#the ask game is such a cute idea bri

[dictee]

Hi! ⚰️ and 🧡 for fic asks! 😊

hi <33

⚰️ A fic with a coffin scene you love

SHALLOWS the most gorgeous terrifying claustrophobically sexy evil fic of ALL time

🧡 A fic favourite with an Armand POV

chapter 5 of i gut him as i say it

Armand had the thought of dragging Louis out to find Daniel once again, snapping both of their necks and crawling back into the boy’s bed for a nap, then he remembered himself. Instead, he thought of snapping Daniel’s twice and brushing his fingers through Louis’ hair as he cried.

He's so normal to me

[abluehappyface]

Hello There! We're The Smiley System!

A group of 3 that's recently just discovered their plurality!

Here you'll possibly be talking to:

Bri, the person this body truly belongs to. Goes by She/Her and talks in pink. Very older sister/somewhat maternal coded. Speaks like most older sisters from what she's been told. She can be shy, but she's trying her best we promise

Bluey, the second person formed in this system. Has been around for 5 years, but we didn't realize until now. He/Him, speaks in Blue. Distant yet loving father/older brother who's a tough guy (is a big softie) coded. He doesn't talk much, but he's very good at listening

Desirée, the newest to the system. Has influenced us for years, but only recently discovered. Uses They/Cir/Eir pronouns. Chaotic queer coded person who's basically a YTP in the form of a person. Types in both Yellow and Orange

Things We Like!

Bri's into very cute/girly things. You'll see a lot of doll customization, Moriah Elizabeth, and really anything that's typically associated with girls in general when she's primarily in control. She also likes to draw clothes!

Bluey likes video games. Fire Emblem, Danganronpa, Pokémon, and The Sims are his main ones, but EVERYONE in the system is currently hyperfixating on Touhou Project. He also likes woodworking and drawing fantasy weapons

Desirée likes generalized chaos. Just utter nonsense. If it reads like a YTP combined with a standard Tumblr post, they're likely laughing about it. Likes to draw desserts and nonexistent food. Everyone in the system draws animals and people.

General Rules

Absolutely NO syscourse, discourse, or ANYTHING of the sort.

This is all inclusive space for everyone. If you personally don't understand or like something, it is YOUR responsibility to curate your online experience

You may see some nsfw stuff here. If you don't like that, see the second half of point 2

You may send us asks and questions, and we will attempt to answer as best we can. Please be respectful, and know that we are not required to answer anything. Anon is also off, we aren't entertaining the idea of anon hate thanks

This may sound... odd, but maybe send some things for us to research? We like making presentations because it's fun! Try to keep it considerably tame, but just send a topic and we can try to learn about it. Can you tell we're autistic lol

We make edits/recolors, drawings, and poems! If you want to know something, just ask! Depending on what it is you ask, we may even make one for you!

Have a good time here! This blog tends to be a hangout space, especially for newer users we've noticed. Stay safe, and welcome!

[connordavidscamera]

Wonder | Connor Brashier

A/n: obviously this is based off Wonder because it’s so good and I couldn’t not write something for it. 

Summary: You and Connor are at the launch party for Wonder and Connor has a surprise for you (established relationship)

Warnings: fluff

Word count: 1.8k

***

“I didn’t know they had launch parties for songs. I thought it was just for albums,” I say as I slide into my shoes.

“Well, it’s not an actual launch party, per se. It’s really just Shawn getting the team together for the release. It’s casual.”

“I know, I actually get to wear pants to this party,” I joke. 

Connor rolls his eyes. “Yes you do.” But then his eyes are raking me up and down and he bites his lip. “And damn, do you look good in them.”

“Hey, eyes up here, mister.” I say, reaching forward to lift his chin so his pretty eyes are on my face.

He smirks, “Okay, but what’s it gonna take for you to let me get you out of these for a quickie before we leave?”

I shake my head, “Nope. You’ve already had me three times today. You can wait until we get back.”

He pouts, “No I can’t. I’m needy and you’re hot.”

I laugh, “Flattery will get you everywhere, but not right now. We’re already running late.”

“It’s Shawn, he won’t care.”

“No, but you know your girlfriend is one for punctuality.”

He rolls his eyes, “Annoyingly so, yes.”

I gasp and hit his arm playfully, “You used to think it was cute!”

“Yeah, before it meant I couldn’t have my way with you before a party.”

I scoff and roll my eyes, “If you’re a good boy maybe I’ll let you have me while we’re at the party. How’s that sound?”

He perks up at the idea, eyes glimmering with a child like sparkle. “Really?”

How could I say no when he looks at me like that? “Yes, baby. But we have to go now before traffic hits.”

He leans forward and kisses my forehead. “After you, my love.”

“You’re gonna stare at my ass while I walk out, aren’t you?” I pull away from him with an amused smile.

He just shrugs, “I might.”

I pinch his cheek, “Well then I’ll put a little more pep in my step to give you a show.”

He groans, throwing his head back, “You’ll be the death of me, you know that, right?”

I hum and turn to walk out of our bedroom, his eyes following me as I go. 

---

“Another drink, my love?” Connor asks when he sees my empty cup in my hands.

“You trying to get me drunk, Brashier?” I tease, looking up at him. 

“Oh yes. That’s exactly it.”

I nod, “Nothing too strong, please?”

“You got it. Kiss?” he puckers his lips and I lean up to meet his lips but scrunch up my face. “You taste like whiskey.”

He chuckles. “Sorry, love. I’ll be right back.”

I nod and turn back to Shawn and Brian who are attempting to play beer pong against Sylvie and Justin. Brian isn’t very good, but he’s drank a lot more than Shawn has, so his aim is a little off. 

“Bri, you’re supposed to make it in the cup,” Sylvie taunts. 

“Shut up,” he grumbles, and sticks his tongue out a little as he squints at the cups on the opposite side of the table. And when it makes it in he’s more excited than I’ve ever seen him before. “Fuck yes! Yes! You’re supposed to make it in the cup,” he mocks. 

“Why is he screaming?” Connor asks when he returns with my drink.

“He made it in.”

“About time,” he checks the time on his watch. “Speaking of time. Shawn, you have to get on the premier. You have ten minutes.”

“Oh, shit, yeah. Thanks, Brash.” he pats Brian’s back and goes, “You’re on your own, Craigen. Good luck.”

“Where’s Anna?” he asks, looking around the room. “Y/n, where’s Anna. She’s good at this game.”

 “I think she went to get a drink.”

“Anna!” he yells. “Come be my partner for beer pong!” When she doesn’t answer immediately he groans. “Anna!”

“Don’t get your panties in a twist, Craigen. I heard you the first time.”

“Be my partner,” he pouts. 

“Yeah, whatever.”

I look back at my boy who is already looking at me. “Shouldn’t you be with Shawn? Sober him up a bit?”

He shakes his head. “No, he’s okay. Wanna be with my girl.”

I nod and turn in his arms to face him fully. “You know, you still haven’t told me much about this song.”

“I know. It’s a surprise.”

“But why?”

“You’ll see when it premieres.”

I pout. “But I wanna know now.”

“Nope, you’ll have to wait and see.”

I groan. “Why won’t you tell me? What? Are you in the video? Is my baby in front of the camera instead of behind it this time?”

He chuckles, “No. I’m not in the video.”

I huff. “Tell me!!!”

He shakes his head with a bright smile. “No, my love. You’ll see it,” he checks his watch again “Thirty-five minutes.”

“Tease,” I grumble.

“Says the one who told me we could have a quickie in the bathroom and has yet to follow through.”

“Well I said that would happen if you were a good boy. But you’re not telling me things so,” I shrug. “Guess no quickie.”

He growls in my ear and I’m almost reconsidering my answer. Almost.  

“Fine,” he mutters, “I’m gonna set up the TV for the premiere. You okay here?”

“Mhm, I’m gonna watch Brian lose another round.”

Brian gasps and turns to face me. “You too?!” His face morphs into what almost looks like true betrayal, but I still can’t fight the laugh that escapes.

“Guys, three minute warning! Get your drunk asses out here and settle in,” Sylvie calls from the living room. 

“Anna sit with me,” Brian begs as Anna and I make our way to the room. 

“I was gonna sit with y/n, but-”

“She’s gonna sit with Connor. Please?” He asks again, making puppy dog eyes at her. I roll my eyes and push her into him. 

“Oh just sit with him. He’ll never shut up if you don’t.”

“Ah,” Connor says when he spots me. “There’s my love.” He holds a hand out for me. “I saved you a seat.” He smirks, patting his lap. 

I shake my head and fall into him, not in the mood to tease him now. “My favorite seat,” I mumble, resting my head on his shoulder.

As everyone settles in, I play with Connor’s fingers, spin his ring a few times before taking it off of him and sliding it on my thumb. I half expect him to take it back when he lifts my hand. But he brings my thumb to his lips and kisses it over the ring before lacing our fingers and bringing them back down to my lap. “I love you,” he whispers into my hair.

“I love you,” I whisper back.

“Okay,” Shawn says, coming into the room. “Are you guys ready?” he asks excitedly, plopping himself down on the floor, his back against the armrest of the chair Connor and I are sitting in.

Connor squeezed my thigh. “Are you ready for the surprise?” He asks me.

I nod excitedly. “I’m very excited.”

“It’s starting,” Sylvie says for the few stragglers that were making their way into the room. 

I’m already hooked by the countdown. It’s very Alice and Wonderland-esque, with the swirling clock. By the time the opening harmonies come in I’m leaning forward to squeeze Shawn’s shoulder. “You sound good, Rockstar,” I whisper. 

By the middle of the song, I’m nodding and humming along to the song. But when Shawn gets to the last chorus I look back at Connor. “Wait, bubba, what’s the surprise?”

“It’s coming. Wait until the end.”

I furrow my brows and turn my attention back to the screen. Shawn’s just finished the chorus and is on his knees on the cliff as the camera gets closer to him. And the screen cuts to black.

Directed by Matty Peacock

And then another two seconds later:

Written by

Shawn Mendes

Matty Peacock

Connor Brashier

I gasp and look at my boy who is already smiling at me. “You wrote this!”

He chuckles, “Well only some of it.”

“That doesn’t matter. You wrote it!”

“So, good surprise?” 

I scoff and wrap my arms around him. “The best surprise. I am so fucking proud of you.”

He kisses the underside of my jaw and rubs my back, “Thank you, my love. Couldn’t do it without you.”

“Well,” Shawn asks, standing up. “What did you guys think?”

I pull away from Connor and look up at Shawn. “It was amazing! Probably your best song yet. You literally just keep getting better.”

He glares at me, “Your opinion doesn’t count. You’re biased because your boyfriend helped write it.”

I shrug, “That’s true, yes. But you’ve seen my boyfriend? I clearly have taste, so I would know. And this is your best song to date.”

Connor laughs into my shoulder and pinches my side, “y/n, come on.”

“Why are you getting embarrassed? This is phenomenal and I am so proud of you. Both of you,” I say.

---

Nearly two hours later, I won’t let Connor stop playing the song. But so we’re not annoying the rest of the group, he plays it for me on his phone - the music video though, because I want to see his name at the end. Doesn’t matter how many times I see it, it still fills me with so much pride and joy for the beautiful man in my arms right now. He and I are swaying drunkenly to the song on the balcony outside. It’s just us two and it’s perfect, it’s euphoric. 

“Been dreaming that you feel it, too. I wonder what it’s like to be loved by you,” he mumbles into my hair as he spins us slowly and I look up at him with a bright smile.

“What?” He asks, brushing a strand of hair from my face. “Why are you so smiley?”

I hum and push up on my toes just the slightest bit to press my lips to his in a soft kiss. “You don’t have to wonder,” I say when I pull away.

“What do you mean?”

“You don’t have to wonder what it’s like. To be loved by me?”

I watch as his face morphs into something that I can’t quite place. 

“What?” 

“I adore you. Like I truly, desperately adore you.” He places his hands on either side of my face and kisses me, this time with a little more passion than the one I just gave him. “I’m so lucky,” he hums, using his thumb to pull my bottom lip a little, just for it to pop back in place. 

I shake my head, “I’m lucky. Luckiest girl in the entire world.”

“If you’re the luckiest woman, let me be the luckiest man in the world,” He whispers, tracing his thumb down the column of my neck.  

I nod, “Okay. We can both be lucky to know what it’s like to be loved by one another.”

“Yeah, we never have to wonder.”

***

I hope you enjoyed! Please like, reblog, and leave feedback!!

Permanent tag: @soyalimoncada-blog @tinycertain @magcon7280 @homeofpoetry @fallinallincurls @goldenflickerx @sinceweremutual @myyohmyuohmyy @harry-hollands @enchantingbrowneyedgirl @baroness-alison @lostinmendess @linanilssonfurberg @luvluvxx @mariamuses @shawnieeboyy @divinginfearlessly @mendesficsxbombay @shawnsthighs @zaahidahhh @adelaidestreets @shawnandconnor @shawnsblue @turtoix  @honestlyimstilllivinginthe90s

Connor tag: @gangofhoes @verlaneswiftie13

[sophiexteresa]

Thomas Sanders Instagram Q&A Transcript

From @thatsthat24’s Instagram story, 25/8/2020. Questions in bold. Text added to the story in (parenthesis/brackets), and descriptive info in *italics*. I tried uploading the video(s) too, but Tumblr is having issues, so here’s the transcript only! 

Thomas: I had some time this evening so I figured, hey, why not? Another lil’ Q an’ A, so if you want to ask a question *posh French voice* be my guest!

When approximately will the next sanders sides be out? Very good question! Uh, we are aiming this for a late September release, that’s what we’re all working towards.

Favourite musical you have been in or just favourite musical in general? This is really tough, I can’t decide. I’m between Rent where I was in the ensemble, Peter Pan where I played Slightly Soiled, which was just one of the lost boyos — boyos? Boys — and, uh, Into The Woods where I played Cinderella’s prince and that’s where Roman’s first costume came from.

Are you ever gonna due your hair purple again? I loved it! Yes! I miss the purple hair too.

Do you love me? *laughing* Yes of course! I do love me.

What would each of the sides’ reaction be to seeing the Grand Canyon? *speaking very quickly* Roman would be revelling that we made the journey, Patton would be marvelling at the memories being made, Logan would be telling you to look at these fascinating signs for important information, Virgil would be telling you to ‘get back from those cliffs!’, Janus would be telling you to take pictures to make it look like you’re next to the cliff, ‘for clout’, and Remus would be like *Remus voice* ‘you could push somebody and get away with it’.

Also when will we get more Picani, I miss him? You and me both, Bri, and honestly with the amount of amazing cartoons that have come out recently *sighs while smiling* yeah, I am a-hankering (?) to get back to Emile!

How have you been doing, like really? Mental health is important as you teach us: I feel like everybody’s kinda struggling with mental health right now, especially people in the USA with COVID. Uhm *clears throat* for me I continuously struggle with the balance between work and leisure time, um, social media makes that difficult, blurs the lines, and I’m working on it.

Do you have any tattoos? Umm, I don’t, uh, I struggle with the permanence of tattoos. And like do I, can I, make a decision that I like? But! There are tattoos that I might like. Where I’d put them, I have no idea, umm, but I think like, maybe like, little stars!

What rank of “Gay” are you? Big gay? What rank? *speechless pause* uh... General. You know? I wanna do my duty. Come back a hero. An all-American Queero *gets an idea* *roughly quoting Hamilton* Queer comes the General!

Can you please make Logan day something Patton would say? *Logan’s voice* Something Patton would say? Umm... please, I request more baked goods from the kitchen so that I can fill Thomas’s body with more trans-fats at 3 am. I don’t know, I don’t like this game.

Have you ever dated a girl? *awkward silence* I have. It was pretty uneventful.

Do you miss your friends? *laughs* Oh... *face crumples as if he’s about to cry*

What are you voice acting in or are you now allowed to say? Not until tomorrow.

When did you know you were gay? I think I answered this one on the last Q&A, but it was early. I was like, 9 or 10 at least.

When will we see Gavin? Gavin has started school! He’s back in his hometown, so I don’t know when I’m gonna see him. He’s still getting taller — I can actually include a picture of him that his mom sent me after he got a new little hairdo *insert photo of an awesome Gavin here*

Do you miss vine? For like, sentimental reasons, yes. Uh, I mean, technically it had its issues and I don’t miss being restricted to 6 seconds anymore *laughs*

What has been your favourite part of the day? My favourite part of today was actually... I came up with this last minute short video, and I got it done and I sent it to some friends and they really liked it. I have to save it until Thursday thought, but it’s just nice to come up with stuff that makes your friends laugh.

Janus acting like Remus? *Remus’ voice* Remus here! Looks like the Dukey just dropped in! *Remus’ laugh* *Takes a breath and snaps into Janus’ character* I spend a lot of time with him so I’ve had a lot of practise.

Why do I feel like we’re gonna have another angsty Virgil moment? When is Virgil not being angsty...?

Please can you say trans rights? Uh, heck yah trans rights! I, uh, this one was very simple but I wanted to say it!

Do you think Virgil would be into anime? Actually, if you remember from, uh, Accepting Anxiety, uh, part 2, there’s actually a Death Note poster in his room, so he definitely likes some anime.

Hi! Can you say hola to the Hispanic fanders in el vecindario fander? Please? We love you! Oh my gosh, *a very naturally american pronunciation* hola! that’s very kind of you guys. I appreciate all of the support you guys give, and I love all of you guys. 

STORYTIME! I love you: *upbeat voice* Storytime! I love you back.

How gay are you? Like, 15 gay! I rank General! 

How did you end up meeting and babysitting Gavin? Gavin is actually Leo’s nephew, so he would come up here, uh, during the holidays or during the summer, and alternate being baby-sat between me and Leo’s mom - his grandma.

What was the inspo for Janus’ outfit? Ooh, that’s a really good question, uh... Joan had a vision in their mind for almost kind of like this early 20th century or late 19th century kinda Jack the Ripper vibe.

Any advice for gaybies to fit in with society? Don’t apologise for being yourself. If people have an issue, that’s their issue that they have to work through. Do not apologise for being yourself. 

What type of gay are you? (Math gay, plant gay, caffine gay, etc): Wait, there’s such thing as a math gay? I am absolutely that, and I feel like I’m just gonna be naming traits about myself but I’m a trivia gay, a driving gay, apparently a math gay, a Disney gay *laughs* and a theatre gay.

Not a question but I’m glad to be alive at the same time as someone as great as you: Dude, this stuff is really sweet. *laughs* That’s really sweet, umm, trust me, I feel the same way about all of you. Honestly.

Why don’t you own a doggo yet? I... went to Petsmart today - I didn’t get an animal, but like... I’m thinking about it and this question is like... hmmm...

I’ve run out of cartoons to watch, any recommendations? Owl house! Owl house, owl house. I just tried it, and I immediately got hooked. Infinity train’s also a really good one, duck tales is amazing, and I’m getting ready to start Tangled: the animated series, so *shrugs*.

What is Patton’s opinion on rats? *adorable Patton voice, slowly zooming in on his face* They are tiny little squishy precious babies!!!

How do I ask people for their pronouns? I don’t know, I mean, I don’t think it’s like a big deal? I hope we could get to the point where we could just be like ‘what are your pronouns?’ and then they would tell you, and then you’d just, you know, carry on the rest of your conversation. 

A circle has no bounds and it’s the same with your beauty: This is really precious, and it of course came from Nash (?) who is a poet, he published a lot of wonderful, wonderful poems on twitter, they are are amazing, and you are once again far too sweet, Nash. 

Dream role? This is a pretty broad question, so maybe dream theatrical role would be Sweeny Todd, dream movie role would be anything in the marvel universe, uh, really just give me anything in any voice acting role, *smiling mischievously* egg rolls are also really good.

Can Remus please say ‘I am the sand guardian, guardian of the sand’? *Remus voice* I am the sand guardian, guardian of the sand! (love that vine)

Are there still plans for the Roman series? *nods* Oh, yeah, yeah, it was definitely hindered by COVID, uh, as was this Sanders Asides episode that’s coming up, which is why it’s taking longer in the editing stage, it is our, uh... strategy, for circumventing the obstacle, and we hope you like it.

Are we still getting an August playlist? Uh, heck yah you are! But honestly, actually, if you guys have any suggestions I should include in the playlist, lemme know! I’d be happy to get some suggestions - but yes. You will be definitely getting one.

May I please see your feet? *confused, slightly disgusted expression* *begins to move the camera away from his face* *holds up a tape measure, extended to 1 foot long* *grins*

Any shows on Netflix to recommend? Umbrella Academy is really good, Dragon Prince, uh, She-Ra, of course, umm The Hollow (?) is really cool, there’s a documentary about video games called High Score, that was really fun.

Roman, who would you say the gayest side is? *Roman’s voice* Oh, we’re all equally gay, okay? *chuckles* it’s a sexuality, not a personality trait. *takes a breath and speaks quickly* I’m just kidding it’s *sings* meeeeee!

If you were not a YouTuber, what would you see yourself doing and why? Uh, maybe putting my chemical engineering degree to some use. *laughs awkwardly* Uh, I went to school for 5 years for that one.

Like you literally make me so flipping happy: I’m glad! I don’t know what I’m doing to do that, but the feeling is absolutely mutual. 

Can we have Virgil saying “Falsehood”? *hair already over one eye, in Virgil’s voice* Uh, c’mon, okay, sure. *very quietly and unenthusiastically* falsehood. Is that good? Is that? I don’t know, I don’t wanna steal his bit.

Which Sanders Side do you feel you embody most? Ah, I would probably say it’s either Patton or Roman because Patton can be definitely me, all the time, just really enthusiastic about things and finding things cute, but Roman... Roman’s sensitivity, oh. That’s me. 

What was the first job you had? I actually worked as a page in a library! A- pages basically just kinda like, shelve books, check books out; it’s one of the chillest jobs I’ve ever had, one of my favourites, and my dad always had a lovely dad joke for it: ‘you’re working as a page, when do you get promoted to a book?’

How tall are you? I usually say 5ft 10, but I think I’m trying to be a little more realistic with myself. And I’m probably 5ft 9 and a half. *zooms in on his face, staring into the camera* I’m holding onto that half a foot for all dear life. 

DROP THE SKIN ROUTINE PLEASE! This is very sweet, uh, I, *laughs nervously*, uh, I use Curology? They’re very nice. Umm, just... different kinds of lotion, I guess. (I suppose I should write down what I do lol)

Can we get a FALSEHOOD? *is standing* *clears throat* *points upwards from his eyeline* FALSEHOOD! 

Do you have a boyfriend if not are you planning on dating soon? I do not, uh, dating is kinda difficult right now midst COVID, you know, kinda tough... love... in the time of Corona... umm, but, you know, option’s open.

When was your first kiss? I’m sure I’ve answered this somewhere, it was in high school, I might have been 15 or 16. It was with a girl. *Shakes head* And all I can remember is hitting teeth. A lot.

Can we get a super super vague hint about the new Asides episode?  Alright, I’m getting ready to end the Q&A, so this, you know, if you’ve made it so far you deserve this super vague answer, umm... it includes a side that was not in the last episode. (This isn’t much, I apologise lol)

Thomas: And that is it for this evening! Thank you so much, you guys, for watching. I know some of you are still over in Europe watching and it’s like 4 in the morning, and I need to go to bed so thank you all so much for your questions - I gotta do this more often ‘cause I really enjoy it. Love you guys, gals, and non-binary pals. Peace out!

[girlsgonemildblog]

There’s No Place like Nemacolin Resort and Spa - The Bachelor, Season 25, Week 8 Recap

Image from abc.com

There are only four girls left (Michelle, Serena P., Rachael, and Bri), which means we have officially arrived at Hometowns Week. It somehow feels both like it took forever to get here thanks to the exhausting drama and like we got here way too quickly, thanks to there being 36 contestants and TEN remaining at the beginning of the previous week. Due to that pesky pandemic, traveling across the country (and to Canada) in one week was not an option for Matt, so all the girls’ families had to come to him.

The first girl up was Michelle. When Matt and her meet, they discover that they are wearing matching outfits, once again proving that they are soul mates. Michelle has planned a bike ride for them, and the producers secured adorable bikes with wicker baskets. I cannot ride a bike and therefore I was quite jealous of how romantic a bike-riding date seemed.

Their ride ends at a huge lecture hall (seriously, what DOESN’T Nemacolin have on property?) and on the projection screen is a zoom with Michelle’s elementary school students. I am not too proud to admit that I cried when I saw this. The children do not hold back at all, laying into him with questions like, “Have you kissed?”, “Do you want to have babies?” and “Are you going to give Michelle a rose?”. There was also my personal favorite to ask when meeting a new guy my friend is seeing, “How many girlfriends do you have?” Matt handled the third-degree like a pro, and the kids seemed to give him their stamp of approval.

That night, Matt met the family, and Michelle’s dad had the best voice I have ever heard. While speaking with his daughter alone, he asks if she would say yes if Matt proposes, and Michelle nods without hesitation. Mr. Michelle’s Dad then speaks with Matt privately and asks him if he is in love with Michelle. Matt responds that he is falling for Michelle, but he is not going to tell her he loves her until he is ready. What Dad doesn’t know, though, is that Matt has told other girls (namely Rachael) that he loves them, so this is a bad sign for Michelle.

After meeting the family, Michelle and Matt go outside to talk one-on-one before saying goodbye. Matt mentions that he is willing to move to Minnesota for her, and she tells him that she is falling in love with him. Matt responds with what Michelle described as “a positive smile,” which I guess is a bit better than the “thank you for sharing that with me” that Jessenia got.

The next day Matt has a date with Rachael, who, for some reason, decided skydiving was a good idea. As they’re about to board the plane that they’ll be jumping out of, Matt asks, “what could possibly go wrong?” Call me superstitious, but that is just BEGGING for a parachute not to open.

Nothing that bad happens, but Rachael does take quite a tumble while landing (you can see the slo-mo here), which may have been caused by the fact that her guide was a child.

Picture from Twitter

Matt rushes to her side and has a full existential crisis over thinking she was dead, and Rachael just stares at him like, “Dude. I’m fine.”

Before they even meet the parents, we see her dad expressing his doubts that they could have fallen in love so quickly. Rachael hopes that Matt will ask her dad for his blessing (further evidence that she is not aware that it is not 1950), but it’s probably fortunate Matt didn’t do this since it seems unlikely her dad would’ve given it. When they are saying their goodbyes, Matt tells Rachael he didn’t ask because he doesn’t want to ask everyone’s parents just to check a box (unintentional ricochet shot at former-Bachelor, Colton), but when he is sure, he will call her dad and ask. Rachael is disappointed to learn that the other three girls aren’t being strung along just for content.

The next morning, Matt meets up with Bri to go off-roading in a neon-green Jeep as a callback to their first date when they wiped out on ATVs. At night, Matt meets Bri’s mother and her best friend, who is also named Bri. I think you can tell a lot about a person by how they react to people with the same name as them. Personally, if I meet another Maddie, I immediately hate them. There can only be one.

Bri’s mom also brought Bri’s newborn sister, and Matt was TERRIFIED of the baby. When Bri speaks with her mom alone, they have a beautiful conversation, and her mom tells her that, worst-case scenario, they’ll be mending a broken heart together. Wow. I fucking love moms. I’m emotional just thinking about that line.

As they say goodbye, Bri tells Matt she loves him, and he answers with another version of “thank you for sharing that with me.” It might be curtains for Bri soon.

Serena P. is the final date. Her Canadian heritage is very important to her, so she (read: a team of production assistants) creates a mini-museum to teach Matt about Canada. She was adorably excited. Activities included pointing out her hometown on a map, reviewing flashcards of common Canadian slang, and tasting traditional dishes like poutine and nanaimo bars. The date was so cute that I am currently eating poutine as I write this, in Serena’s honor. They finish with a game of one-on-one hockey.

At night, Matt meets Serena’s family. Her mom is wondering what made Matt pick Serena out of 30+ girls. I know my parents would also be like, “why would you pick her?” if I was ever on this show. When Serena talks to her sister alone, she tells her that she is falling for Matt but not yet “in love” with him. Then her sister does what only a sister can do and calls her on her bullshit. The sister tells Serena that she can tell something is missing because Serena clearly isn’t smitten and says she knows this is due to Serena overthinking. Serena then talks to her mom and breaks down, talking about how her last relationship left her with baggage, and now she overthinks everything. She then says, “I want to be out of my head for like five minutes,” and dear lord did I feel that.

The next day, Matt is left with the feeling that something isn’t right with Serena, so he goes to talk to her before the rose ceremony. They have a conversation, and Serena admits that she just doesn’t feel like Matt is her person. They break up, and she then walks him out, like the queen she is.

Now that there are only three girls left, the rose ceremony is strictly ceremonial. Before it begins, Matt admits to the girls that Serena broke up with him (usually the Bachelor spins it to save face) and says that these roses are important to him, so they better take accepting them seriously. All three girls get a rose, obviously, and Bri starts to question why she got the last one and if it means her relationship is in trouble. I want to say she’s just overthinking it, but I do have to consider that he didn’t say he was in-love back. Unfortunately, we will have to wait two weeks to find out, as next week is the Women Tell All. Lord help us.

[just-my-sickly-pride]

Ask Nicely || Roger Taylor x fem!Reader

summary || you and Brian have been friends-with-benefits for almost five months now, and things are going great. and then his housemate Roger finds out your secret - that you like calling Brian ‘daddy’ from time to time - and things definitely take a turn for the worse. the relentless teasing almost unbearable, until you realise that maybe Roger’s just jealous. guess it’s time to find out. modern day au. college au.

rating || explicit. 18+ only. do not read if you are under eighteen. daddy kink, some dom/sub dynamics. there’s also some Brian x reader at the beginning of the fic.

word count || 18.8k. oops.

author’s notes || the sequel to ‘the old college try’ that no one, not even me, was expecting - but it can be read on its own. requested by @hannafuckingsucks​ about thirty years ago (i’m so sorry for the wait). i know it’s not exactly what you requested, but i quite like how it turned out in the end, so i hope you like it too!

masterlist

     “Oi,” Roger called from the living room as you made your way from the bathroom, wiping your hands on your jeans. “Quick question.”

    You grimaced slightly at your hands. Ugh. You hated how dry they got in this weather after you washed them. “Yeah?” you replied idly. “Hey, do you think Freddie would mind if I borrowed his moisturiser?”

    “No, just don’t use the rose-scented one,” Roger said. “That’s his nice stuff.”

    “Got it.” You disappeared into Freddie’s bedroom. “What’s your question?” You found some moisturiser on his bedside table, made sure it wasn’t the rose-scented one, and helped yourself to it.

    “Come out here and I’ll ask,” Roger yelled back.

    You smiled, satisfied, as you rubbed your hands together, heading out to the living room. Roger was sprawled out on the couch, Xbox controller in hand, game on the TV paused. “Yes?”

    Roger’s shit-eating grin made your stomach sink with dread. He held up your phone. “Why the fuck is Brian called ‘Daddy’ on your phone?”

    In the span of about half a second, a number of potential responses flashed through your mind.

    You could get mad about it and tell Roger to mind his business. That wouldn’t seem suspicious at all.

    You could play clueless, like maybe someone changed Brian’s name on your phone as a joke and you hadn’t realised. That wouldn’t work either – you and Brian texted too often for you not to have noticed by now.

    Or, you could tell Roger the truth: that you and Brian had been sleeping together in a friends-with-benefits situation on a semi-regular basis for just over five months now, and, when you were both in the mood, you liked to call Brian Daddy. And so you’d changed his contact name to ‘Daddy’ to give yourself a chuckle whenever he texted.

    You decided to go with none of the above. “How do you know it’s him?” you asked casually, putting your hands on your hips.

    “Two reasons,” Roger said. “One: no one else I know texts with all proper grammar and spelling and shit. Two: he’s asking if you’re still over.”

    Well, shit. That didn’t work. “Well, it’s nothing, really,” you said with a laugh, meandering over to stand in front of him and holding out your hand for the phone. “That’s just– it’s a joke. It’s been like that for, like, ages now. I can’t believe you haven’t noticed already.”

    Roger didn’t give the phone back. His grin stayed firmly in place. “Uh-huh,” he said slowly. “So this has nothing to do with the fact that you two have been sneaking around together for months?”

    “We’ve hardly been sneaking,” you scoffed. “We just– we– we don’t broadcast it. Can I have my phone back, please?”

    “You’re stuttering,” Roger said.

    “I’m- I’m not,” you said.

    “You are,” Roger said. He leant forward, eyes wide, spinning your phone in his fingers. “I can’t fucking believe it. You call Brian Daddy.”

    “It’s an inside joke, actually,” you said, aiming for nonchalant.

    “Oh, really? What’s the joke?”

    “If I told you, it wouldn’t be an inside joke,” you said. “And it was really more of a you-had-to-be-there situation, anyway. So.” You held out your hand further, pointedly.

    “By the sounds of it, I don’t think I’d want to be there,” Roger said. He made a face. “Brian? Really? Of all people?”

    “It’s an inside joke,” you said again, this time through slightly more gritted teeth. “And anyway, even if I did call Brian… that – which I don’t – it wouldn’t be any of your fucking business. Can I please have my phone back, thank you?”

    “You’re so defensive,” Roger said with a laugh, but held the phone out to you. You snatched it from him. On the screen was a text from Brian. You still over?

    You gave Roger a withering look, and then angled away from him. Yes, you replied. I was having a good time hanging out w roger until he started being a little shit.

    Brian replied a few seconds later. He’s good at that. What’s he done now?

    You glanced up from your phone. Roger was watching you expectantly. “‘You still over’?” he said, waggling his eyebrows.

    “Bitch,” you muttered, turning back to your phone. saw my phone when I was in the bathroom. saw ur text. and the name ur saved under.

    Which is?

    daddy. remember?

    OH SHIT.

    You couldn’t help but chuckle.

    “Cute.”

    You shot another glare at Roger, who was apparently enraptured by you standing in the middle of his living room, texting his roommate. “Are you done staring at me like a loon?” you said.

    “I’m just trying to wrap my head around it,” Roger said, sitting back, crossing one knee over the other, Xbox controller hanging loosely in his hand. “You calling Brian Daddy. You know, out of the four of us in this flat, I wouldn’t have picked Brian as the one who was into the weird shit, you know?”

    You have no idea how much weird shit he’s into, you almost said, but you stopped yourself. That would have been nothing but adding fuel to the fire.

    Your phone buzzed. What did you tell him? Also, are you staying for dinner?

    yeah I’ll stay if that’s cool, you replied. I tried to tell him it was an inside joke but I think we’re sprung.

    Fucking fantastic. And we’re having fish and chips.

    “I’m staying for dinner,” you said, pocketing your phone.

    “Did Daddy say you could?” Roger teased.

    “We’re having fish and chips,” you said, ignoring him. You sat down next to him on the couch and picked up the other controller. “Right. Prepare to eat shit.”

    “I thought we were having fish and chips.”

    You turned to Roger instantly, throwing the controller into the air like you were going to beat him with it. Roger cringed away, hands up to defend himself, cackling. “All right, all right!” he cried.

    “You’re on thin fucking ice, don’t push me,” you growled, turning back to the TV. You jabbed Roger in the waist for good measure, and he yelped, but didn’t retaliate. He just giggled, and unpaused the game.

    Despite your bragging that you’d make him eat shit, Roger was far better than you at gaming. He spent a lot more time doing it, anyway. But what you lacked in skill and experience, you made up in ridiculously violent threats and elbowing Roger in the ribs and leaning over him so he couldn’t see the screen.

    It was how you usually played, and, as much of a little shit Roger could be, he was very patient with your antics when it came to gaming. He never got annoyed or frustrated – probably because he knew that if he did, if he made you sit still and play properly, you’d lose interest pretty quickly.

    The entire time, however, things felt different. ‘Strained’ was too strong a word, but you could tell that something was on the tip of Roger’s tongue, that he was on the verge of saying something, but kept swallowing it down. The furtive glances, the gnawing on his bottom lip, the intakes of breath – you almost outright asked him what the hell it was he was dying to say. It wasn’t like the Roger you knew to be unsure about anything. Or to hesitate before speaking, for that matter.

    But you didn’t ask, or push. Mostly because you had a feeling it would probably just open the door to more teasing. In fact, to your surprise, Roger didn’t bring up the whole ‘Daddy’ thing again at all.

    That is, until Brian got home.

    The second Brian unlocked the door and waddled in, arms loaded with shopping bags, Roger hollered, “Freak!”

    “Hello to you too, Roger,” Brian said tiredly. “I couldn’t have some help, could I?”

    “Brian’s a sex freak!” Roger cried delightedly, not even looking away from the TV, where he proceeded to stab your character in the back. “Sex freak! Sex freak!”

    You sighed irritably and shoved at Roger’s face, and he laughed.

    “Some help, please?” Brian prompted from the door.

    “Sorry, sorry,” you said, abandoning your controller on the couch and jumping up, taking some groceries from him. “Yum, dinner smells good.”

    “I know,” Brian said as you both headed to the kitchen. “I’ve had to smell it all the way home. I’m starving. Thanks for the help as always, Rog,” he added as you both passed Roger on the couch.

    “Wouldn’t want to interrupt father-daughter time,” Roger said, and you could hear the smile in his voice.

    “Ew, Roger!” you shouted from the kitchen, screwing your face up.

    “You’re the one who calls him Daddy.”

    “I don’t–” You cut yourself off with a sigh, shaking your head. There was no point of return now.

    “Sorry,” Brian said as he started unloading the shopping bags. You helped, setting everything on the kitchen bench for him to put away.

    “For what?”

    “I don’t know. He only saw it because I texted you.”

    “He only saw it because I left my phone on the couch,” you said. “Face-up.”

    Brian’s lips twisted into a small smile. “Okay, maybe it is a little bit your fault.”

    “It was,” you said. “I’m the one who set your name as that on my phone in the first place.”

    Brian lowered his voice to barely above a soft murmur. “Well, I’m the one who likes being called Daddy, so…”

    “Ah, so maybe it’s entirely your fault after all,” you said with a smirk.

    Brian cocked his head to one side. “Let’s agree to take half the blame.”

    You laughed. “Yeah, yeah.”

    “Are you two done fucking in there, or do I have to wait longer for my fish and chips?” Roger called from the living room.

    Brian sighed. “I can’t believe, after all this time, I’m finally going to murder him.”

    “That’s very sexy of you to say so,” you said.

    “Thanks.”

    Roger piped up again. “Hello?”

    “We’re not going to fucking serve it to you on a silver platter,” you shot back. “Come and get it, you knob.”

    You heard a dramatic clatter, and a few moments later, Roger appeared in the kitchen, going straight to the plastic bags where the fish and chips were hiding.

    “Did you get enough, Bri?” he asked, grabbing two styrofoam boxes in one hand and stacking them on top of each other. “Doesn’t look like much.”

    “I got plenty, it’s just the three of us tonight,” Brian said.

    Roger hummed in thought, going to the pantry to fetch the ketchup, balancing it on top of the boxes. “I think Deaky’s coming home at eight.”

    “Where from?” you said.

    “Dunno. Study session, I think?” Roger took one of the chips that peeked out from the edge of the styrofoam box, popping it into his mouth. “You know how he’s always starving after he’s been studying.”

    “Well, thanks for the heads-up,” Brian said with a roll of his eyes. “A bit of forewarning would have been nice.”

    “Sorry, thought you knew. It’s fine, he can have some of mine. And there’s that pasta in the fridge from two nights ago.” Roger wrapped his other arm around his hoard of food and shuffled towards the kitchen door. “I’ll, uh–” He gave you a wink. “–leave you and Daddy dearest to it, then.”

    Both you and Brian made matching sounds of disgust, and Roger laughed gleefully as he left.

    “I don’t think we’re gonna be using that for a while,” you said lowly, your lips downturned.

    “What?” Brian said. “You calling me Daddy?”

    You shook your head.

    Brian threw out his hands in exasperation. “What?” he hissed. “So Roger is a dickhead, and I get punished for it?”

    “All I’m gonna be able to think of is his stupid face.”

    Brian huffed.

    Despite yourself, you smiled. “Don’t be so dramatic. You’re such a baby sometimes.”

    “I am not a baby.”

    “You can be.”

    Brian clicked his tongue in irritation. “Fine. Whatever.” He grabbed a styrofoam box. “I’m not fucking you tonight.”

    You gaped. “What? Dude.”

    “You heard me. You called me a baby. No sex.”

    He went to leave the kitchen, but you grabbed him by the belt loop on his jeans, towing him back, and spun him around.

    “Oh, no,” he said, backing up again. “Don’t even try.”

    You raised your eyebrows at him, and wrapped your arms around his waist, holding him in place. “Do I even have to try?”

    Brian sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat. “You’re unbelievable.”

    You drew him in for a kiss, and his free hand curled around the back of your neck as he deepened it.

    When you broke apart, you bit your lip. Brian’s gaze on yours was heated, and you knew you’d won. “Am I forgiven?” you murmured.

    “I’ll consider it.”

    You grinned. “I have that mini skirt in my bag. The one you like to fuck me in.”

    Brian shuddered. “Yes, okay, fine, you’re forgiven. Fuck.” He kissed you fiercely, reaching to the side as he did so to slide the styrofoam box back onto the kitchen counter to free up both hands. One hand curled into your hair, gripping it tightly, and the other went to your hip, his thumb slipping up inside your shirt. You hummed happily against his lips. You’d thought it before, and you’d think it again: you didn’t believe you’d ever get tired of kissing Brian. Sometimes you wondered if you should have felt unnerved by the fact that the feeling of your friend’s lips on yours was both a welcomed and wonderfully familiar experience, but you never thought about it too hard.

    “For Christ’s sake.”

    You and Brian sprung apart as Roger stomped into the kitchen. “Just because I know about it now doesn’t mean you have to parade it everywhere,” he said, heading to the fridge, squeezing past you and Brian.

    “You’re the one who walked in on us, mate,” Brian said. You both exchanged a glance – the moment was over. Brian clicked his tongue in irritation, and grabbed his styrofoam box, leaving the kitchen.

    Roger took a can of Coke from the fridge. “Well, somehow I managed to go however many months without seeing basically any of it, so you must’ve been at least trying to hide it. And I want to keep it that way, thanks.”

    You gave the back of his head a bewildered look as he disappeared from the kitchen again. Seemed like he wasn’t in the mood for playful teasing anymore.

    Brian collapsed beside you on the bed, and you turned your head to share a grin with him.

    “Satisfactory?” Brian said breathlessly, raising his eyebrows, his cheeks red and his skin glistening.

    You nodded. “I’d say so, yes. I’ll give you a glowing review on Yelp.”

    Brian snorted, looking towards the ceiling. “Ah, wonderful. Just want I want to hear.”

    “The aftercare could use some work, though,” you said expectantly, wiggling your fingers.

    Brian tilted his head back to see where your wrists were still bound to the headboard of the bed, and he quickly sat up. “Shit, sorry.” He untied the rope – you’d upgraded from scarves to actual ropes designed for this kind of thing two weeks ago after a spontaneous adventure to the local sex shop, and it had been money well spent – and you let your hands drop. Brian tossed the ropes onto the floor and took your hands, massaging your wrists.

    “They all right?” he asked.

    “Absolutely fine,” you said. “Honestly, considering how often we use the ropes, if you didn’t know how to tie them properly by now, I’d be worried.”

    “So would I.” Brian settled back down beside you. You rolled onto your side, watching his profile as he stared at the ceiling, his mouth hanging slightly open, as it was wont to do. You could see his mind ticking away furiously, and you didn’t hesitate to say, “Check-in?”

    The check-in was routine, but always a little nerve-wracking. It was checking in emotionally – a question of are we still on the same page? You’d both agreed that neither of you were romantically invested in each other, even after all these months, but, of course, there was always the possibility that feelings could still develop. And if they did, and they were one-sided, then things would end. That had been the agreement since day one. Luckily, your friendship had remained solid, and your bond was undeniably close in a strange way it hadn’t been with anyone else before, but there were no butterflies, no feelings of longing. Which was exactly how you both wanted it. The check-in was just a way to make sure.

    Brian turned his head to look at you. “I’m really happy with how things are between us right now,” he said with a smile. “I love sleeping with you, and you’re one of my closest friends. But I don’t have feelings for you.”

    You grinned. “Good,” you said, patting him on the cheek. “I feel the same.”

    “If anything about that changes–”

    “You’ll be the first to know,” you finished.

    Brian nodded. “And vice versa.”

    You sighed happily, your eyes sliding closed. “God, I love my life right now.”

    Brian chuckled. “You’re just saying that coz you came three times in the past forty-five minutes.”

    “Maybe so,” you mumbled, and Brian laughed again.

    “Hey,” he said, and you opened your eyes to look at him again as he shifted onto his side, mirroring you, “is Roger bothering you at all?”

    You snorted, amused. “What, you mean more than usual?”

    Brian smiled. “I just mean about… this. About us.”

    “Are you asking if his relentless teasing and badgering for the past week has been upsetting me at all?” you asked dryly.

    Brian shrugged. “Just that – well, I don’t know about you, but it’s almost becoming a point of concern, how… overwhelmingly obsessed he is with it.”

    “It is odd,” you murmured in thought. “I have thought about that, yeah.”

    “It just seems like every fifteen minutes he’s cracking some joke about it, trying to stir me up in some way. Is he like that with you?”

    “It’s different for me,” you said. “I don’t live with him.”

    “I suppose that’s true,” Brian said. “But you’re over often enough.”

    “Yeah,” you said. You sighed. “It’s not upsetting me. Annoying me, yes.”

    “I’ve tried to tell him to bugger off, or even to leave you alone at least, but he – like you said, he’s relentless.”

    You reached out and traced over Brian’s collarbone with a light touch. He shivered, and you smiled. “The only thing that’s really bothered me is that he’s telling everyone,” you admitted. “Just makes things…”

    “Awkward?”

    “Different. Now that everyone knows.”

    Brian hummed. “You don’t think…”

    Your finger paused. “What?”

    “It’s… jealousy?”

    Your eyebrows shot up. “Jealousy?”

    “Well, yeah,” Brian said. “He’s jealous, and he doesn’t know how to deal with that, so he’s taking it out on us.”

    “Who’s he jealous of?” You pulled your hand back abruptly. “You don’t think he likes me, do you?”

    Brian frowned. “I don’t think that’s it,” he murmured.

    You paused. “You don’t think he… likes you?”

    Brian huffed a laugh. “No, that’s– that’s not what I was getting at. Pretty sure he’s straight, anyway.”

    “Then what?”

    “I think it’s just our whole arrangement,” Brian said. “The simplicity of it, maybe. Like, you can’t deny that what we have is fairly unusual. At least, for this length of time.”

    “I guess so,” you said. You went back to tracing his collarbones. “Or maybe it’s the fact that I call you Daddy.”

    Brian let out a short, sharp burst of laughter. “You really think so?”

    “Yeah. I mean, it’s crossed your mind before, hasn’t it? You made a joke once about how he makes so many Daddy jokes that he must have a secret kink for it as well.”

    “I was just kidding.”

    “Well, maybe you’re smarter than you realise.”

    Brian broke out into a wide grin, and your finger lifted to tap on one of his pointy canines. His vampire teeth, you called them. The first time you’d tapped on his canines, he’d recoiled and asked what the hell you were doing – but now, he knew to expect it almost every time he smiled widely. It was just how you showed that you kinda loved them.

    “Would it be weird?” you asked, gently pressing on the tip of his tooth absentmindedly. He opened his mouth just enough to softly bite down on your finger. “If I… did some digging? To find out if Roger secretly does have a fuckin’ huge Daddy kink?”

    Brian drew back. “Did some digging? You mean interrogate him?”

    You shrugged. “There are other ways.”

    “What, sleep with him?”

    You shrugged again.

    Brian snorted. “You’d want to sleep with Roger?”

    “I wouldn’t say no,” you confessed. “I’m not gonna say it’s never crossed my mind. It’s really just a matter of whether he’d sleep with me.”

    Brian just laughed. “Oh, no, there’s no question there. He would definitely sleep with you.”

    “Would that make you uncomfortable?” you asked. “If I did? He’s your roommate.”

    “No, of course not,” Brian said easily. “You can sleep with whoever you want.”

    You took a breath. “So… is this happening? Am I going to seduce Roger with my wily womanly charm and find out if he likes it when I call him Daddy?”

    Brian made a sound in the back of his throat. “Well, if he doesn’t, that’s his loss.”

    “Are we making a bet on it?”

    Brian laughed, shaking his head. “No. We’re both on the same team here.”

    “Which is…?”

    “That we both think he’s hiding a Daddy kink. Agreed?”

    “Oh, hard agree,” you said with a nod.

    Brian’s hand went to your lower back, dragging you in close to him. “Maybe you should practice on me a bit first, though,” he said with a smile, his gaze dropping to your lips. “Just in case.”

    “Just in case what?” you said, your blood tingling with anticipation. “I forget what the word is? You’re such a dumbass.”

    “You never know,” Brian murmured, his eyes flicking back up to yours, but only for a moment, before returning to your lips. His hand smoothed up your side, around your back, and you arched into him.

    “What if I don’t want to?” you said, just to be difficult.

    Brian rolled his eyes. “You’re such a pain in the arse.”

    “What if I want to dress up in my hedgehog furry suit, hm?”

    Brian sighed, and let you go, flopping onto his back. “Not this shit again.”

    You giggled. “What’s the matter, Bri?” you said in a whiny baby voice, clambering over him, straddling his waist. “Don’t wanna fuck me in my furry suit?”

    “You know, I’m seriously considering that maybe you do actually have a bloody furry suit somewhere and you’re trying to convince me to let you wear it,” Brian said. He sounded pissed, but it was all part of the game. As he spoke, his hands smoothed up your thighs. “Which isn’t fucking happening. I indulge all of your stupid kinks, but that’s not one of them.”

    You gasped, mock-offended. “But it’s your kink, Bri. I got it just for you, because you love animals so much.”

    Brian shoved you off, and you fell onto the bed, laughing. “I can’t stand you,” he said. “I genuinely hate you. Get out of my life.”

    You laughed even harder, and Brian sat up just to turn to you and stick his middle finger up at you, right in your face. You grinned, and grabbed his wrist, tugging his hand closer to wrap your lips around his finger and suck.

    The shift on Brian’s face from faux disdain to arousal was immediate. “Oh, fucking hell,” he said weakly, and pushed another finger into your mouth. You took it gladly, your tongue sliding between them.

    “There’s the wily womanly charm you were talking about, then,” Brian said.

    You pulled off his fingers with an obscene sound, making him moan softly. “You have good hands,” you said. “Makes me wanna put them in my mouth.”

    Brian sucked in a shaky breath. “Roger is going to have no idea what hit him,” he muttered.

    You drew Brian’s fingers back into your mouth, loving how his eyes zeroed in on your lips. “Good girl,” he murmured, and you moaned.

    He slowly pulled his fingers from your mouth, making you whine. “You gonna be good for me?” he said, his hand going to rest against your throat.

    You nodded furiously. Already you could feel yourself growing wetter. “Just for you, Daddy.”

    Brian grinned. “That’s what I like to hear.”

    The opportunity presented itself two weeks later, at a party that the boys were invited to, and you were brought along as their plus-one. You’d discussed with Brian beforehand when the best time to strike would be, and you’d both decided you’d shoot your shot tonight. Through Snapchat, Roger had actually been the one to help pick out your outfit – your favourite dress that hugged everything in all the right places, cute platform heels, and a choker to tie it all together; he had an eclectic sense of style that you greatly admired, and so you always turned to him for fashion advice. You loved Brian dearly, but his idea of a good outfit involved honest-to-god clogs. Freddie liked to pitch in with fashion tips and tricks as well, but his offers were sometimes a little too bold for your taste.

    You met at the boys’ place for pre-drinks. Freddie let you in, welcoming you with a warm hug and a kiss on the temple. “Can you please help us,” he murmured into your ear as he walked you to the living room. “Rog and Brian have been bickering like a married couple over what music to play for hours.”

    Sure enough, the first thing you saw was Brian and Roger across the room in a heated debate, the record player sitting between them. You shook your head. As if you hadn’t sat through this sort of shit a thousand times over already.

    You and Freddie hovered in the doorway, a half-empty bottle of cider in his hand, and a six-pack in your arms. You could see the back of John’s head over the couch. You could see his girlfriend Veronica too, where she was sitting in his lap, the two of them in conversation, blatantly ignoring Roger and Brian.

    “I’m honestly in half a mind to just play something from my phone at this point,” Freddie said, leaning against the doorframe. “It’s already connected to my speaker. The only thing stopping me is knowing that they’d skin me alive if I tried.”

    You snorted. “You only have, like, five records between the four of you, anyway.”

    “I know,” Freddie bemoaned. “That makes it even worse.”

    “We listened to Abbey Road on repeat ten times yesterday,” Roger snapped. “I like the Beatles just as much as the next white guy, but for the love of God.”

    “It’s good,” Brian insisted. “Look, if you won’t let me play Tattoo–”

    “Not fucking Rory Gallagher again, Brian.”

    “Stop shitting all over Rory Gallagher! He’s the greatest artist of all time.”

    “I’m not shitting all over anyone. Although you’re wrong.”

    “Wrong?” Brian cried.

    Freddie looked to you pleadingly. “Save us.”

    You laughed. “I’ll do my best.”

    You went to step forward, to say something, but then Freddie said, “I’m sure you’ll at least be able to shut Brian up, eh?”

    You were half-expecting some joke like that, but it still made your stomach coil with embarrassment. “Ha ha, very funny,” you drawled.

    “Or is he the one who shuts you up?”

    You sighed, adjusting the six-pack in your grip. “Could I have a rough estimate as to how long Brian and I are going to be subject to this sort of thing? These little jokes? Just a ballpark estimate?”

    Freddie put a finger to his chin, tilting his head this way and that, pretending to think very deeply about the question. “Oh. Hm. Well. Maybe, if I had to guess, dear… You know, put a gun to my head, I’d probably say… forever?”

     “Fuck you, Fred.”

    Freddie laughed. “I’d apologise, darling, but it’s just too funny. Brian, of all people–”

    “Yes, I know, wow, Brian, somehow it’s Brian, I know,” you said, rolling your eyes.

    “And you’re sure the two of you aren’t dating?”

    “Yes, I’m sure,” you said. “We’re not lying, you know.”

    “I’m not saying you are,” Freddie said. “It’s just…”

    “I know,” you said again. “But we’re happy. Okay?”

    “Oh, I’m sure you are, dear,” Freddie said with a cheeky grin. “I see how chipper Brian is after allegedly spending hours every other day ‘studying in the library’. I’m sure you’re just as delighted to get all that work done, hm? Really getting deep into your studies.”

    You gave him a withering look, and his grin widened.

    “Oh, hey!”

    You looked over, and Veronica was peering over the couch at you, her face lit up. “When did you get here?”

    “Hi,” you said, finally stepping into the room, Freddie close behind. “Just a minute ago.”

    “Let me–” Veronica clambered off John and hurried over. “Look at you, you look gorgeous,” she said, her eyes sweeping up and down your outfit, and then she wrapped you in a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here,” she whispered furiously into your ear. “There’s way too much testosterone flying around in this fucking room.”

    You laughed. “I’m here to save the day,” you said.

    When you stepped back from the hug, Veronica took your six-pack from your hands. “You sort the boys out – I’ll get you a drink,” she said, nodding behind her.

    Roger and Brian had stopped their argument temporarily, but you could tell that neither of them were willing to budge from the record player.

    You ignored them, and turned to John, leaning down to give him a hug. “Hey, Deaks.”

    “Sorry, should’ve stood up for you,” John said, leaning forward to hug you back.

    You didn’t mind. In leaning down, you incidentally had given a nice view of your arse, wrapped tight in the dress you were wearing, to Brian.

    And to Roger.

    “No, don’t worry about it,” you said easily, straightening up and adjusting your dress. “Have you guys had much to drink yet?”

    “Only one or two,” Freddie said. “Haven’t even cracked open the vodka yet, would you believe.”

    “I have to say, I’m shocked,” you said. “What are you waiting for?”

    “For you, my love,” Veronica said, coming back over to you, one of your drinks in hand. You thanked her as you took it. “Wanted to make sure the whole gang was here before we got too sloshed.”

    “Well, I’m here!” you said, holding out your arms. “So, let’s put on some music and let’s get it going.”

    Everyone laughed, and you stopped, your eyes widening, and you grimaced. “Oh, that’s right,” you said slowly, finally turning to Roger and Brian. “These two have been too busy measuring their dicks to actually play anything.”

    The joke went down swimmingly with John and Freddie, and with Veronica. Not so much with Brian and Roger.

    You grinned at them. They did look good tonight, both of them. Roger had re-dyed his hair a few weeks ago, and it had settled into the prettiest soft blond colour that matched his big blue eyes perfectly. His hair actually looked fantastic tonight, all fluffy and bouncy. His shirt was a button-up, brightly patterned, tucked into ripped jeans, and he was wearing his sparkly pink hi-tops that clashed both horribly and wonderfully with the rest of his outfit.

    Brian’s trousers were black and slightly flared, his shirt black as well. He was wearing a floral-patterned blazer that you’d seen him wear before. You’d seen Roger and Freddie wearing it, too, and at this point you weren’t sure who it actually belonged to. The sleeves were a touch too short on Roger and Freddie, so on Brian they went only halfway down his forearms, but it worked.

    Your eyes ducked to Brian’s feet. Clogs again, it seemed. Fucking weirdo.

    You matched Brian’s gaze. Then Roger’s. “Hendrix,” you said simply.

    They looked to each other, glared, and then Brian sighed in defeat, knowing you were right, and said, “Fuck.”

    You smiled, and Roger huffed, but put on the Are You Experienced album.

    Veronica cheered. “Finally!”

    “I’ll get the vodka,” Freddie chirped, and hurried to the kitchen.

    As Foxy Lady started playing, you wandered over to Roger and Brian, who were still not quite done being pissy with each other – but, with nothing left to argue about, they settled on simply marinading in each other’s bad energy.

    “Hello,” you said, taking a deep swig of your drink.

    Brian’s gaze was so intense on you that you could almost feel the heat of it. You could tell he was figuring out already how soon would be too soon to drag you to his bedroom.

    You couldn’t help but preen under the attention. Would it be too greedy of you to sneak Brian off first before going after Roger?

    Speaking of Roger – he was staring at a point over your shoulder, arms crossed, his bottom lip jutting out the slightest bit. You wanted to kiss him, which wasn’t the first time you’d thought that, but the first time you’d allowed yourself to. It was thrilling, freeing.

    Was it too early to test the waters?

    “Roger,” you murmured, softly, in the tone you liked to use when Brian was misbehaving.

    You heard Brian’s breath catch, and you smothered a smile. Even when it wasn’t being used on him, it still had an effect.

    Roger’s eyes flicked to yours, the tiniest frown on his face. He was unsure. “Yeah?”

    You tilted your head to the side, smiling, dropping the tone back into your normal one. “Hi.”

    He smiled tightly. “Hi.” He sighed, uncrossing his arms. “I’m getting a drink. I’ll leave you and, uh, Daddy to it.”

    You resisted the urge to let out an exasperated sigh, and watched him head to the kitchen. “Still with the Daddy jokes,” you muttered, turning to Brian. “That one wasn’t even funny. Or clever.”

    “I think he’s too pissed off to try to be funny or clever,” Brian said. He seemed unbothered by it, however, and was much more focused on you. “You have no idea,” he said lowly, “how badly I want you right now.”

    You shivered, but apart from that, you kept your body language friendly, light, trying not to give away the nature of the discussion to the other occupants of the room.

    But the look on Brian’s face probably gave it away immediately.

    You grinned. “Did you like that?” you said with a cheeky scrunch of your nose. “The way I just told you and Roger what to do in front of everyone?”

    “You had the fucking nerve to bend down like that in front of me,” Brian said through gritted teeth. “Wearing that dress…”

    “Well, I put it on because I thought you’d like it,” you said. You paused. “Oh, wait,” you said. “No I didn’t. I did it because I thought Roger would like it. And he does. He helped me pick it out. Helped me choose this whole outfit. And he’ll be helping me take it off later.”

    Brian breathed out sharply through his nose, shaking his head, glancing away. “I swear to God…”

    You giggled. “What’s the matter?”

    “You’re such a fucking tease.”

    “Oh, why, thank you, Bri,” you said, patting him on the chest. He stiffened, and you knew it was because he was holding back from grabbing you and towing you away. You almost let him. He would’ve kissed you so hard that your lips would’ve bruised, and you knew he would’ve fallen to his knees – maybe metaphorically, maybe literally, it had happened before – and begged you to let him fuck you, damn everyone else, damn the party. You would’ve said no, and he would’ve pleaded for you to at least let him eat you out, please, please, I need it, please, God, I’ll do anything, just let me make you feel good, please.

     You didn’t know if you would’ve let him. You didn’t know how on-board Roger would’ve been to sleep with you if he knew that you’d been with Brian earlier that night.

    It didn’t matter, anyway. Because, as it stood now, you and Brian were still at the record player, and Brian was tense and pissed and horny as hell.

    God, you fucking loved this. The power you had over him was the best fucking aphrodisiac you’d ever discovered.

    “Can you two stop eye-fucking each other and come join the rest of the party?” John called from the couch.

    You could see immediately the way Brian snapped out of it, like he’d been doused with cold water. He looked over to John, and shrugged a shoulder. “We’re just having a conversation. No eye-fucking.”

    “Oh, yes, darling, and I’m Her Majesty the Queen,” Freddie said. He had a large glass on the coffee table, and was spreading a deck of cards in a circle around it. “Come on, come on, let’s play King’s Cup.”

    You snorted. Of all the games. “Wonderful,” you said under your breath, taking a drink and heading over, Brian behind you.

    Roger finally re-appeared from the kitchen, a beer in hand. “Right, let’s play, before I decide that this stupid game is a waste of my time and it’d be much more worthwhile to just down five shots of vodka.”

    “It’s not stupid,” Veronica tutted. “Stop being a party pooper.”

    “Yeah, Roger, stop being a whiny bitch,” you said, sitting down next to Brian.

    Roger gave you a two-fingered salute. “I will defend to the death my right to be as whiny of a bitch as I want to be at all times,” he said as he neared the table. He raised his eyebrows at Brian, pointing to you. “She deserves a spanking later for calling me that.”

    Veronica tutted, rolling her eyes, and Freddie and John snickered behind their hands. Brian said, “Oh, for God’s sake, mate,” at the same time you cried, “Roger,” slapping his thigh.

    He flinched, but laughed. “Oh, I’m the one getting a spanking now? Saucy.”

    Your face was burning. You knew that whatever you said, it wasn’t going to stop him, so you just said, “Roger,” again, in the most disapproving tone you could manage. Roger laughed even more, sitting down beside you.

    Brian muttered something into his beer that you didn’t catch, but Roger spluttered, his ears going as red as yours, and exclaimed, “You think I’m–? Me? I am not–”

    He cut himself off, and grabbed his drink. “Twat,” he mumbled.

    “Can we please start the game now?” Veronica said.

    “Yeah, can we?” you seconded.

    “Yes, I believe we can,” Freddie said pointedly. “If everyone in the room is finally ready.”

    You weren’t sure how obvious you wanted to be when it came to flirting with Roger – you’d already been the victim of your friends’ gossiping the past few weeks because of Brian. You didn’t want to give anyone else anything more to talk about.

    So you kept it fairly subtle. A lingering hand on Roger’s thigh underneath the table, a cheeky smile here and there. In the moments you felt daring enough, you let your gaze drop to his lips when you spoke to him.

    You could feel Brian’s eyes on you every now and again. You weren’t sure if it was intrigue or jealousy. Maybe he was just eager for you to figure out the truth of Roger’s supposed Daddy kink as soon as possible.

    Eventually, long after King’s Cup had ended, you all decided it was high time to make an appearance at the party. Leaving pre-drinks was always your least favourite part of the night – staying at home drinking and playing dumb drinking games with your friends was always a better time than hanging around at a party – but Freddie and Roger were eager to get to it, and John was itching for an excuse to dance.

    The past couple months, you and Brian usually used your mutual dislike of parties to sneak off to make out, or to leave altogether for something else entirely back at his place. You had to admit that it was confusing, in a way, to know that that would not be the case tonight. Old habits die hard, you supposed.

    You sat in beside Roger in the back seat of the Uber on the way there; Brian sat in the front seat, and John, Freddie, and Veronica were on their way in a second Uber.

    Conversation flowed easily between you and Roger. Brian chimed in every now and again, but it was always difficult to be a part of things from the front seat. Now that it was just you three, you allowed yourself to flirt more openly. You weren’t quite at the ‘blatant’ stage just yet, but you were well on your way.

    Roger flirted back – of course he did. Any opportunity to turn on the charm.

    The issue for you was that you didn’t know how serious it was. Was he just playing along? Did he think you were just tipsy and being more outgoing? Or was he genuinely flirting back? It was hard to tell. Frustratingly hard.

    He dropped a Daddy joke every now and again, as was expected, but each time he did, Brian would just hum, a light but unmistakably condescending mm-hm, and Roger would glare at him or reach forward to jab him in the shoulder or the back of the neck.

    You tried to give Brian a questioning glance, but you couldn’t catch his eye. Can you stop? you wanted to say to him. You’re kind of killing my groove here, making Roger all pissy.

    Things would settle at the party. The group would disperse, and you’d have more alone time with Roger.

    It didn’t quite happen how you hoped it would, but when did things ever go according to plan?

    The group did disperse – including Roger, who disappeared off with Freddie. And, as was the norm, you were left alone with Brian. The two of you gravitated towards the couches, which were loaded with people already, so you both perched, side-by-side, on the sturdy arm of one of the couches. Outside, it wasn’t the coldest you’ve ever felt, but you much preferred staying inside. It helped that the alcohol you’d had during pre-drinks had well and truly settled in your veins, keeping you warm and your head pleasantly fuzzy.

    “Where’d your loverboy go?” Brian asked, shoving his hands into his pockets.

    You blew a raspberry, shrugging. “Dunno. This is weirdly more difficult than I expected it to be.”

    “Roger’s used to girls flirting with him, I suppose,” Brian said, shrugging. “He maybe doesn’t know that you’re angling for anything more than just a bit of fun.”

    “I am angling for a bit of fun,” you said. “Just a particular kind.”

    Brian snorted.

    “You’re not helping, dude, by the way,” you said, nudging him. “What are you saying to him that’s riling him up so much?”

    Brian unsuccessfully tried to hide his smile, shrugging again. “Nothing.”

    You glared at him. “What?”

    “Nothing!” Brian said with a laugh, even as you shoved at him. “Have you heard me say a word?”

    “No, you’ve just been making snide little noises.”

    “Snide,” Brian scoffed.

    “They are snide,” you said, pointing an accusing finger at him. “You two have some sort of secret language going on, and you’re using it just to distract him.”

    Brian gaped. “Distract– I am doing no such thing.”

    “I am doing no such thing,” you mimicked. “You know exactly what you’re doing.”

    Brian laughed again. “Bastard.”

    “Me?” you gasped. “How dare– I’m not the bastard here. Fucker.”

    “You’re a bastard.”

    You shook your head, crossing your arms, looking away from him resolutely. “I’m not talking to you now.”

    “Oh, come on.”

    “Nope. Not talking.”

    “You’re talking to me right now. Bloody bellend.”

    You pushed him off the arm of the chair, and he stumbled, laughing.

    “I can’t stand you,” you said. You stood up, adjusting your dress.

    Brian beamed like the cat who’d gotten the cream, coming to stand in front of you, hands in his pockets again. “Oh yeah?” he said, his voice sliding suggestively.

    Goddammit it. It was fucking hard to resist him, and he knew it.

    “Yes,” you said. “And don’t.”

    “Don’t what?”

    “Get that look in your eye. Stop smiling at me like that.”

    “Like what?” Brian said, still very much smiling like that.

    You couldn’t smother your smile in return, so you glanced away. “Stop it.”

    Brian stepped in closer, his hands coming to your waist. “Sorry, say again? I didn’t quite catch that.”

    His hands were warm, and your breath caught, your eyes flicking to his. One of his hands slid down to the small of your back, his other moving to your chin, tilting it up towards him. His eyes travelled lazily to your mouth and back to your eyes.

    “You’re dreadfully misbehaving, mister,” you said lowly. “What was that you were saying about not causing a distraction?”

    Brian hummed, smiling, unbothered. “I can’t help myself when it comes to you. I do stand by me saying I wasn’t trying to distract Roger, but you, on the other hand…” His grip around you tightened, the hand under your chin slipping around the back of your neck.

    You wanted to touch him, to slide your hands under his shirt and scratch your nails down his back, hear him gasp when you did it. You wanted to kiss him, steal him away to a more private area.

    But you also wanted Roger. So your hands stayed at your sides.

    Brian leant in for a kiss, and you pulled back. “Bri.”

    Brian stopped.

    “Bri.”

    Brian sighed, his eyes searching yours. “Not even for a bit? Just twenty minutes.”

    You raised your eyebrows at him.

    “Ten minutes? Five?”

    You said nothing.

    His hands held you more tightly, and you could see the desperation creeping into his features. “No?”

    You shook your head.

    Brian let out a small whine, and dropped his head onto your shoulder, his hands coming back to your waist. “Fuck me.”

    You rubbed his back soothingly. “Aw,” you cooed, a touch sarcastically, “were you looking forward to making out with me? Did you get all turned on and now you’ve got no outlet for it?”

    “Fuck you,” Brian grumbled, his hands turning into fists, gripping your dress.

    “You wish,” you said, the soothing rubbing turning into a comforting pat. “But that’s not gonna happen tonight. You’re gonna have to find someone else.”

    Brian growled, and then let you go, stepping back, shaking his head. “You’re the worst.”

    “Why don’t you hang out with Freddie?” you suggested. “Y’know, actually spend time with your other friends.”

    “Says you,” Brian grumbled.

    “Hey, I’m on a mission,” you said. “For science.”

    Brian pouted, and you laughed. “Come on,” you said, patting him on the cheek, intentionally a little too roughly, making him pull a face and bat your hand away. “Let’s go find them.”

    It didn’t take long. Both Roger and Freddie had incredibly strong, loud personalities, so together you could have spotted them from the moon. They were in the backyard, doubled over each other, laughing so hard that neither of them could breathe. As you approached them, they seemed to settle down somewhat, but then Freddie said something you didn’t catch – it really sounded like more of a splutter, maybe half a word at best – and they were both off again.

    You grinned at Brian. “They’re so cute, aren’t they?”

    Brian snorted, giving you a confused look. “Cute?”

    “The way they laugh so much with each other. I dunno, makes me happy to see it.”

    “It’d probably make you less happy if you had to hear it when you were trying to study,” Brian muttered. “Or at five o’clock in the morning when they come home from the club.”

    You gave him a back-handed slap on the chest. “You’re just jealous coz you’re such a stick in the mud all the time.”

    You yelped in surprise as Brian grabbed you around your waist, swinging you to the side. “I’m not a stick in the mud,” he growled playfully into your ear, and you squeaked, trying to squirm out of his arms.

    “Yes you are,” you giggled, and Brian readjusted his grip on you, locking you in. “No!”

    “Take it back,” Brian demanded.

    “No,” you panted, wriggling furiously.

    Brian grunted as you almost accidentally sent an elbow into his face, and doubled down, squeezing you more tightly. “Take it back.”

    “You’re a stick in the mud,” you said, and managed to worm your way out.

    Brian tried to grab your wrist, but you yanked your hand away, and dashed off outside, laughing, ducking behind Roger. “You have to save me,” you said breathlessly, as Roger and Freddie drew away from you in surprise.

    When Roger clocked on that you were just being silly, he broke out into a smile. “What?” he said. “What’s going on?”

    You peered around him. Brian was looking towards you through the open door, his arms thrown up in exasperation, shaking his head. “Brian’s trying to get me.”

    “And why’s that, darling?” Freddie said. He took a drag of his cigarette and held it out to Roger, but Roger declined, instead wrapping an arm around your waist, looking back to Brian. Your heart did a dance in your chest, and you gladly curled into Roger’s chest, playing up the whole damsel-in-distress bit. He smelled of cigarette smoke and of his cologne, the nice one he always wore to parties.

    “I called him a stick in the mud,” you said.

    Freddie and Roger laughed. “But you are!” Freddie called to Brian.

    It took Brian a second, but when he realised what Freddie meant, he stuck his middle finger up at him, and Freddie clapped his hands in delight.

    “Don’t worry, sweetheart, we’ve got ya,” Roger said, and his other arm joined his first, hugging you close. “He’s a terrifying git, I know, but we’ll protect you.”

    You giggled, pressing your face into Roger’s neck, and he pulled you even closer.

    There was a pause, and then Freddie said, “Should I go check on the git in question?”

    It sounded pointed, weighted, like you’d missed something important in the subtext, and you raised your head to see Freddie quickly looking away from Roger’s face, taking another drag of his cigarette.

    “Yeah, I reckon so,” Roger said nonchalantly.

    “I think he was saying he wanted to hang out with you, Fred,” you said, and you caught the way the corners of Freddie’s mouth twitched.

    “Oh, is that so?” he murmured. He took a final draw, then dropped the butt on the ground, grinding it underfoot. “Well, then,” he said with a sigh, an unreadable expression on his face as he turned to Roger, smoke billowing from his mouth up into the air. “Better go say hello, shouldn’t I?” His eyes flicked between you and Roger, and then he said, “Suppose I, uh, might see you later then, folks.”

    When he left, you pulled away from Roger enough to look him in the face, but not so far that Roger let you go. “What was that about?” you said, frowning. You fiddled with the collar of Roger’s shirt.

    “What?” Roger asked. His eyes were so pretty and blue.

    “That,” you said, jerking your head towards where Freddie had left. “All those looks and everything.”

    “Oh, Fred’s just being…” Roger took a breath in, and shook his head. “He’s just being Fred. How’s your night going?”

    “We only got here about half an hour ago,” you said. “Forty-five minutes at most.” Roger adjusted his grip on you, and you pressed in closer to him, warmth blooming within you. You were close enough to kiss, easily.

    Roger shrugged a shoulder, smiling. “A lot can happen in half an hour.”

    “Well, nothing’s happened to me.” Yet. “What about you?”

    “I would’ve thought you and Brian would’ve snuck off by now,” Roger said. “You know I used to think you two just went home? Ages back. Like, you went to your home and he went to his? Or that you just used to stay up having a chat? It took me way longer than I’d like to admit to figure out that when you walked out of his room sometimes the next morning, you hadn’t been sleeping on his floor.”

    You chuckled. “Why’d it take you so long?”

    “It just didn’t seem to… make sense. You and him sleeping together but not dating. He’s too much of a romantic.”

    “Well, it’s been working so far.”

    Roger sighed, shaking his head in disbelief. “Fucking hell, it has.”

    You took a moment to drink in his response, not quite sure what to make of it, but he moved on before you could analyse it further. “So why aren’t you with him right now? You’re not in the mood?”

    You went to speak, but hesitated. How did you want to play this? “I… wouldn’t say that,” you said.

    “Oh,” Roger said, and you could see the cogs whirring behind his eyes, trying to figure out what you meant, just as you’d done to him. “So should I be expecting you to disappear very soon?”

    You shook your head. “No.”

    There was a moment, so charged it almost made your head swim. You thought Roger was about to kiss you, and your whole body was screaming at you to go for it.

    But then Roger just said, “Oh, well, lucky me,” and he gave you a quick kiss on the forehead, then let you go. “Did you wanna get another drink? I think I saw some beers that someone left unattended inside we could steal.”

    You took a second to get your bearings once again. “Um, sure,” you said, and Roger smiled, then went inside. You inhaled, exhaled, pulled a slight face at yourself in frustration for how stupidly difficult this was, and followed him in.

    There only ended up being a single beer left, and the two of you sat on the front steps, sharing it.

    You’d been the one to suggest sitting out the front. Roger liked the party atmosphere too much to even consider it, probably. You’d certainly never seen him taking some time out from any party you’d gone to with him.

    The conversation was simple, nothing too shallow or too deep. Mostly just passing thoughts. The new bass John had been eyeing up online, the mess your housemate Lucy was always making after she’d had her boyfriend over for a movie night, the latest celebrity gossip. Roger hadn’t seemed like the sort of person to keep up-to-date on celebrity gossip when you’d first met him at the beginning of the year, and you still hadn’t ever seen him read anything trashy, but somehow he knew it all – but he always made sure to clarify that he didn’t care about any of it, just that he knew it. And, of course, he had an opinion on every part of it, too.

    But as nice as it was to chat, you had had an ulterior motive for getting Roger alone. At this point, however, you were considering that maybe Roger just wasn’t interested in you that way. Which you were fine with, but you had to admit you were surprised.

    It was hard to tell. So hard. Roger seemed to be leaning into your personal space, and then he’d shift away again. Sometimes it seemed like he was glancing at your mouth, but then his eyes ended up wandering all over your face, like he was just absentmindedly studying your features. Countless almost-touches, glances that could be seen as flirty or interested but also equally could be just the alcohol talking. It was maddening.

    Inevitably, the conversation circled back to you and Brian, and that’s when Roger began grinding your gears. It was on the second Daddy joke in five minutes that you had to put your foot down.

    “Okay, what is up with all the jokes?” you asked.

    Roger frowned, laughing slightly. “Uh, they’re funny?”

    “They’re excessive, Rog. We get it. Even Fred and Deaks must be getting tired of them by now.”

    “Sorry,” Roger drawled sarcastically. “I happen to think they’re still funny. Sue me.”

    You sighed. You didn’t want this to turn into a fight. “Are you sure that’s it?” you asked tentatively.

    Roger blinked at you. “Uh, what?”

    “Ever since you saw my phone, you’ve been all…”

    “All what?”

    “I don’t know. Not yourself. Just a bit.”

    Roger bristled again. “It’s a little hard to– to act normal around you sometimes, yeah. You and Brian. How the hell are you meant to just go about your day when you know two of your friends… When your flatmate is, like, someone’s Daddy? What are you meant to do with that information?”

    You scoffed. “Okay, wow, no. Brian is not ‘my Daddy’. That is not how it works between us.”

    Roger shook his head. “Not how it works between you,” he muttered to himself.

    “It isn’t,” you insisted. “It–” You bit your lip, cutting yourself off. This wasn’t just your information to tell. How much was too much to share?

    “What?” Roger said.

    You looked at him, at his big blue eyes, his long eyelashes. Your knee was touching his, and you so badly wanted to curl your hand around his thigh. You sighed, shaking your head, looking out onto the street. “I’m not going to explain it. You’re just going to laugh at me, and I don’t really feel like subjecting myself to more ridicule, if I’m honest.”

    Roger said nothing for a while, fiddling with the label on the beer bottle, and you took it as the final nail in the coffin. You wouldn’t be sleeping with Roger tonight. Oh well. You’d tried. And, you supposed, you and Brian finally had your answer: Roger did not have a Daddy kink.

    “Sorry,” Roger said.

    You looked to him, at the little pile between his feet of the ripped-up label. “For what?”

    “For taking it too far. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

    You didn’t really know how to respond, so it took you a minute to think. “Of all the things I was expecting to hear from you tonight, an apology wasn’t one of them.”

    Roger huffed in amusement. “Yeah. I’m not really known for them.” He put down the beer bottle, and turned to head towards you. “I won’t laugh,” he added.

    You raised your eyebrows. “You want me to explain how it works?”

    Roger shrugged a shoulder, a tiny movement. His face betrayed nothing. “If you like.”

    You took another moment to try to suss him out, and decided he meant what’d he’d said. “If you must know,” you said, somewhat cautiously, “Brian’s not… my Daddy. That’s not how we – play with that dynamic.”

    You were expecting some kind of recoil. Retaliation. Ragging.

    But this time, Roger just swallowed, and said nothing.

    So you took a breath, and went on. “The way we… Well, it’s sort of…” Your hand moved to your mouth absentmindedly as you thought, brushing over your bottom lip. “I really like teasing. Like, really like it.”

    Roger nodded – an invitation to go on.

    “So usually, the way Brian and I flirt, I guess, is I– I make him work for it, you know? I make him…” You hid a smile behind your hand. “Um.” You chuckled. “This is weird to explain out loud. But yeah, basically, in the simplest terms, I make him work for it. So that means when the roles are reversed, when suddenly I’m the one who has to beg for it, because I’m blindfolded, or tied down, or, y’know, that sort of thing–”

    “Christ,” Roger breathed. He shifted and cleared his throat, and it was as if a switch had been flicked: the electricity between the two of you was palpable.

    “You, uh… When I said I didn’t know Brian was into the weird stuff, I didn’t know he was…”

    “Yeah,” you said with a laugh. “Oh, yeah. I mean, really, in the scheme of things, as far as ‘weird’ goes, most of what we do is pretty vanilla.”

    “Depends on who you’re talking to, I guess,” Roger said, and he gave you a nervous smile.

    “Yeah, you’re right, I guess,” you conceded. “But, well, my point is that when the roles are reversed, I don’t really go down that easily. Sometimes, maybe, if I feel like it, but rarely. I’m…” You chuckled. “Honestly, I’m the biggest–”

    “Brat?” Roger jumped in, and the word tumbled from his mouth like he couldn’t help it.

    You grinned. “Yeah.” You raised your eyebrows at him. “Should I be surprised that you know the lingo? Mr. ‘I’m-Not-Into-That-Weird-Shit’?”

    Roger’s face turned bright red. “I haven’t– It’s just that other people use it. I don’t even know if I used that work properly; honestly, I was just guessing, I’d just heard someone use that word before. Or maybe I read it somewhere, I don’t know.”

    You let him babble, just nodding along, not even trying to hide your smug smile.

    He ran out of steam eventually, and he rolled his eyes at your expression. “Dickhead,” he muttered.

    You laughed. Roger chuckled as well, and when he glanced at you, your eyes locked with his. And stayed there, only breaking to drift to his mouth and back up again.

    His eyes did just the same.

    And this time it was unmistakable.

    A thrill of relief and exhilaration bolted through you.

    You just had to check one thing first. Just to be sure.

    “Rog?”

    “Yeah?” Roger said softly.

    “How do you feel about me?”

    Roger frowned. “Feel about you?”

    “Yeah,” you said, and you licked your lips nervously. “Y’know, do you – and this is probably a pointless, dumb question, but do you… like me?”

    Roger froze, and your stomach clenched. “Um… like you?”

    You nodded. “In a… romantic way. At all.”

    Roger let out a breath. “Oh. Um.” He looked down at his hands in his lap. “I didn’t know that that’s where this was going. Shit.” He ran a hand through his hair.

    “Do you?” you asked, suddenly panicking. Did this mean that he did? Oh, Jesus, please no. You’d have felt fucking awful if he did.

    Roger rubbed his hands over his knees. “Uh…”

    “Rog, say something,” you pleaded.

    Roger glanced at you. “I… Look, you’re great. You’re a lot of fun to be around, and you’re funny, but I – I don’t see you like that. I’m sorry.”

    You breathed out.

    Roger frowned. “Does– Does Brian know that you…?”

    You gave him a look. “What? No, Roger, I don’t like you in that way either.”

    Roger hesitated. “You… No?”

    “No.”

    “Then why did you–”

    “Ask?” you cut in. “It was to make sure that you don’t have feelings for me.”

    “Oh,” Roger said. “No, I don’t.”

    “Good.” You sighed, and smiled. Time to make a break for it. “Wanna make out?”

    Roger blinked. “Right now?”

    Your heart lurched, but you kept your voice light, confident. “Yep.”

    “But what about Brian?”

    You snorted. “What about him? We just sleep together, we’re not a couple.”

    “Well, I know, but–”

    “I can sleep with whoever I want to. And so can Brian.”

    Roger paused. “Sleep with?”

    Ah, shit. Talk about jumping the gun. “Or, you know, whatever,” you said casually, shrugging.

    Roger wasn’t fooled. “You trying to sleep with me?” he asked.

    You gave him a sheepish smile. “Would you hate me if I said yes?”

    Roger laughed. “Uh, no. I wouldn’t hate you. I’d probably take you home.”

    “Oh!” you exclaimed. God, things had really turned around in the last ten minutes. “Well, in that case, yes I am. Been trying to all night, actually.”

    “You’re joking,” Roger said with a disbelieving shake of his head. “Y’know, I knew you were. I could tell from the moment you said my name back at the flat. But I was talking to Freddie about it and he was all, ‘No, darling, that can’t be right, why would she want you when she has Brian, I really think you’re just a bit full of yourself’. But I knew it!”

    “I’d just about given up at this point,” you admitted. “I had no freaking way of telling if you were into it or not.”

    “Oh, I was,” Roger said. “I am.”

    “Great!” you said. “Can we start making out now?” 

    Roger laughed again, and you laughed too, and then Roger was pulling you in for a kiss, and a strange concoction of excitement and relief washed through you.

    It was exhilarating and wonderfully confusing for your brain to be making out with someone else. You had kissed a couple of people since your thing with Brian had started, but not really. And you’d slept with one other person, about two months ago now, but you hadn’t really needed to find anyone else to scratch that itch, as it were. Your thing with Brian took the guesswork out of sex, which was great. More room for exploring.

    But the way Roger tilted his head was different from what you were used to, the way his lips moved with yours was different, the way his hand came to rest against your cheek gently was so, so different, and you couldn’t wait to experience everything with Roger for the first time.

    It made you kiss him harder, clutch onto his shirt, and his arms wound around your waist.

    When you broke apart, there was a beat where you both just stared at each other, where you allowed it to sink in that you’d both finally crossed that threshold. You could see Roger trying to read your face for any signs of hesitation, as you were trying to read in his.

    You let out a breathless laugh, and Roger did the same. His smile was nervous, but his eyes gleamed with anticipation. He glanced away, a hand coming up to scratch the back of his neck. “Um,” he said.

    “Yeah,” you said.

    “You’re – you’re good,” Roger said, looking back to you, his cheeks going pink. “You’re… really good at that.”

    “What, kissing?”

    “Yeah. That.”

    You chuckled. “Thank you. You are too.”

    “Thanks.”

    Another beat, and you both started laughing again, and then your eyes were meeting, and then you were pulling him in to kiss him again.

    Now that the first kiss was out of the way, you allowed the kiss to develop, to deepen. Trying a few things, figuring out what Roger liked and what he didn’t. Most importantly, how he responded to something he did like.

    Right off the bat, an unexpected discovery: he was far gentler than Brian was. You didn’t want to spend the whole night comparing the two, but it was hard not to, in the privacy of your own mind. While Brian kissed like he was pissed at you, like he was desperate to tear your clothes off at any given point, Roger kissed like he had nothing else on his mind but the feeling of your mouth against his. With Brian there was teeth – nipping at each other’s lips, at each other’s throats. With Roger there was the press of tongues, the drag of lips across skin.

    It was good – it was great, and super hot, but it was driving you fucking mental. You had no idea how to handle this. There was nothing to push back on, not like with Brian. Nothing to fight against.

    Maybe Roger really didn’t have a Daddy kink. Surely someone this… tender couldn’t be into something like that.

    You pulled back. Roger’s lips were a little swollen, his hair a little mussed, his eyes a little glazed, and he looked divine.

    “I’m not… This isn’t going too… fast for you, is it?” you asked, unsure.

    Roger frowned. “No?”

    You shrugged helplessly. “You just seem… I don’t know. Um – gentle?”

    Roger quirked an eyebrow. “Do you want me to be rougher?”

    “No, no, don’t – you don’t have to be,” you said quickly. “It’s just, um… not…”

    Roger’s other eyebrow joined his first, up high. “Not what you’re used to?” he said slowly, and then he laughed. “Man, Brian is a bloody beast. How rough is he with you?”

    You could feel your cheeks burning, despite yourself. “I – I just mean….”

    Roger cupped your face, smiling reassuringly. “It’s fine. I’m sorry for teasing.”

    You scoffed. “Two apologies in one night. Who are you and what have you done with Roger?”

    “I’m in a generous mood. But it’s a one-night-only deal, so savour it.”

    You laughed, and leant in for another kiss, but Roger leant back, out of reach.

    “But,” he said.

    You swallowed down a small whine. “Mm?”

    “I don’t care how Brian fucks you,” Roger said softly. “Because you’re with me tonight. So we’re gonna do it my way.”

    Oh.

    “And what if I don’t want your way?” you said, unable to resist the challenge.

    “Don’t knock it till you tried it, sweetheart,” Roger said. “I mean, I can switch things up if you’re downright miserable, but if you’re used to rough, then I’m gonna go real nice and gentle.”

    You considered this. “Okay,” you said slowly, nodding. Not really up your alley, but you could work with that, just for one night.

    “I mean real nice and gentle,” Roger said, looking at you pointedly, sliding a hand up your thigh.

    It began to dawn on you. “You mean… so gentle it’s gonna make me want to…”

    “Scream? Beg for it?” Roger grinned. “All of the above?”

    You broke out into a smile. “Oh,” you said. That you could get on board with.

    But still: “And what if I don’t wanna do that, huh? What if I want to make you beg for me?”

    Roger cocked his head to one side, his thumb brushing your cheekbone. “I should’ve guessed you’d say something like that.”

    “If you want me to stay still, you’re going to have to tie me down.”

    Roger paused, and you wondered if you’d gone a step too far, but then he said, “I’ll decide if that’s how I want you or not.”

    Okay. Okay. This was so far shaping up to be quite an interesting night.

    You went to kiss him, but he pulled back again, and you sighed in frustration.

    “Roger.”

    Roger smirked. “Ask me.”

    You glared. “I’m not going to ask if I can kiss you when I know you want me to.”

    “Ask me.”

    “No.”

    “Do it.”

    The tone of his voice left no room for any other option.

    You clenched your jaw, and growled, “Can I kiss you.”

    “A ‘please’ would be nice.”

    You gaped at him. “You fucking twat.”

    Roger just shrugged a shoulder.

    He looked so smug, the arsehole. It made you want to kiss him even more. “Can I please kiss you?” you ground out through gritted teeth.

    Roger smiled. “Was that so hard?”

    “Fuck you,” you said, and surged forward, kissing him forcefully.

    But, sure enough, he didn’t rise to the bait – he pulled back just enough to break the kiss, and then re-initiated it himself, gentle and tender.

    Your hands were almost starting to shake by this point. You were going to scream. You needed that push-back, you needed that fire. This was water, this was air, so careful and light, and it was made so much worse by the fact that Roger was doing it just to make you desperate. And, fuck it all, it was really, really working.

    You ducked your head to suck on Roger’s neck as you went for his jeans, and he drew in a gasp, one of his hands in your hair – not pulling or grabbing, just there – and the other on the small of your back, pressing lightly.

    “We’re on the front porch,” Roger murmured, moaning softly as you soothed with your tongue the hickey you’d just made.

    “Don’t care,” you panted, tossing the belt buckle open and yanking on the button of Roger’s jeans.

    “I do,” Roger said. “Stop.”

    You stilled your hands, your breath hot against Roger’s neck.

    “Look at me.”

    You sat up, taking your hands back. “Sorry.”

    Roger’s eyes were sharp on yours. “It’s all right,” he said. “But you’re not to do anything like that again without asking me first. Got it?”

    You opened your mouth to protest – you weren’t going to beg like a dog – but Roger gave you a look that said he knew exactly what you were going to say.

    “My way,” he said.

    You shuddered, and nodded.

    “Use your words.”

    “Your way,” you said, and then, without thinking, added, “Nickleback.”

    Roger blinked, and then laughed. “What?”

    You felt your face turn red. “Oh,” you said. “Um. That’s– that’s our… Brian and my… ‘Nickleback’ is our safeword. Sorry, I just sort of said it automatically.”

    “Makes sense,” Roger said. “Nothing kills the mood–”

    “Like Nickleback, yeah,” you finished. “That’s the conclusion we came to.”

    Roger hesitated. “Were you… using it? The safeword?”

    “No,” you said, shaking your head. “It’s just sort of – like I said, it’s automatic, when, er, things start to – heat up. I always say it, just to say, like, that I understand where this is going, and I’m on board, and I’m making sure we both know the safeword.”

    Roger’s eyes widened. “Blimey, you’ve really got this down pat, haven’t you?”

    “You’re lucky I do,” you said. “Otherwise we’d both be walking into this blindly, and that sounds like a recipe for disaster if I’d ever heard it.”

    “Did you and Brian walk into it blindly?”

    “Brian…” You bit your lip. “He’d had a tiny bit of experience. Not much.”

    Roger blew a raspberry. “Fucking hell. Learning more and more about him tonight.”

    “We should come up with a new one,” you said. “A new safeword. Just for us.”

    Roger swallowed, and nodded, licking his lips as he thought. “Macca.”

    “Macca?” you repeated. “Like, Paul McCartney Macca?”

    “It was the first thing that popped into my head.”

    “Sounds just fine to me.” You grinned. “Macca it is.”

    The ride back to Roger’s was beautifully tense. You barely even spoke to each other, but your hands stayed in contact in the middle seat between you the entire way. Roger’s fingers fiddled with yours. Your whole body thrummed. You made sure to send Brian a quick text. You tossed up how to word it, but in the end settled on simply: rog and I are on the way back to urs.

    You were expecting him to not reply for a good while, if at all, but he must have been looking at his phone when you messaged. Lucky bastard. So, does he like being called Daddy?

    how fast do u think this works, brian, you replied. idk yet.

    It worked pretty quickly for me.

    we’d been fucking for a while already, did u forget that?

    Okay, all right, I see your point, Brian replied. I’m just deadly curious, is all. Have fun. Hope it goes well. If he’s just absolutely horrible, just send me a text and I’ll come right over and make you come until you you’re crying.

    You swallowed down a laugh. thanks. looks like rog isn’t the only one who gets jealous. enjoy the party, you sent, and put your phone away.

    You glanced over at Roger, to find him watching you. You felt your body flush with warmth. “What?” you asked lowly, a smile spreading across your face.

    Roger shook his head, and just hummed. His hand shifted, his fingers brushing yours, and you bit your lip. Your heart was trying to break out of your ribcage, and you couldn’t fucking wait to tear Roger’s clothes off.

    This was the part you loved almost more than anything else: the lead-up. The suffocating sexual tension. The moment before the bomb exploded.

    You and Roger barely touched each other as you climbed out of the Uber and headed up to the flat. There was some conversation, but not much. You were well and truly wet by the time Roger got his keys out to open the front door, and you squeezed your thighs together to try to relieve some of the tension.

    Roger opened the door. He headed inside.

    You followed, and closed the door behind you.

    You grinned, and hurried after Roger, taking his wrist and tugging on it, turning him towards you. You leant in for a kiss, ready for that bomb to explode, but he pulled back.

    You wanted to punch the wall.

    “Did you ask if you could kiss me?” Roger murmured.

    You tutted, rolling your eyes. “Roger, come on, we’re alone now.”

    A smile grew on Roger’s lips. “And?”

    You studied his face. It was plain as day that he meant it, and he meant it wholeheartedly. Your whole being was begging you to grab him, to kiss him, to claw at his clothes until they were in tatters on the ground. You narrowed your eyes. “Can I kiss you?” you growled. “Please?”

    “Oh, honey,” Roger said – so condescendingly it almost sounded like he was cooing at you – and he reached up to stroke your cheek. You instinctively turned your head a little, going to nip at his fingers, to invite them into your mouth, same as you would with Brian, but Roger just moved his hand out of the way. “I think you can ask me a little nicer than that, don’t you?”

    You let out a sound of frustration, gripping his wrist tighter. “Roger.”

    Roger paused, his eyes flicking aside in thought, but they settled back on you. He cocked his head to the side. “You don’t want to be here all night, do you?”

    “Of course not,” you huffed. “So can we get on with it?”

    “Ask me nicely. I don’t want to have to say it again.”

    A small whine slipped from your throat, and you felt your will start to crumble. “Please,” you said in a small voice.

    “Please what?”

    “Please can I kiss you?”

    Roger smiled, extremely pleased with himself. Fucking dick. “Yes, you can.”

    You were in half a mind to outright refuse, despite the fact you’d just asked. To tell him no, you weren’t going to kiss him, actually, and he could go shove it up his ass.

    But you were too desperate not to. So you kissed him, and he kissed you back, and for all of his pomp and circumstance, you could feel how eager he was through the way he breathed in sharply when your lips met, through the movement of his jaw, through the force of his hands gripping at your waist, pulling you against him. It was blissfully relieving, to finally have something more solid to work with.

    But then Roger let you go, his fingers relaxing against you, his lips drawing away from yours.

    You leant in further, clutching at his shirt, and he chuckled, and pressed the lightest, briefest kiss to your lips before he took your hands and pried them away. “Stop it,” he said, and his voice left no room for questioning.

    You went slack, rocking back onto your heels with a huff. You pouted.

    “God, you’re so worked up,” Roger chuckled.

    “Yeah, bitch, I fuckin’ am!” you said. You had the inexplicable urge to stomp your foot. You suppressed it, but only just. “We’ve only kissed twice! Forgive me if I’m more than a little horny!”

    Roger’s eyes were dark on yours, and he looked delighted by your outburst. “You’re doing well,” he said, his voice warm with appraisal. And arousal – oh yeah, plenty of that. “You’re actually behaving a lot better than I thought you would.”

    Half of you bristled at that, at the accusation that you didn’t have as much fight in you as first thought, and the other half melted at the praise.

    Roger kissed you again, his free hand skimming your waist gently. His other hand still held your wrists tightly, and your stomach clenched in irritation.

    When Roger broke away, he let you go, and said, “Stay here. Don’t move.”

    Then he left, heading towards his bedroom.

    You pursed your lips. God fucking damn it, this was frustrating.

    So you stripped to your underwear. You’d come prepared, of course, wearing your nice stuff. You kept your choker and your heels on, and draped your dress over the back of the couch.

    “Sorry, I was just making sure my room was cle–” Roger’s jaw just about hit the floor, and he stopped in his tracks in the hallway. “Oh,” he said.

    “You were taking too long,” you said, crossing your arms, cocking your hip. Roger drank you in, licking his lips, and then he met your eyes. “How many fucking times do I have to tell you to ask for permission?”

    You grinned. “Maybe one more time.”

    “The fucking cheek,” he said. He stepped into the living room, and then pointed down the hallway. “Go to my room.”

    You raised your eyebrows at him. “Are you grounding me?” you asked.

    “Go to my room, take off your shoes and your necklace, and sit on the edge of my bed,” Roger said. “Now.”

    Oh, you wanted to protest. You really wanted to fight back. You wanted him to make you, to grab your wrist and drag you there, to shove you onto the bed, all the while bitching about how annoying and disobedient you were.

    But this wasn’t Brian.

    Roger’s way, you reminded yourself, and sighed, uncrossing your arms. “Fine.”

    “Good,” Roger said, and as you went to walk past him, he took your elbow, stopping you, and kissed you softly, making your knees weak.

    You hurried to his bedroom and did as you were told. You crossed one knee over the other, squeezing your thighs together, a soft sound slipping from your lips as you did so.

    Roger entered not long after you’d sat down, and he smiled when he saw you. “Good,” he said again.

    You squirmed.

    “How turned on are you right now?” he asked, almost disbelievingly, his smile widening.

    “Why don’t you come and find out?” you said. Roger chuckled. “Stand up.”

    You did.

    “Good.” Roger walked over to you. “When I kiss you, you’re not to touch me, understand?”

    You scowled, but nodded.

    “Use your words.”

    “Yeah, I get it.”

    “Nicely.”

    “Yes, I understand.”

    Roger bit his bottom lip. “Fuck, good girl.”

    Warmth rushed from your toes to your head, and you let out a small moan.

    It didn’t go unnoticed. “Oh, you like being called that?” Roger said.

    “Yeah,” you breathed.

    Roger sucked in a breath, but got a hold of himself, and said, “Then do as I say and I’ll call you a good girl when you’ve earned it.”

    You nodded.

    “Words, sweetheart.”

    “Yes, Daddy.”

    You felt your stomach drop. How ironic, after this whole exercise, that you calling Roger ‘Daddy’ had been entirely an accident.

    And you might have very well fucked everything up by doing so.

    Roger didn’t seem to know how to react. His first instinct seemed to be to laugh, but it seemed off, an odd giggle, almost, and his cheeks were turning pink. “Um,” he said, “okay.”

    Your stomach twisted in embarrassment. “Fuck, Rog, I’m sorry, it just slipped out. ‘Good girl’ is– it’s sort of– the whole… the whole ‘Daddy’ thing and the ‘good girl’ thing go hand-in-hand, so when you started saying… Shit, I’m sorry.”

    Roger ran a hand through his hair. He seemed so flustered that he could barely look at you. “It’s fine, it’s all right.”

    “I’m super fuckin’ embarrassed now,” you said with an awkward chuckle, covering your cheeks with your hands. “Ah, shit. So not cool of me.”

    “No, I’m– it’s okay,” Roger reassured you, taking your hands. “I’m– Frankly, I’m just surprised that you… felt like calling me that. After everything.”

    “It was an accident,” you said. “Just instinct.”

    “But I– I triggered that instinct, right? That’s what happened?”

    You weren’t sure what Roger was angling for. “Y– uh, yeah. You calling me ‘good girl’, and the whole… Yeah.”

    Roger nodded, and then chuckled. “How, um, how funny would it be if– if you called me that? Like, tonight? Right?” Another odd giggle. “Like, you call Brian that, but I can be all like that too? Like, I can make you say that by accident? That’d… be so funny.”

    Oh. Oh-ho. Oh-ho-ho.

    Fucking knew it, you thought to yourself.

    You tried to hide how smug you felt, and instead played along. “Yeah, it’d be pretty funny,” you said. “I feel like we should almost do it for the meme of it, you know?”

    Roger was very flustered now, and doing only a semi-good job of hiding it. “Kinda, yeah.”

    “Like, we wouldn’t have to tell anyone,” you said. “It’d just be funny.”

    “Yeah.”

    “Yeah, like…” You licked your lips, thinking, and then reached out to Roger, tentatively, not wanting to push anything. When your hand splayed across his chest, he didn’t move, so you leant into it. “Like, it’d be funny to laugh about how, like, funny it would be if you liked being called Daddy, and I liked calling you that.”

    Roger swallowed heavily. “If you– What?”

    You stepped in close, and nipped at his earlobe. “If I liked calling you that,” you murmured, and he shuddered. “If I liked you being in charge and ordering me around.” You kissed just below his ear, your other hand moving to cup him through his jeans. “You’re doing a good job of it, you know. Of keeping me in line. I’m not easy to handle.” You kissed down his throat, and then under his ear again.

    You smiled as you whispered, “It’s okay, Daddy. I won’t tell anyone.”

    Roger sucked in an unsteady breath. “Yeah, that’d– that’d be so funny,” he said shakily, and you laughed, kissing his neck again, you both felt and heard his quiet moan.

    “Please, Daddy, I need you,” you said in between kisses, and Roger shivered again. “Tell me what you want me to do? Please?”

    Roger breathed out, breathed in, and then said, “L– Lie down on the bed for me.”

    You obeyed, propping yourself up on one elbow, grinning in excitement as you watched Roger shaking himself, trying to clear his thoughts.

    “You’re so pretty,” you said. “Has anyone ever told you that?”

    “Of course they have,” Roger said. “Don’t be cheeky.” He kicked off his shoes, pulled off his socks, took off his shirt, dumping them aside, and you made a grabby hand at him.

    “Daddy, please,” you whined. “Come fuck me.”

    “Just because that’s – a thing now,” Roger said, “doesn’t mean you’re any more in control than before. Don’t let it get to your head.”

    You weren’t convinced. “I know.”

    “Stop smiling at me like that,” Roger said, pointing a finger. “I’m serious. Don’t be a brat. You were behaving so well before.”

    You patted the bed insistently. “Come on.”

    “What did I say?” Roger raked his fingers through his hair. “If you’re not going to behave…”

    You raised your eyebrows at him. “Then what?”

    Roger thought for a moment. “Then you’re not getting off.”

    Brian had made similar threats a thousand times before. He never followed through. “Uh-huh.”

    “I mean it.” He pulled off his jeans, leaving them on the ground.

    “Mm-hm.”

    “You know what?” Roger crawled onto the bed, over you, and you happily grabbed at him, but he sat back onto your hips and took your wrists, pinning them above your head with one hand.

    “You know what’ll happen if you don’t stop being a brat?” he murmured, leaning down to brush his lips and nose along your throat. “I’ll fuck you. Fuck you good and deep. But I’ll make sure I do it in just the right way that, no matter what you do, you won’t be able to come. I’ll do it for as long as I like, and you’ll be so close, but not close enough. And when I’m done, I’ll leave you here, all worn out and exhausted but still so, so desperate and horny for me.” He pressed the lightest kiss to your racing pulse. “And I mean it, sweetheart. Don’t test me.”

    Could you have come on the spot from that threat alone? Maybe.

    “Got it?”

    “Yeah. Yes, Daddy, I got it.”

    Roger nuzzled at your throat, like he just couldn’t help it. “Good girl,” he murmured. Then he chuckled, drawing back. “I honestly cannot believe how fucking hot I find that.” He wasn’t lying – his boxers were tented, and you could see a small wet patch has formed on the material.

    You smiled. “Yeah,” you said, a little breathlessly. You were more focused on how Roger wasn’t kissing you, wasn’t touching you, apart from where he held your wrists. You were almost shaking under his touch. This was excruciating. Fucking excruciating. The aching between your legs was almost unbearable.

    “I… Daddy, please, I need more,” you begged. “Please.”

    Roger licked his lips. “More what, sweetheart?”

    “More anything, please.”

    Roger hummed, dusting a kiss to your lips. “Are you getting uncomfortable?”

    “It – it hurts,” you admitted.

    “You’re that desperate, are you?”

    “Yes.”

    Roger smiled. “Okay, sweetheart. You’re being so good for me, I know it must be hard for you. Why don’t you strip naked for me?”

    Relief washed through you, and Roger climbed off you so you could tear off your bra and underwear. You went for Roger’s underwear, but he stopped you with a hand, looking at you expectantly.

    “Please, Daddy, can I take these off for you?” you asked immediately.

    “Yes, you can,” Roger said, sounding far less smug now, and way more turned on instead.

    You helped him out of them, and it filled you with glee to see just how hard Roger was, swollen and red. Surely you weren’t the only one on the verge of a damn breakdown over how horny you were.

    “Lie down,” Roger said, and you did.

    Your stomach fizzled with excitement. “Thank you, Daddy,” you said, and you surprised yourself. God, you must have been really be desperate. Never in your fucking life had you ever thanked Brian for something like that. You’d rather have been shot in the face.

    But when Roger settled between your legs and stroked a finger through your folds, just feeling how wet you were, you gasped, and out tumbled, “Thank you, Daddy, please, please, thank you.”

    Fuck. Okay. New development.

    Roger seemed equally as taken aback. “Shit,” he whispered, and then his tongue was licking a long stripe through you as he pushed a finger into you, and you arched off the bed.

    “Daddy, can I please hold your hair?” you blurted out in a rush.

    Roger paused to say, “Yes, sweetheart,” and one hand went to his hair, gripping onto it, the other one scrabbling at the sheets beside you.

    Roger was barely even doing anything. In fact, the more time went on, the more you realised he was deliberately avoiding your clit, his tongue and fingers and nose touching everywhere but there.

    You wanted to cry.

    “Please,” you sobbed. “Please, I need– I need…”

    Roger ignored you, and kept going. Every so often he’d nudge your clit or your G-spot, just giving you a taste of what you needed so badly, and it was like a fix, like a drug.

    He only stopped when he had three fingers sliding in and out of you easily, and you were sweaty and trembling, and you were so on edge that a few well-timed clenches of your thighs could have made you come.

    Roger wiped his face on the back of his hand, and hummed as he placed a light kiss to the inside of your thigh. “Good girl,” he said. “You’re doing so well.”

    “Th-thank you, Daddy,” you said weakly. You knew you were leaking all over his bed sheets, but it wasn’t like there was anything you could do to stop it.

    Roger rose to his feet, and your eyes dropped to his cock. You needed that inside you, right now.

    “Are you gonna fuck me now?” you said.

    Roger sighed, cocking his head in thought. “Do you think I should?”

    “I would really like you to. Please.”

    Roger seemed to consider it. “Okay,” he said eventually, and your heart soared. “Since you’ve been so good for me. But you’re not allowed to come until I do, okay?”

    “Yes, Daddy. Thank you.”

    “Have you ever done that before?” Roger asked, going to his closet to fetch a condom and some lube. “Stopped yourself from coming?”

    “Once or twice.”

    Roger nodded. He prepared himself, rolling on the condom and lubing himself up. You watched with hungry eyes.

    “Have you ever been fucked from behind?” he asked, coming back to the bed.

    Your eyes widened. Oh, man. “Not for a while.”

    “I’ve been so very gentle with you,” Roger said, dropping the lube onto the floor. “I’m tired of it, I think.”

    A smile spread across your face. “You are?”

    “Get on all fours.”

    You scrambled to do as he said, and he settled in behind you. His cock nudged your entrance, and your breathing quickened.

    “Please,” you begged.

    Roger lined himself up, and pushed inside you.

    Your breath rushed out of you. Roger pulled out an inch and then slid in again, this time all the way to the hilt.

    You gasped, panting.

    “Good girl,” Roger said, squeezing your hip. “You okay?”

    “So good, Daddy. Thank you.”

    So Roger began fucking you. Each thrust hit you hard and deep, and your legs and arms shook. Your fingers were like claws on the sheets, and you moaned and whined as Roger’s hips snapped against your ass. It was so good, so fucking good, and when you fell onto your elbows and the angle changed, both you and Roger groaned deep.

    You had no idea how you were going to stop yourself from coming before Roger did. If Roger so much as touched your clit, you knew it would be over in an instant. Hearing Roger’s grunts and gasps was almost enough to set you off alone. He had a gorgeous voice, and you knew you’d be dreaming about the growl of his voice, how rough and hoarse it was, for years.

    Roger hit you in just the right way, and you almost squeaked as you nearly came. “Daddy, Daddy, I’m so close, I’m gonna come, please,” you pleaded, your voice breaking. “Please, Daddy, come in me, I’m too close.”

    “Not yet,” Roger said, and you screwed your eyes shut, pouring everything you had into not coming. You thought about the biggest turn-offs you could think of – most of them involving your grandmother, poor thing ��� but it was hard when your thoughts kept snapping back to how fucking great Roger was fucking you.

    You clenched around him, and he groaned. That didn’t help at all. You whined into your arms. You were so, so, so close.

    Roger’s rhythm stuttered, and you gasped. “Fuck, please, Rog, come on,” you moaned. “Come inside me, Daddy, please.”

    “Shit,” Roger hissed, and then he moaned, and let out a string of swear words as he came, driving hard into you, almost knocking you off-balance entirely.

    You groaned. “Can I come now, please? Please?”

    “Yes, of course,” Roger said. He pulled out of you, and you mewled pathetically, but he pushed you onto your back and then his fingers pushed into you as his tongue finally, finally, massaged your clit.

    It didn’t take much. Your orgasm rose like a wave and crashed into you, punching the breath from your lungs, and you cried out, your whole body shuddering, your thighs clenching around Roger’s head. He pushed your legs apart with his hands, his mouth still working your clit, and you whimpered through the aftershocks. Soon, it became too overwhelming, and you had to tell Roger to stop, which he did, pressing a kiss to your stomach as he crawled up to meet you. He took off and tied off the condom, dropping it beside his bed.

    You both lay side by side, facing each other, panting. Roger’s nose and chin still glistened with you, and you reached over to wipe him clean.

    “Thanks,” he said, and drew you in for a kiss.

    The kisses were different from before. They were slow and lazy, unhurried. Tongues pressing against each other, the gentle graze of teeth against lips.

    Roger rolled you over onto your back and held himself up above you to kiss your neck. “That was fucking hot,” he murmured in between kisses.

    You hummed in agreement, your hands brushing up and down his sides.

    Roger captured your lips again, and it was like he was making up for all the times he hadn’t kissed you – or only barely kissed you – earlier in the night, his kisses deep and hot, and you loved them.

    The two of you made out for what felt like forever. Every time you broke apart and it seemed like things were settling down, there would be a moment, and then your lips were on his once again.

    It was nice, just to kiss.

    Eventually, though, you couldn’t ignore how badly you needed a shower.

    Roger didn’t mind. “I’ll get you a towel,” he said, rolling out of bed and pulling on some tracksuit pants. “I honestly don’t know how you don’t have your own at this point, though.”

    “Maybe I’ll just claim this next one as mine, then,” you said, sitting up. “Thanks, Daddy.”

    Roger’s gait stuttered, and he blinked at you bewilderedly. “D– Uh, um.”

    You laughed. “I’m just kidding,” you said. “Sorry, habit. I pull that shit with Brian all the time, calling him Daddy super casually like that. He fuckin’ hates it.”

    “I don’t hate it,” Roger said. “It just took me by surprise.”

    You raised your eyebrows. “You don’t mind it?”

    “I… like it, actually, I think.” Roger shrugged. “Guess I’m going all-in on the Daddy thing now. It’s sort of, like, a retro pet name, isn’t it? Like, fifties-style? It’s sort of cute, actually.”

    He disappeared out the door, leaving you to drink in that unexpected bombshell. You went to reach for your phone, but you realised you’d left it in the living room, along with your dress.

    Roger returned with a towel. “And your phone,” he said, as if reading your mind, tossing it onto the bed near you. “You have about fifty texts from Brian. He sounds sad and horny.”

    “That’s just Brian,” you said, picking up your phone and scrolling through the messages. “And stop reading my texts, for God’s sake.”

    “I didn’t mean to, they were just there,” Roger protested. “I didn’t open anything.”

    “Not an excuse.” There were only seven messages from Brian, not fifty, and it was nothing important, apart from the last one, which said: Can I get an estimate as to when it would be all right for me to come home?

    Now, you replied. You didn’t bother responding to the other ones – all you said was, We were right.

    “I suppose you’re telling him about me?” Roger said, going to pick up his discarded condom from the floor.

    You smiled sheepishly. “He wanted to know.”

    Roger frowned. “What? About how I’m like in bed?”

    “No, what the fuck,” you said. “Just whether you like to be called Daddy.”

    Roger’s bottom lip jutted out. “Don’t tell him,” he complained.

    “Too late.”

    “You said you wouldn’t tell anyone.”

    “You told everyone about me and him.”

    “I don’t want everyone knowing.”

    “Brian won’t tell anyone. But also, still, hypocrite.”

    “I said I’m sorry.”

    “Sorry, dude, already told him.”

    Roger sulked as he threw out the condom.

    You couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t sulk.”

    “I can’t believe you told Brian.”

    “I won’t tell him anything else.”

    “I don’t care if you’d told him anything else.”

    You climbed off the bed, and wrapped your arms around Roger’s neck, kissing the pout off his face. “It’s only fair,” you said. “You know he likes it, and, now, he knows you like it.”

    “And we both know that you like it too,” Roger added with a cheeky smile.

    “The entire fucking world knows it, thanks to you,” you grumbled. He kissed you, and then you took the towel, wrapping it around yourself.

    It was strange, the next morning, to wake up beside Roger and not Brian. To see a mop of blond instead of an explosion of brown, to gaze sleepily into big blue Bambi eyes instead of smaller hazel ones. They had different smiles, but the way they smiled at you was the same: with the same warmth and fondness, the same post-sex self-satisfaction.

    It was even stranger to see that Brian was the one slouched over the dining table with the killer hangover, instead of Roger. You hadn’t heard Freddie or Brian come home the night before – John was staying at Veronica’s, you assumed – but, then again, you and Roger had fallen asleep pretty damn hard after your fun night. Roger had told you he wasn’t big into cuddles after sex, but you could testify that when he was asleep, it was a very different story.

    You weren’t the only one to notice the role reversal. “My my,” Freddie said, sipping on a cup of tea as Brian hid his face in his arms, and Roger pottered around the kitchen, humming to himself. “How the tables have turned.”

    You smiled, but said nothing.

    “I shouldn’t be worried, should I?” Freddie asked. “You’re not going to come after me next?”

    “I’d be worried about me beating your ass if you keep up that sort of shit,” you muttered, and Freddie laughed.

    Brian moaned, turning his head to tuck his nose into the crook of his elbow. “Be quiet, you’re too loud,” he mumbled miserably.

    A few weeks passed. There was undoubtedly more flirting between you and Roger, but sleeping together had only been a one-off thing. It made things more interesting with Brian in the bedroom, in a way – he sometimes got jealous of the way you and Roger teased each other, and it made him rougher, more possessive. Sometimes you liked it, liked the bruises Brian left on your body that Roger most definitely noticed, and other times you liked to fight back against it until Brian was begging and apologising. Roger noticed the bruises you left on Brian, too.

    Sometimes you wondered what it would be like to cave, to give in to Brian completely, like you had with Roger. But that would be too strange with Brian. You had no idea whether he’d even like it.

    No, that had been something for you and Roger, and you and Roger alone. But, fuck, it had been good.

    Almost three weeks exactly after your adventure with Roger, another party sprouted that Freddie and Roger were invited to, so of course that included you, Brian, John, and Veronica. You got together for pre-drinks, played some dumb game that Freddie insisted you all play, and flirted with Brian and Roger to your heart’s desire. At the party, as usual, you and Brian took the first chance you could get to sneak off somewhere – around the side of the house, in the dark, bracing against the cold in your shorts and top, as it ended up being – to stick your tongues down each other’s throats. When you made your way back to the party, Brian sporting a new bright red-purple bruise at the base of his neck, you spied Roger, and how his eyes zeroed in on Brian’s throat, and then he took a huge gulp of the alcoholic concoction he’d brought to the party, an entire litre-bottle of soda water with far too much vodka poured into it.

    John and Veronica had eventually said their goodbyes. Freddie went a while later, reluctantly, and then it was just you, Brian, and Roger. You were happily drunk, everything around you fuzzy but in a blissful way. Brian was at the level of drunkenness where his hands couldn’t seem to stay away from you, they were magnetised to your waist, your back, your shoulders, your ass, your wrists, your hands, regardless of how many people saw it. Sometimes it was a bit much, and you had to tell him to stop being clingy, and he listened, until he forgot that you’d told him and his hands were back on you again.

    Roger, however, was past the point of no return.

    It hadn’t taken long for you and Brian to decide that it was time to put Roger into an Uber and send him on his way.

    You both waited with him out the front. It was almost three in the morning, but the alcohol kept most of the chill of the night at bay. Roger was unusually quiet, and his behaviour reminded you of that afternoon when he’d first found out about your and Brian’s Daddy kink – there was something he wanted to say, badly, but he didn’t.

    “I have to piss,” Brian announced to everyone but also no one in particular, and he made sure to drop a kiss to your cheekbone before he left, stumbling a little as he went.

    Roger’s eyes were trained on him for a long time. As well as they could be, given Roger’s state. After far too long, his gaze wove its way to you.

    He took in a breath. And he spoke. “I have… somethin’ to tell you,” he slurred.

    “Yeah?” you said.

    He blew out a lungful of air, and took a swig of beer. “Oh, bugger. Fuck. No. I shouldn’t say.”

    “Okay,” you said. “That’s fine.”

    “Fuck,” Roger moaned, rubbing at his eye. “God, I can’t believe I’m gonna tell you this. I really… shouldn’t fuckin’ be telling you this.”

    “You don’t have to,” you said. “It’s all right.”

    “No, I’m going to.” Roger took another gulp of beer. “Oh, God.”

    “Rog, it’s fine,” you assured him, your stomach twisting with nerves. “Look, I’m just gonna walk away. I don’t want you to regret telling me something you shouldn’t have. Okay? It’s all right.”

    “I want you,” Roger blurted desperately.

    You screeched to a halt. And so did your brain. “Oh,” you said, unsure of what else to say. “Ah. Was… Was that it? Did I not run away fast enough?”

    Roger nodded, pouting.

    “I’m sorry,” you said. Your heart was pounding against your ribcage.

    “Oh, fuck,” Roger sighed. “I shouldn’t have– have told you.”

    He looked so miserable with himself that you wanted to reach out and touch him, to comfort him, but it felt wrong, given this new revelation, so you held back. “What do you mean, you want me?” you asked.

    “I mean I… think about you, all the time,” Roger said. “The sex we had was fuckin’ incredible. It was so hot.”

    You couldn’t deny that. And, in all honesty, your core throbbed a little at hearing Roger admit it so openly. “It was, yeah,” you said. “We were super hot together.”

    “I want that again,” Roger said. “I want you.”

    You took a steadying breath. “Do you mean right now? I’m not sleeping with you now, Roger. You’re wasted.”

    Roger shook his head. “No, I know, I don’t mean that. I want you… like how Bri has you. God, I can’t stop thinking about all the shit you told me, all the weird – freaky – sex – shit he gets to do with you. I fucking want that.” He sobbed, clutching at his beer bottle. “I want that so bad. I’m losing my mind.”

    You smiled reassuringly. “You don’t need me to do all of that,” you said. “You can do as much weird freaky sex shit as you want.”

    “But I want it with you,” Roger said, and your body was starting to thrum. “Because… Because I know you, and you’re hot, and we’ve had fuckin’ hot sex already, and you’ve… made this thing with Brian work for fuckin’ forever. Do you know how in– insane that is? You two have been fucking for months, and you’re not even dating. And you’re allowed to fuck whoever else you want on top of that. I’m so jealous. You fuckin’… You literally went and – and had sex tonight, just out of the blue, at this goddamn party, just coz you felt like it. That’s so hot, I can’t stop thinking about it. Do you know how insane your… whole thing is? Do you?”

    “Yeah, I know,” you said with a smile. “If I hadn’t known already, I have plenty of people telling me. Like you. And we didn’t have sex tonight, by the way. We just made out.”

    “And I know it’s insane,” Roger continued without missing a beat. “But, Jesus, I want it.” He sighed, his hands falling limp at his sides, his beer bottle almost slipping from his grip. “Would you want that?” he asked. “With me? If I asked you, would you say yes?”

    You hesitated. The chance to get to sleep casually with Roger on a semi-regular basis? Sure, you’d want that. But your thing with Brian was, as Roger had so delicately put it, insane. Unique. It was a perfect understanding between two equal parties. The check-ins, the trust – it was a fucking amazing mixture of all the right things to be as sustainable as it was. And it had taken time to get it just so. Effort, on both parts. Awkward conversations, negotiations, confessions. For it to work, you both had to frequently lay your hearts bare to make sure they matched up. You couldn’t just jump right into that sort of thing with anyone.

    You knew Roger had no real understanding of just how complex things had to be in order to make them so simple – how would he?

    But maybe they didn’t have to be to complex with Roger. Just the casual sex – that was what Roger was referring to, wasn’t it? It could just be a every-once-in-a-while thing with him. It didn’t have to be as frequent as with Brian.

    “I can share,” Roger added. “I was gonna say that before, but I forgot. I’m not– I’m not asking you out or anything. I wouldn’t try to, I dunno, steal you away from Brian. You guys are really close or whatever, so I’m not trying to… come between that. Just you and me could have a – regular thing going, too.”

    You opened your mouth to speak, closed it again, then opened it once more. “It’s a little more complex than that, Rog,” you said. “My thing with Bri – there’s a lot of rules and stuff. So neither of us get hurt.”

    “I can do that,” Roger said. “I can do rules.” He finished off the beer and set the bottle of the ground beside him, almost losing his balance as he did so. You grabbed onto him and helped him straighten up.

    “So?” he said.

    Headlights rounded the corner, and you squinted against them, Roger suddenly lost in the intense light behind him.

    “Roger–”

    “At least think about it?”

    Could you do that? Could you really have a friends-with-benefits situation with two guys living in the same house?

    Oh. Oh, man. Didn’t that thought just open up some doorways to new possibilities in your imagination.

    Stop it, you thought to yourself.

    The car slowed as it neared you.

    “You know I’d fuck you good,” Roger said in a low voice. “I’ve done it before, I can do it again. And again. And again.”

    The car stopped, and the window rolled down. “Roger?” the Uber driver called.

    “Yeah, he’s here,” you said, giving the driver a wave.

    Roger looked to you pleadingly.

    “How about you ask me when you’re sober,” you said.

    Roger grinned. “That’s not a no.”

    “It’s not a yes, either,” you said warningly. “I want lots of sober thinking about this, okay?”

    “You have no – idea how much I’ve thought about it,” Roger said. “I haven’t stopped thinking about it, sober and drunk.”

    Your breath caught. “Well–” You cleared your throat. “Well, do some more. Then we can have a serious conversation about it. That’s all you can hope for at this point, got it?”

    Roger nodded. “I can work with that.” 

    You opened the car door for him. “In you get.”

    Roger hesitated.

    “Roger.”

    “Ask me,” he said.

    You frowned. “Ask you what?”

    “Ask me to get into the car. Call me Daddy.”

    You sighed. “Roger, I’m not going to do that.”

    “Do it.”

    “No. You’re drunk, and we’re not flirting right now.”

    Roger went to protest, but you said firmly, “Roger, I’m not going to do that. Now get in the car.”

    Roger closed his mouth, his eyes slightly wide, and he swallowed, nodding. “Yes, ma’am,” he said quietly, and climbed into the car, closing the door.

    As the car pulled away, disappearing down the street, your mouth hung open.

    It stayed open long after the car had gone.

    And then, to the chilly night air, you said, “Oh, fuck.”

[pedrospascalls]

⟶ FARMVILLE, THE THEME PARK OF UR DREAMS

welcome to farmville! the theme park located in the neighborhood of cactus flower with the theme of....you guessed it...farms! the entire joint is owned and run by [cassidy rosier] who was given it by the original owner six years ago now. from there, he turned it into the first vegetarian food only theme park because a) he’s a vegetarian and b) he felt it was fucked up to take pictures with people in animal costumes while eating a corndog. 

the theme park has roller coasters, petting zoos, a water park area, a food court, games + prizes, and a kids park area. there is also an arena area where bands can perform during summer, or horseback riding lessons are taught. there are costumed characters that are just...farm animals except they look a bit off and now very old [example 1] [example 2] [example 3]. everybody has to wear cowboy themed outfits while working, the rides are always breaking down, and its just chaotic. but its one of the few theme parks in the bay area so it manages to get a lot of business [especially in summer]. 

cassidy lives in a unit above the food court there and hires people based on a series of bullshit interview questions. mostly he goes with his gut instinct, and will offer random theme park goers a job if he senses they could fit in. he’s very much a "cool uncle" vibe for all the youth, but those that have been working there for ages with him have a hate/love relationship with him since he never does much. cassidy loves to throws little parties at the end of the work weeks to celebrate whatever he feels like celebrating. he will also fuck with you while on your shift and there’s a lot of behind-the-scenes fun and pranks going on. a lot of people stay working at farmville for years because its really chill and while cassidy doesn’t do much himself, he’s a fun boss! [if you've seen the way way back, its very much like that. otherwise take adventureland as an idea].

below you’ll see the different “areas” each person can work! i didn’t go into specifics with all of them, but if you have a specific ride/food/characters/game/whatever you want them to be in charge of then please let me know when you claim!! also all are open to as many as possible really, there is no cap! you can also stick your character in multiple sections if they like to change things up!

MANAGERS

each manager tends to be in charge of one to two sections of the park! they are also very much in charge of damage control and anything serious!

cassidy rosier ‣ 35 ‣ owner + manager ‣ sebastian stan ‣ played by liv

first last ‣ 30+ ‣ manager ‣ face claim ‣ played by alias

first last ‣ 30+ ‣ manager ‣ face claim ‣ played by alias

first last ‣ 30+ ‣ manager ‣ face claim ‣ played by alias

first last ‣ 30+ ‣ manager ‣ face claim ‣ played by alias

TICKET SELLERS + MARKETING TEAM

the ticket sellers are also in charge of creating flyers, dealing with performances, and promoting the social medias of the park! they tend to have really good customer service and are the first face that customers see! cassidy has no idea how to use social media so thats why they also do that oops

first last ‣ ## ‣ job ‣ face claim ‣ played by alias

first last ‣ ## ‣ job ‣ face claim ‣ played by alias

first last ‣ ## ‣ job ‣ face claim ‣ played by alias

first last ‣ ## ‣ job ‣ face claim ‣ played by alias

RIDE OPERATORS

the ride operators can change rides, but they tend to know the ins and outs of specific rides and like to keep with it. they find ways to make the job enjoyable, and also probably love to put “out of order” signs when they want to take an hour or two break without asking.

cory rivers ‣ 24 ‣ ride operator ‣ anya taylor joy ‣ played by zoe

first last ‣ ## ‣ job ‣ face claim ‣ played by alias

first last ‣ ## ‣ job ‣ face claim ‣ played by alias

first last ‣ ## ‣ job ‣ face claim ‣ played by alias

first last ‣ ## ‣ job ‣ face claim ‣ played by alias

COSTUMED CHARACTERS

costumed characters definitely have a favorite they stick with, but they will help each other out as needed. they were given free reign to give their characters whatever personality they wanted [does the chicken do a sick dab? yeah maybe]. they work for 15 mins and then have 20 minute breaks to cool down.

ted andrews ‣ ## ‣ the cow ‣ tom holland ‣ played by cayley

first last ‣ ## ‣ the pig ‣ face claim ‣ played by alias

leaf woods ‣ 40 ‣ the chicken ‣ chris pine ‣ played by amanda

first last ‣ ## ‣ the horse ‣ face claim ‣ played by alias

first last ‣ ## ‣ the goat ‣ face claim ‣ played by alias

FOOD SERVERS 

food servers sort of are on their own and again, are really open to choosing which booths they want to work at. they also are prone to exchanging food with each other instead of actually buying the stuff oops.

first last ‣ ## ‣ job ‣ face claim ‣ played by alias

first last ‣ ## ‣ job ‣ face claim ‣ played by alias

first last ‣ ## ‣ job ‣ face claim ‣ played by alias

first last ‣ ## ‣ job ‣ face claim ‣ played by alias

first last ‣ ## ‣ job ‣ face claim ‣ played by alias

PETTING ZOO CARETAKERS

these are the people that, while they get to cuddle with cute animals, they also have to deal with awful children, picking up shit, and controlling the animals. its a fun job if that’s what you like. cassidy tends to spend a lot of time over here because he loves animals.

astrid castillo ‣ 26 ‣ petting zoo worker ‣ adria arjona ‣ played by cassibod

first last ‣ ## ‣ job ‣ kristine froseth ‣ played by jen

first last ‣ ## ‣ job ‣ face claim ‣ played by alias

first last ‣ ## ‣ job ‣ face claim ‣ played by alias

first last ‣ ## ‣ job ‣ face claim ‣ played by alias

WATER PARK LIFEGUARDS

the water park side of farmville is smaller, but it does require lifeguards and a lot of chlorine. likely they put too much in it. they are forced to wear their guard gear and a cowboy hat though.

first last ‣ ## ‣ job ‣ face claim ‣ played by alias

first last ‣ ## ‣ job ‣ face claim ‣ played by alias

first last ‣ ## ‣ job ‣ face claim ‣ played by alias

first last ‣ ## ‣ job ‣ face claim ‣ played by alias

first last ‣ ## ‣ job ‣ face claim ‣ played by alias

GAME MASTERS

game masters control the games and prizes of the park, and often times purposely make games harder than they should be because the park is cheap and don’t want to give away their prizes that easily. those smug assholes.

first last ‣ ## ‣ job ‣ xiao dejun ‣ played by bri

first last ‣ ## ‣ job ‣ face claim ‣ played by alias

first last ‣ ## ‣ job ‣ face claim ‣ played by alias

first last ‣ ## ‣ job ‣ face claim ‣ played by alias

first last ‣ ## ‣ job ‣ face claim ‣ played by alias

[inherbookishhead]

Episode 12x08: The haunting of Villa Diodati

...or in other words “The Doctor Who Version of The Terminator with Flirty Poets and Atmospheric Creepy Houses”. 

SPOILERS BELOW

In this episode, we’ve got Poetic!Graham who should totally meet ms Jane Austen.

It’s only 12 seasons into new who and I can finally say I saw the Doctor dance properly. 

Lord Byron’s hitting on the Doctor - oh boy, go ask Jack for a piece of advice. The Doctor is a tough game, but due to her ninth self “so worth it” ;)

“She is from somewhere much much stranger - the North”. Well, the jokes about the Doctor and the North never get old, I guess.

That Waterloo helmet was certainly Thirteen’s version of a fez.

Mrs Doctor sounded really cute to my ear somehow.

“You had one job!” oh my, bickering between Thirteen and Graham is just so good, I would gladly watch an entire episode of those two interacting with each other.

The reaction of three prominent poets to Thirteen flat out bumping into the glass wall was extremely relatable. 

“What is a cyberman?” asks Mary Shelley, and the Doctor continues giving her a very detailed idea of what her future monster might look like. Not interfering in the course of history at all, yeah, right. 

I absolutely adored the whole scene in the dungeon, where Thirteen makes the point of “words matter” (because they so do) and finally (finally!) shows her raw vulnerability to her companions with “sometimes even I can’t win” speech. It’s high time she dropped the “we are all on the same level” facade and started facing the truth as it is. It was bri-lli-ant. 

The lone cyberman with emotions was quite a refreshing idea, let’s see how that one goes in the next 2 episodes, I’m intrigued!

[quixotic-writer]

Coming Clean

Song inspo: Coming Clean — Green Day

Summary: There is no time in your life more confusing than your teenage years. You start questioning everything, especially yourself. Sal had everything figured out, Q pretended as though he did too. When Q finally comes face to face with those feelings, Sal offers to help sort them out.

———————————————————————

The teacher sounded like white noise at this point in the lesson, Q clearly didn’t care about a single word that was coming out of the teacher’s mouth. He doodled little characters in his notebook to pass the time as he thought about more important things like what he’s going to be doing after school.

Sal, who sat next to him, was on the same wavelength but somehow a little more attentive to the class. He understood everything that was going on but just couldn’t be bothered with it. He didn’t quite know where his mind was right now or where his train of thought was traveling to, it felt like a mental moment of peace.

“Hey Sal.” Q whispers over to him snapping him out of his trance like state. “You wanna hang after school and go to my place?” Sal lights up at the question.

“Hell yes!” Was his short response before quickly looking back to the front of the classroom to see all their fellow classmates staring at them as well as the teacher.

“Mr. Vulcano and Mr. Quinn, I sure hope you aren’t talking in my class AGAIN?” They both straighten out their posture and side glance each other knowing they got caught talking in class yet again.

“Brian was just asking to use an eraser is all Mr. McNeilly.” Sal quickly grabs the eraser from his desk and hands it to Q. Smooth recovery but it was kind of obvious their short talk wasn’t about an eraser.

“Thanks Sal. Sorry Mr. McNeilly.” Q tries to look remorseful. All Mr. McNeilly does is raise his eyebrow and continue with his lesson. The boys sigh in relief and slump back into their chairs.

As the time passed since the mini exchange, Q couldn’t help but count down the minutes until school was finally out. He was always excited to hang out with Sal and vice versa, but Q had reached a time in his life where he was beginning to sort out and figure out all his emotions. He had this love and adoration for his best friend, but it grew to feel like an infatuation and he thought it was a normal thing until being told otherwise.

“So like, you’re telling me no one feels that kind of emotional attachment??” Minor panic was setting in his bones, he didn’t want to expose the skeleton he had hiding in the corner of his closet.

“...No, Q. Maybe for a girl I find hot, but not a friend.” Murr said shooting Q a suspicious look. He felt his face go hot and his hands begin to sweat as he fiddles around with the ring band on his middle finger.

“Maybe i’m confusing my feelings and just being dramatic. Speaking of romance, how’s that girl you’ve been talking to that attends the neighboring school?” He tries to quickly divert the conversation over to a subject he knew Murr would take it and run with it and it would be like the topic was never brought up.

“Q being dramatic? Unheard of.” Joe says sarcastically as he takes a huge bite out of his sandwich, smiling to himself. Murr continues rambling on and Q sinks in on himself and his gears start working over time. Is it true that these are romantic feelings he has for Sal? He never really took the time to sort out these emotions, he mostly repressed them and said “eh, i’ll figure it out later.” But later became now very quick.

Why did figuring yourself out have to be so hard especially when it deals with someone you’re best friends with? He knew he liked girls, he knew that much for sure. But when it came to guys, that’s when things got a little blurry for him. Sal seemed to be the one that threw a curve ball on him and was the one to turn everything upside down.

Sal had an “I don’t give a fuck” attitude about his romantic taste. He never messed too much with labels and didn’t really see the point in them. While he knew he lusted for ladies, he wasn’t opposed to the idea of being with a guy at all. He had played a detailed scenario where he was with a guy, and it didn’t bother him at all, he was indifferent and comfortable with the thought. He believed there could be a special person who could just woo him, so for that he kept himself open to any options that were laid out in front of him. One of those options: his best friend Q, but he’d never say anything assuming Q didn’t bat for the same team he did per se.

The school bell rings and it made Sal jump out of his skin a little since he had lost track of the time. He looks over to Q and they both smile to the other knowing their game was now afoot as they gather all their things. When they start making their swift exit, they were halfway out the door when Mr. McNeilly decides to get in his final words: “Enough talking in class you two. One more time and I will for sure separate your seats.”

“Yes Mr. McNeilly.” The two say in unison and leave before being further lectured on their poor classroom behavior.

“I swear that class gets more and more painful with each passing lesson. It’s so boring it’s almost as if they want us to fail.” Q complains to Sal as they both hop into his car and take off to presumably Q’s place either chill in his room and put some records on, or get lost in the forest for a bit. Either way, they both were just happy to spend time with the other.

As they rode along the road, Sal stared outside taking in the familiar view of the small town they know. Q had his eyes on the road, but he didn’t feel all there, it felt as though he had been set on auto-pilot.

“So I hear you have been chatting it up with a girl yourself, eh, Q?” Sal has a giddy grin on his face that shows he was eager to find out the latest gossip on his friend’s romantic life. In reality there was no gossip to be heard, there was no girl. It was all a made up scenario Q made to evade any suspicion on his confused orientation status.

“Yeah... her name is uh... Samantha! Her name is Samantha. Yes. Met her at the mall food court. Brown hair, green eyes, a gorgeous combination of features if you ask me. She has this radiating smile and a laugh that takes me out.” Sal smiles and nods, little did he know Q was, in reality, describing the person sitting next to him. But he would never tell him that. “So any girl you have your eyes set on lover boy?” Sal’s heart palpitated for a second knowing that now he was in the hot seat.

“Not really a girl per se. I do think a guy is pretty cute though.” He casually blurts out. Q feels his palms sweat and he begins gripping the steering wheel just a little bit harder.

“Guy?” Q half chokes on the air he was breathing and his voice cracks as he tries to get out a single word.

“Is there... a problem with that?” Sal raises his defenses, he imagined Q would have been fine with it and not have cared.

“No no... sorry it just caught me off guard a little. You do you, i’m glad you’re happy and comfortable with yourself. Tell me about him.” Sal began to sweat, he wasn’t expecting a follow up question.

“Well... he’s nerdy or geeky or whatever... um. pretty chill y’know. Yeah.” Sal knew that was the stupidest blurb he ever went on and was mentally face palming himself over and over and over again. But he knew he couldn’t say too much without being too obvious, he wasn’t about to unintentionally confess who his crush is to his crush.

The car was silent for the last tail end of the drive to Q’s place. When they get there, they both take themselves upstairs to his room where they follow the same routine they always have. Sal throws himself onto Q’s bed while the other sat on the floor shuffling through his box of records to find something to play in the background while they talk the day away. The grainy sounds of an old Elvis record begins to fill the room as the two sit in silence.

“So how did you know?” Q looks over to Sal who raised his head to meet eyes with Q.

“That’s so vague Q, more specific please.” He slumps his head back onto the bed and stares at the ceiling knowing this was gonna be a weird and awkward conversation.

“How do you know that you like guys?”

“Same way that I know I like girls, same way you know that you like girls. I just feel it, go with the flow of my heart. I find a dude attractive and maybe I wanna kiss him, boom.” Q had heard over and over the same statement of ‘you just know,’ and honestly it wasn’t helping his case at all. It had grown frustrating trying to find help and advice when it was the same dead end every time. “But y’know the game changer is a kiss. That’s what sealed the deal for me.”

“You’ve kissed a guy before?” Q feels jealousy taking over with a slight twinge of confusion, he had never heard of Sal ever kissing some other guy.

“Yeah it was a dare at a party, that’s how I figured things out. What’s with all the weird questions today?” Sal sits up and seats himself at the edge of the bed. He looks all over at Q’s face and the deer in the headlights look he had made it all click together in his head. “We don’t have to talk about it if you’re uncomfortable Bri.” Q’s eyes never left the box of records he was looking through. Sal was his closest friend and he knew he could tell him this much, but it still terrified him because he felt like he was just supposed to know and have it all together. He hated being vulnerable and open, he felt as though it made him an open target for attacks. So instead, he kept all his serious problems to himself and was left alone to solve them.

“I just feel so lost. I feel like it’s almost.. wrong, to have the thoughts and feelings that I am.” He buries his face into his now sweaty palms. He’s trying so hard to be open about what’s going on for once, but it all feels so mortifying. Sal stares at Q and knows there’s one quick fix to the problem.

“Brian, it’s okay to be confused. You don’t have to have EVERYTHING figured out, especially something like this.” Sal tries to console his stressed out friend with soothing words. It wasn’t often where Sal had called Q by his actual name rather than his nickname, he knew he was serious and only trying to help. “Listen, if it helps to make this easier, just kiss me.” Q’s head shoots up immediately and his whole face turns red. Sal smirks knowing that was the exact reaction he was gonna get.

“Seriously?” Q was absolutely floored at the sudden offer.

“Well, Bri, I wouldn’t offer if I was serious. Now pucker up butter cup.” Sal makes kissy noises to Q in attempts to lighten the mood, somehow it made his face become even redder than before. Q gets up and sits next to Sal on the bed, he never once dared to make eye contact. His heart was racing so fast inside his chest it felt like it could escape out of his body and run at any moment. “Are you sure you’re up for this Q?”

“If I don’t do this, i’ll be left lost for a while. If you’re offering, i’ll take it.” Q finally looks into Sal’s eyes and his mind flat lined for just a second. This was it, the moment he craved deep in his soul no matter how hard he suppressed it. The two begin to lean in closer together, eyes closing, the radiating heat of their faces warming their senses.

And then it happened.

Their lips connected and for once in this painstaking soul searching journey, Q felt tranquil. He reaches his hand up to hold Sal’s face as he proceeded to deepen the kiss, hungry for more after starving himself of affection he knew he wanted. Q hums at the sensation and Sal hums back in response. When they finally pulled apart, Q finally figured himself out. Sal couldn’t help but smile since he could see the fireworks shooting off behind his best friend’s eyes.

“Sal. I think i’ve finally figured it all out.” Q was breathless to say the least.

“I’m glad I could help out.”

“And now I think I should tell you the truth. My truth.” Q’s leg is frantically bouncing at the same rate as his heart, he twiddles his fingers, and his eyes are fixed on anything but the upper half of the boy sitting next to him.

“And what is that?” Sal knew what was coming, and he had the biggest shit eating grin on his face. Finally the truth was about to unravel before him.

“I’ve liked you for a while, but I just couldn’t seem to map out the feeling properly until now. I think I spent all this time denying myself thinking it’ll make me less of a man.” It all came flooding out and Q had never felt lighter than in that moment, finally releasing all that had been weighing him down.

“I knew that ‘Samantha’ character sounded all to familiar in the car. I’ll let you in on a little secret myself: I’ve liked you for some time too.” The two lock eyes and share a smile between them. “Liking a guy doesn’t make you any less of a man Q. I think suppressing your true self is what takes that away. It takes a real man to be open and honest and today, I think you found what makes you a real man.” Q felt overwhelmed with emotions and couldn’t help the floodgates from spilling. Tears fell down his cheeks and dropped onto the ground. They didn’t say much more than that, Sal had taken Q into his arms and they shared a moment’s embrace.

“I was so scared. Thank you Sal.”

“Hey, no more tears, okay?” Sal pulls away and takes his fingers to wipe away the tears that were cascading on his friend’s cheeks, he pulls his face close and gently placed a kiss on his forehead. “What if I asked you to go to a movie this weekend? Just us. What say you?” Q smiled wide.

“I think that sounds great.” He answered with confidence not fearing his emotions anymore.

“Then it’s a date.” The two beamed with overflowing joy and happiness. Secrets revealed and out in the open between the two young boys. They never thought that this moment would have ever happened, a mere stroke of luck and proper timing. But the stars had aligned just for them to shine

[roach-circus]

I'll Follow The Sun--Bri x Reader

a/n: I’m currently in a hurricane, (no worries, I am safe!) and I thought I would use it as an inspiration to do a cute storm bit. Thank you to @ineloqueent for helping me out a bunch again, she proofread and helped me a bunch with grammar, this fic definitely would not be as wonderful without her! I’m quite happy with the way this one came out, and although I know the plot is a bit cliche, it’s one of my favourite tropes and I think it’s kind of cute heheh ♥️♥️

warnings: There are a few curse words, but it’s mainly pure fluff and a bunch of angst, and also wayyy too many Beatles references because I like referring to music in my stories. (I promise it’ll be a different band next time!)

word count: 2.75k

Bright cracks of lightning erupted from the cloudy sky, and rain was beating down harshly onto the pavement outside.

You truly disliked storms, the monotony of them always brought you to dark places of your mind. Your week had been a bit rough, and your boyfriend was visiting some family members who lived an hour or two away, until tomorrow. So all you could do now was to sink further back into the plush leather couch, the lower half of your legs hanging off of the side.

Attempting to focus on “Baby’s in Black” in between loud bursts of thunder, you switched out the receiver on your turntable to increase the volume. You returned to the couch, as the record player began to play “I’ll Follow The Sun”. You hummed along; this was one of your favourite songs on the album. When you were younger, it would lull you to sleep and it reminded you of those times now, when you needed it most.

As the song progressed, your thoughts began to wander, to return to those dark places they tended to visit in the dullness and loneliness of a storm. You knew that it was entirely irrational, but still you worried, What if the people in your life did not truly love you? What if no one enjoyed your company? What if they were all simply pretending?

before you could be completely sucked in by your destructive thoughts, you sat up. You took a few deep breaths, counting to seven as you inhaled, counting to five as you held it, and counting to eight as you exhaled.

You stepped over to your turntable and carefully removed the record which had stopped spinning, placing it back into its sleeve. Ambling over to the oak-wood coffee table that homed your telephone, you wondered. You needed to talk to someone.

You contemplated calling your friends, but it was far too late at night to do so without waking them. You thought about calling your mother, but it then occurred to you that she was not the person you wanted to speak to right now. You wanted to speak to your boyfriend. He was the most understanding out of everyone you knew. And you could really use that right now.

Dialing his number, you crossed your fingers in the hopes that he would pick up. You felt a rush of relief and joy when you heard, “Hello, sweet Y/N! What’s going on?” “I’m just feeling a bit lonely, Bri. You know how I get during storms.”

“There’s a storm by you?”

“Yeah,” you replied, nodding though he couldn’t see you. “it’s quite dreary over here. I’m alright though, I’ve just been doing my best to avoid the dreadful thoughts that usually come ‘round.” You laughed lightly in an attempt to ease the tension, but you knew that Brian wouldn’t believe the pretense.

“Say, Y/N,” he began, “do you have anything to occupy yourself for approximately one hour and thirty-four minutes?”

“Yes, but Brian, you don’t have to come back now. I’ll survive. you enjoy your last day with your parents.”

“I’ll be right over!”

“Bri, no-” you were cut off by a click on the other end of the line.

You would’ve loved to see him, but you also knew that he deserved to spend that time with his family.

You decided to return to your music to pass the time, choosing an album with a few more upbeat numbers. Carefully, you placed Help! onto the record player, fitting the needle on top. As the first song (conveniently titled “Help!”) began, you immediately started to feel more cheerful. Instead of sitting back down, you bobbed your head to the music, pacing around your living room and stepping to the beat. Soon, this transitioned into snapping to the beat, your arms swinging from side to side, as “The Night Before” played. You went on dancing, your level of enthusiasm increasing with each song that played, until both “Dizzy Miss Lizzy” and you fell silent. Not wanting your little dance-session to end, you swiftly removed the record from the table, and replaced it with, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”. As the song of the same name chimed in, you clapped along to the beat, spun about to the rhythm.

Thirty-five more minutes passed by like nothing, as you continued dancing to the Beatles. You hadn’t had the time to listen to this much music in months, and it was doing wonders for your mood. You hardly noticed the thunder and lighting continuing outside, a majority of it drowned out by your singing.

But as you heard a few light knocks on the door, you knew Brian had not been lying when he abruptly ended your phone call.

You quickly, but carefully removed the record and placed it in its sleeve, and then placed that on the set of drawers near the door to your flat. You unhooked the lock, and pulled the door open.

He was standing with Scrabble in one hand, and a large bag of popcorn kernels in the other.

“Well, don’t just stand there, come inside, it’s pouring!” you declared jokingly as you motioned for him to enter.

“Thank god, it’s insane out there,” he said, brushing past you as he came through the doorway and stooped to remove his shoes. He then shook his head rapidly in an attempt to remove some of the water that had soaked into his hair, as though he were a dog.

“Hey!” you exclaimed as the rainwater from his hair sprayed the both of you. “You’re getting me all wet!”

“Well, I think my curls suffered enough abuse in the ‘60s. The least I can do now is to keep them dry.”

You both giggled a bit. “In all honesty, thank you so much for coming and visiting. You really didn’t have to do this.”

“It’s no big deal. I wanted to get away from those old folks anyway.”

You both were silent for a moment. Then Brian asked, “How do you feel about a sleepover?”

“That sounds fantastic,” you smiled, “I’d love to! But we can’t sleep yet. I see you’ve brought Scrabble.” You knew all too well that a game of Scrabble with Brian could last for days on end.

“Oh, of course, we won’t be sleeping until someone reigns supreme,” he said, gravely serious. “That someone will most definitely be me!” you declared, and he chuckled.

The two of you headed into the living room, and you flicked the switch to turn on the lamp. It flickered on. then it flickered back off. And then the entry-room fell dark as well, and soon after that, the rest of the bulbs illuminating your house.“Well shit. The power’s shot.”

“Wow,” Brian mocked, “I had no idea. Have you got any candles?”

You nodded. “Definitely, and I know I’ve got a torch or two as well, I’ll go find them.”

You attempted to reach your closet, but you were initially unsuccessful and ended up tripping over god-knows-what before tumbling to the ground. Brian held out a hand to help you up, and you thanked him and took it, regaining your balance and pushing the unidentified object out of the way.

Eventually, you made it to the closet and retrieved a torch for each of you and as many candles as you could find. You lit them, and placing them strategically about the house, you were able to navigate with a much more favorable outcome.

You then made your way back to the living room with your torches and several candles.

“Do you want to set up the game while I pop these?” Brian asked, holding up the bag of popping corn.

“Of course, although there isn’t much to set up,” you responded. “Here, let me grab you a pot.”

You followed him towards the kitchen.

You pulled a stainless-steel saucepan from a corner cabinet and placed it on the stove.

“I’ll leave you to it,” you called to Brian, as you began to head back to the living room.

“Bags going first!” he shouted from the other room as you knelt down on one side of your coffee table and opened the Scrabble box.

You smiled. You didn’t really have a preference of the order that you would play in, but you unfolded the game board, placed it on the table, and pulled seven letter tiles for yourself. You heard sizzling pops as you arranged your tiles on your tray and set up a scoring paper with each of your names written, and the smell of fresh popcorn wafted from the kitchen. A minute or two later, you heard footsteps, and Brian came up behind you, placing a large plastic bowl of buttery popcorn to the side, and wrapping his arms around you.

“You ready, darling?” he asked, his voice slightly muffled by your hair.

You smiled softly. “Absolutely. Come sit,” you patted the spot on the other side of the board.

He sat on his knees across the coffee table from you, a small grin tugging at his lips as well, and you handed him a small grey pouch containing the rest of the tiles. The game started out rather relaxed, but as it went on, the will to win in the both of you rose. You became more and more competitive with each passing minute, determined to beat him.

“C-A-P-I-T-A-L,” you said aloud, laying down the tiles. “Dammit, Y/N, I was going to take that letter!” Brian exclaimed, as you marked twenty-two points under your name on the scoring notes and cackled.

“It’s only fair considering the monster of a triple word score you unleashed, with- what was the word-”

“Equinox!” Brian said, proud of his accomplishment.

“Yes, that one,” you responded, a little defeatedly; it was because of that word he now retained the higher total score.

it was all in good fun, though.

You reached over to your popcorn, threw a piece into the air, and successfully caught it between your lips, although you shifted several of the tiles in the process. You attempted to realign them into their original organization, but you accidentally switched around a few letters, so that two of the words to now read, “pqualize,” and “excorcise”.

Bri, it seemed, found your panicked effort to fix the words quite humorous, because when you looked up after rearranging the tiles, he was giggling with a bright smile across his face. You thought to yourself then how lucky you were to have him with you.

The game continued, and you hardly noticed the presence of the storm.you were too busy laughing yourselves silly , pretending to play phony words and trying to top each other’s fantastically high scores.

“Good game, Bri,” you proclaimed as it drew to a close, no tiles remaining in the pouch.

“Good game, Y/N,” he responded. “How about that score?”

“Ah, ‘f course,” you said sarcastically, both well aware that his total points were much greater than yours. “Quite a close game, if I do say so myself. it came down to two seventy-one and three seventy-nine.”

“And who got which?” Bri mocked.

“Oh, shut up, you,” you responded.

The two of you returned to your couch, Brian still with a slight smirk resting on his face. You began to sink deeper into the plush cushions, but before you could collapse completely, Brian wrapped his arm around your shoulders and pulled you close against his chest. Brian tugged a strand of your hair between his fingers, then asked, “May I put on a bit of music?”

“Of course!” you said, “Anytime. Just be sure to switch out the receiver, the current one is a bit loud.”

He got up and proceeded to stroll over to your music shelf, dragging his fingers over the spines of the record sleeves, softly murmuring the album titles, before settling on one and lightly tugging it from the shelf. You caught a glimpse of his choice: “Beatles For Sale,” but.You hadn’t fully processed his decision as he slid the disk out of its sleeve, placing it on your record player.

As “No Reply” began to play, he returned to his original position, one long arm resting on your shoulders as he pulled you to him again. Light taps to the beat met your skin as he hummed the melody. He turned his head slightly, pressed a soft kiss onto your forehead, and adjusted his neck to allow your head to rest on his shoulder.

Sitting, cocooned in his warmth, had almost distracted you from noticing that “I’ll Follow The Sun” had returned to your ears.

All of your thoughts came flooding back to you, the ones from earlier this night, combined with so many previous ones that it made your head hurt. You were met with a wave of worry and loneliness, despite Brian’s presence. you did whatever you could to divert your attention, but it was to no avail. You let out a slight whimper, and Brian looked at you in alarm.

“Oh gosh, what’s wrong, Y/N, dear?” he asked , his concern audible.

“It’s just… this song, this album,” you let out a small sob. “Don’t get me wrong, they’re a fantastic collection of songs, but…” you weren’t going to try to hide the trouble you were going through this time. “I’m not sure why, but they bring on so many thoughts that I would prefer not to have.” You were only able to stop your tears from falling by burying your face in Bri’s side.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what kinds of thoughts? You don’t have to tell me if you don’t wish to, but if I can help you, I’d love to.”

You lift your face up to explain. “It’s alright. I just always seem to return to this stream of self-conscious thoughts whenever I hear it. Like, what if everyone in my life is just pretending to love me, but in reality they never have, or what if the people around me just hate me?”

“Oh, darling, don’t ever even suggest that.” Bri responded passionately. “I can tell you for a fact that your friends, your family, peers, all love your company and do not feel that way whatsoever, and I wouldn’t let you near anyone who did. They don’t deserve your company.”

You sat together in silence, Brian rubbing slow circles into your arm, until your breathing returned to normal. You placed your head back onto his shoulder, feeling much better after having gotten it all off of your chest. You were so thankful to have such a supportive, kind person in your life. You cuddled closer and Brian reciprocated, pressing tender kisses to your hairline.

“Really, thank you so much, Bri. I can’t believe I get to spend my time with someone as compassionate and caring as you are.”

“Of course, Y/N,” he responded. “I love you.”

Somehow, those words were enough to finally allow your muscles to untense and for you to release a small, contented sigh.

As you felt yourself beginning to doze off, Bri reached over and blew out the candles in your vicinity, and the world around you dimmed. You let your eyelids fall closed, and even as you meandered off into a dream, you could still feel his light breath on your head, his thumb still stroking your arm gently. you knew then he would always be there, even when things seemed to be dark and gloomy, with no hope in sight.

You knew he would always be there, to help you follow the sun.

[flawedwrites]

BRISTOL HIGHTOWER & JAYCE INGRAM & LENNOX STARK [ send me 💘 + A SHIP and i’ll tell you— ] DATING EDITION HC’S / OPEN

where they first met and how: i believe that they met at a bar. jayce most likely approached lennox first as to not intimidate her with bristol. they ended up buying each other drinks and making out that night but not going home together just yet. that came later.

how long their ‘flirting’ phase was before feelings got involved: their ‘flirting’ game with lennox was hella strong and lasted weeks after they first met before officially going on a first date.

who fell for who first ( if applicable ): well, jayce and bristol were already together before they met lennox and then jayce fell hard for lennox and then bristol shortly after. lennox safe guarded her heart for awhile before admitting her feelings to the two of them because she was nervous about losing them.

where their first date was and what it was like: their first date was at a sports game and it was super cute and soft. bristol wanting to buy snacks and things for lennox and jayce probably cuddling on lennox’s lap during the game. which was most likely a basketball game because they know that sport is lennox’s favourite. 

who asks who out and how ( with a sign? spelled out on a cake? just a simple ‘will you go out with me’? ): it was definitely bristol who asked if lennox wanted to join her and jayce in being a trio relationship. or rather, as most people know it - a polyamorous relationship. bristol likes to think she’s in charge of things even though it’s definitely lennox who is.

who proposes first: oh. interesting. honestly, i think if anyone would propose to the other it would be lennox as she would want to make sure that the girls knew how much she does care for them now. 

if they keep / kept their relationship secret or let everyone know right away: at first they might keep it a secret as there are lots of people who still don’t understand how three people can love one another and want to be with one another and not get jealous of the other.

where the proposal happens and how ( kiss cam at a baseball game? on a hillside surrounded by ducks? at a disney park? ): the proposal would probably happen when they were on a trip together. somewhere with a beach. they would all be cute and know what was happening and would all try to propose at once.

if they adopt any pets together: oh! jayce would LOVE to adopt ALL THE PETS. but lennox and bristol would put a stop to it. how ever, they will allow her to adop two pets but that’s it. after all, they don’t live in a farmhouse or anything like that.

where their first kiss was and what it was like: hmmm. their first kiss was outside of the club where they met, though at first it was just jayce kissing lennox. 

if they have any matching couples stuff ( mugs? sweaters? pillowcases? ): lol yes. all thanks to jayce. she would get them like, matching pajamas and slippers. cute ass stuff like that.

how into pda they are: jayce is very much into PDA and bri too. lennox not so much.

who holds the umbrella when it rains: lennox holds the umbrella when it rains.

where their usual ‘date spot’ is ( if applicable ): they like to go to sports games for their usual date night and have season tickets to the basketball club.

who’s more protective: L E N N O X. for sure. her lawyer-ness comes out if something happens that could affect her girls and then her claws come out.

how long it is before they sleep together ( can be as in ‘had sex’ or as in ‘shared a bed’ ): a month or so. as they didn’t want to scare lennox away so they took things slow at first.

if they argue about anything: yes of course they argue about things. oh for sure. jayce and bristol are always worried that lennox is at work to get away from them and to spend time on their own so they get hurt because of that. otherwise, they bicker about things that any other couple would.

who leaves more marks ( lipstick, hickeys, scratchmarks etc. ): bri likes to leave little marks here and there on her girls but nothing that would leave scars of course. 

how they cuddle ( spooning? facing each other? ): they all like to cuddle one another and take turns being the big or little spoon. :).

what their favourite nonsexual activity is: S P O R T S. they’re all pretty sporty and enjoying watching and playing sports. not necessarily playing sports together but sometimes.

how long they stay mad at each other: jayce has a very short fuse and doesn’t stay angry for long. bristol stays angry the most and lastly, it was lennox.

what their usual coffee / tea orders are: jayce likes fruity ice teas - bristol likes coffee with two creams and two sugars and lennox likes black coffee which jay and bri think are gross and make fun of her for it.

if they ever have any children together: no. but jayce and bristol would definitely be open to the idea of having children with lennox. they have definitely talked about having a family of their own one day.

if they have any special pet names for each other: bri-bri. jay. sweety. lenny. len. anything like that.

if they ever split up and / or get back together: no but they might have been close to splitting up at one point when they were upset at lennox for not spending enough time with them and thinking that she was lying about wanting to be there with the girls.

what their shared living space is like ( messy? clean? what kind of decor? ): tba.

what their first christmas / hanukkah / etc as a couple was like: their first christmas was a low-key thing with just the three of them because COVID ruins everything.

what their names are in each other’s phones: jayce has their names put in her phone normally but with emoji’s next to them. bristol has cute ass nicknames and lennox has their names normally like she would anyone else’s. 

if they have any ‘couple traditions’ ( buying a new mug for their collection every year? baking every friday evening? ): nah. i don’t think they have any ‘couple traditions.’

who falls asleep first and who wakes up first: jayce falls asleep first. then bristol. and lastly lennox because she is usually staying up late to work on her cases that she hasn’t finished at the office.

who’s the big spoon / little spoon: the three of them take turns being the big spoon or the little spoon.

who hogs the bathroom: B R I S T O L.

who kills the spiders / takes them outside: definitely lennox. or jayce. but never bristol. she is terrified of spiders and doesn’t even like talking about them.

[stereksecretsanta]

Merry Christmas, @otpsfloat!

Hello dear @otpsfloat! I really hope you’re going to like this story, and I also hope I didn’t add too much fluff ;)

Summary: Derek is forced to go to a mini gold speed dating, but when he meets Stiles there, he isn’t really sure if he should rather thank his sisters for this amazing idea.

Read on AO3

*****

The Official Beacon Hills Rainbow Mini Golf Date Night.

Not for the first time, and certainly not for the last, Derek Hale hated living with his sisters. He had been sulking for a while, unhappy with college, with life, with everything.

Of course, Laura and Cora, the banes of his very existence - together with their mother Talia, of all people! - had attributed it to him not getting laid enough. (Or, in the case of his parents: of him not having someone to love, to cherish and to bond closely with!)

Thus Laura pulled some strings, added a lot of pressuring, and a near-blackmail in the form of “if you do this, you’re off the hook for an entire year!”, and here he was: At the Official Beacon Hills Rainbow Mini golf Date Night.

He already hated the colourful design of the rooms, the glaringly offensive brightness of everything assaulting his eyes. There were several courses of eighteen holes each, and a group of male and female visitors, all milling about and having a drink.

Derek cringed internally as he headed towards the cash register. He’d looked it up, before; Everyone would take a coloured golf ball out of a huge tub with their eyes closed, and would complete an entire course with whoever had the equivalent of their colour. The only thing they could choose in advance was the gender of their ‘dating partner’.

Derek hadn’t hesitated in signing himself up for men only.

There were a lot of people standing around. Some seemed shy, others were already trying to pair up. There were others, similar to him, who looked like they wanted to be anywhere else but here.

Derek was the last to grab for the ball, and the organisers were already beginning to pair the people up, smiling like this was the best thing of the entire world. And for some it seemingly was, judging from their happy expressions, but for him it was only something he had agreed to to get his family off his back for a year. He really didn’t get their complaints anyway, what was so bad with being single?

Derek toyed with the plastic ball, looking around idly. He wondered about getting a drink to loosen up, but knowing that it wouldn’t work (and assuming that they didn’t have anything stronger for werewolf customers) he decided not to. An attendee headed towards him, and he displayed the abysmal pink ball in his hands. She smiled, leading him on.

And then he saw his partner for the speed dating. He held his own pink ball, wearing a shirt with a cute fox on it, grinning sarcastically, Jeans, pretty worn converse and a checked shirt wrapped around his waist. He had moles everywhere, brown eyes and hair that stood up and didn’t look like it had been combed in a while.

“Great! Now that everyone is paired up, let me explain the rules again! We have three courses here, and you complete one with your current partner. If you want to get to know them better, you can take some extra 15 minutes at the Bar. If you want to continue, you wait here until all are done, and pick another ball. But let’s hope your current partner got the balls to sweep you off your feet, right?”, she announced with a loud laugh.

Derek blinked, slowly, and then made his way over to his partner for the night. He had to admit it - the boy was pretty cute. A somewhat upturned nose, awake, honey-coloured eyes, and a grin that matched the relaxed posture he had. But for some reason he looked awfully familiar to the werewolf - and not quite legal. “Hey,” he said, approaching the young man directly. “How’s it going?”

“Hey!”, he let out in an almost squeak, as his eyes ranked over Derek’s body. He smelled excited, hopeful and somewhat happy. “I am Stiles! You probably remember me from the one running in to you and throwing all his books down the staircase in college!”

Derek’s eyes widened at that. Christ, he remembered. “Damn, that was you,” he blurted out. “You nearly broke my neck. And your own, too, when you almost flung yourself down the stairs to save the books,” he added with a somewhat devious grin. “Out to meet new people?”

“Oh yeah!” He chuckled at that, wiggling his eyebrows. “Kinda. Actually… to be really honest…” he whispered and leaned in. “I lost a bet.”

Derek’s brows shot up. “Be glad you don’t have obnoxious sisters you think you need to get laid,” he replied, voice nothing but a quiet growl in Stiles’ ears. He didn’t miss the shiver that ran through the boy.

“Hah… so we both aren’t here on our own volition?” he asked, tilting his head. “But hey! It’s mini golf! Let’s make the best of it and have the game of our lifes!”

“You’d love mini golf,” Derek replied with a grumble. They both took their (ridiculously small!) clubs, heading to one of the courses. Being intimidating by nature meant people let Derek go first, and he smirked at that, walking past the people with Stiles at his side.

Stiles, who didn’t mind this at all. He smelled so ridiculously happy that it was almost overpowering everything else in the room. “Soooo… what should I call you?“

Oh, right. He’d never introduced himself.

"I’m Derek. Derek Hale,” he added, knowing that most people were at least remotely aware of his… unconventional family at the edge of town. And his werewolf blood, too.

“Derek…” Stiles repeated, almost purring. “Then show me how you treat these balls!”

“Oh, you’re an expert for balls, then?” Derek drawled. He dropped his own ball to the ground, putting it in position with his foot and eyeing the hole. Jesus, he sucked at mini golf. No werewolf senses would fix that. He flicked the golf club, shooting the ball towards its aim.

Stiles let out a laugh. Derek’s ball was way off. “Good shot, Der!” he said, placing his own ball down. He licked his lips, glanced towards the hole, and then hit it.

“Come on,” Derek growled, watching Stiles hit a hole in one. “You’re actually good at mini golf? What kind of nerd are you?”

“Wohooooo!” He let out a cheer and jumped up, grinning at the werewolf. “I am kinda good? Not greatly good, but… yeah! But I promise I didn’t use any magic…” he added as he wiggled his fingers. “And I am a nerd by association! And… yeah. But really, you’re giving up that easily?”

“Oh, I haven’t even started,” Derek said with a low rumble, and his the hole with the next shot as well. He didn’t comment on the magic statement, after all he wasn’t the only supernatural creature here. The one in the corner looked like he could be a Kanima, and he was sure that one of the organisers was a werewolf as well. And magic per se wasn’t that rare, it all depended on what kind of magic… and that was something he could find out later, once he decided that he was interested in getting to know this one further. If he would do it. “Keep going. You start this time, Mister Nerd by association.”

“Uuuuh! Call me Stiles, Sourwolf!” he shot back, a wide grin on his face. He hopped further, placed his ball in front of him again, and this time wiggled with his back. Was he trying to wiggle every single part of his body this evening?

Sourwolf? Derek chuckled against his better judgement, reaching out with the club and patting Stiles’ backside with it. “Wiggling for the audience?”

“Maybe I’m wiggling for you?”, he offered with a wink and then played the ball. But this time it went into the hole, jumped out of it and rolled down. “Maaaan!”

"Not quite as lucky all the time?” Derek whispered into his ear, walking past him. This time he was more effective than Stiles - he just needed two hits, the other three.

“So! As this is a date or something… we should talk, right?” he began, heading to the next area. “Okay. We know our names. Then… what else does one talk about during dates?”

“I’d ask what you’re doing, but I know that already,” Derek said smugly. “College, Criminal Science. Right?”

“Yes. And you?” He looked at him. “I only saw your abs to be honest… oh, and Cora, but she’s rude and kinda scary.”

“She is. Don’t tell her I said that, she’d eat my eyeballs.” He shrugged. “Architecture and art,” Derek said, putting another ball. “One because it was sensible, one because I wanted to.”

“Nice!” He nodded, watching him playing. “And you’re a werewolf. My best friend is one, bitten.”

“And you’re not scared?” This was a surprise; most people were. Derek motioned for him to shoot. “That’s rare.”

“Well… when he tried to kill me, yeah… back then I was. Scared shitless actually…” he murmured, a frown on his face. “…but I did my best. I tried to teach him as much as I could, without an Alpha for him around. He was bitten by a rogue Alpha, which I think… your family took out a bit later, if I remember correctly? You maybe know him? Scott McCall? He works at Deaton’s. He’s also helping me with my magic a bit, not as much as I’d like to, but that’s Deaton…”

“Yeah, actually. Heard his name before. Deaton’s my mother’s Emissary.” Derek said with a nod. “And well, in Scott’s defense, you look like a snack,” he added deadpan.

Stiles looked at him, as if to ask if he was serious, but then his lips spread into a grin. “If I’m a snack, then you’re the full meal.”

“Smooth,” the werewolf said with a quiet laugh. He nodded, motioning for him to go ahead. They kept talking, an easy back and forth between them.

It was really nice and also felt natural. Stiles’ happiness didn’t let up even one second, and he was a good challenge when it came to mini golf. He laughed when they just finished half the course with both of them needing three shots for it. “So, how do you like this date so far?”

“It’s pretty good,” Derek said with a low rumble in his voice. It was true; he enjoyed himself. “Much better than any of the others I went on, for sure…”

“That’s great!” Stiles blurted out, the tips of his ears turning red as he brightly smiled at him. “I am… actually quite excited. I mean… yeah, I just lost a bet, but… you are amazing….”

Amazing? Derek ducked his head a little at the surprising praise, then smiled over at Stiles. “So you don’t mind being set up like this, for once?”

“Wow… your smile is breatha-”, he began, then cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair. “I totally don’t mind. I didn’t expect much apart from a nice mini gold match, but… I get to know you and that’s wow.”

“Hmm. I agree,” Derek said, pitching the next ball. At this point neither of them was really focused on the game, and Derek felt comfortably… warm. Maybe this was a decent idea. The boy seemed to be fun… and he really didn’t mind hanging out with him.

Stiles walked to the next area, placing the ball down before he stretched and glanced at the werewolf. “So. May I ask why someone like you is single?”

“I’m a horrible people person, in case you hadn’t noticed,” Derek said drily, watching Stiles hit another hole. “Besides, I had some… bad experiences in the past.”

“I think you’re very compatible with me, though!” he shot back with a big grin. “And hey. No time like the present, right?”

Derek was suddenly directly behind Stiles as he got ready to hit his next ball. He whispered. “Hmm. Do you want to say you see us both as highly compatible in a … mating sense?” The werewolf watched with great pleasure as the ball went awry.

He could scent Stiles’ nervousness and at the same time there was something else, making it clear that he liked this very much. “Well… if this big ass werewolf likes a scrawny human…?” he whispered back. Stiles definitely tried to hide how nervous he was, but he couldn’t mask his scent, at least not to Derek’s nose. He picked up all the subtle changes, how he was interested, how much he liked it. But he also realised that he really liked Stiles’ overall scent. It was nice, calming, grounding in a way…

“Oh, I wouldn’t call you scrawny. Maybe wiry. Definitely… flexible,” Derek added with a smirk. Then he stepped away, dropping his own golf ball, and continued playing.

“Oh that’s mean! You totally did this on purpose to be better than I am! Oooooh, you just wait!” He grinned and then put the next ball into the hole in one. “Uuuuh yeah! You just watch me!”

“I am watching,” Derek said - and it was true. He was watching Stiles, and the boy was pretty damn good looking. Which didn’t mean he’d let him win.

“Well, I gotta say, Derek Hale… I am interested in getting to know you more…” he murmured as he waited for the werewolf to play.

“Is that the only thing you’re interested in?” Derek asked, feigning innocence. But he kept playing expertly.

“You? Heck no!” he answered with a chuckle, watching him miss the hole. “I play Lacrosse. I help my Dad with solving crimes. I help Scott with everything werewolf related. I read a lot. I play video games. I also learn how to manipulate mountain ash, and some spells and how to feel the land around you. And… well, I live with my Dad, who’s the Sheriff, to give you some more information about me.”

“Hmm,” Derek said with a nod. That wasn’t what he had wanted to imply, but it was just as well. Information for information. “I’m a werewolf in college. I live with my family and am a beta to my mother’s leadership. I don’t plan on starting my own pack in the next few years. I have obnoxious sisters, I probably read even more than you, I suck at operating a computer. Sometimes I volunteer in the city centre. And I drive a Camaro.”

“A Camaro?” At that Stiles looked up, almost whistling. “Nice one. I got a Jeep and its name is Roscoe. Eh… Scott’s my best friend. Lydia, the woman I had a crush on for a long time is a Banshee and is together with Jackson, a Kanima. I also know Isaac who really wants to be a werewolf. I never had a relationship ever before, never dated…. so… I’m a virgin in every sense!”

“I see,” Derek nodded. “I’m… not. I tried dating women, but truth be told, it sucked. So I ended up here, and met you, and… I don’t think that’s so bad,” he added with a small smirk.

“Oh man, I’m sorry…” he said with a frown as he walked to the next area. “Soooo… do you want to spend a bit more time after this ball kicking?”

“Absolutely,” Derek agreed quietly. He smiled, and Stiles felt his knees wobble a little at that. “Maybe have a drink after I beat you, huh??”

“Beat me?” He laughed as he had a look at the score chard. “Actually, dear Mister Hale… this is the last area and I am in the lead right now.”

“…” Derek looked up. Shit, when had that happened? There was no way he could win. Derek growled, pitching the last ball in. “Alright. Drink on me then, I guess.”

“Yeah!” Stiles thrust up an arm, noted down Derek’s points and then followed him over to where the organisers were waiting. “We hope you had fun? Have you decided?” the woman from before asked with a smile.

“Decided?” Derek said. He found himself reaching out, curling his arm around Stiles shoulders. Drawing him close against his chest. “We’d like that drink now.”

This totally made Stiles blush, but he agreed with a very firm nod. “Very well. Then please proceed and pick a seat. You get 15 more minutes.”

“Thank you,” Derek said, politely, and led Stiles away with him. Only then did he turn his head. “Is this okay?”

“Totally okay!” he answered, chuckling. “I mean I heard werewolves are kinda territorial, but you’re starting it really early.”

“Tell me if it bothers you,” Derek hummed, leading him to a table. Then they sat down together. “Drinks on me, then. In exchange for your number, if you are game…”

“And you are straight forward!” Stiles added with a laugh. But he nodded and showed Derek his number, then saved the other’s number under 'Sourwolf’. “And… don’t worry. I am really honest and will not hold back just to be nice.”

“That’s good,” Derek said, and left it at that. He wanted to say so much more; how he hated it if people lied to him or kept their opinions. But maybe that was too much for a first date, so he remained quiet. They both looked at the menu, and Derek raised a brow. “Those cocktail names are borderline pornographic.”

“Yeah, right?” He chuckled and then lowered the menu. “Come on, we just got 15 minutes. Let’s focus on each other!” he murmured and leaned forward.

“So….. Han Solo or Luke Skywalker?”

“Han Solo. Rebels or Empire?” Derek shot back, leaning back a little. This was promising.

Stiles’ eyes lit up and his mouth fell open. “Oh my god! You are perfect! Star Wars! You watched Star Wars?!”

“Of course I did. But I prefer the old trilogy,” Derek added with a smirk. “Answer my question.”

“Ah, ah yeah! Rebels of course! I mean, they got the X-Wing and they’re fighting for the freedom of the universe!”

“Very good choice,” Derek purred. Yeah, he liked this boy. “Favourite Horror movie?”

“Oh, that’s… difficult…!” He leaned back, and began to nibble on his lower lip. “So… I guess… I haven’t watched a lot of full horror movies. But IT is good… and Freeze.”

“Oh, Freeze. Nice choice. Okay, your turn.” They both ordered a drink, barely paying attention to the waitress.

“Okay… now, let’s be more creative now. Favourite song when you’re angry?”

“How angry are we talking?” Derek replied with a raised brow. “Casual level of 'I hate my sisters’? Probably Destroya, by My Chemical Romance. Really angry? Something like Sentenced, if you ever heard of them.” He shrugged. “Favourite band when you were a kid?”

“Hmmm….” His eyes were on Derek and the smile from his lips never disappeared. “I guess Linkin Park and … Blink 182? Soooo, Der. What’s your guilty pleasure?”

“Chocolate chip cookie dough. No, don’t look at me like that. I love that stuff.” He made a face. “Doesn’t really match my habit of doing a shitload of workouts, though, so it remains a very guilty pleasure.” Derek considered for a moment. Then he leaned forward. “How about… the dirtiest fantasy you had today.”

“To…day?” He huffed, then rubbed his nose carefully. “….well…. actually quite tame. Just about kissing.”

Derek smiled. He didn’t hear a lie, so he nodded gently, motioning for Stiles to go on.

“Honestly! That was all! But now that you mentioned it… what about you and your fantasies?”

“Well, I probably thought about a certain person’s backside when they were bending down to retrieve a golf ball,” Derek said, looking at Stiles pointedly. He saw no reason in lying.

He laughed at that, and then winked at him. “Okay… You can thank your sisters for forcing you to get here! Because I want to meet you again for sure!”

“Oh yeah, I second that notion.” Derek nodded with a smile, and they finished their drinks. The fifteen minutes were almost over already.

“Good. Then we can text and… agree on another time and place for some more Stiles-Derek time? And I meant that in a totally innocent way, like getting to know each other more…”, he asked, standing up with a smile just as the woman approached them.

Derek nodded. They took a step aside, and then, before they parted ways near the door… Derek wrapped him up in a tight, long hug. And damn, did that feel good. His inner wolf was pleased.

“Hey, cuddlewolf…” he smiled and hugged back. “You smell really nice.”

They stood like this for a long moment, and it felt wonderful. Derek rubbed his head at the side of Stiles’ cheek, grumbling softly. Marking him.

And he didn’t mind it at all. “Scott will ask all the questions later, dude.”

“I don’t care,” Derek muttered. They finally let go of one another, and headed for the door. “I’m glad I went here tonight.”

“I’m damn happy I lost this bet!” Stiles let out with a laugh, walking alongside Derek, slowly heading back to the carpark. “I’ll text you once I’m back?”

“Definitely,” Derek said. His voice sounded almost breathy. They got into their respective cars after another brief, but warming embrace. They didn’t kiss; after all it was just a first date. But Derek felt…. good.

+++++

The drive home was uneventful for him. Derek parked the Camaro, took his phone, and then entered the house as silent as possible… knowing full well that his family would be waiting for him inside. They’d never go to sleep without needling him first.

And this time it was even worse. As soon as he closed the door behind him, he spotted Laura’s face, looking at her with expectant eyes. “Sooooooo?”

“God, you don’t even let me get inside?” Derek groaned. He could see Cora perching on a table, grinning widely. “At least get me a drink and say hi,” the werewolf demanded with a playful growl.

“Sure, sure. Get a drink. We’re in the living room. Waiting.” She winked at him and then disappeared into the room next door.

Derek bit back a groan, knowing that they’d all hear it. He padded into the kitchen, got himself a coke, and then strode into the living room, to the waiting faces of his sisters. “It went well,” he finally said, looking at both of them. “I met a nice guy. Got his number. Might see him again. And no, I am not giving you his name.”

“OH my god?! YES?” Laura’s face exploded in a smile and she leaned forward. “Tell us more!”

“There’s…. not much more. He’s nice, so far. Doesn’t mind me being a werewolf. I’ve seen him before.” Derek shrugged. His fingers were toying with his phone. “I like him.”

“You do?” Her smile grew as his mobile vibrated. And indeed it was a message from Stiles, stating 'Hey, Sourwolf. Just wanted to tell you that I reached home safe and sound’

“Tell us about him, come on!”

“Just a moment,” Derek said, sounding - to his own surprise - a little defensive. He typed a quick answer. “Am home too. My sisters are already planning a wedding I guess. Sorry bout that.” Then he turned back to them. “He’s… cute. A little younger than me. Goes to college, too.”

'Haha, I’m not wearing a dress!’ Stiles answered back in record time and with lots of smileys.

Laura’s smile grew even wider. “So… this was a good idea.”

“Better than your other ideas,” Derek replied smugly. Cora chuckled. “So, when are you going to bring him home, huh?”

“Not…. yet. But I guess I wanna see him again.”

“You guess?” Laura leaned back, looking at Cora with a grin. “You exchanged numbers obviously. And you seem to like him.”

“Urgh, fine. I do want to see him again. Preferably soon. And now I am going to bed. Good night you two!” He took the drink and his phone along, ignoring the protests of his sisters and their announcement to call their parents to tell them all about this. Derek headed towards his bedroom, already typing a reply. ‘Might look good on you tho. ;) I got off the hook, going to bed now. And you?’

'I’m already in bed. Going to sleep real soon and dream of how I beat you’ Derek could almost hear Stiles’ voice through the text. It was casual, and actually really easy…

'Aw, relish in your victory, until I get my revenge. How about something more physical? Basketball?’ He took off his shirt, tossing it aside on the bed together with his pants, before climbing inside.

'I told you I’m playing Lacrosse, right?’ Stiles answered with a grinning smiley. 'But we could also try something else. As you seem to like small balls. Pool?’

I probably like your balls, Derek thought idly to himself. He read the message again. 'Sounds good to me. Know a nice place?’

'Hmmm…. not really, but I know friends who do. Or we could go bowling if you like it bigger?’

Bowling? That usually included more people. 'What if I prefer to have you to myself?’ he sent back, reclining on his bed.

'Then I would suggest driving out into the preserve in my Jeep and choose a spot where we can see the city and have a picnic there?’

Now that? That sounded nice. Derek wasn’t really one for big crowds, although he could understand the security of them - especially for humans. 'You don’t think the big bad wolf is going to eat you up?’

'Then I will just have to wear my red hoodie…. ’, Stiles texted back with a wink. 'But hey, if you are okay with Lacrosse - we have a game next week.’

'You playing?’ He hadn’t watched Lacrosse games before, always considered them somewhat boring. But with Stiles playing that could certainly change. “When?’

'Friday evening.’ Stiles then texted the time back.

'I’ll be there. You have some celebration with the team after? Or do you want to grab a drink?’

'That very much depends on if we win. But if we do, I should probably celebrate with them! ’

'Definitely,’ Derek agreed. He got under the covers, realizing how nice it was to lie here and just… text. He’d never done it before, not like this. 'What’s your position?”

'Come and see, curious wolf…’ Stiles texted back. 'But at least I’m a regular now. In High School I was on the bench so often.’

'Alright, alright, enough questions for one night. Looking forward to seeing you play on the field’, Derek wrote. And he meant it. He wanted to see Stiles out there.

'Then come! But first we should have another… date?’

'Absolutely. And I love the idea with the woods. But maybe safe that for a later date where you feel more comfortable being alone with me. Awoo,’ he added, with a winking smiley. 'Back to ball games, I’d say. You and me.’

'Oooooh yeah! Let’s talk more tomorrow, I should really sleep.’

'Me too.’ Derek looked at his phone. No, actually smiled. He felt warm. 'I had a really good day. Sleep well, Stiles.’

‘Nighty Night! This was the best day ever and I’m so looking forward to seeing you again.’

‘Trust me. I for once could kiss my family for this idea.’

‘Better keep your kisses for me, big guy!’

‘Should I kiss you next time we meet?’

‘If you won’t, then I will!’

Derek laughed softly. ‘I will. I will kiss you. I want to kiss you.’

‘Tomorrow? Dinner?’

‘Sounds good.’ In fact, it sounded amazing.

‘I’ll text ya where and when tomorrow! Gotta sleep now, Dad’s complaining! NIGHT!’

‘Good Night, Stiles’

[pixie-skull]

AU Borhap # 6: Cute Moment on a Date

Before I go, yes I am going to attempt to make this open to anyone, but this creator wants more LGBTQ+ AUs, so this one just if you and x character went and the character’s thoughts. Please share your thoughts if this good or not in my ask box? :D Here are the rules too.

Another thing, this fandom includes real-life people and out of respect I do not condone anyone going to the listed and bother them, they may be celebrities, but are people too. :]

Inspired by this post and this one disclaimer, this mainly romantic fluff, but I am fine if this either read romantic or borderline sexual. I am also, curious who still making one-shots on this cast of celebrities or the Band Queen itself? I have cute ideas and want to request them. O.O Shout out to @impossiblepeggy​ I hope this adds good vibes to your day. :D

ONE MORE THING DEAR READER! =D 1st + 2nd + 3rd + 4th + 5th

Rami Malek: (loosely inspired by a dream I had, yes he comforted my overwhelmed/overstimulated self XD )

Rami tends to be quiet, yet he loves to do things that make those little butterflies take flight. This time he and you went to an open mic and you were getting a headache by so many stimuli. At the point during someone’s act, you sat down and he sat down next to you. You tried to keep it yourself the sounds and spotlights were too much. At a point one, he leaned over to check on you and notice you rubbing your eyelids and whispered with a hint of concern, but teasing, 

“Hey Y/N are you alright?” you nod yet additionally says “I heard a solution for overstimulation is to kiss the sense that is overwhelmed, so in this case your eyelids?” and this makes you drop your hands and face this green eye gent.

“Oh is that so?” and now seeing you teasing him, a smirk grew across his mouth.

“Yes, may I try?” he asks and you want to respond and you close your eyelids and feel a gentle peck upon each lid. Only there was a moment of stillness after the last one was kissed. You peek an eye open and see him staring at you and his aura screamed for such silence his attraction. Leaning forward, to only be muttered rudely the person directly behind him;

“Excuse you, can we please watch Bri*or is that too much!?” and already overwhelmed, you rush out, sure a few more annoying grunts, but being overwhelmed never fun. Little did you know he followed and you turned around and trying to act fine, you see those emerald eyes widen more than usual in concern.

“Rami, you can go back, I am fine, I just needed to clear my mind” and turning around, you face the hallway wall. Only you heard faint footsteps and turn to see him have this soft smile. “What?”

“Now tell me why I would have any more fun without my significant other?” and when thinking, and rubbing your temples in thought going back and what to say, he leaned over to kiss your eyelids again. That gentle pressure and eventually arms around you, make your thoughts melt away. You open both eyes now and see him having his eyelids close, now you kiss each lid of his. Eventually, he opens those dark eyes and that tiny grin sneaks up again, yet this time you lean to kiss your partner.

*= I am not sure, but I dream Bri Larson doing stand up comedy. XD

---

Joseph Mazzello: (I like few sports, baseball one of them)

You two went to a baseball game, Joe’s idea though. Funny enough being at the game, just you two focusing on the game, seemed not that much of a difference of cuddling and maybe letting him flipping to the baseball channel, just to see the score. However, today was extra cute, besides more of date due more affectionate to an extent, the weather had other plans. The day was already cold and windy, yet sharing a huge blanket and attempts to warm up, seemed not too odd. Joe though gave you more of the blanket, seeing he would hop up like the little joey he is, and cheer on the team when a good hit was made, sing to “Take me out to Ball Game”, and more, even get you food. However, by the eighth innings, you see it start to drizzle. Eventually, this little rain became a downpour and Joe gave you his sports jersey, even his favorite hat (if wearing one, he just puts on top of yours), and more to keep you warm. Luckily the team you two wanted to win won but at this point, your blanket became like you soaked and cold. However, poor Joseph was shrieving for all the layers he gave to you, even if you said no, he did not care, he wanted you warm. When heading to the parking lot and driving back to his place to drop him off.

“Joe-Joe, you are chattering away with how cold you are!?” You exclaim.

“I amm fiinnneeee Y/N” he mutters, luckily you put the heater on full blast and you see already happier results.

“Joe, are you sure you want me to stay the night? It is just rain” you ask.

“Y/N I insist, this rain makes the roads more slick and dangerous, and I do not want you in danger” and you jokingly sigh. “I mean it plleeeaaaassssseeeeee stay” he playfully yet also seriously whimpers.

“Okay, but I am making us warm drinks” and you can tell he felt happier knowing the plan of your stayover, made the little pink his cold cheeks warm up. 

Finally, all settled in and both in two blankets of own, to keep warm, are putting away the mugs. When placing them away you hear him shuffling behind you.

“Y/N follow me please” and you nod and laugh a bit to see his dinosaur socks as he walks you to the guest room. He pats you sit next to him and he holds you close and whispers “Y/N can you please be the big spoon tonight?” and you smile and lean over and he cuddling in close your arms, while he also kisses your forehead, but before turning his head you whisper back a similar tone,

“Joe can I kiss you to warm you?” and he looks at you and mouths ‘yes’ and you do tiny pecks until he all cozy in your arms.

---

Gwilym Lee: (sorry is shorter than the other two)

Your two’s date is cut off for a sudden reshooting a few of Gwilym’s scenes. So when waiting for him, you decide to order a pickup of your two’s favorite couple meal. He comes back to your place earlier than expected and you stand like a deer in high beams or shocked and unable to react.

“Y/N is that *meal* with extra *side*?” You nod and just see his questioning look melt to a grateful smile. “Awww I feel bad you did this and I been so busy” and you now smile back at him.

“Gwilym, it is alright, comes on you big teddy bear, let’s eat”. After a nice meal he offers to take you home and when driving you notice he took a different route. Eventually, he took you to your favorite little park and both enjoy the empty place. If pushing the other on the swings, going down the slides the fastest, or just climbing the monkey bars, which he was too tall for. At one point when back on the swing, you asked him to push you again, but this time he did less huge pushes, and when about to ask what is up, he just looked down to you, and you got up, and both kissed.

---

Ben Hardy:

One type of date you and Ben both enjoy is acting like strangers and flirting to each other. This time you two were by the gym and you acted like you just came from the library and he sees you reading after a few lifts and leg exercises.

“Hmm, if I knew there be a book section I would also exercise my mind, as you seem to be doing” he smirked and you raise an eyebrow.

“Well with that lack of exercise, I am surprised you can talk sentences?” and he made a fake gasp.

“Uncalled for, I was just complimenting you? Is that too much to be nice to strangers?” and even some people were staring now and you laughed and the sense of being watched clearly he enjoyed. “Okay, let me start over?” and you fake chuckle.

“Okay?”

“Hi, that book I heard is amazing and I am Ben by the way,” he said waving and now you just laugh and he ends up laughing too.

“So shaking hands not your thing?”

“Oh I can shake, I just thought sweat and books do not work well?”

“I mean I know what is like a book and needs to be open, that sweat can be useful in” and at this point, you were giggling at how dumb this becoming. He keeps his smirk though and even licks lower lip.

“Oh? What is that?” and you get up and whisper yet loud enough some can turn.

“Maybe that mouth of yours” and you both trace the arms of the other and eventually neck to face. At the point he even lost his act and laughed, he picked up his things, yet with your hand in the other. When out of the gym by his car you two kiss.

“Well Y/N that was umm” and he just looked at you to see you laughing still, his criticism stopped, and he just kissed you more.

---

Lucy Boynton:

You both went to a mini local community art like a festival. Not quite like a fair, but something where arts can still paintings, homemade jewelry, and even people selling their own wine. You two took a few sips, well, maybe enough to get you bit tipsy. Again homemade wine sometimes not always perfected and you felt bad for Lucy to see her not like the drinks, so in attempts to show off to your girlfriend, you drank instead toss; plus it made the sellers feel better. Luckily you were not too tipsy, but you did compliment her more and she giggled as you explain how beautiful she is in various ways. After a little more walking, she bought you two food and help absorb the alcohol.

“Y/N You are so adorable, but please do not again” Lucy smiles brightly and you nod understanding. “I just hope you know too, if you are getting tired, we can head back” her sweet voice singing to your ear.

“Lucy, I did see one thing I want us to get?” you spoke after finishing your lunch and leaned in smiling and you both kiss gently.

“And what is that Y/N?” she said after her soft lips parted yours.

“Would it be cheesy to say I want it to be a surprise?” you asked and she shook her hair, making her lovely hair bounce.

“No, not all, just lead the way Y/N” and she stands up from the small table, you take her hand, and head near where you started. At last, you found it and she even let out a small giggle. “Huh, caricatures?” as she asked you paid and you both sat down. As you both talked a bit to the artist, while posing, you got lost in her eyes and hands, you squeezed her hands loving. She squeezed back and held fix eyes and when the artist implied done, you moved your hands up, as she held your face too, to kiss.

[dotzines]

Artist Spotlights!

🎤 Bluzumara 🥁 Bom 🎷 boredlydoodling

🎺 Bri Penrod 🎸 Bubbles 🎻 C. Douglass

Interview below the cut!

Introduce yourself

🎤 Hi! I'm Bluzumara. I'm a  spanish artist more focused on digital art, and interested on manga creation. You can find me on Deviantart (Bluzumara), on Twitter (@AlmaViajero for art twitter or  @Bluzumara for personal) 🥁 Hi!! I'm bom, I do digital art and draw lots of cute ladies! I love dnd and I'm making an upcoming wlw zine featuring big women! I also love making new characters to sell to people! You can find my art at the following links! https://instagram.com/bombiibom/ https://twitter.com/bombombii/ https://www.deviantart.com/bombombii I follow back as well! 🎷 I'm an artist that enjoys both digital and traditional art. I love drawing cute girls and have way too many oc's. I'm currently in University studying character design and Illustration, and you can find most of my work posted to instagram. ->https://www.instagram.com/boredlydoodling/

🎺 Hello! I'm a nonbinary autistic guy. I love cartoons and drawing and I'm currently going to school to be a storyboarder. You can find me on tumblr at https://hey-lil-artslut.tumblr.com/ on twitter at https://twitter.com/HeyLilArtslut and on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/heylilartslut/ 🎸 Well... This is my first ever zine! I'm generally shy and awkward so please excuse how most of this is worded, I do tend to ramble, sorry;; I'm both a digital and traditional artist (I'm doing digital for this zine though hehe), and I'm currently mostly into Touhou and Granblue at the moment. You can find my art here!!: https://twitter.com/Bubblesdoodles 🎻 Hello, I'm a traditional artist.

Do you do commissions post? Where can we find the info?

🎤 https://twitter.com/AlmaViajero/status/1171118754249490433 🥁 https://www.instagram.com/p/B0zCPqkp7ii/ 🎷 https://www.instagram.com/p/By0mjHlFdld/ 🎺 https://hey-lil-artslut.tumblr.com/post/186570288557/heyyy-ive-been-struggling-financially-since-my

Do you listen to music (or tv shows/films/anything else) when drawing?

🎤 Yes. For some reason, I can't stand podcasts or anything like that, so music is my go-to option 🥁 I watch a lot of speedruns or gaming vids when I draw! I love having constant commentary to give me background noise. 🎷 Totally! I usually can't do anything in silence, but I find music tends to help me more with my schoolwork while a fun movie or tv show is put on for personal drawings! I have a soft spot for animated pieces while I'm drawing.   🎺 Yes, I listen to music, cartoons, youtube videos and movies 🎸 I do listen to music when I draw!!

What’s your favorite music artist/band? If you could ask your favorite band/music artist one question, what would it be?

🎤 Parov Stelar. I would ask them about the starts of their career. How did they started to work to the public and how scary did they feel about it 🥁 I'm really into Ghost right now! I love their spooky tunes and the melody go HARD! 🎷 I'm not sure I have one! I like all kinds. Fan creators. Vocaloids like Miku and Rin and Len, classic artists like Supertramp and I grew up listening to Nickelback, Def Leopard, and Bon Jovi. I would, however, love to ask every single one what their favourite part of music and performing is! Because to me, music is so special and can affect emotions and events, so I would love to hear what goes through some singer and songwriter heads! 🎺 My favorite band is Mother Mother 🎸 I'm not quite sure exactly who my favorite is, considering I have quite a few favorites, I guess I should say Mili since my favorite song is from them. As for asking them whatever question I want? I guess I'd probably ask them which of their songs are connected into a story? 🎻 I really enjoy the music of Lenka. If I could ask her a question, I would ask if her songs are based on her life experiences.

Do you play an instrument? If not would you like to play one? Which one?

🎤 I don't play anything. But I would love to play the violin...Or realistically, the flute 🥁 Id love to play the keyboard or guitar! I'm not musically inclined so the best I could do is a uke or otomone (they're so cute hehe) 🎷 I play piano! Not very well, but I learnt it a few years ago and I still mess around with it from time-to-time. 🎺 I can just barely play the ukulele and the piano. I'd really love to learn to play the keyboard 🎸 I don't! I guess It'd be fitting for me if I knew how to play a trumpet, so that I suppose.

Which song(s) are you going to draw?

🎤 All Night, By Parov Stellar 🥁 A Thousand Eyes by Miracle of Sound, Night of the Werewolves by Powerwolf and Handmade Heaven by MARINA 🎷 I will be drawing the song "Melt" originally performed by Hatsune Miku, though I'll be focusing on the version covered by Youtuber JubyPhonic. 🎺 I am going to draw Death of a Bachelor by Panic! At the Disco & possibly another! 🎸 Ga1ahad and Scientific Witchery 🎻 Lenka - "Maybe I Love You"

What do you expect from this zine?

🎤 I don't expect anything. More than anything, I expect myself to be able to finish it on time! 🥁 I expect to see many great arts from other contributors! Find new artists to follow and new music to listen too! 🎷 A fun time and a lot of beautiful works of art that express how important and magical music can be! 🎺 I'm just really excited to see everyone's pieces! 🎸 I just hope to gain some experience and confidence from it! 🎻 I look forward to a friendly community of artists working together to put together a nice publication.

Anything else you want to add?

🎤 I see a lot of people with creative ideas as for today, and I can't wait to be a part of it! 🥁 I hope this zine is a growing experience for all who participate and those who view it can enjoy all the beautiful art we all put work into it!! 🎷 I can't wait to see everyone's pieces and how they come together! 🎸 I really hope everyone has fun participating or looking through this zine, considering this is my first one ever I hope it's enjoyable for everyone involved! There's so many great artists here to share their work!!

[illfoandillfie]

from the prompt list: 23,24 from fluff and 31 from hurt/comfort with roger? would looooooove to see this!

I kinda snapped with this one and wrote almost 2k words soooooo its under a cut, enjoy!

23 “I think I love you,” + 24 “Can I kiss you?” + 31 “Just breathe. Breath withme.”

When you’d moved in with Roger you’d been nervousbordering on anxious. It was in your nature to worry and you knew this was thefourth time in two months that Roger had advertised for a roommate. But youwere desperate, everywhere else in your price range was unsuitable – too faraway from the campus to make the cheaper price worth while, men who wereclearly looking for someone to clean up after them like their mothers had athome, streets that were too dark and made you feel unsafe. So you were willingto look past his previous roommates complaints about that fucking infernalbanging and at least give it a shot. Of course there were other thingsworrying you too, your friends insistence that he’d try to hit on you for one.That sort of attention wasn’t something you received all that much and youweren’t entirely sure how to handle it. But you did know that roommates sleepingtogether was a bad idea so you knew you’d have to turn him down no matter what.

Roger, for his part, seemed thrilled when you said youcould move in straight away. You’d met up at a pub to chat and discusspotential arrangements and he’d entirely put you at ease. You were a little thrownwhen he didn’t so much as look you up and down let alone openly flirt with you,having believed everything your friends had said, but you put it down to notbeing his type and pushed the tiny pang of disappointment to the side. What hedid do was make you laugh, a lot. The conversation quickly turned from discussionsof rent and moving in to general chatter about everything else – the subjectsyou were both studying, the band he was in, opinions about music and literature,anything that jumped to mind. Before you knew it half the night was gone, yourworries were dispelled, and it felt like you’d been friends for years. Youwondered if that was just the way Roger was, easy to talk to and charmingenough to put anyone at ease, or if there was just something about the two ofyou that worked well together.

Over the first few months living with him you got toknow him quite well, better than you might have expected. You now weren’t surewhether people’s complaints about the constant banging were related to his drumsor the string of one night stands he brought back to the apartment, the thinwalls doing nothing to muffle their moaned cries of don’t stop or theway his voice got low and gravelly as he told them how he wanted them to cumfor him. Everything was only made worse by the slight crush you had on him. Itwas a small crush, nothing in it at all, you told yourself, based entirely on thefact that he was a guy, a cute guy, who talked to you like a human being,or talked to you at all. But you couldn’t stop the way your gut twisted whenyou saw him the next morning, standing topless in the kitchen, hair a mess,shooting you his stupid grin as he made his tea. You also couldn’t help the wayhis voice stuck in your brain, the way his moans invaded your thoughts as you gotyourself off, alone in your bed. But you pushed it to the side. It was a badidea and besides he clearly wasn’t interested.

It wasn’t long before you were introducing Roger asyour best friend. You spent more time with him than anyone else. On the dayswhen your classes lined up you’d meet him afterwards for a drink, sometimesaccompanied by Brian or Tim or Freddie or any number of your friends. You followedhim to every pub in the area to watch his band play, always wishing him luck beforehand and showering him with praise after. It was a nice excuse to look at him withoutthe fear of being caught, taking mental snapshots of the way his face scrunchedup as he played and how his bare chest looked covered in sweat. You’d be lyingif you said it didn’t turn you on. Once a week he’d turn up at the café whereyou waitressed, despite barely having enough money to make rent. He’d order thecheapest thing he could and sit there for an hour or more, making you laughevery time you visited his table. When exams approached you stayed up into theearly hours of the morning studying, which is when he learnt about your tendencyto worry yourself into an anxiety attack, and how to calm you down. You were alwaysmore prone to working yourself into a panic when you were stressed but you couldhave sworn the attacks had been less frequent since you met Roger. You put itdown to his calming voice and charming nature – it had put you at ease thefirst night you met after all – although maybe it was that you just hadn’t hada whole lot to stress about since finding suitable housing.

On quiet nights the two of you would sit at homelistening to records as you finished whatever beer you had on hand and madedinner with whatever scraps were left in the fridge. Roger always tried to keepyou amused with rambling anecdotes and jokes that had you in stitches, or withsuggestions of drinking games.“Ask me a question,”“Rog, I don’t understand how this is a drinking game,”“Because every time you answer a question you drink,”“So we’re just talking and drinking then,”“Well we couldn’t keep playing never have I ever – it always ends with metanked while your barely tipsy. And shit like truth or dare doesn’t work withonly two people.”“So why don’t you invite the others around then? They could bring some ediblefood with them,”“Nah, they’re all busy tonight. Fred and Tim are working on an assignment andBri’s on a date or something. It’s just you and me love.”You tried to ignore the way your heart beat faster, reminding yourself hecalled every pretty girl he talked to love.“Why don’t we go out instead?”“We’re practically broke Y/N. Why pay for beer when we have perfectly alrightstuff here.”“Okay but I’m no where near drunk enough to play some game designed to get meto spill all my secrets.”“Secrets? Who said anything about secrets?”“You know what I mean.”“Oh c’mon, it’ll be fun.”“Will it? My stories are never as good as yours.”“’s not a competition, just wanna get to know you better,” he shrugged beforetaking a swig of his drink.“You have to ask the first question then.” You rolled your eyes at the grinRoger gave you.“First kiss?”“That would be a guy named Peter when I was 18. It was….not good.”“What was so bad about it?”“I don’t know, just didn’t feel anything. I only did it to prove I could do it,not cause I was actually into him.”“So I take it you and this Peter never went any further then,”“You would be correct.”The game continued with the questions getting steadily more risqué as you bothgot tipsier. He told you about his first proper girlfriend and you told him aboutthe time you were stood up only to discover you’d been asked out as a dare. Whenhe told you about accidentally throwing up on the girl he fancied you told himabout the time your last boyfriend fingered you on a crowded bus, so he told youabout the time he’d shagged a girl who wanted to do anal on the first date. Yourcheeks were still burning when he asked his next question and for a moment youdidn’t think you’d heard him properly.“What?”“Can I kiss you?” “K-kiss me?”“Yes, Y/N.”“This is…a joke right? Like a badly timed joke considering I just told you aboutbeing asked out on a dare.”“It wasn’t a joke,”You shook your head, mouth hanging open as you tried to work out what to do. Partof you was screaming at you to fucking say yes but part of you was alsotelling you it was a bad idea and part of you was just confused that he’d askedyou when he could go out and get any number of better girls. You brain wasbuzzing with noise and you could feel your chest getting tight, air notreaching your lungs as you hands trembled slightly.“I c-ca-n’t b-br-,” you stammered, trying to blink away the tears that sprungto your eyes as you clutched your chest.“Woah, woah, Y/N, it’s okay,” Roger’s voice got softer as he reached out foryou, his hands landing on your shoulders, “Hey, we’re gonna breath okay, justbreath. Breath with me. In,” he inhaled, “and out,” he exhaled. You triedto match your breath to his, closing your eyes and focusing on the sound of hisvoice as he instructed you and the way his thumbs were rubbing over yourshoulder. Gradually your breathing returned to normal, the tightness in yourchest subsiding.“Sorry,” you said softly.“No, I knew you weren’t into me and I still asked. I shouldn’t have put you inthat position.”You looked up at him so fast you saw spots, your heart beat speeding up to thepoint it felt like one of his drum solos was being played against your chest.“But I am into you,”“Really?”“Yeah. I didn’t think you’d feel the same though. You never hit on me.”“Yeah because I go to hang out at all my friends workplaces especially when I’mflat fucking broke,”“I thought that was just like, being friendly or something,”“Are you kidding?”“This doesn’t happen all that often to me. I’m not…I don’t… Guys don’t really gofor me, why would you?”“Shit Y/N, here I was thinking I was being super obvious and you’re completelyfucking clueless. I’ve been into you since the day we met. We talked for hoursremember? And the more we’ve hung out the more I’ve wanted to be with you.”“My friends told me you’d try and get me into bed and then I met you and youdidn’t and I figured I wasn’t worth your time.”“I didn’t hit on you because I didn’t want you to think that moving in here wasreliant on sleeping with me. But Christ, Y/N, you are worth every second of mytime.”“But the other girls? The ones you’d bring home and fuck so loudly.”“I was trying to distract myself, to stop thinking about you but it didn’t work.I think I love you. I mean, I know I love you because you’re my best friend,but I think I’m falling for you in a different way too.”You replayed his words in your head, searching for any hint of deception or ahidden agender. You must have been silent for too long because Roger carefullynudged your shoulder.“Are you okay? Still breathing?”You laughed softly, “Yeah, still breathing. Just umm, trying to process it all.We’re roommate’s Rog, as much as I want this to happen, isn’t it a bad idea?”“I’m willing to risk it if you are.”You nervously bit your lip, looking up into his eyes as you nodded, “Yeah, okay.You can kiss me,”Your breath hitched as his lips met yours in a soft, chaste kiss that made yourheart stop altogether. “Better than Peter?”“No competition,”“Didn’t think there would be since I stole your breath just by asking for akiss,”

[shawnpetermuffins]

Another Night In

A/n: this is my first smut, so keep that in mind. This is also unedited, but enjoy.

Summary: You and Shawn were just gonna have a night in with the boys. How did it turn into scary movies and... strip uno???

Warning: smut (oral, female receiving)

***

“You okay with the boys coming over tonight?”

“Of course! Why on earth would you ask me that?”

“Well, I know you’re here to see me, and-”

“Hey, just because I’m here for the week doesn’t mean you can’t still hang out with your friends. Hell, you could go out and I’d stay here if you wanted me to.”

“But that’s not fair to you. You don’t know your way around Toronto and-”

“I never said I was going to leave. I’d probably read or watch a movie or something. You don’t have to entertain me all the time.”

He nodded, “okay. Well, we’re probably just gonna watch a movie or something. But, are you sure? Because I feel bad. You leave in a couple days.”

I shook my head, “No sir. You are not going to think about that. Just think about the fact that I am here now, and I want you to spend some quality time with your friends.”

“Hey, y/n! You gonna join us?” Brian called from his seat on the couch. I was in the kitchen with Shawn, helping him with the drinks and popcorn. I told him that I was probably just gonna retreat to his room so they could have their space. He reluctantly said that was okay.

“She won’t watch it, Bri. I tried getting her to stay. She’s not about it.” 

“What are y’all watching?” I asked, setting the popcorn in Shawn’s lap and resting my hands on his shoulders. He looked up at me and puckered his lips, begging for a kiss. I leaned down and pecked his lips softly. 

“Thank you,” he mouthed.

“Conjuring,” Matt finally answered.

“Yeah,” I shook my head, “Absolutely not. I’m not about that life.”

And yet, here I am, stuffed between my boyfriend and his best friend "watching" the Conjuring. My hands are covering my face and they're both trying to pull them away. They succeed just in time for me to see quite possibly the scariest thing I've ever seen in my life and I screamed, jumping from my seat. "Nope. Not today, Satan." I said, shaking my head, my eyes shut tight.

Laughing, Shawn pulled me into his lap and kissed my forehead. "You're fine."

I clung to his shirt, my head buried in his neck. "I hate you so much. I'm breaking up with you. This is the worst thing in the world. We're done."

The boys were laughing, at my outburst or the fact that Shawn was now stammering like an idiot at the mere mention of breaking up, I don't know. "Let the girl go, Shawn. She looks like she's about to cry." Ian chuckled.

"I am crying!" I mumbled into his shirt, patting at my under eyes.

"Oh, lovie!" He reached for my face and wiped at my fallen tears with his thumb. I whimpered softly and fell into his touch, but a scream emitted from the screen and I flinched. "Nope. Nope. Nope. That's it. I'm out." This time he let me go.

I was alone for all of about twenty minutes before Shawn knocked on the bedroom door even though it was open, all the lights on as I sat on his bed, laptop in front of me. I paused the video and looked up at him. "Yes?"

"You okay?" He entered the room and sat in front of me on the corner of the bed.

I nodded. "I'm okay." I put my laptop on the nightstand.

"I'm sorry we made you watch that."

"It's okay, bubs."

He reached for my hand. "Are we okay? You weren't serious about breaking up, right? His voice was low, seeming scared of my answer. My free hand found the nape of his neck, and pulled him to my lips. "We are definitely okay. I'm not letting you get rid of me that easily."

"He relaxed against my lips and kissed me again. "Thank god." Minutes passed and we were still pressed against each other. He had me laid out before him, his knees separating my thighs. I hummed against his mouth and his tongue soon found mine, and I found salvation in the taste of him.

"Oh gross!"

We pulled away instantly and I tried to cover up my embarrassed laugh. "Go away, Ian." Shawn grumbled, running his hands over his face.

"You could t wait until we left to have at each other?" He laughed, leaning against the door frame.

"Did you need something?" Shawn asked, completely irritated.

"The boys and I just wanted to know if you were down to go eat. Unless you've got other plans for that." He smirked and I felt my cheeks grow hot; I laughed despite myself.

"Shawn?"

"It's up to you, hon." He took my hand that was resting my lap and played with my fingers.

I rolled my eyes at his answer. "Sure," I answered Ian. "We'll meet you?"

He nodded. "I'll text you where we're going."

When I heard the door close, I went over to my suitcase and rummaged through it to find a shirt. "Why don't you just wear what you have on?" Shawn asked, pushing his hair out of his face.

I looked down at my too big shirt and leggings. "I look frumpy." I found the sweater I was looking for and smiled. I still felt his eyes on me when I started to lift my shirt from my chest. "Turn around," I whined.

"Y/n! I have seen you naked plenty of times. You're just changing your clothes." He said, but turned around anyway while I slipped into a pair of black jeans and my sweater.

"You're good, bubba." He turned back to me, smiling. "What?" I ran my hands roughly through my hair to get rid of the tangles, and he walked over to me, resting his hands on my hips.

"Nothing, I just... really love when you call me that." I hummed in acknowledgement and my fingers found purchase in his hair. "I don't think I could fall for you anymore," he said softly. "My beautiful cherry blossom. With your cute little fake eyelashes and what not."

I furrowed my brows at him. "I'm not wearing fake lashes. It's just mascara."

"What?" He took my face in his hands, looking at me intensely. "My god, you really are just that beautiful." He shook his head. "Wow, I really hit the jackpot with you."

---

"So, what are the rules? I've never played strip uno before." We were all sat on the floor of Shawn's living room, the boys all with a beer in front of them, but I stuck with water, not really in the mood to drink. Shawn handed me the uno cards and I shook them out of the box, starting to shuffle them.

"0 and 5 are the only regular cards that you take clothes off with," Brian explained. "Skip means you miss your turn, but still have to get rid of an article of clothing. Color change means you get to pick which item everyone takes off. And I'm assuming we'll go clockwise, so if you get a draw two, Matt has to draw two cards and put two clothing items back on. Same goes for a draw four. Reverse, the person that went before you - Shawn, in your case - has to take something off. The rest of the game is just like normal. The one with the most clothes of wins."

"You sure about this, hon?" Shawn asked me , surely skeptical.

"What?" I kissed the underside of his jaw. "Nervous about them seeing me naked?" I started dealing out cards to everyone, not really looking for him to respond, but seeing his face turn red from the corner of my eye. "Brian, you want to go first?" I asked, it was his idea after all. I flipped over the top card from the deck and placed it in the middle of the coffee table where everyone could see it. I scooted farther away from my boyfriend so he couldn't see my cards and he frowned, bringing a large hand to my thigh and squeezing gently. "Such a baby," I muttered to myself. We went around the table twice before anyone lost an article of clothing, and much to Shawn's dismay, it was me.

"Matt, I swear to god, I'm gonna kill you." He scowled, looking his friend dead in the eye, seriously furious about Matt's decision to put down a reverse. I just shook my head and put my cards face down on the table before ridding myself of my shirt. I placed it behind me on the couch and looked up only to find the guys gaping at me. Shawn cleared his throat when he noticed and their eyes all quickly reverted back to the cards in their hands. I placed a five down and nudged Shawn's shoulder. He wasn't paying attention to the game though, his eyes, like his friends'eyes just seconds before were trained on my breasts, not that I was at all surprised. "Eyes are up here," I lifted his chin. "It's your turn."

He looked down at the deck, blinking a few times. "Sorry." He placed a card down, but I shook my head.

"You're forgetting something, rockstar."

"I am, eh?"

I lifted my card. "I put down a five. Off with the shirt, Mendes." When he didn't move, I let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine, I'll help." I reached for the hem of his shirt, but he swatted my hands away.

"I got it." He handed the shirt to me and I squinted at him in confusion. He just shrugged, "You're gonna end up in it later anyway," he said in explanation.

I shrugged and nodded, knowing just how right he was, and the boys all stifled their laughter at the very slight innuendo. A few more times around and I'm in my bra and panties, Shawn is in his boxers and socks, Ian in just his boxers, and the other still have everything on but their shirts.

"I swear, Brian. She better not lose anymore clothes or I'm gonna kick your ass." Shawn threatened and I hit his chest.

"Stop it!" I turned my attention to Brian. "He's kidding."

"Like hell I am. This," he pulled me into his lap and I was a giggling mess. "Is mine." His lips connected with my bare shoulder. "Matt," he nodded in his direction. "Your turn." Matt put down another reverse and I felt Shawn tense up behind me. He breathed out his nose and Matt let out a rushed 'I'm sorry, it was literally my last card.' I watched Shawn chug the rest of his beer and I put my cards down, reaching for the clasp of my bra. "Please, baby, dont." He begged, eyes closed.

"Its just a game, Shawn."

He groaned and lifted me from his lap. "I need another beer. Anyone else?" He asked, pushing himself up from the floor. Everyone shook their heads. When he came back to see me braless, covering myself with my arms, he let out a low 'my God' and hurriedly sat me back in his lap, wrapping his arms around my chest, covering me a hell of a lit better than I was doing. "Did you already go?" He asked, pressing his lips covered the side of my neck and I nodded. He set his card down and was followed by Ian putting down a reverse. He laughed, "Thank god!" He pulled a sock off and slammed a draw two on the table. "Put some clothes back on, baby girl! Boys, close your eyes," he said and they did. He took the opportunity to hand me back my bra and I clasped it around myself. "I'm sorry," he said lowly, handing me his shirt. "I had to."

---

I was throwing out the left behind beer bottles when Shawn came behind me and wrapped his arms tightly around my waist. "You're beautiful." He mumbled into my hair, kissing the side of my neck. I bit my lip and placed my hands over his. I was still in only his shirt and my underwear. "I didn't like the way the boys were looking at you all night." He said, slipping his hands under the top. "They were all over you." His teeth sunk into the shell of my ear and I let out a tiny moan. "Can't have that. You're my baby."

"Little jealous, are we?" I lifted my hand to play with the curls on the nape of his neck, pressing his face deeper into my skin. He only grunted his answer.

"I'm the only one that gets to look at you like that." He turned me around in his arms and lifted me up, placing me on the cold counter. I let out a soft squeal. He cupped my breasts over my bra, "the only one that gets to touch you like this. The only one that gets to see you uncontained and mumbling incoherent nothings into my ear as I ram steadily into you." His fingers slipped into the waistband of my panties, teasing my already sensitive area. "The only one that gets to watch you feel the most intense pleasure you've ever felt in your life." A single finger slipped inside me as he slid my panties to the side and I gasped, he took the opportunity to add another finger and connect our lips, his tongue soon battling with mine for dominance.

I soon became a moaning mess, not knowing what to pay attention to, the hand that was kneading my breast, or the hand between my legs that was doing way too good a job of teasing me. "Shawn," I let out a strangled moan as he continued to pump his fingers in and out of me. He added a third finger and I slumped against him. "Oh god," I bit into his bare shoulder, reveling in the sensation of his fingers painting me in feeling. His mouth soon swallowed my his name from my lips, as his pace became teasingly slow. I whimpered, "faster. Please." I begged. He sped back up only for a second and I came undone all over his fingers.

He let out a gentle hum and pulled out of me. I watched with lust filled eyes as he brought his fingers to his mouth and groaned, seeing him lick me from his skin. "So good," he grasped before getting on his knees and spreading my legs wider, his head burying itself between my thighs, licking and sucking me clean. The noises emitting from him were dirty and only made me want him even more. He pulled back a minute later, chin wet, and he pulled me from the counter. I held onto his shoulders to support myself on my wobbly legs. He rubbed his chin with his thumb and held it it against my mouth, begging me to taste myself. I moaned around his calloused skin and his eyes fluttered shut. I let out a loud 'pop'when I let go of his thumb. I looked down and frowned at how seriously hard he was for me.

"Let me take care of you now," I reached for his boxers, but he shook his head.

"No, honey. I'm not done with you yet." I bit the inside of my cheek and he continued to speak. "I want you to cum so many times tonight that the only way you're getting out of bed tomorrow is if I carry you."

"Shawn," I gasped.

He quickly picked me up, bridal style, and I laughed into his shoulder. "Bedroom," he growled into my neck. "Now."

***

A/n: well that was something. I hope you enjoyed reading it because I enjoyed writing it. Feedback is always encouraged! Thank you!