#try really hard to look at the stars. succeed.

[dirtbra1n]

thinking. that I’m in my tashiro era

[utterlyotterlyx]

Constellations

Azriel x Fem!Reader

Summary - Azriel can't allow himself to stand on the side lines anymore and watch as yet another male tries to take you away from him.

Warnings - oblivious reader and Az, angst, pining, Az and Nes being cuties, smut, p in v, oral (f receiving), lots of fluff, flirting

There were constellations in your eyes.

That was what everyone had said when they'd first met you, alluding to the clear fact that you were a deep daydreamer whenever you sprang to topic, which was more often than you'd think.

Prythian bowed to you, everyone in every nook and cranny in any court knew who you were. A shining star in a court of nightmares.

Every one of the High Lords held a special affection toward you, often asking you to leave Rhysand and the inner circle and join them instead. Helion had made a point of his fondness by making a comment about how other-worldly you looked in Day Court gold, and then later on teasing Rhys about how he would one day succeed in his desire.

Everyone could beg and plead for you as much as they wished, but none of their affection could rival how Azriel felt about you.

Azriel was your shadow. Wherever you went meant that the Shadowsinger stalked not too far behind. He would sit with you and hum whilst you ran your fingers through his hair, each touch sending lightening soaring through his soul. He would walk around Velaris with you endlessly if it meant that he could see that almost childlike wonder in your eyes when you looked at the same restaurant or bookshop that had surely seen a thousand times before. He would soothe away your nightmares, allowing his shadows to pepper your skin in sweet pecks as he held you, and he would let you get close enough to soothe him when his own demons plagued him.

That's why, when he stood to the side of the room with a whisky in hand, did he want to tear apart the male who dared to speak to you. Helion was no regular male. But, as you giggled at one of his flirtatious jokes and rested your hand on his chest, Azriel became sure that he could make him scream like one.

Helion was visiting from the Day Court and it was the last night of his stint, so Rhys had suggested that you all go to Rita's, to relax from the toll of the week. The High Lord in question needed access to a couple of special tomes in one of Velaris' archives, you and Rhys had agreed that the tomes were too valuable to allow outside of the city, so Helion had to come to you. Like all he wanted was another excuse to be around you.

Azriel couldn't blame Helion for it.

Azriel believed that you were the most precious thing on the planet. 500 years of friendship and you stunned him more and more each day with your anecdotes and the innocent chatter that always filled the room.

"He's really trying this again?" Nesta asked, appearing beside him at the railing, wanting to take a moment away from the family madness before Cassian dragged her to dance for the fifth time that night.

"Can you blame him?"

The top three buttons of his shirt were left untethered, exposing that rock hard muscle beneath that was ink kissed and shimmering. Azriel couldn't stop looking at you, you were wearing that dress that you loved so much, sheer white and glittered in fine crystals, a low scooped back that fell perfectly on your figure. It was the only thing that could truly take his breath away.

"When are you going to tell her that you love her?" Nesta gazed at you, she'd never admit it but you were definitely her favourite, she held a special spot for you in her heart, just how everyone did really. "You need to tell her," she turned to him and he peered down on her with a sincerity she'd never seen, "She's incredible, Az. She's not the kind of girl you let get away. Go and love her before someone else does."

"She deserves better than me, Nes," his sad gaze lifted to you, you were starlight and he was shadow, you were pure and he was horribly tainted, and he couldn't have his darkness snuffing out your light.

Nesta gently pulled his sight from the dancefloor, making him focus on her by keeping her palm grazing against his cheek, "You're not a very good spymaster if you can't see how she looks at you."

Azriel didn't know what to say, he just knew that he had to get to you. He rounded Nesta and descended onto the dancefloor, barging past the grinding bodies with you in his sight, sipping your drink and smiling brightly at Helion who was stood far too close to you. You always felt Azriel looming, his shadows curling around your ankles always being a tell-tale sign that he was close.

Your eyes followed the trails of his shadows until you found their owner, your brows furrowed at the urgency he wore whilst he kept glancing at Helion with a tight jaw. It was unsettling.

"I need to speak to you," he pleaded, taking a step closer to you and you had no choice but to look up at him, to let those rippling pools of hazel drown you.

"Az, is every-"

"Please," he cut you off, reaching for you but not quite touching, like he was waiting for your agreement so that he could whisk you away.

You had never seen Azriel look so pained, so pleading and desperate. Without a word to Helion, you nodded and Azriel's fingers slid around your wrists, pulling you into a whirl of colour until you stood on a floor that you recognised and Rita's faded away.

The cabin was warm, everything was in place and tidy, that scent burning wood and orange that clung to the cabin flooded your lungs and made you shiver with delight. You had always loved the place, how perfectly small it was for a lone escape, where you could watch the snow fall from the bay window with a hot chocolate in hand and blanket wrapped tightly around your legs.

It took you a moment to centre yourself, and when you turned, you saw Azriel stood there, head hung low and wings drooped but relishing in the comfortable warmth of where you both were, "What's wrong, Az?"

The only light illuminating the cabin was from the fire, that crackling beast that sent gold and orange light roaring across the space, it welcomed in the faint glow of the moon that spilled onto the floor like an old friend.

"You can't go with Helion," he told you, well, more blurted at you.

"Go with Helion?" You asked and he nodded, anger bubbled in your chest, "Why would I ever do that?"

"He's wanted to take you from us for so long," 200 years to be exact, "Who could blame him, you're the most incredible thing that Prythian has ever made. I thank the Mother every day for you."

"What?"

"Please let me finish," he hated cutting you off, he hated being the reason that you were silenced, "If you speak now, I'll never be able to say what I have to say, what I need to say."

Azriel watched your face soften, the anger that threatened to boil over now evaporated, he watched you move to the sofa and sit down, patting the empty space beside you. He didn't know how you did it, how you could make someone feel so comfortable and heard, he thought about it as he took the seat beside you and heaved in a deep breath, curling one of his wings around you as if he was scared that you'd bolt.

"I love you, Y/N. I love your kindness, how you've never been scared of me. I love the way your eyes sparkle when you're talking about something you're passionate about. I love how you scrunch your nose when you're deep in thought. I love the way you bolt through the streets of Velaris before solstice to make sure everyone is as spoilt as possible. I love you, Y/N. I love everything that you are and everything that we can be, I can't lose you, I don't know who or what I'd be without you."

"There is no one who knows you like I do. I know that you sneak an extra spoonful of sugar into your hot chocolate before Nesta can catch you and tell you off," you smiled softly, "I know that you secretly hate shopping with Mor but would much rather suffer than tell her and take some of her spark away. I know that you can never tell Cassian that Nesta is your favourite unless you wanted to see him sulk for weeks," a soft laugh flew from your lips, "I know you're the reason that Rhys, Cass and I turned out so well, you're the only person we couldn't bear to disappoint."

Not once did you stop looking at him as he spoke. He loved you. Azriel really loved you.

"You love me?" Azriel nodded gently, "But, what about Elain? I thought..."

"Me and Elain?" Azriel's eyes were frantic, "No, Y/N. Gods no. You're the only one I've ever wanted, I tried to love someone else, I tried to love Mor, and maybe on some level I tried to find that with Elain. But no one could ever compare to you, anyone who isn't you aren't worth it."

Silence filled the air, that warm, golden hued air. Azriel was trying to read your mind, to figure out what you were thinking when you started laughing, tears pooled at your bottom lids and one blink sent them flowing down your cheeks. Azriel shuffled closer to you, taking his thumb and wiping away your tears before they dripped from your chin.

"We're so stupid, Az," you sniffled, letting him cradle your face in his hands and continue to wipe away any tears that fell from your eyes, "How could we be so blind?"

"What do you mean?"

Tilting your head to the side, your eyes sparkled, just how they did when you looked at or spoke about something you loved, then you felt it, that tension that had always tugged at your soul snapping into place, clouds of grey became clear sunny skies, and a golden thread soared across it and thrummed with yearning delight.

"I mean," you tugged on that thread, you watched his eyes widen and fill with disbelief, "That I love you too. So much."

"You're my mate," he confessed in a whisper, the bond sprouting into full bloom around you, like you could both see the tendrils of thread sewing your souls together.

Azriel's breath fanned across your face, hot and laced with the scent of whisky, the tip of his nose ran down the slope of your own, and you felt his lips lie millimetres away from yours, you watched his eyes search your soul before flickering downward to the place he craved to touch. Anticipation pulled at your chest and swelled in your stomach, and every bit of doubt vanished when he closed the gap and pressed his lips to yours.

It was like everything fell into place, like the world only began to make sense in that moment. Azriel's lips moved against yours hungrily, the sweep of his tongue into your mouth once you had granted him permission to taste you was enough to make your knees go weak. Heat pooled between your legs and you scrambled to be on top of him, the hem of your dress hitched around your thighs as you rested into his lap.

"Please, Az," you breathed between starving kisses, "I need you."

Azriel's hands moved from the back of your neck and the small of your back, reaching around to grip underneath your thighs, so dangerously close to where you needed him to be. He lifted you, not once breaking the connection of your lips, locking your legs around his waist as he carried you to the bedroom.

"I'm not making you mine on a couch," he lay you on the bed and climbed on top of you, running his fingers down the sides of your thighs, making your back arch as he peppered kisses down your neck, sucking and nibbling on the skin he found there.

You squirmed beneath him, itching to rip his clothes off and allow him to take every part of you, "Please," you whined into his hair, his hand palming your breasts and lips attached to your earlobe, making soft moans fall through your stumbling mouth.

"Tell me what you want," his voice was so deep that it made goosebumps rise across your skin, it was sultry and dark, it matched the shade of his eyes when he pulled away to look down on you with swollen lips and tousled hair. "I'll give you everything."

"I want you."

It was all he needed to hear in order to tear your dress in two and take your hardened nipples in his mouth, sucking and biting on them gently, swirling his tongue around the sensitive nubs of nerves that had you gasping and eyes rolling to the back of your head. You felt like your body was on fire as he kept moving downward, littering kisses down your stomach before resting between your thighs.

The cold air against your core made you gasp again, he ran a finger down your soaked folds and moaned, "You're so wet for me," his voice vibrated against the inside of your thighs, "So perfect," he mumbled before his tongue dragged a line up you, and then again, and again until you were a blubbering mess fisting your fingers through his hair.

Azriel flicked his tongue against that familiar bundle of nerves, curling his tongue around it and sucking on it gently so that he didn't overstimulate you. Stars crept in to the sides of your vision, that hot white heat building in the pit of your stomach, "Don't stop," they were barely coherent words but he heard you and kept his pace, teasing a finger around your entrance before slowly pushing it in an curling it upward.

It sent you toppling off the edge. That white heat burst from you, loud cries of his name flew from your lips and your hands gripped his wrists, stars poured into your eyes and Azriel pushed you through your high.

Too lost in the mind shattering orgasm he had just given you, you didn't feel his hands ran up your back and lock around the back of your neck, you didn't realise that your torso and head were propped up in his arms or see his wings flex above you, "Angel," he cooed, he clenched his hands into your hair and pressed his lips along your jaw, "Let me take care of you."

Azriel was bare before you, his length solid and resting against your thigh, "Make me yours, Az."

Azriel growled, his eyes darkened with possession, "Tell me if it's too much and we can stop," you nodded breathlessly and he kissed you again, harder this time as he pushed himself inside of you, your walls still quivering and pulsating around him.

Once he was pushed to the hilt inside of you, he groaned, it was deep and guttural, the most incredible sound you'd ever heard. Azriel gave you a moment, and you tapped his shoulder lightly to get him to move, you were needing him to move, it was getting too much. Your soul was burning with desire and you needed him to satisfy it before it completely ignited you.

Your mate thrusted into you, the roll of his hips reaching angles you didn't know existed, he took your nipple in his mouth again, growling as his pace quickened and the sound of slapping flesh and declarations of love filled the air.

"You're so beautiful, Angel," his lips found yours again and his movements became sloppy, "I'm so close," he felt your warmth tighten around him, ready to milk his cock as high pitched mewls exploded from your lips, "There she is, my perfect mate."

Azriel's fingers wound in your hair, pressing your forehead to his as he slammed into you, riding you both through those searing hot highs and continuing the long strokes as you both fell down, "I'm yours, Az. I'm all yours."

Authors Note

😌

[sunderwight]

With moshang I think I'm equally fond of the possibilities/concepts where either Shang Qinghua is ludicrously attractive to demons in a broad sense (but doesn't realize it), or, where Shang Qinghua is just some weird little gremlin and everyone else cannot wrap their head around why THE Mobei Jun is so smug about seducing this man.

Or a combination, where no demon in their right mind would ordinarily look at Shang Qinghua and perceive a sex icon, but because such a high-ranking demon has clearly done so, they go "well there must be SOMETHING going on there" and then look closer and before they know it they're on the slippery slope to being horny about a guy who could help file their taxes or arrange to have their clan base's faulty plumbing fixed.

Basically it's all good. Demons en mass going "yeah yeah big scary dudes who punch good are a dime a fucking dozen around here, but do you know how hot someone who can skillfully use an abacus is?" vs demons going "the ice king is a respectable ruler but he has garbage taste in men, we all just smile and politely nod while he insists the weird rat guy he fixated on as a teenager is a catch" vs demons going "I really don't see the appeal -- wait he did what? he killed how many guys at once with 1 trick? he betrayed WHOMST? and lived?! and he knows how to get my door to stop making horrible squeaky noises?! okay yeah figures the king would marry him" but every option is a winner.

I'm also a big fan of both Shen Qingqiu and Shang Qinghua being not very attractive to demons in general, but it also being really common for demons to get super weird about first crushes and fixate hard on them, so in that sense they are completely normal choices for a couple of high-level demons to marry. Like the demon populace can appreciate the emperor actually landing his hot teacher and the king successfully marrying his teenage sweetheart. It's an idealized fantasy in terms of the scenarios, even if the actual guys are just weird humans. Nearly every average demon has lifelong daydreams about successfully seducing their first crush, so regardless of who those crushes turned out to be it's still a power move for LBH and MBJ to actually succeed.

Bonus if the fact that both SQQ and SQH are peak lords from the same sect leads to a bunch of demon kids developing crushes on the other remaining, unattached peak lords, and chaos ensuing. Especially for Liu Qingge. I think it would be funny for him to gain a flock of teenage demons with crushes, whom he keeps trying to fight off, only to discover that beating them up does NOT discourage them at all (actually makes the crushes worse). Or Yue Qingyuan getting mobbed like he's a pop star any time he makes a diplomatic visit to the demon realms. Sha Hualing deciding that she's just waiting for Liu Mingyan to become a peak lord before they make things official, since That's Obviously How It's Done, or Qi Qingqi doing a head count one day and realizing she suddenly has a bunch of unfamiliar "guest" disciples who sigh at her a lot and have funny-colored eyes...

[igotanidea]

Stretching time: Dick Grayson x reader

Request: I can't stop thinking about how would be Dick's girlfriend with all the batboys, specially Damian, maybe reader and Damian would be like best friends and he's always at Dick's apartment to see her. I would love to see how do you think this would be <3

***

“I swear this is like he doesn’t have a Manor to live in” Dick sighed theatrically, taking a sip of his drink, which happened to be the most colorful one on the menu.

“I suppose we are talking about Damian today?” Wally, on the other hand, seemed completely unfazed, casually popping chips into his mouth.

“He’s just always at our place! And Y/N—” Dick shook his head, unable to finish the sentence. Y/N. His wonderful, beautiful, smart girlfriend with a heart of gold, making friends wherever she went. Too good for his world, stubborn and consistent in breaking Damian’s defenses. And while at first, Dick even encouraged her in her attempts, treating it like a dare, knowing she’ll never succeed, now he was getting angry because she actually reached her objective. Becoming bffs with Damian Wayne. Well – as much as an assassin and a vigilante’s girlfriend can be.

“Please don’t tell me you are jealous of a 12 year old, Grayson!” Wally laughed so hard she choked on his snack.

“You crazy? Jealous? Me? Never!”

“Yeah, right. Never-” the speedster laughed again, silently calling Dick off on the bullshit he was trying to feed him with.

“Look man, it’s not like you have an entire family that steals your girlfriend away from you!”

“Well, I wouldn’t let them in the first place—”

“You’re not helping!”

“Would it help If I point out how much of a hypocrite you are, Dick?”

“No! Wait- what? A hypocrite?” Dick raised his head from the table where he previously laid it to accentuate the drama of the situation. And then frowned. And then tilted his head to the side. “Hypocrite, seriously, Wally?”

“You keep talking how Y/N has too soft heart while you are the proverbial older brother always trying to please his siblings-“

“That’s not true!” Dick’s objection was almost immediately cut by Wally’s mocking gaze, almost threatening to use all the examples of the thesis he had in store “Okay, fine! Fine! But those are my brothers, what am I supposed to do?!”

“For starters, maybe you shouldn’t run away to the bar every time Damian comes around?”

“But-“

“Get freaking involved! Your girlfriend is having a good relationship with your siblings. That’s terrible news, truly, I pity you.” Wally mocked, rolling his eyes.

“You just don’t seem to understand! Let me tell you the whole story again—”

“Oh, no, please, spare me going through it all over—”

“It all started a week ago-“

“From what I remember one week ago she went to some kind of reading with Jason?”

“Yes! And from then everyone just started to drive her away!”

“You’re overreacting-“

“Overreacting?! Do you want to listen how she keeps on working with Tim and –”

“NO!”

“Let me tell you then-“

“Whoa! Stop! You know what I think, Dick? I think you should go home and actually talk to her, instead of me.”

“So now you’re abandoning me too?!”

“Abandoning? Oh no, no, no. I’ll be even as kind as to drop you home.”

“What are you- NO!”

He really hated traveling with speedsters. There was never any comfortable position for that, and after he always felt like throwing up.

But there was no denying that it was the fastest way home, even if climbing up the stars turned into a little bit of a challenge for the Nightwing.

***

Obviously, Damian was there with her.

Not really doing anything, just sitting on the couch, staring into space, having one of his moments of vulnerability that took the form of keeping complete silence.

And that silence was not Dick’s ally cause it made them both hear him coming inside.

“I thought you were out with Wally?” Y/N smiled and raised from the spot to place a gentle kiss on his cheek.

“West?” Damian turned his head in curiosity

“Well hello to you too, Damian. What brings you here today?” Dick hissed, before biting his tongue, earning a little pat on the back of the head from Y/N.”

“Ouch! That hurt. More my feelings than my head, but still.”

“Good. Dami is our guest and—”

“He’s becoming more of a permanent fixture…”

“Dick!”

“Ugh!”

“Should we take this conversation private?” she muttered, frowning and putting hands on her hips. “Or can you go back to being the Dick Grayson I know? The one who can keep his heart and mind open? Please?” She gave him a soft look and a pretty smile. “Come on, it will be fun…”

How could he say no to those eyes…

***

An hour later he started to think that maybe Wally was right. And that maybe his girlfriend was a sorceress.

Otherwise, how else could anyone explain the sudden Damian’s transition from an assassin into a 12 year old almost kid?

He was just talking to her about everything. His school, his friends, his latest picture. Not the emotions, it was not that advanced kind of magic, but just watching those two, feeling so at ease with each other was something supernatural.

And at some point, Damian just gave Y/N a look and she immediately knew what it meant, turning to Dick who was observing them both from a safe distance, amused by the little bubble Damian and Y/N seemed to create around themselves and a little scared to disrupt their peace.

“Hey, dick? Can you leave us for a moment? We got something to discuss with Damian.”

“And I have to go?”

Damian scoffed under his nose as if it wasn’t obvious that he wasn’t going to talk about anything personal with his brother around.  

“Pretty please?” Y/N smiled at her boyfriend, leaving Dick no choice but to retrieve to the bedroom.

“So, what’s been eating my favorite bat up?”

“Y/n…’ Damian sighed, allowing himself a little bit of emotionality “do you think I could ever have what you and Dick do?”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean, don’t push it.”

“If you are talking about girls—” she started and her words were disrupted by a hiss from the boy, who was clearly dissatisfied she actually dared to say it out loud “you’re only 12 Damian. And as much as you hate to let it show, people can tell that you care. In your own twisted way, but if someone watches close enough it’s clear. So I don’t think there’s any reason for you to get uptight about it.”

“I’m not uptight!” he crossed arms over his chest defensively.

“Look, I know your mother and Bruce may have showed you only one way to look at the world but –”

“You are not my parents to raise me, Y/L/N.”

“Thank god! I wouldn’t know how to handle you if you were my kid!” she laughed “But you know what, that’s even better. Cause you can freely twist my words and adjust whatever I say to your own perception. And I have no way to discipline or punish you.”

“So you won’t be leaving me if I don’t live up to the standard?” he asked quietly.

“What? Leaving you? No way!” If it was anyone else she would probably hug him then, but considering it was still Damian Wayne a little playful hair ruffle had to suffice. “Haven’t I told you you’re my favorite? Don’t tell Dick but – “ she made a dramatic pause and raised her voice to make sure her boyfriend heard “I THINK I LIKE YOU MORE THAN DICK!”

“I heard that!” something hit the wall separating bedroom and living room, causing both Damian and Y/N to chuckle.

“You make sure to remember it too, Grayson!”

“I hate you both!” Dick yelled from the wall, but it was obvious he was playing around, acting all goofy to make his girl and brother laugh.

And it seemed like a lot of weight was taken from Damian’s shoulders just because of hearing he wasn;t going to end up alone just because he wasn’t perfect sometimes.  

“I should probably get going. Father will –”

“Stay.” Y/N cut him off. “I’ll take care of Bruce. God forbid that man let you have a little rest.”

***

Damian fell asleep on the couch after two servings of ice cream and a multiple rounds of Man don’t get upset. At some point Dick joined them and the evening turned into one giant bonding exercise, interrupted by threats of murder with particular cruelty against Grayson if he ever let off steam about Damian's softer side.

But then, he was dozing off like a little lamb, looking completely harmless and innocent, while Y/N made sure to cover him with a blanket.

“Y/N, can’t you see what that little prick is doing?” Dick appeared behind her, out of nowhere, dragging her to the kitchen to have a little conversation.

“Planning world domination?” She tease with a hint of a smile.

“Yeah, that probably too.” Dick shook his head in amusement “but in this case, he’s taking all of your time and I have to live on scraps of attention.” He wrapped his arms around her waist. “I don’t like it…”

“I’m training you for the time when our kids appear in the world.”

“K-kids?” his gaze immediately traveled to her belly, judging whether she was being serious, going a little pale. Was he even ready for that? Why didn’t she tell him sooner, there were so many things to be planned and bought and—

“Hey, hey, relax” Her hands rested on his cheeks, forcing his eyes back on hers. “Not now. And not any time soon. But hopefully one day we will have kids. And then what? You’ll be jealous of them too?”

“This is not the same….”

“Maybe. But you can either learn how to share me or get mad and lose me. Which one would you rather?”

“Neither.” He held her tighter, pulling closer to his chest. “You’re all mine.”

“Still- gotta – breathe” the strained voice coming from her was enough proof he was squeezing her too tight. Like a rubber frog whose eyes pop if you press on the right spot.

Dick sighed and released the grip slightly, trying to say something more, but she didn’t let him.

“I can stretch my time for people that are important. And last time I checked, you were still on top of that list. It’s not going to change because I decided to become a mentor to your brother.”

“More like a psychologist.”

“Richard Grayson!”

“What?”

“You keep helping people left and right and it’s not like I have tons of your time either. So you are a hypocrite.”

“That's the second time today I’m being called that.”

“I always knew Wally was smarter than people gave him credit for.” She chuckled “now. It’s barely midnight, quite early for us, so would you like to spend some quality time together?”

“If that’s your attempt at stretching the time then yes,  I’d love it.”

[emdeerm]

Past saves Present

Og fic ig

In some cultures, it is believed that children are able to remember bits of their past lives till the ages of 3-5.

For Danny, the opposite was true. He got his memories at exactly the second he turned 5.

And he had to promptly dodge the blade of the boy in front of him.

His brother, his mind supplied. His twin.

Danny stopped swinging his own sword, focusing on dodging and avoiding the fate of being a slashed pillow. His new/earned skills especially helped with that greatly as his head was seriously trying to re-kill him.

"I yield," he rasped as he jumped away from his brother and looked at their Mother. "My head hurts, Mother," he added pitifully.

His twin looked slightly concerned for a second, before schooling his face in a way Grandfather has been teaching them.

"Tch." But he did put away the blade before their Mother, said a word.

"Dynial, Damian, you are not to stop until you have received permission in the future."

The boys nodded. Mother took their hands and led them out of the private training ground back to their rooms.

Danny spent the rest of the day lying down, slightly feverish and miserable as his brain was processing and acclimating the new set of memories. Clockwork said it wouldn't be too bad. We'll, the clock bustard has been wrong. It fucking sucked.

His brother was hovering. Their Mother was always around, not letting anyone into their space. Ra's is being kept in the dark.

A peaceful rest was all he needed for his brain to finish sorting out new information. And Danny was stuck in a bit of a dilemma.

You see, Damian and Dynial love their Mother, strive to be the best Demon Twins, and see nothing wrong with their life so far.

Their hands are still clean.

Danny, on the other hand, has many MANY choice words for his current situation and one Clock Ghost.

You want to try reincarnation ONE time! No wonder others don't really do that.

-------

Their days continued like they did before he got his memory back. It wasn't hard to be Dynial when he actually was him.

The nights were filled with planning. And a personally assigned mission: get Damian to be interested in normal things.

Stars weren't much of a hit. Uncultured child.

Animals were a little intriguing.

Simple art and craft projects seemed to hit the spot.

Keeping their little meetings and activities hidden wasn't as hard as one would think. Mother still had her missions. The two of them were often left alone in their wing of the place, the supervisors being allowed only till the doors. Ra's was the Head. He didn't check in on them all the time. The two of them weren't slacking in their training either and were considered prodigies.

Danny wanted out of this Cult.

A many months after feeding different information, facts, crafts and so on to his brother, Damian was curious. He was suspicious about the sudden knowledge but he was also 5. He only had to reference the Lazarus Pit (unfiltered and dirty ectoplasm? Seriously? Clockwork, you can't expect him to work on his vocation) once to convince the child.

They snooped around and found out that they had a father out in the world.

Danny got a plan.

It was super stupid. And dangerous as hell. As well as literally (half)suicidal. But he felt it in his chest and knew he'd succeed.

His Core was here. But it was sleeping. And if he wanted to be safe and away from here, he needed to start it up again.

The big pool of Ecto would do just fine. His Core would filter out the impurities.

He didn't want to stay here until his hands no longer protected. He didn't want such life for his brother either.

---

Damian infiltrated the Lazarus Room just in time to see his brother jump into the Pit.

He ran to the edge.

He was sinking.

The green was too bright. The smell around them was too much. His ears rang.

He reached towards the water, eyes unseeing and hands numb. His heartbeat was too loud.

His brother's wasn't loud enough.

"Don't touch the puddles, Dami, you'll get sick," a gentle, cold hand stopped him from diving.

The child looked up. His brother was floating above the water. He looked all wrong. But he was there.

"I didn't want you to see this part..." his brother laughed awkwardly as he landed next to him. A bright ring of light blinded Damian for a second.

And his brother was back.

-----

Getting used to his powers again felt nice but tedious. Soothing his twin was heartbreaking. He didn't think this through hard enough.

Their Mother was none the wiser to the fact that one of her children died and came back. Nore was she privy to the escape being planned by both.

On one moonless night, when Mother wasn't there, the shift was changing and the world was asleep; two boys phased through the walls and flew. Small bags of stuff were strapped onto them as they traveled to their father.

Mother's notes called him Bruce Wayne, Batman, Beloved and Detective.

It wasn't hard to find him when they arrived.

Though, Danny didn't expect a furless furry and a pantless child to be their new family.

Can he ever get a normal Family???

[anfie-in-the-box]

Be Who You Are (An Error Just Like Me)

Notes

A little something for @zu-is-here (: Thanks for the request! It was a bit difficult at first, but today inspiration hit hard and I couldn't help but write, write, write. It was amazing, and I'm quite proud of the result.

。。。

For one too many times, Blueberrory stumbles on something he doesn't see and groans, frustrated, caught in Error's strings so he doesn't fall and possibly break a bone or two. Error laughs at him, glitching slightly, but helps Blueberrory regain his balance.

“Ugh. Ho-o-ow?” he mutters with barely concealed irritation. He's definitely become moodier as an error. He wonders if it would ever go away. 

“You want me to teach you how to navigate the Anti-Void? That's what I'm doing,” Error says, still giggling — and glitching, just a tiny bit. Blueberrory can't help but smile fondly. Oh, to slowly but surely learn to understand Error's twisted mind… He enjoys Blueberrory's struggles very much, but he also cares, and he also wants Blueberrory to succeed. If only to prove he's the best teacher and guide in the Anti-Void. And because they're becoming friends. 

“There's this one tiny little thing that I don't understand,” Error says, now frowning. 

“Am I missing something?” Blueberrory asks with hope. Maybe Error is finally tired of his games of vague charades? But he stands up and spreads his hands. 

“Come here and hug me.” 

Hope is a stupid feeling indeed. Error hates physical contact and barely knows how to soothe the feeling — before Blueberrory he didn't even have the clothes that would suit his needs. And now he just stands there, almost demanding a hug? Blueberrory knows Error's not the most stable person around, but this… 

Nonetheless, Blueberrory comes closer and… He's not sure what happens next, but stars, he's glitching like crazy. It doesn't hurt though, not at all, and then it ends as fast as it has started. And he finds himself a tiny little bit away from Error, though Blueberrory can swear he was close to him, closer than Error ever allowed. 

“What… What was that?!” Blueberrory shouts, startled. 

“Stupid, don't you realise that's your main advantage here in the Anti-Void?” Error makes a dissatisfied face, but there's a certain sparkle in his mismatched eye-lights. He enjoys knowing more and understanding better. And Blueberrory will be his favourite subject for a rather long time — he's a fast learner, but now that his nature and soul have changed, he has a lot of things to either learn or relearn. Like navigating his new home.

“I don't understand,” Blueberrory says after a few deep breaths. He's still frustrated but not angry or bewildered to the point of shock. “What happened? Why am I farther from you than I was before, well, trying and failing to hug you, I suppose? Why did I glitch like that?”

Silence falls. At least Blueberrory isn't irritated anymore, and Error's thoughtful face soothes his soul even more. Blueberrory really, truly misses the times patience came naturally to him. But he'll do his best anyway. And besides, that part of him is deep inside, more than a memory, less than an illusion — a part of his experience, a part of his past, long gone. Blueberrory isn't the magnificent Sans.

Error laughs loudly and Blueberrory takes a step back, startled. 

“You're so funny,” Error finally says when his laughter ceases. “Wonder whether I would be as funny if I had someone to look after me.”

Blueberrory perks up. Error doesn't talk about his past, or, well, his past in the Anti-Void. He loves telling stories about the AUs he once destroyed, or the AUs that managed to attract his attention and therefore stayed. The latter ones were far and between at first, but as Error learnt to tame his insanity, he found beauty and fascination in more and more things. He found his own reasons to grant mercy, as twisted as those reasons are.

“What's funny, then?” Blueberrory asks calmly. 

“That you really don't understand!” Error grins. “What happened is one of your own ways to be an error. Congratulations! Now you know what to master!”

Blueberrory sighs. Error's words still don't make any sense, though they really should. But that's fine, Blueberrory is still getting used to… everything, really. Error knows that, so Blueberrory will get his answers. Sooner or later, one way or another. 

“I see you're not getting it.” This time, Error quickly goes to Blueberrory and touches his shoulder. 

Well, he tries to. Blueberrory doesn't even get a moment to react. He's glitching again, and he's a few steps away from Error. Again. 

“Most errors can't touch living beings, as far as I know,” Error finally starts to explain with words. “But you? Oh, how I envy you, little Berry! You can't touch anything, not in the state you're in right now.”

“But I… I stumble on… whatever it is in the Anti-Void?..” Blueberrory mumbles, then grimaces — he's meant to sound coherent and confident, not like this. 

“Of course you do! That's why I said you've got to master your ways to be an error. They're advantages as much as they are obstacles.”

“So what you mean is… There's a way to cheat?”

“Sure, call it like that, why not! We are errors, but we are also hackers. The Anti-Void loves those who know the rules, but it loves those who set their own rules even more.”

“What is yours, then? Advantage and obstacle, I mean.” 

Error tenses for a moment — Blueberrory doesn't even start regretting his decision to ask. Enough is enough. But Error answers slowly, “My vision. Without the glasses, I see more. Or, well, differently.”

Blueberrory hums, not letting this show of Error's trust and honesty go unnoticed but also not focusing attention on his words. 

What feels like hours later (though you never know with the Anti-Void), Blueberrory still stumbles here and there, but sometimes he doesn't, glitching out of the way — and gets a standing ovation from Error, slightly mocking yet genuinely proud. What a mix.

“Be who you are — an error just like me,” he murmurs, almost to himself, but Blueberrory hears it anyway. He makes a promise to himself to become the second best error ever. The first is Error himself, of course.

So much to learn, so much to see, and Blueberrory won't be alone. Lucky him.

。。。

Credits

Undertale © Toby Fox

Error and Blueberror © loverofpiggies

。。。

Notes

There's a few references here and there. The title is a slightly corrected line from Hazbin Hotel song Loser, Baby.

"Hope is a stupid feeling" is a belief from a series of Russian books that I like a lot, though I don't fully agree with this particular notion. Still interesting to look for situations where it works.

Thanks for reading, and take care 🌻

P. S. Requests are still open!

[brucewaynehater101]

About Tim's kill count: I think Tim tries really hard to be okay with murder. He's accepted that's something other vigilantes do, that sometimes it's the most practical answer. He knows that self defense is a thing, when it's you or them... Well, no one can be blamed for choosing themselves over a villain. He is the smart, logical Robin. He can be rational about murder. Stars know someone has to, and B is too much of an emotional mess when it comes to that particular subject.

So when Tim has to blow up Ra's bases, he tries really hard to be okay with it. He gave them a three minute warning (it's not much, but he knows how fast they are), so technically it's not like it's his fault if they decided to stay. He had to do it, it wasn't even just self defense, he had a civilian hostage to take into account. It was the only logical solution that allowed him to save Batman too. So yeah, he knows his reasoning was completely sound despite the circumstances. Honestly, he deserves Kudos for not losing it considering the amount of stress he was under and the fact he nearly died and lost an organ.

So yeah, he is pretty sure he's okay with it. He knows that if Batman ever truly catches up un his RR reports of that time he's not gonna be happy. He figures he can deal with that (he can't, he can barely deal with his own guilt. Deep down he knows he'll collapse like a wet napkin).

But instead of Batman the one to confront him is Jason having heard from Talia or finding the evidence on an outlaws' mission. And Tim is relieved because this should be easy. Not only is he a master manipulator: Jason is okay with murder, extremely emotional and still feels guilty about Titan's Tower. He's not even on talking terms with B. Tim has the upper hand in this encounter.

Cue to Jason's pov and it's just so painfully obviously that Tim is trying to rationalize the guilt away. Jason doesn't know whether to acknowledge it (the kid looks like he needs to actually talk about it, sue him) or to let him be delusional for a bit longer. He isn't the biggest expert on healthy but that doesn't look like it.

Tim succeeds in getting him to promise he won't tattle to Bruce, and is really proud of himself for handling the situation. Jason is now panicking thinking about what would Bruce do if he finds out (Tim doesn't know the extent of Batman's reaction to Jason killing at first).

(I got a little carried away with the idea of Tim being convinces he's okay with murder and Jason, who is pro murder for certain people, seeing right through him like "Oh honey")

Oh!!! I've seen some fics that cover what would happen if the Bats found out about Tim's kill count or the bases, but I haven't really seen ones with dark/abusive Bruce.

Tw: abuse, murder

Here's what I'm thinking:

Jason is fantastic for being the first to find out. He'd be supportive, understanding, and non-judgemental. He'll have no moral issues with murder. Perhaps he could have some mental breakdowns on the fact his younger brother had to resort to that or the high number of deaths or that someone younger than him had to stain their hands (which could also lead into him finally processing Damian's kills as well), but he wouldn't have any issues with Tim commiting murder.

Then we contrast that with Dick. He doesn't blame Tim. He's fiercely protective of his brother and will beat up anyone who gives Tim shit for it. On the other hand, he does have moral issues with murder. He'd probably have an internal debate with himself. He wants to support Tim, but the kid killed so many people (in this AU). Tim killed in self-defense. Dick has a particular understanding due to his time as a cop, but his vigilante rules have always contrasted with his cop ones (not just killing. Breaking laws, how civilians are treated, who your "allies" are, and whether you can trust your coworkers to do what's right). He's devastated that Tim was in that position and blames himself (maybe even takes those deaths upon his own moral conscience).

Both of them love, care, and support Tim in this. They also have very different ideas about murder.

Tim is also trying very hard to deny to himself how much death is actually on his hands. He's struggling to pretend he's fine and trying to logically convince himself that the deaths are acceptable.

In this AU, Bruce obviously flips the fuck out and acts like a piece of shit. Feel free to hc how far he takes that shit.

However, this has important ramifications against Damian. Whatever his feelings are about Tim at this point, watching his father abuse a kid he adopted (and considers his own) for the sin of killing? For self-defense? What if Damian ever kills again? Would Bruce react the same? What if there was no other choice? Also, does this mean that his father will never truly love him? Will his past always be held over Damian's head? Will Bruce ever forgive him? Is his father's love conditional? To add on, Damian has complicated feelings about LoA as well. He'd need to process the extreme destruction Tim enacted against the LoA. Just Damian having mental breakdowns.

Cass's confliction with murder and her love for Tim could also be added into this. I don't know much about the arc where she becomes a villain, but that would add to her turmoil.

Now, Alfred is a confusing one. How dedicated is he to Bruce? Is this the characterization where he sasses the man, not so subtly hides his guns around the Manor, and will stand up to the man? Or is this the one who will follow Bruce's lead even if it means psychologically torturing his grandkid? Is he somehow both at the same time? Can the kids trust Alfred to protect them or choose them over Bruce?

Babs would be protecting Tim (and the others in their support of Tim) to the best of her ability. In my mind, she's chill about murder due to her dad being a cop and her working with murderers (like Harley). She'd run interference to protect Tim until Bruce finds out, and then she'd be trying to get him away from Bruce.

Anyways, I'd love to see all of the characters, their feelings/experiences, and the conflict expanded on.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

miscellaneous fellow honest headcanons

These aren't following any prompt in particular, these are just thoughts I had when I saw the guy hammin' it up and then turning on us.

Some of these headcanons are informed by fan art I've seen and discussions I've had with friends, while others are purely me.

Curiouser and Curiouser...

He calls people “little lads” and “little ladies”.

Fellow has a very noticeable laugh. Like, he grunts and snorts and has tears rolling down his cheeks. (He tends to laugh at others’ misery, thinking of it as “retribution” or “payback” for the injustices he has suffered himself.)

Bro shaves using a knife (yes, he shaves because he is a grown ass man) because razors are hella expensive.

He uses that cheap cologne and cakes it on THICK. This, in his mind, gives off the impression that he’s a well-off and put-together individual you should tooootally trust.

Also the type of person that lays it on thick with his words. If he’s trying to impress a date or something, he’ll shower them with so many compliments it almost seems fake. But no, he’s just the type to simp hard when he happens to be genuine 💀 most of the time he’s faking it though—

He’s very street smart, but in a way where he confuses hostile people by talking over them and acting overly friendly. They usually stuns them long enough for him and Gidel to skedaddle.

If he gets dumped, he'd be the pathetic whimpering boyfriend that begs for his ex to take him back. When they inevitably don't, he mopes all day about it.

He chain smokes and aggressively drinks as a coping mechanism on his bad days 😔 and sometimes he gambles (like, on those scratch-off cards) hoping that he'll strike it rich and buy him and Gidel a better life...

Basically, he generally does not have his shit together but tries his best to pass like someone who does (and usually succeeds at it).

Fellow appears in public wearing his full suit, but at home (ie whatever ratty temporary housing their boss found for them before they move on to the next place) he just wears a T-shirt and lounges around in boxers (and sometimes socks with holes in them).

He uses those disposable eyeshadow wands that snap in half at the slightest bit of too much pressure. Fellow acts like the Claire’s kid makeup he uses is the luxury stuff, but Vil can tell the pigmentation isn’t all there and there’s MAD fallout.

He may be broke AF and have his moments of emotional spiraling, but he has pretty decent budgeting skills. Fellow lives for sales and does extreme couponing to stretch their money as far as it will go.

He invests in other cost-saving methods like wearing shoes until the sole is literally flopping off and just adding water to residual soap in a pump bottle to make the soap "last longer".

Fellow is really good at cutting food (bread, beans) thin to conserve it. Yes, this is a reference to an old Mickey Mouse cartoon—

When he was younger, he had dreams of being an actor (and, more specifically, starring in musicals). That's why he's often humming, swinging around his cane, and/or whistling as he's on the prowl for idiots to sucker—they're remainders of his thespian days before his dreams were crushed into itty bitty pieces.

Man looks like he'd be great at tap dancing.

Before his current gig, he tried a bunch of other scams including a MLM at one point to get by. His signature spell came in pretty clutch in those days too.

Fellow’s not that good at reading or spelling—in fact, he was never a particularly strong student. (“I didn’t fail school!! The schools failed ME!!”) He’s easily frustrated by academics and thinks there should be more hands-on and practical skills taught in learning institutions.

I think it's a given that he and Ruggie would be besties since they both want to eat the rich but I also think Fellow would kiss ass to Azul and then rage about how shitty + entitled Azul is (Azul reminds Fellow of his boss)💀 Scammers hate other scammers because they're both competing to scam the same people--

Even though Fellow is an asshole to most others (well, when he’s not flattering them to lure them into a trap), he’s always nice to Gidel and puts him first. If there’s ever a situation where they’re short on something (clothes, food, etc), Gidel gets priority. This is why Gidel has a full outfit (even if parts are patches or mismatched) whereas Fellow himself has a glove that is so worn out there’s a hole in one of the pinkie fingers.

Fellow may not be blessed with a bounty of magic, but he’s quick on his feet and good with words. Because of these skills, he’s talented at spinning bedtime stories, which he often tells to Gidel to help him fall asleep on nights that are particularly cold and nasty.

Gidel still believes in Santy Claws and wishing upon stars, and Fellow doesn’t have the heart to tell him the truth. He’ll figure it out on his own one day, Fellow thinks. He just doesn’t want to be the one to ruin those childhood joys for him.

Playing pretend is another shared past time of theirs. It helps Fellow get into character before he goes off to swindle people, and it gives Gidel a way to express himself in spite of being mute. They have a routine they do together where Fellow pretends to be a doctor diagnosing a patient and Gidel takes down notes for him as his medical scribe. Yes, this is a Pinocchio reference—

They actually have many more games they play (mainly because they cannot afford other forms of entertainment). Some of the games are clever ruses conjured by Fellow to teach Gidel survival tips and tricks: the who-can-make-their-piece-of-bread-last-longer game, hide-and-seek (from the authorities), etc.

For special occasions, Fellow saves up some money on the side to grant Gidel little luxuries, like a box of crayons to doodle with.

Gidel hugs Fellow’s leg or waist to cheer him up when he’s upset. He also hides behind Fellow when he’s scared or feeling shy.

He’s just really attached to Gidel cuz they have no one else in this cruel world, just them against the world 😔 He sees a lot of his younger self in the little boy… the opportunities lost because of their circumstances… “It’s alright, Gidel. Leave it to Fellow-sama.”

[dzhukhe]

Ranma ½ headcanons, in light of the upcoming new anime:

the thing about Ranma 1/2 as a manga is that each character mistakenly believes they are the protagonist of a different genre than the one they are in.

most of us recognize that Kunō believes he is the romantic protagonist of a jidaigeki or some other samurai drama, where those who oppose him are comic villains and he cuts a dashing figure, his morality defined by being the handsome samurai. In a cowboy movie, his character would have a white hat and teeth to match.

Kodachi, in turn, believes she is the heroine of a shojo manga, and will force this view on the world if she has to scatter the flowers herself.

those who have read far enough in the manga may recognize that Konatsu views herself (arguably justifiably) as the star of a Cinderella story.

perhaps less apparent is Ryōga's perspective on his life as a romantic tragedy. This is a young man who speaks of his own "heart of glass", whose fantasies are full of flowers and wide sparkling eyes. Estrogen would not fix him, but it couldn't hurt.

Mousse and Shampoo live as though they are the stars of more traditional romantic comedies; their uses of martial arts, poisons, magic, and other forms of violence are justified in the view of each one by their perspective that they are the Good Option.

I would argue that Shampoo even seems to see herself as her personal cultural equivalent to the "All-American Girl Next Door" character type; she works for a living but has conventionally beautiful features. If you were to compare them to Archie comics characters, Shampoo sees herself as the Betty; the only opponent she really seems to spend much time worrying about in the manga is Akane, who from Shampoo's perspective perhaps seems like a pampered daughter of wealth (look at the size of the Tendō property) who lacks traditionally feminine skills like cooking and murder.

Genma and Sōun are convinced they're in stories about filial piety, where they will be rewarded by their children being skillful, loyal, successful, and fitting ideals of masculinity and femininity while caring for them in their old age.

we don't see as much of Ukyō's perspective, but it's evident that she sees Ranma as a side character, the man she's going to marry in order to mind the home while she focuses on building her career as a cook.

Akane in the manga is maybe the most grounded in the reality of her world: she recognizes the martial arts anarchy around her, she calls out other characters on their delusions, and her big flaws in her self-image are less about genre and more of a conviction that she should be able to succeed at something just by trying really hard. If she's stuck in an idea, it's the notion that her life is an inspirational story of what you can achieve with raw effort alone...never mind things like following recipes or actually practicing sewing or swimming, Akane's ready to skip to the end of the training montage!

and Ranma?

what is Ranma's delusion about the nature of the story?

it's simple.

Ranma is convinced she's the male lead.

[mysterious-moonstruck-musings]

Closed Position: Week 5 (Rumba Part 2)

Closed Position Masterlist ||| Main Masterlist Dieter Bravo x OFC (Katarina)

Series Summary: Dieter Bravo, now sober, was looking to change his bad boy image after hitting rock bottom. His team hoped that having him join the nationally televised family friendly dance competition, Dancing with the Stars, would be a good first step, if they can keep him out of trouble. 

Katarina Stamos expected her last season as a professional dancer on the show to go the same as it had for the past thirteen seasons. That all changed when she was partnered with the infamous Dieter Bravo. 

Dieter and Katarina are reluctantly thrown into their partnership and must learn to work together to succeed in the competition. In the process they form a deeper connection beyond the dance floor that neither anticipated.

Chapter Word Count: 12.2k

👉 Warnings: Themes dealing with intimate partner violence (not by or toward Dieter), past alcohol abuse, and past drug abuse. There will be fluff, tears, spicy language, and smut. This will be a slow burn. Read at your own risk. Dieter Bravo comes with his own warnings.

Chapter Quote: "Careful, it’s pokey. I’d wager it has some serious penetration power."

Kat’s POV Our first full day in New York together had been an interesting one. Sharing a suite with Dieter was not on my Bingo card for the week, but it really hadn’t been that bad thus far. It was definitely creating a new dynamic between us, pushing us into new situations that I hadn’t expected. A sort of domesticity that would surely make the feelings that I was having toward him even stronger. Knowing that would be the case had only managed to make me antsy and wired. I had already caught myself shamelessly flirting with him within the first five minutes of entering the suite, because of a reflective ceiling of all things. 

Even though I was absolutely exhausted from the overnight traveling, I couldn’t fall asleep once we got situated in our rooms. After getting rid of the rolling bar cart in the suite, I tried for some time to doze off. I eventually gave up, deciding to get ready for the day then go on the hunt for breakfast. I managed to find a small cafe down the street and stocked up on different options since I wasn’t sure what Dieter preferred for his first meal of the day other than ridiculously strong coffee. Afterwords, I carefully made my way back to the hotel, trying my best not to spill any of the coffee along the way. 

I was unpacking the food when Dieter came strolling out of his room in a black short-sleeve v-neck, dark wash jeans, and black boots. The shirt was a heavier fabric that seemed to emphasize the dips and curves of his chest and shoulders in the most distracting way. His curls were styled into his usual artful mess that my fingers were twitching to tug on. He came to stand next to me, arching a brow as he met my gaze. Busted. He definitely caught me checking him out. Oh well, no sense in hiding it. “That shirt fits you well,” I finally managed to sputter out. 

Dieter pulled me into his side, making some ridiculous joke about fine art needing to be appreciated. I laughed it off before my thoughts were taken down another path, but that was nearly impossible because he smelled amazing. He was wearing cologne, which was new. The way it mixed with his own natural scent had me wanting to rip his clothes off. Something about it had flipped a switch in my brain and it was hard to ignore. When I reached to grab my coffee, I happened to notice the way the muscles in his shoulders flexed as he shrugged. It nearly sent me over the edge. I had to get away from him, so I moved to the opposite side of the dining table to sit and eat.

As it got closer to time for us to leave, I could tell he seemed slightly off. He was amped up and fidgety, appearing to be anxious. It only got worse as we slid into the back of the SUV. I finally plucked up the courage to ask him what was going on. The fact that he felt comfortable enough to share how he was feeling meant the world to me. Alec was never that open with me when something was bothering him, and I always hated that. Dieter’s confession of how nervous he was, somehow made me feel closer to him, and I wanted nothing more than to calm him. I knew SNL was a big deal and wanted him to be able to enjoy it. 

I didn’t have much to offer him other than comfort, but it seemed to do the trick. As I took his hand in mine and began to gently stroke his palm, the tension seemed to melt from his posture. However, the tension returned once we were seated in the Studio 8H conference room. I picked up on the vibes when we entered. Several of the cast members did not appear to be excited that he was there. I could tell they were judging him before even giving him another chance. The longer he chatted with Liz, the director, I could feel a shift happening - from hostility to curiosity. 

It was obvious when Dieter’s nerves shot into overdrive because his leg started to bounce incessantly under the table. I reacted as I did on the ride over, trying to provide him with some comfort by squeezing his knee. His hand found mine, squeezing it briefly in return before allowing me to lightly rub his palm again. It seemed to work just as well to calm him this time around.

My focus was drawn from Dieter when Liz asked me to do the monologue with him. I was nervous about it since it would be live. The Dirty Dancing skit seemed less risky, and I was more open to it. In the end, I knew both would probably be funnier if I were involved and I could tell he really wanted me to do it with him. It was near impossible to tell his pleading brown eyes, “no” as I sat considering it.

I couldn’t help taking the opportunity to tease him after I read his monologue. It was too perfect, and I really wanted to break the remaining tension in the room with the cast. Them seeing the banter between Dieter and I seemed to do the trick, showing his fun side. I had a feeling they hadn’t really got to see that side of him before. 

The events that followed the script review admittedly shook me a little. Part of me was shocked at how brazen that Dave guy had been toward Dieter. There was something about him that was slightly unsettling, and it really made me wonder what Dieter’s world had been like before he was sober. I had heard stories, but I couldn’t wrap my head around that kind of party lifestyle. I tried not to dwell on it. It wasn’t like Dieter had kept that part of himself hidden. I knew about it, but experiencing a small dose of what it must have been like for him was a whole other thing. It seemed to shake him some. I could tell from the panicked look in his eyes and the way he tensed but I felt like he handled it as well as he could have. 

I realized then what he was up against, and I knew it wasn’t going to be easy for him. This wasn’t something he could easily cut out of his life due to the nature of his profession. There were also some people that would be hard to avoid. It made me have just a little bit more respect for how much effort he was putting in to improving himself and staying sober.

Being involved in the photoshoot was unexpected but ended up being kind of fun. We hadn’t got to do any shoots together since becoming more comfortable with each other or without the worry of Alec lurking around. We were relaxed and had a good time with it, not hesitating to shift into the more intimate poses that the photographer asked for. I was curious to see what the final result would look like - if our chemistry would show in the still images as much as it did on the dance floor. 

As usual, Dieter looked amazing in the clothes they had dressed him in for the photoshoot. There was something about him in a white dress shirt that made me feel a little feral. As we shifted into the more hands-on poses, I felt like I was going to spontaneously combust when my hands caressed his chest. It didn’t help matters when his hand found its way to my bare thigh. It was entirely too close to my aching center and left me pondering what it would feel like if he let it wander just a little higher. 

His hair looked extra touchable the way they had styled it. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to stick my fingers in and tug it a little…for the sake of the photoshoot, of course. Dieter didn’t seem to mind it either. In fact, I got the feeling that he may have even liked it. The little groan he let out went straight to my core. It took a lot of effort not to clench my thighs around his broad shoulders as he sat between them. 

By the time our ride back to the hotel arrived, I was running on low. The last two days had been ridiculously long, and we still needed to rehearse when we got back. I was near dozing off during the ride when Dieter’s phone rang. I assumed it was his assistant based on their topics of discussion. 

It was hard not to listen to their conversation. Dieter was 100% in “dad” mode, and it tickled me to no end to hear him grilling his assistant about his cat and plants. I loved this side of him. I wasn’t sure how many people really got to see the caring and nurturing part, but I knew it probably wasn’t many. It caused butterflies in my stomach to know that I was one of the few he shared that with. 

I wasn’t sure if Dieter was aware, but I could hear every word his assistant said on the other end of the phone. It definitely got my attention when he told Dieter to, “go spend time with your hot dance partner.” I couldn’t help wondering why he would say that. Was it in response to something Dieter had said previously? In my periphery I could tell that Dieter shot a nervous glance in my direction at the comment. I would have to pack that away to think about later. 

Things took a turn when we began to rehearse that evening. There was definitely flirting on my part. I’m not sure that I even tried to behave myself, letting the innuendos spill out of my mouth without a second thought. Dieter certainly didn’t help with that by throwing equally salacious comments right back at me with ease. I knew he liked to make jokes, so it was hard to tell how much of it was him trying to be funny and how much of it was indeed flirting. It was sort of maddening, but also stoked the flame that was steadily growing inside of me. This was quickly becoming unsustainable.

A brief moment of silence stretched between us after that. We just sort of stood there, taking each other in. The look in his eyes made my skin feel electric, only increasing my craving for him. I would have given anything to be able to read his mind at that moment. I wasn’t sure why, but it felt like so much was going unsaid between us. I hated it. Trying to keep my feelings hidden from him was becoming a monumental task. 

As I got ready for bed that evening, I considered how he might react if I told him how I was feeling. Was I even sure? It was all so confusing, and I felt ridiculous for it. I was fresh out of a six-year unhealthy relationship, and I was already daydreaming about jumping into another one. Dieter was different though. I knew he was nothing like Alec, but there were so many reasons that getting together with him would be a bad idea. It would be better to at least wait until the show was over before approaching the topic. I wasn’t sure if that would be possible because it felt like things were shifting between us in a way that I couldn’t identify or explain. Our time together this week was only intensifying things. 

As I settled into my pillow, I found myself questioning if Dieter was still awake. Part of me was tempted to go to him and see how he would react if I crawled into his bed for a cuddle. Who was I kidding, that’s not what I wanted. Then my mind shifted to wondering what he slept in. Knowing him, probably nothing or at minimum his underwear. I had certainly seen him in those enough to have an accurate visual. I sighed. Ugh, just stop, Kat. Don’t even go there. Not the time or the place. Somehow, I managed to push those thoughts aside and eventually fell asleep. 

On Wednesday, I was scheduled for the morning show circuit, which meant I had to get up rather early to get ready. Dieter had his SNL duties, so I was on my own for this one. I had just made myself a cup of coffee and wandered back into my room to start working on my hair when Dieter came shuffling in with a groan and leaned against the doorframe. 

I narrowed my eyes on him in the mirror as I parted my hair into sections to straighten it, “What are you groaning about?” 

He shrugged, “You sure you don’t want me to do the shows with you? They don’t need me there the entire morning…I could probably swing at least a couple of them or rearrange the schedule a bit to fit them all in.” 

I shook my head, “No really, it’s fine. I would much rather you prepare for SNL. It’s more important than this shit.” 

He sighed, then made a pouty face at me in the mirror, “Yeah, but we have more fun when we’re together.” 

I set the hair straightener down, turning to look at him, “Dieter, are you still nervous about being around the rest of the cast?” 

He gave me a tight smile, “Umm, maybe a smidge...but we ARE more fun together…at least we HAVE more fun together.” 

I rolled my eyes at him and went back to my hair as he fiddled with his phone. I snorted and shook my head, “I can’t believe Dieter Bravo is in my room being whiny and needy right now.” 

He chuckled, “Trust me, that’s nothing new. I’m very whiny and needy most days.” 

I arched a brow in his direction, “Yes, I know your whiny. That’s been obvious from day one.”

He scoffed, then plopped down on my bed and sprawled out, “I would say that’s rude, but you're probably not wrong. What time will you be done?”

I shrugged, “I dunno, I say I’ll be back here around ten, maybe? I’ll probably come back and work through our routine some more. When will you be done?” 

He scrolled through his phone, “Ummm, looking like noonish. Wanna go grab a late lunch when I get back?”

I nodded, “Sure. You know I’m not one to turn food down.”

He laughed, then popped upright, “You still have some wavy parts on the back of your head. Want me to get that for you?” 

My brows furrowed, “You wanna straighten my hair for me?” 

He shrugged, “Sure. It’s not rocket science and you look like you’re struggling. You keep missing that spot.” 

It was my turn to scoff as he walked over and took the straightener and brush out of my hands, getting to work almost immediately. I watched as he methodically divided the back of it into even smaller sections and worked out the wavy bits. The intense look of concentration on his face was nothing short of fucking hot. The feel of his fingers running through my hair had my heart nearly hammering out of my chest and my mouth turning dry. 

I cleared my throat, “So is this something you do often?” I asked with humor in my voice. 

“Nope.” He popped the “p” sound with his lips before glancing at me in the mirror with a smile. “First time ever. I’ve seen it done enough sitting in the hair and makeup chair though. Just don’t ask me to do anything else or you might end up bald.” 

I snorted, still not believing this was happening. In all the years that I had been with Alec, I couldn’t remember a single time where he had even brushed my hair, let alone offered to help me fix it. It was a strangely intimate gesture that suddenly had me wanting more from Dieter. It took everything in me not to jump him right then and there. 

I sat watching his facial expressions as he fussed with the section I always had issues with. I could tell he was getting flustered by the way his brows knitted together. After a few more swipes with the straightener, he stepped back, tilting his head slightly and pursing his lips before giving a single nod, seeming satisfied with his efforts. Once he was finished, he leaned down over my shoulder to set the straightener down on the vanity. His scent completely invaded my senses and did little to help the ache that was growing between my thighs. 

Dieter ran the brush through my hair, eventually pausing to gather it all at the nape. His fingers lightly grazed the sides of my neck as he did so. I closed my eyes, enjoying the feel of his gentle touch as it made me tingle all over. 

“Mmmm, that feels good. You should probably stop before I start expecting this every morning.” 

His left hand settled on my shoulder, his thumb gently rubbing small circles behind my ear as he continued brushing with his right hand. When I finally opened my eyes and met his intense stare in the mirror, I felt my entire center clench as a weird sensation shot through my body, causing me to feel somewhat euphoric. I was suddenly hot and very wet. What the fuck is wrong with me? There was a low buzzing noise in my ears, and I felt a little dizzy, almost like all the blood had rushed to my head. 

Dieter’s chuckle pulled me from the weird trance I had settled into, “You good, Kit Kat?” 

He stood there with that damn smirk on his lips, waiting for me to say something all the while my brain had completely turned to mush. I inhaled deeply, attempting to pull myself together. Did he know what kind of effect he was having on me right now? Is he doing that shit on purpose? Surely not. 

I finally nodded, clearing my throat. “Yeah, it just feels good when someone else brushes my hair. Makes me a little…sleepy.” Turned on, actually. 

He arched a brow, “Doesn’t seem to do that when you’re getting glammed up for the show.” 

Fuck. He’s got me there. I shrugged, “Well, they aren’t exactly gentle about it…”

He snickered as he sat the brush down. His fingers continued to run through the back of my hair as he spoke, “Riiight…well, I need to go shower.” His hand moved to settle just under my chin, his fingertips gently grazed a path up behind my ear. “If I don’t see ya before you leave, I’ll see ya after I get back. Good luck with your talk show stuff.” 

Then the fucker seriously winked at me before he turned on his heel and walked out of the room. I sat dumbfounded and completely confused by what had just transpired. Get it together Kat. It’s a bad idea. I shook my head and took a deep breath, trying to focus on the task at hand. I needed to finish getting ready or I was going to be late. 

The morning went by in a blur. There were three live morning shows that I had to rush between, and I also pre-recorded segments for two evening shows. Luckily the studios were close together or else it wouldn’t have been possible. Stacia and Joe were definitely putting me to work this time around. Thankfully, these appearances would take care of my obligations for the rest of the season. At least, I hoped it would. I never knew what Stacia and Joe would pull for the sake of ratings. Especially if Dieter and I continued to be the fan favorites. 

Once I was finished for the day and heading back to the hotel, I pulled out my phone. It had been on silent all morning so I hadn’t heard the Instagram alerts for Dieter’s new stories. The first one was an advertisement for SNL. It was one of the shots where I had my foot pressed to his head. Of course, he added a cheeky comment to it about my “big ass foot making an appearance” on the show too. I rolled my eyes, typing out a quick reply to the story, “I should have poked you in the eye with that spiked heel.” I chuckled to myself as I hit send. 

Then I tapped over to the next story. He had taken a picture of me as I was getting ready this morning and shared it. You could see him in the mirror snapping the pic. It was obvious we were in a hotel room. Of course, the picture took me back to thoughts of his fingers caressing my neck and running through my hair. I had managed to put that out of my mind throughout the morning, but now I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Fucking jerk. I replied to that story as well, calling him a creeper. I could only imagine what the Dieterina shippers were saying about that one. 

(More after the pics. Click to enlarge to read text.)

As I opened my email app, a text came through from Dieter. 

DIETER: You didn't seem to mind that I was creeping around earlier this morning…😏 You done for the day? 

I could feel my face heating from his words. Maybe I’m reading into that too much. Surely he doesn’t mean it that way. I didn’t really know how to respond. 

ME: I’m sure you're whipping the Dieterina Stans into a frenzy with that one…Joe and Stacia too. And yes, I am. 

DIETER: You were perfect this morning. And you insist you can’t do live shows. Ha! 

ME: You watched them? You’re supposed to be working. Also, talking about dancing and doing comedy are two different things. 

DIETER: I was. I watched them on a break. I was bored. I told you, it’s more fun when we’re together…should’ve changed my schedule. And I’ll give you a win on that one. It is different.

DIETER: Gotta go. They’re calling us back in to read through the rewrites. I’ll see ya soon. 😉

I puffed air out of my cheeks. Why did this feel different? He seemed different. Not drastically, but he had a different vibe. More open maybe? Less filtered? I couldn’t really put it into words, but it definitely had my attention. Maybe he was just feeling more comfortable around me and able to be himself?

I was drawn from my thoughts when the car pulled up to the curb in front of the hotel. I needed to pull it together and focus. We still had a dance performance to prepare for and our rehearsal time was limited. I needed to get the rest of the choreography nailed down so we could focus on learning the routine during what little rehearsal time we had. 

Several hours later, I was on the terrace quietly singing to myself and swaying along with my music playlist as I searched through YouTube videos to find some examples of lifts to show Dieter. I realized early on that it helped him to see the choreography before trying it, especially on the more complex moves and particularly the lifts. As the competition progressed, I found myself doing this more often as our routines increased in difficulty. It seemed to be a good method with him, so I tried to give examples as much as I could. He had been pretty good about doing his own homework and often shared things he wanted to try. He had already sent me a few videos during his downtime since I had gotten back to the hotel. 

I was just finishing up the latest video selection as Dieter came strolling out onto the terrace with a smirk on his face. 

I gave him a questioning look, “What are you smiling about?”

He shook his head, “I was just listening to you hum along to this song. I’d like to hear you really sing it. I bet you would sound amazing.” 

I could feel my cheeks flush, “I dunno about that, but thanks.” 

He walked over to stand in front of me, smiling mischievously as he pulled my phone away, not letting go of my hand as he set it down. When he turned back to me, he slid one arm around my waist, pulling me snuggly against his body and began moving to the music. I let him lead as he improvised, twirling me around before hugging me back against him. We stood in place, now swaying slowly as his chocolate eyes bore into mine before briefly dropping down to my lips as the tension reached a boiling point between us. His smirk returned as he moved to dip me backwards, slowly doing a half turn before pulling me upright against his chest and pressing his forehead to mine. Both of his hands were now on my hips, gripping firmly as he nuzzled my nose with his. My hands were resting against his chest where I could feel his heartbeat quicken under my palm. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. I wanted him and was damn near breaking when his phone rang in his back pocket. His brows pinched together as his eyes fluttered shut. He sighed and dropped his forehead back against mine.

“I’m sorry, I should probably get that,” he finally said, pulling away slowly. When he opened his eyes, they were dark and sultry as a small smile formed on his lips. He turned away, pulling his phone out and answering it. 

What the fuck was that? I didn’t imagine that…right? My head was spinning as I let out the breath I had been holding. I felt confused and didn’t know what to do with this. He seemed more confident, sure of himself, lustful even. He didn’t hesitate, not that he still hesitated when it came to touching me, but this was something else entirely. 

Dieter turned to face me with a concerned expression. His lips set into a tight line as his gaze met mine. I gave him a questioning look as he pulled the phone away from his ear.

“It’s Evan…my assistant. He was just over at your place…”

I cut him off, “Why was he…?”

Dieter rolled his eyes, “To water your plants, obviously.”

I chuckled. I wasn’t even surprised or mad about it, “I can’t believe you had him do that.”

Dieter shook his head, “That doesn’t matter, anyway…he said while he was taking care of the plants on the far side of the porch, a guy came to the door and was about to key in until he saw Evan standing there…”

My brow furrowed, “There shouldn’t be anyone keying in…” 

Dieter’s shoulders fell, “Evan said he got pissy, wanted to know why he was there and who he was. From the description, it sounds like it was Alec.” 

I shook my head, “I took the key away from him though. Is Evan sure he had a key?” 

Dieter put the phone back to his ear to double check with Evan. His eyes never left mine. “Yes, he definitely stuck a key in the door,” he finally said.

I sighed and rubbed my face. Fucking asshole. Figures he would have an extra one. 

Dieter watched me with a concerned look, “I can have Evan get the locks changed for you while we’re gone.” 

I shook my head again, “No. I’ll do it when I get back. Thank him for me. I’m glad he was there to catch it.” 

Dieter’s eyes narrowed, “Are you sure? It’s not a problem for him to do that for you.” 

I considered it for a moment, “I’m sure. It’ll be fine. He was probably just trying to get his stuff.” 

Dieter puffed air out of his cheeks and continued talking to Evan briefly before disconnecting the call. I could tell he wasn’t happy about my decision, but he didn’t push it. Instead, he walked over and pulled me into a tight hug. He mumbled against the top of my hair, “Will you at least let me make sure he’s not there when we get back? I don’t trust that asshole.” 

I nodded against his chest, “If it makes you feel better. Yes, you can check.” 

“Can I…”

I pulled away, giving him an admonishing look. I knew he was only trying to be helpful, but I was really trying my hardest not to cross that line with him. Even though I had been ready to throw everything out the window five minutes prior. 

He chuckled, “Hear me out…ok? Can I at least have Evan schedule someone to be there to change them the day we get back? That way it’s taken care of, and I don’t have to worry about it.” 

I sighed, “Ok. Fine. I’ll agree to that.”

He pulled me back into a tight embrace, mumbling a soft “thank you” against my hair. I had to admit, his concern was kind of hot. There was no question that he cared about my wellbeing, and I was appreciative of that. I also sort of loved his need to take care of me. I hadn’t had that in a long time, and it was definitely making me feel things. 

He inhaled deeply, then pulled away, “Alright, let’s go get lunch. I’m starving.”

Whatever spell we had been under now seemed to be broken and the moment passed. I felt a weird mix of disappointment and relief.

A short time later, we set off walking down the sidewalk and found a small cafe just up the street. Neither of us brought up what happened before Evan called. That’s not to say that things didn’t feel different. Dieter seemed more smiley than usual, and his touches were definitely more frequent and lingering. I tried to dismiss it, telling myself that I was only being more hyper aware and that nothing had actually changed. I wasn’t even sure if I believed it, no matter how many times I said it to myself. 

As we ate, Dieter filled me in on his morning, and I did the same. It sounded like my morning had been more exciting than his. He had mostly spent his time doing table reads and helping make edits to the scripts. He didn’t necessarily need to be there for all of that, but he felt being involved with that process had helped smooth things over with some of the staff and cast. Overall, he was feeling much better about things than he was on the first day. I briefly wondered if perhaps his elevated mood could be attributed to that. 

On the way back from the cafe, Dieter spotted a boutique plant shop on the opposite side of the street. His eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store as he grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the nearest crosswalk to go check it out. As we walked through the front entrance, he froze on the spot, his wide eyes taking in the small shop. If he had been a dog, I’m fairly certain he would have been salivating. 

He leaned over toward me, speaking in a low raspy voice, “I have a two plant limit. Smack me if I pick up more than that.”

I snorted. I couldn’t help it. It was the most ridiculous and most adorable thing I think I had ever seen. I followed behind him as he jabbered about the different plants being misted on the shelves. 

I couldn’t fight the urge to tease him, “I feel like we need a Steve Irwin voice over right now. A wild Dieter Bravo on the hunt for life sustaining herbs in his natural environment.”

He snickered, “Please act that one out for me. I need to hear it, with the accent.” 

I shook my head, trying to stifle my laughter, “Not a chance, Bravo.” 

(Pics for reference, just because...more below the cut.)

We made our way over to a shelf full of succulents and cacti. One little group in particular caught my attention. My brows knitted together as I took in the phallic looking plants. 

I could hear Dieter snickering at my side, already assuming what I was about to say, “Is it just me, or do those look a little obscene?” 

Dieter was fighting to hold back his laughter now, “It’s a penis cactus.” 

I snorted, “Well, I was trying to be a little less blunt about it, but yes.”

He laughed harder pointing at the small tag on the shelf, “No, it’s literally called a penis cactus.”

I looked at the sign and finally lost it. We both stood in the aisle laughing like a couple of idiots over a plant that looked like a dick. 

A lady approached us smiling, asking if we needed help finding anything. Dieter finally sobered up enough to ask, “Do you ship? I have a feeling I may want to have a few things shipped back home.” 

She nodded. They chatted for a moment longer before she left us to continue browsing. Dieter was still eyeing the penis cactus.

I shook my head, “You’re not buying one of those. I refuse to let you.” 

He scoffed, “If anybody is gonna have a penis cactus, it’s me… Don’t judge me.” He couldn’t keep a straight face through that sentence. 

I rolled my eyes, “Why don’t you get a cute one.” I picked up a small pot and held it up to him. “Look at this one! It looks like little dolphins hanging off the stems.” 

He shook his head, “I have one of those already. Blubber is very temperamental about his roots. I don’t need another moody bitch in my little plant kingdom.”

I snorted out a laugh, “Blubber? Plant kingdom? Really?” Without thinking, I reached up and ruffled his hair, causing his breath to hitch. 

“You’re too damn adorable sometimes. I can’t handle it,” I added. His cheeks flushed as he reached to rub at the back of his neck. His actions only added to his adorableness.

In an attempt to avoid staring at his pouty bottom lip, I turned and set the dolphin succulent down and picked up another that looked like little bunnies on the ends of the stems and held it up. He pursed his lips, eyeing it suspiciously as he took it from me, “I don’t have one of these. It IS pretty damn cute…alright, one penis cactus and one bunny succulent.” 

I had to ask, “And what are you gonna name them?”

A thoughtful look formed on his face as he considered his options. “Bob and Thumper,” he finally said matter of factly. 

I arched a brow, fighting a smile, “Do I even want to know which is which?” 

He chuckled, “I’ll leave that to you to figure out.” 

I shook my head, watching as he began shuffling the penis cacti around on the shelf, “Gotta make sure I get a decent sized one. Can’t be having a puny dick plant.” 

I heard a woman standing nearby scoff as she walked off. Dieter and I both giggled like a couple of immature teenagers over his comment and her reaction. He eventually turned and handed me a rather large penis shaped plant and started giggling again before the next sentence left his mouth, “Careful, it’s pokey. I’d wager it has some serious penetration power.” 

I was shaking from laughter as I stood there cradling the pot with both hands. Dieter wasn’t fairing much better as he continued to shuffle plants around on the shelf, occasionally letting out a low chuckle over his comments.

Once he was satisfied with his choices, we finally moved on. Every time he looked over at me holding the penis plant, he snickered. 

“How is it I’m the one that got stuck carrying a dick in a pot and you're carrying the cute one?” 

He shrugged and gave me a cheesy grin that made his dimple pop. I huffed and continued down the aisle ahead of him, stopping to flip through a rack of plant themed T-shirts. I paused, having found the perfect one for him. 

“Dieter, what size shirt do you wear?” I asked innocently.

He sidled up next to me, resting his hand at the nape of my neck briefly before running his fingers down the length of my hair, continuing his motions as he replied, “Extra-large, why?”

I could feel his intense gaze on my face as he waited for a response. I was momentarily frozen by his touch, losing any coherent thought I had as my eyes fluttered shut, enjoying the feeling of his casual affection. At that moment I realized how much I missed those small gestures. Alec only seemed to show any sort of attentiveness when he thought someone was looking, to keep up the appearance of a happy couple. As time went on, I hadn’t really wanted any sort of affection from him, but now, I craved it. I craved it from Dieter. I found the more he gave, the more I wanted, and it was driving me insane. 

When I finally opened my eyes, he was still staring at me with the strangest expression. His eyes seemed darker, filled with longing and unspoken words. I peered up at him with narrowed eyes, determined not to stray across that invisible line. My attention turned back to flipping through a few more shirts, finding his size. With a smug grin, I held it up so he could see it, “I’m buying this for you and you're gonna wear it. It’s near perfect. The only thing missing is the silhouette of a dick cactus.” 

He finally looked away from my face, his eyes squinting to focus on the shirt as he read it aloud, “I’m in my plant daddy era.” 

He huffed out a laugh as he pulled me into his side, “I will one hundred percent wear that. I’ll wear it on SNL if I can get away with it.” 

I pushed away from him, chuckling quietly. “You will not. Shut up.” 

I draped the shirt over my arm, then we continued down the aisles, occasionally pointing things out to each other, but mostly silent now as we took things in. Dieter’s mood seemed to have shifted. When I glanced at him, he would give me a soft smile as his eyes roamed my face. There was something about the way that he was looking at me that made me feel like I was descending down the big drop of a roller coaster, causing my stomach to do flips. It was only made worse by his continued light touches to my lower back or the way he would lean into me as we stood looking at something. There’s no way I was imagining this. He was definitely being more affectionate toward me. 

We eventually made our way to the checkout counter. It took Dieter several minutes to get his shipping sorted out, but once he did, we headed back to the hotel with a plan to get some rehearsal time in. As we approached the hotel entrance, we were accosted by paparazzi. They were pleasant at first, asking Dieter about SNL, but then their questions shifted to me. Initially, they were pretty nonchalant in asking me why I wasn’t wearing my engagement ring. When I didn’t respond, their tone shifted, becoming slightly more aggressive. I was able to ignore it until they asked a question that ignited a burning anger inside of me.

“Does Dieter have anything to do with you not wearing your ring?” 

My feet abruptly stopped moving, seemingly of their own choosing. It took Dieter a second to realize I had paused before he finally turned on his heel, looking at me with a confused expression. I let out a heavy sigh, now seething over the insinuation as I turned toward the pap, “I wanna be clear, the reason that I’m no longer wearing my engagement ring has absolutely NOTHING to do with Dieter Bravo. He and I are just friends. If you wanna know the reason, maybe you should ask Alec.” 

Anxiety was rolling off me in waves as I felt Dieter tug at my elbow, pulling me toward the hotel entrance. I relented and allowed him to lead me inside as he shielded me from the paps shouted questions. We were both silent until we got onto the elevator. 

“What was that about?” he asked gently.

My hands ran down my face as the doors popped open to our floor. Sighing before finally answering him, “I just don’t want you to be associated with whatever shitstorm comes of this. You don’t need ‘homewrecker’ added to your resume of bad deeds. Especially when it has nothing to do with you.” 

Dieter shrugged, “I’m pretty sure I’ve been called out for worse things, but I appreciate the sentiment.” 

He stood beside me, scratching his patchy beard while I swiped into our suite. As we walked through the door, he asked, “Do you wanna talk about it? I can tell it’s been bothering you.”

I huffed out a laugh, “I wouldn’t say that, but it’s definitely got me reevaluating things.” About you.

I gave him a weak smile, hoping he couldn’t see through my words. “I will…talk about it soon. I’m just…still trying to wrap my head around everything.”

He nodded as he pulled me into a tight hug, cocooning me in his warmth and scent. I melted into him, all the tension leaving my body. I didn’t want to move. I wanted to stay there forever, basking in his light. He was making me feel things that I hadn’t felt in a long time - cared for, appreciated, and safe. All things I hadn’t really realized I was missing but now knew I wanted and I wanted them from him. Stop thinking like that, Kat. You can’t go there. Isighed, pulling away, “Let’s get to rehearsing. We probably need to film some too.” 

He nodded, “Good point. I’ll go grab the equipment and set it up. We gonna do it on the terrace?” 

I’d like to do it on the terrace…ugh, focus. I cleared my throat, “Yeah…yeah, that works.” 

We spent several hours rehearsing, eventually getting rained on. It was a light rain, so we kept going. It definitely made things more interesting…and slippery. He nearly dropped me a couple of times during one of the lifts, but managed to catch me against his body before I made it to the ground. The close contact and the way he held me tightly against himself was definitely getting me worked up. It didn’t help that he looked sexy as hell with his wet hair hanging down over his smoldering eyes and his white shirt turning transparent across his broad chest as it was saturated with water. 

I eventually hit my limit on self-torture late in the evening. We called it quits after we both began shivering from our wet clothes meeting the cool night air. I waited just outside the terrace door while Dieter ran to get towels, nearly busting his ass on the slick floor in the process, which caused us to burst into laughter. He returned a short time later, walking more gingerly across the living space, with several towels in hand. He held one open and wrapped it around me. Then he grabbed another and draped it over my head, gently squeezing it around my saturated hair before turning his attention to rubbing his hands up and down my arms to help calm the shivering. I leaned into his chest, dropping my head backward onto his shoulder, seeking his warmth. It was an involuntary response, not even thinking about what I was doing before I did it. He didn’t seem to mind as he pulled me tightly against his front and wrapped his arms around me, resting his cheek on the side of my forehead. 

We stood in the doorway like that for a while, watching it rain and not saying a word. All the while my heart was beating out of my chest because of his proximity and the way he was making me feel. For a brief moment, I considered turning my head to press my lips to his but dismissed the thought as quickly as it had come. I suddenly felt like we were crossing that invisible line and needed to put some space between us. I pulled away, giving him a shy smile.

“I think I’m gonna make use of that soaking tub then head to bed. I’m starting to feel a little achy…from the weather, I’m sure…I probably need to try and relax some.” 

Dieter actually looked a little disappointed but nodded. “Do you need me to get you anything?”

I shook my head, “Na, I’m good. Thanks though. I’ll see you in the morning.” 

I noticed his hand lingered on my side until I moved out of his reach. I could feel his eyes on me until I closed the bedroom door behind me.

(More after the pics. Click to enlarge to read text.)

As I got settled into the tub, my phone dinged. It was from Dieter, sending me a short video clip of us dancing in the rain “for an insta post.” I gave him a thumbs up, before saving it to upload to Instagram. Once I finished with that task, I noticed I had a new notification. Dieter had tagged me in a post. He had apparently taken a picture of me at the plant boutique and shared it using the tags #ShePutsUpWithMeBecauseSheHasTo and #SheSecretlyLovesMeThough. I felt a rush at seeing those words. This was the second time he had said something like that, and it was causing butterflies to form in the pit of my stomach. I sighed, setting my phone down. I don’t know how much longer I can fight this.  

I tried to clear my mind and focus on relaxing in the steaming hot water. It was hard, but I finally managed. Once the water began to cool, I got out, threw a t-shirt and shorts on and climbed into bed.

My dreams that night were about Dieter. Just when things were about to get interesting, I was jolted awake by my phone ringing. I looked over at the clock and groaned. It was 6AM. Who in the hell is calling this early…

The call went to voicemail before I could answer it. Then I realized I had several missed calls and text messages from my sister, Lydia. I felt panic rush through me as I unlocked my phone and opened my messenger app. 

LYDIA: Kat, I just saw the pictures, call me.  LYDIA: Are you ok? LYDIA: Did you know? LYDIA: I knew I didn’t like that guy, he’s such a fucking asshole.  LYDIA: Why didn’t you tell me you two had split? I have so many questions. CALL ME!

I let out a whispered “What the fuck…,” confused as to what she was talking about. I opened Instagram and checked my tagged posts. There were pictures of Alec and Lana all over each other outside of an LA restaurant. The video taken outside the hotel the previous day of me saying they should ask Alec why I was no longer wearing my ring was also circulating. I sighed, “Well, guess the proverbial cat is out of the bag now.” 

I did a quick google search which led me to a TMZ article about the whole thing. Apparently “insiders” were reporting that Alec was having an affair with Lana and there had been a confrontation after the last live show. Insiders. Right. I wonder who that is…

This was about to turn into a shitshow, and I was not looking forward to it. To make things worse, I knew Dieter would inevitably be pulled into the middle of it. I sighed, continuing to read through the rest of the article. And there it was, the “insiders” also shared that Dieter was playing the role of a supportive friend and helping me through this difficult time. They added that this latest development was sure to make the show a lot more interesting going forward. 

I puffed air out of my cheeks in frustration, “Well it looks like Stacia and Joe are getting their fucking wish.” 

Since our split was no longer a secret, I took a few minutes to go through and remove all of the pictures of Alec off my social media. No reason to keep that nonsense there now. Then I sent a quick text to my sister to let her know that I was fine and that I would call her later because I couldn’t talk right now. I didn’t have time to go over everything with her because I still had to get ready to go to the studio with Dieter so we could film the Dirty Dancing skit. 

Once I was ready, I made my way out into the living room. Dieter was at the dining table, uneaten food sitting in front of him. His head jerked up from his phone as he gave me a sympathetic look. Fuck. He’s seen it too. 

I moved to sit across the table from him as he slid a cup of coffee and a wrapped food item in my direction. I sighed, picking up the coffee and taking a long drink from it. 

“You doing ok?” he finally asked. 

I nodded, “Yeah, it wasn’t a surprise or anything. I already knew.” 

He reached over, taking my free hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze, “You wanna talk about it?” 

I shook my head, my eyes focused on the coffee cup in my hand as I responded, “Not right now. I’m not gonna let him ruin my day. I’ll tell you about it later.” 

In my periphery, I could see him nodding with pursed lips. “Well, at least today should be kind of fun. Filming a skit together should be interesting.” 

I chuckled quietly, “Yeah. Interesting is right. I’m about to make a fool of myself.” 

He smiled, “Na, I’ve got you. There aren't a lot of speaking parts for you, and you shouldn’t have any issues with the dancing.” 

I snorted, “Yeah, we’ll see.” 

Interesting was indeed a good description. What they had settled on doing for the skit was basically a movie trailer parody. They handpicked several scenes and figured out how to make them as ridiculous as possible. The first scene that we shot was where Baby carried the watermelon to the party. Except this time, it was Dieter carrying two very small watermelons at crotch level as he approached me, turning it into an unintentional joke about having small balls as he attempted to flirt…badly. I was having the hardest time keeping a straight face through several of the takes. The both of us actually burst into laughter a couple of times, but we finally managed it. 

The next scene we filmed involved me beckoning him onto the dance floor, attempting to show him how to do the ‘dirty dancing’ that everyone else around us was doing. The way he was flailing around initially had me in stitches. After giving him a quick ‘lesson’ he switched to humping the air as I shook my head and walked out of frame, still trying to hold in my laughter. He followed after me with his arms out, shouting, “Oh come on, that was good.” 

We filmed several other scenes from the movie, including Dieter standing in front of me as I slid my hand down the underside of his raised arm and him giggling like a fool as I got frustrated, practicing footwork on a giant fake log and him falling off of it as I gave an exasperated look, and teaching him the final dance where he was doing the most absurd over the top exaggerated movements throughout. We also did the “Nobody puts Bravo in a corner scene” to which I absolutely lost it every time I said the line. I blamed Dieter and the ridiculous puppy dog thing he kept doing with his eyes as the line left my mouth. It took several tries, but we finally nailed it. 

We also shot a scene practicing the lift, except I was the one lifting Dieter and dropping him multiple times. They had him rigged up on a wire system for that, but there were still several instances where he really fell on top of me as we went down. We laughed it off, but there was some serious sexual tension forming that I absolutely could not ignore. By this point, we were heavily flirting and couldn’t keep our hands off each other. Even when the cameras were not rolling. 

We ended by filming the final dance scene. He was still making the moves look as comical as possible, intentionally of course. We did the lift again, nailing it for the final shot. I stood there pretending to hold him up, trying to hold my laughter while he posed with his arms out and had a cheesy ass grin on his face for the camera. As they lowered him, he wrapped his arms around my neck and pulled me against his body, laughing into the top of my hair about the whole thing. 

“This is going to be the most ridiculous thing ever,” he finally said. Then he kissed me on the forehead, “Thank you for doing this with me.” 

I was stunned. It took me a minute to snap out of it and respond, “No problem. It has been kind of fun. I can’t wait to see the final product.” He pulled away as two guys came to unhook him from the rig. I scurried out of the way to stand in the corner to wait for him. While waiting, one of the cast extras came over and asked to speak with me. I smiled politely, not knowing what she could possibly want, then motioned for her to continue. 

“I feel stupid for asking and it’s probably a long shot, but is Dieter dating anyone?” 

That was not a question I was expecting. Several things went through my head. Was she serious? Was this a ruse to see if we had something going on? What were her intentions? On top of the questions, I actually felt a tinge of jealousy. It wasn’t like I had any right to feel that way. I could lie and say he was seeing someone, but that didn’t seem fair to him. Part of me sort of wanted to see how he would handle her asking him out. 

I stalled, glancing over at Dieter, who was struggling to get out of his harness. “Uhhh, I don’t think so,” I finally managed to get out. 

I turned my attention back to the girl. She was pretty. A young blonde thing that I’m sure any man would find attractive. I felt my insides twist at the thought of him being interested in her. Fuck. I’ve got it bad. 

“So, you two aren’t…a thing?”

It took me a second to realize what she was asking, but then I shook my head. “Oh no, not at all. Just dance partners, nothing else.” I hoped she couldn’t hear the disappointment in my voice. 

She visibly relaxed, “Whew. Ok, good. I didn’t wanna step on any toes. Do you think he would be weirded out if I gave him my number?” 

At least she asked, I guess. I shrugged, my mouth hanging open for a moment. “I honestly don’t know. It’s Dieter…you never know what sort of reaction you’re gonna get from him.” 

It wasn’t a lie, but I also hoped it would be a deterrent. It didn’t seem to be. As he moved to walk toward me, she intercepted him. I could tell the moment she brought it up because his eyes widened as he nervously glanced in my direction. He sort of shrugged, shaking his head from side to side. It looked like he said something about not having any free time before he heads back to LA, obviously trying to let her down easily. 

After the girl walked away, he gave me a wide-eyed stare as he moved toward me a little faster than necessary. He huffed out a laugh, “Fucking hell. What is with this cast trying to get with me.” 

I felt relieved, now smiling up at him, “So it was a no, huh?”

He scoffed, “You knew what was happening?”

I snickered, “Yeah, she asked if you were seeing anyone. I said I didn’t think so.” 

He shook his head, “If anyone else asks you that, lie. Tell them I’m celibate or asexual. I don’t care what you say. Just shut it down.” 

Laughter shook my body as he pulled me into his side. He chuckled, “You and Zee are the only women in my life right now. I don’t need or want any more.” 

My laughter subsided as I peered up at him. I wasn’t sure how to take that. I knew he was joking, but I wanted it to be true. I wanted to be his. 

He glanced down at me and smiled, “Hey, how about we head back to the hotel, get changed, and go out for a decent dinner tonight? There’s a fancy Greek restaurant nearby that I think you’d enjoy.” 

I felt my heart flutter over the fact that he wanted to take me to a Greek restaurant of all places. He was always so thoughtful. He had also turned someone else down, only to ask me to dinner immediately after. Why did he do that? 

I arched a brow at him, “So, you have time to take me out to dinner, but not the hot blonde?”  

He shrugged, “We need to rehearse after…and she’s not really my type.” 

My eyes narrowed, “You say that a lot. Do you even know what your type is?”

He thought for a moment, then gave me a mischievous smile as he leaned down next to my ear, whispering in a velvety smooth voice, “For starters, I prefer brunettes.” 

I felt goosebumps prickling at my skin as my eyes widened. What the hell is he doing? Surely, I’m reading into all this too much because I want it to be true. 

I side-eyed him, “Mmhmm, is that the problem?”

He turned to look at me intently, “Yeah, it’s kind of a deal breaker.” 

I chuckled, “Alright. Noted. I’ll be sure to send the brunettes you’re way and tell everyone else you’re celibate and not dating.” 

Dieter rolled his eyes, grabbing my hand to pull me into the hallway, moving toward the dressing rooms as he entwined his fingers with mine.

(More after the pics. Click to enlarge to read text)

We paused in the hallway for a minute so I could take a quick selfie of us. I was overdue for another ‘behind the scenes’ Instagram post. Dieter leaned in and surprised me with a kiss on the cheek just as I snapped the picture. I wasn’t expecting it, which meant I couldn't help the cheesy grin that spread across my face. It made me feel a rush of excitement that I had to work hard to contain. 

Dieter leaned over my shoulder as I pulled up Instagram to get it posted. I took the opportunity to give a little tease about what we were up to by adding the hashtag #NobodyPutsBravoInTheCorner. Dieter gave me a nod of approval before I hit ‘post’. If this didn’t whip the Dieterina crowd into a frenzy, then I didn’t know what would. 

After that, we quickly changed out of our costumes and headed back to the hotel to freshen up and get ready to go out for dinner. I had a nervous flutter in my stomach as I pulled on the little black dress I had brought. This almost felt like a date, except he hadn’t called it that. Why would he? We were just two friends hanging out during a work trip after all. 

Once I was ready, I walked out into the living room. Dieter let out a low whistle from where he was sitting just outside the open terrace door. I could feel the blush creeping up my cheeks as his eyes looked me over from head to toe.

“Damn girl, you pulled out the revenge dress tonight.” 

I laughed nervously, “Shut up. I did not.” 

I walked outside, standing next to where he was sitting as I took in the dusky view of the city. When I turned back to face him, I caught him pointing his phone in my direction.

“What are you doing?” I asked as my eyes narrowed on him.

He snickered, “Taking a picture for Instagram. Fine art is meant to be appreciated after all.”

I rolled my eyes at him, “If you say so.”

He tapped away on his phone for a moment before standing and snaking his arm around my waist, “You ready to go? I can’t wait to show you off.” 

My eyes snapped to his as I tried not to be distracted by the way he was pulling me against his body. A small smile tugged at my lips, “I wasn’t aware that I was yours to show off.” 

He laughed nervously, “I mean…you are my dance partner. I think I’m allowed to be proud of that.” 

I bumped my shoulder against his, “Mmhmm, I suppose so…Ya know, you don’t look so bad yourself.” 

It wasn’t a lie. He was wearing some well fitted dark wash jeans, a black button up dress shirt, and a black blazer. His button allergy was flaring up of course, allowing a nice little peak at his chest. I spent more time staring at that patch of bare skin than I should have. I knew it would serve as a distraction all throughout dinner. 

We left soon after that, walking to the restaurant that was just a couple of blocks over. Dieter had called ahead to reserve a table, so we didn’t have to wait long. As soon as we were seated, we knew we had eyes on us. There was a woman a few tables over trying to be sneaky about snapping pictures. We both sighed heavily once we realized it. We tried not to let it bother us, but it definitely had us on our best behavior for the most part. It didn’t stop Dieter from touching my knee under the table when he laughed about something or encouraged me to try some of his food. Each time, he would squeeze gently, sending shivers up my spine. I found myself wishing we were at a more private table, so we could really enjoy our time with each other. We still had fun though, and the food was as amazing as he said it would be. 

We walked back to the hotel arm in arm, discussing our rehearsal plans for the evening. We figured we could get at least four or five hours in before we needed to go to bed. We wasted no time jumping into it, quickly changing then going out on the terrace to get started. By this point, we pretty much had the choreography figured out and just needed to work on polishing things up. Dieter seemed to be feeling more relaxed about the routine than he had earlier in the week, smiling and humming along to the music as we worked through the moves. His deep soulful voice was reverberating through every inch of my body, making it hard to focus on the steps, but I didn’t want him to stop. 

After several minutes of the humming, my brows arched as I smiled at him. He smirked before spinning me around. “What are you smiling about?” he asked.

I shook my head, moving back into a closed position as we floated around the terrace to the music. “You don’t usually sing along. You must be feeling this song.” 

He shrugged, “Ehh, it’s growing on me. The lyrics are…” 

His words trailed off as his eyes met mine. There seemed to be a longing in his gaze as he gave me a soft smile, pulling me against him for the first small lift. Once my feet were firmly back on the ground, I prompted him, “The lyrics are what? You can’t leave me hanging like that.” 

He chuckled, “I dunno…their bittersweet. Makes me wonder if a love like that actually exists.” 

My breath hitched. I really wish I knew what he was thinking. I wasn’t sure how to respond to him. I opted for a bit of humor so as to not give myself away, “Well, if you happen to find it, please share the secret.” 

He stared at me for a moment, the look in his eyes almost wistful. He seemed like he was about to say something else but didn’t, instead transitioning to the next move and going silent. 

We went through the routine one more time after that, seeming to have it down for the most part. When we finished, I followed Dieter back inside, watching as he went to grab us a couple bottles of water from the mini fridge. I sat down on the sectional and stretched out along one side of it. He handed me a water as he walked by, then leaned down to lift my feet off the couch so he could sit down in front of the TV. I scoffed as he sat, watching him take a quick swig of water, trying not to laugh. 

He finally looked at me with a sneaky smirk, then patted his lap for me to prop my feet up. I furrowed my brows. This felt like crossing the line. I hesitated. He scoffed and rolled his eyes. Then leaned down to grab my feet, lifting them into his lap as he pulled me closer, causing me to scoot down the sofa so that I was lying down. He put his arm across my ankles so that I couldn’t move, “Sit back and relax Kit Kat. You’ve been going all day. I don’t want you to overdo it”

I blew air out of my cheeks as I settled in and got comfortable. Dieter was flipping through the channels on the TV when my phone buzzed with a text from my sister. She wanted to check in and see how I was doing. I sighed. I knew she had good intentions, but I didn’t want to interrupt my time with Dieter to fill her in. I shot her a quick text to let her know I was ok and that I would give her a call once I got back to LA. As I laid my phone down on my stomach, I noticed Dieter giving me a questioning look. 

I gave him a tight-lipped smile in return, “It’s my sister checking on me. She saw the pictures.” 

He chewed on the inside of his cheek, now turning down the volume on the TV. Then he shifted to face me, propping his legs up along the edge of the couch next to my hip. 

“You wanna talk about that now?” he asked gently. 

“I mean, you don’t have to tell me what happened, but it may do you some good to talk to someone about it,” he added as he took my bare left foot in his hand and began to gently massage it with his thumbs. Damn, that feels good. 

I sighed, “Yeah, I mean…it probably would. I haven’t told anyone what happened.”

I rubbed at the crease between my brows, dreading speaking it out loud. I really hoped I could keep it together. 

“There’s not really much to it…last Thursday morning, Alec and I were supposed to go get breakfast before rehearsals. We hadn’t really spent much time together since the show started, so we were making an effort to do that. He had spent the night after coming in pretty late. I have no idea where he was, but I can assume…The next morning, as I was getting ready, he came in and said he had to switch rehearsal times with one of the other couples…straight up lied to my face to get out of going out with me. After he left…I called to check about his studio time and found out he hadn’t switched with anyone. So, I went to his apartment and walked in on him fucking Lana…without a condom I might add.”

Dieter gave me a sympathetic look, “So you lied about being stuck in traffic that morning.”

My face scrunched up as I inhaled deeply, “I did, I’m sorry about that. I didn’t wanna fall apart while we were filming. I just needed time…to process it. I was sort of in shock I think.” 

He shrugged, “That’s understandable, but I knew something was wrong.”

“I know. I’m sorry that I worried you. I was just very much in my head and trying to figure out next steps. I hadn’t expected to end my day with a trip to the local clinic to get checked out because of my cheating fiancé. I was feeling a lot of emotions and didn’t really know how to express them yet...” 

He grimaced as his thumb dug into the arch of my foot a little deeper, causing me to melt further into the sofa. I had to fight the urge to moan from the feeling. He really did give a good foot massage. God, is there anything he can’t do? 

“Did the pictures upset you this morning?” he asked.

I shook my head, “Not really. I’m surprised they were so public with it this soon, but I’ve already seen worse than that. So, I didn’t really feel anything but annoyed by the shitstorm they’re about to unleash on us.” 

“That’s probably a valid concern. Looks like Stacia and Joe are gonna get their drama.” 

I gave a dismissive laugh, “Yeah, guess so…but even with that, I still feel sort of relieved. I made a mistake giving him another chance. I was already hating myself for making that decision…but at least it gave me a good reason to finally kick him to the curb. He couldn’t talk his way out of that one.”

Dieter’s thumbs moved to lightly rub small circles on the inside of my foot, just under the ankle bone. He was staring at me intensely now. Between the way he was touching me and the way he was looking at me, it caused my thighs to involuntarily clench together. I noticed his lips twitching, like he was fighting a smile. Fuck. Please tell me he didn’t notice that.

“That’s true. At least you can move on to bigger and better things now,” he finally said.

His voice seemed lower, causing the forming ache at my center to become almost unbearable. I could feel my breathing pick up as his eyes studied me. I squirmed under his gaze, my core now contracting around nothing. I felt the pressure of his thumb increase as it slid toward my Achilles tendon. That familiar sensation of a pending release started to build, my body involuntarily tensing as a result. My jaw fell slack as a tingling sensation started in my foot where he was rubbing and shot straight to my aching cunt. What the actual hell was that? Is he doing that on purpose? I pulled my foot away before I had a full-on orgasm from a fucking foot massage. 

He smirked, “Something wrong?” 

I sucked in a breath with wide eyes, shaking my head. “N-No. It’s just a little ticklish. Maybe avoid that spot.” 

His teeth sunk into his bottom lip as he chuckled, “Noted.” 

He switched to the other foot at that point, still glancing my way with that fucking smirk. 

“You sure you’re OK? You look a little flushed,” he asked in a teasing tone. 

I could have kicked him in his stupidly handsome face. I felt like he knew exactly what he was doing. Why would he do that on purpose though? Surely that wasn’t the case. 

I pulled my feet from his lap and moved to sit up. I needed to put some space between us before I lost my damn mind and what little self-control I still had.

“Actually…I’m really tired, I think I’m just gonna head to bed. What time do we need to be at the studio tomorrow?” 

Dieter’s lips turned downward, “Umm, eight I think.”

I nodded as I stood from the couch, “Alright… I’ll uhh… see you in the morning…Goodnight.”

I nearly tripped over the coffee table when I turned to walk toward my room. I didn’t even acknowledge my clumsiness, I just kept walking. I could hear Dieter snickering as I closed the door behind me.

It took me forever to fall asleep. I was so wound up I felt like I was about to snap. I was half tempted to try and relieve some of the tension but was worried I wouldn’t be able to stay quiet enough so that Dieter wouldn’t hear me on the other side of the door. As I laid there with my eyes closed, I silently cursed him for not going to his room. 

Thank God this week of fucking torture is almost over. I can’t take much more.

Next: Week 5 (Part 3)

A/N: Y'all still with me? Are you ready to come at me with pitchforks yet? I told you, its a slow build. If you think the tension is bad now...It gets worse (if you can believe that). Don't worry, in the next part, things are going down (and so does Dieter...). 😏

Once again, there was so much that happened this chapter. The news about Kat/Alec/Lana has broke. The drama is upon them. We had a lot of cute (and hot) interactions with Dieter and Kat. Which one was your favorite?

How about that foot massage? Fun fact, some people can actually have an orgasm from a foot massage. It's a thing! You have a lot of nerve endings in your feet that connect to other parts of your body. Do you think Dieter is aware of this? How big of a menace do you think he being?

Do you think Dieter is laying it on too thick? Or is he meeting Kat in the middle? They are both definitely putting off some vibes.

Poor Dieter can't catch a break. Everyone wants a piece of him. Do you think people hitting on him will eventually have any impact on Kat?

What do we think Alec was up to? Something nefarious, or just wanting his stuff?

So, I know I said 3 parts for Rumba week. I lied. It will be 4, because... smut happened. I'm not sorry. 😂

Part 3 is nearly done. I plan to get it posted sometime next week. Haven't started part 4 yet, so no ETA on that one.

What do you think is going to happen in part 3? Who is going to break first? What's going to cause it? I can't wait to get this one out to you!

HERE is the sexy Rumba video for this chapter.

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[rainbowsky]

GQ & ADLAD CPN

@accio-victuuri has a post about some of the CPN from the GQ feature on GG. There are a couple more CPNs that I wanted to talk about because - with the exception of a couple of tidbits - I haven't seen turtles talking about some things that really stood out to me.

Both of the tidbits being discussed by BXG are based on fake rumors from the past.

Godly Back

Turtles feel that the backless jacket might be what was referred to in the recent LRLG rumor (Apparently wangwang senbei can be a homophone sounding like 'godly back').

In this context, "You saw what I wore, can you please choose something normal" becomes hilarious. 😅

If he really was talking about GG's back, well... DD, the rest of the internet agrees with you given the hotsearch that was trending on both the main and entertainment hotsearches. 😅

Xiao Zhan's back ditch is so deep

GGDD and ADLAD

This one I wanted to dig more deeply into because it's connected to a few different CPN from a long time ago, and a lot of turtles might not be aware of all these connections.

In the GQ interview GG mentioned he was really nervous for the first performance of ADLAD.

At the time a LRLG rumor came out with some exchanges between GG and DD in the days leading up to that first show. GG talks about being nervous, DD and his staff video call him to wish him Jiayou, and at one point - presumably the last time they talk before that first show - DD video calls with GG and closes off by giving him a high 5.

The day after the first show, GG posted on Weibo.

At the time there was a lot of speculation about what that second photo was. One of the theories was that GG had screen capped DD's hand high-5-ing his phone. Some fans even tried doing that themselves (screencapping their hands up against their phone cameras to see what would happen) with somewhat similar results - photos that were an ombre of pale pink to red.

Some additional CPN

When I saw GG talking in GQ about the first ADLAD show and how nervous he was and I saw turtles looking back over the LRLG rumors from that time, I decided to look over those rumors myself. I found a couple things there that really hit me in the gut, but which I haven't seen other turtles discussing.

Magician DD

One thing that stood out to me from the ADLAD LRLG rumor was when DD told GG he could do magic, and told his staff that only GG believed him.

Back in 2021 a series of pages called the 300G were released, which claimed to be transcripts of some of the best unseen moments from The Untamed BTS (300GB of BTS footage was reportedly sold to BXG fansites). They were translated by an all-star team of some of the best BXG translators and overall fandom MVP on Twitter back in the day (god I miss those days of Twitter 😢).

Disclaimer: We must remember that these are unconfirmed transcripts. As far as I know, none of the footage that could substantiate these transcripts has ever been released, so it could just be someone's fanfic.

Anyway, my absolute favorite moment in those transcripts was an exchange between GG and DD, when GG had been struggling with nailing a scene. My synopsis from a post I made about GG and DD's personalities a while back:

GG is having a hard time getting a take right for a scene, and the director tells him to take a break. DD scoots over to where GG is resting and holds out his two fists facing downward in front of GG and asks him to pick one for a surprise. GG agonizes a bit over which one to choose, but finally picks a hand. DD gives GG a mysterious smile and asks GG to hold out his hand. GG does, and DD opens his fingers over GG’s palm. There’s nothing there. DD says, “I’ve just given you some luck, so that on your next take, you will succeed.” GG asks what is in the other hand and DD turns it over and opens it and says, “See, there’s nothing there! Zhan-ge is so good, you guessed right on the first try!” GG rolls his eyes at DD and says, “WYB, in your heart, do you think I’m more than 10 years old?” On the next take, GG nails the scene.

So it's just possible that DD and GG have a long history of this type of exchange, of DD giving GG his 'magical' support. GG is just superstitious enough that it might genuinely help him, and anyway, who could fail to be soothed by such sweet magic? 🥹

GG and Sleep

Another thing that stood out to me is when GG talked about being unable to sleep. Honestly this part of the interview really got me because I have always struggled with extreme insomnia and I could totally feel his pain. I've tried so many of the things that he's tried, and have had similarly mixed/poor results.

Anyway, aside from the aromatherapy candle CPN that's been heavily discussed in the fandom, what stood out to me CPN-wise was the fact that LRLG rumors have (I think this has happened at least a few times, but I can't recall specifics), featured moments where it seemed like GG and DD left their phone/video calls active to keep each other company when the other one was sleeping.

In the ADLAD LRLG rumor there's a moment when it seems like GG might be having difficulty sleeping and DD keeps him company.

Find someone who will keep you company over the phone while you try to take a nap. 🥹

Firecrackers

Just another quick thing from that same rumor, DD talks about wanting to set off some firecrackers for GG, which... ugh, so sweet. My god.

His staff encourages him to do it, and he says he will be 'taken away' if he does (maybe get into trouble, likely exaggerated a bit), and his staff says he'll cover for DD.

In Chinese culture (and in fact, in many cultures), firecrackers are considered very lucky because they are believed to drive away evil spirits and bad luck (which is why they're such a feature of Spring Festival celebrations).

GG and DD always look out for each other, and this CPN around ADLAD and around GG's sleep struggles really hit me hard. I love them both so damn much!

[starryknight-tarot]

𝓦𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓯𝓾𝓽𝓾𝓻𝓮 𝓼𝓹𝓸𝓾𝓼𝓮 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓪𝓫𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾?

pile 1 -- > pile 2

pile 3 -- > pile 4

my masterlist<3 . paid readings

Hi! I'm Star⭐️ This is my first tarot reading on here so please be nice and let me know if the message resonates with you. Remember to take what resonates and leave what doesn't. If you have a hard time picking a pile, try meditating on it and pick the card that calls to you the most.

Pile 1

Cards: King of Pentacles, Two of Swords, Queen of Swords rx, Ace of Wands, Three of Pentacles rx, The World rx, Seven of Swords, The Sun

Back of the deck: The Hermit rx

I am getting that your future spouse will love your extroverted nature. If you aren't an extrovert, I feel like you might be the kinda of introvert that really opens up to the people that you are close to. I am getting that your fs loves how you can light up any room you walk in. Your fs adores your smile, they see it as brightest most beautiful smile ever. I am getting the thought that you are the sun to this person's moon. Pile 1 you are so cute! Your fs sees you as innocent and adorable. Your fs thinks you look like a cute bunny with the energy of a hyperactive puppy. Your fs loves how independent and strong you are. I feel like your fs knows they can rely on you. You know how to deal with haters and know when to walk away from bad situations and your fs really admires that about you. Like I am getting the imagery of you girl bossing (regardless of your gender, anyone can girl boss lol) and your fs watching in awe with hearts in their eyes. Your fs loves how you seem fearless and strong. I am getting that you have an addicting or unique laugh which gives your fs serious butterflies. I feel like your fs is a very reserved or shy person and it can be hard for them to express themselves but they feel like they can be themselves around and act more free and silly. You might also be shorter then them and they really like the height difference. Your fs also loves how determined you are to make your dreams a reality. You could be an artist just trying to make a career in something more creative. Your fs is your biggest fan and love watching you succeed in your goals and dreams. I am getting that you haven't met your fs yet or they love how you are always ready to try something new and introduce them to new things.

Advice cards:

The universe supports your stance and decision

Bring something new into your life

The key is the application, Practice!

Reflect on your blessings

It is time to take appropriate action

Practice the pause

Channeled Songs:

Pile 2

Cards: Seven of wands, Nine of Cups rx, Six of Pentacles rx, Strength, Three of Cups rx, The Moon, The High Priestess, Temperance

Back of the deck: Page of Wands rx

Your fs is absolutely enchanted by you. I am getting the phrase I've got you under my spell. You make your fs nervous in the best way possible. Just shuffling the cards I could feel how your fs's heart races as you make eye contact with them. I feel like you have dreamy but sharp eyes. I am getting if looks could kill lol. You have a very mysterious aura that people just wanna get to know. You could be a witch or like to wear dark clothes. Your fs loves how classy and clean you look. I just heard they like the way you smell haha. You might have a resting bitch face. Similar to Pile 1, I feel like your future spouse will love how independent you are but unlike pile 1 you give off more of a lone wolf vibe. Pile 2 your fs is an absolute simp. I am just seeing them drooling over you and willing to do anything you ask. Gosh darn it Pile 2 your fs sees you as sexy af. I keep hearing step on me lmao. Your fs doesn't just love your looks, they also find your mind very sexy. You are very intelligent and wise and your fs loves to listen to you speak your mind and talk about your interests. They love to see the passion in your eyes as you do the things you like to do and put your all into your work. Your fs loves when you can be vulnerable with them and share your struggles with them cause all they wanna do is help you. Their love language is most likely acts of service. Your fs loves your unwavering confidence in everything you do and the mystery of never knowing what's next with you.

Advice cards:

Put your tasks and goals in order

The conditions are primed. Yes it can happen and if you believe, it will!

Release all attachments that don't serve you

Get clear about what you want

Your acts of love, kindness, and unlimited forgiveness bestow grace upon you

Align your body, mind, and spirit with your heart

Channeled Songs:

Pile 3

Cards: Knight of Wands rx, Page of Pentacles, Seven of Cups, Ten of Wands, The Sun, Five of Cups, Eight of Swords rx, Knight of Pentacles rx

Back of the deck: Ace of Pentacles

Your fs loves how hardworking you are. They admire sparkle in your aura as you put your all into what you are passionate about. I am getting that they love watching you believe in yourself and push to achieve your goals. It's giving the energy of someone that has their whole future planned out in front of them. I heard you are the person of my dreams. You are the Amy Santiago to this person's Jake Peralta (some of you may be Brooklyn 99 fans). I am getting that your fs just loves being in your presence. Your fs loves your sense of humor and they feel like they could joke around with you for hours. Your fs loves how free you are. They aren't the kinda of person to hold you down and prevent you from doing what you are passionate about. Your fs love the way you communicate and express yourself. I am getting that your fs may have been raised in an environment where the communication was really unhealthy and hard to speak your mind. I feel like you will help them learn what healthy communication is and they are really thankful to have you in their life. Your fs will love the quality time that they spend with you just being yourselves. I feel like your fs may like to slow dance with and feel close to you. You look like you came out of a victorian painting to you fs. They see you as very angelic. I keep seeing rosy cheeks so you could have very rosy cheeks or they just can't help but blush in your presence. I am getting that they can see themselves starting a family with you. They can see you growing old together. Overall, your fs love your partner in crime dynamic and love how you are their other half.

Advice cards:

Hold your life from a sacred viewpoint, Witness the universal picture

Get clear about what you want

It is important to understand and value your own energy

Give yourself your own approval

Create a plan and take the first step

No better time to exists than right now

Spend some time in stillness to reflect

Channeled Songs:

Pile 4

Cards: Six of Wands, Four of Swords rx, Ace of Pentacles, Six of Pentacles rx, Ten of Cups, Three of Swords rx, The Hermit rx, King of Cups

Back of the deck: Queen of Swords

I am getting soulmate vibes for this pile. Your fs feels like they won the lottery getting you. They love how you live rent free in their head. This person may have dreams about you or even have daydreams of you before they even meet you. I feel like your fs may have had a crush on you for a while now. You could have gone to school with them. Your fs loves that you are very eye-catching. They love your fashion. Kinda random but I am getting some of you might be associated with jazz. Some of you may smoke which isn't for everyone but if you do they find it very attractive. Your fs wants to be your knight. You might like to play video games and your fs loves to play with you and get lost in the game for hours. You are the Zelda to their Link. Your fs loves to prove their love for you everyday in the small things they do for you. I feel like your person may have been through a lot of heartbreak but you taught them what real love is and could feel as the more time they spent with you, the more their heart started to mend together again. They feel like they were born to love (ugh so cute). I heard my heart belongs to you and time stops when I am with you. Oh my gosh pile 4 your fs is such a poet. They might write songs about how they feel about you and it is all they cutest cheesy lyrics you have ever read and love it cause you know all of their words comes straight from their heart. Your fs loves how you open up to them and be yourself around them.

Advice cards:

You can if you think and believe you can

In harmony your inner self, you are free to do or be whatever you choose

You may need to take a break from the situation or simply take a rest

You are greater than your story

Pay attention to your breathing, It is reflecting your life

Look closely at what is going on around you

Channeled Songs:

Thank you for tuning in ₊‧.°.⋆🫧•˚₊‧⋆.

[cwritesforfun]

Carmen 'Carmy' Berzatto x Fem!Reader: Your Dad's Biggest Fan (Request)

Ginger = Your Name L/N = Your Last Name *** I do not own any of the Bear characters or plot***

Masterlist

Your POV - The Meet Cute

You write lifestyle reviews for Chicago in the Chicago Times and you often get to visit really cool events in the city that you love. You get to attend music festivals, visit new hotels, and just enjoy the city for pay. However, your favorite part is getting to try different kinds of cuisine in the city and you love to shout out places that you truly enjoy visiting because they all deserve success for their hard work. You've always enjoyed food and writing, so this felt like the perfect job for you.

Your father is an amazing cook with restaurants and Michelin stars to prove it. You're used to people using that information against you or for their personal benefit, so you stopped telling people about him. You even started going by your mother's maiden name, so nobody connected you to your father. Your work knows who your father is and you host the annual holiday party at one of his restaurants, which is fine to mix work and family once a year. Your friends like your father, but they don't use you to get to him, which is nice to have people who truly care about you. It's why you find it hard to date because people seek to use you at every turn.

Your work brings you joy and you love doing it. So getting an email from one of the chefs asking you to meet at their restaurant to talk terrifies you. You went to the Bear, a new restaurant that had once been a sandwich shop called the Beef. Your father liked their sandwiches and would often get them when he was on that side of Chicago. The Bear had just opened with a new menu and they hosted a press night where reviewers in the city came to discover more about the restaurant. You were sent by your newspaper company. You met up with other reviewers that were attending the event and you had a blast. The staff was courteous and kind, they also knew what you needed before you needed it. The food was hot and tasty and melted in your mouth. The bathrooms and space were clean. The wine selection matched perfectly with the meal. The Head Chef, Carmen Berzatto even came out of the kitchen to thank everyone. He was young and cute, and he seemed passionate about his place. You commended the event as one of your favorites and talked up the staff in your article. You even mentioned going to the Beef before it became the Bear. You showed your support, so you were confused about why you were being invited back for a chat. It worried you.

You get off the metro train and make your way over to the Bear. You show up outside and notice they're not even open. This makes you even more confused. You open the front door, step in, and see the staff all sitting at the tables eating lunch from what it looks like. They all turn to face you and you exclaim, 'Hi, I'm Ginger from the Chicago Times. I was told to meet Chef Carmen Berzatto here for a meeting now." The guy you recognize as the chef, Carmen Berzatto, looks up and says, "Oh wow you're on time." You reply, "Yes sir, I recognize that we all have a lot going on, so being punctual is always something I strive for. I usually am 10 minutes early to events, but the metro here was packed." A girl sitting at the table says, "I get that, I hate the metro. My name is Sydney. Nice to meet you, Ginger." You reply, "Nice to meet you, Sydney." You see a man near Camen Berzatto ask, "What made you get into reviews? Oh, and I'm Richie." You answer, "Hi Richie. Well I love writing and I love food, so I wanted to combine them for my job. My mom has always told me to work hard to succeed and that's what I did. Chicago Times liked some of my pieces for college and I started as an intern before I became the full-time lifestyle reviewer I am today. It's great." Richie asks, "And you've been to the Bear before opening?" You answer, "My father used to take me here growing up when I was a kid. And whenever I was on this side of town after college, I always returned to the Beef. You all were always packed and everyone was always friendly." Carmen Berzatto asks, "So you weren't lying in your article, that was all real?" You answer, "Yes sir. I am always completely open and honest about my experiences even if they're being paid for by the company. I never want to lie to readers or companies about what I feel." Carmen Berzatto replies, "Your article helped us a lot after you visited. People kept coming in mentioning the Chicago Times article and your support for us. We just wanted to see if you would sign some copies for us to keep." OH MY GOSH!!! Why am I going to cry?!?! You reply, "Oh my! I would be so happy too. That makes me so happy. I truly think you all deserve so much success. You can tell each of you has worked so hard to get to this point and you're all passionate about food. I am a happy supporter of The Bear." You sign copies of the newspaper, get a slice of cake to go, and you say goodbye to the staff. They encourage you to come back and they will push everyone out of the way to serve you, which you thank them for.

As you leave, you start walking down the street until you hear your name. You turn and see Carmen Berzatto running after you. You start walking back towards him and he stops running. You ask, "What's up?" He answers, "I just regret not telling you this one-on-one. I really did appreciate what you said and how you mentioned that I seemed so passionate even just from my small speech to everyone. It was nice to see that people could tell from one moment and it made me feel hopeful." You reply, "No problem, Carmen Berzatto. I can tell you'll do great things with the Bear." He smiles and says, "Please call me Carmy." You reply, "Ok then thank you Carmy." He smiles even wider and says, "I don't normally do this, but you seem so bright and happy. I just think if I don't ask then I'll never see you again and I want to see you again, so would you want to go out on a date?" You answer, "Sure. I'd love to. You already have my number, so just text me. I know you have a crazy schedule and I'm pretty open this month, so let me know when you want to go out." He nods and says, "Ok I will. You got it. Well, have a great rest of your day." You reply, "You too, Carmy."

That was the start of your relationship with Carmy.

Your POV - Telling Your Dad

You smile as Carmy texts you during your family dinner and your father asks, "Ginger, what are you smiling about? Surely it's the roast and potatoes, right? Or is there something you want to tell us?" Your father was honest like you, so there was no way to hide this any longer than you have been. You answer, "I have a boyfriend and we've been dating for 6 months. He is taking a 15-minute break at work right now, so he was texting me. He's a chef and his name is Carmy. He used to work at the Beef, but now it's the Bear." Your father says, "No way, I loved the Beef. I'd love to go sometime to the new restaurant, can you ask for his availability on Wednesdays? I'm always off on Wednesdays and you, your mom, and I can go eat there one day or night. It doesn't have to be next week, but by the end of the month would be cool. I'd love to meet your boyfriend." You reply, "Sure Dad. I can ask." He replies, "Good good. Now tell me more about him and his food." You laugh and talk with your family.

Your POV - Telling Your Boyfriend

You did the nice thing and told your boyfriend about your family wanting to eat at his restaurant on a Wednesday day or night. Carmy was excited and he was able to find a table 2 weeks after that you could sit at for a lunch service. Carmy even told you that lunches are calmer, so he could stop by for his break to talk to your family. Richie would be working as your server, which you liked because Richie could talk and your father loved to ask questions.

It's one week away and Carmy is cooking you both dinner. He always takes off at least one night a week to have a normal night with you and you love it. It's always nice and his food is amazing.

After dinner, you turn on the TV and it's your dad's cooking show. Carmy hands you a glass of wine and your box of cookies before you ask, "How do you feel about cooking shows?" Carmy sits next to you on the couch and answers, "You know how I feel about them. They're just ways for chefs to promote themselves and their businesses, which is nice. But usually, they do it because you get paid a lot. Why?" You answer, "Oh uh well Chef L/N's cooking show was on. I just wondered how you felt about his show." He replies, "I admire the he** out of him. He's inspirational. The way he compliments each drink from appetizer to dinner to dessert on his menu is next-level genius. His staff are also brilliant at transforming the guest experience. I want the Bear to have that level of success. And..." Carmy then goes on a whole monologue about your father and how he loves him. You smile and say, "Ok well let's just say he is my dad and you're meeting him next week. He'd probably love to hear that from you." Carmy gasps and asks, "What are you talking about?" You answer, "I don't ever tell people about my dad because they use me... but you're meeting him next week and I think you should know who he is before then. The last name I've been using for the last 6 months is my mother's maiden name." He replies, "Holy sh**!!! And he's going to be at my restaurant next week! He's been to the Beef several times." You reply, "Oh don't bring that up. He misses the Beef like crazy." He laughs and replies, "Okay. Wow, let's not watch his cooking show right now. I think I'll go crazy." You laugh and turn on a movie.

NEXT WEEK ~ YOUR POV

You spent the night with Carmy and at 5 am as he is getting ready, you hand him your coffee and exclaim, "I'll see you at noon baby." He gasps and says, "Oh sh** I am cooking for my idol today. I need my lucky knife and my lucky shirt." He then starts running around frantically and you rub your eyes. Is he freaking out? Is it too early for this? You are tired. You move in front of Carmy as he walks and you place your hands on either side of his arms. You say, "Please, don't freak out. Treat today like a normal day. Be calm and you've got this. My father is just a normal human at the end of the day. Remember that." He replies, "Yeah yeah. I'm going to tell my staff beforehand because this is big." You reply, "Okay. Well, goodbye and good luck." You send him out with a kiss on his lips.

Hours later, you show up at your house and are driving to the Bear with your parents. You park nearby and walk to the restaurant.

As you walk there, you ask, "Hey Dad, can I tell you something?" Your father answers, "What's up sweetie?" You answer, "Carmy is a huge fan of yours and nearly freaked out this morning. He was calm when I first told him, but today was bad. He couldn't find his lucky shirt and he said his lucky knife was at work. I just want you to go easy on him because I really care about him." Your father replies, "No problem, sweetheart."

You arrive and Neil Fak greets you happily. He shows you to the table and Richie immediately pops up. Richie's jaw drops a little at seeing my father, but he quickly recovers. Richie introduces the Bear and the menu then leaves to get the wine my father chose.

My father exclaims, "I like this place. The people are friendly." My mother adds, "And their service is fast." You reply, "Carmy told them that Dad was going to be here. I think they're all nervous and excited." My mother replies, "I bet they are. Poor things. We should invite them over. Are they ever closed?" You answer, "Mondays. They sometimes are unloading and restocking stock though, so they go in for half the day. You should ask Carmy for the specifics." Your father replies, "Oh I have a few things to ask ole Carmy boy now." You reply sternly, "Dad." He replies, "Ok fine. It's nothing bad. Don't worry."

Richie returns and you're all served. You three eat up the food and it's delicious as always. Dessert shows up and you notice Carmy walking your way. You notice his hands are a little shaky and you stand up. You hug him as soon as he reaches you and he presses a kiss to your cheek before you whisper, "He's just a person. It's all fine." You kiss his lips gently before introducing him to your parents. He slides into the seat next to you as you three talk over dessert. Conversation flows and is going well.

My father asks, "So, I hear you really like my daughter and she really likes you." Carmy smiles and says, "Yes sir. I really like your daughter." My father asks, "And what are your intentions with her?" Carmy answers, "Well sir... uh... I really like her and I'm falling in love with her. She's always supportive and kind. She lights up every room she walks in and people like her. I find her to be the person in my life that I look to for cheering up. I also think I cheer her up. You'd have to ask her though. I just think she's the most perfect and amazing that a person can be... and she has you as her father. Sir, I've looked up to you for a while. I think your work ethic and your drive set you apart from other chefs. Your show doesn't feel like a money grab and it's clear to me you love your family, which is great." My father smiles and says, "Well I appreciate it, son. Now do you think your staff would be free on Monday afternoon? Ginger says you have to unload stock, but I assume you get hungry doing all that heavy lifting. I'd love to treat your staff to some lunch at mine." Carmy replies, "Sure sir. That sounds amazing. We're usually done by 2 pm, but then we'll have to drive there. I'm not sure how long it takes, but I'm sure no later than 3:00 is fine for us." My mother replies, "Great, we cannot wait to host. We'll have Ginger give you the address and times. You can give her the number of staff that will show up, so we can plan accordingly." Carmy nods and my father asks, "Can I say thank you to your staff? I noticed they kept trying to get a glimpse of me from the kitchen. I just want to thank them and you. I really did have a lovely time this afternoon and would love to come again." Carmy answers, "Yeah haha they'd really love to hear it. I better get back to work. I'll see you all soon then." He kisses you, hugs your parents, and goes back to the kitchen.

Your father goes in after him and you watch through the window at your father giving some big speech. You see the smiles on everyone's faces and you're happy for them all. You notice your father pat Carmy on the back and you laugh. Carmy is going to freak out. HAHA!

NEXT WEEK on Monday ~ YOUR POV

You had asked for a half day at work and you were still at work at 2:00 pm in a meeting. It finished, you quickly packed up, sent your last emails, and dashed to the metro. You hopped on and went to your family home.

As you walk your way down your street, you see cars parked out front of your house. I guess everyone from the Bear is already there. Hopefully, your father has kept the questioning Carmy to a minimum. Carmy told you last week that it was so exciting to have him there and meet my family. He also said his staff couldn't stop talking about the meal at your parent's place.

You knock and your mother opens it. She pulls you into a hug and says, "Oh hi sweetie. I thought you would be here earlier." You reply, "I tried to leave, Mom. But I didn't want to leave in the middle of the meeting." She replies, "You're just like your father... Speaking of, your boyfriend has been helping him this afternoon and they seem to be getting along. You should grab him and get him to eat. He's only been eating little snacks with your father." You laugh and say, "Ok Mom." She replies, "You look lovely sweetie. You in business casual make us all look lame." You laugh and say, "I was actually going to change up in my room real quick before I say hi to people." She nods and she lets you go. You finish changing in your bathroom and jump when you see Carmy in your bedroom looking around. You exclaim, "Hey Carmy. What are you doing up here?" He sees you and smiles. You kiss him and he answers, "Your mom said you had to talk to me. You were in the bathroom, so I just waited out here." You reply, "My mom thinks you've been working too hard today. She said you started helping him when you got here and she wanted you to have lunch. She wanted you to see me so she knew you were being looked after. It's a mom thing." He replies, "Oh that's really sweet of her. I can take a break and eat with my lovely girlfriend." You reply, "I almost thought you said eat your lovely girlfriend." He gasps and replies, "Babe, we're at your family home. Oh speaking of it, your mom did show your baby album to everyone. Everyone loved it. You were so cute." You reply, "We're making a pit stop to talk to my mom first then we can eat." He laughs then follows you.

You make a plate of food and find space on a couch next to Sydney. Carmy slides next to you and puts an arm around your waist. Everyone starts asking you about your baby photos. Oh gosh... this is great. Richie seems to like this one where you resemble a gremlin and everyone suddenly thinks you need bangs again.

Your father pulls a chair up and so does your mom. Everyone talks, laughs, and enjoys the day.

Masterlist

[professional-yearner]

Saving Grace

Yandere Coruscant guard x reader

Pt.1

TW: for suggestive themes, yandere themes, murder attempt of major characters, obsession at first meeting,

(Very slow updates)

You sighed, trying to shake the drowsiness that seemed to stick to you like gum. You woke up a little late today. Scratch that, you had woken up exactly on time, but fallen back asleep almost just as quick. Luckily for you, it didn't affect your trip too much (seeing as you had learned to walk at a clip when you needed to) other than putting a bit of anxiety about getting to your job on time behind your actions.

Hoisting your work bag on your shoulder, you enjoyed the feeling of the wind whizzing by the open air transport as you lazily watched the guards patrolling the car in front of yours. They were doing what they usually did, checking tickets and making sure that no one was causing too much of a ruckus.

You rather liked the patterns and colors of the guards armor; one with stripes and the other with more of a color block paint job. They entered your car with a swipe of a security card, coming in silently and beginning to ask for tickets. Nodding blankly, you dug around your bag for your pass, only looking up when you heard a man raising his voice.

“I don't have to show you anything, clone.”

You turned to glare at him, only in time to see him shove the guard with the striped armor. Hard.

So hard he fell right past you and off the transport all together.

You gasped, grabbing for him without thinking. Catching his arm, you felt yourself lurch forward from his weight, falling to your knees as you tried to stop him from falling into the seemingly endless void of Coruscant traffic.

His helmet was gone in an instant, knocked loose by the blow and disappearing into the flow of cars.

His terrified eyes bore into yours as you struggled not to fall over yourself, trying desperately to pull him back to safety.

Your fingers felt like they were on fire as they dug into the space between his vambrace and elbow plate, only able to grip onto the black body glove underneath

Finally, you felt a pair of strong hands pulling you back from the edge by the waist, helping you succeed in pulling the guard up onto the shuttle once more.

He pushed himself up as his brother ran back down the train after his almost killer.

“Oh my god,” You panted, still on your hands and knees as you tried to catch your breath, “Are you alright?”

He was shaking, tears streaming down his face as he stared, looking in shock at the ground in front of him.

Your expression softened, tears of your own welling in your eyes for the man.

You reached over, resting your hand softly on his arm, “Hey,”

That made him look up at you, eyes unfocused for a moment before they widened, taking you in. They then moved to the hand you still had on his arm, making you blush.

You took it away quickly, “Sorry!”

The trooper shook his head, his own cheeks turning a bit red.

You both just looked at each other for a minute. It made you shift uncomfortably, unsure of if you should be the one to break eye contact first. Reprieve came in the form of the transport's robotic voice calling your stop, making you stand quickly. You felt bad for leaving him just sitting there, drying tears on his face in a transport full of strangers, but you didn't know what else to do.

You really needed this job.

“Sorry- sir, it's, um, my stop.” You said quickly, waving a bit as you stepped off, free of the once terrifying now awkward interaction.

You felt eyes on your back until the transport started moving again, leaving you mostly alone on the platform.

Von was in love.

He laughed to himself, feeling over the places she had touched him. Von felt himself twitch under his codpiece as his breathing became more ragged.

She was perfect. His perfect little savior. So soft and sweet, unlike her surroundings. Such a disgusting city didn't deserve someone like her, but he thanked the stars she was here anyways.

He hadn't been able to get her flustered face out of his mind since his brothers had brought him back to the barracks to recover from the attempt on his life. He had just been laying there for a few minutes, fantasies of her circling his thoughts as he stared into nothing.

Oh she was adorable.

The way she was so worried about him after getting him to safety, her sad little whimpers as she attempted to get him and all 70 pounds of his armor back onto the platform, how she flushed when she'd touched him.

He wondered how she'd blush when he touched her, knowing just the right spots to make her-

"Von, brother? You doing alright?" Hack called from the doorway, looking concerned.

He nodded, smiling and assuring the other clone, "I'm fine! Thanks, brother."

The blond clone nodded, "Just wanted to make sure,"

He walked back out into the hall, leaving his sibling once more, "You've been in there for hours."

[notnamedjohn]

IN STARS AND TIME SPOILERS

ACT 6/TWO HATS

God I love how much Loop tries to hate Siffrin but deep down really just can’t bring themselves to commit to it. Like they start off as being intentionally annoying because “look this idiot got stuck in a timeloop! How embarrassing! He wants to stay with his friends but can’t bring themselves to actually talk about it! COULDN’T BE ME” and they empathize with Sif because yeah no shit they went through it too. They actually want them to break free of the loops because what they are going through is horrible and so so painful that it hurts to watch.

They give actual genuine advice (hidden behind alot of teehee’s) and talk through Sif’s ideas and theories. They are always there waiting for Sif to come back and try to work out the next thing they should be doing. And, in my opinion, I think they enjoy it. They went through their own timeloop hell and they finally have someone who understands and can talk to about it. Sure that person is you who made the same blinding mistake and is making it worse and you can’t help to make fun of them because its like the you from your most embarrassing moment that lives rent free in your head is right in front of you and you get to be like “hey man what were you thinking? That was really stupid what you did oh my god.”

But I can only imagine how that “haha ur dumb but im here to talk” energy gives way to actual spite and jealousy as Siffrin gets farther than Loop. They killed the king, Loop never could. They find out more about wish craft, Loop never got that opportunity. They can read their native language and speak it again, Loop is still stuck with headaches and fleeting memories. And worst of all? They won. They get to live their lives with their family. They made it through hell and won. The King is defeated,their family is with them promising to stay together and keep adventuring together seeing all these wonderful places and things. And Loop never will. Loop lost their family. They lost them because of their wish. A wish they couldn’t handle. Their family THEIR family is gone forever. The only one who can remember them is stuck with copies that see them as a stranger. And the only way to get them back? To even HOPE to have a chance at being by their side? To kill the better version of you. To murder the one who the Universe loves more. To kill the person who stole your happy ending and family. The person who struggled the same as you. Who came to you whenever they needed help, because they trusted you. The person who came so SO close to failing just like you, but you saved them because you know how much it hurts. The person who you wanted to succeed. The person who you can’t kill no matter how badly you want to.

If you lose to Loop in their fight. They won’t kill Siffrin. They can’t. Not after all of the pain the two of them went through. Not after they have a chance of being happy. Loop just can’t do it because they feel that they don’t deserve it. For all their talk of Siffrin needing to work things out with their family, Loop can’t do the same. They can’t look them in the eye and tell them they are Siffrin, they tried so so hard but couldn’t do it and left them all behind. In their eyes, why should they get a happy ending? They doomed an entire reality, their family and left them behind. They can’t take Siff’s place because they know Siff deserves it. Because they won. They made it. They earned their happy ending.

And im so FUCKING NORMAL ABOUT THAT.

[moodywyrm]

but what Abby saying something like "Shh, let it happen. Yeah, like that. There we go." when reader is going to experience her first time squirt*ng 💭

desperately need a brain break so here we go.

u don't know how u ended up here, honestly. it start with u coming to abby after a really shitty day, wearing a pair of her boxers n one of her big hoodies, hoping to cuddle with ur girl. but abby takes one look at u, all tired and tense, n knows exactly what u need. so she pulls u onto her lap, rubbing her hands on ur hips n squeezing, leaving soft lil kisses on ur bottom lip. that's how this started. so how u ended up naked from the waist down, abby's hoodie pushed up over ur tits, laying on ur back n writhing while abby pins u down with one arm, u honestly don't know.

she's already pulled two orgasms out of u, one on her thigh n the other in her mouth, but she's working at a third with so much passion that ur head is spinning. she's shirtless, wearing nothing but some sweats that hang low n show off her happy trail, but u can't see it rn :( bc she's laying on her tummy, mouth working at ur needy lil cunt, one hand pushing fingers in n out of u while the other is like an iron weight holding u down :) she's moaning like it's her pussy being abused, n the vibrations are making ur squirm n whine n whimper out her name <3

her fingers curl up into that sweet, achy spot that makes u go fuzzy at the same time she sucks on ur swollen lil clit, and the sensation makes u yelp, feeling the familiar pressure of ur orgasm coming fast. but it's a lil bit different this time, n for a second u feel like ur gonna pee so u try to sit up n go 'wait' before abby pushes u back down. see, she felt that extra tight lil clench n ur tummy, n she has a really good feeling about this one. so she moves the arm that was holding u down so that it's pressing down on the top of ur cunt, n keeps abusing ur clit while fucking up into that lil spot that's gonna make u gush for her <3

n ur freaking out but it feels so fucking good n ur looking at her, whining, saying 'abby, wait, it feels funny, don't wanna pee on u' n she almost giggles before looking up at u, 'it's okay, just let it happen baby, I promise it's not pee, c'mon sweet girl' n honestly, ur in no position to do otherwise bc ur being pulled under, thighs shaking n legs kicking as abby wrenches ur orgasm out of u. n it's so fucking good ur making noises u didn't know u could make, cumming so hard u swear u sees stars. n u hear something. a wet, messy, splashing noise, mixed with abby moaning n praising u, 'that's it, there u go baby, fucking hell'

it takes u a second to come back down, chest heaving as u lean up to look at abby, who's sat up at this point, and. oh. oh. she's fucking soaked, squirt dripping down her mouth n chin n torso, her pretty lil nipples glistening with ur cum bc she made u do that. she's rubbing her hands up n down ur thighs, dazed smile on her face, before crawling back up to ur face n leaning in to kiss u. ur like 'oh shit, did I do that???' n she giggles fr this time, pressing a kiss to ur cheek like 'yeah baby!! n I wanna see u do it again!! so get on ur tummy n let me grab my dick, we're not done yet <3'

let's just say she succeeds <3 like two more times <3 u two are so lucky she put down towels before she started fucking u within an inch of ur life <3