cheeks, Gaban declares, "Okay. I'll do it."

You open wide eyes and your mouth falls a little agape.

He turns to you and softly explains, "That way, nobody else has to know. I understand now why you didn't want to join the rest of the crew earlier, and I don't want you to go through any more trouble."

You blink in disbelief.

"Great, then that's settled!" Crocus claps his knees and gets up. "Don't forget to drink lots of water, or you'll risk dehydration. Oh, and fire peaches are slightly psychoactive too, it tends to... loosen up people, lower their inhibitions and all that, so..." He waves as he returns to the party. "Have fun!"

Gaban stands up and offers his hand to help you up.

You exhale a shaky breath as you get up, the mere contact of his skin sending another powerful wave of arousal through your body. You have trouble breathing evenly as you walk back to the ship, eyes locked on the path under your feet. "I'm sorry", you murmur after a quiet while.

"What for?"

"For lying to you. To Crocus, too, and... now it's my fault you're stuck with me."

He thoughtfully hums. "I don't like that you lied, but I understand. It's not like you ate those fire peaches on purpose, right?" There's a pause, then he quietly says, "And I'm not "stuck", I offered my help because I wanted to."

You give him a side-glance. "You wanted to?", you echo in disbelief.

Cheeks a shade pinker than earlier, a shy smile lifting the corners of his mouth. "Yeah. I'd rather–" He clears his throat. "I mean, it's bad enough that those fire peaches are strong enough to put you into physical pain, so I want to make sure you're okay."

The fire inside you keeps growing, and Gaban's kind attentions don't appease it much. You side-eye him as you reach the ship, let him help you up the rope ladder. Once you're in front of his cabin you turn to him and quietly ask, "Gaban?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't want to force you to do anything..."

"I told you I wanted to help."

You hold onto your wavering lucidity and press further, "Yeah, but... Would you do this if not for the fire peaches?"

His frown softens, a smile curls his lips. "Yeah, I would."

You sigh of relief, and as your shoulders are relieved from some tension you slump a little on yourself.

Gaban slides an arm around your waist for support. "Hey..."

You lean into his strong embrace, eyes fluttering shut as you bask in his warmth, yet yearning for his bare skin against yours.

"I'm sorry about the circumstances but... I wouldn't have volunteered if I wasn't into you."

You look up, slightly dizzy again. "Really?"

He nods and offers you his sweetest smile.

Your gaze lingers on his lips, you absentmindedly lick yours, and what's left of your resolve snaps there and then. You lean up to kiss him, wrapping your hands around his neck for support.

Gaban kisses you back, soft and gentle, and he wraps his arms around you, pulling you close.

You sigh of delight and slide your tongue between his parted lips, moaning into his mouth as you taste him. Your fingers tighten around his shirt, pulling him closer as you tilt your head to deepen the kiss, and you buck your hips towards him, seeking more friction.

He leans back a little, breaking the kiss, and reaches out for the door to his cabin behind you. "Let's get inside", he invitingly says, softly smiling.

You blink and realize you're still out on the deck. Crap, I'm already far gone. You rub the back of your head in embarrassment "Sorry", you sheepishly murmur as you get through the door.

"Trouble holding back?", he asks as he locks the door behind you.

You turn your attention back to him. "Yeah..."

Gaban moves back into your personal space and grabs your waist. "That's flattering", he says before leaning in to kiss you. He's bolder now, claiming your mouth and swallowing your moans, while his hands roam your back and sides. His hands are warm, so warm, making your skin tingle under his touch and crave direct contact.

Why are you still wearing clothes, again? Lost in sensation, you don't even notice he's walking you around until you bump backwards into the bed. You hurriedly climb onto the mattress and hungrily gaze as Gaban comes to lay next to you. Mind foggy, craving more, you straddle his hips and rock your hips as your hands explore the broad expanse of his chest.

He swallows under your eager touches.

You bite your lower lip and untie his sash, then remove his shirt. You lift a very interested eyebrow and stare a little longer than necessary once the irrelevant garments are out of the way. Your hands lay on his narrow hips, thumb tracing the sharp dip of the bone, then they travel up. Your fingertips tingle as his sun-kissed skin radiates warmth beneath yours, taut muscle flexing then relaxing under your touch as you move up, idly playing with his chest hair as you reach his pectorals. An irrepressible urge to taste him blooms inside you and you lean in to do just that.

Gaban exhales a deep hum and places his hands on your hips when you kiss his neck, and his fingertips slightly dig into your flesh as you start licking and nibbling your way down his shoulder.

A few encouraging moans only fuel your arousal further, and you gently bite his shoulder, before moving further down, nibbling his skin and tongue flicking over his nipples while your hands keep groping him. You want his skin, want his voice, want to eat him raw, ready to do anything to quench the insatiable hunger setting your nerves on fire. You're licking his happy trail with an appreciative groan when he places a hand on your nape, prompting you to look up.

He removes his glasses and meets your gaze, his cheeks flushed a dark shade of pink. "You okay?"

You lazily smile and nod the affirmative, licking another long stripe up his abs to prove your point.

His fingers tighten around your nape as he exhales a strained moan, then he cups your chin and tilts your head up a little, looking down with intent. "Why don't I take care of you, too, huh?"

You blink and buck your hips, finding your underwear soaked already. You lick your lips. "Yes, yes please..." You lay by his side and help him undress you, the lukewarm air in the cabin coming in stark contrast to you own temperature, raising goosebumps on your heated skin. You open your mouth to complain about it but your voice breaks the moment he sets his hands on you.

Sitting next to you, he showers you in gentle touches, fingertips leaving sparks of pleasure across your body as he softly gropes and caresses, slowly exploring.

You urge him for more and start moaning as his hands press harder into your skin, appreciating the soft give of your flesh. "Please, more..."

Gaban slides a hand under your back and gently lifts you up a little, smirks at your curious gaze then leans in to lick the closest nipple.

"Oh, fuck yes." Your hands tangle in his thick curly hair and you pull him closer. You hiss as he catches your drift and leans in to suck your tit, then you press him harder against you, craving the feeling of his mouth around your skin.

He switches sides as he lays you back down on the mattress, then moves further down, peppering your tummy with needy wet kisses as his hands keep playing with your chest.

You rub your thighs together, desperate to quell the ache growing between them, and squirm under Gaban while he kisses his way across your hip.

He pushes your thighs open and kneels between them, thumbs tracing soothing circles against your skin. "You good?", he asks with a slightly worried frown.

You wet your lips. "Yeah... Want you, need you."

Gaban softly smiles. "Can do", he says, and he dives in without further ado.

You exhale a low throaty groan as he latches his mouth on you and eagerly eats you out, tongue exploring your folds and gently teasing the swollen length hidden beneath, and you tilt your hips for better access.

Gaban wraps his arms around your thighs while his tongue slides inside you, tasting you in the most intimate way possible.

You let out another few sinful moans when you feel the wet muscle caressing your inner walls, and a weak whine as the tip of his nose rubs the underside of your clit. You try to wriggle for more contact but his strong grip holds you firmly in place. You throw him a pleading glance as your hands grip at the bedsheets.

He looks up, and you feel the smile between your thighs as he slides his tongue deeper.

You throw your head back on the pillow and let him do as he pleases – not that you would do much against it anyway, and your mind is too hazy to do more than just relish in such a treat. You're positively light-headed within a few minutes, heavily panting with an orgasm steadily building up and not caring anymore about how loud you voice your enjoyment of your current situation. You barely register when one of his hands leaves your thigh, and in a haze, you don't pick up why you feel like you can move a little more, so you look down.

You lock eyes with Gaban at the moment he slides two thick fingers inside you and curls them just right. He hums around your clit as you close your eyes and mewl, then he starts sucking your swollen length, rubbing his fingertips against your sweet spot until you squirt around them.

Your climax takes you by surprise, fast and short-lived, long as a yelp but very intense, strong enough to leave you breathless and trembling on the bed.

As you regain your breath Gaban pulls his fingers out and smiles against your inner thigh, peppering it with soft kisses. "You're still good?"

Your inner walls flutter around nothing, still throbbing from the recent orgasm yet aching for more. You exhale a weak chuckle. "Oh, yeah. I want more, though."

Gaban hums and dives back in to repeat the whole process, adding a third finger and spreading them out to rub your inner walls.

Your hands move from the bedsheets to his head, tangling in his dark hair, and you gently tug the curly strands to keep him where it feels better. "Fuck– oh, right there..."

Your clit throbs under Gaban's tongue as he hums around you, and he keeps pressing into the swollen spot inside you, spreading his fingertips and rubbing them around, never leaving it untouched.

You pull on his hair when he sucks harder, and the low rumble of his voice as he groans against your cunt in return sends you over the edge again.

Gaban flattens his tongue over your swollen length and presses it hard, lowly humming against you as you ride your high. He stays there a little while more as you fall limp again, and his jaw is a little slack as he leans back up, eyes full of desire as he observes you.

You barely found your breath again when you meet his lust-filled gaze, and the fire inside you grows anew. You exhale a breathless chuckle and announce, "My turn."

Gaban frowns. "Huh?"

You sit up and push him down to the mattress, licking your lips.

"You–"

"I want to taste you, too", you huskily say as your hands finds his still clothed erection, throbbing under your touch.

His Adam's apple moves up and down as he swallows.

You lean in to lick a stripe down the column of his throat, and you smile against his skin when he exhales a throaty groan. Your mouth next explores downwards, kissing, nibbling and licking your way down, tongue lapping a few beads of sweat as you inhale Gaban's scent, hands idly palming at the broad expanse of his torso.

"Oh, fuck– Mmh, that feels good..."

Arousal spiking under his praise, you scoot next to him as you slide his underwear down, then kneel between his parted thighs.

Gaban looks at you, face flush a shade darker. "You sure?"

"Oh, yeah", you nod.

"You don't have to if you– ngh!"

You wrap your hand around his already leaking cock and give an experimental stroke. "I want this. Wanted this for a while, actually. Those damn fire peaches only made me want you more", you huskily say before leaning in to lick a long stripe up the throbbing shaft, eyeing his reaction.

Gaban struggles to keep eye contact while you wet the pulsating vein underneath and tease his frenulum, and exhales a strained moan. "Just wanted to make sure– Oh, fuck–"

You engulf him and swirl your tongue around the flared tip, humming in delight around the pulse beating against your tongue. You lap a few beads of precum at his tip then start bobbing your head up and down, trying to fit more of his cock with each movement.

"Holy shit– Nghh, this is so good..."

You hollow your cheeks on the upstroke, letting spit and precum well in your mouth and dribble down your chin. You look up then, and can't suppress a husky moan at the sight.

Gaban's propped on his elbows, gripping at the bedsheets and frowning in an obvious attempt to restrain himself, lust-filled eyes trained on you, his sun-kissed skin shining with a sheen layer of sweat and his upper body tense under your doings.

You suck harder and gaze up for a few more moments, committing the heavenly sight to memory for later use. Then you lean up, releasing him with one last run of your tongue across his rock hard cock. Then you roughly lick your lips and raise your hand to his, digging fingertips into his closed fist. "You don't have to hold yourself, you know."

Gaban's eyelid twitches. "I don't want to hurt you", he sheepishly says.

"You can still be rough, though."

Gaban cracks a sly smile. "I'm lucky you're so feisty..."

"Hungry", you correct and dive back in mouth first, sliding your lips around his girth until you feel his tip throbbing at the back of your throat.

Gaban loudly groans and instantly cards a hand into your hair, tangling strong fingers into your hair and just barely holding you in place before he pulls your head up a little. "You–"

"Mh-hmm?", you hum around his cock, tongue swirling around his tip.

"You're so– ngh! So, so fucking good..."

You lean back in and resume blowing him off, taking in as much as you can.

Gaban's hand remains into your hair, gently pressing fingertips into your scalp as he hisses and moans under your doings, guiding you but never forcing you down on him.

You deepthroat him anyway, not caring in the least that you're drooling spit and precum all over him – you're hoping to give a good show too, you want him to want you as much as you do, you want to drive him crazy and have him wreck you. His moans, his touch, the way he throbs against your tongue are enough to make the fire within you burn again, but it's the suddenly stronger taste of precum that makes it flare brighter. Your insides clench around nothing, and you exhale a needy whimper.

Gaban's cock throbs in return, and he tugs on your hair, pulling you all the way up, out of breath as he gazes at you with darkened eyes.

You lick your lips and instantly move up to straddle him, rubbing your dripping cunt against his pulsating cock. "I want you so bad it hurts", you whine.

He exhales a low moan, then he guides his length between your folds while you lift your hips up.

You adjust the angle of your hips and spread your juices around his tip as you tease your dripping entrance, then you sink down in one go and push your hips back, throwing your head backwards and exhaling a low satisfied groan once you're fully seated. Your inner walls flutter around him when you look back down.

Gaban's face is flushed red, obviously aroused albeit a little bewildered by your eagerness, heavily panting as he places his hands over your hips, gently squeezing.

You smirk and rock your hips, moaning as you adjust your position and start moving faster. "Oh, fuck yeah", you breathe out as you ride him, eyelids falling down as you focus on the sensations inside you. You're so full, your inner walls stretching out to accommodate him, the constant throbbing and rubbing against all the good places inside you...

Gaban's grip tightens on your hips. "I'm close, (y/n), I–"

You open your eyes and roll your hips harder as you hold his gaze. "I want to feel you cum inside me", you say without missing a beat.

"Oh, fuck–" Gaban's eyes roll back a little before he makes eye contact again. His fingertips dig into your hips a little more as he guides you, grinding his hips harder into you. He huskily growls, "You really want this?"

"Uh-huh", you nod the affirmative, biting on your lower lip.

"Mmh– You're gonna make me cum so hard..."

You smirk and keep moving faster. "Yeah?"

"Fuck, fuck–" Gaban's hips buck into yours and he pulls you down hard, burying his cock deep inside you as it starts throbbing wildly, spurting warm loads of cum inside you. His whole glistening body tenses and a single, long, broken sound leaves his lips as he rides his high.

You feast on the view as you keep riding him, relishing in the intense pulsations inside your core and the slick warmth spreading there and dripping down between your thighs.

He looks at you from behind half-lidded eyes as he slowly comes down from cloud nine, still half-hard inside of you while he resumes giving hip rolls of his own.

You angle your hips better, rubbing your swollen clit against his happy trail, reaching for another climax. "Oh, fuck... Ngh..."

"You're so fucking hot", Gaban breathlessly says, sliding a hand up to squeeze your waist then grope a breast, fingertips teasing your nipple.

You arch your back then, seeking more contact. "Oh, please, more..."

Gaban instantly complies, cupping both of your tits and thumbing at your nipples hardening under his touch.

"I– unf! I wanna cum so bad", you whimper, rubbing your swollen clit harder against him.

Gaban rolls your nipples between his fingertips, sending a jolt of arousal through your body, then leans in to suck on the closest tit.

You breathe more heavily and press your hips down harder, feeling more warmth pool in your gut, close, so close to an orgasm. "Oh, please, pleaseplease–"

Gaban sucks hard on your nipple, then gently bites it as his hand pulls on the other one.

The coil snaps and you throw your head back to let out a series of loud moans, your whole body curling and trembling as waves and waves of liquid ecstasy spreads throughout your whole body, your skin tingling in their wake.

Gaban keeps sucking and pulling on your tits as your inner walls squeeze him tight, humming in delight into your skin as he bucks his hips into yours to feel you cum better.

When finally you settle down a little you look back down at him, out of breath and positively sated. You offer him a lazy smile. "Oh, that was– haa– so good..."

"Oh yeah", he says as he leans back and grabs your waist again, rocking his hips into yours.

You moan as you feel his dick standing to full attention again inside you, deliciously stretching you. Your insides flutter around him. Not sated yet. "More?", you coyly ask.

"My pleasure." Gaban flips you both over and places his hands on either side of your head, slowly rocking his hips into yours as he hovers above you.

You bite your lower lip, feasting on the view, and you adjust your position under him, tilting your hips a little higher for a deeper penetration.

Gaban grins and starts thrusting, long and slow, making sure to rub his flared tip against your sweet spot with every thrust.

You cling onto his waist, fingertips digging into his back. "Harder", you moan.

He growls and picks up his pace a little, filling you with each thrust yet still not quite satisfying enough.

You impatiently whine. "Come on, I'm not gonna break", you say as you rake your fingernails into his skin.

He raises an eyebrow, and he slams his hips into yours, earning a low growl.

"Oh, fuck yeah. More..."

Gaban leans back to kneel in front of you, pulling your hips up so you rest your lower back on his muscular thighs. He raises your ankles to his shoulders and wraps his arms around your legs, holding you tight, then leans in a little before he resumes fucking you, hard and fast. The new angle has you feeling fuller, his dick impossibly deep and rubbing everywhere it should.

You feel something growing inside you, an urge for release that you don't quite recognize until you squirt around Gaban's thick cock, splashing his abs and thighs and soaking the mattress beneath you while he keeps pounding into you, reducing you to a moaning mess.

He angles his hips back a little and keeps going, making you squirt another couple of times before he cums another time inside you, his dick pulsating against your sweet spot as his release mixes with yours inside you and over the bedsheets.

And though you very much enjoy your current situation, nothing seems to satisfy you enough. The ache inside you only seems to grow bigger each time you climax, and you're convinced you're going to lose your mind if you can't at least appease it a little.

When Gaban regains his breath he leans back and pulls out, cautiously laying you down onto a dry part of the bed. He gently squeezes your thigh as he sits next to you. "How do you feel?"

You weakly shrug. "Want more", you whine.

He offers you an apologetic smile. "Me too, but I do have a refractory time."

You haul yourself up, rubbing your thighs together as your insides flutter around nothing. "And I have no patience", you huskily say as you wrap a hand around his softening cock. You give Gaban a quick glance before licking him clean, then you engulf him whole.

"Hnghh– (y/n)..."

You hum around his half-hard cock, sucking it hard and humming as it gets harder over your tongue, progressively filling your mouth until you struggle to swallow around him. The taste of both of your releases only further fuels your ever-growing arousal and you're aching to have him inside you again as you finally release him, rock hard again and ready to go. A proud smile curves your lips, and you look back up.

Gaban exhales a low, deep chuckle and wipes a few beads of sweat off his forehead. "Alright then. What do you want?"

You turn around and place yourself on your fours, face against the mattress as you wriggle your ass up. "You. Inside me."

"Can do", he huskily says, raising a hand to run his fingertips up your inner thigh, spreading the slick across your skin and teasing your throbbing cunt. Then he kneels behind you, playfully slaps your ass cheeks then massages them while he rubs his cock between your folds.

You arch your back, and moan when his flared tip rubs your swollen clit and they throb against each other. You fist your hands into the bedsheets and tilt your hips forward to guide him towards your aching core. "Fuck me already..."

Another slap on an ass cheek, loud and clear, tingling with warmth blooming everywhere inside you. It's all the warning you get before Gaban slides inside you and fucks you rough, fingertips digging into your hips hard enough to bruise.

"Oh– Oh, fuck, yes! Yes!!" Your eyes roll back in delight and your mouth stays agape, sinful sounds spilling from your lips as you're lost in a haze, abandoned to the moment, Gaban's whole strength and his throbbing cock ramming into you, spearing you open. So good, so good... yet still not enough. You grow frustrated after a while, and prop yourself up on your arms, trying to get a better angle.

Gaban slows down a little. "Something wrong?"

"Want more", you moan between pants.

Gaban growls, hauls you up and brings you against the wooden wall, waits for you to comfortably brace your arms there, then grabs your hips again and resumes pounding into you.

With this angle he perfectly rubs against your sweet spot with each thrust, and more warmth blooms into you as he wraps his body around yours, holding you close as he roughly rails you from behind.

You throw a hand back and card it into his thick hair, then you exhale a low throaty moan when he sinks his teeth into your shoulder, praising the gods you don't believe in for another powerful orgasm.

It doesn't come, and instead you're both startled by knocks on the cabin door.

You whine when Gaban stops thrusting and he unlatches his mouth from your skin.

"You okay there?"

You turn a hazy gaze to Gaban, distantly identifying Rayleigh's voice.

"I was wondering where you went, so I asked Crocus since he saw you last."

Not caring in the least that Rayleigh is on the other side of the wall, you lean a little against the wood, then roll your hips a little, anything to get some friction to ease the ache inside your core.

Gaban's grip tightens on your hips and his dick throbs inside you.

Rayleigh continues, "Don't worry about the others, he only told Roger and me. I just came here to bring you fresh water, Crocus said you might need it."

You try to get Gaban to move again, to no avail, then you exhale a needy whimper.

"Thanks, Rayleigh", Gaban says, "You can leave it by the door, I'll come grab it later."

"Oh no, you're not leaving", you lowly growl, clenching your inner walls around his pulsating cock.

He frowns and protests, "I'm just getting water!"

You lean against the wall and brace your shoulders against it, then you glare at him as you throw your hands back to grab his ass, pinning him against you. "I said no."

He lifts his eyebrows. "Okay. Now what?"

"I don't care! Just fuck me."

Gaban leans over your back and heavily sighs. "Rayleigh?"

"Yeah?"

"Come in and leave the water here, please", Gaban says before he resumes pounding into you.

Rayleigh opens the door, slides in then closes behind him. Then he drops a keg near the bed, and his gaze flickers to you.

Gaban growls, "You saw nothing."

"Nobody will know, but I saw. Nice view", he teases, a smile curving his lips.

Your brain vaguely registers that usually you'd be embarrassed, but right now being watched only arouses you more. "Really?", you breathe out between moans as you struggle to maintain eye contact.

"Mh-hmm", he nods, gaze lingering on your face before turning to Gaban. "You gonna be okay?"

"Fuck–" Gaban's hips still against yours as he cums inside you yet again. He pulls out and moves back to lay on the bed, heavily breathing. "Well that's a nice workout, but…... yeah."

You whimper at the loss, then you turn around to straddle him without a single fuck to spare for your audience until Rayleigh speaks again.

"Do you need any help?"

You snap your head towards him, then curiously back to Gaban, heart suddenly beating faster.

"I could use a pause", he breathes out, then finds your inquiring gaze. He licks his lips and exhales a small chuckle. "Won't be a first that we share a bed, or someone", he confesses. "Your pick."

Your eyes widen. "Oh." You bite your lower lip and turn to Rayleigh who's still standing in the doorway. Without missing a beat, you ask, "You don't mind sloppy seconds, do you?"

Rayleigh's grin widens as he walks towards you. "Depends... Right now, I don't."

"Lucky me", you huskily say as you hop off the bed and walk to him, wandering hands sliding his coat off his shoulders.

Rayleigh glances at Gaban. "Those fire peaches are really strong, I heard?"

Gaban huffs a tired chuckle. "Oh yeah! And she ate four or five of them..."

"I didn't know then, and I don't care now, please– help me", you say as you struggle to untie the First Mate's sash.

Rayleigh smirks. "Well, we don't want to leave you in need now, do we?" He slides his sash off and helps you remove his boots and pants, and comments as your hands explore his body, groping here and there, "I won't lie, it's flattering to see you so eager... Makes me wish I tried something earlier."

"I'll make up for lost time, then." You maintain his gaze as you slide his underwear down and sink to your knees. You break eye contact to glance at his cock, half-hard already, long and curved, veiny. You wrap your fingers around him and start stroking, licking your lips in anticipation.

You hear the smile in his voice as he next says, "Lost time, huh? Must have been long overdue, when I see Gaban worn out like this."

You exhale a soft hum, and open your mouth to engulf his tip.

"If you let her, (y/n) will suck you dry", Gaban says.

"I wouldn't mind", Rayleigh says as he cards a hand into your hair, guiding you as you lean in and take more of his length.

Gaban chuckles. "Maybe, but she will."

You hum in approval and start bobbing your head, making it wet and messy as you feel Rayleigh's cock throbbing against your tongue.

"Unf– You're good", Rayleigh huskily says between pants and moans, "Oh yeah, just like that..."

You moan around his length, heart melting at the praise and cunt dripping from arousal at the weight and taste on your tongue, already desperate to be fucked silly again.

Rayleigh places his other hand on your cheek, gently holding you close as you take him whole, nose brushing against his happy trail. He groans and his flared tip throbs at the back of your throat, and he pulls you back a few short moments after. He heavily pants, a dark shade of pink dusting his cheeks.

Not that you fare any better, drooling spit and precum, pupils dilated as you look up and meet his intense gaze. You dart your tongue out to lick his thumb and your insides clench around nothing when he slides it between your lips.

Gaban exhales a low chuckle. "Still feisty", he comments.

"(y/n)... I'd like to fuck that pretty mouth, is that okay?"

You heartily nod, lean back to open your mouth wide, then obediently draw your tongue out.

Rayleigh exhales a low hum and cradles your head between his warm hands, then he bucks his hips into your offered mouth, groaning when you move your tongue along his length. "Tap on my thigh or my leg if I'm too rough, alright?"

You hum, and focus on breathing through your nose while he starts thrusting in and out of your lips. Your insides flutter with each of his moans, and let out some sinful sounds of your own in return. When he starts moving faster, pressing against the back of your throat with every other thrust, you gag around his cock and place your hands on his thighs, but you withhold the treatment, finding some relief in being used and yearning for more.

Rayleigh pulls back just when the taste of precum gets stronger in your mouth, heavily panting and looking at you with a mix of awe and mischief. "Fuck– You're so good."

You lick your lips, chasing his taste. "Am I, now?" You get up and move back to the bed, laying on the mattress next to Gaban and invitingly opening your thighs, offering your glistening cunt to the view while you hungrily lick your lips. "Let me see if you are, too."

Rayleigh exchanges a mischievous glance with Gaban and climbs onto the bed, placing himself above you and lining himself up. He leans in for a deep, hungry kiss as he slides into your aching core, swallowing your whimpers while he sheathes himself, then he leans back up to look at your heated face, wearing a smug grin.

A split second passes before you lock your feet behind his back, expectantly looking up at him. "Fuck me", you demand.

"My pleasure", he says, and happily complies, imposing a fast rhythm as he deeply pounds into you.

Sparks of pleasure send shivers across your skin, heated and sensitive from such a good rough fuck. Your fingernails dig into pale skin and you tighten your thighs around Rayleigh's waist, angling your hips for an even deeper penetration. It's so good, yet still not enough.

Rayleigh leans back and lifts your ankles to his shoulders for a better angle, threads a hand through his sweat-damp hair as he adjusts his position.

You whine at the sight, and lick your suddenly dry lips.

Gaban pats Rayleigh's hip. "Let her drink a bit."

You're a little startled when you're reminded of Gaban's presence, you were so lost in the sensations that you forgot about him for a bit.

"Yeah. I'll have some too."

You prop yourself on your elbows when Gaban brings you a fresh cup, and you down the water in one go while he fetches another cup for Rayleigh.

Once the blond has resumed fucking you, Gaban lays next to you, fingertips tracing your jawline.

You turn to him moaning and panting under Rayleigh's ministrations.

He softly smiles, and playfully slides the tip of his thumb between your parted lips.

You absentmindedly lick it, then crane your head to properly suck it.

He growls and slides his thumb out, only to push two fingers inside your mouth, looking intensely at the way you open your mouth wide to accommodate them.

You diligently coat Gaban's fingers with spit, making a show to run your tongue all around.

"So greedy..."

You moan around his knuckles with every other thrust, gaze going from Gaban to Rayleigh, drowning in their desire but not nearly quenched yet.

Fortunately for you, Gaban seems to think along the same lines. He asks you, "Want to blow me off?"

You heartily nod around his fingers, humming appreciatively.

He smirks and turns to Rayleigh. "Mind changing positions?"

"Not at all", Rayleigh says before pulling out.

Your inner walls flutter around nothing, desperate to be filled again, and you're about to voice a complaint–

Rayleigh grabs your hips and flips you around in one swift move, then he pulls your ass up.

Catching his drift, you place yourself on your fours and tilt your hips for better access.

Gaban kneels in front of you, presenting a renewed and throbbing erection.

You lick your lips and get to work, engulfing as much as you can in a single go.

Rayleigh slides inside you right then, pushing you a little more around Gaban's cock as he bottoms out.

Your insides squeeze around Rayleigh's cock and you moan in return. When Rayleigh pulls back a little you start bobbing your head along Gaban's cock, relishing in the strong throbbing against your tongue when you moan around it as well as the stronger taste of precum spreading into your mouth.

Rayleigh places his hands on your ass, spreading it out as he resumes fucking you, a little slower than before.

Assuming he's enjoying the view, you arch your back a little more to give a better show.

Rayleigh exhales a low appreciative groan and fucks you harder, spreading your ass wide and throbbing hard inside your cunt.

You slightly gag with every other thrust that pushes you harder on Gaban's cock, but you withhold the treatment, doing your best to focus on breathing through your nose.

Rayleigh's thrusts become slightly erratic after a few minutes, and he buries himself balls deep after a few off-beat thrusts, keeping an iron grip on your hips as he cums inside you.

You groan in delight when you're filled with his release, and you sigh when he finally pulls out.

Gaban leans back and rubs the tip of his cock against your drawn out tongue. "Wanna fuck you again", he growls.

You look up and smirk. "Then I want both of you."

"Needy girl... You're lucky Rayleigh has little to no refractory time."

You throw an interested glance behind you. "Yeah?"

Rayleigh shrugs, and a mischievous smile curves his lips. "How fast can you get me up again?"

You lowly hum. "Let's see..." You stay on your fours but turn around to face him, offering your backside to Gaban. You grab his half-hard cock, slide your lips around it and start sucking, tasting your own earlier release and theirs under Rayleigh's approving gaze.

Gaban lines himself with your cunt once you've fallen into a comfortable rhythm, easily sliding into you with the remainder of his and Rayleigh's cum, and he snaps his hips hard into yours, loud slaps of flesh against flesh echoing through your body as he forces you further onto Rayleigh's cock.

You appreciate the way it swells and gets harder against your tongue in response to every other moan vibrating around it, and you earnestly suck harder in return. You distantly register when the thrusts inside you slow down a bit as well as a couple of foreign sounds occur behind you, but you don't care much until two fingertips are pressed into your ass cleft.

Gaban's fingers aren't pushing much, just sliding down to your puckered hole and spreading their coat of lube around it. "You said you want both of us. Is this good?"

Your eyes flutter shut and you lean back a little to release Rayleigh's cock. "Oh, yeah. Very", you pant, throwing a glance behind your back.

Gaban flashes you a smile and resumes pounding into your cunt with his former pace, all while massaging your tight hole. He slides a first, then a second finger inside, and leisurely starts scissoring you.

Rayleigh cups your cheek, prompting you to look back up at him. "You look so good like this", he praises you, "So pretty when you're enjoying yourself..."

Your inner walls flutter at the praise. An extra finger sliding into your ass forces a raw, throaty moan out of you, and you mindlessly resume your blow job, keeping it wet and messy.

Rayleigh places his hands on your head, gently guiding your moves along his length while exhaling soft moans.

Gaban soon pushes a third finger deep inside you, and wriggles them around a bit, feeling the tight fit of your ass around them.

You groan around Rayleigh's shaft, and arch your back for better access, an urge to be stretched further rising fast inside you.

Gaban reads you like an open book and pushes his fingers deeper, then spreads them as wide as he can.

You throw your head back with a wail, releasing Rayleigh's cock in the movement. Breathing shallowly, still drooling spit and precum, you glance behind you and beg, "Please, I want you both so bad."

Gaban stops moving and lifts a cocky eyebrow.

You look back up at Rayleigh. "Please."

He smiles, a little short of breath, then moves to lay down on the mattress. He palms at his slick cock and invitingly says, "Come here."

Gaban pulls his fingers out, earning a whimper. He barely has the time to buck his hips back that you're already moving.

You don't waste a single second and crawl over Rayleigh to straddle him. You impale yourself on his shaft, exhaling a low groan once he's fully sheathed in. You lick your lips, brace your hands on either side of Rayleigh's face, and start riding like it's world's end.

"Ooh, yeah– fuck, that's good..." Rayleigh's hands latch on your hips, guiding you and pressing you harder against him, sliding you along his length and making sure you take him to the hilt with every hip roll.

You stop moving when you feel Gaban kneeling behind you. Eager to be fucked senseless, you lean over Rayleigh's body and rest your head into the crook of his shoulder, panting in anticipation as you offer your ass to Gaban.

Rayleigh's hands slide from your hips to your ass cheeks and spread them wide for better access.

You pant more heavily and heat rises up to your face. You lean into the crook of Rayleigh's neck and gently bite in return, licking and nibbling his warm skin.

Gaban lines his cock, slick with bodily fluids and an extra dose of lube. The first ring of muscle twitches around his tip when he pushes in, but the downright sinful moan you next exhale encourages him further, so he keeps going, slowly but deliciously filling your tight ass. Once he bottoms out he leans over your back and peppers your shoulders and back with wet kisses. "You're doing so good. You feel so good", he murmurs against your skin.

Mind foggy, body just barely adjusted to the spearing intrusion, breath still heavy, you lick your dry lips and give an experimental hip roll. "Oh, holy shit..." Your insides clench around both men and your whole body tenses between them, electrified by the intense sensations. You lazily smile when Gaban and Rayleigh hiss in return, then their cocks throb inside you and your whole body goes a little limp. You catch your breath before exhaling a husky moan, eyes rolling back behind your eyelids.

Rayleigh's hands travel up to your hips, and one trails up your side, then your neck, follows your jawline and gently cups your cheek.

You open your eyes.

Rayleigh hungrily looks up at you and growls, "So pretty when you take us both..."

Breath short, feeling fuller than ever yet not near enough, you brace tight fists on the mattress above Rayleigh's shoulders, then you push your back against Gaban's chest, and roll your hips again with more intent. "Ooh, fuck... Unf, this is so good..." You look back down at Rayleigh and offer him a lazy smile. "I wanna cum with both of you inside me." You grin wider when both of their cocks instantly get harder, and move again, quickly setting a comfortable rhythm.

Rayleigh's hands cup your chest and playfully rub fingertips across your nipples, teasing until he earns a couple of extra moans. Then he pinches them and gently holds them so that he pulls on your tits with each of your hip rolls.

"Holy fuck, yes–"

Gaban leans a little over you, wrapping his broader frame around your smaller form, and re-positions a hand on the mattress so the other can wander freely, exploring your legs, thighs, sides.

You're burning from the inside, every touch so good and so frustrating at the same time, your whole body demands more. You tilt your hips and ride harder, bite your lower lip when you find a better angle, then you ride faster.

Gaban's hand kneads into your hip, then travels to your inner thigh, fingertips brushing against Rayleigh's midsection. Your hips stutter under his touch but he keeps going, and three fingertips soon cover your swollen clit and start stroking through its hood.

You lean down a little under the intense stimulation, and you let your mouth fall agape as more sinful sounds spill from your lips.

Rayleigh leans up to suck on a hardened nipple, earning higher-pitched moans. He smiles around your tit and leans back only to apply the same treatment to the other side.

"Oh, fuck– I can't–" You heavily pant and your hips stutter again between them as you're unable to maintain any kind of pace. You stop riding altogether and whine, "Please, please, fuck me..."

Rayleigh releases your nipple with a wet sound, then leans back wearing a cocky smirk. "If you insist."

Gaban's hand leaves your cunt and moves to the mattress again. He kisses the back of your neck and huskily says, "I'm always happy to please."

Rayleigh spreads out your ass and holds you tight as he starts thrusting into your sloppy cunt.

"Oh shit, shit–" You writhe between them, searching for more contact.

Gaban gives some hip rolls of his own and leans in to bite your neck.

"Ngh– more, please..."

Gaban pushes his chest down on your back and slides three fingers inside your mouth.

Slaps of flesh against flesh, ragged breaths, loud moans and husky groans... Heat everywhere inside and around you... Sweat and spit mixing in your mouth with the taste of everyone's juices... The scent of your bodies mingled together... And the view, oh, the view...

Rayleigh's absolutely gorgeous, disheveled and glimmering from the sweat running down his body, brow furrowed and muscles tense as he buries himself deep inside you, mouth spilling moans and curses and quiet words of praise.

Gaban bites you again, a little harder.

A jolt of electricity goes down your spine, and you cum right there and then with a loud wail. Your whole body shudders at the intensity of this new climax, and finally slumps down after a while. You're positively out of breath and exhausted, not to mention dehydrated beyond belief. You lick your dry lips.

Rayleigh gently pats Gaban's thigh. "Let her drink", he softly says.

Gaban pulls out, earning a soft whine, then he lays down on the bed next to Rayleigh, breathing heavily.

You slide off Rayleigh and fill a couple of cups for them, then you down another one. Once you're feeling a little fresher, you take a couple of breaths to assess your current state. Still not fucking close to satisfied. You don't waste time and quickly return to Gaban and Rayleigh, rubbing your body against theirs as you barely stand a few moments without bare skin against yours.

"Time out", Gaban quietly says, a soft smile curling his lips while he gently taps your thigh.

You slightly groan in mild annoyance, and turn your attention to Rayleigh.

He lays you down and gets off the bed, then he pulls you towards the edge of the mattress. He kneels there and throws you a seductive glance before diving in tongue first.

You arch your back when his tongue laps your juices, and your eyes flutter shut when the wet muscle explores inside your slightly gaping cunt. One of your hands tangles in blond hair and lightly tugs, earning a soft groan. You exhale an interested hum, and tug harder.

Rayleigh groans louder and slides his tongue up, moving to suck your swollen, sensitive clit.

An incoherent string of half-words fall from your lips, and you bury your free hand into his hair too, keeping him where it feels better. You rock your hips a little and when Rayleigh stops moving and simply draws his tongue out, you insistently rub yourself against the wet muscle, chasing for another high.

Rayleigh exhales soft grunts and moans of approval, vibrating against your throbbing clit, and he all too happily let him use his tongue.

It doesn't take long before your thighs quiver around his head as you cum yet again. You release his head and lazily watch as he wipes your juices from his face and sucks his fingers clean.

He stands then, stretches his back a little, and lines himself up with your dripping cunt. He doesn't give you time to recover from the afterglow and slides his dick deep inside your pulsating core, and fucks you hard.

Over-sensitized and exhausted, you're still craving for more and you're glad he wants more too.

Gaban scoots closer to you and lets his hands wander on your chest, your neck, your jawline. "You're so fucking pretty", he praises you while his fingertips tease you.

You hear Captain Roger's roaring laugh echoing on the decks, but it doesn't register as bothersome since you suppose there's only the four of you on the ship.

Neither Rayleigh nor Gaban stop their ministrations, anyway.

A moment after, Captain's voice says from behind the door, "I was wondering where Rayleigh had been all this time. Figures."

Gaban rolls his eyes.

Rayleigh groans as he slows down his thrusts.

"Everyone's off to sleep and you're still at it?"

Rayleigh turns towards the door and deadpans, "Well someone doesn't want to stop, so..."

You groan in mild annoyance and wriggle your hips to try to get him to move.

He turns his attention back to you, sighing. "Do you want Roger to join, too?"

Your pupils widen at the offer and you lick your lips.

Gaban bites your shoulder. "Insatiable, really", he growls against your skin.

With a rare sliver of lucidity you ask, "Is this... okay?"

Gaban and Rayleigh huff a laugh and exchange a knowing look, a smirk growing on their faces.

You frown. "What?"

Rayleigh calls, "Roger!"

Your Captain enters the cabin without further ado, grinning wide at the sight of you three entangled. "Oh, you've been having fun."

Rayleigh retorts, "Yeah, and (y/n) keeps wanting more."

Captain Roger turns his attention to you.

Arousal flares again inside your gut under his intense gaze.

He plucks his mustache and lowly asks, "Is it true? Do you need more... help?"

You swallow as you briefly look at the other two. "Yeah. I mean– I'm not sure anything more would truly help at this point, but–"

Rayleigh laughs. "Oh, he will wear you out, trust me."

Gaban runs a thumb across your lower lip. "If anyone can do more than us two, it's Roger. I'd say it's a pretty safe bet."

"Alright, okay." You playfully lick his thumb before turning your attention back to your Captain, a smile curling your lips. Worries and shame long forgotten, you offer, "You want the next round?"

"Oh yeah." Roger heartily nods, then he drops his coat near the keg and leisurely leans on the wall across the room. "Come on, boys, you heard her", he urges the other two with an eager grin.

Rayleigh briefly glares at him, but soon resumes fucking you, deep and sharp, making you see stars with every other thrust.

Gaban muffles your moans with two or three fingers playing with your tongue, while his gaze intensely studies your face.

You tilt your hips for a deeper penetration and moan a little louder around Gaban's fingers, then your eyes flutter shut in delight and you squeeze your inner walls around Rayleigh.

He hisses in return, and his cock heavily throbs. "Fuck– I'm close..."

You huskily groan, lean back to release Gaban's fingers, then tilt your head towards Rayleigh. "Cum inside me", you plead.

"Oh– fuck, nghh..." Rayleigh's body tenses and he buries himself to the hilt, violently pulsating and filling your greedy cunt with yet another load of warm cum.

You bite your lower lip, clenching harder around him, milking him dry.

After a few heavy breaths to regain his composure, Rayleigh finally pulls out. He gazes at you with want and a hint of softness when he cups your chin and leans in for a deep languid kiss.

You're breathless but smiling by the time he finally leans back.

Rayleigh settles further on the bed, next to Gaban who's been observing you with a mischievous grin.

Happy where you are but still not quite sated, you move to the edge of the bed and sit there, ignoring the warm wetness spreading between your thighs. Your gaze instantly falls on your Captain.

Roger looks at you with intent, a hungry smile curving his mouth.

Somewhere in the back of your mind, you distantly acknowledge that the man facing you is one of the most wanted, ill-famed, strong and dangerous men of this era. Although, you're a part of his crew, so it's a very arousing thought, rather than threatening.

"My turn", he says, and then he gets up without further ado, shrugging off his shirt.

Your mouth falls agape halfway through said shirt being dropped on the floor, and you observe him with want as he similarly discards boots, belts and pants. Goosebumps raise your skin despite the fire burning beneath. Nothing that you didn't know beforehand, but your Captain in any state of undress is still a sight to behold. What a snack!

A pair of laughs echo from the bed.

You blink then frown. "Did I say that out loud?"

Left in nothing more than his underwear, Roger heartily nods, beaming.

"Oh, well", you shrug, distantly aware that you should be embarrassed but remaining unbothered, "It's true." You get up and go straight to your Captain, holding a hand out once you're within reach to palm at his strong, hairy torso. You look up with a renewed fire within you.

Roger leans in for a deep kiss, and approvingly hums when you let him claim your mouth and run eager hands across your sweaty skin. He runs his tongue across your lower lip as he leans back, leaving you breathless and needy.

"Captain..."

Roger cracks a smile, places his hands around your waist and effortlessly lifts you up, laughing when you gasp in surprise. You barely have the time to wrap your legs around Roger that he's already sat on the bed with you straddling him.

You look at him from under, slightly flustered to be handled like this but even more aroused now that you feel his cock throbbing between your thighs, albeit through very frustrating underwear. You're soaking those, anyway, already rubbing your dripping cunt against him.

"So eager..." Roger's large hands slide around your hips to cup your ass, giving them a playful squeeze before venturing further, spreading the slick around your holes, teasing but never quite satisfying.

You pant and whine, and your head lolls back down while you angle your hips better, seeking more contact, more pressure, anything to quell the fire in your core.

"So, so needy", Roger growls just before his wandering fingertips return to your hips. You look back at him frustrated, outraged even, but he only smiles and hoists you up again, setting you a little to the side, straddling his thick thigh.

You throw him a confused look.

His smile widens and he lifts his knee a little, flexing his thigh underneath you and pressing into your wet folds. "Make yourself cum for me."

Your eyes roll back and you exhale a low throaty moan. Your thighs clench around his on reflex and your swollen clit throbs against his skin, his curly, thick hairs tickling you in the most satisfying way possible. You have a breathless laugh, then you quietly say, "Okay." You brace yourself on your Captain's stomach, and start riding his thigh.

Roger keeps a hand on your hip, guiding your movements, pressing you harder against him, and he lets the other wander free, reaching out for your neck, gently curling around it. Then he traces your jawline and thumbs at your lower lip.

You obediently open your mouth, drawing your tongue out.

Roger growls, and his grip tightens on your hip while he slides two thick fingers between your parted lips, rubbing against your tongue.

You whimper but diligently start sucking, coating his fingers with saliva while you roll your hips harder. Your clit impossibly throbs against Roger's warm skin, the brush of hairs sending sparks of pleasure across your over-sensitized skin, and the pressure of hard muscle against your whole cunt becoming painfully addictive. You move faster when another climax builds up, desperate for the high and mindlessly drooling around Roger's fingers.

"Close already?", Roger playfully asks. He pushes his fingers deeper into your mouth and slides his other hand from your hip to your ass, spreading you out.

You exhale a low moan and hump him harder.

Roger spreads the slick around your puckered hole, earning another few whimpers and a pleading glance, then slides his finger in to the knuckle. "Come on, cum for me."

Your eyes roll back and you lean back with a loud moan, releasing his fingers when you tip over the edge. Your whole body tenses over his, your inner wall clenching in waves as you ride the high.

Roger makes sure to keep a constant pressure between your thighs, extending your climax until you're a shivering, panting mess, falling limp against his chest. He gently pats your back, murmuring, "There, there. You did good."

You blearily blink while you regain your breath, then you look up and offer your Captain a lazy smile. "Thanks, Captain."

Rayleigh has an exaggerated sigh. "Well, you look more tired now, so hopefully the effect of those fire peaches are starting to wear out." When your eyes find his, he cocks an eyebrow and stares at you with a fondly exasperated smile.

You lick your dry lips, swallow around a too dry throat, then cough a little.

Gaban quickly fetches a cup of water for you. "Come, sit."

Roger helps you off him and back down on the bed.

Rayleigh gently pats your shoulder while you sit between him and your Captain.

You chug your water in one go, then stretch your arms and legs a little and ask for another cup. With your mind a bit clearer, you turn your attention back to Captain Roger. Your eyes study his underwear, more precisely the conspicuous wet spot you left there, and you realize how small it seems in comparison to the obvious bulge beneath.

Rayleigh slides you a knowing look when you glance his way.

You half-heartedly glare, then you turn to Gaban.

He laughs brightly. "What? We've all been there."

You blink. "Huh. That explains a lot..." You bite your lower lip and focus back on your Captain. Well... On the obvious bulge in his underwear, that is. Your eyebrow twitches at the sight and you waste no time in undressing him. Of course, he's huge. Not deterred in the least, you kneel beside him on the bed, tentatively wrap a hand around his cock and start stroking.

He encourages you, with a hand across your back that gently presses fingertips into your skin when he moans or groans.

Emboldened by the new range of sounds you manage to coax from your Captain, and firmly intending to hear some more, you lean in and blow him off. You shamelessly moan while you play with your tongue around his shaft, mentally picturing what it'll be like to have such a massive cock inside you.

Roger is as loud in bed as he is everywhere else, and for some reason it makes him even hotter. You soon learn with delight that he's very vocal, verbal even, praising you for making him feel good, guiding you with short instructions and encouraging you further. His hand slides up your back and wraps around your nape, not quite pushing but still gently keeping you down on him.

You groan around his shaft when a couple of fingertips press into your scalp, and you earnestly keep blowing him off. You gag a little when you try to take his cock to the hilt, but you wrap a hand around the base to reach what doesn't fit and you suck harder on the upstroke, hollowing your cheeks and drooling spit and precum. You let out a surprised moan when a hand spreads your juices – not only yours, but that's a detail – and presses teasing fingertips around your sloppy cunt. You keep blowing your Captain off but you lift your gaze.

Rayleigh makes eye contact with you, smirking before he dives in to kiss Roger.

You clench around Gaban's fingers when Roger's free hand possessively cards at Rayleigh's nape, the fire rekindled within you at the sight of their shared intimacy. I need more. I need them so bad. You pull up with a wet sound and a trail of drool still connecting your lips so Roger's flared tip, heavily panting while you observe desire and affection in their gaze when they break apart.

Gaban's fingers bring you back to your current situation when he curls them against your sweet spot, sending a jolt of electricity through your core. He leans over your back and brings his lips under your ear to playfully say, "Insatiable and voyeur."

Your inner walls squeeze his fingers again and you bite your lower lip. "Maybe", you concede at length.

"Hm? Feeling shy now?" Rayleigh gets up and fetches another cup of water for you. "The fire peaches are starting to wear out."

You sigh when Gaban's fingers leave you empty and fluttering around nothing, and you glare behind you.

Gaban pulls himself up the bed, leaning onto a pillow placed against the cabin wall. He opens his legs and pats the space between them, a playful smile at his lips.

"Oh." You crawl over to him, and sit between his thighs, resting your back against his chest. Just being caged by his body has your cunt throbbing in want, and the way his hands wander free across your heated skin makes you feel even more desired, even more needy, almost desperate.

Gaban's hands spread your thighs when they reach there, showing off your soaked, twitching, puffy cunt.

Roger lets out a low interested hum, then he turns around and lays stomach down on the bed with his head between your thighs. Without an ounce of hesitation or shame he dives in to eat you out, eagerly dipping his tongue between your folds and sucking your swollen clit.

Your fingers tangle in his thick hair and lightly tug. "Oh fuck, fuck– Oh shit– Why are you all so good at this– ngh..." You try to wriggle around but with little to no result, Gaban and Roger perfectly pinning you between them, offered and basically at their mercy.

Roger's tongue tastes you in the most intimate way possible – not only you, and that's a detail but it's a very arousing one – and the rumble of his appreciative groans vibrates against your core, making you weak in the knees.

Your inner walls flutter around his tongue. "More... More..."

Gaban molds his body against yours and playfully tugs on your nipples, earning a few whimpers when his warm breath tickles your shoulder and neck.

Your eyelids flutter shut while you bask in the sensations, delighted to be taken in such good care by the hottest men in the crew. You gasp and open your eyes again when a wider girth than before stretches your cunt.

Roger throws you a cocky smirk before diving back in to suck your clit. He starts thrusting his fingers shortly after, eyes trained on your face.

"Ooh, fuck–" Your eyes roll back in their sockets. That's three of his fingers. Three. Fingers. Considering how big your Captain is, you reason with yourself that said fingers should make it easier for you to take his cock. You glance back down and bite your lower lip. "Oh, Captain", you moan, "This is so good..."

He smiles against your folds and slides another finger in.

You whine at the extra stretch and break eye contact when he curls his fingers inside you.

One of Gaban's hands leave your nipple only to be replaced by an eager mouth.

You look down and find Rayleigh sat by Gaban's side, cupping a tit and earnestly sucking on it, hunger obvious in his eyes when you meet his gaze.

Roger keeps his fingers curled inside you and starts rocking them against your sweet spot, slowly but firmly.

"Ooh, fuck– oh–" Your body tenses under their combined ministrations, waiting for the moment the coil will snap.

Rayleigh sucks harder, rubbing the tip of his tongue against your hard nipple.

Gaban pinches the other one and lightly pulls, bouncing your tit.

Roger rubs his fingers more insistently, bringing you closer to the edge.

Your cunt clenches around him, he growls against your folds and around your clit in response, and finally you cum and squirt around his fingers.

Roger avidly drinks your juices, pressing his fingertips against your sweet spot to coax more out of you, and he keeps eating you out until you're a trembling, whimpering mess. He finally sits back up, a cocky smile on his swollen, glistening lips.

Your head falls back into the curve of Gaban's shoulder, and you take a moment to regain your breath.

Gaban's hands provide soft touches and eager squeezes, never urging but always arousing.

Rayleigh's mouth leave a trail of wet kisses from your chest to your neck, and playfully nibbles your earlobe before he retrieves the lube and hands it to Roger, who eagerly grabs it. He glances at you and waits for your approving nod before releasing the bottle.

Roger coats his cock with a healthy dose of lube, then he kneels between your parted legs, lines himself up and slowly slides into you.

Heavy sighs leave you with each inch that slides in. It's electrifying, after a whole night of already very good sex, to feel new sensations, and the extra stretch of a bigger cock is quite enjoyable too.

Once he's in to the hilt he exhales a satisfied hum, wraps his large hands around your thighs and starts pounding, earning a few lewd sounds.

Gaban's hands return to your chest, playful as ever, massaging and teasing.

Rayleigh's hand cups your chin, rubs the pad of a thumb across your lower lip, prompting you to glance at him. A mischievous smile plays at the corners of his lips, and he slides two fingers between your lips, rubbing them against your tongue.

You moan around his fingers and suck them, coating them with saliva and twisting your tongue around them.

Rayleigh soon slides a third finger into your mouth, and you can't help the way your cunt clenches around Roger's cock in response.

Your Captain stops moving. "You're close?"

You whine around Rayleigh's fingers and roll your hips against Roger's, rubbing your clit against his happy trail.

Roger snaps his hips into yours and smirks as you whine. "Hold it", he says as he presses his happy trail against your swollen, throbbing clit.

You release Rayleigh's fingers with a wet sound and try to still under them. You're too close, so you whine, "I can't..."

"Hold it", Roger demands with a hungry smirk and an extra burst of Conqueror's Haki.

Your body seems heavy, unable to move for a moment where everything and even time itself seems to stand still. Then the moment is gone, you can move normally again, and while you try to even your breathing you realize with a twinge of despair that your climax is long gone. You whimper under your Captain. "That's mean..."

"Not if we want to wear you out", Roger smiles. He pulls out, earning an undignified whine at the loss, then he lays on the bed and invitingly pats his hip. "Come ride me."

"Oh, yeah." You promptly get out of Gaban's embrace and crawl to your Captain, straddling him and rubbing your wet folds against his hard cock.

The difference in size between you two is even more tangible seen from here, with Roger's powerful hips obviously larger than yours spread above his, and his hand covering yours where it lays across his stomach.

You adjust your position and guide his cock between your folds, then you slowly sink down, taking the time to appreciate the stretch of his girth deliciously filling you. You rock your hips back once your hips meet his, and exhale a low satisfied groan when you take him to the hilt.

"Greedy", Roger playfully comments.

"Sue me", you jab back, and start riding him like your life depends on it, not caring in the least how loud you moan as long as you reach out the climax that you were denied just now.

Rayleigh sits by your side and reaches out with a thumb to part your lips wider.

You absentmindedly lick, then your gaze drifts to his renewed erection. When you glance back up his gaze turned a shade darker, a shade hungrier. You smile against his thumb, and draw your tongue out as far as you can.

Rayleigh kneels beside you, stroking his cock. When you draw your tongue out he rubs the tip of his cock against it.

You adjust your position so you can bounce your hips over Roger's more easily, and you happily blow Rayleigh off again.

"So eager", Roger comments from under you, hands tightening around your hips.

Gaban appreciatively growls, drawing a side-glance from you. He's sprawled on the mattress and leisurely palming at his cock while he surveys the scene.

Rayleigh gently teases, "A bit of an exhibitionist, too?"

You moan around his cock in response.

"Let's give a good show, then", he says, pulling his cock out from your lips before kneeling behind your back.

Gaban has the courtesy of bringing you some water – you hadn't noticed how dry your lips and throat were but it's a literal lifesaver – before resuming his intense observation of you getting wrecked by the Captain and his First Mate.

Rayleigh coats his cock with some extra lube and lines it with your twitching ass. He slowly pushes in, waiting for you to adjust at the first sign of discomfort.

Roger stops moving and attentively looks at your face. He raises a hand to cup your cheek when you close your eyes and frown, and he softly asks, "You good?"

You heavily breathe, and you nod the affirmative. You lean into his touch, idly kiss his palm then open your eyes. Rayleigh still waits so you rock your hips back for him to keep going, and you hold your Captain's gaze when you next say, "Not quite enough yet."

Roger's gaze turns hungry, flickers towards Rayleigh for a moment then back to you, softness and eagerness both obvious in his eyes. The hand cupping your cheek curls close to your nape and pulls you in for a deep demanding kiss that leaves you breathless.

Rayleigh uses the distraction to slide further in, earning a few moans that get louder once you break the kiss for air.

"H– Holy fuuuck–" You groan and bite your lower lip when Rayleigh is sheathed into your ass, throbbing while you adjust. Somewhere in the back of your mind, you wonder if there's a chance you'll ever get fucked like this again. You ignore the nagging voice further back in a corner that says you can't possibly get that lucky twice.

"Fuck– You're so tight–" Rayleigh is slightly leaning over your back, heavily breathing and throbbing inside you.

You experimentally rock your hips, whining and moaning when you feel the way both cocks deliciously rub all the nice spots inside you. You take a couple of deep breaths, then you start rocking your hips like there's no tomorrow, impaling your greedy holes onto Roger and Rayleigh's cocks, feeling the stretch of your inner walls and the way they flutter around their throbbing shafts, getting close, so close...

"Don't cum just yet", Roger says as he makes eye contact with you, claiming your submission with another precise burst of Conqueror's Haki.

You freeze on the spot, light-headed but unable to do anything but obey. Your body wants, needs, demands release, tingling so hard it hurts, and with a tight coil of raw pleasure ready to snap curling deep in your gut– You can't. You heavily pant, whine, then sob. "Captain Roger..."

Roger lifts a hand to wipe a stray tear away. "Hey, hey. Look at me."

You turn blurry eyes to him.

"Does it hurt?"

You weakly nod the affirmative.

"Badly?"

You shrug and sniffle.

"I think you can hold it once more and then I'll let you cum. How does that sound?"

You whine.

"Come on, use your words."

"I'm tired..."

"My point exactly: the harder you cum, the sooner you're done with this and you can get some proper rest."

You sigh, then you weakly smile. "Okay."

Rayleigh leans over your back, breath fanning hot over your neck and shoulder when he nuzzles his nose under your ear. He huskily says, "Why don't you let us fuck you, then?"

"Yes, please", you quietly say, throwing a glance towards Gaban.

He offers you a playful smile. "Can't get enough, huh?"

You half-heartedly pout.

Rayleigh starts thrusting, slow and deep, and he's shortly followed by Roger.

You lose your composure but you manage to hold Gaban's gaze.

He swallows. "Alright..." He gets up and places himself next to you so you can blow him off.

You eagerly engulf him, and you moan of delight once you've got all of them inside you. Who knew being full of dick was so fucking satisfying? Your inner walls tighten around Roger and Rayleigh's cocks, the latter moving faster inside you, throbbing harder.

After a while the First Mate's thrusts become erratic, and the feeling of a new release inside you almost sends you off the edge–

You release Gaban's cock, heavily panting, almost there, almost–

Almost but Roger, ever so attentive, nearly chokes you with a thick burst of Conqueror's Haki, lowly ordering you, "Hold it."

You're panting and sobbing and trembling and your inner walls clench like crazy, but your climax recedes again while you're still milking Rayleigh's dick dry. You exhale a desperate whine when he pulls out, leaving you twitching and empty and dripping cum onto Roger's cock.

Gaban cups your chin, tilts it up for a deep kiss, then murmurs against your lips, "Can I?"

"Uh-huh." You nod the affirmative, too exhausted to manage more than non-verbal consent but just about desperate to cum.

Gaban kneels behind you to claim your ass, and soon enough him and Roger are fucking you silly.

Thoughts empty, body full of intense sensations, you're craving more but don't have enough force left to beg at this point. You just go with the flow, occasionally meeting Rayleigh's satisfied gaze while the other two men tag-team you.

Roger snap his hips into yours and relentlessly rubs his thick cock against your sweet spot, biting his lower lip while he pounds into you with all his might.

Gaban's hands are probably leaving fingertip-shaped bruises on your hips, and he impales your ass on his thick cock, heavily grunting and throbbing, growing harder inside you–

"Oh– ooh– fuck–" The extra throbbing, the sight beneath you, the smell and sounds in the room and– You're getting close, and you're getting close fast. "Oh– Oh fuuuck–"

Roger's intense gaze locks with yours. He dangerously smiles, and thrusts faster and deeper into you, his cock getting thicker and throbbing faster inside you.

You whine in alarm when Gaban stills behind you, snapping his hips one final time before unloading inside your ass.

"That's it", Roger lowly says. With a short wave of Conqueror's Haki he adds, "Cum hard for us."

You wail and your vision goes white. Intense, burning-hot pleasure explodes from within you, your greedy holes squeezing and milking Roger's and Gaban's cock dry, and you ride the high for what seems like an eternity, muscles tense and voice hoarse, out of breath and exhilaratingly electrified. The down hits even harder: you're a whimpering, trembling mess by the time you come back to the mortal plane and you're already laid down on the mattress after everyone pulled out. Your body goes limp and you pass out shortly afterwards.

Roger knocks at the door to Gaban's cabin then comes in, smiling at the endearing sight of you curled against Gaban on his bed. "Still asleep, huh?"

"Yeah."

Roger walks to the bed and gently brushes his fingers against your cheekbone, light as a feather.

You exhale a soft sigh in your sleep, and slightly lean into his touch.

Roger deeply hums, and his smile grows. He looks at Gaban next. "Crocus said she should be out of the woods in a few hours, that it'll take some more time to fully get the aphrodisiac out of her system."

Gaban nods. "Okay, either way I'm not surprised she's exhausted", he smiles.

"We did wear her out, huh?"

Gaban huffs a laugh. "More like fucked her brains out."

Roger widely smiles. He pats Gaban's shoulder and leans in to kiss his forehead. "Call Rayleigh or me if you need anything", he says before leaving.

"Sure." Gaban curls an arm around you, a soft smile playing at the corners of his lips, and murmurs, "I'm all set, though."

The sun is high up in the sky when you blearily blink awake, bright light filtering through the curtains but still somewhat blinding. You groan and turn to face the other side, meeting a warm body halfway. You blink and look up, find Gaban smiling at you. You sharply inhale as you remember why – and with who else – you spent the night in his cabin. Heat instantly rises to your face, and you're positive you've become beet red in the short moment that goes by before you duck your head in shame.

Gaban softly asks, "How do you feel?"

After a quiet moment, heart racing, you murmur, "Embarrassed."

"There's no reason to. But I meant... do you still feel the effects of the fire peaches?"

"Oh, um..." You blink and take a deep breath, then observe the sensations in your body. No acute distress despite the slight tightness in your chest, no fire inside your gut, no insatiable arousal. No foggy mind either... You move a little. "Ow, ow–" You exhale a weak chuckle. "I'm sore, but I'm... fine, thanks."

He huffs a laugh. "Predictable."

"Yeah..." You look up again. "Did you stay here, with me, all this time?"

"Yeah, I wanted to make sure you were good when you'd wake up. Roger asked me to anyway, and he made sure nobody would come here and disturb you."

You softly smile. "That's nice..."

"Don't mention it. Do you need help to stretch? Or if you're too tired, I can give you a massage."

Your cheeks heat up, and you have half a mind to think you'd be taking advantage of his kindness if you accepted, but he insists.

"I know we've been rough, so I'll be happy to relieve you a bit."

You shyly nod the affirmative.

"Lay down, then."

When you turn around you notice that you're still butt naked, though mostly clean, with no traces of your nightly activities left visible across your skin. "Did you wash me?"

Gaban's hands starts massaging, gently working their way down your nape and shoulders. "We didn't want to risk waking you up by taking you to the bathroom, so Rayleigh brought towels so we could clean the mess we'd made of you."

Your ears are burning, and you keep the rest of your questions to yourself.

Gaban's hands work wonders, relaxing knots and tensions everywhere they go, lulling you into a nice relaxed state, fully focused on his gentle hands, his warmth, the way every tension leaves you.

You start yawning when he's about midway, and apologize with an awkward smile.

"Hey, it's okay. It's supposed to make you feel more relaxed. If yawning helps, it's all good."

You yawn another few times until he's done, and your body feels lighter than ever, pampered and handled like this. "Thanks." Your gaze drifts to the side and at length, you add, "For everything. I mean it."

Gaban lays back beside you and pulls the cover over your shoulders. He traces your cheekbone with his thumb. "Hey, I wanted to help, I did. It's alright, you're fine and that's all that matters."

Heart growing a little bigger, you close your eyes and lean into his touch. "Thank you."

"And everyone very much enjoyed the whole night so don't be ashamed of anything, okay?"

You purse your lips, huff a groan.

Gaban leans in and kisses you, soft and tender.

Heat rises up to your face before he leans back.

"I said I'd do it without those fire peaches, and I meant it. Rayleigh and Roger felt the same. Stop freaking out."

You bite your lower lip. "Yeah?"

He exhales a sigh, halfway between exasperation and fondness. "Really."

"Okay", you say, and then you snuggle a little closer, selfishly enjoying the comfort of his embrace.

He smiles a little. "Now, it doesn't have to be a one-time thing if you don't want it to be. Alright?"

You fail to suppress a pleased smile and nod, immensely flustered but equally grateful. "Do you mind if I stay here a little longer?"

Gaban smiles wider. "Wouldn't want it any other way", he softly says as he wraps his arm around you and pulls you flush against him.

[demonsfate]

¥ = How the character handles money or spends it / ↔ = The character’s ability to read directions / (*^◇^)_旦 = What the character likes to eat and drink

list of headcanons // accepting . . .

¥ = How the character handles money or spends it

The thing about Jin is that he's actually pretty good at handling and budgeting. If he goes grocery shopping, he only buys foods he absolutely needs, along with a snack or two. Jin does have a couple of weaknesses though; video games and anime figurines. If he sees a video game he really wants, or a figurine of a favorite character (or a character from a favorite series) - he has a harder time resisting it! Oh... and if he spots a really cool hoodie lol!

Unlike Jin, Devil has very few interests. Although he's starting to get into games, he still sees them as an activity to do with someone else (e.g. Jin) rather than by himself. Devil also doesn't do the shopping ever. The only time he really had money to spend on his own was when he owned the Zaibatsu. And like any rich asshole, he would often spend it on expensive vehicles or clothing lol. Especially bikes. He owned like 4 versions of the same bike - this is actually canon. Nowadays, Devil doesn't buy much of anything. Especially because he knows they don't really have the wealth for all those expensive suits he likes. Though ... if he sees a particular article of clothing he likes, he may try to beg Jin for it!

↔ = The character’s ability to read directions

I don't know why but Jin strikes me as the guy who insists he doesn't need directions... but then ends up getting lost anyway lol. I feel like Jin's ability to read them are decent when he DOES bother to read them? I just feel it might depend on the context of the situation.

Like Jin, Devil also doesn't read directions. He just flies wherever the fuck and takes him to whatever feels or smells right. I mean, when he was attending the fifth tournament, that's just what he did! He just went wherever was right. Needed to find Hwoarang to beat him to near death? Just find him with the ol' sniffer! Need to find where Jinpachi was? Easy to find with all that dark energy swirling within. The only time Devil "used" directions was in the Zaibatsu. And even then, HE technically DIDN'T. It was his employees who read them. So, I feel because of that - Devil sucks at it. But like, also just doesn't care.

(*^◇^)_旦 = What the character likes to eat and drink

Canonically, Jin's favorite food is Takoyaki! But really, Jin likes to eat all kinds of meats and veggies. He occasionally likes fruit, but in the end... he is a freak that prefers vegetables LOL! Jin tries his best to eat "healthy," - to avoid processed foods, junk foods, or sweets. Especially sweets high in sugars. As for drinks, Jin's usually fine with water. Sometimes when he's sparring, he likes to have a sports drink with him. Oftentimes something like Gatorade. People may think he drinks tea a lot because of his Japanese heritage, but he doesn't actually consume it as much as people would suspect!

Technically, Devil doesn't need to eat. But he does solely because it's an enjoyable sensation. Devil usually just likes an assortment of meats. Before he only liked eating humans. But... post purification, he restrains from doing that. Now he eats other animals (pork, beef, poultry, etc) to make up for that loss. However, he is willing to branch out for more tastes. As for drinking? Plain water is fine. But uh... Devil also doesn't really need to drink, either. The only reason he'd bother with drinking is to properly wash down whatever he was eating.

[queen-of-deans-booty]

Heartache: Part One

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~2.1k

Warnings: canon angst and violence

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Supernatural. All credit goes to their respective owners. Any and all comments on these are appreciated.

Every once in a while, you get to enjoy the small things. You spent a whole week trying to find Kevin, but the kid wants to stay hidden. You can't really do much since Castiel isn't here to track him for you, and no other angel would want to help you three. You only have each other, and the best thing for Kevin right now is to keep him hidden. The more people know about him, the more likely it is that Crowley will find him.

Sam wanted to stop at a farmer's market for some fresh food, and you second that notion. Dean's been so caught up with finding Kevin that it didn't register to him where he was. Joanna refuses to leave his side, so he's trying to look on his phone while holding his daughter. It doesn't matter to you since you get a break from her. Carrying two kids inside of you and caring for a toddler is enough to make you go crazy, but you have two other people to help if you need it.

Not to mention that Amara hasn't left your side since you left the place that held the auction you three went to. She hasn't said much to you, just likes to stand off to the side and watch. It should freak you out, but you feel a sort of comfort from her. You can't really explain it, and you choose not to explain to the brothers. They would never understand because they don't know what it's like to have someone stuck inside their own head.

Well, Sam does, but he always feared Lucifer. You don't fear Amara... at least, not yet.

The best you can do is live your life in hopes she won't ruin it. You and Sam walk the aisles with Dean, but he isn't paying much attention to where he is going. You and Sam, though, pick and buy fruit when you pass by booths, munching on them. It's nice to experience this after a year spent in Purgatory. You're trying to move on from it while Dean is seemingly stuck in the past.

He has one foot in both places still, but you're trying to make it to the light at the end of the tunnel. You're a changed woman, for sure, but you try not to let it show just how much Purgatory fucked you up.

"Wow. Couple goes to Purgatory for a year, and all hell breaks loose. Check this out. A jogger in Minneapolis gets his heart ripped out," Dean says while reading from his phone.

"I'm guessing literally?"

"Only way that interests me. Then, there's another article from six months ago." While Dean is talking, Sam is putting veggies and fruit into a canvas bag he picked up from where he got his apples from. "Same thing happens, also in Minneapolis. What does that tell us?"

"Stay out of Minneapolis," you joke.

"Two hearts ganked, same city, six months apart. I mean, that's got to be a ritual, man. Or at least some sort of a heart-sucking, possessed, satanic, crack-whore bat."

Sam pays for the food he bought and continues walking to the next booth.

"A what?"

"It's a case. Look, I say we put Kevin on the back burner right now and ride."

"We're on a case, Dean. Kevin and the demon tablet need to be found, so the heart guy takes a number."

"Uh, we just spent a week chasing our asses trying to lock Kevin down, okay? Look at us. We're--" He stops himself as he takes in his surroundings. "Where the hell are we?"

"Farmers' market." Sam holds up an apple that he's eating. "Organic." Dena gives him a look, and Sam rolls his eyes. "What? I had a year off. I took the time to enjoy the good things."

"While avoiding doing what we actually do."

"Wow, Dean, does it make you feel that much better every time you say it?" Sam scoffs.

"Alright, man, look, I get it. You took a year off to do yoga and play the lute, whatever, but Y/N and I are back. Okay, we're back, which means that we walk and kill monsters at the same time. We'll find Kevin, but in the meantime, do we ignore stuff like this? Or are innocent people supposed to die so that you can shop for produce?"

You don't want to have this argument yet again so you break off from the group to gather your own fruits. Amara follows closely behind, not saying anything but hovering. You tolerate it for five whole seconds before you sigh and turn to her. You make it look like you're not talking to anyone so that no one thinks you're off your rocker.

"I'm worried about Kevin. What if Crowley already got him?"

"You know he'd taunt you with his capture. Kevin is fine. Crowley needs him to translate the tablet, and he won't do it if his mom is hurt in any way. Plus, it takes a while to translate something like that."

"How do you know that?"

"Well, I don't think it'd be like reading a book."

"I just wish I knew where he is or if he's okay. Not knowing is putting more stress on my body, and I don't think the twins are okay with that."

At the word 'twins', Amara looks down at your stomach. Something in her eyes changes, but you don't know if it's a good change or not. You don't have time to dissect it because Dean comes over and grabs your arm gently. You turn to him just as he moves you away from prying ears.

"What is it?"

"I'm worried about you. You're talking to no one, Y/N. This can't be good for the babies."

"Your babies are perfectly safe," Amara says before you have a chance to say something.

"Our babies are perfectly safe," you repeat her. Dean doesn't believe anything you say, but you don't have time to dwell on this. "Come on, we need to go."

Dean doesn't like this one bit, but you have no clue how you're even going to try and fix this. The only thing you can do is live your life and hope that it doesn't get any worse.

You left Zeus in the motel room since you know you're going to be here for a while, but you have Joanna with you since she is far too young to be by herself. Plus, what kind of mother would you be if you left her alone without any protection? Maybe once you know she will have her magic to defend herself will you be semi-okay with leaving her alone. You have no idea when that is going to happen, so for now, she is always going to be with you, her dad, or her uncle.

The police at the Minneapolis police department thought it was weird you have a two year old in your arms, but the glare you send their ways shut them up from making things worse for themselves. She's been clinging to Dean a lot more these days the more her personality shines through, but you have her this time. All she wants to do is copy her dad and be just like him, but she knows this is a situation where she needs to be with her mother.

It's scary how much she knows and she's only two.

"Here's what's odd about this thing," the lead detective says, putting the files down regarding the case, "the guy wasn't chopped or cut into--no incision. But his heart was ripped out of him like a peach pit."

"Was he robbed?" you ask and shift Joanna in your arms.

"His phone, watch, and money were all still on him."

"What about enemies?"

"He was in town for a conference. No local connections."

"You guys had another one of these about, uh, six months ago?" Dean asks.

"Yeah, and we hit a brick wall. We had nothing to go on, really. Thought maybe we got lucky here." The detective brings you over to a TV where he shows you a CCTV surveillance video of the park. "A park surveillance camera picked up something."

He plays the video and watches as a heavyset man passes by the victim, a physically fit jogger. The jogger is dead, but the overweight man minds his business and passes by him without another thought.

"Is the heavier man the last person to see the victim alive?" you ask.

"Other than the killer. His name is Paul Hayes. We, uh, pulled him in for questioning."

"So, what makes you think he's clean?"

"Well, so far, no reason not to. I mean, he said he briefly saw the victim, he ran out ahead, and that was it."

"What, you mean he didn't fall to his knees and confess to gutting the guy?"

"No. I mean we did a thorough check on the guy, not so much as a parking ticket came up. I mean, look at him. I mean, sure, he can run a little bit, but he ain't Thor. You think he's gonna grab Freddy fitness here and throw him down and rip out his heart? I don't think so. Forgive me if I didn't take him out back and shoot him."

"Okay, uh, so... any idea where we can find this guy?"

"Yeah, his address is here."

You take the files pertaining to the case and smile at the detective.

"We'll call if we have any other questions."

You three take your leave, and you head back to the car. Paul's house isn't far from where the police department is, so the drive isn't long at all. When you get there, Paul is more than happy to let you in and talk to you. Dean asks to go to the bathroom, so it's just you and Sam inside the kitchen with Paul. He seems like a health nut--nothing like the guy from the video.The guy from the video is a lot heavier than the guy in the kitchen.

What the hell happened to him?

Paul is in the middle of mixing a smoothie in a blender, and when you two settle in, he continues with his task.

"Sorry. I kind of try to stick to a nutrition and workout schedule. Do you want a hit?" Paul offers when it's done, pouring himself a glass of the thick liquid.

"We're good, thanks," Sam shakes his head.

"So, Paul, you passed a runner who was later killed. Did you speak with him at all?" you ask, getting right to it.

"Yeah, I went over this with the cops. I-I–I didn't know him. I had never spoken to him. I ran past him. I never saw him again. The end," he shrugs. A toilet flushes, and Dean soon returns to the kitchen. Paul takes a swig of the smoothie, but recoils in disgust. "Oh, it's disgusting. It tastes like shit, but it keeps you young."

He offers the drink to Dean, but the older brother quickly shakes his head.

"Thanks, uh, too much fiber."

"No such thing."

"Now, Paul, we couldn't help but notice that the jogger you outraced was a good deal younger than you," Sam says, leaving out the part about him being much overweight.

"Yeah and less--" Dean stops himself, but he makes the motion that he's talking about him being bigger.

"Uh, full-figured?" Paul says, putting together what he was trying to say. "You should've seen me before. Yeah, hugging a desk all day, watching TV all night, and eating fried everything was killing me. I had a health scare about a year ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"No, it changed my life. I mean, I started taking care of myself."

"Now your body's a temple, huh?" Dean asks, trying to be sarcastic.

"Where I worship every day."

He takes another sip, and you realize you're not going to get anywhere with this man. You say your goodbyes and leave with the brothers. With nothing left to go on, you decide to stop at a cafe since you're starving. After all, you're eating for three now. You try not to overeat while pregnant since you can gain a lot of weight that's very hard to lose, so you try to eat a normal amount as if you're not pregnant. That doesn't mean that you get a strong craving once in a while.

Joanna is old enough to enjoy a high chair since she's grown so much. Her appetite has changed as well since you last saw her. She used to enjoy mashed peas and carrots with the occasional cut up grape. Now, she's eating almost everything you're eating. She has such a healthy appetite for everything that it makes you sad.

You missed a year of her life--an important year of her life. She won't remember it, but you will. You'll have missed the first time she ate solid foods, the first time she actually strung a sentence together that made sense, and many other firsts. She chews on the food you've shared with her happily, but you look at her with sadness in your eyes.

Dean sees it, and he knows exactly what you're thinking. He's sad about it, of course, but you're more in touch with your emotions than he is. You'll show your sadness more than he ever would.

"She isn't going to remember you being gone," Amara says from next to you. "All she'll remember is that you're here now."

Somehow, that makes you feel a little bit better.

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[itsdetachable]

food talk below the cut, referencing low carb and managing a diet etc behind read more

since many family members develop Type 2 diabetes as they age I've decided to make dietary changes to hopefully hold it off a bit longer. Right now my A1c is RIGHT on the cusp between Normal and Pre-Diabetes (how...not cool) so uh beyond time to start working on this. I'm trying to monitor my carbs + sugars and recently have started adjusting my diet to have less carbs in it. So far it's going good but its been two days lol. Main difference is less obvious carbs, like breads/rice/etc and less pure sugar (in tea and coffee), and more fruits, meat protein, nuts. Shockingly! The past two days I worked in the office and the food I packed for breakfast and lunch and some snacks kept me full until I got home, usually I'm STARVING when I get home. So that was a win.

I'm planning to get low carb tortillas for wraps and as bread-substitutes in some food ideas I have. Also I have been having the BEST time making my own lunchables with these mini double smoked sausages, some cheese, and these whole grain? or whatever? crackers + yogurt dessert. Also I realized I love Pluots SO MUCH I need to find where I can buy more of them because I need fruits I actually enjoy eating to fill out my diet.

Also limiting the amount of sugar I use in tea/coffee and the amount of tea and coffee in general I'm drinking and replacing it with lightly flavored water I think is helping as well.

Either way, after two days my Blood Glucose is consistently 10 points below where I was before I started the new diet (when testing at the same times, Morning before eating and late afternoon 2 hours after last time I ate something) which I think is a good change. If I can manage to keep this up for 85% of the time I think I'll be okay?

It IS involving getting some prepackaged portions (mainly of cheese) to make life easier on myself. I'm also trying to learn more about complex carbs vs simple carbs. Whole Wheat breads have complex carbs, so apparently even if they have a similar amount of carbs to white bread it's better for you? (Pumpernickel's glycemic index is only a 6 which is really good, that's the bread my mom eats and it has made a big change tbh to her blood sugar levels).

So I'm going to make a visit to my doc for a comprehensive blood test in about a month and try to keep this diet going until then and see what the tests show, and make tweaks if I need to.

(tbh I'm excited because I found a way to have Chipotle burrito bowls that are low carb and decent on the fat so when I do wanna get a 'special' lunch I can spring for something I really like but will still be low carb without being a straight up salad lol) (i think I figured out how to make pulled pork wraps with low carb tortillas feasible, i just want to think of a side that's veggie. Coleslaw? But that comes with other things like fats and the sugars/carbs from bbq sauce hmmm... i'll figure it out. I still wanna eat food that tastes good lol)

So basically - less cheap carbs in the sense of white breads and simple carbs, more protein (lean meats, yogurt), more nuts, more veggies and fruits, less added sugar in teas/coffess, less tea/coffee in general, more water. I think I'll be okay just hope this doesn't like rock the boat with cholesterol (though that's always been good fingers crossed) and I dunno salt content in regards to blood pressure? Although less coffee and tea overall might help with that too. We'll see

OKAY END OF RAMBLING GOOD NIGHT

[blueknightdg]

Consideration and Generosity

----------------

Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug and Chat Noire, DCU

Characters: Marinette, Damian

----------

She sat on a park bench that day; the weather was hot yet, cloudy.

Despite the uncomfortable sweat clinging to her being and the buzzing noise of her surroundings, she smiled happily. She would do anything for inspiration, even endure the blistering feeling of the sun.

Soon enough it has been hours since she began to sketch and draw designs for clothing she wishes to make true.

She feels her head is off, so she takes a break to answer a text from her mother.

----------

(Mom) Marinette, are you still at the park? It's been five hours.

(Me) Yep! Just taking a break.

(Mom) Just now? It's really hot outside, have you eaten? What about water?

(Me) Don't worry! I'm fine! I stayed in the shade the whole time.

(Mom) Okay, but I want a picture of you eating.

(Me) Okay, I will. I love you!

(Mom) I love you too.

----------------------

Marinette, packs her sketch books and other materials a way in her bag. She stands up, only to tip over onto someone walking past her.

"Hey, you-"

The person stops to keep her from falling all the way down.

"Uh... I'm sorry, I guess I should have taken a break earlier."

She tries to break a way from the strangers grip. They let her go easily. They began to walk a little further a way with a eye in her direction. She sits down again to collect herself. She takes a few breaths and thinks about how to get up without falling and embarrassing herself.

"I wish I packed a water bottle or something, I knew it was hot but I thought I would be fine....", she thought to herself.

She checked her bag in case she just forgot. Lo and behold there was a water bottle in one of the outside pockets.

"Huh....? That's strange, I was sure I......oh well.", she shrugged it off as her forgetting.

Feeling a little better, she carefully stood up. Having not fallen, she smiled and picked up her full bag. She walks in the direction of a small restaurant to eat, since she wouldn't make it home before hunger got to her.

She walked like she wasn't being followed. Casual and slow, she took in the buildings a round her. The same as her memories told her, but still just as beautiful.

Once she got to an empty table, she sat her bag down in front of her. The waitress walks up to her with a smile.

"Hello! Here is the menu, please take your time. Though I do suggest today's special! Mushroom soup with broccoli, carrots, and rice."

"Thank you."

"No problem!"

The waitress leaves her be and she focuses on the menu. It seems that this restaurant is all about healthy living.

She hums to herself as she thinks of her order. However, everything sounded wonderful and she couldn't decide. Then she heard a waitress bring someone's order of a tofu and veggie stuffed bell peppers with a side salad. So she looked over to see the meal and found that it looked delicious. She also saw they ordered tomato juice.

Looking at the menu one more time, she located the meal, drink and picked out a dessert on her own.

As soon as she put her menu down, the waitress came up to her with her pen and notepad out.

"Ready to order?"

"Yes, I would like the Tofu and Veggie stuffed Bell peppers with a side salad, tomato juice, and the vanilla, soy bean ice cream."

"Would you like a topping?"

"Yes, let's see....oh! The coconut sprinkles and strawberry drizzle."

"To repeat: Tofu, veggie stuff bell peppers, side salad, tomato juice, vanilla soy bean ice cream with coconut sprinkles and strawberry drizzle?"

"Yes."

"Okay, we will right on it!"

Marinette took out her phone as she waited. She texted her mom, that she was at a restaurant nearby. Her mom reminded her to send a picture of her eating.

A few minutes later and her food was brought to her.

"Thank you so much!"

"It's no problem, dear, tell me if you need anything!"

The waitress leaves to let her eat. She sends a picture of her food to her mom, who responded with the words 'smile and heart'.

--------

Change perspective

--------

His day was normal. He woke up and dealt with the hooligans that plagued his life. He was currently in Paris as a part of a stake out group. His family dispersed during day to do individual actives. His father wanted him near by, but he argued that he didn't need to be monitored.

His father conceded by saying he must practice being considerate of other people and to update him on how it is going and if he needs help. He was more than reluctant to agree. Regardless, he did.

He didn't like the loose nature of his apparel for the day, but had no chouce due to the heat.

Though by no means is his clothing loose in comparison to others definition. He prefers to be dignified at all times.

Most of the day, he had nothing report to his father that was particularly considerate until he notice the ragged look of a girl a round his age. She looked dehydrated and ill. He scoffs at her lack of self preservation until he notice she was immersed in some kind of sketching. He also remembered his has to be 'considerate' today so he will say she was lost to passion. After all, this is Paris, the city known for passion.

He watches her as she unconsciously squints and makes a grim expression at times. She sways ever so slightly.

In his observations, she stopped her work to look at her phone. Her condition is not well. He walks a little closer with a water bottle he bought. The moment he walked next to her and she stood, he stabilized her and slipped the water bottle in her bag as she spoke, trying to clear her head. She was drenched in sweat.

"Father better be grateful, I am being more than generous with being 'considerate', disgusting.", he thought with distain.

He hurried a way from her only to stop a short distance a way to watch her more and to sanitize his hands; to rid himself of the horrid feeling of her sweat.

The girl swayed less than before, but after updating his father of what happened, he was ordered to tail her. What if she collapsed? His efforts would have been in vain if that was so.

He was slightly frustrated and her slow pace did nothing to help. He only felt a bit better at her choice of eatery. He saw that she was heading for a Healthy Living Restaurant and went a head of her to sit down. He typed to his father that the girl was trying to decide what to eat. He was instructed to do what he thought best if he were to interfere at all. So he picked the most sensible option for her condition, in return, she followed and added something to her order.

He ate quietly and finished before her. He then left a large tip; the service was quick, the food palatable, atmosphere was pleasant and he doubted the girl had much on her. Enough to pay perhaps, but she would then be left with nothing else.

She seemed to be middle class, and the middle class does not make much little wealth, to him at least. Sure, her clothing was quite good with quality, but her manners weren't all that remarkable and nothing else about her was either.

Polite, is what she was. Quiet, unnoticeable, and polite.

To him, she was a foolish girl that dreamed too much and did little for her own well-being. Truly the epitome of moronic whelps.

After he left the restaurant, he watched from a distance. Through the window, he saw her tempt to pay, only to be denied. He smirked, perhaps he should visit this particular restaurant again and maybe even invest a bit?

He felt his phone buzz, his father typed, wanting to be updating on the status of the girl. It became apparent that some of the hooligans are now aware of his sudden punish- mission. Yes, this is a mission.

Protecting such weak plebeians is the duty of his father and him, also the unsightly hooligans- not well in his opinion- but he shall add them this once.

"Father is surely proud of how 'considerate' and 'generous' I am.", he believes, "Excessively so."

------

The day ends with Marinette safely returning home and the still mysterious young man facing his mismatched family.

The young man remained considerate as he ignored the jeers of the hooligans until he realized, he didn't have to any more and retorted as though his words came from the high heavens.

---------

The next time he checked in on the young lady, he had some knowledge of her background he shouldn't and decided to continue to see to it that she is well taken care.

"It's called being an arrogant, egotistical xsshxle with a God complex. She doesn't need your 'consideration', she is not a charity case!"

One loud problem claimed as he tuned him out.

---------

The young man did visit the restaurant once more and she was there. She would visit often and order the same thing as he had the first time. There were times she ordered something else and he would try things she experimented with, minus the meat.

She ordered meat less and less the more she came to the restaurant, he noticed. He had no clue why, since she obviously had no problem eating it.

He didn't order sweets as often as she did, but he would on occasion, get something with a little bit of sweetness to it; like the dried fruit sandwich with any type of sauce it can come with. The sandwich had fresh, and air dried fruit. There would be other ingredients and such to change the flavor of the sandwich, making it a popular item on the menu.

------

Change Perspective

--------

She felt like she has seen the same guy a lot over the past two months and is slightly worried. After some thought to it and the more she believed she was over thinking it and that it was pure coincidence. She did know, however, he had good taste in food and art. Plus that animals are so cute!! He couldn't be all bad if animals liked him.

She would walk a little closer and sometimes walk a little farther from him and since he never moved, she felt better. It really was a coincidence to her knowledge.

Eventually, she would would stop seeing him. He was a tourist, so of course he would leave at some point. Still, she was a little sad.

Oh well, school is starting soon, maybe she'll make friends to fill the loneliness her pretend friend left her.

She liked to pretend this stranger was her friends and that they hung out, since she saw him in most places that she was. She saw him at the restaurant and sometimes the park and rarely he would be at the museum. Technically he wasn't everywhere and not as frequent as she made it seem like he was, but if was often enough to remember him.

"You should have talked to him, get his number."

"But then he might have thought I was hitting on him! I just wanted a friend..."

"Sweetie, look on bright side! Either you can cherish memories that made you happy or you can forget him and move on. You don't know what life has in-store for you, it could be fun!"

"Thank you, mom. You too dad, I will see what happens."

"On that note, want help me frost some cakes?"

"Yes!!!"

-----

The end.

[dndsmp]

>Dream: Go bug Sapnap.

    Down the hallway, down the stairs, through the sitting area, into the kitchen. You can’t find it in yourself to act surprised when you see wisps of smoke rising from the pan on the stove, even though Sapnap is watching it; he’s always liked his food overcooked to the point of charring, much to George’s annoyance. Sapnap nods at you in greeting.

    “What’d you ruin this time?” you ask as he finally pulls the pan off the heat, waving off the smoke.

    “It’s a veggie stir fry, and it’s perfectly fine, thank you very much,” he answers, and yeah, okay, you can actually kind of identify the peppers and mushrooms and pea pods, now that you have the context, so you can safely say this is one of Sapnap’s better attempts. “Does George want any?”

    “Probably not. He’s asleep, and besides, he likes his food to be edible.”

    “Fuck off.”

    It’s actually pretty difficult to really bother Sapnap. Sure, you can mispronounce his name or joke about his remarkable knack for setting things on fire, but in the years since the two of you escaped the Undercity together, he’s put aside much of the directionless rage that made him such a force to be reckoned with when you first met. You don’t mind, though; it’s been replaced in that time by a cooler - but just as fierce - protectiveness toward the rest of the Team, and now there’s no one else whom you’d prefer to have your back. Makes him less fun to tease, though.

    “So what does Jimmy have us doing next?” he asks as he spoons burnt vegetables into a bowl of slightly soggy rice.

    “Nothing yet,” you answer. “He left me some paperwork to fill out for the city, said he’d send Tariq over to pick it up tomorrow.”

    “Oh! Uh, I can run it over.”

    “Why? Wanna visit Karl?”

    Sapnap nearly chokes on his stir fry. “What? No! I’m just offering to - stop laughing!”

    On second thought, still just as fun to tease.

    “What’s so funny?” Drista asks, sidling into the kitchen. She jumps a little to sit on the countertop, grabbing a green apple from the fruit bowl. You almost scold her for biting into it - we don’t need to eat, don’t waste George and Sapnap’s food - but you catch yourself. Things are better now; you can afford to let her eat for fun. Instead, you giggle again and waggle a finger at Sapnap.

    “Sappy’s got a crush,” you singsong, and his blush only deepens.

    “Sappy doesn’t have to put up with this,” he harrumphs, making to leave, but Drista pats him soothingly on the shoulder.

    “C’mon, Dream’s just messing with you. We love you, big bro.”

    As usual, Sapnap softens under the nickname. Ever since you found Drista, he’s been easily plied by her sisterly affection, always taking her side in whatever dumb debates the four found themselves having, just as George always took yours. “Yeah, right,” he mutters, but there’s no bite to it.

    Drista opts to change the subject. “Did you like the sign, Dream?”

    “Yeah, it’s great! We should put it up outside. Maybe then we can get more clients than just Jimmy.”

    “Maybe we should go put some flyers on the boards around the city too? Since we’re kind of out on the edge of town,” Drista suggests.

    “Good idea! I’ll grab some parchment from my office and we can make some posters. Then you and George can take downtown, and Sap and I’ll do the north side and the edges of the Undercity.”

    “Sounds like a plan.”

What would you like to do?

[frogtanii]

It’s wind anon! Who...did not finish reactions yesterday hahhhh

Orz

The need to deal with school work...and also the fact wind anon has the need to take a nap any time of the day. Sleep... zzzzzz. Have a test and such tomorrow and another test on Thursday so I be busy...gonna do my best...get good grades...

But, might as well do a short reaction, at least on the outfits! Specifically Meiko’s! Okay, so I don’t want to comment on the blandness of her caption for the image. And uh, I don’t know what she is referring to by the styled by stuff but I got the gist by looking at the answers to the asks and stuff. Okay, so looking purely at her dress. I get what they were going for, but the shape is not flattering. Wind anon has to give credit where credit is, Meiko is fairly tall (in wind anon’s opinion) and she does diet and stuff and have a thin figure, so her proportions are decent. But the dress...all the mixed vibes. The black portions of it make her look real old, and that belt thing is not cutting it for me. It’s like...not cinching in her waist properly (which is what belts should do—>adjust fit and accentuate).

Besides that, the rest of the cloth. I think the navy is actually a good choice, but the sheen that comes with the square pattern...no no no. Eye catching in the worst of ways. The fact that it comes in that sort of pattern makes the dress look a bit more cheap, and it’s just...a lot.

Besides that, looking at Osamu’s outfit, Meiko’s is far too...gaudy. (Not meant to insult the person in the image wearing the dress or the people who made it—just trying to give my honest opinion on the suitability of the outfit and such). Osamu’s is nice—Black, clean lines, subtle, catches a bit of interest with the pendant/necklace. Thus, Meiko would have worked with an elegant and tasteful outfit.

Let’s keep the navy color as the base okay? So, we already have a general idea of what YN is wearing, and her dress has a slit in it, like the one Meiko has right now. Rather than having them both with that, I think Meiko’s should be regular, mid-thigh end with no slit. (Honestly, I think like...2 inches above knee would work quite well but we know Meiko is the type to flash more skin so, mid-thigh). I’m thinking skirt with a bit more volume, goes out a bit rather than skin tight like some of Meiko’s other stuff. Like it flares out before you get to the hips? But the top of the dress is still sculpting out the waist and bust a bit. Off the shoulder straps. Shoulders and arms be uncovered that way. And instead of being plain, it’s navy with navy lace. Maybe add some subtle silver thread embroidery at parts. But I think it would work fine without that. But to add interest, both the off shoulder straps and bottom of the skirt aren’t just straight, maybe like, scalloped edge idea with the lace. And of course, have Meiko with a necklace that pairs with Osamu’s.

For hair, pin it up. You can be more glamorous with it because the dress is low key and elegant. Say, some blue flower and pearl hair accessories. Y’know? Like hair carefully braided in bun near the top of her head, a couple strands around the face to frame it, the flowers inserted between the bun and the rest of her hair, then the pearls in select places to give attention (maybe the pearls in individual pins...). But it honestly would be okay if you just had a lace ribbon that matched the dress well enough—cohesion is important with outfit planning. Earrings could either be diamond/sapphire studs or pearl. Though something like an ear cuff and some thin falling earrings would also look nice.

I’m thinking like, lace wrist cuffs/bands would be cute. But not necessary. Would be nice to see some dark blue, shiny nail polish on those fingers though.

...ugh, she just...could’ve looked so good next to Osamu like this. Wind anon giving the eyebrow of judgement. They would also contrast with YN and Sakusa in the best of ways.

And before I forget, footwear. No stilettos. Nothing too tall. 3 inches at most. Dark heels, with a reasonably sized heel and a strap either at ankle or in front, doesn’t matter, just shoes that are plain in a sense, but elegant and chic and comfy for walking and stuff.

Wind anon is wrangling outfit with one hand at this rate. Like, there’s tons of lights at these types of events. The dress rn will make you look like very pixelated glowing TV screen when it’s in the dark. With the suggestion I’m making like—the pleasant sheen from the pearls, the tasteful glimmer from the earrings and necklace, the delicate lace that doesn’t distract from dewy skin—please, wind anon cannot stand what she’s trying to pull off rn when wind anon has this idea right here.

But okay, wind anon is done. Wind anon is gonna sleep, wake up, get through the day like she always does.

Done with the fashion ramble. Anyway, ending thoughts. Unicorn anon saying we can all marry each other... first time Wind anon ever got that sort of proposal. Flattering, flustering, and yet I sorta won’t mind the platonic affection. Hm, decisions~

Anyway, do take care of yourself fr0ggy! Drink plenty or water and other fluids, eat fruits and veggies, and sleep lots! I wish you very very well <3

hi wind nonnie!!! pls get some sleep >:( i hope ur test goes well <3333 &&& i rlly love how detailed u were in redesigning meiko’s outfit???? v much swag v much cool KSJSK also i wouldn’t mind giving u some (platonic) affection!!!! u deserve it kith kith <333

[vickyvicarious]

Eliot sweet talking Nana into sharing her secret family recipes so he can get more vegetables into both Hardison and Parker.

I was just going to write a short headcanon post about this but then the first line popped into my mind along with a line about Eliot utilizing his retrieval skills, and then next thing I knew this was a fic. First in this fandom so go easy on me.

(AO3 link.)

.

The carrot cake was the final straw.

Eliot knew his partners had terrible diets, okay? It was impossible for anyone to miss that, the way Hardison would just fill up any empty space in any fridge with orange soda, or Parker would get more cereal than was physically possible to store in the cupboard until there was at least one box permanently sitting on the table. He was well aware, and he’d been taking steps for a while to deal with matters.

He bought Hardison a fridge of his own - a mini fridge - and just poured out any soda he found anywhere else. He impressed upon Parker that just this shelf was for cereal and solemnly swore to her that he would never let it get beyond half-empty before filling it again. In the meantime, he filled the rest of his kitchen with actual ingredients, and always had a bowl of fruit out so they would have something healthy as an easy-to-grab snack. He didn’t put anything Parker liked hidden on a high shelf, because she’d find that fun; just small decoy portions while he kept most of his chocolate inside an old Wheat Thins box at the back of the cracker shelf. Speaking of chips, if he opened the bag of a good brand, then Hardison would gravitate toward it once he’d finished his Cheetos instead of going out to buy more, so that was just a matter of letting him buy one bag and then watching the level and timing when to get the other stuff out.

They both ate meat well enough, though Hardison liked to put in requests for absolutely sacrilegious misuses of various cuts; when Eliot humored him and actually destroyed his fish or brisket or whatever else as requested, he actually did seem to enjoy it, which was... very wrong, and disappointing, but at least the food was still going in his body. Parker quite liked some types of pasta now, and she seemed to enjoy when he put effort into plating things up nicely, but she was still a work in progress on any actual mealtime like a family (or a date. Not that Eliot hadn’t had to eat on the run plenty of times before, but - he’d had to. You don’t walk in to a table set for multiple healthy, delicious, innovative courses he’d been cooking for hours and then just grab bites as you wander around the room! He’d had wine out! Norah Jones playing softly in the background! No candles because he wasn’t an idiot, but it was clearly a romantic meal! What the hell kind of untrained toddler behaviour-).

Breakfast was easy, since they both liked eggs and there were a lot of ways to go from there. Breakfast potatoes were a hit too, and bacon, and they’d even eat oatmeal if he smothered it in sugar so that was something. For lunch, Hardison at least appreciated a good sandwich. Granted, usually only a stolen one because he didn’t like to make any kind of food at all that didn’t come out of a plastic package with microwave instructions on the side (and that had been an argument for the ages, the microwave one. Frankly most things could be heated better on a pan or in an oven, and those that were meant for the microwave were usually mass-produced garbage Hardison really didn’t need in his diet, but he disagreed vehemently and in the end that was one battle Eliot had definitively lost), but once Eliot caught on, he just started making double whatever he ate. Parker scoffed at the idea of lunch, for some reason, claiming that a granola bar or a brownie would get her through till dinner, but if he packed a lunchbox to look interesting and then gave it to her, she’d usually eat it. He just stocked up on bento boxes and made various kinds of colorful and/or childish looking foods and they came back mostly empty so that was good enough.

(Hardison claimed to have gotten jealous about it. Eliot was pretty certain he was making fun of him, so obviously he said he’d be caught dead before packing a lunch for him. He was a grown man and could do it himself.

“She’s a grown woman!” he complained, pointing at Parker, who was sitting perched on the back of an armchair nibbling away at her kraken bento - black noodle limbs, gyoza face, and grabbing a little egg scuba diver. “Sh-she should have to - this is discrimination!”

“Stay away from my octopus,” she squinted menacingly. When Hardison just glared mulishly back, she hugged the food closer to her chest. “It’s not for you, this is my little dead man.”

She popped the egg into her mouth and chewed, never breaking eye contact.

He turned back to Eliot to complain some more, but apparently that was only an attempt to fake her out, because he tried to grab the gyoza barehanded and she screeched, flinging her chopsticks at his face before fleeing across the room. Noodles got everywhere, Hardison had two little round bruises on his cheek the next morning, and somehow Eliot wound up packing everyone lunches every morning after that, and putting notes on them to label who each one went to.

He did not put sappy notes instead the boxes. He wasn’t their parent, okay. The notes inside the lunch were only ever reminders they needed for the con, like Parker’s character’s peanut allergy and how she needed to have the attack exactly two minutes after the mark joined her at the break table, or for Hardison to lock Lucille II behind him because even if he could track down someone who took off in her, he really shouldn’t have to again.)

Anyway, Eliot had something of a system down at this point. It wasn’t perfect, but it was workable for the most part. The one exception was vegetables, which they both hated. He’d tried to hide them several times, but they often picked them out or he just couldn’t stand to puree broccoli into a little garnish/dip just because his girlfriend and boyfriend were both giant babies about actually eating them whole. He had to eat the food too, and he enjoyed himself some veggies like any sane person would. They ate the ones hidden in their lunches almost half of the time, and sometimes other varieties, so he tried not to focus on that too much. Baby steps, he thought. First regular meals at all, then vegetables later.

But the carrot cake.

That was just too much.

It was cake. It was covered in cream cheese frosting. Carrot cake wasn’t anything but decadent, at least not the way Eliot made it for Hardison’s birthday. It was sweet, had just the right texture from the roasted pecans, the perfect hint of cinnamon and ginger. Not a complicated dish by any means, but pretty well near perfect, in Eliot’s no goddamn need to be humble opinion.

Hardison scrunched up his nose.

“Oh,” he said, not accepting the large slice Eliot tried to give him. “Eliot, I’m hoping this is a joke and you have my Red Velvet in the fridge?”

Parker let him hand her the plate, ate a bite, spat it out, then just started eating straight frosting off all the sides.

Eliot could feel his hands twitching. He very carefully set down the knife.

“What’s wrong with my cake?” he asked. Gave them the benefit of the doubt, and tried a bite: delicious.

“I mean... it’s a carrot cake,” Hardison said delicately, as though Eliot had made some kind of mistake and he felt a little bad pointing it out to him.

“So?”

“Carrot, Eliot.”

“Cake, HARDISON.”

“I like the frosting,” Parker interjected, and Eliot glanced over to her. She’d moved on from her own plate and was just scraping fingerfuls of frosting directly off the top of the cake. His cake. His cake for Hardison’s birthday, his beautiful cake -

“Babe, we love you but you gotta know vegetables don’t have any place in a dessert, that’s just wrong. C’mon, you really didn’t make me something else? Really?”

“THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU TWO?!” Eliot bellowed and stormed out of the apartment. He took the cake with him.

.

He brought it to Sophie and Nate, since they were in town and they weren’t insane like some people he knew.

“People you’ve, uh, chosen to dedicate the rest of your life to,” Nate pointed out around a mouthful. “I mean, you knew what they were like.”

“Oh, hush, Nate, don’t you get it? They’ve hurt Eliot’s feelings,” Sophie explained. She ate another bite, hummed approvingly, then waved her fork around to emphasize her words: “For Eliot, food is life. He wants them to lead long and healthy lives, he wants to live with them and show his love for them and keep them safe, and they just rejected that. It’s not all about the vegetables, y’know?”

Eliot was never sure whether he loved Sophie best or least of all.

“It’s definitely all about the vegetables,” he said, crossing his arms. The pair of them exchanged a look and then smiled at him warmly, like he’d just done something cute.

“Fine! Forget it,” he snarled, pushing himself roughly to his feet.

Behind him, Nate grunted the distinctive grunt of someone receiving a pointy elbow to the side, then cleared his throat.

“Okay, okay - wait! Wait, all right, I might have one idea.” When he turned back, Nate was rubbing thoughtfully at his chin. “You’ve tried featuring the veggies, right, and hiding them. I’m sure you’ve lectured them both to death about why they should be eating more vegetables, but that’s not going to work on them, is it, because there’s no connection there. Ad novitam is only going to get you so far, you need the, the personal touch, a little ad misericordiam if you will.”

“I am not telling them it makes me sad when they don’t eat their greens,” Eliot said firmly.

“But it does,” Sophie said lightly. She met his glare with a soft smile, and popped another bite of cake into her mouth.

“N- Well, no, obviously, but you’ve got to think it through, Eliot. Step away from the situation. How can you imbue the food itself with emotion? Not for you -” Nate spoke a little louder as Eliot started to answer, “you’re not our mark here. What kind of food, with vegetables, is going make them feel an emotional connection?”

Eliot subsided, frowning down at his own plate. That... was actually a pretty good point.

“Hm, my favorite is still that little restaurant in Paris, with the exquisite quiche. But, I suppose hard-scrambled eggs are a bit of a guilty pleasure,” Sophie mused. “Mum was never any good at cooking.”

“You too?” Nate turned to her. “Yeah, my dad could set water on fire. I remember eating from my meal plan at college - the cafeteria, mind you - thinking how good the food was in comparison.”

The solution clicked into place. (Of course it did, they’d practically hand-fed it to him.)

Eliot stood up and grabbed his coat.

“Oh, are you leaving, Eliot?” Sophie asked.

“Yeah,” he said, and turned back to smirk at them. “I’m gonna go steal Hardison’s childhood.”

.

Once upon a time, Eliot had been a retrieval specialist. You name it, he got it back. Sometimes it was actually a they or even a them, on occasion. He’d committed arson for a pair of scissors, had gathered up a scatted set of Fabergé eggs from seven different countries and two different mafias, had traveled more than once through airport security with a live frog in his pants. The business was a strange one, but he’d been the best at it. And in the years since he left, his life hadn’t exactly gotten less weird; Leverage saw to that.

Breaking into an old woman’s home and stealing a book of recipes would be easier than taking candy from a baby. Of course, Hardison made sure to keep his Nana safe, and from everything he’d heard she could certainly take care of herself, but still it wouldn’t be any great challenge for Eliot to just break in and take what he wanted. He could do it and leave without her ever knowing he’d even been there.

He rang the doorbell, and gave her his best smile when it swung open.

“Hello ma’am, I’m Eliot. Can I come in?”

(This was Hardison’s Nana, he’d never do wrong by her like that. Anyway, it wouldn’t even work. For this he needed her direct input.)

Nana was a short, soft-looking woman. Her hair was pushed back with a purple headband, and she wore loose comfortable pants and a clearly old t-shirt covered in child-sized paint handprints. She exuded a sort of maternal air that had Eliot relaxing into the visit almost despite himself. They’d only ever spoken on the phone, and he’d admittedly felt a little awkward about his plan due to that detail alone. He knew Hardison would love for them to meet her, but it just hadn’t happened yet - honestly, Eliot had been reluctant before, worried that she would find him wanting, and he’d always been relieved that no plans had crystallized into anything solid.

Certainly, despite welcoming him in and getting them all set up on the couch with home-made lemonades, it was clear she felt suspicious. A few minutes in, she dropped the small talk altogether to pin Eliot with a steely glare.

“I’m fairly certain Alec wanted to be here when we met so he could brag some more about how hot his partners are,” she said, making Eliot flush. “And I’m just as certain nothing has happened to him, or it wouldn’t be you here to tell me, so that just leaves me confused.”

She raised an eyebrow, letting him take his time responding.

He looked down at his lap. Ran a hand through his hair, feeling... not less confident that he’d get those recipes by the end of this visit, but certainly more bashful about it.

“Uh. Yes ma’am,” he said. Quickly corrected himself, remembering her insistence over the phone, “uh, Nana. See, he doesn’t actually... know I’m here...”

“I’d guessed as much,” she said wryly.

“Right. Um, I actually wanted to ask you something. There’s something I want to do for him - well, for them - but I need your help to do it right.”

She stared him down a moment longer. Then her eyes widened, and she sat back in her seat with a little gasp, hand over her heart.

“Oh, Eliot,” she said warmly, leaning forward again to grab his hand and hold it between hers, “Oh, sweet boy, of course he’ll say yes. You should hear the way he talks about you, Alec’s been head over heels for years. I may not have met Parker personally, but I’m sure she will too. You don’t have anything to worry about, trust me on that.”

“What?” he croaked. “I... w-what?”

His voice broke in his throat. He wanted to yank away but he felt frozen in place. He didn’t understand how she’d - okay, no, he could easily see how she would draw the wrong conclusions from this situation, but they were the wrong conclusions! He’d never even considered marriage since Aimee, let alone proposing to Parker and Hardison. It wasn’t like a three-way marriage was even legal, and even if it were he would never. It was too much - not too much commitment, he’d already promised the rest of his life to them both, but still too much, somehow. He’d never dare.

“I know Alec doesn’t think too much of the institution in general,” Nana said, waving a dismissive hand, “but if you do he’ll understand that. He might not need it but he won’t say no if you ask, hon. I can promise you that.”

Eliot meant to deny the very idea. Instead what came out of his mouth was a shaky:

“...Are you sure?”

.

Hardison’s Nana - his Nana too, she insisted, even after Eliot finally managed to clear up the misunderstanding - was truly a gem of a woman. He could see so much of who Hardison had turned out to be in her kindness, her cleverness, her sense of humor. She’d broken out the picture albums for him, and had even kindly let him keep one photo of a gaptoothed little Alec in a horrible bowl cut, grinning proudly and brandishing a blue ribbon next to his science project. To Eliot’s complete lack of surprise, he’d won every year with zero competition from his peers.

(He told her that he wanted the picture to make fun of Hardison with. It was true, but she still just patted him on the shoulder and told him to keep it. Didn’t say a word when he tucked it into his wallet with unnecessary care.)

They talked for a long time. She gave him a journal to copy directly from her personal recipe book, a lovely clothbound thing spattered with grease and burnt at one edge, smelling of spices and old paper; clearly well used. She told him it was passed down from her mother, who’d put in lots of her mother’s recipes. Eliot took notes as she talked him through every one. He had a good memory but he didn’t want to miss a thing, and her recipes as written were bare bones. He could cook a delicious meal from them easily enough, but it wouldn’t have her heart in it, not like what he wanted to make.

Just talking could only do so much, and eventually they found themselves in the kitchen, demonstrating techniques and favored spice blends. It was nice, just in and of itself. Eliot rarely got to talk shop with other cooks, and it had been a long time since he’d eaten anything home-made by someone else. Nana never went to school for this stuff, but clearly her long years of experience carried their own weight, because she knew what she was talking about. 

It was late in the night by the time Eliot left her house, feeling himself flush to his ears as she kissed him on the cheek before waving until he’d driven away. And this after wrapping him up in a tight, warm hug just inside the front door.

“Alec’s done well for himself,” she said, and winked. “Now, next time I want you to bring that young lady of yours as well, you hear me? Make that a promise.”

“I will,” he said.

.

It was nearly three AM by the time he got home. Parker crashed out of the dark the second he stepped inside, clinging to him as he caught her midair.

“You made Hardison sad on his birthday,” she told him sternly, and headbutted him hard on the temple. As he winced, she pressed her nose down against his shoulder and took a long sniff. “You smell like lemons.”

“You made me sad on Hardison’s birthday,” Eliot sighed. “I mean, mad.”

“Doesn’t matter, you made him sad so I’m not sorry,” she said, and snuggled close.

Eliot carried her through the apartment, avoiding bumping into any furniture through the ease of experience, and into the bedroom. Hardison was sprawled across the mattress, fast asleep with a frown.

Setting Parker down, Eliot got undressed and climbed into the bed. He scooted behind Hardison, leaning up on an elbow to swipe a gentle thumb over the furrow between his brows. It came back, so he wiped at it again, and kissed Alec’s shoulder when he huffed a little and his face relaxed. Eliot kissed him one more time, then lay down behind him with an arm draped over his side.

Rather than going around the bed to the free space on Hardison’s other side, Parker crammed herself onto the mattress right behind Eliot, pushing him further into Hardison and determinedly spooning him.

He craned his neck up to look at her in the dark. She met his gaze solemnly and squeezed tighter, slipping a leg between his.

Eliot fell asleep warm, entangled in the two loves of his life.

.

He woke stinking hot, still entangled but a lot less happy about it. This happened every time he slept in the middle; he didn’t know why he kept letting it happen. Every single time he’d wake abruptly, heart thrumming in an instinctive alert to something wrong... Only to realize that something was just Parker drooling on his ear, or Hardison’s morning breath in his face, and (every time) both their limbs all wrapped up around him and each other in a very sweet, sweaty, and constricting mess.

The first few times he’d suffered through it, unwilling to wake them. Still basking in the fact that he was here, that he got to be a part of this. But Hardison slept like the dead, and Parker had the ability to wake up and go back to sleep pretty much indefinitely, so Eliot had no compunctions about shoving them aside anymore. He also knew that the other two were night owls who would happily sleep in to eight or even ten if left undisturbed. Eliot woke habitually at five regardless of how late he’d been up, maybe six at the latest; morning snuggles just really weren’t practical.

He wriggled free, clambering over Parker and catching her when the bed dipped and she nearly fell to the floor. Her eyes shot open, clocked him, then dropped shut as she went right back to sleep. He left them there and went to go take a shower, then wandered into the kitchen, grabbing up his new cookbook from his jacket pocket on the way.

Eliot was operating on only a couple hours of sleep; Nana didn’t exactly live next door, and he was frankly lucky he’d got out the cake relatively early in the afternoon, to be able to catch her awake at all. It wasn’t like he’d ruined Hardison’s whole birthday, just that last part they’d set aside for the three of them. They had already hung out with Nate and Sophie in the morning, and Hardison had a long phone call with Nana even before that. Parker had even given Hardison her present: a little statuette originally from a museum in Delhi if Eliot wasn’t mistaken. It was some god or something, but bore a striking resemblance to an Ewok, a detail she’d correctly guessed Hardison would love. He’d been planning on giving his present after the cake, at which point they were going to, on Hardison’s specific request, have a very normal and boring date at home. There had been a lot of jobs lately, so that must have tied into his desire for domesticity - that and ‘birthday rights’ to force them to watch all his nerd movies and lose at various video games.

They hadn’t planned anything for today either, so it wasn’t like those plans couldn’t still happen... And in fact yesterday hadn’t even been Hardison’s real birthday, just the replacement day they’d agreed to celebrate on when a con ran through the actual day. But in the cold light of day he felt a lot more stupid about taking a vegetable-related risk on Hardison’s cake, and then reacting stupidly when they didn’t like it. To be fair, he hadn’t considered it a risk at all, hadn’t even been thinking of his ongoing quest to feed them better so much as the fact that carrot cakes were good and he knew Hardison liked cream cheese frosting - but still. Sophie may have hit the nail on the head, but it was still a stupid and immature nail to let get in the way like he’d done.

He had to at least try to make it up to him.

Accordingly, the breakfast casserole Eliot put together was about as far removed from a healthy meal as any non-dessert in Nana’s cookbook. A baked blueberry French toast creation with lots of sugar, it actually was more of a dessert than anything else. It also took hours in the fridge, but that was alright; not the first time Eliot getting up so much earlier came in handy.

He took the time that it spent in the fridge to clean the apartment. He got out his gift to Hardison, swept and mopped and watered all the plants. Did some laundry, meditated a bit. Pretty much just puttered around for hours, steadily feeling worse and worse about his outburst the day before. Parker had been accepting if not forgiving, and didn’t need an explanation; Hardison might not feel the same. Eliot didn’t expect him to; he was the one clearly in the wrong. He really couldn’t regret the outcome of meeting Nana and getting her recipes, but it should have been on any other day.

He managed to time the casserole just to when the other two got up; just as Eliot pulled it from the oven, Parker wandered into the room.

“Ooh!” she said, and approached with a clear intent to stick her fingers directly into the hot food. Eliot intercepted her with a glare and a whap with his oven-mitt. She retaliated with a vicious pinch to the back of his hand and grabbed a blueberry off the top, tossing it into her mouth and wincing as she burnt herself chewing it.

“Quit that, it’s Hardison’s,” he told her.

“Hardison!” Parker yelled in what appeared to be terror, because of course she would. “I need your help right now!”

He came tumbling into the room, still only half-dressed and clumsily wielding Parker’s taser at the couch. When he saw only the two of them calmly watching him, he attempted to hide it behind his back.

“Oh hey, what’s up everyone,” he said nonchalantly. “Breakfast? Awesome. Smells like something Nana used to make.”

Parker went over and kissed him as she stole the taser out of his hand. She held it up in front of his face.

“Mine,” she scolded.

“Hey, I was ready to defend your life,” Hardison said, mock-offended. “What, you want me to run into an ambush empty-handed? Come on, baby, look who you’re talking to.”

“If you’d let Eliot teach you MMA like me then -”

“Then what, you’d use it as an excuse to choke me out again? I know what you’re after, I recognize that look in your eyes -”

“Hey, come’n eat.” Eliot put two full plates of breakfast  casserole down on the island. He braced himself, ready for Hardison to keep giving him the silent treatment or outright call him out on his behavior.

It didn’t happen.

“Morning Eliot,” he said as he came over to grab a stool. He leaned across the island; when Eliot was too surprised to meet him halfway, he rolled his eyes and reached out a hand to grab his face and pull it close enough for a quick kiss. Then he plopped down into his seat, inhaling deeply at his food. “Oh man, this smells exactly like Nana’s Blueberry Thing, I loved that as a kid. How’d you know?”

Eliot slowly sank down from his tiptoes. His stomach hurt a little from being yanked up against the edge of the island, his lips still felt the impression of Hardison’s. He... really didn’t understand.

“Uh, Nana said you liked it best,” he replied a little too woodenly. Neither of his partners seemed to notice.

“You been talkin’ to her without me?” Hardison asked, before taking a bite and moaning. It wasn’t a sex moan - Eliot knew what those sounded like - but it was damn near. “Did you turn into her? What the hell, this is it, this is the Blueberry Thing!”

Parker was at her own plate the moment Eliot said Nana; she was always fascinated by any mention of the woman, and would probably taze him for meeting her first. Right now, she was digging into her own plate, eyes closed.

Eliot cut himself a serving too and sat down to eat with them. He felt tentative, somehow, embarrassed.

“Yeah,” he grunted. “Went to talk to her last night. Got some recipes.”

The food was good. Sweet, warm, filling; clearly a comfort meal. He dug in.

When he looked up, Parker and Hardison were both staring at him. She opened her mouth, paused, and then fell silent with a glance to Hardison. He was staring at Eliot, mouth open.

“What the hell, hon?”

Eliot clenched his jaw. He knew what he should say. He’d spent all morning prepping himself to say it.

“...You never opened my present,” he said instead.

Hardison squinted at him.

“Yeah, I wasn’t gonna without you there,” he said pointedly.

“Right, well, here,” Eliot said and shoved it his direction before going back to his food. He could feel them staring at him but didn’t lift his head, kept shoveling bite after bite into his mouth as he heard Hardison final tearing at the wrapping paper, grumbling incoherently to himself.

A moment later, the angry mumbles got louder when he opened the first box to reveal the second one.

By the time Hardison got down to the final layer, a small paper booklet six boxes in, Parker was snickering rudely and his muttering was about half swear-words. Eliot still didn’t look up, kept waiting until Hardison actually read the gift.

(He’d thought it would be funny, obviously. He’d thought it would be hilarious, to watch Hardison getting more and more irritated by the wrapping paper. And he knew the gift itself wasn’t anything much, but Eliot usually prided himself on being good at getting people things they didn’t know they wanted, or didn’t think they’d ever get. He knew it was childish and kind of stupid right from the jump, but money didn’t really mean too much to Hardison, and he was confident he’d love this.

After his behavior last night, he wasn’t so sure anymore. Immaturity took on a different tone right now.)

“‘Eliot Tickets,’“ he heard Hardison read off slowly, then - “no.”

He glanced up sharply, but it’d been a sound of delight. Hardison’s eyes were wide and he was flipping through the pages rapidly with an ever-widening grin.

“No nerd jokes for twenty-four hours, back massage, favorite food, favorite sex, get-out-of-scolding free, dessert for dinner, oh my god Comic-Con?! Get to play with your hair, get to pick your cover, computer lessons, videogames, sleeping in, what kind of goldmine is this -”

Parker leaned over his shoulder as he kept going, pointing out her favorites as they worked their way quickly through the rest of the little booklet. It wasn’t horrendously long, but long enough: one ticket for every year. Twenty-eight in all.

Twenty-nine, including the piece of paper Eliot had slipped in front of the last page at seven-thirty this morning, before carefully re-wrapping every box.

“‘One I’m sorry,’” Parker read out loud. She met Eliot’s eyes as she asked, “Are you gonna use it?”

Hardison hummed thoughtfully, then picked it up to reveal the last page.

“No, I’mma save this for just the right time,” he said, waving it in the air. He looked Eliot in the eye and smirked meaningfully. “You messed up, man, you didn’t put an expiration date on any of these.”

“Dammit,” Eliot grumbled, like he’d just realized.

(It hadn’t been a mistake.)

“Don’t need that right now anyway,” Hardison continued, tucking it back into the middle of the book. “This, on the other hand - this one I’m cashing in now.”

Eliot took the little piece of paper Hardison ripped free. He sighed.

“Really?”

“Hell yes, now get in here - and no complaining, them’s the rules you made your own self. You too, Parker, c’mere.”

Eliot stood up and rounded the island, halting with a sigh just before reaching Hardison, who stood to meet him. He ripped the coupon in half.

“All right, here goes.”

Tucking the pieces into his pocket, Eliot stepped forward into Hardison’s outstretched arms, tucking himself in close and hugging him back tightly. A moment later, he felt Parker collide with them both, one arm over his shoulders and a leg around his hips. He sighed again, this time into Hardison’s shoulder, and let himself sway when they did, a gentle rock back and forth.

He closed his eyes when they started to sting.

“Sorry,” he mumbled into Hardison’s shoulder after a long minute. “Shouldn’ta left.”

“That does not count, Eliot,” Hardison told him firmly, and didn’t let go. “I did not use my coupon, I still got my coupon, you aren’t getting out of anythin’ with that you hear me?”

Parker snickered behind him.

“Not getting out of anything at all,” she said, and squeezed tighter. “We’ve got you trapped.”

.

(The next time he fed them vegetables, it was a Nana recipe and Hardison ate without complaint. Parker ate because she wanted to know what it felt like to be a little Hardison, and proclaimed the experience ‘like one of my harnesses’ which was obviously a very positive review.

The next time he fed them vegetables and it wasn’t a Nana recipe, they exchanged a look and then each ate exactly half of their servings. The rest they snuck back onto Eliot’s plate one bite at a time like he wouldn’t notice. He let them get away with it and looked down at everyone’s empty plates afterward with a weird content feeling relaxing his shoulders.

The next time he saw Nana, her words on Hardison’s bragging proved embarrassingly correct. She and Parker got along like a house on fire, and if left alone too long would probably cause a house on fire, and Hardison just watched them with a giant grin like he didn’t see the danger. Nana asked Eliot if he’d considered what they talked about last time right in front of them both, proving beyond all doubt that she shared Hardison’s love of driving him goddamn crazy for fun.

The next carrot cake he made was for Sophie and Nate. He refused to call it a thank you, but she did and also asked him to make that little French quiche she’d talked about like she honestly expected “it had spinach, I think, something green anyway, it was very light, and some kind of unexpected spice too?” would be enough to go on. Nate was no help whatsoever.)

[immortalcoelacanth]

HLVRAI Oneshot: Chalk

My muse continues to be a stuggle, Snowcon followers I am sorry XD

Word count: 2687

Summary: Kids were easy to be around. Their minds were simple, focused on entertaining themselves and being happy. It was something Benrey could relate to. But sometimes they could be so damn observant… 

“You love dad, don’t you?��

“uhhh, sounds kinda cringe bro.”

The warm, summer winds blew through the surprisingly quiet neighborhood. Faint sounds of children laughing could be heard, most likely in the park not too far away, and the scent of smoke wafted off the barbeque Gordon was currently cooking food on. 

All and all, a pleasantly calm day. It was one that he could enjoy with his son-

“hey, hey, you wanna play some tic tac toe?”

And Benrey. 

The duo were both seated on the pavement not too far away, drawing on the ground with pieces of chalk that were all sorts of colours. Benrey was wearing a rather large hoodie with some game logos and stickers plastered across it, and his security helmet of course. From his position, Gordon could see that Joshua had drawn several stars, a rainbow, and several other miscellaneous drawings. Benrey had, after being scolded several times to not eat the chalk, drawn what appeared to be colourful smears across the ground, mixing and blending them together. 

It sort of reminded Gordon of Benrey’s sweet voice, the blues that were present and the general colour gradient. He was glad to see everything was calm, nothing bad had happened, but still felt the urge to check. 

“You two still holding up good?” 

“Yeah dad!”

“we’re just doodlin’ passports over here, bro. josh dude gave himself a neat stache.” 

“It’s a rainbow mustache that’s extra swirly.” The young boy sagely nodded. “Benrey says it needs glitter though to look super nice.”

“gotta make it sparkly like your personality, little dude.” 

Joshua grinned and started laughing while Gordon could not stop himself from smiling at the rather wholesome sight. While Benrey was his typical somewhat apathetic self, his words were far more cohesive, and he sounded less… flustered when speaking. His words were less frantic, far calmer. 

Like he was truly relaxed. 

“Alright.” Gordon nodded as he turned his attention back to the barbeque, not wanting the veggies to burn while he was not paying attention. “Benrey just… keep not eating the chalk, please.”

He did not notice the wink that the ex-security guard sent Joshua, nor did he witness Benrey pull out half a piece of blue chalk from his pocket and carefully crunch into it. 

Blue tasted the best, it was like gatorade. 

The young boy laughed once more before returning to his doodling. Benrey looked at it for a moment, noticing the blue, orange, and yellow pieces of chalk that were clearly intended for whatever it was he was drawing, but Benrey decided not to question it at the moment. 

Joshua would more than likely ramble about it at some point, the kid was full of all sorts of words and tended to ramble to whoever was nearby. It was pretty amusing to listen to and gave him all sorts of insight on both Gordon and what the pair’s home life had been like before he crashed into it. 

Literally. 

Breaking into someone’s apartment at around three in the morning was not the best of plans, especially since it ended with Gordon bringing a bat down on the top of his helmet. Not that Benrey had been hurt of course. 

Seeing Gordon’s dismay and shock as the bat snapped in half and flew off to the side, shattering one of the windows, was hilarious. 

Had that been Benrey’s fault? 

Maaaaybeeee. 

Either way, months had passed since that point. Months spent working on building up Gordon’s trust in him, learning how to do human things like buy groceries that were not just soda. 

A shame since Benrey loved that gamer fuel. 

Getting to know Joshua had been… nice, too. The young boy never had the same anxieties that his father felt, never worried about whether Benrey would hurt him or not. He had been happy to make a new friend who was willing to listen to him ramble and play games with him. Of course, Gordon had not been happy with the developing friendship between the two, but as the months passed… 

Gordon had gone from constantly hovering over them, to occasionally checking in on them, and then finally to trusting Benrey.

Trusting him to watch over his son and not hurt him.

The first time Benrey had noticed this change and realized what it meant; it had been impossible to stop the bright pink orbs that left his mouth. Fortunately, Gordon had not noticed the sweet voice, but Joshua had. 

Joshua, who had later told him how pretty the “glowing balls” looked and how it resembled a very nice, peachy pink. 

Kids could be so blunt sometimes, but Benrey appreciated it. He appreciated how simple and straightforward their minds could be and while curiosity was a constant factor when dealing with a kid, it was an enjoyable part of talking to them. 

Like making a baking soda volcano on the ceiling of Gordon’s apartment. 

Fun times, especially with the bout of strangely quietly screaming he had gotten in response. 

Benrey didn’t know Gordon’s face could turn that red. 

He let out an amused chuckle and drew some loops on the ground with his mostly eaten piece of chalk. He loved getting Gordon so riled up, hearing the insults that were thrown his way and how the agitated man would run his hands through his hair, ruffling it up. 

Loved watching his face flush with anger, how his eyes shined with rage… 

Unnoticed to Benrey, several pink orbs floated out of his mouth as he sighed wistfully. When he realized what he had done, clamping a hand over his mouth to prevent any more from appearing, he noticed that Joshua was staring at him, grinning. 

Shit, one of the things he was actually scared of. 

“heyyyyy little joshie buddy, what’s with that look? kinda… kinda looks like a schemin’ look.” 

Joshua’s smile grew a bit wider. “Maaaybe.”

“... kid you’re scarin’ me.” 

The only response he got to that was a giggling laugh that was part cackle, which left him feeling no less concerned than he had previously been. Benrey sighed and refocused on his random doodling. Yep, just going to let this topic drop-

“You love dad, don’t you?”

Shit.

Benrey looked up and pretended he could not feel the sweat running down his face. Everything was totally fine, he was cool as a cucumber, kid couldn’t suspect a thing… 

“uhhh, sounds pretty cringe, bro.” He shrugged. “and gay.”

“Dad likes all sorts of people!” Joshua huffed. “He likes gay!”

“... that wasn’t-uh... never mind.” Oh fuck, was he blushing? He hoped not. “still cringe, not a pro gamer move.”

“You blushing when dad says something nice about you isn’t cringe.” Joshua bluntly stated. “It’s cute, and grandpa Coomer says gay stuff is cute! Grandpa Coomer’s super smart so it’s gotta be true!” 

“we-well it’s… uh…” Shit, he had no response to that. 

“Dad makes you happy.” Joshua continued to say, now refocusing on his doodle on the ground and Benrey could now see that it was a family of three people. One blue, one orange, and the smallest one was yellow. “Even if you’re weird sometimes, and pour milk in the cereal box before you eat it-”

“fruit loops get super dusty and i wanted to make soup.” 

“Cereal isn’t soup!”

“it is if you’re brave enough.” The change in topic was helping Benrey relax, tension leaving his shoulders as his absent-minded smile returned to his face. Nothing to stress over, everything was chill and-

“So when are you and dad going to go out on a date?”

Nope no more chill nope nope nope-

A date? Benrey had no clue how dates worked, or how they were supposed to work. Besides, his attempts at “flirting” were rarely successful and only seemed to wind Gordon up and, as much as he enjoyed watching the results, sometimes Gordon’s remarks would… sting. 

They would make him hurt, cause him to cringe and recoil from the conversation. Not that such a thing had happened recently, but Benrey knew how unpredictable Gordon’s mood and temperament could be at times. 

“sounds super cringe.” Was the response Joshua got, combined with a tense shrug. “like-like over nine thousand level cringer-”

“That’s an oooooooold reference.” The young boy said as he stuck his tongue out at Benrey. “And you’re changing topics again!”

Oh god, there were now hearts scribbled around the doodles that were clearly supposed to be him and Gordon. What could he say, what was he supposed to say? That he was terrified of fucking up the “Good Ending” he had finally achieved? That he did not want to risk destroying the relationship he currently had with Gordon?

The months of hard work he had put into fixing the damage that had been done because of that stupid, stupid game-

He felt the chalk in his grip crumble and break apart due to how tightly he was holding it, but the thing that snapped him out of his reverie was the sensation of a smaller hand grabbing onto his. 

Joshua?

Indeed, Joshua had scooted over and reached out to hold onto his hand. He looked up at Benrey with a warm smile on his face. 

A smile he had seen many times from the boy’s father… 

“If it’s hard to say it, why don’t you show you!” He suggested, still smiling that same smile. “Dad’ll understand! He gets my drawings all the time!” 

Benrey felt his lips quirk up into the faintest hint of a grin at the suggestion, the tips of sharp teeth glinting in the sunlight. “you sure that’s a pro gamer move?”

“Yup! It’s super pro gamer!” 

“well, guess i’ve got no choice.” Benrey joked while rolling his tense shoulders. “joshie, toss me that orange one.” 

“And blue?”

“you know it.”

As the sun started to descend from its zenith, shadows beginning to stretch across the pavement in front of the apartment building, Gordon finished up his cooking. Everything was stacked on plates and brought over to his, thankfully, ground level room and placed inside. Once that was taken care of, he went about cleaning everything up and putting his barbeque away. 

He was so focused on cleaning everything up that he did not notice the large drawing that was progressively covering the pavement thanks to Benrey. It was only after all signs of his cooking had been neatly cleaned up or put away that he turned his attention to Joshua and his… “roommate”.

If he could call Benrey that.

“Time to head inside!” Gordon called out as he walked towards the duo. His walking slowed down as he noticed that Benrey was crouched in front of a large piece of chalk art. His eyes narrowed in confusion. 

Huh, he had not expected Benrey to be the artistic type, aside from spitting balls into the air. 

Joshua jumped up and rushed to his side, grabbing onto his arm, and tugging him towards Benrey. 

“C’mon dad, look! It’s so cool!”

“Alright, slow down there Joshie.” Gordon chuckled as he allowed his son to pull him towards the art. “It wouldn’t be good if… I… tripped….”

His words slowed and eventually stopped entirely as he finally took in the sight of what Benrey had created and it was…

Beautiful. 

Very abstract in nature, a swirl of colours that seemed to form shapes. Light blues and yellows and greens all circling and intermingling with a core that consisted of a darker, richer blue and orange. 

Swirls and lines that worked together to create faces. His own and Benrey’s. He could also make out what appeared to be Coomer and Bubby in the background, green and light blue seeming to dance together like the pair would, and that warm yellow that encircled them all, Tommy, uniting them. 

What…

As he leaned closer, Gordon noticed smaller details. How Benrey had drawn his hair to be similar to what it truly looked like despite the effort it must have taken. The dark shadows that had been scratched under the ex-guard’s eyes, the white and yellow that mixed together, an attempt to recreate his glowing irises. 

How monstrous he looked overall and yet there was a softness in the lines, and the trail of bubbles that left the drawing’s mouth. 

All a familiar pink. 

Benrey was not as slick as he thought he was, Gordon had noticed the colourful orbs on multiple occasions before he had successfully stopped them. He had never pushed the boundary and asked what they meant since Benrey always seemed so embarrassed, but now…  

“What’s pink translate to?” He asked, crouching down beside Benrey and bumping his shoulder against the other man. 

Benrey was silent, contemplating what to say and how to say it, before he finally mumbled out the answer. “.... s’makes me think.”

“... Pink means you think?”

“yeah,” Benrey shifted and looked up at Gordon, eyes still cast in shadow. “think of you.”

Gordon’s mind drew a blank at that answer, uncertain of how to respond, but before he could even attempt to get the words out the other man took his chance. 

He leaned towards Gordon and pressed a gentle kiss against his lips. 

The gesture did not linger, but as Benrey leaned back Gordon could still feel the warmth of the kiss. He reached up and pressed his fingers against his lips and quietly wondered if he was dreaming. 

Benrey sighed, a stream of pink sweet voice floating into the air and waited for Gordon to speak. It felt like an eternity had passed before the other man finally responded to the gesture, voice cracking. 

“Y-You… really? Me? What? But… but you and I-”

“had problems?” Benrey interrupted, eyes fixating on the ground as he squeezed his hands. “no shit. feetman, if-if you don’t wanna-”

“Who said I didn’t?” At that, he looked up and stared at Gordon in surprise. “I was just surprised since you hadn’t said anything about that.”

“i joked about putting our minecraft beds together, bro.” Benrey bluntly stated, causing Gordon to flail as he struggled to explain himself. 

“WELL YEAH! But… but I thought you were joking and shit-”

“Dollar for the swear jar!” Joshua cheerfully interrupted, making his dad groan.

“Okay, dollar later, but first,” He focused his attention back on Benrey, noticing how the other man’s cheeks had darkened and how he kept fidgeting. “... You sure?”

“wouldn’t have asked if i wasn’t.” Benrey quietly commented, now finally looking back at Gordon. “psh, pretty cringe doubting me-”

But he was cut off when Gordon leaned forward and returned the kiss. Joshua cheered and Benrey, completely caught off guard, fell backwards which caused a chain reaction of Gordon stumbling, fumbling, and nearly landing on top of him. 

Gordon’s hands rested on the pavement beside Benrey’s shoulders as Gordon stared into the other man’s eyes. Both were blushing at this point, and a constant stream of pink sweet voice was leaking into the air. 

“U-Uh-”

“dude, you gonna-”

“Are you guys gonna kiss again?” Joshua’s innocent question snapped the pair out of their stupor and they scrambled to get back up. 

“W-Well, probably-”

“later, joshie bro.” That casual smile was back on Benrey’s face, an attempt at trying to look calm despite how much he was blushing. “we gotta… uh… get the meats’n stuff-”

“Yeah, like Arby’s!” Gordon nervously added. “But first…”

He quickly snapped several photos of the drawing Benrey had done on the pavement, also making sure to get several of Joshua’s in the process. Hey, he wanted to be able to look back on it in the future, plus he was certain some asshole would wash it off the pavement soon enough. 

Besides, there was no way in hell he wanted Benrey’s hard work, one of the few examples of hard work, to go to waste. 

“Okay, now we can get the meats.” 

Joshua cheered and raced over to the apartment while Benrey joined his side, an arm brushing against him. In response, Gordon linked an arm with his and smiled at the other man. 

“wow, that… that’s pretty gay, bro. You gayman now?”

“Totally.” Gordon rolled his eyes as he walked arm and arm back to the apartment with Benrey. 

                                    xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I continue to be on my bullshit while my muse demands domestic fluff for these two. I suppose it’s a good thing for my followers who are in this fandom XD

I hope you guys enjoyed reading!

- ImmortalCoelacanth

[writing-gifts]

crewmate!bruno x imposter!reader

<< part 3 || part 5 >>

------

White

White would not leave you alone.

After losing Lime and finding you soaked in blood on the verge of passing out, he was keeping a closer eye on you. At first you thought he might have suspected something was off but then realized he was just concerned.

It was a reasonable way to react but it was slowing you down more than your wound. You weren't allowed outside your quarters for anything. And on top of that, Black convinced him not to let you switch groups ever again once you were healed. It obviously wasn't for your safety though. You could tell that the man had a different idea of what happened that day. The few times you saw his face you could see a suspicious glint in his eyes.

Now you were trying to figure out what to do. Killing your partners at one time was a possibility, but you weren't sure you could take them both out fast enough before someone hit the alarm. Black was intimidating, attitude and physical wise, and he was much more on guard (around you) now. White was the more approachable of the two, but you couldn’t and wouldn't underestimate him either. His "soft spot" for you though could be used against him.

You were also chewing on a more stealthy option. White's influence affected the crew's opinions more than you expected. In fact, part of you wondered if you'd still be on this ship if it weren't for him. So you felt that keeping him around could be more beneficial.

You sigh. These thoughts fill your head as you lay in your bed and stare at the ceiling.

"Are you comfortable?"

"Yea," you answer, forcefully pulled from your thoughts.

"You don't need anything?"

"Bruno, I'm okay I swear."

Several days ago, Yellow stitched and bandaged you up all while throwing you looks that you couldn't quite decipher. Afterwards, it was deemed best if you stayed in your room until you were doing better so you wouldn't be vulnerable.

The wound itself was pretty bad. Yellow had to numb the area around it before stitching you up and you were put on an IV for the first few days due to how much blood you lost. Maybe you went a little overboard, but at least it strengthened your innocence. Now everyone accepted whatever killed Lime and Orange and wounded you wasn't human. After all, how could a human leave such deep and long claw scratches along your chest and torso like that? Along with tearing Orange's body in half and putting a hole through Lime's chest it didn't make sense for you, a human, to be behind it.

However, it wouldn't take long for your wound to heal fast, suspiciously fast, so you needed to make your next moves quickly.

White smiles but it looks tired. The deaths must be getting to him. And you weren't sure how long he'd be able to keep up his collected facade.

"You don't need to pretend around me you know."

Shock initially covers his features, but it soon shifts into something more dejected.

"...Thank you."

You hum, acknowledging his gratitude. "You should rest, I know everything that's happened has worn you down."

"I can't until I find who--what did that to Fugo and Narancia."

Immense regret settles on White’s face. This was the most emotive you've seen him.

There was nothing you could have done about Lime but you couldn't say the same for Orange. You frown. "I should have stayed with Narancia...Then maybe--"

"If you did then you might not even be here right now. Even now we're lucky that the imposter only left a scratch on you."

You observe him for a moment. "You know, you have a kind heart."

And you're way too trusting.

"Where'd that come from?"

"Just stating a fact."

You prop yourself up grunting a little from the pull of your stitches.

"You shouldn't be moving like that."

You disregard White's worried expression. "It's fine. Thanks for staying with me by the way."

"Of course I'd stay. If you need anything just let me know."

You smile. "Okay. Do you want to lay down for awhile?"

"Here?"

"Where else?" You move over to make room for White and pat the space next to you.

He looks a bit hesitant but with your insistence carefully gets next to you in your bed.

"You can go back to sleep," he says.

“If only you promise to do it too.” You cut him off before he can make excuses. You wanted to see if he was okay with letting his guard down completely around you. "We already know no one or thing can get in without the person residing in the room letting them. And you look exhausted."

"...Okay but only for a few minutes."

-----

You spend the next week and a half in your room. Some of the humans would visit (maybe they felt bad for you), but White keeps you company the most while you heal.

You slowly munch on the meat of the meal White brought you. You tried to eat some of the vegetable stir fry but it was just too hard to swallow.

"Not fond of vegetables?" he asks.

You shake your head. "They taste disgusting."

And there was also no reason for you to eat them. They didn't benefit you nutritiously. Neither did fruit.

"The chicken's good at least," you add. "Did you eat already?"

"Yes."

"Actually, now that I think about it, I honestly don't think I've ever seen you eat!" You let out a light laugh. "Do you want my veggies?"

"That's okay. You really should still try to eat them since you're still recovering."

"Ew, no way."

White cracks a smile at your scrunched up face.

You both continue to partake in idle conversation. It was pleasant. In fact, you had never talked or spent this much time with a human before. But you'd consider White a good first experience.

As your meal time and talk winds down, the look in White's eyes becomes very intense. You'd think he was preparing to kill you if it were anyone else.

You tilt your head a bit. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm not very versed with this type of thing so I think I should just be blunt."

"...What?" You had no idea where this was going.

"Can I kiss you?"

Your eyes widen. White was constantly surprising you.

Before you disgust yourself with the idea, you lean forward and press your lips to his. You'd never done this before--you weren't exactly planning to do it ever--but you felt like he would like it.

It was strange. Very strange.

White leans into the kiss so you assume that he's not bothered by your lack of experience. You however were stiff and barely responsive. You weren't sure what to do with your hands or what to do next for that matter.

White pulls back, his cheeks look a little red. "Is everything alright?"

"Uh, yea it's just that I've never really kissed before so I don't really know what to do…"

You didn't think White's expression could get any softer but it did.

"Sorry for making you uncomfortable."

“It's okay," you say but you were honestly ready for him to leave. "I'm kinda tired though so I think I'll just get ready for bed."

He nods but you can't tell anything else from his body language. "It is pretty late."

He grabs your half eaten dinner tray but before he can get too far you wrap your arms around his neck in a hug. You hoped that would be enough to clear any doubts on his mind.

"Night, Bruno."

"Night, sleep well ____.'' His voice is low, almost a whisper.

You hang off him for a while before letting him go.

------

<< part 3 || part 5 >>

[pillowfluffs]

You Not Wanting Kids | NCT 127

Pairing: NCT 127 X Reader (female) 

Genre: fluffyyyy

Author’s Note: Thanks for requesting, anon! Hope this is okay since I’ve never written a reaction with them... This was actually quite hard cause I kept thinking “they would all be chill about it, although some would be more bummed than others...” 

Warnings: suggestive with johnny and Jaehyun 👀 

Taeil: 

Snowflakes slowly fell from the night sky, layering a thick blanket of snow over the buildings, houses, and streets

the weather felt like it was slowly getting worse as it got colder in the night 

a few of the members were in their rooms, doing their own things, and a few others were all about, somewhere in the dorms 

you were a regular guest in their dorms so there was no surprise on their end if they walked into the living room to find you and taeil together

Taeil and everyone else had to stay indoors to stay safe from a cold spreading around but also the weather

You laid your head on his chest and your body in between his legs with one hand resting on your back while the other was behind his head, propping it up

He put on a romantic movie and cherished this time during the holidays he got off with you

Seeing the kids bounce in joy on the screen sparked a thought in his head

“Do you want kids?” He nudged/ rubbed your back, curious

“Mmm, not really. I can’t really see myself as a mom...” you spoke. “I don’t do well with others being sick or throwing up near or on me.”

It was a thought you had as a kid and it stuck with you as you grew up

You didn’t really want kids

You didn’t want to deal with the financial parts behind it, the late nights where you could barely sleep

Which you heard from your coworkers

It sounded so miserable even though babies were cute

You just didn’t really want to go through it

He nodded, curious about your reasons but didn’t push further

Johnny: 

The two of you ordered some take out for dinner

Fine wines to go with them too

The two of you sat at the living room table and just watched whatever was on tv

And then it became more of a question game

You two had been together for a while

A couple months but there were still things about you that Johnny didn’t know about like you not knowing everything about Johnny

Though he was mostly an open book

You asked him some questions

Pretty generic, not too deep just yet

But then as the night went on, the two of you found yourself talking longer about your pasts, the future

Talks about dreams and aspiration, what he wanted to do in life, what you wanted to do

Things he wanted in life, things you wanted

“Do you want kids?”

“Uh, not really?” Your voice went higher as the words fell

You knew for your age, after getting to work, couples your age would usually get married and settle down and have kids

But you honestly didn’t really want any

You’ve heard enough from your family when they asked you if you sre gonna marry soon and settle down

They really wanted grandchildren

Johnny was super chill and accepting of it

I’m sure all of them would be and respect your decision of course

He went on to the next question like nothing because it wasn’t that big of a deal

But he did wink at you

“If you ever change your mind, you know my number ;)”

Yuta: 

the music from the stereos echoed around the dance studio as he moved with rhythm 

he moved so easily, he was so eye catching with the way he moved 

he gave you a smirk or a smile depending on the music playing whenever his eyes met yours through his reflection on the mirror wall 

he looked so good 

he slid down the wall and plopped down beside you as you handed him a cool water bottle from a little cooler and draped a towel around his shoulders 

the two of you had been together for almost a year now and you felt like you needed to say this 

“I don’t kids,” you said bluntly 

he practically choked on his water since this literally came out of nowhere

“okay?” 

“you’re not upset about that?” 

“not too much since I have a feeling our kids would be so beautiful, but it’s your body.” 

He respected your decision very much 

and he still had his intentions on being with you in the future 

it was a weight off for you since you knew this was a dealbreaker for your past relationships 

they wanted kids and you didn’t and it just didn’t work out 

but you met yuta

and in this moment, it felt like a weight was lifted off of you 

and maybe just maybe, you would even change your decision 

Taeyong: 

the sun was shining beautifully 

clouds rolled by in the sky as the two of you sat on a blanket, enjoying a picnic together in a public park 

there were other couples spread out, doing their own thing 

he brought the foods for the two of you while you brought some activities like little games but so far you two had been here all day and the games were over 

be brought fruits and veggies with dips, cute little drinks

but he also brought kimbap, mandoo (dumplings), milks and cute sodas

the weather was perfect and so was this date 

after playing the games you brought a couple times, the two of you ended up playing this last one you brought 

it was a box that you found at the mall that sold party games and such 

each person took a turn to draw a card and everyone went around to answer the question on the card 

there were cards that asked about favorite foods, books, movies, hobbies 

as the sun began to set, the deeper and closer the two of you bonded sharing interests and opinions 

then your question came up: do you want kids? 

“I would like some, they’re so cute.” Taeyong was amazing with kids. “how about you?” 

from what you were able to see when they were teachers for the day 

you knew he would make a great father to his kids 

other too 

but you had your doubts yourself about being a parent. 

“I don’t think I would make a good parent so I don’t really want any,” you said to which he nodded 

but he also reassured you that from what he knew about your personality, he thought contrary to your belief 

Doyoung: 

During a road trip, the two of you played a questionnaire game 

more or less like 21 questions 

as he drove, the two of you took turns asking questions about one another or about anything 

you looked through on your phone, struggling to find some yourself yet Doyoung was able to think of so many questions so easily off the top of his head 

he wanted you to take you into the country side to take a breather from your busy work and the buzzing city life 

the country side was beautiful from all the shows and dramas you watched and he saw the way you were amazed 

so today was the day he was bringing you out to spend in the country side for a few days in an airbnb

As he drove on the long, empty road, his question appeared 

“Do you want kids?” 

“No, not really.” 

Doyoung was confused as to why you didn’t want any 

he was also pretty bummed because he was a really great family guy 

he wanted to start one with you and to have kids of his own that he could raise to be great people in this world 

“How come?” he asked, wanting to know more 

“I’m not the best with kids... So I don’t really want any of my own.” 

His mind was suddenly buzzing with questions and retorts 

but he had to filter himself 

he knew he couldn’t force you to have kids and also force you to do things you didn’t want to do 

but throughout the rest of the car ride, he persisted carefully on this topic as if he was persuading you/ tempting you to change your mind 

in the best way possible because he wanted to have kids with you

Jaehyun: 

the afternoon sun shone in through the skylight in your bedroom, making everything seem very pretty since your room had a white aesthetic 

it was very photo worthy if you had a photoshoot

you slowly woke up as Jaehyun stirred in his sleep beside you, your bare bodies beside each other 

clothes discarded on the ground 

it was a very.. fun... night in simple terms 

Jaehyun took in the lovely sight of your skin exposed in the bright afternoon sun, how ethereal it made you look with your upper half pressed into the mattress and your lower half hidden beneath the blanket 

of course he looked the same way from your perspective 

his muscles were sculpted and toned very nicely, the sun shining on his body, showing all the shadows in his muscles 

He laid with you in his arms, your head rested on his chest as he stroked your hair, tucking strands of your hair behind your ear

thinking about last night’s activities, he thought about the future 

and like the hypothetical scenario of you getting pregnant and having kids with you 

“what if we had kids?” 

“Mmm, why?” 

“I was just thinking about last night and like what if we had some?” 

“Oh, I don’t really want any,” you said 

“Oh, how come,” he asked as he tucked another hair behind your ear. “You would be a great mom. We would be great parents,” he curled his lips, showing off his dimple

“Mmm, maybe, but I just don’t really want any.” You said, pressing your cheek to his chest, drawing light lines on his skin 

“Mmhm.” 

Jaehyun was kind of bummed since he, like Taeyong, thought kids were adorable and he was actually quite good with them 

he hoped in the future, your stance would change and the two of you could perhaps one day start a family together 

Winwin: 

The room was dark as he laid on his bed as he texted you while it was just morning for you 

he guessed you were probably about to start work soon considering the hour it was back home 

the two of you talked about random things, mostly about the foods he’s eating, the things he’s seeing

he sent multiple pictures that yuta took for him 

he talked about how different things were and how they worked compared to asia

everything felt so different and he really liked it 

but he was pretty nervous about the language barrier 

eventually, the group at the end of the day played around by the pool at their hotel and yuta and winwin and taeil took some pictures at this little playground for kids 

there were a few kids with their families 

one family, this teenage daughter recognized the three of them and asked for a picture and he even got a copy of it and sent it to you 

it was the three of them, the teenage girl, and her baby brother 

“the little boy was so cute” he said with cute emojis

“Do you want kids one day?” 

You agreed with him how adorable the kids were but you didn’t really want kids 

there wasn’t any particular reason, you didn’t hate or dislike them in any way 

you actually did like them 

but you just didn’t really want any 

when he asked why and you gave him no particular reason, he just went on talking about the trip but it was like a recurring thought for him 

he was curious as to why but he wasn’t upset or anything by your decision

Jungwoo: 

this mans was your kid 

you spent some time with him in his dorm as he was on hiatus

the two of you spent some time in the empty dorms to yourselves

going out for food sometimes but also ordering take out, even making things like ramen with special additions of meat and such 

you guys went around town, going to the malls with of course concealing your identities from anyone cough dispatch

you even played a little game where at some point, one would buy something they think the other would like but it has to be a complete surprise 

so the two of you had to be sneaky on your own 

it was actually pretty fun 

the two of you couldn’t decide on just a single thing so it became three things 

and then you two would exchange and go over why you picked your things and he picked yours back at the dorms 

but also of course there was a price limit so nothing would be too expensive 

You picked out a little character dispenser for wipes because you liked how he liked to stay clean, a cute keychain with a cute dog on it that he could also put his ID in, and finally a little snack that he could enjoy later 

mans loves to eat 

he picked out a little stuffed animal, a little pouch with one of your favorite characters on it, and a little toy that was usually for children but he thought you would like it 

you did and it’s the thought that counts

the two of you ended uop laughing over how childlike these items were and out of curiosity, he asked: do you want kids? 

“personally, not really. I don’t want to go through that pain and finance in the future.” 

He nodded as he listened intently, understanding the financial part but he could only imagine the pain it was for women to have kids 

but he did want kids one day though, so this bummed him out only a tad bit, but not entirely 

Mark:

Mark was a very very busy person 

thanks sm for not letting him rest >:(

so of course this meant he didn’t have too much free time to spend time with you or other friends

even the dreamies who had removed him from their group chats a couple times only to add him back and then this cycle continued 

so of course the two days he was finally free from his schedule before he was about to debut again in SuperM, he took the chance to spend time with people 

he spent almost all day with the dreamies, drinking bubble tea and sodas with them, playing video games and pubg as a group on their phones

then at night, he spent some time with you after dinner 

he picked you up from your house and from there, the two of you just wandered around the neighborhood 

he made sure you were safe of course 

it had been a spell of time since he was able to formally hang out with you and it was much overdue 

he held your hand in his as the two of you walked under the clear night sky, the street illuminated from the bright full moon and the twinkling stars thousands and thousands of miles away 

the two of you sat at your elementary school playground, sitting on the aged swings, the same exact ones the two of you used to sit together in as kids 

now that you guys were older and you guys had been together for quite some time now, he was curious 

“do you want kids?”

“Nope,” you said straight forward, feeling weightless as you said this. “Of course we’re still too young to even think about parenthood but in general, I don’t think I would want any. I for sure don’t want any now.” 

he nodded surprised since most girls often talked about finding the right person to get together and have a family with 

“Do you want kids?” you asked which made him blush 

the thought of having kids was nice but you were right, it was way too early to even think about having kids 

maybe one day though

Haechan: 

The day was long and hectic for Haechan 

he spent his day rehearsing for NCT Dream’s upcoming comeback, practicing the choreo, working out, recording for future events that were unknown 

everything felt so busy around him 

he needed a breather 

so he called you when he finally got the chance

he was one of the few left in the studio and he didnt want to go back just yet 

you were at home, taking care of your neighbor’s baby while they were out at a dinner with their coworkers 

babies were hard and you learned that it was pretty tough 

Haechan facetime called you so you could hold the baby and he could also see them too 

when you answered, the first thing he saw was them sitting in your lap 

it was so cute, he let out a playful squeal, trying to get the their attention on the phone

but you were about to put them to bed soon so you sat holding your phone in the rocking chair your neighbors had set up in the nursery beside the crib 

it was actually very comfortable, it made you yawn which made him yawn 

but you seemed so natural despite the messages you sent him throughout the day about the baby doing gross things 

“Do you want kids in the future?” he asked out of the blue as you carefully put the cooing baby down into its crib 

“after today and how tired I feel, no, not at all.” you spoke softly and laughed as you went back to the rocking chair, making sure it fell asleep before you went back downstairs 

“they threw up on me like twice today and im- ugh,” you gagged, making him laugh. “but even in the future, I don’t think so,” to which he nodded as he listened 

but he strongly thought you would make such a fun parent like he would 

Overall, I think they would, of course, respect your decision since it’s your body.

~~~~~ Masterlist for more! Thank you for reading!

[orange-meringue]

Lost And Found Q & A

(The Q&A is here! Yeah, I’m not sure exactly how many of you ended up coming over from AO3, but I’ve decided to do the Q&A for my fic here -sorry to those of you who are uninterested in my writing life, I’ve been really invested in Lost And Found lately. 

The first question was submitted here on Tumblr, and the rest are all from AO3. I hope you’re satisfied with my answers, and if you have any more questions after this or just want some elaboration, please feel free to ask! I’ll add them on in a reblog! 

Anyway, enjoy! I’ll put everything beneath the cut) 

How does Donnie adjust to physical touch/affection in the future?

-Donnie is definitely touch-starved. No way around it. As mentioned in the fic, Draxum, Huginn, and Muninn never really gave him more than a few one-sided hugs, fist-bumps or handshakes. He’d never been fully hugged or held until he met his brothers, and it’s still very weird and new to him. But obviously his brothers (as well as April and Splinter, once you get to know them) are pretty touchy, but a few of them are better at picking up on Donnie’s thing with touch than others. Overtime I feel like they would be able to get him more and more acquainted with things like casual hugs and friendly touch, and the more he gets used to these things, the less they startle him every time. Though I do imagine he has a few relapses in the future (which I do plan to write about) where touch goes back to being startling and scary, and it takes him a day or so to warm back up to it. Mostly good things, though! Donnie truly does love the familial affection, though he’s not likely to admit it

When did the boys prepare Donnie’s room?

I imagine they made his room during the last chapter, after Splinter’s apology and after April and Mayhem left, when everyone began to split up to do their own things. The timeline is a little questionable, but I like to think they had a good hour in there, and most of the materials were already there and ready -the room was likely empty, too, and was acting as some sort of storage room that they never knew what to do with. I tried to make it obvious that they’d been pressed for time and hadn’t been able to do much, hence the hastily made bed frame and why there were only two other pieces of furniture

Will Donnie ever feel comfortable enough to remove his tech around the lair in the future?

I feel that, much like canon Donnie, wearing his tech is a bit of a habitual thing. He doesn’t really see a reason to take it off, even if he’s technically safe in the lair, especially because it was ingrained in him via Draxum that his tech is everything keeping him safe. His tech is his armor and his safety blanket, and even if he knows, logically, he’s not going to be ambushed in the middle of the lair, it’s hard to take it off. Eventually, though, I feel like his brothers help with that. At one point Raph probably starts trying to train him to build strength and muscle on his own so he doesn’t have to rely on his limb clamps, and, as Donnie gets more comfortable with his brothers, he starts feeling relaxed enough to remove his battle shell when lounging around with them

Would Splinter try to bond with Donnie and attempt to form a better connection with him?

Splinter really does love his son and wants to spend time with him! But...uh...as of the story’s ending...he doesn’t know very much about him. He knows he was raised by Draxum to be a soldier and is very good with technology, but other than that...next to nothing. But it’s a great motivator! Splinter 100% wants to know Donnie as well as he knows his other boys, so he pulls out every stop to try and bond with him, making sure not to rush him despite his curiosity and family-oriented nature, because Donnie is currently pretty skeptical of adults (even Splinter) for...obvious reasons. But he wants to get to know Splinter, too, and, yeah, he’s willing to sit through his 5+ hour Lou Jitsu monologues to let that happen

How does Donnie feel about the boys’ future plans to capture oozesquitos and sabotage Draxum? Does he still have conflicted feelings about humans?

After the initial adrenaline and shock of everything subsides, I feel like it was Donnie’s idea to go after the oozesquitos. He probably wakes up in a cold sweat one night remembering oh yeah, Draxum and I unleashed a swarm of carrier bugs upon New York that are set on turning people into mutants and immediately feels the need to remedy his past mistake. So he builds a device to track the oozesquitos, which leads the boys to Big Mama’s hotel, and the rest is history (though slightly different than it was in canon, considering Donnie’s knowledge of Big Mama’s schemes and the Battle Nexus). But in terms of Draxum, Donnie would definitely be far more hesitant about trying to sabotage him. Donnie is still afraid of Draxum, after all -a small part of him feels like everything with his brothers is only temporary, and eventually he’s going to be stuck with Draxum again, and the further on his bad side he gets now, the worse it’s going to be when that does happen. He never directly challenges or fights Draxum whenever they run into him, and if there’s a way to avoid clashing with him altogether, he’ll take it

As for humans, Donnie’s definitely still conflicted about them. It’s been ingrained in him his whole life that humans are evil and selfish- that they forced his whole race underground and that’s the reason they now live in secrecy. And honestly, not even Splinter actually knows if that’s true. So Donnie remains skeptical, but overtime he’s able to do a lot more things around the city without fear of humans. They’re not actually that dangerous, he discovers, and maybe -just maybe- they’re alright. But there’s only one human Donnie grows to fully trust, and that’s April. In his eyes, she’s already proved her loyalty and compassion and, y’know, desire not to out him and his brothers to all of human-kind, not to mention she’s super badass and someone Donnie does not want on his bad side again. She’s a good friend, he realizes. He can definitely understand why she’s part of the family

How much does Donnie know about the Hidden City? Does he know about Big Mama and her hotel? How would the boys’ interactions with Big Mama change with this version of Donnie?

Considering he was raised with Draxum (who is apparently a well-known public figure in the Hidden City) he definitely has a fair amount of knowledge about the place, as well as a few ins and yōkai to go to when he needs something done. He’s very well-known himself, and actually has a reputation as a very intimidating soldier. He’s also well-versed in Big Mama’s tricks, because she and Draxum have done business before and she’s 100% tried to kidnap him for the Battle Nexus (emphasis on tried). Harking back to the question about Donnie’s oozesquito-capturing plan, the episode would definitely go differently with him there. It would be a great Leo and Donnie bonding episode, because neither of them trust Big Mama in the slightest, and Raph and Mikey would be far more cautious around her, though still intrigued by the concept of a mutant hotel and her apparent interest in helping them. But I think Donnie would manage to slip out with Leo before their brothers are captured, then it would be a race with a hilarious amount of arguing until they rescue Raph and Mikey, then everything would likely proceed as normal for the rest of the episode

Is Donnie jealous that April gets to attend school? What would his relationships with the Purple Dragons be like?

Donnie has no idea what school is. He’s heard mention of it in shows he’s pirated, but it isn’t until April comes to him one day complaining about her workload that he asks what she’s talking about. Once she explains it, he’s ecstatic! A place you can go to learn about math, science, history, and any other subject you could ever want? How much does it cost? ...It’s free?! He’s begging April to smuggle him in. She absolutely does not want to deal with that, but Donnie did make her a whole laptop and upgrade her phone a whole bunch, so how can she say no? She agrees to take him the next day, but it doesn’t fully occur to Donnie that the school is crowded with humans until he gets there. He’s on-edge the entire day, and it doesn’t help that he’s a weird green-skinned new kid no one’s ever seen before. I imagine it would be a great chapter for some good old fashioned Donnie and April bonding, and I’m 100% going to write it now, so anything else would be considered a spoiler

As for the Purple Dragons, I imagine their relationship wouldn’t be too different. The Purple Jacket episode would go relatively the same way, though I imagine Donnie would be a little more reluctant to actually join the Dragons, and way more irritating throughout the rest of the episode. But the plot and their feelings toward each other would likely remain the same

Does Donnie still eat bugs?

The whole thing with the bugs is basically...Draxum didn’t know what to feed Donnie as a baby, so he went to a local animal expert who recommended things like fruits, veggies, bugs, etc. So, considering that Draxum’s main priority was rebuilding his lab and he didn’t really have the resources to get food for anyone but himself (and maybe Huginn and Muninn- though they probably stuck to dumpster diving), Donnie’s appetite ended up consisting completely of typical turtle food, and only when he got older did Draxum started adding in things like nutrient bars and protein shakes, just to help him build more strength and muscle. So Donnie never really had anything else before he met his brothers, and it feels weird to him to jump straight from turtle to human food, so he slowly incorporates more of the latter into his diet overtime. He does still eat bugs, though. Splinter started getting him things like bug chips and seasoned bugs to make it less unsettling, but now he just eats those all the time and none of the others care for it. If a live bug happens to get in his way, he definitely won’t hesitate to eat it, and, yeah, sometimes it’s startling and almost made Leo throw up once, but it’s also really helpful if there’s a bug in the lair and none of the others want to deal with it. Donnie has eaten a spider before. The others just pretend it never happened

[annakie]

A Lot of Words about a Thing

This is a “I’m writing this out so next time someone asks I can just point them to this (or copy/paste) instead of having to type it again” thing.

I’ve been doing Hello Fresh for the last two or three months and I thought I’d talk about the ups and downs of it and if I’m going to keep doing it.  This is not an endorsement (which will be clear when you get to the overall middling scoring), but I will put a link at the bottom so we can both get a deal if you want to try it.

---------------

So anyway, I had been thinking about doing a meal kit for a long time but pulled the trigger on it back in... like Mid-January, I guess? 

the tl;dr of it all is that I like it and I’ll probably keep doing it for awhile, but it’s not for everyone, and is expensive for what it is, especially if you already know how to cook.

Before I started, I made myself sit down and write out a quick list of what I wanted to get out of trying a meal kit experience, so I’ll rate how successful or not each one of those things is.

First of all, I want to also say, I can already cook.  I’m a pretty good cook.  I can follow a recipe and improvise successfully when necessary usually.  One reason why a lot of people do a meal kit is because they need to learn how to cook and that definitely wasn’t me.

Also, they offer a variety of number and portions on meals to try.  I get three meals a week, with two portions a meal, which means I cook Hello Fresh for dinner one night, and usually the next night have the leftovers.  Friday night is usually “Yay You Made It To The Weekend, You Get To Order Takeout” night.  You can order for several more meals a week, and for up to four portions in each meal, if you want.

So on to the reasons why I decided to try HF, with a grading of how I feel about each one after trying.

Reason One: Try Something New

I was super excited at the beginning of the pandemic now working from home full time, because this was a great chance to really start trying some new recipes.  I had fallen into a pretty bad rut for awhile of some of the same frozen type meals or just making super easy things for dinner and sandwiches for lunch pre-pandemic.  Even though my commute was stupid easy I often felt too wiped at the end of the day to make like, real meals.  So when the pandemic hit and I was Home All The Time, for the first couple of months I was buying interesting ingredients (what I could get my hands on at the time) and really digging into making new and interesting things.  Even baking my own bread and bought some new kitchen gadgets like a pressure cooker to expand my repertoire. 

By like... the end of summer... well the good news was that I was still cooking and hadn’t fallen back to a packaged-food routine most of the time (though still some frozen pizzas or bags of pre-made Asian or Italian food you cook on the stovetop mostly for lunch) but also I had more or less found The Ten Things I Make (like Spaghetti, a great chicken and rice dish that is so good and makes about 6 meals worth of leftovers) and I was real tired of like, recipe hunting.  The most work I was then doing was finding new pressure cooker recipes and tbh almost all of what I was making was Chicken In Some Kind of Sauce Over Rice.  I was burned out.

So Hello Fresh... has been great for that.  I have only made the same thing a couple of times and those were only because i loved them so much the first time I wanted that thing again.  For the most part, I have tried just a ton of new things, including some ingredients I’ve never worked with before or really thought I wouldn’t like!  And I did!  I feel like I am often trying something I have never made before.

Reason 1.5: Variety

OK this is hand-in-hand with Something New but also slightly different.

Try Something New would be rated like a 4.5 out of 5 stars.... but some stars are taken away though, because a lot of their recipes are very similar.  For a protein, there’s like, chicken breasts, hamburger meat, pork chops, chicken sausage and pork sausage.  Occasionally steak.  Basically every meal will start with one of those things.... oh and I guess there’s like some fish choices, but I hate fish.  There’s also vegetarian options, which I have only occasionally gotten.  So within the variety, there’s a lot of similarities.

Also there are a lot of same ingredients in their recipes.  I have grated a lot of lemons and limes.  I have chopped up a lot of carrots, green onions, and potatoes (so many potatoes.)  I have consumed more sour cream than I ever have.  I have started looking for ways to add even a little more variety to the things that are often-repeats that they give you.  

But part of that is my fault -- I am mostly selecting items that I know I will like, or can modify to how I like.  There are a lot of veggie and fish-based choices I could pick up most weeks which I avoid. 

And almost everything I’ve ever made... I’d make again.  I save all the recipe cards so that someday when I don’t wanna do HF anymore, I will have all them all handy to make later.  The HF Subreddit also has a lot of resources like how to do their custom spice mixes, very handy.   There’s been maybe 3 things I’ve made which I’d say were Just Okay, but nothing I’d say that was bad.   And some of the ideas in this paragraph I talk about more, further down.

But also on the topic of “Variety” -- since every meal I make has two portions (occasionally I will stretch something to three) -- points are given back because I’m not “Making a huge pot of spaghetti that I eat for five meals in a row.”  So that’s good, even if it means more cooking overall.

So honestly, on Something New overall, I’ll give this like a 3.5 out of 5 stars, correcting up to 4 stars on a curve, since I strike entire categories of their offerings based on my own tastes.  They offer a pretty good variety of meals to select, and part of the problem here is my fault for hating All Seafood and not being thrilled with the vegetarian options (I also don’t feel like I’m getting my money’s worth without a protein) so there are a lot of meals re-using similar ingredients.   It slides back down to a 3.5 though when you factor in Reasons 3 & 4 below.

Reason Two: Kill Analysis Paralysis

A thing I found increasingly happening by the end of last year was analysis paralysis.  Especially as I started a new job where I’m much, much busier (but happier) in October.  I would find myself staring at the fact that I’d have to make the decision on What To Make For Dinner and dreading it more and more.  It wasn’t really the cooking I hated, but the deciding what to cook, which got me into the lack of variety rut.  More often than I’d like to admit I’d just make a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese or like... just... toast... for dinner because the decision-making part of my brain was tired... or out of spoons as the kids say these days.

This is maybe my favorite part of Hello Fresh overall.  Once every week or two I log onto HF, pick what I’m going to eat like... 5 or 6 weeks in the future, which I can do at a time when I have that decision-making energy, and forget about it.  Every Monday a box shows up on my doorstep, I see what nice things I picked out for myself several weeks ago, and the most I have to decide is which order I will make those things in.

So when it’s a “Make Dinner” day, I don’t have that “shit, I have to make a decision” feeling.  I already know because I pre-planned it back when I wasn’t at the end of a long workday.  It’s one of those small, dumb things that really really helps me mentally in an almost inexplicable way.  And I can feel better about myself because I didn’t eat something dumb for dinner.  And I still allow myself to make easy things for lunch, like a small frozen pizza, a sandwich and some chips, or hey, Kraft Dinner.  And sometimes I do make a big pot of Spaghetti or something that I love and will just have that for lunch every day for a week, and so I don’t have to feel like I’m always cooking.

And on Eat HF Leftovers For Dinner nights, that’s even better, because I have a tasty meal and it just had to get reheated in the microwave or stovetop.  Some meals are easy to half-prepare ahead of time on day one, and just do the last steps on leftover night the next night to have fresher dinner easily.

 Just 5 out of 5 stars here.  This is my favorite part.

Reason Three: Eat More Vegetables.

Uh, yeah, I’m terrible about eating veggies on my own.  The best I can do usually is buy a bag of mixed greens and try to have a side salad with dinner, or buy bags of frozen foods and hope they come with veggies I’d eat. 

So the good thing here, is that when HF sends me vegetables to make, if it’s a veggie I like, I’ll probably make it.

The big problem, though, is that there’s no substitutions.  And I’m still not gonna eat brussell sprouts or, broccoli, or mushrooms. I was a sport and tried making them (except the mushrooms) the first time I got recipes that used them as sides.  And nope... still cant.

But hey, I have done a lot better at eating more fresh green beans, and onions, and carrots, and peppers.  Though sometimes I just snack on the bell pepper instead of cooking it. Still, I call it a win.

I really, really wish I could trade out the side-dish vegetables I know I won’t eat for like, a small side salad, an apple, or hey, even just... carrots!  But nope, no substitutions. =\  I’d score this way better if we could do so.

Still, I’m doing better here, and overall, more vegetables are being eaten.  So, 3 out of 5 stars.

Reason Four: Waste Less Food

The amount of fruit and vegetables I’ve ordered and thrown away over the last year make me cringe.  I would order things with every intention of eating them and then just... not.  Oh yeah I need two lemons, an orange and two limes in case I make ____ recipe!  I need a new bag of baby carrots to snack on and make a side dish and cut into a salad! 

And then I maybe... maybe use half of that before it goes bad.

Probably less.  Because of the Analysis Paralysis and not trying new things.  You run into that problem where you don’t have the ingredients on hand to make a new thing so you can’t make a new thing... but then you buy them but forgot (crucial thing) so the thing still doesn’t get made.  Or you just... don’t plan when you’re gonna make the thing and by the time I’d be like “Oh yeah I should make something with those vegetables” they’d have already turned.

SO... I felt shitty throwing away so much produce, and loaves of bread, and other perishable food that got maybe half-eaten.  So much, for so long.  Yeah, I know I could do better with my meal planning, but it’s been one of those things I always vow to do, and then did not do that thing.

Doing HF has really made me re-evaluate what I buy as groceries, and I have cut way down on ordering unnecessary produce and perishables like bread.  Because I don’t really have to worry about dinner and am allowing myself to do easy lunches that don’t require real “cooking.”  So, overall I am definitely buying and tossing less food.

Also just as another quick note -- what also tends to get tossed out of my HF boxes is a “spicy ingredient”  But in some ways, this works in HF’s favor.  I don’t really like spicy foods.  A small amount of spice is OK but I’d rather just do without it in most things, sorry I’m that white girl.  Most “Spicy” HF meals get spicy by a spice blend, a packet of sriracha / hot sauce, or a jalapeno which they want you to cut up and include.  So whenever I see something that looks good but listed as “spicy”, I can check the ingredient list first and see what makes it spicy, If I think the thing still sounds good without the spicy part, I can order it.  So yeah, I’ll toss spicy ingredients, but that is 100% my choice and it makes things better because it gives me more variety to order those meals and still make it to my own taste.

Oh, and occasionally, the produce is just bad when you get it or not long after.  I haven’t had this problem often, mostly with ginger and garlic.  I do evaluate which meal has the most perishables when I get my box on Mondays and make those first.  Apparently you can call customer service if this happens for a small credit, but I just use pre-diced garlic or powdered ginger when this has happened to me.

So, this would be a 4.5 out of 5 except for... as discussed above... I end up tossing out HF vegetables on occasion I know I hate and won’t eat, and they won’t let me make substitutions. 

But also... cooking for myself... when I make a big batch of something that lasts 4 - 6 portions... more often than I’d like to admit, the last portion or two would never get eaten.  Sometimes I’d TELL myself I’d eat them in a week or so and freeze them only to throw it all away months later.

So let’s call this a 4 out of 5.  Overall, significantly less food waste with HF.

Reason Five: Save Time

I thought that doing HF would mean less prep-work and less time in the kitchen, especially with their easy-to-follow recipes and pre-measured ingredients.

So in that way, yes, time is saved, and it so again takes that mental load off in a lot of ways of not having to make all those pesky decisions.  The materials you’re working with and what you need to do are all Right There for you.  It’s really, nice.

As a side note, like I said I’m a good cook, and I haven’t had any problems following along anything I’ve made, but there were a few things I think are more of a moderate skill level and could be a little challenging for newcomers.  But then, I see people on the HF subreddit all the time saying they learned to cook with no skill and they find the recipes easy so... we’re good there.

However, Saving Time loses points for two big reasons:

First, I’m only making two portions of each meal.  Which, ok... this is my decision.  I could order four portions per meal.  But then... hey that’s taking big points away on the “variety” front. 

The Vegetable Chopping / prep work on a lot of the recipes often takes 10 - 20 minutes, depending on the number of fruits and veggies.  So yay for meeting Goal #3 (more veggies) even if it is balanced out by Goal #5.

And unfortunately, most meals end up taking up more dishes than I’d like to clean up (usually at least a pan and baking sheet, sometimes also a pot.  Plus knife, cutting board, tongs, stirring spoon, maybe a zester, etc.)  So no time is saved on cleanup, either.

Mostly where time is saved is having to pick out recipes and making sure you have/buy all the ingredients.  Not much is saved in the actual cooking.

I do, however, enjoy the time I spent cooking and the knowledge that I’m gonna make something good, so we’ll give it a bit back, there.

As a time saver, I’d give HF a 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Reason Six: Save Money

Y’all, Hello Fresh is expensive.  Honestly the #1 reason I re-evaluate whether I want to keep going with it every few weeks is the cost.  Even though I can afford it.

For basically six meals a week, I’m paying $63 for the food, plus $9 for the shipping.

Which means I’m paying $12 a meal.  For food I make myself.

Not cheap.  A luxury.

Where I don’t feel quite so bad about it is the fact that... for the most part, I am wasting a lot less food.  Except, as mentioned, when I can’t swap out vegetables I hate for something I’d actually eat.

So that makes it irk me even more when I am throwing out vegetables I really hate, because they’re expensive vegetables.

Also that price tag is motivation to make and eat every meal.

Overall, my grocery bills have gone down... honestly pretty significantly.  Because I’m not overbuying food!  Now, they haven’t gone down enough to even out the cost for Hello Fresh... I’m still probably spending about 50% more overall for each dinner now than I was before.

This isn’t a cost savings.  It’s an expense, but one I can afford.  And part of writing out this post is to remind myself to decide when the experience is no longer worth the expense.

1 out of 5 stars.

Reason Seven: Eat Better

I would like to challenge myself to define “Better” because that’s all I wrote down when I made the list.

Healthier?  Eeeehhhhhh.... maybe?  But not much.

Hello Fresh does offer lighter choices, and sometimes I pick those because they look good and are filled with things I will eat!

But I’m just as likely to pick the most calor-ific things on the menu.

HF also adds a lot of Sour Cream to their recipes, and encourage you to salt and butter your food liberally.  I try to cut down on some of this where I think it’s too much.  But sometimes there’s not much to cut out and still have the meal you ordered.

But also I’m not eating any worse calorie-wise than I was before, probably.  And overall I’m eating a lot more “real food” instead of “packaged food” and fast food than I was.... especially pre-pandemic.  And again, I AM eating a lot more vegetables, so.... that’s... better?

If I define better as Tastier, yeah, I’m doing pretty good in that regard, haha. 

So Better as in healthier: 2.5 of 5 stars.

Better as in tastier: 4 out of 5 stars.

Overall Scoring & Tips

Okay, overall that comes out to a 3.18 out of 5, which I’d round up to a 3.5... which is a pretty good score for how I feel about HF overall.  My current plan is to keep doing it until I go back to working in the office again, and re-evaluate.  For now, it works for me.

IF YOU WANT TO TRY IT, this is my referral link, you’ll get $70 off over a month’s worth of meals (so like, $20 or something off 3 boxes and $10 off the last one, something like that. 

I also have four “Free box” codes to give out, PM me if you want one of those.  I don’t think those are compatible with the $70 off link, but it might be a box of completely free food for you?  I don’t know how it works, but this may be the better deal?  PM me.

If you decide to go for it, here’s a few tips:

Every week or two, go in and choose your meals, don’t let HF choose for you unless you really don’t care.

Read the ingredient list and make sure there’s not too much stuff you don’t like coming in a meal.

The extras are pretty expensive and not really worth it.

Plan on each meal taking about 45 minutes to cook from start to finish including chopping vegetables.  Another 10 - 20 with cleanup depending if you have to handwash dishes or not.

Look for ways to make the meal healthier, especially if it encourages you to add more butter and salt near the end.  You probably do NOT need to do so.

Buy a decent pepper.  I love McCormick’s Peppercorn Medley pepper grinder.  Also sea salt grinder is my personal salt preference.

Add some of your own seasonings.  I buy a jar of pre-diced garlic (yes yes I know the criticisms of the stuff but it’s easy) and throw in a half tablespoon or so of that into a lot of recipes.  Also there are a lot of potatoes that they want you to just cook with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Throw some garlic or onion salt on them, or some Lawry’s Seasoning Salt or steak salt of your choice for some variety.

Your basic 2 quart pot, 8 - 12″ frying pan and cookie sheet, plus a cutting board, decent veggie knife, and typical kitchen utensil set are all you need.  However, a decent meat thermometer and a zester that collects the zest as you go are both highly recommended. 

A sieve and very small rice cooker have also been a lifesaver for making good rice that doesn’t get overcooked.

[xpeachesncream]

off the grid | two

summary: it was as simple as swapping places with a stranger from across the world to get away from everything back home. that is - until you meet Jimin. things become more complicated as he unfolds a new chapter in your life that you were initially trying to avoid.

pairing: reader x pjm

genre: post-college au, christmas/holiday au | angst, fluff, smut (to come)

words: 3191

chapter warnings: cussing / mature language, definitely inaccurate depiction of transportation, events and whereabouts in South Korea since i only did my research thru the internet, jimin is cute as fuck for being such an angel

> series masterlist <

You tried sleeping in after Namjoon and Yoongi's call, but you couldn't fall back asleep no matter how exhausted your body still felt. Instead, you sat up in bed, scrolling through the pictures you took from your stroll in the nearby streets yesterday. You didn't get too far, yet you came back with so many small goodies already. You kept stopping by every shop on the street, and you ate such delicious food that you were contemplating on getting more today. But, you were also determined to travel a little bit further and start some real adventures for yourself.

You got yourself washed up and ready for the day. You did your usual of prepping a very light breakfast for yourself, just to give you enough fuel to kick off the morning. While doing so, surprisingly unsurprised, you were certain you heard Jimin's voice in the hallway. You stared at the door as you stood and ate some cereal on the kitchen island, waiting for his knock to come.

"Knock, knock." He says, following with two soft knocks. You walked over, bowl in hand, as you opened the door to see Jimin standing there with a huge smile on his face and another tupperware in hand. "I come bearing gifts?" He steps in as you shut the door behind him.

"Aw, thanks! More food?"

"Yup."

"Assuming your parents still don't know Yana isn't here?" You chuckled.

"Not at all." He scratched the back of his neck and laughed nervously. "But I'll deal with it later."

"Mm, you should probably deal with it before Christmas rolls around, sir."

"Yesma'am." He salutes you playfully. "Did you eat the stuff that I brought yesterday?"

"Sure did, for a night time snack." He chuckled as he placed the new tupperware in the fridge.

"Body still adjusting?"

"Pretty much." You say as you begin to wash your bowl.

"What's your plan today, Miss Y/N?" You softly chuckle as you wipe your hands down.

"Just roam around."

"Let me know if you need anything, or if you need anyone to show you around." He held out his hand, signaling for your phone so he can put his number in.

"I may just take you up on that offer."

"Good." He smiled. "Well, I'll catch you later? I'll leave you to your peace." You nod as you follow him to the door.

"Thanks again for the food."

"No problem. Eat up." He taps the door frame before shutting the door close. You look down at your phone and see Jimin's contact info still on the screen. Or should we say, "PRINCE CHARMING 🥵😍" since that's what he decided to name himself?? Let's not forget to peep the little tidbit he put in the notes: "My name is Jimin but you can call me tonight ;)" Who even uses the 'Notes' section under the contact's info?

His use of emojis and cheesy lines made you laugh to yourself, but you left it anyways. You were highly thinking about taking up his offer on having someone show you around, but you kept reminding yourself that the whole reason you came here was to do this solo. But, god, there's only so many things you can achieve as a solo newbie in a place like South Korea. Would it truly hurt to get some help or advice from someone?

On your way to the train station, you came across a lively farmer's market. The cold was biting at every inch of your body no matter how bundled you were, cheeks rosy and glowing. Being that the farmer's market was booming at this time, you figured checking out the station map could wait. Long aisles of stands with colorful fresh fruit and vegetables had you stopping almost every second to try samples. Fruit and veggies certainly tasted fresh, and it was a nice feeling on your tongue. None of that pesticide, wax-covered bullshit back home. There was music playing in the background, one being a street artist playing his violin in this cold. You threw some change into his case and continued down the aisle, where more vendors were selling their own art and home-made goods.

You spent quite some time here, as it seemed like the booths would never end. It eventually did, and it brought you right to the train station that would bring you to Myeongdong. Luckily, it was a simple, straightforward trip and you'd be on your way to more exploring. You planned to get some lunch first though because you can most definitely hear the street food calling your name.

As you continued down the street with your food in hand, you heard someone call you by name from behind.

"Y/N?" You turned your attention towards the street behind you to find Jimin pushing his way through the crowd with a huge smile on his face.

"Are you following me, Park Jimin?" You chuckled. He was wearing the same outfit you saw him in this morning, which was a thick sweater and leather jacket, dark grey jeans and boots. He had a hat on and some oversized glasses, which you thought fit his frame perfectly well.

"Definitely. Just had to make sure you knew what you were doing out here." He laughed. "Enjoying yourself?"

"Yeah, it's great. Do you come here often?"

"To be honest, not really. But the guys and I had nothing else to do today, plus-"He holds up a bag. "Ma put in a request for some stuff she was looking for since I was going to be here."

"That's sweet of you." You smiled toothlessly, watching as he beamed from ear to ear. Definitely a mama's boy, and a handsome one at that.

"Yeah, I do what I can." He shoved the bag down back to his side and tugged on his own shoulder bag. "Where are you headed after this?"

"Honestly? Wherever the wind brings me." You shrugged.

"You should tag along with me and my friends. We're uh, not doing anything fancy besides going to the comic cafe." He snorted nervously, hoping you wouldn't be one to label him as a dweeb this early on. "It's near the Dongdaemun Night Market. I think you'll enjoy grabbing some dinner there."

"Yeah, I'll come with. That sounds fun." You began to walk alongside of him as he walked back towards the opposite end of the street.

"Sorry, were you done looking here? I could accompany you while you keep looking." He paused to look down at you.

"No." You instantly shook your head. "Uh, I think I'm all good." You took one last look behind you, a little unsure since there was a store you still wanted to check out before leaving. You didn't wanna burden Jimin and his friends though, this wasn't their plan.

"You sure?" He smirked.

"Maybe not?"

"Let's go, I can tell you still wanna look around."

"Jimin, I can go alone-"

"It's not an issue, Y/N. Besides, Jungkook and Taehyung are still wandering around." He nodded towards the one shop you were eyeing. "Come on." You smiled toothlessly and followed him into the store.

"By the way, nice contact name." You showed him his contact info on your phone, making him laugh.

"Yeah, it's gold isn't it? Trying to stand out. I'm surprised you kept it."

"Your work of art. I don't meddle."

"Ah, touché. I like a girl who can appreciate good art." He winked, causing your cheeks to heat up as you blushed and looked down at the ground below you. He stepped into the clothing store and slowed his pace to let you lead the way. The one thing you were eyeing were the puffy jackets and coats because who can have too many outerwear? Jimin bit onto his bottom lip as he watched your eyes light up at the coats in front of you, touching everything you came across.

"These are so cute. I want it all." Jimin chuckled.

"Looks like you'll be needing another luggage to go home with you." You hung onto a beige colored puffy jacket, then reached out for a plaid coat.

"There's so many colors, I can't decide." He pointed to the plaid coat next to the one you had reached out for.

"That color would look nice on you." You smiled at him and nodded.

"Thanks. That makes it easier."

"You do have enough warm jackets for your stay right? There's a possibility it'll snow soon."

"Yeah, I think I'll be alright?" He nodded.

"I don't know Y/N, that doesn't sound convincing." He did a quick head tilt. "Make sure you get something warm then, please. The cold bites down here. I wouldn't want you to be miserable for the rest of your stay." He leaned against the rack. "Like that." He pointed at a thick parka. "Might be good to have that in your stack."

"Ou." Your mouth formed an 'o' shape as you grabbed the olive parka and swung it over your arm.

"Well, that was easy." He laughed.

"I trust your word." You began to quickly scan the rest of the floor, making sure you wouldn't miss anything. But also, you didn't wanna take too much time off of Jimin's hands.

"Ayo!" You hear someone call from behind you. You continue to walk the floor, hearing Jimin's laugh from behind, followed by a couple of unfamiliar voices. "Stop being a creep."

"I'm not being a creep, you idiot." Jimin laughed and shrugged off his friend. "I'm helping Y/N out."

"She's here?" You turn to look at the three boys standing behind you.

"Y/N, this is Jungkook and Taehyung." You smiled softly and shook their hands. "I really apologize about them in advance."

"Hey, nice to finally meet you!" Jungkook smiled as he pushed Jimin aside. He was also very attractive, standing just an eensy weensy bit taller than Jimin. He had tattoos on his hand and his wavy, black hair was parted, falling down on either sides of his face and right at the eyes. He had big, doe eyes and a good build. Even though he was wearing baggy layers, you could tell his ass lived at the gym with the way his shoulders were built and how his collarbone was sharply poking out from his shirt.

"Sounds like you've heard of me." You chuckled.

"Jimin won't stop bringing up your name."

"Don't listen to him. He's making that up." Jimin's cheeks turned slightly rosy.

"That's not nice to lie, Jimin-ssi." Jungkook pinched his side, making him laugh and playfully hit him back. You scrunched your nose at how cute the interaction was, not feeling out of place at all between the two.

"Hey Y/N, Taehyung." Taehyung shows off a boxy smile as he gently shakes your hand. He looked like an artist, pulling a Jack from Titanic who was ready to draw one of his french girls kind of vibe - clad in brown pants, a black turtleneck, a long coat and low cut sneakers.

"She's gonna come along with us."

"Cool! Preparing yourself for the weather?" Jungkook asked as he quickly checked out the men's shirts across from you, while Jimin and Taehyung continued to talk and laugh on the side.

"I was warned by Jimin." You chuckled.

"He's right, it can be freezing here. Do you need any help carrying your stuff?"

"I'm good! Thanks. I think I'm about done anyways." Your mouth curved into a small smile before you walked off to the registers, grabbing a scarf on the way over just because. You definitely did not anticipate to spend like this already, but hey, self-care am I right?

"Let me hold that for you." Jimin takes the paper bag from you.

"You don't-"

"Is it like this in California or something?" He laughed.

"What?"

"Feeling shy when someone offers to hold your bags?"

"It's just not a consistent thing, I guess? At least not that I've experienced much. It could be different for others." You spare him the details. Now that you think of it, Romeo has never offered to carry your bags like that. Ever. He obviously lacked a lot of common courtesy.

"Interesting." Is all he says as he shrugs and continues on. You clutched onto your bag strap as you followed the three, suddenly questioning how you got from going around solo to now tagging along with your home swapee's brother and his friends. Jimin slightly slowed his pace to catch up to you, pulling you out of your thoughts when he shared a small laugh. "You okay? Suddenly having regrets?"

"No, I'm good." You chuckled as you tugged into the strap harder.

"Do you ready any comics?"

"I used to when I was younger. Now I just don't have time to even find a good read."

"That busy, huh?"

"I guess so. Or I guess, sorry, I just don't find the time so it's partially my fault."

"No need to apologize. You should make more time for yourself though."

"Yeah, I know." You looked up at him and smiled toothlessly. He returns the favor before opening the back passenger car door for you, allowing you to situate yourself first. As you fasten your seatbelt, Jungkook adjusts his rearview mirror before starting the car and switching its gears.

"So, what's California like?" Taehyung asked as he whipped his head around from the passenger's seat.

"You never said exactly where you were from." Jimin chimed in as he cocks his head to the side to look at you.

"Los Angeles." The boys collectived oo'd and aw'd together.

"I've been there before!" Jungkook rose one hand off of the wheel. "I did a summer dance camp there and spent time with my family going around. Like Universal Studios, that was fun." He excitedly bounced in the driver's seat.

"Did you like it?" He nodded happily.

"Very much so. I'd love to go back. You should take me with you when you go back." Jimin threw a piece of crumpled paper at the back of his head.

"I'll keep that in mind." You laughed.

"The views are amazing and-" Jungkook continued to reminisce on his memories, but was abruptly cut off by Taehyung.

"I wanna hear what it's like from Y/N, not you." Jungkook popped Taehyung on the side of neck.

"It's busy." You chuckled. "It's busy and usually always hot. Lots of people, lots of cars, lots of things to do. People are always on the move."

"Does it feel any different being here?"

"Yeah, it does. I can't really explain it." Although Seoul was just as lively and the hustle and bustle was apparent, Los Angeles just felt like.. life was moving way too fast. Like no one really had time to appreciate life as much as they do here. There's always things that need to get done, and you're more worried about other people than yourself. No one took the time to just slow down.

"I imagine so. I've seen a lot of things about LA. Lots of Hollywood stars and famous people." Taehyung continued to look at you, resting his head against the head rest.

"Yeah, that's definitely the it thing there."

"Maybe we can all go back with Y/N."

"I don't have a big place but I'm sure we can make it work." The rest of the ride included the boys loudly singing along to the songs that came up. If you weren't mistaken, you could have sworn you heard Jimin's angelic singing voice pop out every now and then. He tried to keep it lowkey. Keyword: tried.

At the comic cafe, Taehyung and Jungkook went their separate ways to find what they were looking for while you stayed near the entrance, looking at the cute stationary items. Jimin had left you to browse but came back to your side as soon as he found what he needed, worried you'd feel lost and out of place. You reassured him and told him he didn't need to rush, but as you were picking up quite quickly, it was just in Jimin's nature to be that caring.

Time had gone by so fast, you didn't even realize how hungry you were. Dongdaemun Night Market was crowded as hell; so crowded that you had to try your best to squeeze through without being rude.

"Y/N, hold onto me." Jimin looked back, holding out his arm for you to hook onto. Jungkook led the way, with Taehyung holding onto his shoulders as they navigated through the crowd. Jungkook looked back at you both, pointing towards one of the food vendors. "Are you okay with eating some tonkatsu?"

"I'm down for whatever." You said, feeling a little flustered from the crowd. Jimin signaled a thumbs up to Jungkook before turning towards the seating area. He was able to snag a table so that you both could sit and wait, instead of being in the crowd.

"Sorry, I forgot to mention that it gets really busy here."

"It's alright, thanks for guiding me through the crowd."

"You feeling tired or anything?"

"A bit." You yawned into your elbow.

"We'll get you home after so you can rest up." Sooner or later, Jungkook and Taehyung come back with two trays, both loaded with tonkatsu rice bowls and sauce.

"Here you go." Jungkook smiled as he placed your bowl down in front of you.

"Oh, thank you! How much do I owe you?"

"Don't sweat it. My treat." He shook his head.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive, Y/N. Please eat." He chuckled. The rest of dinner was pretty quiet, as everyone was hungrier than expected. They would break the silence every now and then, talking about the rest of their friends and what they had been up to.

"What are your friends like, Y/N?"

"Well, to be honest, I don't have too many." You chuckled. "Not many I can actually call friends, at least."

"That's valid. That's like us, too." Jungkook responded.

"I met both of my bestfriends in high school. I'd meet people through them, but that's about it. They're really cool though, I think you all would get along with them quite well."

"What are their names?"

"Yoongi and Namjoon. They're all I really know. We've done almost everything together and we've always stuck by each other. They've always had my back and protected me."

"That's good. It's nice to have people like that in your life." Jimin says.

"What about you guys?" Taehyung adjusts the heat in the car before whipping his head around to face you.

"You should hang out with us more so you can meet Hoseok and Seokjin-hyung." Taehyung smiled. "They're super social and they always have good energy. They're fun to be around."

"Sure." You chuckled. By the time you were getting really comfortable with the warmth in the car, you had arrived back home. Jungkook and Taehyung greeted you goodnight before Jimin had shut the door and walked you upstairs.

"I know we didn't do much, but I still hope you enjoyed yourself."

"I did, thank you. Seriously."

"Did you wanna, maybe, hang out again?" He shyly asked as he scratched the nape of his neck. He was cute nervous, and there was no way you could say no to him. Besides, you were sure Jimin could help you explore more. "I just have to help my mom and dad out at their cafe tomorrow morning, but I should be good by lunch time."

"Yeah, I'd love to."

"I promise I won't disappoint." He laughed. "Goodnight, Y/N. See you tomorrow?" You nodded as you walked in. He gave off one last big smile before descending down the steps.

And you weren't gonna lie to yourself. He was so damn attractive. Everything about him so far was just different. You couldn't help but feel a little bit excited to hang out and spend more time with him.

[purplesurveys]

1250

Do you own any Funko Pop! figurines?  No. I had a brief period where I wanted to start collecting them SO BAD and often went to toy stores to gawk at the figures I felt like I needed to have; but I grew out of that and I don’t even really give Funkos a second glance whenever I see them anymore haha.

How many cats and dogs have you had as pets in your lifetime?  We’ve had one cat and two dogs.

Can your mom and/or dad play any instruments, or how about anyone else in your family?  My dad can play the guitar; he just absolutely never shows it off, not even if you lay out ten guitars in front of him. I think my mom played the piano as a kid.

Have you ever colored in an adult coloring book as a stress reliever?  Yeah, it was my coping mechanism from a few years ago. I don’t do it nearly as often anymore, but I still have my coloring books and pencils stored in my room just in case I randomly want to get back to the hobby.

Can you crack crab legs without a tool?  No, I ask my parents or grandparents to do it haha.

How many light sources are in the room you’re in?  There are two, but I only use one. I never switch on my main bedroom light as I hate how brightly white it is.

What’s your favorite thing to put on bagels?  I never get bagels so I don’t really have a clue what I prefer on them.

Who’s your favorite director?  Stanley Kubrick.

Bats: cute or gross?  Neither side of the spectrum; I just don’t think about bats.

What was the last really intense pain you felt?  I got a particularly vicious scratch from Cooper around a month ago that left a deep cut on my thigh. The scar is still visible and I think it’s going to remain that way for a while haha I don’t see it fading out anytime soon.

Would you rather vacation by a beach or a lake?  Both sound extremely pleasant but I’ll take the lake trip because I’ve never seen one, or stayed near one.

How would you feel about traveling abroad alone?  I honestly feel like it’s going to be that way for me moving forward. I’m okay with it, though. I feel like it would be very calming and empowering to be able to explore the world on my own.

What is your father's middle name?  He doesn’t have a second name.

Where did your last kiss take place?  Outside my house, by her car.

Which movie villain do you find the most terrifying?  I haven’t encountered anyone yet that truly terrified me.

If you married your favorite celebrity what would your last name be?  Kim, hahaha.

Do you stick your tongue out often in pictures?  I wouldn’t say so. I pull up the peace sign most often.

Which one of your family members are you closest to?  My sister and my eldest cousin on my mom’s side.

Would you rather have name brand shoes or name brand clothes?  Shoes. They stand out more.

Are you a good liar?  Yes. Doesn’t mean I enjoy lying and take advantage of that skill as much as possible.

Are you proud of your parents?  Sure.

If you could get backstage tickets to ANY concert - which would you pick?  Paramore. I think Hozier would be neat as fuck too.

Which is better: orange or grape soda?  I don’t like soda, so neither.

Was the last thing you ate hot or cold?  They are meant to be consumed while hot.

Who was the last person in your house who isn’t family?  Angela and Hans.

What color was the last swimsuit you wore? Pink.

Can you remember the last song you listened to?  I just tuned into a random lo-fi playlist, so I’m not familiar with the tracks and the artists who made them.

Have you ever been dumped really harshly?  Yes.

Can you do a back flip, or anything else of that sort?  Nope.

Do you have any exes you can’t stand anymore?  To a considerable extent.

What happened to cause you to feel that way about them?  She is extremely selfish and the biggest coward I’ve ever met.

Are you more of a phone or a computer person?  Laptop.

Do you have a job, and if so, where do you work?  Yeah, I work at a PR firm.

If not, do you want one?   

Do any medical afflictions run in your family? I know hypertension is kind of a thing on my mom’s side, but I don’t know if there are any other conditions I should know about. 

What’s your favorite Mexican dish?  Burritos and enchiladas.

Have you ever been to a professional sports game?  No, just collegiate-league ones.

Do you prefer pads, tampons or something else?  I use pads. I’ve never used a tampon or any other product, so there’s no basis for me to make a comparison and establish preferences.

Have you ever ordered a specially made cake from a cake shop? Yeppp, I got a customized cake for my birthday.

What months were you and your siblings born in?  My brother and I were born in April; my sister was born in September.

What did you have for dinner last night?  Barbecue chicken.

Have you ever had sex in/on a vehicle?  In, yes. Do people have sex ON cars??????

Do you do anything to groom your eyebrows?  I will shave extremely occasionally. Otherwise no, I don’t touch them.

Has your town ever flooded?  This time of the year, always.

Have you ever played at the McDonald’s play place?  Yup. I preferred Burger King’s playplace, though; it was lesser-known so there were fewer kids I was forced to play with.

Have you ever taken a picture of snow?  I’ve never even seen it.

Do you cry easily?  I can.

Are you happy with where you live?  It’s quiet and safe, which is nice; but I think at this point I would be a lot happier and would be able to grow a lot if I moved to a big city.

Do people ever mistake you for being a different race?  Not really; but as a general thought, it is an extremly big pet peeve when people only take into account East Asians when the topic of Asia comes up.

Do you hate the last person you kissed?  I don’t hate her. But I can’t stand her.

What genre is your favorite movie?  Drama, romance, a hint of comedy.

Who was the last person you were in a car with?  My mom and my siblings.

Do you like the picture on your license/I.D. card?  Yeah haha. I was allowed to smile on my license, so at least my photo doesn’t look gloomy.

When was the last time somebody hit on you?  Hasn’t happened in a while.

Was the last person you met a male or female?  For the first time? She’s a girl.

What brand is your underwear?  I don’t remember the name anymore.

What’s your favorite Thanksgiving food?  I don’t celebrate that.

Do you have a TV in your room?  Nah. I don’t really watch the TV anymore, and using the living room TV to watch YouTube videos is enough for me.

Are any of your electronics charging right now?  My laptop is constantly plugged in. My speaker is also charging at the moment.

What was the last video game you played?  I have no clue, it’s been forever.

What’s the biggest promise someone’s ever made to you? Did they keep it?  That they’ll always stay. I didn’t make her keep it; I was the one who moved on.

Google, Bing, or Yahoo?  Google.

What was the last song you had on repeat?  It’s been a while since I set a song on repeat. Maybe Film Out? If not that, maybe UGH!

Who is your favorite person to watch on YouTube?  Rhett and Link or the Try Guys.

How many college degrees do you want?  I’m okay with the one I have.

Can you wink?  Yeah, but I’m substantially better at winking with my right eye than my left.

Do you own any jerseys?  I don’t think so.

Have you ever tried to snort Pixie Stix as a child, or even an adult?  No. I don’t even think I’ve had it ever.

Do you like going to baby showers? Do you go only for the cake?  I’ve never been to a baby shower. Not a thing here.

Has there ever been a time in your life, you felt sexually undecided?  I still am. I’m not bothered about it, though. Sex and who I have it with aren’t things I spend much time thinking about.

Do you think tattoos and piercings are sexy on the opposite sex?  Depends. It certainly suits some people better.

Do people ever ask you to do things they’re too short to accomplish?  No...I am the short person asking for help :)))))))

What color are the headphones you have at this moment in time?  I have black ones but I literally just took them off five minutes ago so I can transfer my music to the speaker I mentioned earlier.

Ever choked severely on something during lunch at your school?  I don’t think so.

Do you eat more vegetables or fruits? What’s your favorite fruit/veggie?  VEGETABLES. I love green beans, eggplants, and bell peppers the most. I can’t stand fruits, with the one exception of avocados.

What would you say is the color of your favorite bra?  Black.

Is anyone in your family a firefighter? Who is it anyway?  I don’t think so. 

What do you usually buy when you go to the dollar store?  We don’t have a dollar store, and that should be self-explanatory hah.

Ever peed in the pool? Be honest!  God no. That’s gross.

When you’re older, what kind of house do you want to live in?  Something modern and minimalist.

Where do you want to get married?  Idk, I’m pretty traditional when it comes to this. Booking an events place would be ideal for me; the only thing on my wishlist would probably be the fact that I hope my wedding could be held somewhere cold, like Baguio.

Do you plan on having both your parents at your wedding?  Uh yeah, sure.

What is your favorite childhood TV show? Spongebob.

Honestly, do you like school?  I liked it when I was granted more freedom to do things my own way, which is to say I really enjoyed college. But I didn’t mind school for the most part, especially since it meant being able to see my friends everyday.

Last thing that made you cry?  I was listening to a song that resonated a lot with me at that moment.

Honestly, are you keeping a big secret right now?  Nothing too big or life-changing to someone if they ever found out.

Last person you took a walk with?  Idk, that’s not an activity I tend to do with other people.

Have you ever liked someone who didn’t like you back? No.

Who was the last person to actually pick you up in the air?  My ex, probably.

Does any part of your body hurt?  My shoulders are constantly hurting these days. I really need to buy a new work chair :( 

If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to change a regret what would you do?  Million bucks. Easiest choice.

Can you keep a secret?  Sure.

Your favorite romantic movie?  The Proposal.

How do you feel about Valentine’s Day? I honestly like it, and I celebrated it when I was able to.

Who was the last person you took a picture with?  My sister and I took a silly selfie earlier.

Do your jeans have rips, tears, and holes in them?  Some of the pairs I have do, but they’re meant to be ripped jeans.

Do you celebrate 420? Nope.

Have you ever kicked a vending machine?  I don’t think so. I barely use them.

How do you eat Oreos?  I just bite into them. No patience do the whole twist-lick thing. Sometimes I’ll dip them in milk, if we happen to have some.

Do you wear your shoes in the house?  That is a big no-no.

Would you survive in prison?  I might not.

Ever been to Georgia?  No for both state and country.

Do you get your hair cut every month?  No, just once a year. Which reminds me, I finalllllllly had my hair trimmed yesterday hahaha I got sick of my long-ass hair, which was starting to feel like a bitch to maintain. It’s only up to my shoulders now.

Current relationship in detail.  I am single...nothing much to share about it. I get to enjoy to spend my money on myself, which is my favorite part about it hahaha.

If you were kicked out of your house, who would you call/go to?  My grandma.

List things you spend money on in an average week.  Food delivery and nearly every week, merch. I’ve considerably calmed down on the latter, though.

Rate each of your sexual partners (if any) from 1-10.  I’ve only had one...I guess I’d give her a 9. A bit TMI but the oral could’ve been a little better.

Post the last FB group/page that you joined.  I was looking for FB groups for a work deliverable, but I had to join one of them to give it a better scan. I don’t remember which group it had been, though.

Would you parents be mad if you were in a relationship?  No. If they did, I would be very surprised they would still be meddling with a 23 year old’s life.

Think of the last person you had sex with. Do you think they’ve slept with anyone else since they last slept with you?  I’m sure.

Is there someone that you believe you will always be attached to?  I’m not now, so no.

What board games are you good at?  I’m quite terrible at all of them, tbh. It’s why I’ve always preferred to simply watch over my friends when they do play board or card games.

Is there a sport/hobby you keep thinking about taking up, but that you’ve never quite gotten around to starting?  Wakeboarding. Do you think pranks like egging/toilet-papering someone's house are funny or immature?  Immature.

Do you think “sleeve tattoos” are a good idea?  I’m not totally obsessed with the idea, but they do look good on people.

Is there anything in particular that your parents argue about? What? I don’t know. 100% of the time they are caused by my grown-ass mother throwing a petty-ass tantrum, so I could not care less about the things they fight about. 

Do you ever actually read the “Terms and Services” when you sign up for websites and such?  Nah.

If you have a handheld games console (a DS or GameBoy, for example), how often do you use it?  I haven’t used the Switch since last year.

Your phone is ringing. It’s the person you fell hardest for, what do you say?  Pick it up and wait for them to talk.

If your best friend was kicked out, would your parents let him/her live with you?  Probably not, knowing my mom – but I would do absolutely anything else to help.

Are you afraid of falling in love?  I guess you can say that, yeah. I’m not headed towards that feeling again anytime soon, though.

Is there anybody you wish you could be with right now?  I wish I was with my friends now.

Have you ever kissed someone & wished you didn’t?  No.

Did you get kissed last night?  Nope.

Do you enjoy going through a carwash?  Idk, I’ve never taken my car to one. That’s something my parents take charge of.

How did you get most of your scars?  Cooper.

Ever had to take an inkblot test? I haven’t.

Have you ever been in trouble for something you honestly didn’t do?  Sure. Like back in high school when a group of friends had been caught cheating on our chemistry exam – and we were told that the entire batch would be given a formal warning. I was on the minority side that found the entire situation hilarious, because I know they wouldn’t dare mar the records of everyone else who took that stupid test honestly.

Have you ever seriously slapped someone in anger?  My brother, only because he put his hands on me first.

What/who woke you up this morning?  Just me.

Who was the last person to be in your bedroom besides you?  My mom, who always goes in there without knocking/warning.

What’s one of your locked text messages?  I don’t lock my texts and I’m not sure if that’s an available feature on my phone.

Have you ever finished a game of Monopoly?  I don’t even know how that game works lol.

Is there anyone you know who’s in any way paralyzed?  Yes.

The truth all comes out when someone is drunk, true?  I mean for the most part, yeah. It’s easier to be honest with a few drinks in you. 

When was the last time you felt disappointed in yourself?  Continued from the other day. Last week when I forgot about a virtual meeting and attended it 15 minutes after it started.

How about feeling disappointed in someone else?  Last Friday when I had to watch my dad treat a service crew member like shit.

For you, do you commonly feel more jealousy or envy?  Envy, I think. I don’t really feel jealous.

Do you rely on the heads/tails flipping of a coin sometimes for decisions?  Nope, but close. I’ll do eenie-meenie sometimes haha

Do you have any specific chores you do around the house?  Nothing I’m required to do but sometimes I’ll offer to wash the dishes or fold laundry.

For you, does comfort or fashion come first in dressing?  It’s like 70% fashion, 30% comfort. Looking nice makes me feel more comfortable lol.

Have you had two friends that absolutely hated each other?  Not each other; the dislike was one-sided. Gabie hated Andi for whatever reason, which in hindsight already should’ve been a red flag.

Do you like Laffy Taffy?  No, I’ve never had one.

Do you prefer electric or manual pencil sharpeners?  Manual, only because I’ve never seen, much less use, an electric one.

Are your biceps at all noticeable?  Nah.

Have you ever seen a walrus?  It’s possible, but I don’t have very good memories of it if I have seen one.

Did you ever have one of those Easy Bake ovens as a kid?  Not a popular toy here.

Does your bathroom have a theme to it?  It doesn’t. I think that would be a little tacky tbh.

From inside of your house, how many doors lead outside?  Three. We have doors in the kitchen, dining room, and our main door by the living room.

Are there a lot of trees in your yard?  Not really.

Have you ever liked someone that treated you like crap?  Yes.

Have a best friend?  Yup.

Does it bother you when your best friend does stuff without you?  No? That’s pretty petty. Both Angela and Andi have big circles of friends and that would be stressful on my end if I made a fuss every time they hung out with anyone that isn’t me lol.

Is there a secret you’ve never told your parents?  A bunch. I don’t count them as confidantes.

Does anyone hate you? It’s possible but I don’t care enough to want to know.

What’s the one thing you regret more than anything?  Not breaking up with Gabie earlier, even though all the red flags were there.

Do you remember important dates?  For the most part, yeah.

What’s some lyrics from a song that means a lot to you?  “Dream, may all of creation be with you til the end of your life Dream, wherever you are, will welcome you Dream, may your trials end in full bloom Dream, though your beginnings might be humble, may the end be prosperous.”

Who gives the best advice?  Andi. They’re able to tell me advice I don’t want to hear but am supposed to be hearing, which I appreciate.

Who do you usually see in your dreams? :)  It’s a random cast every time.

What type of cake did you last eat?  It was carrot cake with a really good cream cheese frosting.

How many of your friends are gay or bisexual?  Almost all of them are...it’s easier to count friends who are straight.

What’s your favorite type of sandwich?  Anything with pulled pork in it tbh.

When was the last time someone asked you out? Did you accept or decline?  I’ve never been asked out.

Do you like The Offspring?  I know a couple of songs but I definitely can’t call myself a fan.

One pillow or two?  Two.

Do you like Mad Libs?  I’ve never tried playing it.

Are you suicidal?  Not lately. I haven’t been for a while, actually. I’m really happy about that.

Where do your grandparents live?  My paternal grandparents live in the south. My maternal grandma lives in the village right next to ours haha, so not far away at all.

Do you cut yourself?  Yeesh. Can’t questions like this come with a trigger warning? Anyway, no I haven’t in a while as well.

What is your pet’s name?  Kimi and Cooper.

Have you ever been to Canada? No, but I'd love to visit. < Same!

Aren’t babies overrated?  I think they are overrated in a sense that everyone always seems to want one of their own, but the circle gets extremely smaller when it comes to those who actually have the capacity to take proper care of an infant.

Have a built-in pool in your backyard?  No.

Ever won yourself a stuffed animal? Sure, in like claw games and whatnot.

Ever had someone else win you a stuffed animal?  No. I don’t really like stuffed toys lol.

Ever been to a circus?  Nope.

Ever shot animals? I have not.

Do you consider yourself intelligent?  I guess I’m booksmart more than anything else. I had good grades and can handle myself in arguments and debates...but I have my weaknesses in other aspects too, like street smarts lol.

Have you ever run away from home?  I had a period when I wanted to, but never pushed through with it.

Do you put family first, friends, relationships, school, or something else?  Work > friends > family.

What’s something you’ve stood up for in the past?  I always shoot my mom a glare as if to say “be careful of the line you’re crossing” whenever she makes a homophobic, sexist, or racist remark.

What’s something you worked extremely hard to get?  The healthy and stable mental disposition I find myself in these days. I would never give it up for anything ever again.

Are you satisfied with your body image?  I mean not fully, but I also don’t have any complaints.

Have you ever been labeled negatively or otherwise been called something extremely derogatory?  I’ve been called a bitch by this girl that was just a terror to be classmates with back in middle school. She was known to a big war freak and had her fair share of behavioral/anger issues, so it didn’t really affect me once I knew I was her next target. I didn’t encounter her again until college when we ended up attending the same university, and she’s changed a lot for the better.

Have you ever seriously taken advantage of someone or been taken advantage of?  The former, no. Yes to the latter.

Have you ever been seriously ill?  My fever last year really felt like the end of me lmao, so I guess yeah. 

Have you ever befriended a former enemy?  She wasn’t an enemy per se, but I just found myself immensely irritated by Sofie during our first few meetings; but then she ended up being one of my best friends for a time

If you’re not religious, would you ever pray as a last resort? If you are religious, do you often pray for other people?  I did in the past. I wouldn’t do so these days.

Have you ever dated someone, then after you dated they came out of the closet or switched (for lack of a better word) sexual orientation?  That hasn’t happened to me.

Has a boy/girl ever walked a ridiculous distance just to see you? How about vice versa?  I think once? My ex was brewing a surprise for me for Valentine’s Day last year and to cut the long story short, she essentially walked a crazy long distance in my school to make the surprise a success. My university is huge and even I prefer to take my car whenever I have to go from one building to another, so I definitely saw the effort she had put in.

When was the last time you felt really uncomfortable?  Right now. It’s really humid and my electric fan isn’t really doing anything to curb the heat :/

Is there anything that your mom is really known for as to how she is as a person?  She is very uptight.

Who have you been talking to the most today?  My co-workers, albeit virtually.

Are you nosy?  Nah. I won’t really press and will wait for people to open up.

What’s the meanest thing you have done to a friend?  I don’t do mean things to my friends.

If your ex called you crying, what would it most likely be about?  Fuck if I know. Her pride is way up in the sky for her to do something like this.

Who was the best kisser out of all the people you have kissed?  I’ve only kissed one person.

Have you ever been told that you have an annoying laugh?  I don’t think so. It would be etched in my head if I was ever told this.

[bellakitse]

Let's Start with Breakfast

“Hi, you must be TK,” he says, turning around to face him fully, and TK doesn’t know where to look – that beautiful face with a head full of curls he wants to sink his hands into, or the perfectly chiseled chest that reminds TK of studying about Michelangelo’s David in his art studies course. “I’m Carlos.”

*

TK wakes up in his friend's apartment and meets his new roommate, Carlos.

30 days of Tarlos - Day 8

TK wakes up with a serious crick in his neck and a post-it note on his forehead. The pain he understands, that’s what he gets for sleeping on his friend Paul’s couch instead of just going back to his apartment the night before. The note is the same friend being a jerk. He sits up with a groan; it’s not just his neck that hurts but his back too from the less than comfortable couch. Pulling the note off his forehead, he squints at Paul’s chicken scratch.

Had to go to class, mopey, there are coffee and bagels in the kitchen. Stay as long as you want, but don’t bother my new roommate.

TK rolls his eyes at the nickname his friend has given him. Last night while he and Paul were out, they’d run into his ex with the guy he’d cheated on him with; if that wasn’t a reason to be a little depressed, TK didn’t know what was.

TK gets up, heading for the bathroom first. He steps lightly, trying not to wake up Paul’s new mysterious roommate. From what Paul told him, the guy is in the Police Academy and keeps odd hours. He only moved into Paul’s spare bedroom three weeks ago and TK – while nursing a broken heart for almost two months now since he caught his ex in the arms of another man – hasn’t had a chance to meet the guy yet.

He takes his time washing his face, brushing his teeth with one of the spare toothbrushes Paul likes to keep under the sink. When he’s done, he exits the bathroom and heads for the kitchen, stopping short when he hears a sound coming from inside. He hesitates for a moment, he’s probably not at his best to meet Paul’s roommate, but he can already smell the coffee he’s brewing, and TK desperately needs a cup.

Running a hand through his hair and then down his shirt in hopes to smooth some of the wrinkles, he takes a breath before stepping into the small cream-colored kitchen.

The man inside the kitchen is tall, muscled and shirtless, TK takes in all the beautiful exposed skin as he looks at the back facing him. He has defined shoulders and arms; his back tapers down in a V-shape to a spectacular ass, clothed in black slim-fitted joggers that makes TK drool. He doesn’t consider himself a shallow guy, but TK knows a beautiful man when he sees one, and even with just having seen his back, TK knows Paul’s roommate is gorgeous, something his friend failed to mention when telling him about the guy.

“Um – “ he starts hesitantly. “Good morning?”

The guy turns around, the half-smile on his face makes TK’s breath halt in his lungs. If TK thought the guy was beautiful from behind, it’s nothing compared to seeing his face. He’s stunning with deep brown eyes that look warm, a full-mouth that curves upward a little more, friendly and inviting, and a jawline that could cut glass.

“Hi, you must be TK,” he says, turning around to face him fully, and TK doesn’t know where to look – that beautiful face with a head full of curls he wants to sink his hands into, or the perfectly chiseled chest that reminds TK of studying about Michelangelo’s David in his art studies course. “I’m Carlos.”

“Hi,” he says again, and not much else, his mouth has gone dry, and he feels tongue-tied. He’s never had such an immediate reaction to someone like this before, and he feels a little lost as his heart races and his palms sweat.

“Would you like some coffee?” Carlos asks him, that pleasant smile still on his face. TK tells himself to snap out of it before Carlos goes from friendly to uncomfortable, just because he’s having a hard time handling the effect Carlos is having on him.

“Yes, please,” he says, taking a step forward when Carlos holds out a cup for him. “Thanks,” he smiles, taking the mug, his fingers brushing against Carlos’. He’s sure he just imagines the spark of electricity that runs between them, but then he sees the way Carlos’ eyes widen, his gaze on their hands and wonders.

“Yeah – “ Carlos says softly, his brown eyes finding his. “No problem.”

TK gives him a closed-mouth smile, not sure what to say with the sudden tension in the room. It’s not awkward; it’s more like awareness of the other.

“Do you feel like breakfast?” Carlos asks, waving his hand at the stove where he has a skillet ready to go. “I could make you an omelet. Do you like veggie?”

“Oh – ” TK starts, shaking his head. “I don’t want you to go to any trouble; I should probably get out of your hair and out of your apartment.”

“It’s no trouble,” Carlos answers quickly. “I was going to make one for myself anyway; it’s pretty easy to add a couple of extra eggs.”

TK hesitates, and Carlos gives him a captivating smile that gives TK butterflies like he hasn’t felt since he was fourteen and kissed his first boy.

“I’m a really good cook,” Carlos promises, his grin boyish and sweet, it makes TK smile back.

“Better than Paul?” he teases, chuckling when Carlos scoffs.

“Strickland wishes he could be as amazing in the kitchen as I am,” Carlos boasts, and TK raises his eyebrow at that.

“Paul is a great cook,” he says, doubtful of the man in front of him and his culinary prowess, when he’s tasted his friend’s cooking.

“I’m better,” Carlos assures him once more with a smirk, a little cocky and maybe even a little flirty.

TK grins, charmed by Carlos’ confidence. “Well, then I guess I have to stick around and have some of this spectacular cooking.”

Carlos grins at him pleased, he turns towards the refrigerator, pulling out the ingredients he needs to get started. TK leans back against one of the counters, sipping his coffee as Carlos moves around the kitchen with ease, just like Paul usually does. He presumes it comes with the sureness of someone who knows what they’re doing.

TK can barely boil water; he tells Carlos this, earning himself a laugh.

“I’m sure you’re not that bad,” he says, throwing him an amused look over his shoulder.

“Oh, I am,” TK says with a self-deprecating laugh of his own. “My father is a fire captain; he has made me swear not to cook without a fire extinguisher and adult supervision.

Carlos laughs again as he pours the egg mixture on the hot skillet, he turns back to TK, leaning against the opposite side counter with his arms crossed. TK swallows hard at the way it makes his arms bulge.

“How are you, by the way?” he asks gently, and TK pulls his gaze from the pretty muscles to look up at his even prettier face full of concern, it lets TK instantly know that his buddy Paul has been talking about him with his roommate.

“I take it, you know?” he asks, the sheepish look on Carlos’ face confirmation enough.

“Paul wasn’t gossiping,” Carlos says softly. “I asked about you, and he told me you were going through a bad break-up.”

“Why did you ask him about me?” he asks, not upset but curious, especially when Carlos’ cheeks go pink.

“I – uh,” he starts, letting out a self-conscious laugh. “I saw you a few weeks ago at the coffee shop on Elm with Paul; you were wearing a yellow hoodie.”

“And that’s why you asked about me?” he asks again a little confused, his heart though ticks upward when Carlos gives him a penetrating look.

“I asked about you because you’re beautiful,” he says softly. “In that hoodie, you were the most adorable thing I have ever seen, and I wanted to know you.”

TK’s breath catches at Carlos’ candidness.

He turns back to the omelet, flipping it over once. “But Paul told me you had just broken up with your boyfriend,” he says, looking at him with sympathy. “And that it wasn’t pretty, so I didn’t push for an introduction.”

He watches as Carlos moves around, getting out some pre-cut fruit from the fridge, placing it on the two plates with the eggs and a piece of toast. Holding both plates, he points towards the living room. TK follows him back to the couch he slept on, speaking once they’re both seated with their food.

“I walked in on him with another guy,” he says quietly, looking down at the nice plate of food, it looks and smells really good, he only looks up at Carlos when he hears him swear.

“He’s a fucking idiot, TK,” Carlos says sternly. “I don’t even know him, and yet I know he’s the stupidest fucker on the planet to have you and then cheat.”

TK’s lips quirk upward at the conviction in Carlos’ voice. “Agreed.”

Carlos’ eyes crinkle at the sides as he smiles. Smiling back, TK shakes his head softly before taking a bite of the omelet, he lets out a surprised sound at the burst of flavor, and looks back at Carlos only to find him already watching him.

“You still doubted my skills,” Carlos says with mock-sorrow. “Shameful.”

TK swallows around the delicious breakfast to let out a laugh; he can’t remember the last time he had this much fun over breakfast and a simple conversation.

“I promise never to doubt you again,” he swears, pleased when Carlos gives him a grin.

They eat the rest of their breakfast while getting to know each other. Carlos tells him about the police academy. TK tells him about his classes, and how he really wants to be a firefighter like his father, but promised he would get a degree before starting his training. When they’re done with their plates, Carlos takes them back into the kitchen while TK waits on the couch. He comes back after a bit, and TK has to swallow a disappointed sigh when he sees that Carlos has put on a shirt along the way back.

He watches him as he shifts for a moment, and TK starts to get up, realizing that he’s probably worn out his welcome, and it’s time to leave his friend’s apartment and his roommate’s kindness.

“So I should probably – “

“Do you want to hang out?” Carlos blurts out in a rush. “We could watch a movie?”

TK startles back while Carlos looks at him almost timid.

“I know you’re probably not ready to date or anything,” he continues quickly. “And that’s cool with me, but maybe we can get to know each other?”

“Carlos – “ he says softly, his heart squeezing with affection for the sweet man in front of him. He’s beautiful, but TK is quickly realizing that it’s not just outside beauty that Carlos possesses.

“I like you,” Carlos tells him, taking a step forward until he’s standing in front of him. “There is something about you that pulls me in, and it’s not just those beautiful green eyes of yours,” he smiles at him, and TK can’t help but smile back, his heart beating with excitement. “Though they are very pretty, TK.”

“Yours are pretty stunning too,” he whispers back, swallowing hard when Carlos touches his hand, he turns it to take Carlos’, interlocking their fingers.

“I want to know you,” Carlos continues, giving his fingers a gentle squeeze. “I’m not saying I want to be a rebound, though there is the old Spanish saying un clavo saca otro clavo.”

TK gives him a curious look, not understanding the phrase.

“One nail drives out another nail,” Carlos explains. “Basically that the best way to get over a bad break-up is to find a new partner, but like I said I’m not interested in rebounding – “

TK lifts his other hand to touch Carlos’ cheek. “Carlos, I just met you, and I know you definitely wouldn’t be a rebound,” he tells him. The way he has reacted to Carlos all morning tells him that if he got together with him, he wouldn’t need to use him to soothe the ache inside, Carlos would eclipse any past and remaining feelings he might have for his EX. “You’d be so much more.”

Carlos lets out a soft exhale at his words. “So what do you say?” he asks, his face hopeful. “Movie? Get to know each other?”

TK smiles at him, his heart pounding hard under his ribcage with anticipation.

“A date when you’re ready?” he continues, a teasing smile on his face. “Maybe even a kiss at the end of the night if I’m really, really lucky?”

TK lets out a laugh, feeling happy in a way he hasn't for the longest. On impulse, he leans up, covering the small difference in their heights to brush his lips against Carlos in the lightest of kisses.

“I’d like that,” he whispers, proud of the stunned look on Carlos’ face. “Movies, getting to know each other, dating, more kisses, I’d like all of it.”