#ugh there should have been more editing done on this and i'm SORRY

[hailsatanacab]

oof owie hello it’s chapter 17!

[ferberus-skull]

urgh. I really should try to make another skin at some point.

[softstargirl]

Perfect Home

Wife!Reader/Husband!Miguel O'Hara

Part One | Part Two

Genre: Angst (⁠ب⁠_⁠ب⁠)

4.5k words.

Arguments are so tasking to write! They're supposed to be illogical, anyway. :⁠'⁠(

This has been in my drafts for a month! Ideas were not idea-ing! (′д｀σ)σ

Listening to a The Weekend playlist while editing was such a vibe!!! (∩^o^)⊃━☆

I'm getting an A03 account in a bit! Tumblr's great but it does not save drafts sometimes which is a bummer because I sometimes prefer using a laptop to write when I can't get ideas flowing when I'm writing on my phone! I'll drop it!

Warnings: Cheating, Pressure From Parents, Society’s Marital Standards, Desire To Have A Child, Cursing, Envy, Suggestive & Homely Vibes Are Non-Existent.

Peace and blessings to you, My Love!!!

𖤐⭒๋࣭⭑ [𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐀𝐏] ➜ He cheated, you found out. You don't know whether to leave him or not. Now what?

The egg in the pan let out a bitter scent before you firmly flipped it. “Ugh.” You let out as you looked at it from your sunken and puffed-out eyes, breathing in mucus as you struggled not to sob once more. “Over an egg? Over an egg, [Name]?!” You thought and picked up a tissue to brush your tears and stray drops of slick over.

Just yesterday, you found out about your beloved husband's cheating with his ex for two months.

You should have caught on to the signs during your parents’ gala that took place two months ago. Dana’s excitement led her to firmly hold on to Miguel's firm arm as Miguel discussed the success of a deal with Stark Industries with the both of you, which should have been a warning sight. It irked you slightly, but you didn't view it as enough to suggest anything. Maybe how Miguel didn't depart from her hand for minutes on end should have done it.

You've always been a bit credulous. Always having one too many friends who didn't really care about your well-being from the beginning, desiring all that your younger self, who faked sickening sweet kindness, had. The public loved every bit of it, as did your parents. You noticed the subtle hints of disrespect and commented on them much later. Far too late.

You made sure your presented nature wouldn't crawl into adulthood, but it spread itself into your relationship.

Miguel was a quiet nerd when you first got to know him. Never the hot topic, he stuck to himself the majority of the time.

You bonded with him while you visited your friend in the institution, watching as she obviously flirted with Miguel's friend while they walked with one another. Surprisingly, you bonded over an idle conversation about cake.

“Tres leches is fantastic! Dios mío, there's no arguing with that!”

“Yes, Tres leches may be fantastic to you, but [ — ] definitely crosses that!”

You both didn't catch the side-eye both friends gave one another.

The next week, a double date was set.

It was the perfect TV show grounding for marriage. It all feels like a waste now that you look back on it with low eyes.

“Mi Alma.” You rolled your eyes as your husband walked into the kitchen in sweats with a water bottle in hand. You felt the chill of the Five AM air for a moment before you turned to place the egg on your plate and turned off the stove.

The crinkle of the wrapper as you pulled out the loaves of bread constantly broke the silence in the room as you looked away from him.

“Were those four years we spent with one another a waste?” You asked after a moment, then opened your mouth to chew on a loaf. A tear poured down your cheek, but you quickly wiped it away.

“No, no, they were not, Cariño. They were the most amazing years of my life.” Miguel sadly sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I'm so sorry, Mi Amor. I promise I'll be better. For you, for us.” 

“You don't get to call me that. How am I your love when you cheat on me?” You barked, glaring at him. Your fork clinked when it reached the floor. You sighed in exhaustion and picked it up. You tossed it into the pile of dishes in the sink. “Fuck, I feel done.”

“Can’t we just get past this? We've been through so much for something like this to tear us apart. Miguel tsked and shook his head as he rolled his eyes. Nervousness ran through them, but he wouldn't show it. “Are you fucking serious right now, Miguel?! I should get over it?! Is that what you're saying?!” You yelled, frustrated, and you took deep breaths to calm down. “You’re such a fucking asshole, Miguel.”

“What about you, [Name]?! You're so damn ungrateful! I’m there for you! I support you, but you never support your husband! You barely do anything useful; you're always so caught up in your work that we can't even spend time together!” Miguel yelled, drawing closer to you.

“I have to work, Miguel! What part of that don't you understand?! I don't do anything useful?! Who's the one who does nearly everything in this household?! Me! You aren't even around for us to spend time together! If you aren't working late into the night, you're fucking patrolling! Do you want me to just sit down and wait for you?! I have other things to do!” You couldn't be more thankful in the moment that the room was soundproof. You could let out more than you would have in other spaces.

“You are so damn stubborn! Fuck! We can't even have a conversation without you trying to form an argument!” Miguel yelled, standing at arm's length as he pointed at you.

“Don’t point at me, Miguel.” You demanded and backed away from him to grab your purse. “If you honestly think that this isn't overdue, you're ridiculous. Stop victimising yourself. I’m the one who was cheated on. Go be with Dana, who probably won't piss you off as much as I do.” You said it with a crack at the end of your words as you struggled not to break down.

“[Name], I-” Miguel pushed his hand forward to grab your arm, but you pushed it closer to your form as you quickly left the hotel room. “Read the letter on the kitchen table. Or don’t. I don't really care.” You closed the door and walked away.

On the kitchen table, a letter in cotton paper was laid on it with your mother’s formal handwriting, inviting the both of you for lunch before your departure. Miguel cursed as he read it, the stress already getting to him as he envisioned how it would be.

Meanwhile, you headed to the café, reassuring yourself to calm down as you walked the longer route to it, hoping to have felt better when you reached there.

What you didn't notice was your mother’s gaze upon you from her balcony as she let out another puff from her cigarette while in her white silk nightgown, a black coat with a fluffy neck covering her as she cocked her eyebrows. Her eyes squinted at the moment you paused to quickly rub your eyes. She let out a hum, watching your figure disappear from her sight.

“These crumpets are quite fantastic.” Your father smiled, spreading another with blackberry jam as he chewed the spongy and soft treat. “We should wait for a few moments before requesting lunch, no? It will only take them a few more moments to arrive.” Your mother smiled at the both of you, a glass of water in hand, before taking in a long sip, bothered.

“So, Miguel, how have you been? Is there any success in the partnership with Calahan Tech? I've heard much about it in the Nueva York Times. Business moguls are just as excited about it as I am.” Your father's eyes twinkled in excitement as he imagined the size of the funding he would receive and the amount of votes the results of the collaboration would bring him in the next election as he snacked on a pig in the blanket.

“I’ve been well, Joseph. The agreement to partner has been a bit tough because we've been trying to convince the funders to work with us, but I’m sure we're about to reach a breakthrough.” Miguel responded, proud, as a smile appeared on his face. His hand shifted to your thigh under the table, alerting you as you took a quick look around before shoving it off of you. You were still bothered; he could tell by the way you struggled not to furrow your brows and the quick way your heart beat at his gesture, which reverberated in his ears as you gracefully downed a glass of water to calm your nerves.

“If you ever need some extra help, you know who to call. I can convince those hotshots to remove the sticks up their asses and agree.” “Joseph!” Mary whispered with a hiss, patting his arm as the man chuckled. “No one heard me, Darling. I whispered.” Your father said it with a wink, placed his hand over his wife's, and squeezed it. Her shoulders slouched, pleased even if she didn't verbally express it, at her husband's gesture, and she looked at their intertwined selves, then went back to her drink.

Joseph winked at the both of you once more and separated his hold from hers for the appetisers.

Your heart squeezed with want as you watched them. It was a moment of love, but also a reminder that you couldn't have that anymore. You looked away with a smile, not wanting to endure the feelings of sadness that weighted your heart.

“Hello, Mary. Hello, Joseph”. You heard in the background but were unable to focus on the two new voices in the background as you focused on calming yourself down.

“Cariño, I-” Miguel whispered in your ear, catching onto your feelings, but a sharp noise broke the moment.

“[Name]! Look at you! You're getting more and more gorgeous by the day! My gosh, you're glowing!” Elle, your sister-in-law, beamed and hugged you from your seat. You stood up quickly to hug her and beamed when you saw your brother walking up to the table.

“Aww, you're so adorable! Gosh, we haven't seen you in a bit.” “We apologise for that, by the way.” Micah shook your hand and led Elle to their seats. He smiled at the stink eye your mother threw at the both of them and rolled his eyes once he looked away from her.

“We apologise for arriving so late. Some business had to be taken care of just at the moment I was to leave the office.” Micah said with an apologetic look on his face. “We wish that we could have arrived on your anniversary as well, [Name] and Miguel. Work, once again, occupied us. Happy belated fourth anniversary to the both of you.” Elle congratulated him with a smile and thanked the waiter when he brought their wine.

You internally giggled at her personality change. Elle was always so casual around you but had to become formal when the fact that she's in public sets in. It wouldn't be good for a model to appear improper.

“How are you, Miguel?” Elle was greeted as Micah nodded. “We haven't seen each other in a while, man.”

“I’m doing well, thank you. I’m just taking care of the missus.” Miguel responded to Micah’s approval and your resistance to roll your eyes. “It’s been four years. I still can't believe that [Name] managed to tie someone down. She's so difficult.” Micah chuckled as you glared at him. “Speak for yourself. I still can't believe Elle wanted you. She could have done so much better.” You giggled and dismissed him with a wave of your hand.

“Don’t you remember when you..." Micah began, but Mary interrupted him. "Children, there is no need to complain about one another. To be quite honest, I didn't expect either of you to get married so soon. I thought that you'd both get married after building up your characters.” Your mother giggled, much to both of your dismay.

“Mum? You're cracking a joke? Are you sure you're alright?” Micah questioned, raising a brow that quickly came down when you kicked him underneath the table. “What was that for?” “What are you talking about?” You evaded his glare with a smile.

“I’m just glad to finally see my children and their spouses in the same spot.” Your mother had a gentle smile as she looked at the both of you as your partners looked elsewhere for a moment. She didn't approve of Elle either.

In her view, her children were supposed to marry someone of their status. Someone who is highly regarded. Not anything but that.

However, she regarded your brother in a higher manner when it came down to who he chose to marry.

Elle was a ‘blantant gold digger’ in her words, ‘a model who just wanted someone to raise her higher in the industry’. Micah was a highly praised film director and writer. Who better to expose her to the world of the rich and famous than him?

“Before we continue, Micah and I have an announcement to make.” Elle announced and stood up along with her husband. Your heart dropped as the next sentence echoed in your brain.

“We're pregnant!” They both grinned and hugged one another while grins appeared on your parents' faces. “Congratulations!” Mary cheered and eagerly stood up to hug the couple. “Congratulations. My boy, you've done it again!” Joseph grinned, to which Micah flustered.

“Congratulations!” You finally joined in, grinning as you hugged them both, a bit too tightly. You wanted the moment to feel real. You weren't upset. You couldn't be. You shouldn't be.

“That's a bit tight.” Elle said, causing you to break it. “Oh, I'm sorry. I'm already excited to see your little one or ones.” You grinned. “Congratulations, you two. We can't wait to see the little one.” Miguel smiled next to you, wrapping his arm around your waist.

You could feel the sharp looks from your parents, Micah and Miguel. Elle paused to look at you, and her brows furrowed in worry. "I hope this wasn't inappropriate." She whispered in your ear, looking at Miguel for a moment, holding your hand, to which you tightened the hold. "Elle, are you excited for this new part of your life? I'm so happy for the both of you." You shook your head to hint, and a relieved smile appeared on her face. "Yes, yes, I am." She responded and hugged Micah. He hugged back and smiled at you as a form of assurance and sternly looked at Miguel, to which he looked away.

“I can't wait to find out the gender of your little one. Searching for outfits will be pleasant.” Mary said once you all sat down, smiling at the couple who were in their own moment of adoration as food was brought on the table. Your heart broke as you watched Micah caress Elle’s stomach lovingly, and her hand lifted to squeeze his as they smiled at one another.

You looked at Miguel, whose eyes remained trained on yours, and softly sighed when his hand held yours in assurance, wanting the hurt to end when yours squeezed his. Clinging onto his attention, you hoped that it would rub off the pain you felt, but guilt and shame crawled onto you. You drew your hand from his and onto your fork.

“I just know they'll be spoiled rotten.” Ella giggled as Micah let out a chuckle. “Definately. We'll have to watch out for that.” “I can't wait to meet my first grandchild.” Your mother’s gaze fell on you for a moment, emitting her disappointment in you before having it on the couple as she grinned more.

Much was discussed around the table. The women's attention remained trained mainly on the little one and topics that interested them, as the men were cooped up in their own little world. Soon, it was near the hour of your departure. 

“[Name]. Let's chat for a moment in private.” Your mother said once Micah and Elle left to arrange their hotel room. The frown on her features became more evident the more you both drew away from the public eye. You both stepped into an empty break room. Once the click of a lock was heard, you sighed.

“Do you even realise just how disappointed I am in you, [Name]?” Your mother started. “Micah has a child before you. He hasn't even crossed two years with that girl, and he's made so much progress compared to you. You should be ashamed, [Name].” Anger flared in you as the words sunk in. You had already been through so much in such little time. Why did life’s cards decide to add more to your plate?

“Why does it bother you so damn much? I’ll have children when I want to. What part of that don't you understand?” You responded, glaring at the older woman. “You’ve always regarded Micah highly in comparison to me when it comes to marriage.” You rolled your eyes at her glare.

“[Name], Micah’s a man. Whether or not he has children early, he's alright. If he were to even leave Elle, he'd find someone new. He’d be able to have children, regardless. Men get better with age, unfortunately, unlike us. Your clock is ticking, [Name]. You need to progress into the next step of your life before it's too late.” Mary shook her head and sighed at what she believed was your foolishness.

You drifted into lassitude, it clinging to you like glue, with the realisation that she would never be satisfied with you until you did what pleased her. “I can just imagine how the public will react to this. You've set yourself up for failure.”

“I need to go.” You said, looking at the keys in her hand. “[Name]. Why can't you just listen to me? Did I raise such an impudent child? I’m just looking out for you, [Name]. I don't want you to experience regret. It'll never stop. I’m guiding you towards the right path.”

“Open the door.” You said once more, refraining yourself. “Why do you act so childish? I’m trying to help you.” Mary insisted, only further pushing your buttons. “Open the door.” You repeated it and headed towards it. You hand motioned at it. “You’re going to regret it if you continue with what you're doing.” Mary said, placed the key inside the keyhole, and turned it. “Maybe I will; maybe I won't. I respect you so much, Mum. Let's end this.” You said, then opened the door. “This will only end if you do what is right.” Was all you heard her softly say. You left.

“They offered only sixteen million dollars to help fund the project?” Your father questioned Miguel as he puffed the cigar on his lips and blew it out. The smoke waved in the air, and Miguel glanced at it for a moment as he drank his glass of beer. “Yes, they did. They didn't believe in the project’s potential until recently, when testing made a lot of progress.” Miguel responded, then drank the rest of his drink.

“Your drinking tolerance must be high. You've drank four beers since you arrived, and you're still standing straight. You'd do amazing in the drinking competitions that go on in the basement on Saturdays. Don't tell Mary; she wouldn't be pleased to know about them.” Joseph winked, to which Miguel chuckled as he shook his head. “Don���t worry, your secret’s safe with me.” 

“Miguel, why won't you have children?” Your father broke the silence and looked at him, somewhat disappointed. “I’m a man as well, Miguel. It's not hard to conclude the possibilities.” The cigar was nearing its last draw.

“My career. I don't think it would let me enjoy the simple pleasures of family life. I do my research late into the night. [Name] does so much to accommodate that. I don't think it would be right of me to bring children into that.” Miguel confessed with a sad gaze as he thought back to your heartbroken expression when you found out about his involvement with Dana.

It hunted him throughout the missions he did that night, rage and shame filling his form, and anyone around him sensed it. Many in the Spider-HQ avoided him in the brief night he was there. Jessica and Peter avoided him as well, aside from brief interactions. They knew he'd pour out his feelings to them eventually. 

“As much as using work as an excuse gratifies you, it's a poor choice, Miguel. You'll regret it if you decide to let it linger.” Your father looked at him from the side of his eye and rubbed his moustache.

“My work was easier in my younger days, but I found it just as challenging as I find it now. I was just an assistant to the previous politician at the time, too. You understand what I’m hinting at when I say that, right?” Miguel nodded, to which the older man smiled. 

“I had my children either way. It was a struggle to tackle the task of raising them and working. I had days where I thought I didn't do enough for them and that I found my work to be more important. Mary had her own career to focus on. She would work late into the night. I’m assuming that [Name] does the same thing since she chose to be a designer just like her mother. Do I need to be corrected?” “No, you don't. You're right.”

“We still did the best we could, regardless. We could have done some things better, yes. But we can't go back in time to correct ourselves. We can only give advice to those who seem to be going astray.” Joseph hinted, looking at Miguel, who looked back at him.

Joseph knew; he could tell by the way he looked at him, disappointed and angry, but chose to contain himself.

“I only hope you won't regret your decision, Miguel. Just know that I will be alongside my daughter when she decides to tell us.” Your father took in one last puff and let it out. Miguel and Joseph gazed at the smoke one last time until it disappeared into the clear, blue sky over the beautiful atmosphere.

Joseph's cigar remained in its ashtray, the soft red of it fading with each passing moment. Both men took in the peacefulness of the atmosphere with sombre spirits.

Moments after you freshened up, you headed to your husband. “We should head out in a bit.” You said, then placed your head on his shoulder and laid your hand on his chest. He noticed how drained you felt. He sensed the irregularity in your hormones. You felt his arms wrap around you, and you wrapped yours around his. You made your decision at that moment.

“Cariño, I am so sorry. I'll be better. I'll never hurt you again.” He whispered in your ear, his soft tone and the warmness of his breath in your ear making you melt in his arms as you tightened your hold on him.

“We will see each other once more.” Mary stated, across both of you with her husband. She hugged you, then Miguel. Her hands held the sides of both your shoulders and shook them. “Drive safe, alright?” Joseph said, then hugged you and shook Miguel's hand. “Yes, sir. We'll be alright.” Miguel responded and shook the keys with a grin.

“We hope to hear some good news soon.” Your mother commented, smiling as she directly looked at you. “We will soon, won't we, Miguel?” Joseph said, looking at Miguel with a grin. “Hopefully.” Miguel responded and straightened himself. You could tell that something happened between them. “Don’t worry, you will soon.” You responded with a smile and left hand in hand with your beloved.

The strawberry air freshener, coffee, Miguel's spicy cologne, and your sweet perfume lingered in the air of your home when you both stepped in. The cosiness hugged your form, and you took it all in, craving the warmth you desperately needed in the last two days.

“Miel, it feels good to be back, doesn't it?” Miguel placed your luggage on the side and hugged your waist, savouring the comfort of the air before him. You squeezed into his warmth, cherishing it as a longing emotion overcame you. You turned to face him, and before anything could pour from his plump lips, you locked them with your own.

He lifted you, soft lips still entangled, his stamina much greater than your own, to the wall, willing to do all the work as you squirmed in eagerness across him. “Let me help you.” You said, in between gasps, need flaring all over your body as he kissed your neck, nearing your collarbone as kisses and tiny licks trailed towards it.

You could feel the slight sting of a canine; the sensation became foreign as it had been a long time since you embraced in hazy lust. Your body missed it—the curl of your back as you felt it draw a messy line down your collarbone.

“Mikey, please-” You drew out a sharp breath, your eyes hinting towards the stairs that led up to your bedroom, then shut tight when he pressed his hips closer to your own, evidently just as excited as you were. He lifted you in a hug, and your legs immediately clung on to his waist as he tightly held on to you, almost as though you'd disappear right there and then.

“Mi Vida, I promise I will never hurt you again. Te quiero tanto. Te quiero, te necesito tanto, Mi Vida, Mi Todo. Por favor, por favor, déjame tenerte.”

[“I love you so much. I love you, I need you so much, My Life, My All. Please, please let me have you.”] 

“You can have me, Mikey. Please.” You dragged on, clinging more to him as want consumed your forms.

The sensual fog filled the house as carnal desire mixed between your bodies late into the night. You finalised your decision as sweat stuck to your body, your gaze on Miguel as he slept soundly. You hadn't seen him like this in such a long time. Your fingers moved to separate a stray lock that stuck to his cheekbone. Pain struck your heart when you thought about how Dana must have seen him this intimately. You wouldn't blame her if she did the same thing you had just done. You just hated that she got to.

The never-ending bustle of Nueva York in the distance was all you drifted off to sleep once more with. You had a fleeting thought of what went on in his mind when he watched you drift off to sleep first. You knew he must have loved it; he must have gazed at you with the same adoration during your first moments together. You missed it all.

“I want a divorce, Miguel.” You calmly let out, scrambled eggs on your plate and his as you ate breakfast with one another, spirits low. He sighed, an indication that he expected this, then looked at you, searching for a sign that you would consider any plea that fell from his lips. He didn't find any. “I’m sorry, Mi Amor.” He apologised, then drank coffee. The cup was placed on the counter a bit loudly for comfort. He looked towards you in apology. You nodded, then turned to eat.

“I know.” You responded, looking out the window at the eggs that softly lay on the nest on top of the tree next to the household, wondering if, by leaving him, you'd unlock the path towards that. The mother bird’s eyes lingered on her eggs for a moment. Maybe it was in adoration.

You let out a hum, making Miguel shift his low eyes towards your own in questioning, and you shook your head, then turned back to your plate.

I’m done!!! Yessssss!!! I don't know whether to continue with this or not. If I do, it'll take a bit to get chapters. This took a bit out of my lifespan but I’m so happy that I wrote this! ꒰⁠⑅⁠ᵕ⁠༚⁠ᵕ⁠꒱⁠˖⁠♡

[writting-stuff-sometimes]

Fake it till you make it - Charles x fem reader

AN: After all the posts about Charles and A from this weekend, I got this idea. Honestly, I just care about that situation because I'm nosey but don't have any real interest in it, just wanted to write this idea that popped into my head. I have no idea how tennis and sponsorships work, clearly. I lost the first draft which I liked better so I might edit this one if I remember details I missed.

Warnings: Mean social media, a bad word here and there.

Synopsis: Y/n is a talented tennis player, but has a reputation of being a party animal and that scares sponsors away, so if she wants to attend Wimbledon she's going to have to fake a relationship with a recently single golden boy.

____________________________________

"You guys need to stop the bullshit and make this shit work" You always thought of this situation as a stupid game, but seeing Loraine's forehead vein about to burst reminded you that there was a lot on the line.

"But..." Charles was about to say something, from the redness on his face you knew he was as mad as the PR agent scolding you.

"No buts Charles, this is something to help you both, you knew what you were signing in to and you agreed to do this, we have 8 more months and we need this to work, so after today all I'm asking is for you to do what you're requested and stop being childish, agreed?"

You wanted to say no, maybe Charles had agreed to do this damn PR game but you were forced into it and found it stupid and insulting from your team to think that you needed to fake a relationship with some posh "athlete" to improve your image.

"I'm sorry Lor, but this is useless, we have nothing in common, ok? He drives in circles, how am I supposed to show interest in something I don't give two shits about?"

"Well, you're going to have to find a way if you want Puma to sponsor you, they're very concerned about the number of pictures of you partying and fooling around with guys all over the internet"

"They're my friends and I'm 25, they should care about what I do inside the court and not in my free time"

"And I wish I could spend the rest of my days enjoying the sun on a Spanish beach drinking margaritas but we can't all have what we want, can we?"

You were about to speak again when your "boyfriend" stood up swearing under his breath.

"Fine, whatever" he said before slamming the conference room door behind him.

Loraine let herself fall on the chair in front of you holding the bridge of her nose, it had been a long day and she was sick of it.

"Please, y/n, I wish I didn't have to do this either, but if you want to attend Wimbledon next year you're going to have to do this" She had been your pr agent for a little over a year now, and you had become friends, but this situation was idiotic.

"I just don't get it, why we couldn't do it with one of my friends? It would've been easier, at least they care about me, this guy couldn't care less, yesterday when we rode together to the track he said two words to me, "the seatbelt" and then complete silence the whole fucking ride"

"Yeah, well, the day he tried to invite you to train together you rejected him saying you were a real athlete and you didn't need him to get in the way of actual training"

You bit your cheek at the memory, in your defense, you were pretty hungover that morning and couldn't be bothered with this pr shit.

"Please?" Loraine looked at you with pleading eyes.

"Ugh, I'll try but I'm still not ok with this"

"I know, it's just until Wimbledon, you win that and this is all done"

"I don't like you right now" You stood up and walked to Charle's driver's room.

"Why should I be suffering when I'm not the one behaving like a toddler in a sugar rush?" Charles's voice made you stop as you were about to knock on his door.

"They want you to focus on your performance after the breakup"

"And me dating some brat is going to help? We need better strategies and upgrades"

"I know, and that's the team's job, but right now we just need you to focus on driving and try to convince the media that you're happily in love"

"It's going to be easier to win a fucking race in a tractor than look in love with her"

You weren't attracted to him and had no interest in having an actual relationship with the driver but his words felt like a cold punch to your chest, you couldn't be that bad, could you? You didn't want to hear any more of his rant and knocked on his door taking a deep breath trying to pretend you hadn't heard a thing.

"Come in" his dry voice made your skin crawl.

"Hi, can we talk?" His features softened, he feared you had heard him.

"I'll meet you in the garage" Andrea stood up and gave you a smile when he walked past you.

"Please" Charles stood up signaling for you to take a seat on the small sofa he had been sitting on.

"I think there's no way out of this"

"Seems like it" He leaned against the door in front of you.

"Look, I can't promise I won't say mean things, that's kind of my thing, but I will try to be nicer so we can make this work, ok?"

"I know I haven't been the best either and I'm so sorry about my behavior yesterday, I will try to do my best too"

"Sounds like a plan" You tried to give him an honest smile that probably looked more creepy than friendly but you were trying.

From that day on you two kept your word, you started easy and training seemed to be the one thing you had in common. But your gym selfies with Charles "accidentally" in the back didn't seem to convince the media your relationship was real, so you took it up a notch and started having date nights, he took you to his favorite restaurants in Monaco and the different cities during the GP's, and you tried to teach him how to cook, always uploading "candid" pics where your stuff and his were visible in the back this new plan seemed to be working little by little.

It was "date night" at your place and you were sitting on your couch scrolling through TikTok waiting on Charles when another "Charles and Y/n" edit popped up, you would usually scroll past them since you had no interest in what people had to say, if Loraine was happy it meant everything was good, but for some reason you let it play, photos of you and him musicalized with some taylor swift song playing in the back, they were mostly pictures of the beginning of the "relationship", you walking a couple steps away from him, sitting all alone inside the garage or the Ferrari hospitality and some others of you and Charles with a sour face on the way in and out the track, this pictures where surrounded by mean texts, and as if it wasn't enough, you clicked on the comments, they were even worse than the one lines, half of them claiming this was fake, the other half saying how ugly, boring, tacky and unworthy of him you seemed to be and juts a couple of them supporting the relationship.

A knock on the door startled you, you turned to look at the door as a pretty loaded Charles entered the apartment, you had given him a spare key to your place since him having to wait downstairs for you didn't seem very couple-like.

"Hi! Are you ready for the best fake date...what's wrong?" he asked worried when he saw the pained look on your face.

"Um, nothing, hi, you're early" He left the grocery bags on the kitchen counter and walked towards the sofa.

"What happened?" he asked steadily.

"Nothing, I'm fine"

"Let me see" he placed his hand in front of you and you immediately understood what he meant.

"Charles..."

"Please" If you had learned something from him this last couple of months was that he was stubborn as fuck and fighting him was pointless, so you ended up unlocking your phone and passing it to him. He looked at the screen and immediately a disgusted look covered his face.

"Why are you watching this?"

"I don't know, I usually don't but... I don't know"

"You know they're just talking out of anger and jealousy, right?"

"Well, you were on their side a couple of months ago, remember?"

"I've apologized about that, I was a dick"

"I know, and I know it's dumb that stupid comments affect me that much, I might be hormonal or something"

"Y/n, look" He threw the phone to the side and squatted in front of you taking your hands in his "This might be a fake relationship but I do care about you, and I don't want you to ever feel bad about what people say online, I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make this work, but you need to promise me that you won't let this kind of people get to you, I won't keep with this if what my fans say hurts you, it's not worth it."

You felt your eyes start watering and you swallowed the knot that had formed in your throat before answering him.

"Ok, I promise" you said in a low whisper.

"Good" He let go of your hands, he stood up pulling you up with him to hug you hard against his chest. "Don't let them hurt you" he said against your hair and then kissed your forehead. "Let's go, we have pasta to make"

He pulled you to the kitchen and started arranging all the ingredients.

"Instagram time" he said as he set his phone against a vase and took a picture of you for his social media.

CharlesLeclerc and Y/Naccount You are the best thing that's ever been mine. #datenight #imagreatchef #pastacrocante

LeclercLover I still don't buy his, worst PR stunt ever

16LoverCha I knew he was a Swifty!!!

CharlesandY/nluv Stop being jealous bitches and let them be happy.

ForzafFerrari I'm sorry but she seems dull and boring, what are you doing with her Baby?

You knew this post would let all hell loose for several hours so you turned off your phones and enjoyed the night together,

"It's getting late and we have an early flight tomorrow" he said taking the last sip of wine from his glass and picking up your empty plates.

"You know you can stay, right?"

"Are you sure?"

"Of course, plus, I got new sheets for the guest room"

"Ooohh, fancy"

You helped him with the dishes and then went to show him his room, he had never stayed the night, normally he would sneak out of your apartment and you would do the same when you went to his, but after the amazing night you have had, him staying seemed like a good way to finish it off.

"Here, need anything else?" You said leaving a towel on the bed.

"All good"

"Thanks" you hugged him and he hugged you back.

"No problem, don't ever let them make you feel bad"

"I won't" He kissed your head and you went to your room.

The next day you landed in Suzuka and it felt as if you had shifted realities, the fans were being nicer and more respectful, and some of them even brought gifts for you, maybe the plan was finally working.

The remaining months went by easily, and you and Charles developed a nice friendship.

"How do you feel?" Charles asked from the little bench inside your locker room.

"I'm shitting myself" Your statement made him laugh, he had become a big fan of your bluntness.

"You're going to be amazing, I know" he stood up and hugged you.

"Hello, am I interrupting?" Pierre peeked through the door, a white rose in his hand.

"Baby! you made it" You rushed to the door and hugged the French driver.

"Of course love, how could I miss it" He handed you the rose and took your face to kiss your lips softly.

"Hey! She's still my girlfriend!"

"Sorry mate, couldn't help it"

A month or two after the scolding session with Loraine you started hanging out with Charle's friends and he started hanging out with yours, one of those days you met his best friend Pierre, and you hit it off right away, it was crazy how perfect you were for each other. You knew it was going to be madness the moment you broke it off with Charles and announced your relationship with Pierre, but you couldn't care less, by then you would have had win Wimbledon and shown how talented you were, so who cares what the media and the fans thought.

"Y/n, you have one minute" your trainer said from outside the locker room.

"You can do it" Pierre kissed you softly

"Thanks, baby" You kissed his nose and turned to look at Charles

"Go kick some ass" he hugged you and kissed your hair.

"Thanks, boyfriend,. See you on the other side" You took your bag and rushed to the court, ready to be done with all this nonsense.

As always, feedback it's appreciated, and let me know if you want to be added to the tag list :)

Tag List: @wtrmlnsgr94, @ricsaigaslec

[ink4blotches]

OTP

(Pavitr Prabhakar x You)

Synopsis: You like Mumbattan more than New York, so you chill there often. And sometimes help your best friend out as Spider-Woman. But the people of Mumbattan think there's something more to the relationship of the two heroes.

•

•

•

"What does OTP mean?" Pavitr breaks the comfortable silence that had set in as we sat atop the tallest building in Mumbattan, staring down at the -very- busy streets below.

"Uhm..Only Thing Purple?" I guess, scooting over as Pav moves to sit next to me. "No, it means 'One True Pairing', actually." He states, showing me his phone screen and scrolling on Tik Tok.

The video consisted of a fight Pav and I had the other day with an anomaly. Specifically the part where I not so heroically got electrocuted because I stepped in water.

The music filled as Pav landed beside me, reaching out and putting a hand on shoulder. "You oka-" He got cut off as he was shocked as well.

"Okay why would someone edit that?" I ask as I read the caption.

Two dumbasses...literally made for eachother!!

"I know right? I can still feel the lightning in my veins." Pav shivers, pulling his phone away from me. "And there are tons of edits of us saying we're OTP." He concludes.

A second passes in awkward, notedly not comfortable, silence before a loud explosion came from the streets below.

Ah, back to work.

•

•

•

•

"And Look at That! Our very own heroes have swung by for a quick hello!" The reporter woman smiled at us as I wiped the dirt off my clothed leg.

I smiled back, instantly stopping once I realized she can't see through my mask. "Are you- oh wow, is this live?" Pav asks, waving at the camera.

"Stop you're so embarrassing." I judged his shoulder, to which he threw an arm over my neck and ruffled my hair. "You know you love me." He laughs.

"Oh, wow! That brings me to my only question...the public wanna know! Are you two an item?"

Not this again.

Before I can open my mouth to deny, Pav laughs.

"No, but...might as well do this now. Y- I mean, Spider-Woman. I love everything about you. The way you part your hair, the way you laugh, all the way to your face when you eat really tasty food. And as the months have passed, I realized that I love you. So, will you go out with me?"

I looked between him and the camera, then back at him.

"Nah, I'll pass." I say simply. The lenses on his mask widen.

"I'm kidding! I'm joking! Yes, I'll go out with you Paaaaa...l. Pal." I caught myself. "Oh, my god. Yes!" He tackles me into a hug.

"This is great and all...but can one of you swing this girl to the hospital? The ambulance is backed up..." A paramedic taps me on the shoulder.

I immediately throw myself off Pav. "Yes- of course I'm so sorry come on let's go girl." I grab the citizen, being careful not to touch her...ouch, really nasty arm and swing away.

It takes a lot of focus to swing through Mumbattan with a passenger, but I've done it a billion times. However, it's a little more difficult this time.

Since my heart won't stop beating so fast.

•

•

•

•

I sat in a chair next to one of the crash victim's hospital bed. The teenage boy hadn't woken up yet, and as much as I'd like to be with Pav right now, my duty as Spider-Woman is to make sure people are safe- even if they're not from my universe.

The boy suddenly stirred in his bed, which caused me to put down my phone. "Hey, you're awake. You got into a car crash. How are you feeling?" I ask the boy, who's hospital bracelet says Aarush. Cute name.

"Ugh...like shit. Who are you?" Oh damn I forgot I took my costume off. "Uh...my names Carly, I'm a med student. It's a whole program- don't even worry about it." I shake my head with a laugh.

"Oh, okay. Hey, look it's Spider-Man." He looks at the TV which had been playing the news. I looked up just in time to catch Pav(Spider-Man) catch my hand with a web after I fell off the bridge trying to keep a car up.

I should probably work out more.

I watch with a warm face as the entire scene from earlier plays out again, Pav wrapping me in a hug and me swinging away with a girl in my arms.

"Damn, Spider-Man and Spider-Woman are totally OTP."

[mrhowells]

Smallville 4x14

I love this episode a lot🥹

THAT'S ADORABLE😭😭

"You're gonna be fine. I know you're gonna be fine. Everyone I've ever hit was alright."

Lois -everyone I've ever hit was alright- Lane:

Clark really sleeps on the couch now that Lois lives there? LMAOOOO

the way he immediately smiles when he sees the dog I can't🥹🥹

"You hit him? With your car?" "No, with my fist🙄🙄"

CLARK YOUR FACE-

"Actually, I think it might be fun to have a dog around."

HE'S A MENACE, HE'S A DISGRACE, HE'S A FUCKING CLOWN, I LOVE HIMMMMMMMM

I'm crying

"I don't know. It's just kind of hard to be myself with her around."

that's so ironic though because apart from hiding his powers he is VERY himself around her

I need Tom Welling to stop smiling on my screen please and thank you, I'm not strong enough for this😭

ugh😩

Chloe helping Clark with his excuses, love to see it🥹 He's so bad at them he needs all the help he can get💀

Let me introduce you to my parents who have been married for about 30 years now:

"Let's see. He's annoying, and I can't get within ten feet of him without getting sick. I think we should call him Clarkie."

have I mentioned how much I love them before?

"I spent all morning on these."

they're both so cute🥹🥹

LMAOOOOOO he finds her so annoying

hsajaksjaksj LOOK AT HIS HAND IN THE SECOND IMAGE, HE'S SO DONE I'M SCREAMING

No because if I keep going like this I'll screenshot every single time they say something or even look at each other💀

Lois: You could be Skipper😇

Clark: *fake ass smile* anyway-

STAHP I'M SCREAMING

he's about to throw hands💀

This is so confusing, I thought Jason's mom orchestrated the entire meeting with Lana but now she wants him away from her?

"Paranoia is not a very attractive quality in a woman."

Umm okay, AND? I mean I don't give a shit about Genevieve but this is such a dumb statement, as if she's supposed to give a fuck about what's "attractive" to Lex or others, like what?

Sometimes he sounds like one of those "pick up artists" that the internet makes fun of all the time, I'm sorry💀💀

I. LOVE. THIS.

That's the way someone talks to their own kid, not their guest and I love that because Lois clearly lacks parental love. Martha & Lois will always be so special to me😭😭

"Remember when Clark did that? He was only... three." LMAOOOO

Lex is clearly losing patience with Clark😬

Can I join this family pls look at themmmm

Martha is such a badass actually

I'm glad Lana overheard that whole conversation between Jason and his mother, now I'm just hoping they'll give her more agency instead of making her a passive character and her own storyline.

(edit: so she did NOT hear what they were talking about🤡🤡 At least she saw it)

Clark is such a little shit😭

Still arguing about dog names🤡

"Hold on there Forrest Gump, what are you gonna do, run?" LOL

She's like nuh uh, get in the car dude AND HE LISTENS💀💀💀

How are they acting like they're been married for decades???

NOT AN ACTUAL QUESTION BC I KNOW HOW AND I'LL TELL YOU: they're comfortable around each other even if they don't realize it

🎶and I will go down with this ship🎶 (EXCEPT I DON'T EVEN HAVE TO BECAUSE IT'S FUCKING SAILING, IT WILL NEVER GO DOWNNNNN)

let's move on

"What is this, another one of your famous hunches or are we just on a little scenic route?"

"Okay, stop here."

"Wha- where??"

"HERE. Stop here."

"OKAY."

>>>MARRIED.

they sound like my grandparents💀

LOOK AT MY LIL POOKIES INVESTIGATING STUFF TOGETHER🥺

YEEEEET

I need to know where Clark gets his clothes bc that stuff withstands literally anything💀

AKJASJKAKSL STAHP😭

"He (the dog) saved my life. I'll take my chances on his loyalty." Ooof, is he calling out Lex👀

what is Lionel trying to do?🧐

CUTE.

CUTE.

Clark is happy = I'm happy, it's really that simple

this episode is premium, top tier chef's kiss EXCELLENT

[thatvalvefanatic]

Miss Pauling from Team Fortress 2 is confirmed to be a lesbian! A lot of people still don't believe it though so today I'm gonna show you guys all the information about it because I think it's cool :]

Cw: nudity (from Zhanna and Soldier in the TF2 comics, as well as Scout's mom in Meet the Spy (you'll see why that's important). Its not graphic but I thought to give a warning anyway just in case.)

The most direct acknowledgement of this is the fact Jay Pinkerton, a writer at Valve, said it in response to a comment on Pauling and Scout, saying Jay had a better idea for her, which was to make her a lesbian, but there were no female characters to ship her with yet.

Now you may ask "What about Scout? Didn't she date him?" After Expiration Date they may have gone on a "date" (date being Scout going on random jobs Miss Pauling has), but you can see in the comics that take place afterwards, they were never actually romantically involved.

It also comes off that way in Miss Pauling's voice lines towards Scout. (These are taken from the official TF2 wiki)

"Hey Scout. First, 'No' to whatever you're about to ask. I've got a job for you."

"Scout, Pauling here. Wrap up whatever you were bragging about and look at this."

"Scout, it's Pauling. Whatever stupid thing you're doing, stop it. I've got work."

"Scout, it's Pauling. I need something done quietly. Scout? Quietly."

"Engie, it's Pauling. Is Scout there? Cough if he's there. I've got a job for you. Not him."

Then there's the Teufort Reader, a page on the official TF2 website. It has ad listings from different characters. Both Pauling and Scout have listings for dates, but Scout enforces that the caller should be a woman while Pauling keeps who she is looking for genderless, meaning it doesn't necessarily have to be a man who calls. (I edited both listings onto an image, so that's why it's wonky looking lol.)

More examples (which is mostly my interpretation) of her possibly seeking future female partners (and ignoring male advances) is in her Tough Break voicelines. In some, she talks about going to many woman events which could be a hint at her sexuality, others she rejects male related stuff. Once again I copied these from the official TF2 wiki.

(whispering) "Hey, it's Pauling here. I'm at the Teufort Ladies Book Club and I'm the only one who hasn't actually read Belinda...so it's just about relationships, right? Guy meets girl, love stuff, happy ending? It's a good thing, right? I'm gonna tell everyone how it really, really brings the two as a couple."

[Scout: Oh, oh, and...(dice clatter)...not too shabby!] "Pauling here. I'm trying to teach Scout Gargoyles and Gravel. [Yeah!] Ugh, no Scout, there's no such thing as a Muscle Wizard." [Yeah whatever.] "No you can't beat an Orc by doing push-ups at it. Look, please, please put your shirt back on. Scout, stop flexing. Scout. Scout! Stop flexing."

"Hey did you know a gun show's a real thing? I'm at one with Heavy right now." [Heavy: Is perfect, this is gun.] Oh wow, what's the gauge on that? Yeah, Scout's been saying he's going to take me to one for years, but all he does is shove his stupid arms in my face. Anyway, I've got something for you."

"Hey's it's Pauling. Sorry for the noise, it's Ladies Night at the Cap Point, and I misunderstood what that meant." [Hey what's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?] "I'm trying to get someone killed for money. Can you give me a second? Sorry about that. Anyway, take a look."

"He-hey, sorry about the reception, I'm on a ladies safari in the middle of a forest. Listen, a contract came in..." [I'm being mauled to death by a tiger! Ahhh!] "Lady, would you please keep it down! I'm on the phone!"

Another small example, once again more of my interpretation, is on a TF2 blog post from the website where the Administrator starts reading one of Miss Pauling's gun themed woman magazines. The blog post says:

"I found the answer, in all places, in one of the insipid gun-themed women's magazines Miss Pauling leaves lying around, where I stumbled on an article about self-improvement."

You could tie this to a historical context because the 60s and 70s had a rise in LGBTQ oriented magazines, many lesbian ones created in 1971 and running through the 80s. It's quite possible that Pauling would read them as Team Fortress 2 takes place around 1968 to 1973.

The folder Miss Pauling has in the Gun Mettle update is labeled "Scout's mom" meaning she has the nsfw of Scout's mom that Spy lays out in Meet the Spy.

Next section goes more into the comics. There are many panels that could imply Pauling's growing liking towards her new teammate, Zhanna. In this first image I think it shows where the liking began, from Zhanna talking to Pauling, making her blush in the last frame (which too could be embarrassment, but someone pointed it out to me as a possibility, so I decided to add it).

Next is towards the end of the comics. Zhanna and Soldier fight naked, covered in honey as a fighting strategy, and Pauling and Scout have caught them doing so. Scout is disgusted and leaves, while Pauling is interested and decides to stay and catch up later. Note how Zhanna is closest to them. Panels are edited to be side by side and cropped a bit for image space.

Next is towards later on when Pauling is calling the Administrator and Zhanna wonders what she's doing. Pauling then confides in her with her problems, afterwards saying she sees Zhanna as part of the team now after Zhanna gives her advice. She's comfortable around Zhanna.

A few pages later, Pauling's disgusted by Soldier and him being naked, meaning he was not likely who she was looking at.

Another thing is that people think that Pauling could've developed a crush on the Administrator in their time together over the years Pauling worked for her. She made comments on how Helen (Administrator) was not so bad when you got to know her and we also learn Pauling had trusted her the whole mission without knowing what Helen's plan was. Pauling was blindly following and trying to stay loyal to what Helen wanted because she thought Helen would have a place for her at the end.

In Richter Overtime's video on the possible TF2 comic 7 leak from 2018, there was a scene where Pauling allegedly kisses the Administrator. This is in no way canon, but just in case it is revealed that something like that is in the final comic, I just think it would be good to note.

Ashly Burch, Miss Pauling's voice actress, came out as pansexual in July 2022, noting that she has played many LGBTQ characters.

(Also she was a writer on Expiration Date. This means Pauling not liking Scout due to being lesbian could've totally been intentional! Along with her playing as LGBTQ characters, she's also written for them! Like Life is Strange and Mythic Quest.).

The Romana version of the official TF2 wiki has most of these points on Pauling being gay on it. I copied down the text from that section, but recently I found that Pauling's Romana page was removed from the wiki.

"According to a tweet by Jay Pinkerton, writer of TF Comics, Miss Pauling is gay.

This may be why she insists the Administrator is 'not so bad when you get to know her'.

Part of a voice line added in the Tough Break update has her discuss an interest in Ladies' Night while fending off a man: 'Sorry for the noise, it's Ladies Night at the Cap Point, and I misunderstood what that meant.' [Hey what's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?] 'I'm trying to get someone killed for money.'

Another voice line excerpt from Tough Break, when she's at the Ladies' Book Club: '...so it's just about relationships, right? Guy meets girl, love stuff, happy ending? It's a good thing, right?'

No other Valve employee has either confirmed nor denied this claim to date (The tweet was made June 19, 2015), leading many to believe that Mr. Pinkerton's tweet was just a way to inflame the community. However, since Mr. Pinkerton is a lead writer of the comics and his word is trustworthy, there is no reason not to accept this at face value.

The tweet was made in response to a fan asking if Scout and Miss Pauling would become canon, and was preceded with Mr. Pinkerton stating he had "better plans" for her. This could imply that she may meet a love interest in an upcoming installment."

And finally, I'm taking this from someone else's post, but you can color-pick the lesbian flag colors off of one of Pauling's post cards!! (And bonus, you can color-pick the genderfluid flag off of her Halloween design!)

And that's it! That's all the information I have so far, compiled for everyone's viewing and reference pleasure :]

Please let me know if I missed anything and I'll add it! Thank you for reading, if you made it this far, that's awesome. I'll be updating this post occasionally to fix formatting issues, so don't be confused if things change! I hope I can be of help with your Valve lore and information. And if you haven't seen it, I have a list compiling all of Valve's queer characters!

[cherrycola27]

HAPPY 1.6k!🥳

I’m in need of a little RWn’R so…….

Prez Bradley totally starts dancing to the music at some important event and Wise-woman is not happy with him

Cass, I love this idea. I feel like early in their marriage something like this would occur:

Turkey Trot:

Bradley enjoyed being president. He really did, but not all parts of the job were quiet as glamorous as the ceremonial holiday events. They were his favorite part.

Christmas tree lighting? Egg rolls? Wreath laying? Sign him up.

It was a crisp November morning in D.C., and Bradley was excited for his first presidential turkey pardoning ceremony.

He and his new wife, God, that was still something he had to get used to, had spent the morning getting ready for the event. Bradley was so excited all morning. He couldn't wait to do this.

"Bradley, remember, we mingle, then it's a quick speech, a few photos, and we are done. Please don't be extra with this." You warned him as the two of you prepared for the event.

"Me? Extra? Never." He said sarcastically as you rolled your eyes. The two of you made your way outside. Hundreds of people were gathered around, snacks were being served, and music was playing across the lawn.

Bradley couldn't help but tap his foot and nod his head along to the beat as the two of you spoke to some on lookers. You gave his side a subtle but firm pinch to get his attention. "Dear, you are not in the privacy of your own living quarters right now, you cannot break out into a dance routine." You quietly reminded him while smiling for the cameras.

Bradley tried to reel it in and remain professional, but he just couldn't help it. He'd always loved music, and he'd always been a ham. It was who he was.

When it was finally time to pardon the turkey, Bradley full on strutted like a peacock, or rooster, in his case up to the podium. You followed behind him politely as he bobbed along to the beat before the music and crowd died down.

After pardoning the massive turkey, you and Bradley made a few more rounds, all while he was still a one man dance party. "Bradley, stop, you're going to embarrass yourself." You tried to remind him, but he didn't care. The media was eating it up, and you knew he'd be going viral later. You tried to remind yourself that damage control was no longer your job, but it was hard to let go.

After the ceremony was over, you stormed inside. "I can't believe you made a fool of yourself out there!" You huff at him. "What do you mean? I was just having fun, everyone loved it!" He defends himself.

"Ugh! You don't get it, do you?" You groan in frustration. "You are the president! You job isn't supposed to be fun! Any time you do something like you did today and 'have fun' creates a PR nightmare." You tell him. "What do you mean?" He asks you.

"The Egg Roll." You state. Bradley looks at you confused. "When you decide to do the spoon race with no hands? Do you know how much I had to have scrubbed from the internet because you put a spoon in your mouth and ran across a field?" You tell him.

"All the press from that was fun and light-hearted." Bradley tells you. "Yeah, because I made it that way. You should have seen some of the edits before I took care of them. And now? Who knows if Warner is competent enough to handle today's events." You sigh before sitting down.

Bradley comes to sit beside you. He tries to put an arm around you, but you jerk away.

"I'm sorry." He tells you. "I never realized just how much you did for me. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you today. I'll work on that." He states.

You sigh. "I'm sorry too. I know you've always been a cut-up and a goofball. It's the reason why people like you. I need to be more aware of the fact that my job isn't to clean up after you anymore, but to support you. Even if you do, make yourself look like a fool." Both of you laugh.

"It looks like we both have some learning to do." Bradley states.

The next day, you're prepared for the worst, but instead, the media outlets are filled with posts about Bradley's energetic personality and calling him the most relatable president yet.

Sure, you'd found a few not so nice comments, but for now, that was okay. Maybe you could work on embracing who he was, instead of trying to change him.

tagging some of the President Bradshaw cabinet: @roosterscock @thedroneranger @gretagerwigsmuse @desert-fern @teacupsandtopgun @mayhemmanaged @lovinglyeternal @lovingbradshawafterdark @wkndwlff @shanimallina87 @roosterforme @daggerspare-standingby

[needs-to-stop-looking-at-valves]

pretty please write a fic about squirmy, modern day Dolores— coming home from work and edged by Mariano? (Or an early, experimental girlfriend before him?) thank you!

I ABSOLUTELY wanna do some more modern au stuff? Lets do it!

"I'm home!"

Dolores shut the door behind her as soon as she entered. She was expecting to hear the sound of Isa in the kitchen, but she heard...grunting instead. And music, slightly muffled by earbuds. Super hearing gives you a lot of information in just a second, honestly. Sure enough, she found him in her room, doing pull ups thanks to the pull up bar he put right on her doorframe. She took a minute to just check him out, because why not? Her apartment, her boyfriend, she could look at him if she wanted.

She was dating THE Mariano. Aka, upcoming film star, model, and as of recently, and upcoming author. He was as sweet as he was absolutely built. Muscles for arms, muscles on his back that flexed as he pulled, and his ass looked GREAT in those sweatpants she got him. She heard the music die down (he was listening to Dolly Parton, and honestly she couldn't fault him for it), and he finally let go of the bar, landing on his feet. He started to wear thick socks to cushion the sound of his heavy gait, and it was honestly very sweet. She waited till he took his earbuds out, and she clicked her tongue at him.

"Been doing this all day?"

"Hey! You're home! How was the studio?"

Ugh, the way he pushed away his sweaty hair back in order to get a good look at him. He was too pretty for his own good.

"Eh, not too bad. The editing should be done soon, so we won't miss the release date. I'm tired though, I didn't even take my lunch break."

He frowned, putting his hand on the small of her back, and she totally wasn't checking out his abs.

"Well I made you dinner! We can heat it up, and I can help you relax a bit."

"You...made dinner?"

"Uh huh! And I did the dishes, swept, mopped, and watered Isabela's plants!"

"Wow. Where is she anyway?"

Mariano guided her to the couch, tossing her the comfy set of pajamas that she told herself she would clean when she got back. Turns out he did laundry too. He spoke to her as he dived into her tiny ass kitchen.

"She said she had another hand modeling job to do, then she had a swimsuit photoshoot. I made her a portion too, don't worry."

"What'd you make?"

She looked at him as she took off her bra, letting herself relax as her more comfortable shirt and pants covered her. He held up the tray for her to see, clearly proud of it.

"Meatloaf! I made mashed potatoes and greenbeans to go with it too. Sorry I didn't make dessert, I just got lazy and bought ice cream. I got it from the place you like though!"

She put her hand over her heart, swooning over this sweet as hell man.

"That's very...sweet of you. I didn't know you could cook."

"I can really only make this. And sandwiches. My grandma taught me. People are always surprised-do I look like I can't cook?"

"Baby, you didn't know how to open the creamer for your coffee yesterday."

He gestured to the rack of creamers, as if it offended him.

"You have tiny creamers! It's a lot for my big hands! Only reason I haven't chucked it is because it's not worth my time."

"And because you'd feel bad."

"I absolutely would, actually."

He nodded in agreement as he set the food in the oven, and set the timer on her microwave. Meanwhile, she plopped on the couch, and turned on some netflix, scrolling through the endless bunches of new crap. It was his account though, so she was gonna use it.

"When is it gonna be done, anyway?"

"Maybe thirty minutes. Would've been quicker if I left it out, but I forgot. Oh, and I bought you some groceries too, it looked a bit empty."

"Isa had half a yogurt in there, she's gonna lose her mind."

She chuckled, scooting over and patting the couch so he'd sit next to her. He did just that, wrapping an arm around her comfortably.

"You know what I never understood?"

"Hmm?"

"What animal is the pink panther?"

"What?"

"The pink panther, what the hell is he? I know he's not a tiger. Is he a lion?"

She couldn't help but gawk at him. God he was serious. And he was hot.

"Mariano?"

"Hmm?"

"Kiss me please."

He looked surprised, as if it was out of nowhere, but of course he did as she said. He cupped her face in his hand, and kissed her. Again, and again, to the point where they somehow ended up with him on top of her laying form. He pulled away for a moment, looking down at her through panting lips that quickly formed into an embarrassed chuckle.

"Sorry I uh. Smudged your lipstick."

"Mmph...it's no problem. At all. This red looks good on you."

She held onto his face, lightly rubbing his bottom lip with her finger. He looked good in red, especially on his blushing cheeks.

"Are we...doing what I think we're doing?"

"Depends. Do you want to?"

"Very much so, yes."

"Then yes, we are. What do you want to-"

He didn’t let her finish as he buried his face in the crook of her neck, decorating it in kisses. The scruff from his facial hair tickled her neck just right, and his hand drifting down her stomach was just heavenly.

"Dolores, you've had such a long day. I can see it on your pretty face. Let me take care of you, please."

She wanted to take care of him, but she just seemed to notice how exhausted she was, body feeling heavy at the thought of her doing too much work. She played with his hair, just how he liked it, before sighing in defeat.

"Okay, okay. You can take care of me."

He slipped his fingers past her pants, till he was rubbing her through her underwear, slowly and in little circles. He still kissed at her fair skin, occasionally whispering against it.

"I WAS going to eat you out, because I know you like that, but I want to talk to you. I like talking to my girlfriend. She's so pretty, and sweet, and funny, and talented."

She, with little force, tried not so very hard to push his face away with a chuckle. She didn't even have to try to be sexy for this man to want her, and it made her feel so...special.

"You're too much, you know that?"

"If anything, I'm not enough. I love everything about you. How soft you are, how nice your voice is...how your pussy is already getting wet."

He was really rubbing into her now, palm firm yet slow. She gripped tightly onto his hair, head falling back a bit as his teeth grazed her neck.

"Oh, y-you wanna be dirty now?"

"I wanna be good to you. I wanna be the best boyfriend, I wanna ruin your panties. You make a man very greedy, Dolores."

He was being such a tease, fingers dipping inside of her, yet separated by the fabric of her underwear. He was doing it on purpose, so he could watch her squirm, hear her swear under her breath everytime it felt like he'd actually be inside.

"Dios it sounds so LOUD when you do that..."

"What? When I play with your pussy like this? It's because you're wet, mi vida. You're so wet, you want me inside of you, anyway you can have me. I could do so much to you,"

She jumped a bit as he touched her clit, just for a second, forcing her nails to dig into his shirt and his scalp. She thought she hurt him, but if anything, she motivated his movements to go faster.

"I could pull your pants down, absolutely rail you into this couch. I could eat you out till I'm lost in your pussy. I could even make you hump the couch while I watch. But you know what I'm going to do?"

Her head was absolutely spinning at this sudden bout of dirty talk. Mariano never said such dirty things to her before, and she absolutely loved it. Man was a whole snack, so much sweetness, with just a PINCH of savory to keep her coming back.

"W-what are you going to do?"

His tongue dragged up her neck, slowly, till it reached her lips, shoving itself into her mouth as they shared a kiss.

"I'm going to finger that pretty pussy, and listen to every sound you make."

He wasn't kidding. His fingers finally slipped past her underwear, and pushed inside of her. The two fingers weren't gentle, fucking her in a frenzy, just how she enjoyed it. It was so loud, so wet sounding, only made worse when his big frame kept her from squirming too much.

"M-Mariano please, I can't-!"

Dolores was never able to hold it for long. It was something she tried to fix, but it was SO easy to make the poor girl cum. She was so close here, she could feel her toes curling. So close, so damn close-

"Ah ah ah. Not yet, mi cielo. That's too fast. I want to enjoy you. I want to cherish you."

She wined, the slight kiss to her ear being too much for her.

"Not fair! I thought you wanted to take care of your poor girlfriend..."

"You're just grumpy because you like this. You like it when I kiss your ear like this, don't you?"

She 'tried' to push away his face upon his lips reaching her ear. They were so sensitive, and he knew damn well what it did to her.

"Since when did you get so smug?"

"Since you reminded me how much I adore my girlfriend ~...let me give you more kisses."

He was building her back up again with those stupid fingers, ever so slowly increasing in speed, but only slightly. Meanwhile he started to nibble on her ear, giving it just the slightest pull with his perfect white teeth.

"Okay, y-you've had your fun, proved your point and all of that, you're pushing it."

"Someone is getting so snippy~...I can't tell if I like it. Oh wait, I think I do."

His palm pressed against her clit nice and firmly, making her squirm and writhe like an absolute bitch.

"I'm g-gonna kill you, this isn't fair-"

"What's not fair is how pretty you are. How you've been there almost twice, how you've been making all these sounds for me and...well, making me fall more and more in love with you. I don't know if I CAN let you cum, just because it means this would be over."

He was playing dirty, being so sweet, kissing just that perfect spot with his fingers and suckling on her ear enough to give her the tingles. So she knew she had to pull out the big guns. She pressed his nose against his, and mustered the sweetest voice she could.

"Pwetty pwetty pwease? For your little buho?"

His eyes softened like butter, and she knew she had him.

"I can't say no when you do that. Alright, give it to me, beautiful."

He was picking it up again, tugging on her ear just right, knuckles deep inside her, so fast and so perfect. She felt it in her stomach, felt her voice reduced to absolute whimpers, before he finally, FINALLY let her have it. Just the orgasm she needed after a full day of work. He fingered her through it, like a proper boyfriend should, only stopping when she got nice and limp underneath him. She let go of him, arms falling limp to the couches sides.

"Oh...thank you. So much."

"Oh my god- can you heteros NOT?"

Dolores jumped upon hearing the sound of Isa's voice. She stood there, holding her heels, looking at them in absolute disgust. Mariano was about to apologize when the oven dinged, and he sprang out of the couch in a second.

"MEATLOAF IS READY!"

Isa looked at Dolores, who was still in a state of post nut, and shock, brow raised.

"Wow. Malewifed him up already, huh?"

"Hey, he's more than that, I'll have you k-"

Mariano called out from the kitchen as he opened the oven.

"Hey Isa, settle a bet for us! What animal is the pink panther?!"

Isa looked down at her, hand on her hips.

"Ah right. He's also a himbo."

"He's. Joking."

"No he isn't, watch. He's a walrus, Mariano!"

"I KNEW IT!"

Dolores glared at the smug looking Isa, absolutely hating when she was right. At least he was HER himbo.

[taegularities]

Loveliest Rid 💕💕

I personally love everything that comes from your beautiful mind (or at least everything you choose to share with us) so I wouldn't be too worried about the second part if I were you, even though I'm sure it is very nerve wracking to put out into the world something you've worked hard on.

Also please don't hesitate to say that you're doing okay 🥺 Life is full of good and bad moments both and the bad ones will inevitably come too, regardless of whether we acknowledge the good ones. So in my view, we should enjoy the good or okay times as much as we can while they're happening. Although I completely understand the hesitance when the bad times have been happening particularly often 😔

And about that guy 😒😒😒 I'm sorry he made you feel stressed out like that. But weirdos will be weirdos and that's entirely their problem 😤😤😤

I've also been doing okay, haven't felt like doing much in particular. I've stayed at home quite a bit because I had the house to myself which is a rarity for me and I really enjoy my uninterrupted alone time (like the typical virgo that I am 🙄🙄🙄). I have a smol break coming up at the end of this upcoming week in which I have to get a few things done for uni! And then perhaps a little trip abroad at the end of the month? (literally just for two days, but still exciting!)

Oh and also I watched Your Name the other day as per your recommendation a bit ago and it was great! Very cute but also pretty emotional, I've gotta say! I kept thinking of both you and Jungkook while watching it because I know he likes it too 🥺🥺🥺 I used to watch so many more movies, maybe I should start again, been feeling like watching ones heavy on romance but not like romcoms, you know? Maybe I'll just rewatch some of my favourites to get in the mood first.

Anywayyy after another one of my signature rants, I'm sending you all the luck with finishing up editing and whatnot and also my endless love 💞💞💞

thank you ivi, i reread and edited everything and definitely feel a little less worried about it now! :') i'm somewhat liking what i put down, but i'm still very curious to see what you guys think 🤍

and you're right 😭 it's so scary how hard it can sometimes be to enjoy the good times. i always try to be optimistic tho, like things will be ok, i'm sure hehe so i agree with you !! and ugh yeah fck that guy, i hope that was the last time 😭

a trip is so exciting, love 🥺 2 days feel endless on vacay, in a good way, so i hope you have a lot of fun. you deserve it after working your ass off for school !!! and AH YOU WATCHED YOUR NAME? this is seriously one of my favourite movies ever :') i watched it way before i knew bts, so to know jk cried to it as much as i did was so ahshsjrkska he's just like us fr :(((

i'm so happy you enjoyed it. if you need more recs, i'm here anytime hehe 🤍

[stupid-sloot-headcanons]

SOMEONE ELSE FINALLY SAID IT! Plus Vecna doesn’t make sense because Lloth would have been a better villain with a better connection to the spiders but the writers already had a spider looking ‘villain’ and called it the Mind Flayer. Sorry for the rant, none of my friends are into DnD and/or think Stranger Things S4 was good, I’m very alone in my bubble 🥲

But the writing for ST has imo gone downhill since S2. They bring in more and more characters with half related connections and either do fuck all with them or kill them off and the thing that gets me is that the drama with each character is always thrown to the side and ignored as soon as they realize something’s going on again and it’s like there wasn’t any drama (Every scene with Nancy and Jonathan)

Plus the Duffers are supposedly making another Netflix adaption of Death Note so I really don’t like them now lol

Ugh don't even remind me of that Death Note adaptation lol

S3 and S4 suffer from the Walking Dead problem where there are so many characters that the story has to be put on hold for each storyline and then get paused to go to the next one for a bit, and the payoff where they converge just doesn't work. Also I could not give less of a fuck about Nancy and Jonathan's storyline and their relationship shit got way too much play. Mike and El's relationship drama was hamfisted as fuck and I'm really hoping Will gets to have a character arc besides being very obviously gay and have more aspects to his character again in S5. You have this character whose trauma is so glossed over and never really addressed because we have a dozen new characters and storylines to deal with. Will was a victim of circumstance that nearly died after isolation in another world of horrors, was possessed by one of those horrors (and apparently still is to an extent given how he can sense Vecna AND the Mind Flayer), and might be struggling with the fact that everyone around him is moving on from what happened. I want him to be frustrated and scared of losing his friends and family, being separated from everyone and NEVER feeling a sense of closure to what happened to him. You can have Will be gay and ALSO have him be interesting/multifaceted too, you know, but this is the Duffer Brothers and Netflix we're talking about. It's the same issue I had with Robin where she's totally flanderized and has two main roles in the plot: be gay, and be awkward. I'm sorry but in this age of representation, having a character be gay does not equal them being well-written.

Hopper's monologue about his life story is easily the most egregious case of "Tell don't show" in a season FILLED with fucking "Tell don't show" and is also David Harbour's worst acting moment. That was wooden as fuck and the worst way to do that kind of scene. Tbh the entire Russia side plot was shit and could've been cut out nearly 100%.

Also: why give Hopper this big escape when he just gets caught anyway? Why have him break his foot (with unconvincing acting to show he's in the pain he should be in) if it doesn't lead to anything? Why have Joyce and Murray survive a FUCKING PLANE CRASH without a scratch? If you need to have Hopper learn there are Demogorgons, you could have done it a million better ways than an escape cocktease that fails in the end.

Why did Vecna only start killing now? He had decades to open the portals using this method, so why send the Mind Flayer out, have it fuck up, and go "no this time I'll totally kill everyone guys?" Why go after Max months after Billy's death at an arbitrary time after killing two random characters? Is it because he needs to use the school counselor patient list as a list of targets? If so, why? He has his tentacle Cerebro thing, after all. And again, why wait until right now to do this plan?

Also I don't get everyone shilling for that hokey-as-fuck scene of Max running with Kate Bush playing, it's easily one of the dumbest shot/edited moments that I couldn't take seriously at all. I also hate the red flashes and CG look of that part of the Upside Down, it reminds me of any given superhero movie with the CGI bloat and generic scawy vibe it has.

Vecna is easily the worst aspect of the entire series but it's not like Season 4 was that good to begin with. Once the initial hype and emotional high wears off, I think more fans will notice how stupid it is the same way they did for S3 and its cartoony fanfic vibe it had. That said...just because it isn't good, doesn't mean I don't like it. I like Season 4 but it's still easily the worst season on a show that's been sliding down in quality since S2.

My tier is: 1 is a 10/10, 2 is a 9/10, 3 is a 7.5 or 8/10, and 4 is a 4.4 to 5/10. Now I'm waiting for S5 to just go all out and pull a Game of Thrones style ending that completely shits the bed lol

[asmosmainhoe]

I just had this Idea while listening to, "Little miss perfect". But how would the brothers and dateable react falling for a Male Mc and to finding out they're gay? Like they've been with both genders but never thought of it like that then here come M Mc and now they're like, "He's nice and listens to me... I'm in love with him... wait am I gay?" If this make you uncomfortable you don't have to write it! If you do thank you! (I struggle with my sexuality so I got curious to how they would react)

The brothers questioning their sexuality

I'm so sorry that Mammon's part is always way longer than the other ones, but when I start writing for him the ideas just won't stop coming

Male MC

Warnings: cursing

Lucifer

Sometimes he questioned his sexuality even before he met you, but that was Diavolo's doing

Quickly brushed it off, because he doesn't have any feelings towards the demon prince that doesn't mean Lucifer doesn't think he's hot tho, because he is

Then you enter the Devildom and turn his world upside down

At first he thinks you're hot too so it's nothing new to him, but then he develops more serious feelings for you and then the gay panic starts

I can see him reading some documents in his study and overall just being flooded with work

And then as if someone turned a switch inside him he stops with everything and asks himself the question of all questions

Is he gay? Duh

Doesn't confront you about his emotions right away which is odd considering he's a pretty direct kinda guy

He just wants to make sure that the stuff he's feeling is not just a phase, because he doesn't wanna give you any false hope

Mammon

We stan a gay mess

Doesn't even realize he's hardcore simping for you unless one of his brothers points it out to him

I mean he did feel attracted to some guys, but never this strong!

Catch him late at night talking to Goldie about it while pacing around his room

Him: What should I do? Should I ask him out?

Goldie:

Him: I'm so confused!

Goldie:

Him: Ugh you're no help at all!

The doubts are eating him up from the inside, because he also doesn't wanna give you any false hope

Because like what if he asks you out and y'all start dating, but then he looses his feelings and breaks your heart and then you two stop talking and-

But you're mad cute and he can't stop thinking about you and how warm your hands are or how soft your lips look and he stays up at night thinking about your laugh and your smile and-

Please just do us all a favor and ask him out first

Leviathan

Has considered the fact that he might be gay, bi, pan etc considering there's a great amount of fictional male characters he simps for

Kakashi has no business looking this fine ok

But he was vibing with the cool edits, the hot fanart and the comforting fanfics/headcanons

Then you came to the Devildom and suddenly life was not daijoubo anymore

We all know he's down bad the moment he starts calling you his player number 2

Makes you change your profile pic so you two have matching icons

His way of flirting is very unique okay

Levi keeps comparing the two of you with his fave anime duos

You're his Henry! And Henry is his number 1 husbando! Take the hint you oblivious human!

Satan

Like Levi he has quite the long list of fictional men he has fallen for, but he kinda keeps it a secret?

No, it's not really a secret he's pretty open about it like if you ask him about a certain character he kinda starts gushing, but nothing too over the top

Let's just say that he doesn't rub his fanboying in your face

The more he gets to know you the more he realizes you're similar to all the fictional guys he simps for and that maybe he has a type

But all in all he's so chill about it

It's just that he always knew he's also attracted to men even without his crush on you

That doesn't mean he's not blushy around you, because he most definitely is

Asmodeus

I just can't see him having that gay panic okay?

Everyone is too hot for their own good and Asmo is over here vibing with it

Not shy about expressing his feelings so he's constantly flirting with you

What drives him into panic mode though is the realization that his feelings are way stronger than expected

Just imagine him doing his makeup and then he drops his eyeliner and gasps

"I'm in love?"

He knew he was gay for you, but not that much!

Lays down on his bed for an existential crisis, but gets his shit together after like five minutes and is ready to face the day

More like ready to face the truth and make his first serious move on you

Beelzebub

Never really thought about relationships before, because frankly he doesn't need it

All he really needs at the moment is his family and a full fridge

All of that doesn't mean he's completely ignoring his attraction towards you though

Shows you that he's interested through small actions like always helping you carry stuff or sharing his good with you

Yes! The second he offers you his food you should notice that something is up!

Talks to Belphie a lot about his feelings and even asks for advice which isn't the best idea considering the advice is coming from Belphegor

"So you're gay."

"I am?"

He is

Belphegor

Crushing on a human in general is new to him so give this man a break

The gay panic is surprisingly strong here considering that he's too lazy to panic over anything at all

Had a mini heart attack the first time you two had a sleepover and when you put your arm around him in your sleep?

He could have exploded right then and there

Mutters a "fuck" under his breath whenever he feels like his heart is about to jump out of his chest thanks to you

And if having to deal with his crush while being awake isn't hard enough he even dreams of you!

Wakes up exhausted and done with his life

"Why am I so gay for him?"

"What did you say, Belphie?"

OH SHIT HE TOTALLY FORGOT YOU TWO TOOK THAT NAP TOGETHER-

"Nothing, shut up."

---

Masterlist

[snowstark]

Anon with the arts v stem bs for you, could you write a thing where Peter is in your position trying to write an essay when his brain Just Won't Work Right To Do The Words and he asks Tony for help and Tony's like *cracks knuckles* "get on your knees, baby boy, I'm writing this whole thing for you and you're gonna have your mouth stuffed with my cock until I'm done"

my god i saw this at like 7 am and went “shit, yes. i have to write this” before passing the fuck back out until 10. also sorry it’s late, i got carried away 

we say thank you, we say please.

you can also read on ao3!

“Ugh!”

Tony glanced over at yet another one of Peter’s noises of complaint. They had grown in severity and loudness over the past few minutes, and the angry crinkle in Peter’s forehead told him just how frustrated the younger boy was.

“Fuck!”

Tony sniffed a smile, amused. “You doin’ okay, baby?”

“No,” Peter bit back, slamming his forehead onto the desk. “This stupid essay isn’t working out. Why am I even writing an essay? Isn’t the whole point of science to experiment?”

“And reflect on your findings,” Tony corrected with a roll of his eyes. He got up from his seat and came over, placing a hand on Peter’s shoulder to peer at the laptop screen. “Lemme see what you have.”

“Be my guest.” Peter tried to get up, but stilled when Tony shoved him back down.

Humming, Tony read over the introduction Peter had managed to craft, then wordlessly reached out and highlighted the whole thing before deleting it.

“Hey!”

“Hm?” Tony smiled at him sweetly.

“Why’d you do that?” Peter seethed with a pout.

“Because it was trash,” Tony replied. “And I know you know that it was.” He held Peter’s gaze until the fire in it died down a bit, and waited until Peter dropped his gaze.

Miserably, the younger boy picked at his nails. “I’m gonna fail this course. I’m not smart enough.”

“Don’t say that.” Tony’s voice was sharp. “I don’t ever want to hear you say that again; you hear me?”

Silence, then a petulant look.

Something Tony clicked. He reached out, slid a hand through Peter’s soft curls, and tightened his hand into a fist, pulling hard enough for Peter to hiss through his teeth. “I said, you hear me?”

“Yes,” Peter muttered. “Ow! You’re gonna pull my hair out if you don’t—ow, yes! Yes, Daddy.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought you said.” Tony eyed Peter for a few more seconds, then let go. “You should start off with the basics. Think of a good hook, but don’t you dare try and make a statement about society or some shit like that. Profs hate it.”

“I can’tttt,” Peter whined. “It just doesn’t work.” He turned to look at Tony with his best puppy eyes. “Maybe you could write it for me.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Yeah, honey, hilarious. Now you want to commit an academic offense.”

Peter glared. “This entire essay is an offense! To me! And if you don’t help me, I’m going to fail, Tony. Okay? I’m gonna get a big, fat, ugly zero—”

“You sure you want me to help?” Tony interrupted, a wicked, filthy plan suddenly forming in his mind. He nudged Peter out of his seat and sat down, appraising him, mouth already watering in anticipation. “Because you know I don’t do things for free, sweetheart. You’ll need to pay me back somehow, show me how grateful you are.”

Peter rolled his eyes. “Yeah, okay, I’ll give you that massage you’ve been asking for—”

Tony barked out a laugh that silenced him. He let his hands drop to the buttons on his jeans, enjoying the way Peter’s eyes immediately followed the movement. “Oh, no, no, no, baby. That’s not what I’m asking for.” He pressed the palm of his hand to his dick, and looked at Peter with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes,” Peter immediately said. Tony didn’t miss the way he sounded a little more strained now, eyes still fixed on the tent in Tony’s boxers. “I’ll pay you back.”

Tony smirked, then snapped his fingers and pointed to the floor. “Get on your knees, baby boy. I’m writing this whole thing for you and you’re gonna have your mouth stuffed with my cock until I’m done.”

Peter dropped to the floor like a puppet whose strings had been cut, and looked up at Tony expectantly, licking his lips.

“You know what I love about you, honey?” Tony drawled, sprawling his legs wide open, enjoying the way Peter immediately leaned closer. He pushed a hand through his hair again and leaned close so that they were nose-to-nose.

Peter tried to kiss him, almost instinctively, and Tony laughed before gently pushing him away. “You’re always so”—Tony yanked his head back harshly with the grip on his hair, eliciting a gasp—“fucking”—A sharp slap to his face, making Peter moan—“grateful.” A caress now, to counter the heat blooming in Peter’s cheek. “Isn’t that right?” He ran the pad of his thumb across Peter’s bottom lip.

Peter stared up at him adoringly in response, eyes wide.

The boy was already completely out of it, Tony noted with amusement. So responsive. Beautiful. He let his thumb brush against his flushed cheeks before sitting back and gesturing to the zipper on his pants.

“Go on, then,” he murmured, watching Peter’s eyes flash eagerly. “I undid the button for you, didn’t I? I think you can do the rest by yourself.” He stopped Peter with a hum when the boy reached out with his hands, and he shook his head. “No, baby. With your teeth.”

Peter swallowed, then obediently wriggled forwards and mouthed at the zipper, trying to get a good grip on it with his mouth.

Tony watched him for a few moments before reaching out to pet his hair as silent encouragement. It took Peter a few more seconds before he managed to pull it down, and Tony grinned when the boy immediately nuzzled closer, mouthing at his cock almost hungrily.

Tony pulled him back a bit before holding a hand out in front of Peter. “Spit.” Once Peter obeyed, he took himself in his hand and stroked in long, lazy motions, not taking his eyes off of the boy for a single moment. After a few minutes, Peter began to make impatient little noises at the back of his throat, just as Tony had expected him to.

“Needy thing,” Tony crooned, then smacked Peter’s face with his dick, making the sub jolt. Peter looked up, eyes glazed over, practically whacked into submission now. “Open up. I wanna see you gagging on it, you hear me? Don’t you dare try and slack off.”

Peter nodded in quick little jerks of his head, mouth falling open immediately at the order.

Tony fed his cock into Peter’s mouth inch by inch, wet and warm and ready for him, until Peter had taken him into his mouth nearly completely. He ran a hand through the sub’s curls, then shifted, feeling his cock hit the back of Peter’s throat, and pulled the laptop closer to him. He felt Peter’s cheeks hollow as he tried to swallow in vain around his cock, and Tony cursed quietly under his breath at the spasm of Peter’s throat.

Right. The essay.

He sucked the inside of his cheek, thinking, before beginning to type.

Biophysics is critical to our understanding of the mechanics of the molecules in our lives, and how complex systems and beings function, which, according to—

Tony stopped when Peter’s cheeks hollowed yet again and he looked down, raising an eyebrow. “You need something?”

Peter’s eyes widened and he shook his head as best as he could, then pulled back to wipe the drool on his chin with the back of his hand. “Just—was just tryin’ to swallow, Daddy.” God, he already sounded wrecked, voice rough and throaty.

“What, embarrassed that you were making a mess of yourself?” Tony chuckled, then shoved his hand into Peter’s hair before yanking him back onto his dick. “Stay. There. Your job is to be the filthy, needy thing you are while being grateful for what I’m giving you. Remember what I said about wanting your mouth to be stuffed with it until I’m done? You think I was joking about that?”

A small whine; Tony gave him the benefit of the doubt because he was feeling generous today and assumed it was a ‘no.’

He went back to work after that, and for the next half hour, the only sounds that filled up the room was his typing and the occasional little noise Peter made, whether it be a small exhale from his nose or an attempted swallow of his throat.

He took the time to finish, then ran through it three times to edit it. After the last run, he finally—finally—looked down at Peter, whose eyes were closed, eyelashes occasionally fluttering with each shallow inhale he took through his nose.

Tony rested his hand on Peter’s head, watching him, then murmured, “Good boy. Get me off now, sweetheart. Show Daddy how good you can be.”

Peter was more than eager to obey, and in less than five minutes, Tony was swearing under his breath, hips canting without his permission, and he could barely stutter out a warning before he came down Peter’s throat.

Peter took it like a champ, swallowing every drop and only pulling off when Tony made him. Panting, he looked up at Tony, eyes wide and teary.

Tony brushed a thumb over his cheek for a few moments, then murmured, “Good boy.”

When Peter reached for his leaking, red cock, Tony snapped sharply, “Ah-ah! What’re you doing? You think you deserve to get off by yourself? No, baby, you have to earn that.”

Peter looked up at him through wet eyelashes. “But I—” He gestured vaguely to Tony.

“What, made me come?” Tony rolled his eyes. “No, sweetheart. That was just you thanking me for writing your essay. All you had to do was drool all over my cock and show me how grateful you were for my generosity. Not exactly a hard feat like, say, writing an essay, is it? Not for a greedy little thing like you, at least.”

Peter stared at him, jaw slack and hanging open.

Tony grinned, and it was mean. “This, though...” He reached down and formed a loose ‘o’ with his hand, stroking Peter’s cock from the base to the head in one easy, smooth motion. “We’ll see about this. Get on the bed.”

Peter immediately scrambled to obey, and Tony’s grin grew.

Oh, he was going to make Peter beg, and enjoy every single moment of it.

__________

A few weeks later, Peter came marching up to Tony’s desk, then slapped down a package of paper.

Tony raised an eyebrow.

Peter jabbed his index finger at the 98%, written and circled in red, at the top of the first page. “My essay,” he said, proudly, making Tony bite back a laugh.

“A ninety-eight,” Tony mused, picking it up and leafing through it. “Not bad, huh?”

“It’s perfect.” Peter maneuvered himself onto his lap, straddling him and mouthing along his neck.

“Two percent away from perfect.” Tony tossed the paper back onto the desk and let his hands drift down to squeeze Peter’s ass, hard enough for his nails to dig in even through the sweatpants. “Should’ve been a hundred. Must’ve lost a mark or two ‘cause your mouth distracted me.”

“Not my fault I’m so good,” Peter chirped.

Tony rolled his eyes. “Uh-huh, good at being a filthy slut.”

Peter ignored him. “Besides, maybe next time you’ll get that hundred for me.”

Grinning, Tony pulled back to look at Peter’s face, then kissed him, wet and hard and sloppy. Peter’s chest was heaving by the time they pulled apart, and he pushed his thumb through his lips and into his mouth, watching him suck languidly for a few moments before saying, “Yeah, baby boy. You’re right. There’s always next time.”

Because they both knew this wouldn’t be the last time.

[buckbuckstan]

Unthinkable - Chapter 2

Summary: Seven years, three movies, two people, one story. But before they can get their happily ever after, Sebastian Stan and Camille Solis must learn to trust in each other and in themselves, before allowing the unthinkable to happen.

Warnings: Fluff, Smut, Language, Angst, Mental Health, WOC lead character

Rating: NC-17

Word count: 4k+

Note: Decided to do some edits on this old story! I’ll start posting the updated chapters on here!

Back to Masterlist

Chapter 2 Almost Doesn’t Count

August 2010 (A week later) Manchester, UK

Buzz! Buzz!

Camille turned the kitchen faucet off glancing over at her phone on the counter. Slipping the yellow cleaning gloves off, she reached for the phone Sebastian's name blinking back at her. A smile tugged on her lips, at his name.

Sebastian: What are you doing?

Camille: Cleaning.

Sebastian: Weren't you cleaning two hours ago? How long does it take to clean a studio apartment?

Rolling her eyes she texted back: I'm thorough.

Sebastian: Hmm. Okay.

Camille: Why do I feel like you’re judging me?

Frowning even though he couldn't see it. Cleaning is what she did to clear her head, her own little coping mechanism. Had she been cleaning all morning? Maybe. Had she been hyper focused on the kitchen sink and counters for the past hour? Also maybe.

Sebastian: I’m not judging. But maybe you should take a break?

Camille: I’m fine. Deciding to change the subject she sent another text: Still on set?

It was 9:30 in the morning, but he had been on set since 3:30am. It was her day off and one his short days.

Sebastian: Done baby!

Sebastian: Don't change the subject, you need a break. I'm sure your kitchen sink is nice and clean now. Put the cleaning supplies down Camille and come open the front door.

She wrinkled her nose in annoyance. He thought he knew her so well! She had also been cleaning the counters- thank you very much!

Camille: Didn’t your momma teach you manners?

Ding! Ding!

Sebastian: OPEN.THE.DOOR.

She heard a faint knock, and felt her phone vibrate again.

Sebastian: Please?? L

She snorted at his plead. What was he up to?

Usually after a day on set, he liked to unwind back at his place. Alone. She couldn’t blame him. It was exhausting being around people all day. She didn’t know how he did it. Her thoughts broke when she heard another knock.

“Camillleeee….” He whined on the other side of the door.

She rolled her eyes, picturing him pressed dramatically against the door. He was a dork.

Sebastian: You’re really going to make me beg? I’m tired. I need to sit down. L

Letting out a large sigh, she made her way to the front door and swung it open, ready to scold but quickly pressed her lips together when he handed her a Venti size iced-coffee. God damn him for always being so thoughtful. And god bless him for looking so fucking adorable even at 9:30 in the morning. He stood in a pair of dark jeans and white V-neck shirt, hair hidden underneath a baseball hat, grinning from ear to ear. He looked rather happy for someone who had been up most of the night.

Ugh. Who looked this good this early in the morning anyway? She sure as hell didn't.

"Chi for you." he said in a sing song voice.

Camille took the drink into her hand taking a step back as he stepped inside her apartment. "Chi?" she repeated with a pout.

"Yes."

"I was hoping for an iced-espresso..." she teased.

He furrow his brows together sitting down on the bar stool by the kitchen counter, and used a higher tone to mock. "'Thank you so much for the drink Sebastian. You really shouldn't have. Especially after being on set all night busting your ass-.'

"Oh no, did you fall again?" She interrupted with a giggle.

"No.” he mumbled. Then sighed. “Maybe.” One of the things she had come to learn about Sebastian in the last few months was, how clumsy he could be.

“I’m sorry you fell.” Camille deadpanned. “Twice.” Taking a whiff of her tea, with a wrinkle of her nose. Tea was for weaklings, coffee wasn’t.

“You don’t need any more caffeine.”

Camille jerked her head up. “What? Why not?!”

He raised an accusatory eyebrow at her. "How many cups of coffee have you had this morning? Three? Four?"

"Three… and half." Long pause. “Fine, I've had four...and a half."

"That's what I thought." Sebastian said with a knowing look.

Wrinkling her nose she placed her lips on the cup and took a sip. "You can't cut me off."

"Watch me." he retorted back. "Besides Liz told me to keep an eye on you."

"Liz has a big mouth." Camille mumbled as she sipped again. The Chi was amazing, but she wasn’t going to tell him that. She knew she needed a break from caffeine at least for the next few hours. She had been drinking it since 5:30AM, and she was starting to feel a bit jittery. "You have nothing keep an eye on Seb." she tried to reassure.

She was just obsessively cleaning before her fiancé arrived later that evening. She was nervous of how the next few days were going to play out. She had taken off Wednesday (worked a 15 hour shift the day before) Thursday and Friday along with Saturday and Sunday for his visit. She was a bundle of nerves, barely sleeping the night before. This was the longest they had been in apart in their 6 year relationship, and she knew they hit a rough patch ever since she had gotten the job with Marvel.

"It's okay to be nervous. Especially when you haven't seen each other in months." Sebastian said knowingly. "But I can guarantee he isn't going care about how clean that sink is. All he is going to care about is seeing you." he muttered softly.

“Thanks.” She whispered, not able to meet his gaze.

Sebastian was right. Camille hoped he was right, but she was still anxious. It had been 4 months since she gotten to hug, cuddle and kiss David. She missed that. Missed being able to reach out and feel the warmth of his body when she rolled over in bed. Yes- they talked on the phone, but it wasn't the same. Besides the phone calls and Skype sessions in the past few weeks had gotten shorter and felt almost forced. That was the reason she suggested the trip. She needed to see him to reassure herself that their relationship was still strong, that they could get pass this. But a part of her was terrified all they were going to do when he arrived was fight.

"Take a break Camille."

Camille sat on the bar stool next to Sebastian. "Four months is a long time." she whispered.

"Yea I know it is." a knowing smile on his face.

"How do you and Leah do it?" referring to Sebastian's girlfriend.

Sebastian chuckled. "Leighton."

Cringing she mumbled. "Shit, sorry." She could never seem to remember her name. But again Camille had only met her once-in passing- at the beginning of filming. She had flown in to be with Sebastian for the first two weeks. Apparently she was a well-known actress from a TV show-at least that’s what Camille had been told by the crew on set. Truth of the matter was Camille only knew her as Sebastian's girlfriend.

He smirked.

"I said I was sorry!" she muttered. He brought his lower lip between his teeth, not saying a word. Great. He was enjoying this. Little shit. "I'm sorry.” she repeated. "I'm horrible with names. It took me like 3 weeks to remember Dominic's." she defended.

"I didn't say anything."

"You didn’t have to." Camille stated shoving a finger into his chest. "Your face says it all."

"I just feel better now." a teasing tone in his voice. "Because now I know it wasn't personal."

Camille groaned resting her head on his shoulder, putting down her Chi. "I'm never going to live that down I am?" closing her eyes. She was guilty. She hadn't known about Sebastian Stan- ‘the actor’- until after they officially were introduced by the writer and director. When she watched television, it was usually old shows like, I Love Lucy. New stuff wasn’t really her thing, but maybe it was time to expand her television taste...

"You not knowing who I am? Never."

"I'm sorry I didn't know you were the one and only Sebastian Stan." she said sarcastically, lifting her head enough for her eyes to meet his. "From such amazing movies like The Covenant-ahhh!" she yelped when she felt his hand cover her mouth.

He was blushing but smiling at the same time. "Fuck you Camille." She mumbled something under his hand, her eyes gleaming with laughter. "What's that Baby doll? I can't hear you." It was his turn to yell. "Jesus Christ!" snatching his hand from her mouth. "You bit me!" he accused.

She pushed herself away from him, walking to the other side. "I was just defending myself. I didn't bite, you big baby. I just licked." she stated innocently, pulling her curly hair up into a messy bun and quickly snatching her drink back up. She hadn't meant to lick, but it was pure instinct. She met his gaze and found those blue orbs staring her down from across the counter. There it was again- that small pull of electricity between them. "What?" she managed to spout out, as she tried to not melt underneath his gaze.

Licking his dry lips, he clenched and unclenched his shaven jaw. "Nothing...I just didn’t pictured you as a biter…”

Camille swallowed the lump in her throat feeling heat rise to her neck and cheeks. Did it just get a little too hot in the apartment? Those boyish good looks could put any girl under his spell without having to try.

"I guess you'll never know Ojos Azules." she whispered back, leaning into the counter to face him.

"Hmm." was his only response, a familiar smug smile tugging at his lips. He narrowed his eyes. “Wait, hold up a second-" raising his hands up. "Have you've been watching my movies?"

Rolling her eyes she stood up straight. "If you must know- yes. I started with The Covenant but if I couldn't stay awake through the first 10 minutes of that, I don't think I would have made it through any of the other ones." She cackled and jerked back when she his arm reach over to try and grab her. His cheeks were bright red. It was adorable when he got flustered.

"Ha-ha." he muttered.

She giggled. "I'm kidding! I did finish watching it. Promise.” Trying to hide her smile. “What do you suggest next? Gossip Girl?” Biting her bottom lip. “I was told that's how you and Leighton met?" Making sure to emphasize her name correctly.

"Told by whom?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"People."

“Nosy people.” He murmured with a frown.

She angled her head curiously. "What’s wrong?"

He was pretty private about his personal life. He did not like people poking their heads where it didn't belong. Not that she blamed him. She was the same way. But in the short time they had known each other, Sebastian confided in her about his relationship and vise-versa. They gave each other advice, even though sometimes Camille didn’t feel qualified to do so.

“Nothing.”

"Is she still upset with you for missing that party?" she guessed ignoring his response He had mentioned a week ago about how they’d gotten into a screaming match over the phone.

"No...No not upset anymore." the tone of Sebastian's voice changing. "You know how you asked how we do it?" Raising one eyebrow, she waited for him to continue. "Well…we don't." he paused. "At least not anymore. We broke up."

"Oh Seb...I'm sorry-"

He shook his head. "No, no, it's okay. You didn't know." he pursed his lips together. "We-I knew it was coming. As horrible as that sounds.” trailing off, taking his hat off.

"It still sucks."

Sebastian gave a small shrug. "Yea…I'm not going to argue with you there..." Rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. "It's not like we didn't try you know? But things really began to get worse around April and well...here we are." a bitter smile on his handsome face.

Camille wanted to reach out and give him a hug. She had a feeling this was the first time he was saying all of this out loud, which now made it real.

"Having a long distance relationship is hard-" he stopped himself looking wide eyed at her. "Not- that it can't work-I mean- plenty of long distance relationships work out great!" he said a little too enthusiastically. Camille hid her smile, waiting for him to continue. Sebastian pressed his lips together, silence hitting the room. After a few moments he finally spoke. "You just going to let me dig a hole for myself?"

Shrugging nonchalantly she pretended to think about her answer for a moment. "Hmm, yea kind of."

He frowned. "Obviously I'm not the poster boy for how long distance relationships should work." scrunching up his nose. "So maybe ask someone else for that advice?"

"Noted." Camille said with a small smile. She knew it was his way of letting her know he wasn't ready to delve into his feelings about the break-up. She was not going to push it. If wanted to talk he knew where to find her.

Pushing himself off the stool he took a step toward her. "But... I am the poster boy for helping friends take breaks..." he teased the grin back on his face.

Camille rolled her eyes, tilting her head to the side. "Sebastian, no."

"Sebastian, YES." he mocked giving her those puppy eyes. "You can't make this place any cleaner if you tried. Because newsflash dragoste this is the cleanest apartment in the whole building and we both know I can vouch for that. You've seen mine and Dominic's." he teased.

One of the perks of working on this movie deal was that Camille had been put up in a nice studio apartment about a 6 blocks from where they did most of the filming. Her upstairs neighbors just happened to be Sebastian, Chris and Dominic. The studio decided to put the actors in apartments rather than hotels since they were going to be on set for more than 2 months. She had been a bit intimated at the idea of having these good looking men as her neighbors, the feeling had slowly started to fade the more time she spent with them on set. Because they were the dorkiest dudes she had ever met.

"I think you win that one." she mused.

"Thanks” He elbowed her gently. "C'mon, come out with me."

She grunted. "Seb-"

"Just for a few hours? We can go to that museum you've been talking about? The one with the new exhibit?" he urged. "What's the name again? Whit-whitty-something-"

"Whitworth Art Gallery." she corrected.

"Yea! That one!"

God that smile, that fucking smile was everything. That smile could be trouble.

"Only for a few hours right?" she asked cautiously, not wanting to say yes-just yet. He nodded. "Will I still be cut off from caffeine?"

Sebastian licked lips. "Well played." He looked at her for a split second then glanced away as if he was thinking of how to respond. "It can be discussed." he said in a serious tone. Camille gave his stomach a light punch. "Ow! Jeez! Fine. Caffeine is reinstated-ONLY if we eat."

Camille grinned wickedly. "Okay, then I'll go. You are such a great negotiator!"

"And you're a big bully.” he grumbled.

"Was this Liz's idea? To drag me out of the house?" She squinted. "How the hell do you have all this energy right now? You've been up since 3 this morning!"

"Adrenaline my wonderful Camille." he responded in that smooth voice. Then added. "Liz told me watch how many cups of coffee you've had. Dragging you out of the house was all my idea."

"Okay fine." she said in an exasperated voice. "I won't have any more coffee for the rest of the day. Happy?" She really needed to stop drinking it anyway.

"Hey, you know my stand on coffee." Sebastian said. "But you should probably eat too."

"Can we eat first? Then do the gallery?" Getting excited at the idea of getting to go see the art exhibit for a moment forgetting the real reason Sebastian was dragging her out.

"Works for me. I'm starving anyway." He reached for his hat. "Let me go clean up and then we can head out. 20 minutes? Sound good?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I'll change too."

"Okay, I'll be back." He placed his large hands on her hips, looking down at her. Camille opened her mouth in surprise at his touch. Giving her his smirk smile, he gently maneuvered her body in the direction of the bookcase that separated the bedroom from the living room. "Go in there and change. Don't even look in this direction when you're done. Got it?" he instructed. She swatted his hand away from her hips in annoyance.

Camille looked over shoulder. "Hey-"

"Hmm?" Sebastian asked adjusting the hat on his head.

Smiling shyly she murmured. "Thanks." Hoping she conveyed how glad she was he was around and willing to help her get out of her own head space for a bit. If not- she would drive herself wild with the ‘what if' before David arrived.

Winking he opened the door and said. "I told you I was the poster boy for this!" shutting the door behind him.

*****

Next day

"Babe? Can you see if my glasses are in the bathroom?" Camille called out from the kitchen, placing the leftover chicken in the fridge. She really had to keep better track of where she placed them. They always seemed to disappear from where she placed them-which was her face. She took a step in the direction of the bedroom at the same time David walked out. Camille smiled at the sight of him, six feet tall of dark muscle with broad shoulders and a dark trimmed beard that still made her weak in the knees. God, she missed him.

They faced each other. "I'm going to have to get you one those lanyards that old people wear around their necks sweetheart." he teased with a grin, gently pushing the glasses up her face.

He had just gotten out of the shower and smelled like clean soap. "Shut up." Camille said wrapping her arms around his naked upper torso, feeling the drops of water against her fingers.

David chuckled leaning in pressing a chaste kiss on her lips. "You'll probably lose that too."

Camille traced one of his larger tattoos on his right bicep with her finger. "Hmm. Whatever." she mumbled distracted. His tattoos were always a turn on for her. One of her favorites was the one she was playing with at the moment, he had gotten it in memory of his grandfather when he had turned 20 years old. His grandfather's initials and favorite flower.

"Sweetheart." he started. "I thought you were going to show me around the city?"

"I will. But I've missed you." Camille started.

He had gotten in around 11:30pm the night before, exhausted. She hadn’t been surprised when she walked back into her room and found him fast asleep and under the covers. She had gotten up at 8, gone for a run, got her usual coffee and pastry, along with some extra groceries she had forgotten to get the day before. She hoped David would be awake by the time she got back, but she found him still passed out. She decided to start on lunch so it would be ready when he woke up. Finally a little after 11 he woke up to eat and shower.

"I missed you too." David said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "But we have the next 4 days together. So let's go out and enjoy them." he reminded.

Camille knew he was right. But damn it, she was also a woman with needs and right now she was fucking horny. They hadn’t had a proper hello yet. Not that sex was something David owed her, but it would be nice to get some. Her vibrator could only do so much in 4 months. She needed the real thing.

"C'mon babe, let's go get ready." he urged.

Camille dropped her arms from around his waist. "I'll go get in the shower." walking toward the bedroom.

"Is my suitcase still in the living room?"

"Yup!" she said over her shoulder, letting down her curly hair and slipping the shirt up and over her head, tossing it into the dirty hamper in her closet. Feeling lighter than she had felt in days. Maybe she been projecting her doubts and insecurities a little too much the last few months. They had not fought once since he had landed. It felt almost normal. They talked over lunch just like they done so many times before. He talked to her about what was going on in the law firm offices he worked in, their friends, and she told him about everything she had done in the past 4 months on set.

Bending down she slipped her jogging pants off, ready to head in the direction of the bathroom, but stopped when she heard her phone beep. Glancing around the room she spotted it on the dresser and grabbed for it. It was probably Sebastian asking how things were going. Giving the phone screen a quick glance, she realized it was David's phone "David!" she called out. "Phone!" She was about to place it back on the dresser when it vibrated, someone was calling him now.

The phone screen blinked the name: "Ashley” Before Camille had the chance to call out for David again. His phone dinged with a new message.

Ashley: Baby, why aren't you answering my calls. Are you okay?

Camille blinked in surprise. His phone dinged again.

Ashley: 4 days is too long for us be apart. I miss you already.

Camille felt the air in the room being sucked out as she read the messages. She had to be reading them wrong. This could not be happening. His phone dinged again.

Ashley: Call me when you get a break from work okay?

Camille shook her head, hoping by doing that she read the text wrong. She shouldn't be reading his messages. Trying to take in breath she ran her fingers through her curls, while her other hand squeezed David's phone. He was on his knees looking through his open suitcase. "I should’ve brought an extra pair of jeans." he said with a small smile, standing back up. "I thought you were gonna take a shower?" he asked.

"You're phone was ringing." Camille started carefully, ignoring his question.

"Yeah? I'll call work later." walking towards her.

"It was Ashley." she whispered, watching his expression, but it did not change. Instead he rubbed her bare arms.

"Honey, go take a shower." he stated, his face not holding any emotion.

"Who's Ashley, David?"

David broke his gaze from her for a split second and shrugged. "Ashley’s a coworker. I've mentioned her before to you."

Camille gave a small nod 'no' and asked. "Are you sure?" Feeling her skin begin to boil with anger. He was lying straight to her face. There was no guilt in his eyes. How was this happening right now?

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Yes- of course."

Breaking away from his touch she shoved the phone into his chest. "Don't fucking insult my intelligence! You might want to check your damn messages." her voice raising. Not waiting for his response as she walked back into her bedroom, sitting down on the edge of bed, trying to catch her breath, she felt dizzy. She refused to cry. She would not give him the satisfaction.

"Camy-" David starting, using one of her nicknames from when they first started seeing each other.

Lifting her head up to look at him she glared. "Don't! Don't ever call me that again." she muttered bitterly. "Because what I saw has no fucking explanation David! None!"

David slowly walked toward the bed. "Nothing is going on." he started in a pleading voice.

"Are you serious right now? Are you fucking listening to yourself?!" she was yelling now. "Those text are not just nothing you fucking asshole! You've been seeing someone else!” Taking in a large breath. “We’re supposed to be getting married and you've been fucking someone else!!!!"

"You've been gone 4 months-" David's voice rising.

Camille quickly stood up from the bed and took a step toward him. "So since I've been out of the country, fucking other people was on the table? I didn't get that damn memo."

"Camille-"

"No! NO!!" shaking her head. "We didn't even make it one day-." Stopping mid-sentence. "You know. I should be surprised. I don't know why expected anything better from you-"

"That's not fucking fair!" David's nose flaring.

"But this is? You-you- sleeping with someone else is fair to me?" face to face with him now. "You told me taking this job was important. You said to take it. You said our relationship could survive this." her voice wavering, tears beginning to form in the corner of her eyes. "Instead of being honest with me. Instead of fucking talking to ME!!” Yelling as she gave him a hard shove.

David took a hold of her wrists. "Baby-I'm sorry-"

Camille shook her head hard and freed herself from his grip. "Why couldn't you talk to me?" she said in a sad whisper. "If you didn’t want this anymore you could have said so.” she said bitterly, chewing on her lower lip to keep from crying in front of him.

"You've been so busy and I didn't know what to do and she just happen to be there..." he said lamely.

"How long David?"

"That's not important-"

"It is to me. How long have you've been fucking her?" Camille pushed, but deep down she knew the answer. It had been in front of her face for months now. She was just too scared to see it. "Three months? Four? Longer than six??" David kept quiet. Letting out a sarcastic laugh, Camille wiped a tear with the back of her hand. "Why did you ask me to marry you? Why?"

"Because I love you sweetheart. You know I love you." moving an inch closer to her.

Camille put both of her hands up. "Don't touch me. Stay right there." she warned. "You don't love me. You don't do what you've done to people who you are supposed to love." She needed to calm down, her breathing coming in short. "I hope it was worth it.” She spat out. “Is she good?"

David shut his eyes giving a slight shake of his head. "C'mon, don't do that." he pleaded.

"I have the right to know don't I? It's the least you could do." She knew she was pushing his buttons and she didn't fucking care. She wanted him to hurt the way she was. She wanted him to feel just a smidge of what he was making her feel. "Tell me David!!! Is Ashley good? Does she give good head? Hmm?"

"Calm down Camille." he warned, his face glowering now.

"Or what? What can you possibly do to make this worse?"

"You always do this." David started, rubbing his hand over his face. "Your career come first. Always. School, new job and then maybe if you have the time-me.” His tone harsher.

"Don’t turn this around! You're the one fucking around in this relationship and it’s my fault?” Camille screamed. She really needed to calm down, not for him but for herself. She reached for her towel and walked in the direction of the bathroom. "I'm going to go take a shower...and when I get out, I don't want to see you here. I want you gone."

"Sweetheart-." David begged. "Please-I’m sorry. I fucked up. But we can figure this out. Fix this. Please." quickly making his way toward her.

"There is nothing to fix David. I want you out of my place got it? Zip up your suitcase and leave." she said as calmly as she could muster. "We’re done." Turning on the bathroom light, giving him a once over. "Get out." slamming the bathroom door behind her.

Chapter 3 If You Lift Me Up

[shysneeze]

phases of falling in love (ginny weasley x fem!reader)

Description: the painful process of reader falling for her Ginny Weasley, her best friend.

Warnings: angst af, I can’t think of anything else specific but please let me know if you come across anything and I’ll add it

Authors note: in love by khai dreams and she by dodie fit this in my head and are worth a listen.( edit, : i have a playlist here that fits this entire fic) . 

 ...

(Y/N) has decided that falling in love comes in three distinct phases: realisation, denial, and acceptance, though with various forms of panic in between.

No one’s ever boasted that falling in love is easy, the bitter angst of doing so the subject of too many pieces of literature to be doubted. Yet, no one’s ever told her it would be this hard, but she supposes the stakes were always going to be higher when it’s your best friend.

Realisation came first during a party, sat in a small group by the fireplace as the cheers and laughter so typical of a Gryffindor victory party raged on around them. They weren't much different from the others, talking loudly and laughing with their heads thrown back dramatically. They were discussing the game, (Y/N) thinks, though she can hardly remember now, nor was she particularly invested at the time. 

How could she be with her just across the from her, fair freckled skin aglow from the fire, who's light danced across her face with each flame’s flicker. Her hair tumbled down her shoulders effortlessly, as if it was pulled straight from the ponytail she wore during the afternoon's match.

That was the night she looked at Ginny  Weasley and felt something in her heart, longing perhaps, that went beyond mere friendship, the first night Ginny's smile made her chest tighten and her eyes finding hers with a wink made her gulp. 

It was the first time she looked at Ginny and saw her best friend but longed for more. 

Denial was easy after that, the whole thing flippantly dismissed as a fluke of the evening, blamed on the giddy feeling that accompanied the house’s victory that Ginny played such a vital part in securing. It was nothing more appreciation, awe.

Weeks later though, and the tugging in her chest still lingers, holding her hostage and controlling her every move.

It flares up unexpectedly, from a smile at lunch, a wave during matches or a laugh hidden behind textbooks during classes. There is an endless array of quirks and habits that (Y/N) has never once before paid attention to that now leave her stomach victim to butterflies and her heart to palpitations.

Yet the denial continues, excuses ranging from the outlandish to the self-deprecating. Perhaps an insensitive prank, a love potion slipped regularly into her morning orange juice, or maybe it’s just all in her head, a crush manifested from loneliness, from the desire to be loved by someone.

Excuses are easy to provide, yet even easier to disprove and it soon becomes clear that every attempt to deny her own feelings is fruitless. Acceptance looms over her, unmindful of the heart it’s about to break.

Acceptance comes reluctantly during an evening’s study in the library. There’s no blame to place on atmosphere this time, hidden together at the end of an aisle of shelves, sat across from one another at a desk most certainly made for one.

The characteristic smell of old books lingers in the air and speckles of dust are illuminated by a dim lamp as they float aimlessly around them. The light does nothing to highlight the red in Ginny’s hair the way the flames of the fire had during the party, or to draw the warm brown from her eyes,  yet (Y/N) is enamoured. 

(Y/N)'s quill hangs limply between her fingers, ink drying on the tip with a word half-finished on her parchment. Across from her, Ginny bites her lower lip in concentration, deep brown eyes scanning each word she writes, occasionally lifting her hands to fix the loose bun holding her fiery red hair from her face, ridding her eyes of the messy stray strands with a frustrated rush of air from her pink lips. 

(Y/N) gulps and panics slightly that in the quiet of the library, her best friend might hear the hammering of her heart in her chest. They're so close that their knees touch under the desk and (Y/N) is left unsure on whether to move her legs or not from fear of only drawing attention to it. 

She's trying to convince herself to act normal, that this is all normal, a scenario they've been in so many times before with procrastinated essays and last minute deadlines, that she has no reason to act any different, yet her heart races, and she can hear it in her own ears.

It’s terrifying.

She's mid inner quarrel when Ginny lets out a loud sigh of surrender and lets her quill clatter against the desk. (Y/N) blinks out of her daze, dropping her own quill in surprise and frowning at the red head. 

"Snape is asking for one of the twin's puking pastilles in his tea." She grumbles.

"They'd give you them for free if you tell them it's for Snape." (Y/N) manages a laugh. "How much more have you got to do?" 

Ginny peers at her own parchment, then at (Y/N)'s with a questioning frown, reaching over to snatch it into her hands. She examines it with arched brows and stifles a small laugh at whatever she's read. 

"Better than you- You've neglected to finish the word 'assignment', (Y/N)." She snorts softly. "It just says 'ass'." 

(Y/N) stands abruptly to grab it back from her amused friend with a quiet 'oi' and a flustered wide-eyed expression that only adds to Ginny's laughter until she's clasping her hand atop her lips to muffle the sound. 

"I got d-distracted." She explains embarrassedly. "It's just the first draft." 

"Oh no, I think you should hand it in as is." She grins. "I want to see Snape's face." 

"I'm not getting detention just so you can get a laugh." She argues. 

"Aw, come on." Ginny pouts. "Not even for me?" 

A part of her, a shameful part, almost instantly concedes to the offer, despite its teasing nature, just for Ginny's puppy dog eyes, which (Y/N) has until now been immune to. She falters for only a second before fixing her friend with a frown. 

"No, not even for you." She decides firmly. "Lets hear yours then, Gin." 

Ginny dramatically clears her throat with a grin, something that eerily reminds (Y/N) of her elder brothers, and begins to read aloud before (Y/N) stops her with an eye roll, cautious of the pacing click of Madam Pince's heels as she roams the aisles for the opportunity to evict noisy teens. 

"You'll be surprised to hear I finished all my words and never once spoke about my arse." 

"Sod off." (Y/N) rolls her eyes again. 

"Well, what’s got you so distracted you felt the need to conclude that you 'learned lots about counter curses from this ass'?" 

"You memorized it all ready?" 

"Of course." She beams cheekily. "How else am I to tell the rest of our friends?" 

"You are the worst." 

"You love me really though." 

(Y/N) worries when she can't laugh that off, when she falters for only a second, but enough to remind herself of this new and scary situation. She forces on a smile and hope she's been quick and convincing enough to seem normal, though something in Ginny's eyes tells her otherwise. 

"Are you okay, (Y/N)?" 

"Fine." 

"Hmm, you look nervous." Ginny hints. "What are you hiding? Is it a girl?" 

(Y/N) is exposed instantly by the involuntary widening of her eyes and Ginny grins menacingly at her from across the tiny desk. She leans over, palms flat against the desk and head so close to (Y/N)'s that their foreheads almost touch. 

(Y/N) forgets to breathe. 

"Who is it?" 

"No one." (Y/N) manages, edging back as subtly as possible. "It's not anyone." 

"Aw, c'mon." Ginny rolls her eyes. "Tell me." 

"You're going to make Madam Pince kick us out again." 

Ginny tuts, rolling her eyes and returning to her seat, allowing (Y/N) to drop her shoulders in relief. She sighs as she picks her quill up again, soaking the tip in ink with a rejuvenated intent to write, motivated by the chance to change the topic of conversation. 

"You're no fun." Ginny mumbles. "I'll find out." 

“There isn’t anything to find out.” (Y/N) exhales, not daring to look up from her parchment, knowing once again her expression will betray her. “Or anyone.”

“Oh, but there is.”

(Y/N) doesn’t need to look up to know the red-head is grinning, it’s evident in her voice. All she can do in response is take a deep, calming breath and continue with her work.

It’s not long before she can feel Ginny’s eyes on the top of her head and she freezes again, not sure when this became a talent of hers, to tell just from some new sixth sense that Ginny Weasley is staring at her.

“Can I help you?”

“Is it Willow Kings?”

“Been there, done that.” (Y/N) mumbles with a sigh. “She’s nice but talks about her owl too much.”

“Hmm.” Ginny hums in contemplation. “You’re not crushing on Pansy again, are you?”

In every single way, (Y/N) wishes that was her current shameful crush, rather than the girl currently interrogating her. When (Y/N) denies it, Ginny begins to hum again in thought.

“Luna?”

“Luna’s just a friend.” (Y/N) sighs, distinctly trying to convince herself the same thing about Ginny at this exact moment. “I’m not telling you, Gin.”

“Ugh, why not?” Ginny grumbles loudly.

The red-head’s face pales when the methodical clicking of the Librarian’s heels halts, wincing at what is soon to follow. The sound begins again, quicker and sharper as it approaches the pair.

“Shit.” Ginny curses, already gathering her work into her arms. “Here we go.”

“You two.”

The girls turn sheepishly to the other end of the aisle, where Madam Pince stares them down, one hand on her hip, other extended outwards to point at them with a disapproving look.

“We’re just leaving.” Ginny assures.

Ginny stands, reaching out innocently for (Y/N)’s hand and clasping it in her own to drag her to her feet as she splutters out protests, flustered instantly by the action. Ginny only gives her enough time to gather her things before pulling her towards the exit.

“S-low down, Ginny.” She pleads. “Sorry, Madam- “

The librarian scowls at them with an icy look as they squeeze past her towards the exist, Ginny’s laughter barely concealed as they go. (Y/N) can barely focus on anything other than the hand in her own.

Once in the corridor, convinced of their own escape from the strict librarian, Ginny flings he rhead back in a laugh, bun bouncing on her head at the action, cheeks flushed from the excitement of it.

“Every time!” She exclaims. “We get chased out every time.”

“I-“

(Y/N) is too stunned to form a sentence, stunned not by their actions, one’s regularly performed to avoid Madam Pince’s wrath, but rather how suddenly loud her heart is in her own ears.

She could blame adrenalin, it would be so easy to do so, but she knows it’s not. It’s many things, but not adrenalin. Instead Ginny’s laughter, her free and proud laughter so cheerful on her ears, it’s the baby hairs framing her face, endearingly messy, and it’s most certainly the hand still clasped in her own, warm and soft.

Acceptance, that final phase. No amount of excuses in the world could hide it now, that (Y/N) (Y/L/N) is undoubtedly, and most terrifyingly, in love with her best friend.

In this moment, watching Ginny’s grin, that infectious smile that has (Y/N) own lips pulling into a smile of her own, she’s about ready to risk it all for her, to tug her closer and ask, even beg, to kiss her.

“Ginny- “She starts

“Harry!”

Like that, the spell is broken and Ginny’s hand is slipping from (Y/N)’s and her feet carrying her towards the red faced boy-who-lived at the other end of the corridor, flinging herself eagerly into conversation with him and leaving (Y/N)’s smile to drop.

The tugging feeling in (Y/N)’s chest returns, and she finds herself back in reality. Ginny likes Harry, she always has, it’s been the topic of so many late-night teasing, how could (Y/N) possibly forget. It hurts though, in a way it never has before, a painful stab of reality sent straight to her heart.

(Y/N) has just learned for herself that falling in love is never easy, even if her heartbreak isn’t one likely to be documented as a great tragic romance in future. No one told her it would be this hard, but as she watches Ginny grinning up at the boy across the hall, her heart twists with the reluctant acceptance that, not only is she in love, but that her best friend is in  love with someone else. 

[no-psi-nan]

Extra Love Stories of Psychics Volume 2

Experimental Censored Edition

Chapter 2: Tablⓔⓢⓟooning

It's one thing to know that your boyfriend has godly powers and quite another thing to witness insane magical feats before breakfast.

But that's okay! Aiura is up to the challenge~!

Full chapter on AO3, T-rated version below the cut. More info about the Experimental Censored Version here.

Censored content: A few lines of typical outrageous Aiura dialogue (about the same level as I let her get away with in Moving Forward)

"Knock knock, Kusuo~! I found a hella sexy pancake recipe on insta and I'm making it for breakfast~!"

[Oh, thank you Mikoto!]

"I'm coming in~ …Hey, there's no one here! Where are you, babe?"

[I'm actually in my own bedroom, good grief.]

"LOL for realsies?? I never thought I'd see the day you slept in your own bed anymore lmaooo!"

[Er.]

[I didn't sleep here, actually.]

[Touma-kun just headed out earlier this morning.]

[Nature walk with Nendo and Mera, he said.]

[No thanks. Those three are seriously too comfortable with bugs.]

"Hahaha, that makes a lottt more sense! I'm coming in~!"

[Wait, don't actually come in he– ]

"It's all dark in h– AHHHHHH YOU'RE ON FIRE?!! HOLY SHIT I–"

[Hey. Calm down. It's fine.]

"What do you MEAN it's fine–"

[I'm just autoclaving.]

"You're just WHAT?!"

[It's just normal autoclaving, good grief.]

[Look, I'm levitating so I won't damage the floors.]

"THE FLOORS ARE NOT RLY THE PROBLEM HERE…"

[It's like when you have a fever. And your body burns off the bacteria.]

"Kusuo, there is literally fire coming out of your eyes and nose and mouth!!! That's NOT NORMAL!!!"

[What a pain. Don't worry about it.]

[I'll be done in just a minute.]

"H-how are your clothes not burning off??"

[That's the last step. Seriously, don't worry about it.]

"Goddddd, okay…"

[Sorry, I should have warned you earlier.]

[I used to autoclave before bed, but since moving here, it's just been more convenient to do it in the morning.]

"Good 2 know, I'll wait for the all-clear next time lol. …Wait, the 'autoclaving' is how you stop yourself from getting sick, right?"

[Yes.]

[It also deep cleans from the inside out and prevents tooth decay.]

[I have to admit that this power is pretty useful.]

"Damnit, and it's just pyrokinesis again right?? For real, I am SO jelly of your pyrokinesisss!!"

[Guessing you haven't been able to copy this one yet, huh?]

"UGH… Not from lack of trying!! I'm p sure I get the theory behind it, but none of my powers are similar at all so it's hard to know what it should feel like!"

[Er.]

[It should feel hot.]

"LMAO should've guessed that one!"

[What a pain. Wish I could help.]

"Aww, that's alright! TBH my body probably wouldn't be able to handle being on fire as well as yours does either, lol. But you go ahead and finish doing your thing, I'll get the coffee started, k?"

[Thank you, Mikoto.]

[Sorry about the scare.]

"Dw babe! Honestly, I think the fiery look is kinda sexy now that I know it's not hurting you~ You're looking SUPER hot, lmao!"

[You are seriously incredible.]

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

"All done with your Calcifer moment, lol?"

[Yes.]

[I hope your bacon doesn't burn.]

"Hahaha, thank you~! Here's your coffee, and if you sit down there, I'll get started on the pancakes~!"

[Thank– Wait, did you just think 'espresso pancakes and tiramisu ice cream' to yourself just now? Seriously?]

"Aww, you got me there!"

[Oh wow… That does sound 'hella sexy'… ]

"Gotcha~! I know my boo! And I'll be taking my pancakes with some bacon now that you've brought it up, I think! Yummm~!"

[Hmm.]

"That sounds to me like you want a little bacon too, huh? You got it, babe~!"

[Good grief… I might be the telepath, but you're the amazing one, figuring out people without using your powers.]

"Awwww, that's sweet of you to say, Kusuo~! Oh, what are your plans for today btw babe? I got in late from dance circle last night so I totes didn't get a chance to ask!"

[I plan to spend most of the day with my mother.]

[I know she misses me.]

"And you miss her too, huh~? Mama's boy~!"

[Shut up… ]

[Anyways. What are your plans?]

"Wellll, I'm taking Chiyopipi window-shopping today and then we're getting massages! She wants to write a scene for one of her fics, y'know, but she's never gotten a for realsies massage before! I told her she should just go get one and she was a little nervous about it, so I'm coming with~"

[Hmm. Let me know if you run into trouble.]

"Hehehe, you don't have to worry, babe! I promise we're not going to some shady dig~ It's kind of an upscale place, actually! One of my homegirls works there and scored us some hella sweet coupons~!"

[Huh. Is that what they call 'friends with benefits'?]

"Hahaha! Aww, now that I think about it, I totes wish I could take you there for a couple's massage! But I think your therapist might quit on the spot when they realize they can't move your muscles at all lol. Unless you could, like, totally relax them, maybe??"

[There's a thought… ]

[But I don't think I'd enjoy letting a stranger touch me like that.]

[With my germanium ring, I'd feel worried about what they might do.]

[Without the ring, I'd have to listen to the thoughts of everyone who's trying to relax and forget their troubles.]

[Either way, it's a pain.]

"Awww, my poor Kusuooo! And you would hardly feel the pressure anyways, wouldn't you, babe?"

[Unfortunately, no.]

[But I have figured out a few tricks.]

[Maybe I'll take you to my massage place one day.]

"Ooohhh, now you've got me ~curious~!"

[Heh. I'll schedule that date later.]

"HYPE!!! And talking about scheduling, I heard from Aketoumi that it's my turn to snooze with you 2nite~!"

[ …What do you mean by 'scheduling'?]

"Batter, batter, batter~! …Hm? Well, you can't sleep with Aketoumi every night, right? He goes on his crazy lil nerd benders p often and then he's no good as a bed buddy for you!"

[I can just sleep in my own bed those nights.]

"Uhhh, yeah like, technically you could. But why would you?? You can sleep over with me~!"

[Good grief… ]

[Aiura, I like sleeping over with you. But we both know you're a light sleeper.]

[You're awake half the time when I'm over. Seriously. Even when I stopped breathing to see if that would help.]

"Oh shit yeah, that gave me a hell of a scare lol! But it's really just so cozy that it's totes worth it sometimes~! And a Saturday night like this is just perf for snuggling my Kusuo~!"

[What a pain, you need your sleep.]

"And so do YOU babe!! For realsies!! Like, your brain is litcherally still developing, so your powers are probs gonna be growing and changing too! And you're already extra tired from not having your limiters any more, Kusuo, and the only cure for that is proper sleep, fr. We've all noticed how much better you've been after Aketoumi started sleeping over at your parents' place with you, boo! And you're finally losing those designer bags under your eyes now that you're sleeping together p much every night! Plus you've gotten more control over your powers in the last few weeks than in the months before that, so obvs you need your 💤s to be able to handle your crazy ESP!!"

[Yes, but I'll be fine sleeping on my own for a night or two, good grief.]

[I know we're dating, but that doesn't mean I should make trouble for you every day!]

"Oh, dw, you're literally not lol."

[So I'll be allowed to sleep on my own then?]

"Oh, no fucking way, lmao."

[ … ]

[Aiura. Explain.]

"…chocolate chips. Alright, sorry, putting the final touches on these pancakes~! Yeah, so, basically I went and talked with ya bois next door and they're all totally cool with you sleeping over any time! Saiko and Mera were hangin' with them at the time and they volunteered their beds, too!"

[ … ]

[G-good grief… ]

[That's… A little embarrassing… ]

[And it feels like I'm being troublesome… ]

"Don't be silly, Kusuo~ All of us just want to see you be healthy and happy, babe, and sleeping next to you is such a teensy little thing that it's no bother at all~ In fact, ya bois are all clamoring for their turn, lmao!"

[ …Well… I guess if everyone is seriously okay with it… ]

"Hell yeah!! Now, if you like, actually want to sleep alone for a night and it's not because you think you're being a burden or whatever, then for sure you can do that, we won't stop you. But we all know that having a trusted friend nearby helps you feel so much less anxious~ And for realsies, there's no shame in that!"

[ … ]

[That's alright then… ]

"Actually I bet the girls would be cool with you sleeping over too, but I figured you'd be less comfy asking them at this point lmao. Mera was totes chill w/ it tho, you know how epic she is~ And she's got hella instincts! Did you know that I caught her saving someone with a death mark on their face from getting run over?? She's hardcore!!"

[Hmm… Our friends really are strong in their own ways.]

[ … ]

[Well. Except for Kaido.]

[He's a great friend, but I'm not sure I could feel comfortable sleeping with my germanium ring around him.]

"LMAO, yeah I totes get what you mean!! Poor little chichi-chipmunk doesn't inspire much confidence loool! But dw, I'm p sure he and Kubonnu have been sleeping together every night since we got here lmao~ Tho you didn't hear it from me!"

[Hmm. Kuboyasu can even detect me when I'm invisible. He is very safe.]

"Siiigh, what a man~! Do you think there's room enough for four on Kubonnu's bed, lmao?"

[Heh. You'd break poor Kaido's heart, Mikoto.]

[He still hasn't realized that Kuboyasu has little interest in girls.]

"Ha! I'm surprised Aketoumi hasn't set up one of his lil betting pools for how long it's gonna take those two to figure stuff out!"

[I had to talk him out of it months ago.]

"LMAOOO nice! Well, here's breakfast~! Hopefully it's even sexier than it looks~!"

[This looks and smells incredible, Mikoto. Thank you.]

"Ehehehe~! Save it until you actually have a few bites lol."

[Hmm… ]

[I think this deserves a dessert spoon.]

"Oh, one of those lil tiny baby spoons, right? I love those bad boys! Do we have any?? Let me see… Hmmm… Boo… All I see are these normal-ass spoons… Not very in-character for an apartment full of psychics I guess lol."

[What a pain. Are you sure we don't have any smaller spoons?]

"Yeah… Sorry babe…"

[Good grief. I guess I'll have to make my own, then.]

" …What? Do you also have, like, spoon-making powers??"

[Something like that.]

[Hmm… This one will do, as a start.]

"Babe, that's the biggest one??”

[Not for long.]

Aiura shoots him a puzzled look, and Saiki holds eye contact with a grin as the spoon lifts up into the air and revolves lazily around its handle. Even as it spins, the spoon starts to glow a dull red, then brightens to yellow and an almost-blinding white. The edges of the spoon start to curl in on themselves, then with a crunch, the metal is smashed flat. Aiura watches, shocked, as the spoon is curled and crushed and curled and crushed faster and faster until it suddenly stops with a flash. The fiery glow fades, revealing a tiny, delicately carved dessert spoon, covered in the typical whorled pattern of folded steel.

"Oh my godddd, omfgggg????" breathes Aiura. "D-did you just– did you just FORGE that shit right in front of me??"

Saiki winks at her, grabbing his new dessert spoon to scoop a bite of ice cream into his mouth with a happy hum.

"Broooo… You really are some kind of god, huh?"

He looks faintly ill at the thought, his satisfied smile gone. Aiura rushes to reassure him, taking one of his hands, and carefully rubbing her thumb over the thin glove.

"Oh Kusuo, I don't mean it like in the 'we're on totally different levels way', tho obvs your powers are def bananas. I mean like, you always put so much effort into hiding away all of what makes you special! So when you actually show off everything that you are, it's just like… Boom!! Mind blown, y'know? But babe, please give me a little warning next time lol. I haven't even had breakfast yet!"

[Ha! …Fair enough.]

Mollified, Saiki grins and offers her the spoon, non-dominant hand to non-dominant hand so she can still brush her thumb over his skin if she wants to. And she does want to, so she keeps holding his hand even as she admires the freshly-minted dessert spoon, turning it this way and that to catch the light on the curvy fold lines.

"Y'know, having godly powers is one thing (and, like, don't get me wrong– it's a hell of a thing!), but what really truly impresses me about you, Kusuo, is how clever and creative and kinda bitchy you are with them, lmao. You always come up with a buncha different ways to solve a problem and it's super inspirational for me when I'm working on my own powers! Like, you could've just apported this spoon for a smaller one. But you wanted to show off a little for me so you went about it a totally bonkers way! And you did impress the hell out of me~!"

The light blush on Saiki's cheeks proves that he's pleased at the admission, and he doesn't even protest when she playfully steals a bite of his ice cream.

"But even then, you have such a good heart! You don't like it when you accidentally intimidate me, don't you? But don't you worry, even if you give me a spook, that's just like a gut reaction, right? I know in my mind and in my heart that you'd never hurt me, Kusuo! So please just keep being a little patient w/ me when I try to keep up with you, alright?"

[ … ]

He gives her a very soppy and affectionate look, and she can feel the psychic overflow of his joy as a mild fizzle of warmth deep in her bones.

[Mikoto, even when I do something that scares you to death, you find a way to accept and love that part of me.]

[You're the truly impressive one here, seriously.]

"Awww, baaabe… you're making me tear up, fr!! Here, come on, I'm going to kiss your cheek and hug you and then we're going to eat our epic breakfast before it gets cold, okay?"

[Don't worry about it getting cold, Mikoto. I'm here.]

[But I do want that hug and kiss… ]

[Hehehe… Mmmm~]

"You're so cute, you're so cute, you're so CUTE!! Prepare yourself for some epic cuddling 2nite, y'hear??"

[I'll be looking forward to it… ]

He steals the tiny spoon back from Aiura, then hums his way through his sinfully sweet breakfast. Aiura fervently congratulates herself as she watches Saiki's blissful expression between bites of her own meal.

The true compliment to her cooking, though, is the look of faint disappointment on Saiki's face when he realizes that he's cleared his plate and there's no more to enjoy. Aiura giggles, and offers a chunk of pancake from her own plate. His eyes immediately brighten, and he accepts it with an elated sigh.

"That good, huh?"

[Yes. Seriously… ]

[Thank you, Mikoto.]

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

"…And after we ate our breakfast (which was soooo good, thx 4 my life insta!), he leans forward, smooches me right in the mouth, turns bright pink, and just teleports away to his room!! It was soooo sweet, Chiyopipi, I'm literally on cloud nine rn~!"

"Goooshhh that does sound so cute, Miko-chan!! Saiki-kun is really romantic, huh?"

"Yeah!! And he left behind the little spoon he made! Look, look! I want to put it on a chain like a necklace~!"

"WOW, this is incredible, Miko-chan!! It's really pretty! …Heyyy, if you're going to wear it every day, then maybe you should get Saiki-kun a little gift to wear too~! It would be sooo romantic to have matching jewelry, don't you think~?"

"Oooh, you're right as always, Chiyopipi! It would be so cool to get him something with pretty lines in the metal like this spoon~! But like, what could it even be?! I sure as hell can't forge a spoon with my powers lmaooooo!"

"Wellll, if it's a romantic gift… What about a ring~?"

"Idk Chiyopipi… Isn't it kinda too early for me to be getting him a ring? Like yeah we're soulmates and all and maaaybe I totes wanna marry him, but won't that like, scare him off y'know??"

"Miko-chan, I said you should gift him a ring, but it doesn't have to be a wedding ring!"

"Wait, so what kind of ring are you talking about then lol?"

"I mean a ring isn't a relationship-specific ring! You know, as long as it's meant for any finger other than the ring finger, then it's a more normal gift! Pluuusss, I know a ring place that works with germanium~!"

"Oh!! That's your angle! Chiyopipi, you're brilliant!! But wait… Kusuo can't wear a germanium ring on the reg cuz it would always be cancelling him, y'know? He can't even carry it with him unless it's a few layers of clothes away, I think? Like he can put it in his pants pocket, but not his shirt pocket, ya dig?"

"Hmm… What if it's on a chain? Then it's not as presumptuous of a gift either, right?"

"Ummm… I think Kusuo might find that too flashy to wear over his clothes all the time? It's not really his style…"

"What about under his clothes?"

"I think he'd be cool w/ it but not if it's germanium cuz he'd get cancelled. Would a normal ring really be okay??"

"Hmm…"

"Damn, this is hard!! If only there was like a normal ring on the outside with like a germanium ring on the inside, then that could probably work, y'know??"

"…Miko-chan, YES!! I've seen rings like those, with different metals on the inside and the outside!! I don't know if there are any with germanium, but we can ask!!"

"Oh Chiyopipi, let's go, let's go!! You are so smart, I could kiss you!!"

"Here, on my cheek!"

"MWAH!! Hehehe!"

"Hahaha! Come on, maybe they'll have time to make us something special today if we hurry!"

"Won't that be expensive tho??"

"Miko-chan, Miko-chan… The shop owner is a Kokomin! Aaand he's seen me here with Kokomi before! He'll give us a sweet, sweet discount, guaranteed~!"

"Chiyopipiii!! You're the bessstttt!!!"

"What are friends for~?"

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

"Oh hey, Kusuo! You beat me home again, huh? How'd it go with your mom??"

[It… went really well.]

"Babe? Are you okay? It kinda sorta seems like you're having, like, major emotions rn?"

[ … ]

[Heh. How do I always forget how perceptive you are…?]

"It's cuz you, Mr. Saiki Kusuo, are fundamentally, at heart, just a little bit silly!"

[ … ]

[ …Embarrassing, but not incorrect.]

"Hehe! So what's on your mind, babe? Y'know you can always tell me~"

[Good grief… it's seriously nothing, but… ]

[It was just that I've been away from home for a couple of months now. And walking around my old neighborhood as a college student now feels… odd.]

"Is it really that different now lol? Daaang…"

[No. Nothing has really changed in such a short time.]

[Except for me.]

[I used to think I'd be doomed to walk those streets for life, if I couldn't stop the meteor.]

[It doesn't help that I once got stuck in a terrible time loop there either.]

[Then I started missing my neighborhood before I even left, with our graduation on my mind.]

[What a pain…]

[As much as I complained about walking to school with Nendo, Kaido, and Kuboyasu, the prospect of walking alone again was seriously worse.]

[But now that we're all together again here, those streets didn't feel like a prison any more, or like a warning.]

[It just felt… nostalgic. In a good way.]

[ … ]

[It was nice.]

"Awwww, I'm happy to hear that, babe!"

[And… there was something else.]

[I ran into my old neighbors that I used to see every day.]

[Like the old lady who always greets me and the guy who gives me an awkward look because I caught him singing loudly once.]

[Good grief… Neither of them ever really liked me.]

[But still, when they saw me again today, they thought to themselves something like… ]

['Hey, it's that kid again. He looks a little older now. Happier, too.']

[And they were genuinely glad to see me.]

[ … ]

[They have no idea that I've saved their lives and their livelihoods countless times.]

[To them, I'm just some guy.]

[And yet… there was still a tiny place in their hearts for me…]

"Awww… And they're right, actually!"

[ ? ]

"You do carry yourself a little differently, ever since you told everyone about your powers. Like you're not carrying as much weight on your shoulders any more. Like you're looking forward to the future with hope. Like you actually feel that you belong??"

[ … ]

[Really…?]

"For realsies! Even your aura is kinda different now?? Before, it was just this big ass ball of light extending to the edges of your psychic range. And yeah it was impressive because it was so fuck-off huge lol. But really, it seemed like it was actually a wall you'd built between yourself and the world, trying to push everyone as far away as you could to the fullest extent of your powers??"

[That… makes an awful lot of sense.]

"Right?? But recently, your aura has gotten much more... compact? It's even brighter than before, with more energy in the same space, but it also seems more dynamic?? Like, it's still a ball that usually extends about 20ish ft each way, y'know? But now it has little swirls of colored emotion swimming through it sometimes. And when you're with your friends, your aura sometimes changes size to, like, accommodate them better, if that makes sense?? Like now that it's just you and me, your aura's smaller than usual, and it's a little off center from you too, as if to cover me better?? I've never seen anything like it, and it's so charming tbh~!"

[Hm.]

[Good grief. I'm not sure how I feel about having more visible emotions.]

"Hahaha, don't worry, babe~ They're basically only visible to me! And if it makes you feel better, I can really only see the feelings you're choosing to not hide, I think!"

[Well. That's better, I guess.]

"But I'm glad you're being more open with your emotions now tho, fr! It's good for you, y'know?"

[But isn't it a pain? To be bombarded with other people's emotions?]

"Kusuo, my darling, my soulmate. You hardly count as 'other people' to ME, lmao! Nor do you count as 'other people' to literally anyone in this building. And expressing emotions to us literally isn't being a burden or anything? We're happy to know how you feel – so we can join in on your joy or help out with any pain, ya feel?"

[ … ]

[I don't know. That sounds a little fake.]

"I toootally get how you feel. Legit, I used to think that too! And it's true that it can be kinda tough when someone literally won't ever talk about anything else besides how shitty their life is, I guess. But like 99% of the time, we do really want to know how our friends are feelin', and it's not work, y'know?"

[Hm.]

"Actually, you've been a lot better about expressing your emotions lately tho? Did you really just think you were burdening us this whole time?"

[ … ]

[Yeah.]

[It's okay to be a little burdensome with your friends, right? Nendo taught me that.]

"Awwww, he's right~! Nendo is really pretty clever when it comes to things like friendship, huh~? But for realsies, while it's true that you can lean on your friends, expressing your emotions isn't actually a burden lol. That sorta thought is just like an unforch side effect of never getting your feelings taken into account while growing up, tho… You start thinking that if you're always punished or ignored for expressing your feelings, then having feelings is an ugly thing, a weak thing, and that showing your heart will make people cringe, right?"

[ … ]

[That makes… a lot of sense.]

"Yeah. It takes a lot of effort to unlearn that sort of thing too! If it wasn't for my homegirls, I'd still be trying to force myself to fit the horrible little close-hearted mold that would turn me into a 'perfect girl'. And it turns out my homies were right! I do wanna know what my peeps feel, and I know that they wanna know about me too! Tho poor Teryu-koko never had girlfriends to set her straight until recently, so sometimes we still gotta nudge her a bit to get her to say what she really feels!"

[Teruhashi… ]

[I always felt that we were a little bit similar.]

[Not allowed to be human, because of our abilities.]

"Oof, yeah… My poor darlings! All the way from birth, huh? You two have really been so brave and strong to get through it and still be the wonderful, kind ppl you are today! I really admire you guys so much~!!"

[Hey… Don't give me that soppy look… You're making me blush… ]

"Ehehehe! You know I can't help it, I really love you~!"

[ …yeah. I love you too… ]

[And I know you haven't had it so easy either, good grief.]

[How do you stay so upbeat when you can see death marks on people's faces? Seriously?]

"Welllll, that's a good question lol. Ngl, it's not always easy! But luckily, death marks aren't that common, actually? And like, most death marks are pretty light, y'know? Just minor misfortune. Plus, even when it's darker, people do usually survive it! Actually, that might be your influence, boo~! The truck that ran me over really shoulda taken me out probably, so I'm mega glad that you made everyone's injuries heal suuuper fast~!"

[Good grief!]

[I'm glad too… ]

"Also, after meeting Toripori, it kinda helps to know that the afterlife isn't so bad, actually? Like, watching life go by and seeing the natural beauty of the world with some other undead homies sounds super chill?? And if it gets boring, they can just quit it n leave? Not a terrible deal tbh, makes death a lot less scary. Like, don't get me wrong, I obvs prefer being alive lol, ghosts can't have milkshakes or ice cream or cake! But, y'know, it's less scary seeing a super dark death mark now!"

[Still, what a pain… ]

"Yeah, it can be a bummer!! But at least I can do something about it sometimes! Not always, but I do try if I have the chance. It's harder to do for strangers, obvs, cuz they're not just gonna listen to some rando. But at least for people I know, I can warn them and try to keep them away from danger for a bit. Like how we did for Chiyopipi!"

[ … ]

[Have you ever… ]

"Have I ever failed?"

[Yeah… ]

"No, thankfully!!! I've had a close call tho… Well, two if you count Chiyopipi! My homegirl Kiki was gonna go out with a boy on a date after school and she had a hella death mark!! I was telling her 'GIRL you HAVE to reschedule your date!! That death mark is practically BLACK!' But she was SO gung-ho over this dude and it was her first real chance at him so she went anyways??"

[Good grief! She could have died!]

"RIGHT?? I'm demiromantic too, so like, I can't imagine risking my life to chase a guy I barely know, y'know?? But she was like YOLO, so obvs I followed her!! And geeeez, she really almost bit the dust!!"

[Seriously?!]

"Yeah!! Like, she barely arrived at the beach for her date when the bad luck started! First somebody's crazy-ass dog got off its leash and started sprinting at her like it was gonna maul her!! I did a two-finger whistle, the super loud kind, y'know? And thankfully that distracted the dog just long enough that the owner was able to catch up!! But my girl was totally oblivious cuz her boy had just arrived??"

[Incredible… ]

"Thennn, she went to the food truck area with the dude and one of the trucks caught fire?? And of course it was the one RIGHT next to a bunch of propane tanks!! Catch me dialing 119 like a maniac, and maybe my luck pulled through cuz there were some firefighters right nearby! And they were pretty damn sexy actually~!"

[Mikoto… Really?]

"Come onnn, there wasn't anything I could do except cheer on our professional hotties lmao, and they did put out the fire p quick! And then my girl's like 'oh I'll take a quick dip in this super calm part of the water.' Well, guess what? The water was super calm-looking because it was a damn rip current!! If I hadn't called the lifeguard like immediately, she woulda gotten her ass yote out to open sea!!"

[Geez!!]

"After she got rescued by the lifeguard, she went to lay down on the sand to recover. And can you believe?? There was a fucking Portuguese man o' war on the ground right there!! It shouldn't have even been in the area?? And those bitches still sting even weeks after they die too! So she woulda got the nastiest welts on her legs AT BEST if I hadn't run up to her like 'NO GIRL DON'T SIT!!'. Like, what are the odds??"

[Yikes!]

"And then finally she starts to wise up that no kiss can be good enough to raise her from the dead (except for yours maybe? jk… unless…? ok that's a no lmao) and realized she'd better gtfo lol. But THEN a fuckin GANG TURF WAR started up over a part of the beach and shit got real when people started pulling out guns!! Like, holy fuck! And of course, Kiki got caught in the crossfire with a bullet to the chest and goddd, it really felt like I was the one who died in that moment, holy shit… I just barely managed to call 119 AGAIN!! Even though there was blood everywhere, she pulled through it, and just has the gnarliest scar over her right boob lmaooooo."

[Good grief…!!]

"RIGHT?? I'm p sure I lost like 2 years of my own life that day, yooo… Kiki lost all interest in going to the beach after that, lmaooooo. Killed a little bit of the allure for me too. But our Puerto Rico date overwrote that, fr! It was soooo magical~!"

[I'm glad. Wow.]

"Hehehe~"

[What a pain… I had no idea you went through all of that.]

[And you even risked your own life to save your friend… Propane explosions are no joke.]

"Yeah, yeah. It was just the right thing to do, y'know?"

[Still, not everyone would have done it.]

[You really inspire me sometimes, Mikoto… ]

"D'awwwww, you sweetheart~! You inspire me too~! Come here, come here, let me cuddle you a little bit, pleeease~?"

[Hehe. Alright.]

[ …Mmm~ ]

"Ohhh, you're always so nice and toasty~! And you're squeezing me back just right, dw~!"

[Good… ]

[ …This is nice… ]

[ … ]

[Wait.]

[Did you just think about a gift? A gift for me?]

"Aww, damnit, you caught me huh? I figured maybe I'd save it for another day, y'know, since it seems like you're feelin kinda emotional and vulnerable rn? Didn't want to overwhelm you, babe!"

[What a pain.]

[That is very kind of you. But give me the gift right now.]

[Let me get all these emotions out at once so I can go back to being unflappable.]

"Hahaha, that's definitely not how it works, lmaooooo! But I can go get it if you want~"

[ …I'm seriously too comfortable right now. Where did you put it?]

"LOL, valid!! It's in a little velvet pouch in my whale shark purse~!"

[[ ( Clairvoyance ) ]]

[[ ( Telekinesis ) ]]

"Hehehe, you look so silly with your eyes crossed like that~ It makes me want to kiss your nose~"

[Well, what's stopping you?]

"Hahaha, Kusuooo!! You're too cute!!!! Mwah~"

[Mm…]

"Such a sweetheart~! Go ahead and open up your gift~!"

[What's the occasion? Good grief, did I miss an anniversary??]

"LMAO, not that I know of!"

[You're really working hard to not spoil the surprise in your thoughts, huh?]

[Well, let's see… ]

[Ah, a set of dessert spoons! Heh, thank you!]

"But wait, there's more~!"

[Oh, you're right!]

[ … ]

[A ring…?]

[ … ]

[Aren't you supposed to be on one knee for that sort of thing?]

"STOPPPPP, LMAOOOOO."

[Heh.]

[Hmm. I assumed this ring would be made of germanium, especially since it's on a chain, but I can still hear your thoughts… ]

"Bamboozled~ Hehe, try putting it on~!"

[You didn't get down on your knee and now you're making me put this ring on myself?]

[What a pain, I thought we were an item.]

"Kusuooooo!!! Literally don't tempt me!! You know I'd marry your ass in a second!!"

[Hehehe… ]

[Hmm… ]

[ ! ]

[I don't hear your thoughts any more! But when I take the ring off again, I hear them, even though I'm still touching it…]

[And that means I can carry it around without the risk of accidentally cancelling my power.]

[And this chain even helps to keep it close…!]

[This is a lovely gift, Mikoto!]

[[To be able to shut off telepathy for a little while any time I like…!]

[How did you find such a wonderful thing??]

"Actually, I got it made special for you today, boo!"

[What? In less than a day??]

[Is this a new power of yours?]

"Ehehehe, nothing like that! Actually I have Chiyopipi to thank! She's the one who found this totes bangin' ring place! Look, look,, the inner part of your ring is actually three really thin rings, see? The middle is germanium, the other two are just basic bitch stainless steel, y'know? And they've been press-fit into this slightly larger titanium ring! And the dude even carved in some fake fold lines like on the spoon you made~"

[Ahhh, I see it now.]

"And you can pop the ring right on this lightbulb shaped metal bit off your chain, see? No psychic powers needed lmao, just squeeze the ring holder to grab or stash it~"

[Incredible.]

[This gift is… literally peace of mind for me.]

[I'm not entirely sure how to thank you, Mikoto.]

"Wellll… Can I keep the little spoon you made? I guess I didn't actually ask you about it!"

[Of course you can. I really made it for you, after all.]

"Awwww, Kusuooo~! That's why I wanna wear it as a necklace!! It'll be so cute, dontcha think~?"

[Hmm…]

[Good grief… While I do like the idea, won't it cast suspicion about ESP if everyone sees you with a spoon?]

"Not to worry, babe, I have a built-in defense! Look~! When I put it on a chain like this…"

[Ah. The spoon is partially hidden by your cleavage.]

"Bingo~! LMAO! With only the handle sticking out, it just looks like a statement piece with the pretty folded lines~!"

[Very funny and very clever, just like you.]

"Awwww, ty ty!!"

[Still. I wish I could thank you properly somehow.]

"Well, if you insist, then I could sure use a few kisses on the cheek~!"

[Hmm… ]

[I think I can do better than that.]

"Ah–! Neck kisses, ooh~ Hehehehe~! Mmmmm! Love you so much, Kusuo~!"

[Love you too, Mikoto… ]

[Mmm… it's really nice when you touch my back like that… Relaxing… ]

"I'm glad~!"

[Mmmmm… ]

[Oh, I almost dropped the ring. I'll put it on with the necklace.]

[Seriously, thank you Mikoto. This was very thoughtful.]

[Oh. And please give my thanks to Yumehara-san as well.]

"Hahaha, in the same way~?"

[If she doesn't mind.]

"LOL, good point!! …Y'know, I wasn't sure at first how you'd feel about this whole polyamory thing? Despite obvs not being normal in a lot of ways, you're still kind of a traditional guy, y'know?"

[Yes.]

[I wasn't sure about it myself.]

[But I was selfish. I seriously didn't want to lose either of you…]

[So when the opportunity presented itself… ]

[I took it gladly.]

"I don't think that's selfish actually, but imma let you finish lol."

[Well, I thought it might cause some sort of competition if I dated both of you at the same time, and damage your friendship.]

[But it didn't.]

[When you see me with Touma-kun, or he sees me with you, there's no jealousy.]

[Just happiness. At seeing me happy.]

"Yeah!! That's the compersion, baby!!"

[I couldn't believe it at first. But I've seen it over and over now.]

[You two even work together to make my life better, good grief!]

"Well, duh~! We both obvs want to see you happy and healthy~!"

[I seriously can't believe that I used to worry about you finding another partner and forgetting about me… ]

"It is kind of a natural thing to worry about, so I don't blame you!"

[Hmm.]

[I guess I thought love came in limited quantities.]

[That you could only love so much.]

[But…]

[With every new friend, I've found myself full of more love than before.]

[Good grief… I didn't expect romantic love to be the same way, sometimes.]

"It's wild, isn't it~? Not everyone is wired that same way tho, so it's extra lucky that we found each other like this~"

[Yes.]

[So feel free to keep an eye out for any other cute guys at school.]

"Ha! Actually, I think I'm feeling a bit more into girls lately~ How bout you, babe?"

[Considering how long it took for me to trust everyone, I think I can safely say that all of my romantic prospects are in this building.]

"Hahaha, demiromantic life, huh~? For realsies, I kinda feel the same way. I always find homegirls wherever I go, but like there has to be something more special for me to make that romantic connection, y'know?"

[Yes.]

[Though… you did have other partners before. Not romantic ones, but… ]

"Haha, you can say sexual partners lol! Though y'know what? I really haven't had much interest in finding anyone to fool around with like that in a while actually… I think part of the allure was like the challenge of it, y'know? And wooing you was a more fun and rewarding challenge~! Plus, I think part of it was that physical intimacy? For realsies, when we cuddle it's just sooo nice~ Seriously suspecting I just had some touch starvation a bit?? So don't worry about that at all~!"

[Well. I'm glad you're alright, but… feel free to… you know… ]

"Hehehe! I appreciate that lmao. My Kusuo is a bit shy, huh~?"

[Hey… ]

"I'll let you know if anything changes but I'm all good rn~! How about you, babe~?'

[Well.]

[There's just one thing that's bothering me, what a pain… ]

"Yeah? What's up?"

[How did you know my ring size??]

[Is that another one of your powers?]

"Actually no, lmao. I just called up Aketoumi and asked him if he knew. It seemed like the kind of bonkers shit he would have on hand, pun intended LOL. And I was right~!"

[Good grief, I knew he was measuring my fingers… ]

"Lmao, what?"

[He hates touching my gloves, but sometimes he holds my hands and plays with my fingers.]

[I've always suspected he was sizing my fingers for a ring, but I didn't want to bring it up, and his thoughts are too fast for me to confirm.]

"Bwahaha, that's Aketoumi for you! Man's got game!! But in a kind of weirdly hardcore way lmaooooo."

[Heh. He's certainly one of a kind.]

"And so are you~! So happy that you gave me a chance!"

[Me too… ]

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