#wish we got a wider angle where we can see both properly

[aswaki]

they're so smooth & cool with it 😵‍💫 im Woozy .....

[bestiesenpai]

youtuber Sukuna pt2

I wonder what things will happen in this part? I hope there's sparknotes, I don’t feel like reading all these words…

Content warning: *more* mean internet comments, Sukuna doxxing ppl(idk if that needs a warning?? But just in case)

part 1 --- part 3

Being a Youtuber was a lot more work than Sukuna thought it was. When he’d picked you up early in the morning, he wasn’t expecting you to come out with such a fancy camera and microphone. You looked cute as all hell too, hair styled nicely and your outfit was perfect for a day at a countryside cafe.

“Thanks for driving!” You said, climbing into his car and smiling at him. Sukuna could smell your perfume  as it wafted off your body and he immediately felt the urge to buy a bottle as well and spray his pillow with it.

“S’no problem.” He muttered, driving off as soon as you were secure. He’d looked up the place beforehand, reading their menu over and over so he’d know what to order. Slowing down at a red light, he glanced over at you taking pictures.

He wished he could ask you to send them to him so he could save them in the never ending folder he had, but he couldn’t. It would be weird, you weren’t exactly close, and it’s not like you shared any pictures anyway.

“Hey Sukuna, what’s my contact photo on your phone?” The question came out of nowhere and he looked at you in confusion.

“Contact photo? You don’t have one.”

“What, really? I’ll send you a picture then! And add a few cute emojis with my name.” Well, that was easy. He wasn’t expecting you to offer to send him a picture, but he wasn’t going to decline it.

“Okay, I will.” Turning his attention back on the road, Sukuna turned the radio on to fill the silence. “Should I...send you a picture of me?” He had the perfect picture in mind to send you, it was a thirst trap he’d snapped post-shower after a really good day at the gym. A towel hung low on his hips and he still had a few droplets of water on his skin and dripping down from his hair.

“Yes!”

The drive to the cafe was quick and easy, not a lot of traffic early in the morning. The sun was just beginning to settle in the sky and the dew on the grass was fading. The cafe you’d chosen was in a small countryside town, barley fields just a few yards away and farmers with their dogs walking by.

“This the place?” Sukuna asked, pulling into the small parking lot in confusion.

“Yup! I’m so excited!” Hopping out of the car, your camera was immediately put to work filming the surrounding area. It was peacefully silent all around you, the only sound the occasional breeze or dog barking in the distance.

Panning the camera to yourself, you took a quick couple breaths and babbled a few times before speaking properly.

“Hi everyone, as you can see we’re in a different place today! Me and Sukuna are at a cafe in the countryside that I saw online and fell in love with. Say hi Sukuna!”

“Hi.” He was standing at the edge of the lot where a field of wispy tall purple grass started. He waved dumbly, feeling like a dumb kid taken to Disneyworld.

“This is the name of the cafe…” Turning your attention elsewhere, you filmed the rest of your intro. Once again, Sukuna was amazed at the proficiency at which you did things and how smoothly he knew the shots would look.

Looking at the cafe on the outside, it didn’t look like anything special. It was a wooden and concrete building with two large windows. He could see the minimalist decor and furniture inside was wooden as well, probably handcrafted by someone in the town.

“All finished, let’s go in.” Waving him on, Sukuna jogged to be the first to the door to open it for you. Filming as you walked in, when Sukuna entered, he still didn’t understand the hype you’d placed around it.

The air smelt like a strong tea and the humidity was definitely higher. He was right in thinking that all the furniture was handcrafted, all the chairs and tables had a rough quality to them only achievable with a human touch.

“Look, this is what I came here for!” You were standing right at the dessert case, pointing your camera at whatever you were looking at.

“Why is it...?” Sukuna looked at it in confusion. There was an airbrushed cake shaped exactly like the peach emoji sitting in the case with a realistic leaf and stem as well and you looked inexplicably happy over it.

“The owner makes these cakes herself, and she’s doing a cute emoji series!” Bouncing on your heels, you tugged on his sleeve. “I’m totally getting a slice, what’re you getting?” Suddenly, the research he’d done the night prior meant nothing as he looked at the cake.

“I have no idea.”

“You’ve got time to think about it, I’m gonna ask the owner a few questions for the video.” Leaving him at the case, Sukuna saw you go up to the owner waiting at the counter from the corner of his eye. Since the two of you were the only ones here, he could hear your excited voice gushing about the cakes and decor.

Fifteen minutes later, you and Sukuna were seated right in the corner of the cafe, where the two windows intersected on the building. Not one for sweets, Sukuna got a plain poppyseed muffin and a hot tea; the cafe didn’t serve coffee.

Setting up the camera on the table next to you, you took a bite of your cake and loved it, immediately singing its praises to the camera. Sukuna ate as well, trying not to be too stiff as you spoke.

“Sukuna, you should try this too!” Holding up your fork filled with cake, you held it out to him.

“Hm, okay.” Grabbing your hand as well, he expected you to let go of the fork. But as he guided it to his mouth, you didn’t, and you were staring right at him as it went into his mouth. “Why ya staring?” He mumbled, feeling his ears burn.

“I need to know if you like it.” Sukuna didn’t let go of your hand as he chewed and you didn’t make a move to remove it either. You were too focused on his reaction to care, waiting on the edge of your seat for him to say something.

“It’s a peach flavored cake.” He nodded, snorting when you motioned him to say more. “It’s too sweet for me, but if you like it then I like it.”

“Good enough for me!” Finally you pulled away from him and put the fork down, turning to the camera and pointing in his direction. “Can you believe Sukuna doesn’t like sweets? He’s like an old man, he only got a muffin.”

“Please, could an old man deadlift almost 300lbs?” Sukuna scoffed, slapping his chest and flexing his arm.

“That’s so much! You have to train me some day Sukuna, I wanna lift that much!” Your shocked face made Sukuna smirk and he flexed the other arm as well. Your wide eyes got even wider, bouncing between both his arms.

“Anytime, (Y/N).” Sukuna felt confident enough to wink at you, and he saw the way your face faltered at it. Ducking your head away, you pretended to fiddle with the camera, the tips of your fingers shaking slightly.

It was afternoon by the time you finished in the cafe, walking out into the warmth of the sun. Looking out, all the land surrounding the cafe was flat, covered in fields of barley or tall grasses.

“Hey Sukuna…” There you were, touching the purple grass with your fingers.

“What?”

“Will you take a few pictures for me? For Instagram?”

“I don’t think I’ll be any good.” Sukuna barely knew how to take pictures of himself let alone another person.

“That’s okay, just try your best!” Putting another camera in his hand, you grabbed his wrist and tugged him to join you deeper in the field. “That camera is pretty simple, just point and click.”

“Alright.” Holding it up, he immediately snapped a picture of you.

“Wait for me to pose!” You laughed. Sukuna chuckled as well, and when you were ready, he took the pictures. He took as many as he could, clicking the button over and over.

“Take a look.” Twenty minutes later he was handing the camera back at you. Looking through the pictures, you instantly burst into laughter.

“Sukuna, why’d you take a picture of the sun? My head is in the corner, it looks like a toe!”

“I told you it’d be bad!” He couldn’t help but laugh as well. You really did look like a toe in the corner of the screen.

“Oh my god, I’m taking you to a photography class, some of these are too much.” Giggling your way through the rest of the pictures, you put the camera back in his hand. “Let’s take a couple together!”

Sukunas heart leapt for joy. He would be able to take a picture with you. It felt like he was a fan of yours and not someone you knew on a personal level.

“You’re gonna hold the camera, your arms are longer.” Flipping the viewfinder up, you slided up to Sukunas side. He muttered something unintelligible, too busy looking at the two of you together. He could almost imagine you were a couple.

“Sukuna, hold the camera like this.” His hand had gone limp, casting a bad angle on the two of you.

“Don’t face that way, the light will make you look bad.” In one of the pictures, you’d changed poses.

“I know you only take serious gym pictures but smile for this one!” His face had dropped down to a scowl, his normal resting face. After who knows how long, he was finally free from taking pictures.

Wandering back to the car, it was silent as the both of you settled in. You were busy looking over the photos and Sukuna was busy watching you from the corner of his eye.

“Anything else you wanna do here?” He asked after a while of pretending to look on Twitter.

“Mmmm, we can drive around some more! I don’t really know what else is out here.”

Sukuna drove you through the countryside town, marvelling at the farmers and all their animals. You stopped to get a couple handmade candies from an old man, and Sukuna made sure to pick up some food that wasn’t just sweets for you. Eating at a small restaurant, when you hit the road again it was nearly evening.

Driving back in near silence, somewhere along the way you fell asleep. Your head rested against the window, jostled a few times by the road or a turn. Sukuna couldn’t help but look at you any chance he could, and although he felt like a major creep, he couldn’t stop himself from taking a picture of you.

“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding.” Sukuna groaned as he got closer to the city, coming upon a wall of traffic. Far ahead up the road there was an accident that wasn’t going to be cleared away anytime soon.

“What’s up?” You asked with a loud yawn, stretching out your arms and legs as best you could.

“Traffic.” Leaning his head out the window, he let out another groan. “Might as well put the fucking car in park.” Shifting the gear and sinking low into his seat, Sukuna sighed. It’s not that he hated traffic, but he wanted every moment of this outing to be perfect, and this was seriously hindering it.

“Do you want me to send you some of the pictures we took together for your Instagram as well?”

“Yeah, send ‘em over.” At least Sukuna could stare at the two of you together to pass the time. The amount of pictures you sent him was seemingly endless and included a few he didn’t know you’d taken of him eating and looking out the window.

“How long do you think we’ll be here?” You whined, kicking your feet out in boredom.

“At least an hour.”

It was quiet for a few minutes, the sound of the radio and other cars around you filling the background. Sukuna could see you fiddling with your phone, opening and closing apps. He could see you getting antsy.

“I’m already so bored.” There it was. Your pitiful whine accentuated with your head pushed back. Sukunas fingers itched to reach out and squeeze your cheek, it was glowing from the sun. “I think I’m gonna get on Instagram live or something so I can complain more.”

Laughing at your honesty, as soon as you went live Sukuna got the notification on his phone. Your head was tilted away from him, only your side of the car showed. Waving at the camera a few times, you smiled really big.

“Hi everyone! I’m stuck in traffic!” Your eyes flicked across the screen, reading the many comments coming in. “Hm, what do you mean who’s car am I in? I bought this car!”

“Liar.” Sukuna mumbled with a cheeky grin getting bigger when you tried to hide your own chuckle.

“I swear I bought this car!” You couldn’t keep the lie going, and broke down in giggles the more Sukuna looked at you. “Alright, I’m in Sukunas car.” Panning the phone out, he saw himself on screen.

“Hi.” He waved, reading the comments asking if you were on a date. “Don’t you remember from the last live? We aren’t on a date we’re filming some fucking vlog.”

“It’ll be up soon! You’ll all really enjoy it, Sukuna was a great guest.”

“The best.” He nodded along. You responded to a few more comments, but there were some that kept coming up.

‘(Y/N) kiss Sukuna’

‘(Y/N) kiss Sukuna’

‘(Y/N) kiss Sukuna’

“Stop spamming that fucking message like a weirdo.” Sukuna finally snapped. You had done a great job at ignoring the comment, but it was all Sukuna could see on the screen. “You’re gross to ask us to do that.” But Sukuna did wish he could kiss you. Ever since the first comment came through, he’d taken glances at your lips as you spoke.

“Oof, don’t make Sukuna mad, he’ll kill you.” You teased, and your hand went out to squeeze his arm. “He said he can deadlift almost 300lbs, so watch out.”

“That’s fucking right.” Flexing his arm proudly, Sukuna nearly put it around your shoulder, faltering at the last minute and landing on the center console with a thud.

‘It would be kind of cute to see them kiss…’

‘I bet Sukuna can’t even hug (Y/N)’

‘I bet after today they’ll come out and say they’re dating!’

Now all the comments were talking about the two of you dating, and how cute it would be if you really were. Biting his lip, Sukuna watched your reaction closely. Truly he had no problem with the comments, he wanted them to be true as well, but if you were uncomfortable he was ready to put everyone in their place.

“Gosh you guys ship us so hard.” You seemed okay with it, your face wasn’t tense and you were still making eye contact with Sukuna. “Are you going to subscribe to my channel if I kiss him?”

“What?” Sukunas eyes widened and the comments poured in promising life long dedication to you if you went through with it.

“Alright.” Setting your phone up on the dashboard, you turned to Sukuna. “I’ll be quick, okay?”

“What?” He parroted. His hands were getting clammy just thinking about it and the look in your eyes wasn’t helping. With a nervous lick of his lips Sukuna leant forward and had just begun to pucker his mouth when you loudly kissed your palm and pressed it to his cheek.

“There! I kissed Sukuna!” With a big grin on your face you kissed your hand again and put it on him. “I did it twice! Now go subscribe!”

“What the hell.” Sukuna mumbled to himself, feeling like an idiot for thinking you’d really kiss him. He spent the next fifteen minutes in a stupor, vaguely replying to comments and trying to get over the embarrassment he felt.

Dropping you off nearly an hour past the original time, when Sukuna got home he buried his face into his pillow and let out a short yell. The biting shame he felt at almost making himself a fool in front of thousands of people was still fresh. He knew there’d be fancams of the moment just waiting for him. A buzzing on his phone pulled him out of his thoughts.

(Y/N): you need to send me a picture for your contact photo!

That’s right, the picture. Sukuna didn’t even need to scroll that far to find it, it was in his favorites. Sending it to you without a second thought, he didn’t even have the mind to check your reaction. Leaving his phone on the bed, he rushed to the shower to cool off.

When he returned, there were a flurry of messages from you waiting to be read. Most of them were unreadable keyboard smashes and a few emojis.

(Y/N): SUKUNA!

(Y/N): you can’t just send me a picture like that!!

(Sukuna): why?

(Y/N): you know why!

He could practically hear your flustered little whine.

(Sukuna): enlighten me please

(Y/N): SWSGMLU

(Y/N): you’re such a bully!!

(Sukuna): haha sounds like someone's embarrassed

It was a long few minutes before you replied and Sukuna could see the typing bubbles appear and reappear several times.

(Y/N): I’M GOING TO BED

(Sukuna): you that tired? it’s only 9pm

(Y/N): YES GOODNIGHT

(Y/N): BYE BULLY

(Sukuna): lol goodnight then

In a week, the vlog was up and Sukuna made his debut into the world. He rewatched it several times over, in awe of how well you’d captured the countryside and translated it to video. He even screen recorded some parts, like when he was flexing for you, just to replay your reaction over and over.

In the weeks following, Sukuna watched your channel grow exponentially. Your number of subscribers wasn’t small, but it was nowhere near his, yet you made the leap to over a million and a half practically overnight. And with that new success, came a lot of pressure.

You’d recently taken up streaming, and Sukuna was at every single one. He had made a Twitch account just to watch you and he subscribed immediately, blushing when you read out his name and personally thanked him in a text a few minutes later.

Entering your stream as soon as it started, Sukuna was ready to sit and watch you do whatever. Usually, you played a game like the Sims, but sometimes you’d cook or put makeup on for a stream.

But this time was different. When your face appeared on the screen, you looked down. Almost as if you’d been fighting back tears. Immediately, Sukuna grabbed his phone, ready to call you and ask what was happening.

“Hey guys.” He could hear it in your voice that you were sad. It warbled and broke, and you sniffled a few times.

‘(Y/N) why’re you crying??’

‘What’s wrong?’

‘Did something happen? You can tell us, we’re here for you’

“No, don’t worry everyone it’s just…” A stray tear fell down your cheek and you wiped it away with a shaking hand. “I-I- just-” You quickly broke down crying, turning your chair completely away from the screen.

Sukuna was swiftly dialing your number. He had no idea what was wrong, you hadn’t told him anything was wrong, but he needed to know. He was prepared to go to your house if you needed him to.

“I’m okay, I promise.” Feverishly wiping your tears, you turned back to the camera. Taking several deep breaths, you didn’t look at the camera as you spoke. “I’ve just been getting a lot of hate comments recently and you know I always ignore it but-” Your voice caught, and Sukuna was glued to the screen. “It’s just been a lot honestly.”

‘(Y/N) WE LOVE YOU’

‘PLEASE DON’T CRY WE’RE HERE FOR YOU’

‘I bet it’s all of Sukunas fans, they’re so fucking gross’

‘Totally Sukuna fans, all the real fans love (Y/N) and would never do this’

“N-no, don’t blame Sukuna! He can’t control what people say!” It was totally his fans and he fucking knew it. His call had gone unanswered two times, but on the third time you answered. “Hello?”

“Put me on speaker.”

“But-”

“Put me on speaker!” He demanded. Sukunas blood was boiling, rage rolling over him in waves.

“Sukuna’s calling, I guess he has something to say.” Holding the phone close to the microphone, you kept wiping away tears.

“Listen here you insignificant dirtbags, stop leaving shitty little hate comments on (Y/N)s stuff. You’re all fucking piss poor losers who can’t even wipe your own asses, probably jerking each other off in a pathetic circle. Go get a fucking job, worthless pieces of shit. Don’t think this is something you can get away with either, I’m going to make sure you fucking regret the day you were born.” His voice was dripping with so much malice it scared you. While Sukuna was used to talking like this, you’d never heard it in person and you could tell he meant every word.

“Thanks Sukuna, but you don’t have to-”

“Tell me who they are. Where’d they leave the comments?” Angrily setting up a shitty webcam he had, Sukuna was preparing to do a livestream himself.

“I don’t know…”

“(Y/N).” Taking a pause, he stared at the screen. You were worrying your lip as you stared at your phone while the comments begged for you to tell him.

“Alright. Most of them are under the vlog we did together, and there’s a lot under my most recent Instagram pictures.”

“The ones with us together too?”

“Yeah, those are the worst ones.”

“Keep me on the line.” Sukuna had never been this angry in his life before and it showed in his actions. He was slamming things down in a rush to set up his stream and letting out frustrated noises in the back of his throat.

“Sukuna, what’re you doing?” You’d gotten your emotions under control enough to stop crying, your glassy eyes shining in the light of your room.

“I’m setting up my own stream.” Just as he spoke, his face appeared on the screen and he was live. “Tell everyone to send me screenshots of the hate comments, I’m going to teach these assholes a lesson.”

“I think they heard you.” Indeed they had. The phone was still close to the microphone, and now there were comments pouring in telling Sukuna they’d send links through his stream.

Clicking on almost all of the ones that popped up, his screen was bombarded with pictures of people leaving hateful comments on your posts. Many were saying that you didn’t deserve to be alive, to be so close to Sukuna, and many called you ugly or other mean names.

“Let’s see what this fucker looks like.” Going to one of the profiles on Twitter, Sukuna nearly spat on his screen looking at it. “This ugly sack of shit wants to leave some mean comments? Well it’s your lucky day bitch, you’re the first one to go.” It took Sukuna all of five minutes to find the person's Facebook account where they posted more personal information.

“Oh, that’s a pretty high brow uni you’re going to! It would really be a shame if I sent an email to the dean.” Sukuna said mockingly, already typing up a long email. “You’re not gonna be studying to be a doctor any fucking more. Have fun digging ditches bitch.”

Sukuna’s stream easily went from 200 viewers to nearly 40,000 just in the time it took him to dox the first person. The next one was even easier, and it snowballed from there. Sukuna had no qualms about sharing this personal information, from their addresses to their personal phone numbers to where they worked.

“You really don’t have to do all this.” You kept saying over the phone. You’d ended your own stream to calm down, but you didn’t hang up the phone.

“Yes I do.” Sukuna replied instantly. “People have no respect for others, it’s fucking gross. If they think they can get away with this they’re idiots.” So many comments were egging him on as well, with a lot of people promising to harass everyone exposed until they apologized. “I hope every single one of them loses everything.”

“Sukuna…” With a sigh, you sat back and watched him do it. There wasn't anything you could say to stop him, he was on a warpath and intent on causing harm. Eventually, you had to hang up the call as it got well into the night and he was still going.

“Keep sending the fucking links, I can do this all night.” Sukuna repeated several times, fighting off sleep. His eyes burned from staring at the screen for so long and his back had begun to ache but he wasn’t about to stop now. There were still so many people that had to pay.

After nearly eight hours of streaming himself doxing people, he finally stopped after his channel got banned. His manager had emailed as soon as the sun rose, frantically screaming at him to stop what he was doing or he could get sued.

(Sukuna): tell me right away if this happens again I’ll handle it

He texted you right after getting banned. His body hurt from exhaustion, he could truly pass out at any moment.

(Y/N): I will

(Y/N): sukuna...thanks for doing all that. It really meant a lot to know you care about me

(Sukuna): Of course I care about you

Sukuna was about to type out that he liked you, of course he did all of that and risked himself getting sued because he liked you and never wanted to see you cry again. Almost admitting to how he wanted nothing more than to give you a big hug, but stopping himself at the last moment.

(Y/N): you’re such a good friend Sukuna, thank you

(Sukuna): you’re welcome

It hurt to be put into that category, in the friendzone. It made his tongue curl in disgust, a rancid place that he wanted no part of. People that were in the friendzone were spineless and too weak to just confess their feelings - and Sukuna seemed to be one of them.

After that incident, you went on a break from all social media and Sukuna began to patrol your comments sections. He actively posted that he would start doxing people again if they said anything bad, citing all the damage he’d done to the previous victims. Sukuna had gotten what he wanted, all the people he exposed suffered in some way, most losing jobs and friends.

On a run to the grocery store, Sukuna was listening to a podcast you’d been on. He missed the content you posted, and while he did text you sporadically about Youtube stuff, he didn’t feel comfortable messaging you about anything else. His mind always stopped him, questioning him on if what he wanted to say was really worth your time.

“Hi Sukuna.” Standing at the bread section, Sukuna nearly jumped into the air hearing your voice pop up next to him. There you were in a baggy hoodie and sweats, looking every part an unnoticeable member of society.

“(Y/N)? W-what’re you doing here?”

“Hm? I’m shopping.” You chuckled, showing him your handbasket.

“Right.” Nodding slowly, Sukuna eyed you up. Your eyes were still a little puffy and he could see they were red as well. You looked tired and worn down, not your usual happy self. “Hey (Y/N).”

“Yeah?” You were unprepared for the heavy arm that landed around your shoulders and even more at being pulled into an embrace. Sukuna hugged you to his chest tightly, squeezing the back of your hoodie in his hands.

“I…” He could feel you relaxing into his arms, heaving a deep sigh like a weight had been lifted off your shoulders. “Don’t feel sad anymore.” Sukuna seemed to have a habit of saying the things he wanted to say in the worst way possible. What did that even mean? To tell you not to be sad anymore instead of offering something else, like his friendship, during this time. He wanted to tell you he’d be here for you.

“Thanks Sukuna.” Hugging him back just as tightly, he could hear you sniffle a few times. The hug lasted for a while, just standing in front of bread, and a good two minutes passed before you started to unwind yourself from him.

Keeping a loose arm around you, Sukuna kept you close, searching your face for any hint that you would possibly start crying. Your eyes were a little misty, and your lower lip quivered just a little, but you sent him a smile that made it all better.

“So, what’re you getting?” He asked, attempting to be casual.

“Well, I’m actually done shopping now and I just saw you standing here.” You admitted with a chuckle. “I know it’s been a while since we last spoke properly.” The last message you’d sent to each other was about a sim card two days ago.

“Don’t worry about it, you were going through stuff.” Shrugging his shoulder, Sukuna grabbed the bread he wanted. “I don’t want you to force yourself to talk to me if you don’t want to.”

“Sukuna, I want to talk to you more though! I know we only talk about Youtube stuff but I want us to be better friends.”

“Really?” Nearly crushing the bread in his hands, Sukuna quirked a brow at you.

“Yeah!”

“Well...alright then.” That made him really happy, like really really happy. You wanted to pursue a stronger relationship with him and while it wasn’t a romantic one like he hoped, he was still ecstatic on the inside.

“I have to go, but can we video call later? I have some things I wanna ask you.”

“Okay.” Giving you a brief wave, Sukuna watched you walk out of the aisle and out of sight. A silly smile stretched his cheeks at the thought of your call later, and it stayed on his face the whole way home.

Later that night, Sukuna was diligently waiting for your call. He kept his phone glued to his hand, something he didn’t normally do, just in case you called. At nearly 7pm on the dot, you called and Sukuna answered right away.

“Hi!” You weren’t in the baggy clothes anymore, it looked like you were in pajamas sitting on your couch.

“Hey.” Sukuna was sitting at his computer doing editing, so he didn’t have to worry about you seeing the lack of furniture in his home. All you had to look at was a blank wall behind him. “So, you wanted to ask me something?”

“Mhmm! I was wondering- well first, Sukuna do you watch anime?”

“Anime?” His face twisted up in mild disgust. “No, that shit is fucking lame.”

“Sukuna!”

“What? I’m not that much of a fucking loser to like anime.” Rolling his eyes, he immediately envisioned a man in his mothers basement jerking off to pixelated tits. “Why? Do you watch it?”

“Yeah…” Now you were embarrassed, and it showed on your face.

“Fine, you’re not a fucking loser.” Propping his phone up on his desk, he tipped his chair back and looked at the ceiling. “At least, not a total fucking loser.”

“Sukuna!” Now you were laughing at him, and he smirked at you. “You’re so mean, you know that?”

“Hey, that’s my brand ba-” He was about to call you baby, the word catching thickly in his throat. Luckily, he stopped himself and slammed his chair back down on the ground to cover it up.

“Well, now I don’t know if I want to ask you my question! You’re gonna say no right away.”

“Tell me.”

“No!” Shaking your head hard, you panned the phone up to your ceiling. “You’re definitely gonna bully me!”

“Who knew you were such a baby?” There, he’d called you baby like he wanted to. Not in the context that he desired, but he still got to say it.

“Am not!” Glaring at him, you exhaled shortly. “I was wondering if you wanted to come to this anime convention with me? It’s happening downtown in a few weeks and I’m a guest on a lot of panels this year. I want you to come with to help film stuff for me so I can make it into a highlights reel for my channel? As sort of a comeback video since I’ve been gone for a while.” It was amazing how you’d managed to say all of that so quickly without taking a breath.

“A convention?” Sukuna had only been to fitness conventions and a few that his manager made him go to.

“Yeah! And I wanted to know if you watched anime because I wanted to see if you’d cosplay with me!”

“Cosplay? What the fuck is that?” It sounded stupid.

“We would dress up as characters from an anime! Have you heard of demon slayer?” No, he hadn’t and his silence told you as much. “Look up Nezuko from demon slayer, that’s who I’m dressing up as!”

“Fine, one sec.” Quickly typing it into his computer, Sukuna’s brow rose seeing the character. “You’re gonna dress up as some BDSM girl?”

“It’s not BDSM!”

“Then why does she have that thing in her mouth?” What else could it be for?

“That’s because she’s a demon and they don’t want her to eat people!”

“God that’s lame.” Looking between his phone and the computer, Sukuna tried to imagine you in this outfit. It was cute, a cute pink kimono with a little hair tie and sash. The more Sukuna looked at it, the cuter it got. “But on you it’ll be cute.”

“So will you dress up with me?” You asked immediately, your eyes shining with excitement. “I already know what character you’ll be! There’s a boy named Inosuke that-”

“No way, save your breath. I’m not dressing up.” Doing a quick search of the boy in question, Sukuna let out a snort. “And why do you want me to dress up as someone with a boars head on? You saying I’m ugly?”

“You don’t have to wear the head!” The opportunity was quickly slipping through your fingers at seeing Sukuna cosplay. “It’s ‘cause you’re so fit and so is he! And you’re pretty similar too.”

“I don’t care if he was my twin.” Shaking his head, Sukuna closed the tab and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ll tell ya what, I’ll come to this thing and take all the videos and pictures you want and in exchange, I won’t dress up.”

“Wait, how does that logic-”

“Just go with it. Now send me an email about the thing and I’ll clear my schedule.” Waving off any further questions you had, Sukuna quickly got the email for the convention. It was about two weeks from today, and it was going on for the whole weekend.

“So, do you think you’ll be able to make it?” You asked tentatively, worrying your lip.

“Of course.” Sukuna would definitely need to do some serious schedule rearranging. “I’ll pick you up like last time, just let me know the time.”

“You’re the best, Sukuna!” You smiled big at him and Sukuna smiled back. Maybe during the convention, he could show you he was more than just a friend.

When the day of the convention came, Sukuna got ready bright and early to pick you up. The sun had only just settled onto the horizon and he was chugging coffee before leaving.

“Hey.” You yawned loudly as you got in his car, still clearly half asleep.

“Cute.” Sukuna said in response. You looked absolutely adorable. The pink kimono looked good on you, the sash accentuating your waist well. The little green gag he’d seen earlier was hanging around your neck, and you had a cute pink ribbon in your hair.

“Hm? You like it?” Shuffling around, that was when Sukuna saw how high the slit was on your outfit, coming high up on your thigh. His eyes were glued to the skin that showed, unable to look away.

“I do.” He whispered, glancing at you briefly to see your eyes were closed.

“That’s good, I spent a lot of time on it.” Putting your seatbelt on, you yawned again and pointed lazily out the window. “To the convention!”

It was a short drive to the convention, and you were some of the first people there. With a badge around his neck, Sukuna followed you into the hall. You weren’t carrying the bag of camera equipment you’d brought, Sukuna insisted on carrying it so it wouldn’t ruin your costumes aesthetic.

“We’re here really early to get pictures! I booked with a professional photographer, and my pictures are going to be used as promo for a few brands here today.” You explained as Sukuna followed you into a room with a full photoshoot set up.

“Okay.” He was completely lost watching you begin to take pictures. After chugging an energy drink, you hopped straight into it. Sukuna made sure to watch the photographer closely, looking at the computer as the pictures popped up to make sure they weren’t indecent for you.

Nearly an hour and a half later and you were finally done. Sukuna had begun to film some parts of it for you per your request; his job as videographer started now.

“The convention hall is open now to everyone, it might be kind of overwhelming to see all the people out there.” You told him as the photographer was packing up.

“Eh, I’ll be fine.” With a shrug of his shoulders, Sukuna left the room and stepped out into the main hall. Immediately, he knew you were right. There were so many people already milling around dressed in costume, most from shows and games he’d never seen. The only readily identifiable characters for him were from Nintendo.

“Told you it was a lot.” Bumping him with your shoulder, walked out into the convention space. If Sukuna didn’t stand right behind you, he feared he would lose you in the crowd. There were other people dressed up as the same character and he couldn’t trust himself to differentiate between all of them.

Filming a little bit of walking around, Sukuna could hear and see people looking at him in shock. It wasn’t unknown that Sukuna had a distaste for anime and the whole culture surrounding it. Some of his most popular videos were him making fun of people at the very same thing he was at now.

“E-excuse me, (Y/N)?” A young teenage girl approached you, nervously fiddling with her phone.

“Hi!” You waved, immediately seeing her phone. “Do you want a picture?”

“Yes, please!” The girl's nerves quickly dissipated at your question, but she still looked scared of Sukuna.

“How about we take a few selfies?” Sliding next to her, you put an arm around her shoulder and posed. You and the girl took a numerous amount of pictures, and when she left she had a happy blush on her cheeks.

“Is that gonna happen often?” Sukuna asked, watching the girl disappear into the crowd.

“Yeah, sorry! I posted that I’d be going to this for the second and third day and a lot of people said they were gonna ask for pictures.” Rubbing the back of your head nervously, you sized up Sukunas face. “Sorry if it annoys you, I know it can be kind of tedious.”

“I don’t mind. Let's get going.” With a casual shrug, Sukuna walked to where your first panel was. He stayed off to the side as you talked to the organizers and other guests, feeling awkward that he couldn’t hold a conversation on whatever it was you were talking about.

The people soon filed into the panel, filling the seats and whispering excitedly about you and the other people sitting at the front of the room. Some of them noticed Sukuna and whispered about him too.

Ignoring them diligently, Sukuna filmed your panel from the back of the room. He didn’t need to worry about picking up any sound, you were speaking into a microphone. All he had to worry about was capturing good angles for you.

He did this for a few more panels as well, slowly getting more comfortable with people noticing him there. He even waved at a few fangirls that saw him, their faces erupting in a scarlet flush and giggling silly.

“We have almost two hours before my next panel, do you want to grab some food? I’ll pay.” Waiting in the back of an empty room, you tried to reach for your bag that Sukuna had slung over his shoulder.

“No, you don’t have to pay.” Pushing your hand away, Sukuna kept you at arms length.

“C’mon, you have to let me pay! You’re doing so much for me already!”

“Nope.” You tried to struggle past him and grab your bag, but Sukuna was strong enough to keep you at bay with one arm. “Fine! But I’m buying you a plushie later!”

“Whatever.” With the matter settled, the two of you left the room. Almost as soon as you came out, there was a loud gasp from a few people outside the door.

“Oh my god, your Nezuko is so good!” One of them shouted. Sukuna eyed him up, a young man dressed with a strange green and black checkered overcoat.

“Thanks!” You replied, fiddling with the edge of the brown one you were wearing. “I spent ages on getting everything just right!”

“Y-you’re (Y/N)! I didn’t think I was going to see you today!” Another man had on a similar getup to the first, but he was clad in yellow and orange.

“It must be your lucky day!” Laughing a little at his shocked face, you quickly noticed the third man standing there. “Sukuna look, this is what I meant when I said you should dress up as Inosuke!”

“Huh.” He looked at the shirtless man in front of him. The guy was muscular enough, not nearly as much as Sukuna was though. The brown pants he wore were too baggy for Sukunas liking, but he could see the way you were looking at him.

“Can we get a picture please?”

“Of course!” You quickly got in the middle of the three of them and crouched down, throwing up peace signs and smiling brightly as they took the selfies. Sukuna was watching all of their hands, making sure no one touched you or got too close.

“Sukuna, will you take a group picture for us?” You asked, already handing him a phone.

“Yeah.” You didn’t really leave him with a choice and it’s not like he was going to say no to you anyway. It was harder to keep track of just where these men were putting their hands, and every so often Sukuna would look to make sure that the hand placed on your back stayed there and didn’t go any lower.

“Thank you so much!”

“You’re the best, (Y/N)!

“Bye, please tag me in the pictures if you post them!” Waving cutely at them, you walked away. “Ah, that was so much fun! They were so cute!” Gushing about the pictures, you didn’t notice Sukuna had a vein throbbing in his forehead. He seriously wishes he’d dressed up in that dumb costume with you so you could feel the same way about him.

Quickly eating some fast food - much to Sukunas disgust - you were back in the convention hall. There seemed to be even more people here than before milling about. Gripping the back of your top, Sukuna made sure you didn’t get too far from him in the crowd.

“Let’s go check out the merch!” Leading him to a larger space in the convention center, your eyes sparkled looking at all the different vendors spread out. “Sukuna, is there anything you want to check out?”

“Not really.” The only thing he could see that he knew were some overpriced candies. “I’ll just follow you.” And that he did. You stopped at nearly every booth, rejoicing about how cute something was and how much you wanted a certain figure. Sukuna offered to pay for whatever you wanted, but you staunchly refused.

“Sukuna, which one’s your favorite?” Coming upon a booth filled to the brim with different plushies, you crossed your arms and squared your shoulders. “We aren’t leaving here until I buy you a plushie!”

“I don’t need one.” Not only would it ‘ruin’ his tough image, he didn’t like those things to begin with.

“Yes you do!” Stamping your foot childishly, you pointed at them. “Pick one!”

“Who knew you could be so mean?” He teased back with a flick to your forehead.

“Shut up.” Puffing out air, you grabbed his hand and pulled him closer to the booth. “I’ll even help you decide.”

“O-oh.” You were holding his hand. You were definitely, 100% holding Sukunas hand. Your two hands were squishing his one in your palms, shaking it side to side as you looked at all the choices before you. How was Sukuna supposed to pick something when you were holding his hand so close to your body? He could feel the tips of his fingers graze your sash every couple seconds.

“What about this one?” You pointed your hands to a brown bear with a giant body but a tiny head.

“What’s wrong with the head?” He looked concerned at the doll.

“It’s supposed to be like that!”

“I- okay.”

“Do you like it?” Looking at him hopefully, you squished his hand even more. “It’s so cute, you have to get it.”

“Let me see it.” Picking it up with his other hand, Sukuna stared at the unmoving, smiling face of the bear. Squeezing it in his hand, Sukuna let out a short sigh and put it down. “Alright, I’ll get it.”

“Yes!” Letting go of his hand, you rushed to grab your wallet before he could stop you. “Make sure to send me a picture of you with it!”

Right after you finished paying, Sukuna nearly demanded to buy you stuff as well. He’d seen the way you were eyeballing the figures and some books, and he wasn’t going to be the only one to leave this part of the convention hall with a souvenir.

The bags he was carrying were definitely heavier now when you left to go to your next panel. They put a little strain on Sukunas arms but he wasn’t about to let you carry anything and quickly ducked back to his car to put it all away.

Right in the middle of your next panel, Sukuna ducked out to go to the bathroom. He was keeping well hydrated during this whole day and it was surely catching up with him now. Wandering the halls, he eventually found a bathroom to use and on his exit, he noticed a sign for something called an ‘artists alley’.

“Let’s check it out.” Here, there were people selling things but they were clearly fan made. There were paintings and pins, stickers and fan art everywhere. Wandering between the vendors, his eye caught on a particular booth.

“Sukuna?” The person gaped when he walked up but he wasn’t paying attention to them. On a cork board above them was a moderately sized drawing of you, dressed up in an all red get up.

“How much?” He pointed at the drawing, looking at the red cap you had on that matched with the red jacket.

“The (Y/N) x Cells At Work fan art? It’s $35.”

“I’ll take it.” The artist was clearly surprised, scrambling to grab the drawing and put it in a protective sleeve. “Keep the change.” Sukuna slapped 40 down and turned away. “Oh, and don’t tell anyone I was here.”

“O-okay!” They shouted after him. Sukuna kept the drawing close to his chest and when he got back he quickly hid it in his bag so no one would notice. He started filming again like he’d never left and you didn’t question him on it when it was over.

“Man, I’m so tired!” With the convention over hours later, you all but collapsed into Sukunas car. It had indeed been an eventful day between speaking at panels and taking pictures with countless people.

“Yeah, I’m beat.” Sukuna agreed, taking a moment to sit in silence in the driver's seat. He hadn’t expected to be so tired after today. He’ll have to prepare better for tomorrow.

Driving you home, both of you were like zombies as you departed. Sukuna didn’t even have the heart to properly disrobe when he got home, collapsing into bed with the plush you’d gotten for him still in his hand.

The next day was just as hectic as the day before, the word had gotten out that you really were at the convention and now more people swarmed you in between panels. Sukuna took the pictures for all of them, giving any man that wanted one a harsh glare before he started. He was easier on the younger girls, but he still made sure that they didn’t try to flirt with you or anything. No one could be fully trusted.

“Sukuna, I forgot yesterday but we need to go to the artists alley!” You exclaimed in shock, grabbing his upper arm. “They have such cool stuff!” Oh, Sukuna definitely already knew about it. The drawing he’d bought of you was hanging in his room, by his full length mirror so he could see it whenever he wanted.

He pretended everything was brand new to him, acting as if he’d never seen the pins before or the stickers and tote bags. Coming upon the artist he’d bought from yesterday, he noticed there was more fan art of you there.

“Oh my gosh, that’s me!” You giggled happily, pointing to yourself drawn as a Pokemon trainer. “It looks so good!”

“Thank you so much (Y/N)!” The artist gaped, clearly shocked to see you here. “I-I studied all of your pictures so I could get everything just right!”

“You did a great job!” The two of you went on and on about the drawings and other paintings that were there. Sukuna wished he could chime in and say that he really liked the art he bought yesterday, but there was no way he was explaining to you that he bought a drawing of you as a red blood cell. He would rather die.

The rest of the day went by in a blur, all the panels going by so fast and melting into one another. He didn’t feel the same exhaustion as the other day, but Sukuna was definitely still tired as he walked to the car.

“Sukuna, thank you so for this weekend, it really means a lot!” You were the happiest he’d ever seen you. The footage he’d filmed for your video perfectly captured all the good parts of the convention, with several shots of your smiling face with fans and other panel members. “How can I repay you?”

“Well…” There was something he’d been wanting to ask you for a while, ever since he saw you in costume. Today was the last day of the convention and subsequently the last day you’d be wearing this costume. “Can we get a picture together?”

“What? We never took a picture together?”

“No.” Sukuna chuckled at your surprised face. Rushing to his car, you set up a little stand for your camera on the hood of his car.

“Okay, let’s take some!” As soon as Sukuna was standing next to you, you wrapped your arms around his middle in a tight hug.

“W-what’re you doing?” Immediately, his face began to blush.

“You deserve a hug, Sukuna, you’ve been amazing.” Sukuna could barely breathe. Not because you were holding him firmly, but simply from the fact that you were hugging him of your own accord. His hands were shaking slightly as he moved to hug you back, grinning shyly at the pleased hum you let out when he did so.

The drive home left a bittersweet feeling on Sukunas tongue. He was glad it was over so that he didn’t have to wake up so early and deal with the gross crowds of people. There weren’t potentially disgusting men and perverts trying to take upskirt shots of your costume or grope you that he had to worry about.

Stopping at a light though, he realized how much fun he had as well. Listening to you talk and share your opinions on the panels was interesting and getting to hear others talk to so passionately as well had made him interested in a few shows. He knew you’d be ecstatic to hear that he could potentially get into anime, and Sukuna knew that at the next convention, he’d dress up for you. He also loved the bear you’d bought him even though that was something he’d never admit.

“Thank you again Sukuna, seriously.” You squeezed his arm as he pulled up to your house.

“Don’t mention it. Let me help you with the stuff in the back.” You’d bought even more things today than yesterday, mostly for friends and family that couldn’t make it to the convention. Gathering all the bags, Sukuna walked them to your door and wandered right into your apartment.

“You can put them all near the couch!” Closing the door behind him you quickly jogged over to the couch to help him with the bags.

“Whoa, your place is nice.” It actually looked like someone lived here as opposed to Sukunas place that looked like an upgraded jail cell. There was a fluffy rug on the wall and a few cute figures and small plushies on shelves, you had plants hanging down from the ceiling and it smelled vaguely floral. There was also a space dedicated to fan made art and gifts, with some fresh flowers sitting in a vase.

“Thanks! Maybe we can film a video here someday!”

“Definitely.” Mumbling dumbly, Sukuna was vaguely aware of you staring at him. “What?”

“You’re such a good friend, Sukuna. I can’t thank you enough!” Again, you hugged him. Burying your face into him, you shook his body side to side before quickly letting go. “Anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask!”

“Hey that’s my line.” Patting you on the head, Sukuna let a dumb smile spread his cheeks. He truly had the most fun ever with you, and for a moment he could pretend that you were a couple and that he was going to spend the night here, cuddle up with you and talk about all the dumb little things happened the past few days.

But he wasn’t dating you and his daydream only lived a few seconds before he made his departure. Going back to his own home, as Sukuna stepped inside he got a notification that he’d been tagged in a photo.

It’s one of the ones you’d taken together where you were hugging each other tightly. Your smile was genuine, showing all your teeth. Your eyes were crinkled at the corners, looking at Sukuna’s kind of surprised face with an indescribable warmth.

‘I love my friends’

That was the caption you’d put with a simple heart emoji after. There were people in the comments asking if this meant you were dating now, begging for you to admit it so they could say their ship sailed. Reading the caption over and over, Sukuna bit his lip to contain the feeling spreading in his chest.

‘I love my friends too’

He commented. And one day, he promised himself that he’d get to call you something more than just a friend. Wandering further into his apartment, he smiled like an idiot at his phone, quickly screenshotting the post.

“Ow!” Bumping his shin hard into his plastic foldable dining table, he was faced with the jarring reality of his surroundings. If he wanted to call you his, he needed to get some furniture first.

[ayellowcurtain]

Can you possible write something about how one night after Robbe and Sander have sex Sander says his favorite part is making Robbe feel good and it makes Robbe think Sander doesn’t like what he does or he doesn’t make him feel good and he starts to feel insecure about how he Sander was the first person he was with and was completely inexperienced when they first started having sex? Then they have a conversation that results in a lot of kisses and Sander reassuring Robbe that he is perfect and makes him feel amazing.

Smut ahead!!!

Sander moves on the bed, stretching his legs after hours sleeping in the same position. The bed feels nice tonight, he opens his eyes just enough to understand it’s still dark out and Robbe is still sleeping behind him, so out of it Sander can feel his very slow breathing blowing the hair at the back of his head.

He smiles to himself and pushes the sheets down to his waist, rubbing his palm against his nose for good measurement that he’ll be as comfortable as possible to go back to his much needed sleep. Tonight is a good night, he thinks as he closes his eyes, letting his tiredness take over again. The last few seconds awake are very happy, reminding of the amazing night they shared, tangled together for hours, doing everything slow, holding for as long as they could so they wouldn’t have to stop feeling exhilarating, out of this world good any time soon. Sander can’t believe his luck, finding someone that matches him so perfectly.

It feels like a second later, and he feels the bed moving slowly, carefully. It feels nice when the sheets move against his naked skin, leaving him completely uncovered but it’s not cold, not too warm, just perfect. He tries to open his eyes when he realizes hands on his calves, moving him to the end of the bed. His legs are hanging down now, and slightly open. His body is quickly starting to get too warm, but it feels too good still, he feels his stomach tingling and suddenly he’s wide awake, moaning as he realizes in awe what’s happening.

He forces himself to prop his body on his elbows, meeting a still messy from sleep Robbe in the middle of his legs, slowly taking him completely. Sander almost passes out from the image, needing to lie down again, touching his whole body thoroughly until he finds Robbe’s soft hair, holding what he can not too tightly just so he can be sure this is really happening, it’s not another wet dream.

Nobody is home, thankfully, because Sander can’t find it in his half asleep brain the will to hold back his moans, calling for Robbe every few seconds because this boy will kill right this second. He’s so eager, so sloppy, and so fucking good Sander has to let go of his hair not to hurt his boyfriend. Robbe is clearly wanting to do this his way so Sander lets him. With his not too slow, not too fast pace, wanting to swallow every inch every single time and Sander will never complain about that.

Robbe’s hands run through all the way from his belly to his thighs, squeezing hard, pushing Sander up on the bed a little bit, making him arch his back, feeling all his skin get raw and sensible for a few seconds with the hard and perfect touch.

He thinks about telling Robbe about how fucking nice this feels but all the wires are messy in his brain and his thoughts don’t meet his open mouth, constantly making noises, small or big ones.

Since Robbe wants to go the sloopy and mind blowing route, Sander follows his lead with that, opening his legs as much as he can with no shame, and Robbe moans at that, scratching his thighs. Sander forces himself on one elbow again because this obscene moment has to be seen and saved. With the other hand he messes Robbe’s hair a little more, biting his lip when Robbe opens his mouth even wider.

Sander feels like he’s on the edge of passing out when he comes, a surprise for him and Robbe, washing over him all of a sudden after what it feels like a lifetime and not long enough. He’ll never forget the scene they both made in that position.

He smiles to himself, enjoying the high for as long as he can, only then realizing his hair sticking to his skin, to the back of his neck, the sheets almost as damp under him, and Robbe finally, finally climbs on the bed again, sitting on Sander’s stomach and he sighs, looking at his even messier boyfriend, with his tinted cheeks, his curls perfectly turning outwards in every angle.

The sunlight is managing to get inside through the crannies between the curtains, right behind Robbe, creating his aura around him, naked, sitting on Sander, a little bit shinny and blotchy, and as perfect as one can be. But when Sander really pays attention, he sees in Robbe’s eyes a hint of worry, and he pushes himself to sit up properly, not too quickly so Robbe won’t move away to sit somewhere else. Sander puts his arm around his boyfriend’s waist to keep him exactly where he is.

“What’s wrong, Robbe?”

-

Robbe checks with himself again. It feels nice, amazing. There are very few things he likes more than to be this intimate with Sander. To feel him give himself completely to Robbe. For so long he wanted to feel this peace of mind, this feeling of home in someone who would love and take care of him. And he found it. He was more than lucky enough to find all of it in one person.

But he can’t stop thinking about what Sander said yesterday, and the tone he used. He likes taking care of Robbe a little too much. Not only when they’re having sex. He’s always the one on the lead for everything. Decide what they’ll do, what they’ll eat, what movie they should watch. And Robbe never thinks about it too much because, again, he likes letting go and having someone he can trust blindly to know everything he can ever want. It feels so extremely nice to finally not have to worry Robbe could really cry thinking about it.

But in moments as intimate as sex, Robbe starts to worry Sander is only taking the lead because Robbe is not as good at it as Sander is. Maybe he makes the wrong decisions, or does things in a way that makes Sander prefer to make the calls instead of letting Robbe do so.

“I want a brutally honest answer.”

Sander frowns, completely caught off guard, and Robbe pays attention to that one hair strand that’s peaking from behind Sander’s neck and he focuses on that, trying to put it back in place as he asks, “Who was the best sex of your life?”

He only looks at Sander at the very last second, feeling all his insecurities shout at him for ever bringing this up, ready to put a fake smile when Sander tries to change the subject not to say it wasn’t Robbe.

“What kind of question is that? I thought it was pretty clear…”

“That’s not an answer.” Robbe tries to laugh it off shyly, and Sander doesn’t buy it, and Robbe hates how he can see through everything. His boyfriend adjusts his posture so he can pull Robbe even closer.

“Robbe.”

“It’s just one question. I won’t be upset, I promise.”

“Robbe. There’s nothing to be upset about.” Sander looks up at him with those puppy eyes. “It’s you. I feel even ashamed at how fast I come because I look like a dumb teenager that can’t hold it for a second. I have to hold myself back so much to not come the second I see you naked.”

Robbe snorts quietly, making himself smaller to hug Sander like a koala, nuzzling into his neck.

“Why is that even a question?”

He doesn’t answer because he doesn’t want his insecurities to awaken Sander’s too. Sander waits patiently, and Robbe for once wishes Sander would change the subject like he does when they’re trying to have a serious conversation. But he doesn’t deflect this time. He waits in silence and Robbe decides to get it over with already.

“Yesterday you said how much you like making me feel good…I thought maybe it was your way of trying to tell me I’m not as experienced, or as...skilled as you are.”

Sander frowns even deeper, and snorts, and that combo is the biggest sign that Robbe just said the dumbest things, making himself look even more insecure and like a baby.

“You’re acting like I know what I’m doing…” Sander smiles thoughtfully, and Robbe tilts his head, resting his forehead against his boyfriend’s. “I never had sex with a guy before you. Or anything at all, actually.”

Robbe tries to find the right words to put his thoughts out. “But still. You had a girlfriend, you had sex, you went out and made out with people…”

Sander rolls his eyes, turning them around in one motion, putting Robbe back on the bed, with Sander lying in between his legs.

“I had one girlfriend, and I made out with a bunch of strangers when I was basically a baby before meeting Britt. It’s not the same.”

“It’s still experience.” Robbe whispers, trying to justify his thoughts.

“I promise, it makes very little difference when you’re about to be with the person you love. I got just as anxious, as nervous, as insecure as you did, I’m sure.” Sander kisses his jaw, still staring right back at Robbe’s eyes. “It doesn’t help that you were mad at me, thinking I was back with Britt. I was so nervous I thought you would feel how my hands were shaking while we were in that elevator to go to the flat.”

“I was busy with other things during that minute…”

Sander snorts, kissing him again, his hand gently caressing Robbe’s cheek.

“When I say nothing ever felt like this before I mean everything. The feelings, the love, the ‘my brain can only see, think, talk, and listen to Robbe’, the hormones…”

Robbe smiles, feeling his insecurities slowly turn into dust inside his brain to give it more space to think, see, and hear Sander.

“And I promise you...this was the best blowjob of my life.” Sander lifts his eyebrows and Robbe shakes his head, looking to the side to hide his face a little bit on the pillow, purring when Sander relaxes on top of him, holding him in that way that makes Robbe feel so secure, kissing his whole face, promising the world to Robbe, to them.

[bing-fucker]

I'm here!! Didn't you mention that Chase would be werewolf a while back in a monster au? 👀 can you imagine him getting with someone and they see his knot and *beg* for it??? -RA

:3 I love this idea so much.

I'll be honest I do not remember what Jamie was supposed to be in this AU. I think he was supposed to be a demon of some sort, but I don't like that anymore. So for now he's just going to be a human until I settle on something I like.

So I got really into The Magnus Archives recently so Chase ended up being sort of like the werewolf in episode 31 as opposed to a traditional werewolf. But I think it's cool.

And as almost usual, Jamie is trans because I relate to my boy in so many other ways and I like making him trans.

Warnings: Monster fucking, knotting, rough sex, use of cunt and clit to describe a trans man's genitals, accidental arousal, humping, scratching, fang kink, cunnilingus, fear kink, pain kink, overstimulation. As always, ask me to add any necessary warnings!

Jamie wasn't supposed to be outside, especially not at the moment. Technically there wasn't anything bad about being outside in and of itself - it was creepy at night, but he didn't usually mind - but because it was a full moon, he wasn't supposed to be outside. Chase wasn't intentionally dangerous, but he tended to get excited when he saw others and forget that not everyone could handle being tackled by a giant werewolf.

But Henrik had burned popcorn and the smell was overwhelming, so Jamie was sitting on the back porch to escape the smell and watching Chase prowl around the yard. In his human form, Chase was a normal guy. Barely taller than Jamie, with blond hair and a bright smile. In his wolf form, Chase was over six foot tall, his limbs long and coverer in blond fur. He still looked like himself, although his bright blue eyes glowed with an unnatural intensity and his fangs made it hard for him to speak. He was still Chase, of course, just with a few more animalistic tendencies.

Usually, Chase would leave the yard for the woods behind the house. Anti had followed him before and apparently he usually just spent the night hunting deer and giving in to his more animalistic instincts. But tonight he was staying in the yard. Jamie wasn't quite sure why, but it might have been his fault. The full moon was dangerous for anyone who went outside, but Jamie had yet to learn how to properly defend himself. Chase carefully loped up to the porch and Jamie, sniffing around the wood before stopping in front of where Jamie was sitting and sniffing at his legs.

"Hi, Chase," Jamie signed, smiling brightly. He wasn't sure if Chase could understand his signs like this, but he most likely could.

"Hi," Chase replied, resting his head on Jamie's lap a bit like a dog that wanted to be pet. His large fangs made it difficult for him to talk like this, so the word was more an understandable growl than a true word. Jamie smiled softly and pat Chase's hand, blinking slightly. He hadn't expected Chase's fur to be soft. Chase huffed softly before unexpectedly pressing his face against Jamie's groin.

"Chase!" Jamie signed, gently hitting the werewolf's back to make him look at him. "What are you doing!?"

"Scenting you," Chase growled, very gently biting Jamie's vest and dragging him off his chair. Jamie laughed a bit nervously, but allowed him to, more for the sake of his vest than anything else. Chase growled softly in approval when Jamie laid on the porch and climbed on top of him.

"Chase, is that necessary?" Jamie asked, snapping to get his attention.

"Yes," Chase answered, rubbing his face against Jamie's neck. Jamie shuddered slightly when one of Chase's fangs dragged against his throat, blushing. Chase made a sound vaguely like a whimper and pressed his face more against Jamie's throat as his hips thrust weakly against Jamie's thigh.

"Chase!" Jamie signed, although he didn't try to get the werewolf's attention. Chase, predictably, didn't reply. Jamie blushed impossibly brighter as Chase continued humping against his leg, biting his lip as he listened to Chase panting in his ear and felt the wolf's fangs pressed gently against his throat.

"Chase," Jamie repeated, smacking the werewolf's back to get his attention. "This- We are not-"

"You smell good," Chase growled, raking his claws down Jamie's slacks and ripping them off. Jamie was significantly more worried about his clothing than his wellbeing- he trusted Chase not to hurt him. Jamie blushed as Chase pushed his legs apart and pressed his face against Jamie's clothed cunt, the werewolf's hips thrusting against Jamie's calf.

"Too many clothes," Chase growled, tearing Jamie's boxers off and shoving his tongue into Jamie's cunt. Jamie gasped, back arching slightly. He hadn't expected Chase's tongue to be so long and thick. Chase growled softly and pulled away tongue lolling out of his mouth slightly.

"Jamie," Chase growled, very gently dragging his fangs against Jamie's hip before very carefully nipping his hip and sucking the bite. Jamie gasped again but pushed Chase away, holding his hands up to make Chase sit still.

"Chase, we cannot," he said, frowning lightly. "It is- You are shifted." Chase cocked his head, grinning again.

"Do I make you nervous?" Chase asked, circling around Jamie on all fours and watching him carefully. "Are you scared of me, Jamie?"

"No." That was a lie. Chase did scare Jamie, but a good kind of scary. The kind of scary that sent a pleasurable thrill up his spine and made him squeeze his thighs together.

Chase settled on his haunches behind Jamie, once again nuzzling his face against Jamie's throat. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to scare you. Are you mad at me?"

Jamie shook his head, leaning back against Chase slightly. Chase whimpered again, thrusting weakly against Jamie's back. Jamie bit his lip and leaned away from Chase enough so he could turn around to look at the werewolf. Chase cocked his head, licking along his fangs and watching Jamie. Jamie curiously looked down at Chase's groin, immediately whimpering silently. Chase's cock was long and red and weeping and there was something at the base of it. Chase's knot was still small, but based off the size of the rest of Chase's cock, it would get much bigger.

"Jamie?" Chase asked, a bit confused at the younger man's staring.

"Fuck me," Jamie signed instantly.

"I-I thought you didn't want me to touch you," Chase replied, a growl building in his throat but stopping himself from just tackling Jamie the way he wanted to.

"I changed my mind," Jamie replied, biting his lip and spreading his legs slightly. "Fuck me, Chase. I need you. Please."

Chase growled low in his throat and practically tackled Jamie, tearing his vest, shirt, and binder off. Chase quickly leaned up and nuzzled his face against Jamie's chest, nipping one of his breasts gently and sucking a dark mark into it. Jamie moved his hands to hold Chase's shoulders, but that was quickly aborted as Chase wrapped on hand around both of his wrists and pinning them above his head. Jamie shuddered lightly as Chase dragged his fangs down his stomach and nipping at his hips again.

"Hands up," Chase growled, releasing Jamie's wrists. Jamie obediently kept his hands above his head, delicious fear spiking in his stomach as Chase's fangs dragged along his groin and down to his thighs. Jamie whimpered and spread his legs wider, watching Chase and trying to get him to touch his cunt. Chase didn't seem to notice or if he did, he didn't care. Chase growled and gripped Jamie's thighs, digging his claws into the soft flesh.

"Chase, that hurts," Jamie signed. It was a good hurt, though. Jamie had never been one for pain, really, but something about it coming from Chase like this made it send a hot spike of pleasure through him.

Chase growled in response, looking up at Jamie. Jamie shivered at the inhuman look in Chase's eyes. Chase had always had some sense of clarity, but now it was barely there. Like he was truly a monster. Jamie arched his back as Chase finally plunged his tongue back into Jamie's cunt. Chase grunted happily, fucking his tongue in and out of Jamie. Jamie writhed underneath Chase, panting heavily. Chase lifted Jamie's hips and gripped his ass, diging his claws into the soft flesh of his cheeks as he ate him like a starved man- or wolf in this case. Jamie gasped loudly as he came, unable to hold back his orgasm as Chase curled his tongue inside of him.

Chase pulled away slightly, lapping at Jamie's cunt and cleaning off his cum. Jamie whimpered and squirmed as Chase sucked at his clit as best he could. Chase growled quietly, more like a purr than a true growl, and kept pushing Jamie into overstimulation.

"Chase, please," Jamie signed, thumping his head back against the porch as he came again, a bit embarrassed that it took him so little time. Chase finally pulled away from Jamie's cunt and gripped the smaller man's waist, quickly flipping Jamie onto his stomach and pulling his hips up so Jamie's chest was against the porch but his ass was up. Chase 'purred' again and carefully mounted Jamie, digging his claws into Jamie's back and thrusting his cock against Jamie's cunt. Jamie whimpered and tried to angle his hips to get Chase inside of him. Chase whimpered and thrust a few more times before finally the head of his cock caught on Jamie's entrance and he pushed into him properly. Jamie moaned silently when Chase was finally inside of him. Chase howled softly and barely waited for Jamie to adjust before he started to brutally thrust in and out of him.

Jamie moaned silently, rocking his hips back against Chase desperately. "Please," he said, switching to projecting his speech slides into Chase's mind so he could cushion his head with his arms. "Please, Chase harder!"

Chase growled and obeyed Jamie's wishes, fucking the smaller man harder and scratching Jamie's back roughly. Jamie whimper and arched his back, drool dripping from his mouth onto his hands. Chase grunted behind him, growling and moving even faster. If Jamie could have, he would've screamed as he came a third time, tightening around Chase's cock. Chase growled and dug his claws into Jamie's hips again as he forced his knot into Jamie's entrance, howling loudly as he came into the man beneath him. Jamie jerked slightly, moaning as Chase's hot spunk filled him. Chase whimpered softly, and pulled Jamie to his chest before flopping to the side and holding the other man close, licking away the drool and tears Jamie hadn't noticed away.

-

The next morning, Jamie woke up still on the porch, Chase's morning wood still pressed inside of him, but the werewolf himself still asleep, now in his human form. Jamie whimpered softly as he shifted, shaking Chase's shoulder until he blinked open his eyes.

"We are still outside," Jamie signed.

"I know," Chase replied, shifting to lay on top of Jamie like a blanket and burying his face against the other man's neck. "Go back to sleep. Deal with the consequences later."

[wolfpawn]

I Hate You, I Love You, Chapter 100

Chapter Summary -   Tom and Danielle enjoy their holiday, Tom ensuring it is as pleasurable as possible, in every manner. SMUT

Previous Chapter

Rating - Mature (some chapters contain smut)

Triggers - references to Tom Hiddleston’s work with the #MeToo Movement. That chapter will be tagged accordingly.

authors Note - I have been working on this for the last 3 years, it is currently 180+ chapters long.  This will be updated daily, so long as I can get time to do so, obviously.

tags: @sweetkingdomstarlight-blog​​​ @jessibelle-nerdy-mum​​​ @nonsensicalobsessions​​​ @damalseer​​​ @hiddlesbitch1​​​ @winterisakiller​​​ @fairlightswiftly​​​ @salempoe​​​​ @wolfsmom1​​​​

If you wish to be tagged, please let me know.

Danielle sighed as she began to feel herself waking up. Part of her did not want to.

The day before, Tom admitted to a little secret he had withheld from her. He had cancelled their booking at a run of the mill hotel Danielle had booked in their next destination and instead booked a five-star hotel for them as a treat. She was unaware of the change and asked Tom to type in the name of the hotel she had booked into the GPS on his phone, Tom gave it the name of the hotel he had chosen and said nothing, simply instructing her as the device dictated. When they arrived at their destination, Danielle looked at the hotel confused and bewildered. When she turned and asked Tom what name he had put in, he answered the hotel they were at.

“Why did you do that, it’s the wrong place?” Tom simply grinned wickedly back at her. “What?”

“I did a thing.”

“What thing?” She sounded more like an exasperated mother than a girlfriend.

“I cancelled our booking elsewhere and booked this place.”

“Tom!”

“No, please listen; you paid a small fortune for this holiday, you booked the flights, the accommodation, the car…”

“You already changed the car.” She pointed out, her hand indicating to the blue and white symbol of the German brand on the steering wheel.

“And it was a great idea.” He stated assertively. “And so is this, come on Elle, you deserve it.”

“You are so bold.” She scolded as she parked the car properly.

“You’re not even going to argue?”

“No, I have decided to pick my battles, and a five-star hotel is not one to argue…as long as they have nice food.”

“We can drive into the town if it doesn’t, but it is the best hotel in the town apparently.”

“It’s not in the town, the town is six kilometres away, we are in Fossa.”

“Wait, really, this is Fossa?”

“Yeah, why? Why would Fossa register with you?”

“I know someone from around here.”

“Fair enough.” Danielle thought no more of it and got out of the car.

*

They had gotten changed and gotten something to eat before driving around the different parts of the scenic area that surrounded the town, finishing off the evening with a meal and a glass of wine in the hotel. Again, they were spotted by eagle-eyed tourists who seemed to be actively looking for Tom as he had been seen not too far away the day before in Clare. It was almost as though people were trying to guess where he was. They took a few pictures from a distance but did not interact with the pair, which suited them.

That night they fell asleep contently after receiving a text from Luke that simply confirmed their thoughts; people were guessing where the pair were going to turn up and those who spotted them simply bragged that they had, nothing more of note.

*

“What are you doing?” Danielle’s voice was heavy with sleep.

“Nothing, just relax.” Tom’s voice was sharper, he had been awake for a half an hour and was pressing his body against hers.

“Tom!” Danielle stretched as she shifted her backside slightly, rubbing it into the crotch of the actor. “Don’t be bold.”

“I am nothing of the sort darling.” His hand snaked down her body before making its way to her hip, silently asking her permission to continue; when Danielle moved herself slightly to allow Tom better access to her body, he gently used his hand to lift her leg up and over his own one, spreading her legs wider yet not forcing her to have to hold it up herself. “Have I mentioned recently how much I adore you and your salacious body. I fear you were sent to torture me with it.” His hand went to her core, gently toying with her sensitive folds and the bundle of nerves just above them. “How I love being in bed with you.”

“Tom,” Her voice was more of a gasp as he circled her clit languidly.

“Yes, my beautiful Elle, what is it?”

“I…”

“What do you yearn for?” His lips brushing against her ear as he spoke, “Tell me.”

“You.”

“But you have me.”

“Stop teasing me.” She warned, though she lacked the bite needed to enforce her words.

Gently, having already used his hand to ready her by making her moist, Tom aligned his hardened manhood with her opening and pressed in. “Like that?” Danielle moaned pitifully as her body was filled so perfectly, her every wish granted as slowly and leisurely, Tom began to move, his motions soft yet touching everywhere that felt exquisite in her, his hand ever so lightly gliding over her clit to allow her to feel more as he moved. “I love your incredible mind, your untameable sass and your delicious…FUCK!” she used her muscles to grip him tighter. “Elle, I fucking love that, I do, but don’t do it again because I will finish as soon as you do and I want to please you as I never have before and it will be hard when you have me dopey from an incredible orgasm.” He focused on getting himself to rub her inner areas to get her closer to her release.

“What are you gonna do to me?” she questioned, her breaths becoming shallow as she felt herself succumbing to the pleasure that was quickly engulfing her.

“I am going to have you, again and again, until you fall back asleep from exhaustion,” His own breaths becoming harsher as he focused his efforts on the task at hand. “I am going to have you nothing more than a moaning mess, your body alight with the pleasure I have given you, until you cannot take any more, then when you wake up, you will be so stiff, every last person we meet today will look at you and wonder why you are groaning as you move, some thinking of what caused it and grinning.” He nipped her ear and pressed himself into her as deep as he could as he felt her tighten around him rhythmically and her orgasm took over her, her moans stifled by her biting her lips together, but her nails dug into his thigh as she did her best to back herself onto the stiff organ filling her. As soon as she ceased moaning, Tom pulled himself from her immediately, knowing he would not be able to stave his own orgasm if he remained in her, her pussy pulsing around him as he did so.

Hardly waiting for her to catch her breath, Tom forced himself onto his knees and shirked down the bed, under the covers to between her legs. “Tom?” Her voice was slightly husky, “What are you…oh fuck, you were serious.” In the time it took her to ask the question, Tom had begun to lick and lap at her exposed clit. “Tom, I need…”

“What you need is more.” He insisted, pursing his lips around her and beginning to apply light pressure to it, gently grazing his teeth over the nerves as he toyed with it. When he felt her push her groin up, as though pleading for more attention in the area, he grinned and added two fingers to her, her body was more than able for such after her recent orgasm. On doing that, he pressed in so only the first and second knuckles were visible, as his long dexterous fingers easily found their way to the spot he had learned so well in her and stroked the little bundle of nerves within her as his lips assault the ones on the outside of her body. Danielle yelped in pleasure and her hand went to Tom’s head immediately, fisting his auburn hair as she ground her body into his face to get more friction, the sensation of him attacking both her greatest pleasure points simultaneously was too much for her. “Play with your tits.” He ordered, his words slightly muffled by not taking his lips off her.

Though she felt like holding him to her, for fear he would stop, Danielle did as she was instructed with one hand and toyed with her erect nipple, the other unable to remove itself from him, loving the feel of her hand in his hair, instructing him to continue. It only took a few moments more before the attack on three pleasure points on her already sensitive body became too much and Danielle found herself gasping for air as her back bowed and she moaned loudly, another orgasm racking through her, more intense than the first.

When she was done, she was gasping for air, her body telling her that the two releases she had drained her considerably. “Jesus Christ.” She declared between breaths.

Tom came up from under the covers, grinning in delight as her release covered his chin and lips, glistening in his short beard. “Did you like that?” Danielle nodded, her features almost dopey. “How about one more?”

“Tom.” She whined. “I can’t possibly…”

“Now my darling Elle, you have just set me a challenge.” His grin grew wider as he gently coaxed her to turn around and go on her hands and knees. When she did not physically or verbally argue, he slowly placed himself to her now drenched entrance. “Can you try?”

“Please.”

Hearing her plea was the only encouragement he required, so Tom pushed in with ease and put his hands on Danielle’s hips, slowly starting a pace as he stared down where he could see himself impaling the woman in front of him. “Fuck Elle, you look so good with my cock in you.”

“Feels so good.”

“Yeah, you like having me in you, showing you how incredible you make me feel?”

“Yes.” She moaned as he angled his thrusts to rub her almost sore channel. Though she was exhausted, Danielle could not bring herself to want him to stop, she loved the way Tom was making her body become almost overwhelmed with pleasure. “Please.”

“Do you want me to make it feel even better?” He asked, a hand making its way to her breasts which were swinging beneath her as Danielle bounced forward and back on him.

“Not possible.” Danielle pushed off her hands so that she was leaning back on Tom’s chest as they both knelt on the bed, their movements were sloppy but with purpose, to bring them both to release as quickly and pleasurably as possible.

Vaguely aware that there were other patrons in the other rooms connected to theirs, and not knowing how loud Danielle would be on her third release, Tom moved a hand towards Danielle’s mouth but not covering it as the other made its way to her now exposed and tender nerves, which was incredibly sensitive and painfully pleasurable. “I think it is, I’ll prove it.” He thrust up as he forced her body down on him, the feeling of his own release coming warning him to hasten before he failed to make good on his promise. The sounds Danielle was making telling him how close she was to her peak, spurring him on. Though he tried, Tom could not stave his orgasm any longer as Danielle’s tight warmth gripped him and her noises spurred on his ego, causing him to groan in frustration and pleasure as his teeth pressed into her shoulder, an action which was all that was required to throw her over the edge of her own orgasm and join him, her body becoming overstimulated and her mind going blank as she fell over the edge once more, pressing her mouth into his hand to prevent herself from screaming her pleasure.

As both came down from their highs, Tom realised that Danielle could only lean against him like a rag doll, her limbs incapable of movement from everything they had just done. Slowly, he manoeuvred them so that he could gently place her lying on the bed once more and pulled the covers over her. “You win.” She conceded, her face one of exhausted pleasure.

Tom grinned and lay beside her, noticing there was a considerable wet patch in the bed from where they were kneeling; gently, he moved his hand between her thighs and realised just how much pleasure she had endured. “I think you were more than happy to be wrong with that one.”

“I never did that before.” Danielle’s voice was heavy with tiredness, Tom’s prediction of her wishing to return to sleeping proven correct. “M’Sorry.”

“Don’t be, I take pride in knowing I did something like that to you.” Tom kissed her shoulder before Danielle turned around and curled into him, sighing as she fell back asleep, Tom feeling incredibly proud of himself as he began to drift off also.

[goodlucktai]

falling over me like stars

the moomins pairing: moomin/snufkin word count: 2221 read on ao3

x

At first, Moomin isn’t sure what woke him.

One moment he’s dreaming and the next he’s in his bedroom, staring through the dark at the ceiling and experiencing that sideways bereftness of being suddenly transplanted from an imagined place to a real one.

It must still be late, if the dark of the room is any indication.

The house creaks a bit as Moomin lays there listening, the way hard-worked houses sometimes do, its bones settling after another long day of sheltering lots of lively people within its walls. The air is very cool, and smells like damp earth and ozone, but the bed is warm. And it would be, with two bodies tucked beneath a shared blanket.

Moomin tips his head to the side, cheek pressed against the pillow, so his view is filled with Snufkin sleeping bare inches away.

That’s right, Moomin thinks comfortably, teetering on the blurry line between sleep and wake, there was a storm.

The winds were something terrible, and the rain drove down on the roof like thunder. He’d been so glad Moominmamma had managed to convince Snufkin, in her patient, implacable way, to stay inside with them for a few nights until the weather cleared up again.

It always took some doing, but there’s really no holding out against Mama. She’s probably the only creature in the valley more stubborn than Moomin’s favorite mumrik-- and sure enough, Snufkin had lost that particular battle of wills.

He was good-natured about it, though.

“You moomins are certainly a worrisome lot,” he’d said without heat, rolling his tent up with deft hands so they could stow it inside for safe-keeping. “It must be exhausting, concerning yourselves with a tramp like me.”

He was smiling, faint and fond, and flicked a glance at Moomin from under the brim of his floppy, flowered hat. No hard feelings, that glance said, intimate for all its knowing. So Moomin smiled right back.

“We’re built for it,” he had replied smartly, rewarded with the surprised sound of Snufkin’s laughter.

Moomin smiles again now, watching the rise and fall of his friend’s chest, the artless tumble of his thicket-like hair.

They’re both bigger than they were the first time they slept this way, longer limbs and wider shoulders and, in Moomin’s case, more girth. It takes some maneuvering. Their feet all but dangle off the edge unless they curl up a bit. They used to fall asleep on their respective sides of the bed and wake up a comfortable tangle of limbs; now they just skip ahead to that part.

(Mama asked him once if he’d like a new frame, or perhaps for a second one to be moved in so they wouldn’t have to share anymore, but Moomin emphatically said no, thank you. And Mama just looked at him like she knew a secret and went back to fixing breakfast with a peaceful smile, and didn’t bring it up again.)

Suffice to say, tonight is shaped like all of his other favorite nights, comfortable and intimate and cozy. Snufkin is here, one hand buried in the thick fur at Moomin’s chest, radiating heat like a small furnace. Moomin doesn’t have any strange cricks in his neck or back from twisting into an odd angle in his sleep. None of his limbs are cramping, he isn’t cold, he isn’t thirsty, he was having a pleasant enough dream, for all that he can’t really remember more than a vague outline--

So what woke him?

Moomin frowns as minutes slink by and no answer seems forthcoming. He can’t even toss and turn without dislodging his friend, and just laying there, still and wide-awake, feels like torture.

And then Snufkin’s fingers tighten in his fur, almost to the point of pain. The mumrik gives a little jerk, and his head turns, and Moomin can see his expression.

“Oh, no,” he says in dismay, sitting up quickly. “Snufkin, wake up. You’re having a bad dream.”

He doesn’t so much reach out to Snufkin as just lay a hand on him, they’re already so close. He’s trembling, so slightly Moomin couldn’t tell until he feels it, and it’s enough to make Moomin’s whole chest ache.

“Wake up,” he insists again. He tries to work loose the fingers in his fur, if only so he can hold them instead. Moomin doesn’t want to raise his voice, not at Snufkin, but he’s getting more desperate with every second he has to watch that dear face twist with pain. “Those stars you love spilled their light into our room to keep you company. You’ll feel better in no time if you just open your eyes.”

Moomin gives him a little shake, and that does the trick. When Snufkin wakes up, it’s not with a wild start, the way Moomin sometimes flees a nightmare, but a little jolt. His eyes fly open and his mouth parts in a gasp, but he’s so quiet that Moomin might have slept through the whole thing if Snufkin hadn’t accidentally pulled on his fur.

That’s an unhappy thought.

“There you are,” he says brightly. “I should’ve known all I’d have to do is mention the stars and you’d come right back.”

The room is a study in silver and stardust, every dark corner touched with some of the faint light pouring through the window, and even Snufkin looks softer here. All of his earthen tones washed out to blues and white, the line of his body something surprisingly fragile for the rough-and-tumble vagabond Moomin knows.

He retracts his hand and murmurs, “Sorry, Moomintroll. Did I hurt you?”

Moomin’s a little sorry he let go, if anything, but he smooths out the ruffled fur with a paw. “Of course you didn’t. I bet you wouldn’t even know how.”

He tugs the blanket up over their laps, and Snufkin disentangles their tails before scooting in. They lean against the headboard together, the only two awake in this big, full house, and Moomin knows what it sounds like when Snufkin is trying to sort things out in his head, so he doesn’t interrupt the thoughtful silence.

Then Snufkin says, “I dreamed I got lost.”

Moomin jumps a little at that, surprised. “You’ve never gotten lost.”

“Maybe that’s why it was so-- alarming.” He’d been about to use a different word, Moomin thinks. “But I was lost. The road was gone. The forest was empty, even of birds, so there was no one I could ask for directions. The sky was overcast, so I couldn’t even use the stars to guide me.”

His voice is quiet, the same voice he uses to recite poetry or tell mysterious tales, but the wonder is gone from it. In its place is a festering wound of fear, something dull instead of sharp, a persisting ache rather than a single swift blow.

“The seasons changed, and I never found my way back,” Snufkin adds in a short, clipped tone. “I knew I wouldn’t see you again. And then I woke up.”

Moomin can feel a hollow sort of horror at the very idea of Snufkin out there alone in the world somewhere, lost and unable to make his way back home to the valley. What a terrible idea! What an awful nightmare, to come slinking in here and attach itself to Snufkin and poison his pleasant dreams!

“It wasn’t real,” Moomin says, not sure which of them he’s hoping to reassure. He doesn’t think Snufkin is in the mood to be grabbed, even for feel-better a hug, so he keeps his paws in his lap. “You’ve come back every year. Every spring. Why would that change?”

“It was just a dream,” Snufkin agrees. But he’s pressed against Moomin’s shoulder and his eyes are faraway. If it was just anything he wouldn’t still be so shaken.

So Moomin goes on, “You tell me yourself the birds are chatty no matter where you go! They hardly leave you alone once they realize they can pick a conversation out of you if they’re obnoxious enough. I bet your dream was a wish they’d find someone else to bother for a change.”

There it is-- the barest hint of a smile. Heartened, Moomin keeps it up.

“And just because some clouds got in the way, you’d give up on the stars? You, Snuf? When we first met, we talked about stars for hours. I thought you’d never run out of praises for them!”

Snufkin huffs a reluctant laugh, and then presses his lips together, but he’s smiling plainly now.

“Besides, even if the birds all deserted you, and the stars all burned out, you’re forgetting one important thing.” Sandwiched side-by-side as they are, Snufkin’s head pillowed on Moomin’s shoulder, it’s easy to say the words since he doesn’t have those bright brown eyes to get distracted by. So Moomin looks up at the ceiling and says, “If you didn’t come back, I’d go looking for you. I know you need your space, but you’ve never broken a promise to me. If you promised to come back and you didn’t, I would find you. I’d search everywhere until I found you. The way you feel about the world when you travel is the way I feel about you when you come home. There’s no way I’d ever let you stay lost, Snufkin.”

For a moment, Moomin feels good about that. He thinks he managed to explain his feelings pretty clearly, and hopefully it made Snufkin feel better-- but then horror quickly washes out the satisfaction, because Snufkin is trembling again in an all-too-familiar way.

“Oh-- oh no, don’t cry, Snufkin! I’m sorry, please don’t cry!” Stricken, Moomin tries to twist to look at his friend properly, but Snufkin stays stubbornly pressed against his side, shaking with tears, eyes hidden in Moomin’s fur. Paws flapping uselessly, Moomin rambles, “Well, no, that isn’t right-- you should cry if you need to, of course you should! But I’ll definitely start crying, too, and then you’ll be the one comforting me and that won’t do at all!”

"I'll hibernate this year," Snufkin mumbles, muffled, but Moomin still freezes at the words.

"You'll stay all winter? Here, with me?" he says. Snufkin nods. "And leave in the spring instead?" Moomin realizes, joy tempered by dismay.

"Leave next winter instead," the mumrik says, the best thing he's ever said, handing Moomin a hundred presents in a few short words. "I'll stay for that long. I want to try."

"Because you're afraid?" Moomin gives into the urge to hold him, wrapping both arms around him and hugging him tight. He remembers being younger, looking up at Snufkin and then looking level at him, but he's just a bit taller now. It makes hugging him even nicer somehow, not that he's ever come out and said so-- he just takes any and every excuse to bundle the smaller creature up and tuck him under his chin, for as long as he can get away with. "What if you're not afraid in a few days? You'll be sorry you promised it then."

"Not because of that." Snufkin seems to take shelter in the fact that Moomin can't see his face. Moomin wonders if he sometimes gets distracted by eyes he thinks are pretty, too. That's a nice thought. "I've seen a lot of the world, you know. A lot of it has changed. Even you have changed. It's a part of life, I think, of nature, that nothing stays the same forever. I'd like to see if I can change, too."

There's a lot of-- of something building up in Moomin's chest, something that feels the way the sun looks when it dawns. Bold and fiery and too big to fit in the space it belongs to, spilling light across the hills and fields and rivers, spilling color, spilling warmth. He doesn't know what to do with all of it until he knows exactly what to do with all of it, and Snufkin must have the same idea, because he looks up just in time for their noses to meet.

It must not be a surprise to him, because he laughs, and bumps back with his smaller snout, and oh, that is wonderful. Moomin is delighted. He never wants to move from this spot.

"I've always loved moomin kisses," Snufkin says softly. His eyes are red-rimmed and his face is rather pale, but his smile more than makes up for it. "How sweet."

Moomin's heart is racing, and he's never known hearts could race with happiness instead of excitement or fear or nerves. It's just one more thing Snufkin has taught him, perhaps the best thing. He's sorry that a storm and a nightmare brought them here, but the sky is clear now, and the room is full of whispered voices and empty hands being held and a few more kisses just for the sake of exploring something so new in this love that's so old. Moomin would like to see any bad dream leave a mark on them now.

"What else do you love about moomins?" he asks, hoping he might hear a few things on Snufkin's list that he identifies with.

Snufkin hums fondly, eyes very close and very distracting, as usual. He touches Moomin's cheek and says, "Lean in close to me, and I'll tell you."

[seasickbaby]

Only You

Pairing: Christopher x reader

Prompt: Only You by Yoandri // Escape with me babe, we can run away. Explore our love your deepest fantasies...”

Warning: drinking, fluff, some angst?, really bad writing

Word Count: umm... 4k I'm sorry I got really carried away

A/N: hello my loves. I'm back with another semi decent fic for the beautiful @girlbabyvelez ‘s challenge. Congrats baby you deserve it and many more. Love you tonsss. Big thanks to Lauren. Just thank you. Also, theres a part in here where fans are kinda annoying but I'm in no way saying that cncowenrs are like that, it was just for story purposes. Enjoy :) <3

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His beauty captured your eye instantly.

He was tall and handsome, with brunette hair that poked out from underneath a black beanie, giving him a somewhat dark and mysterious look.

He sat at a table in the corner with a couple other guys. They were all laughing and goofing around, but something about his laugh made everyone else’s seem muffled; it was music to your ears. It was a loud, contagious laugh with a smile so wide and bright that it could light up a whole city.

You weren’t aware of the fact that you had been staring, and you darted your eyes as soon as his met yours, another angelic smile creeping up on his lips.

You pushed him out of your mind as you finished your song, the small bar at which you worked applauded. One table was particularly louder -- the boys you had seen a couple minutes earlier were all whistling and clapping. You smiled in their direction and his eyes met yours, sending a wink your way. Your cheeks turned a rosy red color before you grabbed the microphone again.

“This next song my mom used to sing to me when I was a little girl and I loved it, I hope you will love it too.”

You took a deep breath before beginning the first few notes of viveme by Laura Pausini. You closed your eyes, letting yourself feel the music completely; it took over you as you stood up from your stool and began walking around the small bar.

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

“Bro didn’t you sing this song in La Banda??” Richard whispered to Christopher.

A soft ‘yea’ was all Christopher could manage out as he watched you with fascination. The way you connected with the audience, how you projected your passion for music, the way the lights hit your features at the perfect angles, your angelic voice: it all made Chris stare in awe.

“I’ll be back”

“Chris where are you-” Richard sighed and took a sip of his Pilsner “He is who he is.”

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

Your grip on the microphone tightened and your eyes flew shut as you got ready to sing the chorus, but they quickly opened again as you heard another voice joined yours in unison. You looked around in confusion until you saw him.

He stood by the counter with a microphone in hand singing a verse of the song. Think Alejandro Sanz version. He smiled and began to walk towards the stage when he saw you look.

When did this turn into some high school musical shit?

Christopher hopped onto the stage, never breaking eye contact with you. His friends exploded into a roar of cheers when he grabbed your hand and spun you around.

As soon as his skin touched yours a wave of different sensations flowed through your body, making your breath hitch and heart flutter. It was a feeling you had never experienced before and you craved more.

You smirked at him and went along with the act, bringing his arms around you and swaying before breaking free and walking to the other side of the stage.

Christopher’s expression turned to one of shock and admiration as he watched you.

The rest of the song was performed with improvised choreography from you two, but as far as anyone was concerned, it looked practiced and planned.

He pulled you close to his chest and the song came to an end. You were both breathing heavily as the bar erupted in cheers.

“I’m Chris.” He smiled down at you

“Y/n.”

“Mi gente, a round of applause for y/n” He yelled into the microphone. You laughed as he raised your hand above your head as if you were a victorious boxer

You thanked everyone for listening and wished them a goodnight before hopping off the stage with Christopher at your heels.

“Wait, princesa.” He jogged to cut in front of you, lightly grabbing your shoulders.

“Let me buy you a drink.”

“And why should I let you do that?” You crossed your arms smiling.

“Because… I’m a nice guy?” He said with a laugh, “Plus, you think I’m cute.”

His comment took you by surprise. You opened your mouth to protest but just let out a dry chuckle, “Alright casanova.”

“But first, I want you to meet my friends. You know, just so they can tell you how great I am and all that.” He joked with a wink.

You just rolled your eyes playfully. You couldn’t help but feel butterflies in your stomach as you approached the boys, your right hand fidgeting with your bracelet. Secretly hoping that they would like you.

Why am I nervous? I don’t even know the guy.

“Chicos, les presentó a y/n.” Chris introduced you, placing his right hand on your lower back, giving you a small sense of security.

They all immediately stood up to greet you properly with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” you said with a laugh after hugging the last one. You heard a quiet ‘oh my gosh she’s so pretty’ from your far left and when you turned your eyes caught the pretty olive skinned boy with the curly hair. You sent a sweet smile Joel’s way as he sheepishly looked at the ground smiling.  

“So like I know we just met, but you real cute… and I just had to tell you, you know?” Richard said with a smile while scratching the back of his neck.

“And that performance!! Tienes mucho talento.” Zabdiel added with excitement.

“Mucho mas talentosa que Chris…” Erick joked underneath his breath with a cough.

“I’m sorry what was that?” Chris squinted his eyes.

“It’s true though! Y/N killed it out there, made you look like a drunk dad doing karaoke.” Joel elbowed chris with a chuckle.

Chris scoffed and slapped a hand over his heart, pretending to be hurt, but he couldn’t help from laughing, which made everyone else join in with laughter too.

“I’m sorry Chris but you’re just gonna have to admit that I’m a better singer than you.” You shrugged your shoulders playfully. “With a face like that, it would be unfair if you had it all.”

The words flew out of your mouth without a second thought but you instantly regretted them. The guys immediately went crazy with ‘oooo’s and ‘aye‘s and Chris’ smirk grew even wider.

“See, I was right.”

You spent the rest of the night talking and drinking with the boys. You quickly learned that they were some of the chillest people you had ever met and you found yourself dreading the night’s end. You looked at the time and was shocked at how long you had been hanging out with them.

“Bueno chicos, it’s been fun but it’s getting late and I have to head home.” You said while standing up from the table and putting your jacket on.

Chris stood up right after you and quickly offered to walk you home.

The boys gave each other a knowingly look. When Christopher took a girl home, or back to his hotel room, he usually ended up sleeping with her. And after that one night the girl would be long forgotten. They were a little bummed considering how well they had clicked with you.

“What! Why are you leaving so early??” Erick pouted and you laughed his attempt at puppy dog eyes.

“Erick, baby, it’s 2 am and look, Zabdiel is already asleep.” You commented as you cupped his chin with your hand. Everyone turned to look at Zabdiel who had his beanie pulled down over his eyes, arms crossed over his chest, and mouth agape, snoring deep in sleep -- a sight that made them burst into laughter.

“But you have to promise to have another night out with us sometime this week okay?” Joel pointed a finger at you before pulling you into a tight hug.

After finally saying your last goodbye to the boys you walked out of the bar with Chris’ arm around your shoulder. The walk to your apartment was around 15 minutes but with Chris, time seemed to fly by.

His goofy personality kept you constantly laughing; never having a dull moment with him. He even offered to give you a piggyback ride but it only lasted a solid minute before he tripped and made you both plummet to the ground.

“You’re such an idiot!” You managed to get out between laughs.

“Ay mi rodilla, me lastime. Kiss it.” He whined in a baby voice.

“You fucking baby.” You rolled your eyes as you gave in and kissed his knee.

Once you got to your building you swiped your card and greeted the security guard at the front. You hesitated at the door of your apartment before unlocking it; you wanted to spend more time with Chris but you didn’t want it to be a one night stand. You really liked him and didn’t want to mess anything up. Finally gathering up enough courage, you turned to him and asked if he would like to come in. You let go of a breath you hadn’t noticed you’d been holding when a grin spread across his face and he nodded.

You opened the door of your small but cozy apartment, letting Chris in first.

“Wow this place is beautiful… and that view!”  His eyes lit up as he ran towards the window. “You didn’t tell me you lived by the beach.”

You giggled as you tossed your keys on the counter and walked up next to him, opening the sliding door that led into the balcony.

“I know, I’m very lucky.” You said, looking over at Chris, the view not being the only thing you were referring to. “Be right back.”

You went back inside only to come out a couple minutes later with a bottle of wine and two glasses, wiggling your eyebrows at him.

“We’re gonna keep drinking?” He chuckled.

“We’re just making a toast.”

“To what?

“A new friendship.” You softly responded, raising your glass.

“Cheers to that.” He smiled back at you and clinked your glasses together.

After deciding that you didn’t want the night to end, you and Chris laid on the balcony, stargazing and listening to the ocean. Talking to Chris was so easy -- he made you feel safe and comfortable. The conversation jumped from topic to topic as you learned more about one another. Suddenly, Chris jolted up into a sitting position.

“Wanna see me flip this wine bottle, I’m really good at it.” He stood up and got into position to flip the bottle.

“Chris no!” You snatched the bottle away from him, eager to avoid a late night/early morning trip to the ER.

Instead of flipping glass bottles, you finished the wine along with some cookies as you laid on Chris’ chest, his hands playing with your hair and running ring-studded fingers up and down your arm.

“You know, when I still lived in Ecuador I used to sit outside our house and just stare at the stars all night, wondering where life would take me.” He broke the peaceful silence that was making you doze off. “Now when I look at the stars, I’m amazed at how far I’ve come, but they always remind me of my life before…..” He trailed off mid sentence, almost accidentally revealing that he was famous.

You raised your head up to look at him but he just kept staring at the stars, “Before what?”

“Never mind, it’s nothing.” He said rather quickly, “Can I borrow your guitar?”

Chris began to sing ‘more than words’ as the sun started to rise over the horizon.

The next morning you woke up alone in bed, yet you remember falling asleep on the balcony with Chris after he sang to you. You figured he must have carried you to bed and couldn’t help but feel a little sad at the fact that he had left without saying goodbye. You stood up, yawning, and decided to take a quick shower to wake you up. During the whole duration of the shower you smiled as you kept replaying last night’s events, still not quite believing it was real. The more you thought about it the less sure you were that it wasn’t just a dream. When you stepped out into your room again the smell of coffee and pancakes took you by surprise. Putting a robe on, you followed the smell all the way to the kitchen and saw a shirtless Chris standing by the oven, with all the concentration in the world, flipping pancakes. You crossed your arms and leaned against the door frame, the corners of your mouth creeping up into a big smile.

“Please tell me we’re not having burnt pancakes for breakfast.” You said from the door.

Chris turned around, a smile on his lips, but as soon as he saw you his mouth dropped open, his eyes scanning you up and down. “Buenos dias princesa. Don’t you worry, I’m a pro.” He winked before turning his attention back to the pancakes.

You walked up to him and wrapped your arms around his torso, leaning your head on his back for a second before standing on your tippy toes to give him a quick kiss on the cheek.

“I’m gonna get dressed,” you told him. Just as you turned to walk away, he grabbed your hand and pulled you back into a hug. You giggled against his chest as you reciprocated his warm embrace. “Chris I need to get readyyy,” you whined and he begrudgingly let you go.

After all the breakfast dishes were cleaned up, you walked Christopher to the door and you guys stared at one another in peaceful silence  before he smirked and let out a sigh.

“What?” You curiously asked.

“Que bonita te ves.” And after that statement Christopher started to lean in. Your heart raced as you closed the gap between you two, placing a soft but passionate kiss on his lips.

“I’ll see you later?” He asked after biting his bottom lip.

“Yea.” You smiled at him. He walked away holding your hand out as far as he could before letting go. You closed the door and leaned your back against it, unable to stop the smile that quickly formed as you shook your head and let out a small laugh.

The rest of your week consisted of hanging out with Chris and his friends, going out for ice cream, roller blading, and reluctantly seeing Annabelle 3 while you clung to Chris’ arm the whole time.

“I’m still shaking bro.” Chris laughed as he showed you his shaking hand.

You were holding onto his arm while laughing when suddenly a squealing girl came running up to the both of you. Chris immediately let go of your hand as soon as he saw her.

“Hola mi amor! Can we take a picture?” The girl squealed, hugging him by the neck and kissing his cheek. She asked him to kiss her back as she took out her phone for a picture. She thanked him and walked off to join her friends, a satisfied look on her face.

“Hey so ... who was that?” You questioned Chris, cocking your head to the side.

“I have no idea, they must’ve thought I was somebody else. I tend to get that a lot so I just started going along with it.” Chris shrugged nonchalantly. His answer seemed suspicious, but you believed him nevertheless. Why would he lie?

Later that day you went to dinner to enjoy one last night with Chris before he left to New York on a business related trip. He took you to a restaurant downtown and had a table set up at the corner with candles and flowers. You loved going out with the other boys, but you were glad to have some alone time with Chris.

Once the waiter took your orders Chris stood up to go to the bathroom and you used that time to check your phone and catch up on the latest news. When you went on instagram you were taken aback by all the notifications that swarmed your screen. You clicked on something a friend had tagged you in asking if that was you, and to your surprise, it was. The video was of you and chris singing from the night you met. It had thousands of views and comments but you were too confused to process anything. You clicked on the account that had posted the video and saw that it was filled with pictures of Chris and the other guys. After not much investigation you found Chris’s instagram along with his band’s, CNCO, which he had never bothered to mention.

You saw him come back and quickly put your phone away, determined to ask him why he would keep that from you. But not long after he sat down the food came, and chris dug right in so you decided to wait until after dessert.

You sat in silence for the rest of dinner picking at your food, appetite completely gone. Chris grabbed your hand, noticing something was wrong.

“Amor, qué pasa?” He looked at you worryingly.

“You would never lie to me right?” You spoke quietly.

“Never, why?”

You gulped nervously, rubbing your sweaty palms on your jeans. You debated whether or not to confront him, afraid that it might ruin things between you two.

“Why didn’t you tell me about who you really are…” You asked, your eyes not meeting his.

His grip on your hand loosened as his head dropped -- the moment he had been dreading was finally here.

He sighed before opening his mouth to respond, but nothing seemed to come out. After a couple seconds of silence Chris finally spoke up.

“That day at the bar… I felt attracted to you from the moment I saw you. I realized you didn’t know who I was and it felt… nice. You didn’t want me for my fame, you just wanted me for me. I enjoyed being just a guy for once and so did the boys. I-“

He was rudely interrupted when a small group of girls came up and tapped Chris on the shoulder, making him jump a little.

“Can we take a picture???” The girls giggled.

“Of course.” He responded with a smile, trying to hide the annoyance in his voice. He gave you an apologetic look as he stood up and started conversing with each one of them. You watched him intently, in awe of the way he interacted with the fans.

You started to feel a bit uncomfortable when they started giving you side glances and dirty looks. You shifted awkwardly in your seat, waiting for Chris to come back, but those pictures took longer than expected with every girl wanting multiple pictures with different poses.

Deciding that you had had enough, you waited until Chris wasn’t looking to leave forty bucks on the table and make your way out of the restaurant.

He saw you leaving from the corner of his eye, but when he began to follow you he was pulled back by a fan grabbing his hand.

“Let her go, you deserve someone who’s not gonna use your for your fame anyways.” She said matter of factly and it made Chris’ blood boil with anger.

“With all due respect nena, you don’t know her.” And with that Chris ran to follow you out the door but you were no longer in sight. He tried calling you but it went straight to voicemail.

‘Y/N, bebe, I’m so sorry I should’ve never lied to you. Please call me back. We can work this out.’

-------

After you exited the restaurant, you called your best friend to tell her you were coming over. While you waited for the uber to arrive, a million thoughts ran through your head as you began to overthink.

Was I just a distraction from his usual life?

Was our thing just a meaningless fling until he could go off to the next city to find someone new?

You were pulled out of your thoughts by your cell phone ringing. You looked down to see that the caller ID was Chris. You bit your lip, hovering your thumb over the ‘answer’ button but deciding last minute to let it go to voicemail.

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After multiple ignored phone calls, Chris decided that he would take an uber to your house. When he got in the car he buried his head in his hands. He heard a ding and scrambled to grab his phone, hoping it was you, but it was only Zabdiel.

Z: bro where are you? we have to head out for the airport in an hour.

C: she found out.

Z: isn’t that a good thing?

C: no. I lied to her and now she won’t talk to me.

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You played the voicemail over and over for your best friend to hear. She listened to you rant for minutes on end as she nodded along.

“What do I do.” You said in an exasperated tone.

“Just talk to him…?”

“No you don’t understand I feel like he’s a different person, he has a whole side of him I don’t know about.”

“Y/N” You friend grabbed you by the shoulders sternly, “He’s still the same Chris you know and like, he just happens to work in the music industry.”

You knew she was right. You technically didn’t have a reason to be that mad, after all, you weren’t officially together. You were about to protest when you got a text message from Richard.

R: Hey y/n. I heard what happened with Christopher… I know you’re mad at us for not telling you the truth and I’m really sorry. We got carried away by the fact that you treated us like regular guys that we didn’t realize how it could affect you.

You: Thanks Rich, I appreciate it.

R: Chris is devastated right now. We’ve never seen him like this over a girl, but you’re different. I see the way he looks at you… You’re really special to him. Please just let him explain.

You searched Chris’ contact on your phone, hesitating before pressing the call button.

———-

Chris had said no more than two words the whole ride to the airport. The guys noticed how downhearted he was about the whole situation but they didn’t know what to do. He had messed up one of the greatest things he had going for him and it was all his fault. He knew a relationship would be difficult with his schedule but maybe if he had just told you the truth from the beginning you would've been willing to work through it with him.

He had his headphones in, lost in thought when his phone rang in his hands, your picture appearing on the screen.

“Y/n???”

————

His voice cracked when saying your name and it broke your heart.

“Hey Chris… I’m sorry for leaving the restaurant without explanation. I just needed to process things.” You spoke softly into the phone.

“No, I’m sorry about lying to you, it was wrong. I shouldn’t be leaving things like this.”

You chuckled a little, “It’s your job.”

“Yea… But you deserve someone who’s always going to be there for you.” His voice for quieter with each word.

“Hey hey, well I want you… We’ll work this out okay? Just… don’t sing with another girl at a bar in New York.” You tried to joke, although it sounded much better in your head, thankfully it got a small laugh out of Chris.

“Don't worry. You’re the only one, it’s only you.”

———-

The whole week Chris was away he sent you voice messages and videos everyday; from him being a complete crackhead with Erick to singing a variety of different love songs. Each one brought a smile to your face, brightening up your day. You couldn’t wait for the day that he came back, even though you hadn’t been given you a specific date.

That morning you made your way to work while listening to their newest single ‘de cero’, already singing along to every word. When you got the bar you were surprised to see that the stage was already set up, one of the bartenders informed you that they had booked someone else for the day. You crossed your arms in annoyance, wondering who could take your shift so last minute. The lights dimmed and five guys walked out. You squinted, not quite believing your eyes as you saw Christopher begin to sing.

In the middle of the song he got down from the stage and made his way towards you, placing a small blue envelope in your hands.

“Escape with me babe, we can run away. Explore our love your deepest fantasies. I want to show you, everything we can do. Yea there’s no limit to our love baby.” He sang as you opened the envelope to find two plane tickets to Fiji.

Tears formed in your eyes as you mouthed the words ‘really?’ but Chris’ only response was a lengua kiss that you loved.

You knew there would be a lot of difficulties when dating a pop star, but there was no one else you would want to overcome them with.

Christopher really made you feel like the only girl in the world.

[car-karaoke]

Happy Birthday

This was a request from the lovely @ivarlcthbrok who had some great ideas!!

Warnings: S m u t, language, fuckton of fluff

Pairings: Alex H x Reader

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"Lan-za-rote?" You sounded out, squinting at the unfamiliar name on the card Alex had just given you. It was your birthday in a couple days, and you were beyond thankful that your boyfriend Alex's schedule allowed for him to take a week off with you. He had just arrived at your apartment with a huge bouquet of flowers and an adorable handwritten card that made you tear up when you read it. Your eyes were so blurry that Alex had to point out to you that you missed the last sentence on his card. There, in his perfectly messy handwriting said 'pack your things baby, we're going to Lanzarote'

You peeked up at Alex, who was biting his lip to hold back his enormous smile. "Did I say it right?" You questioned quietly. He simply replied with a nod of his head. You were overwhelmed beyond belief that you were finally able to spend alone time with him, let alone actually go somewhere new with him. But where the fuck is Lanzarote? You've never heard of it

"Babe, where is this place?" You wondered out loud. Alex's smile only grew wider until he couldn't hide it any more

(He smiles like this when you ask him where ^^)

"Spain" he mumbled, tucking his mouth into his hoodie sheepishly. He knew you'd freak out because you get super uncomfortable when people spend lots of money on you. Seeing your eyes widen and mouth start to open in protest he stopped you. "I got a really good deal on tickets baby!! I promise! Plus, I wanted to go there myself anyways, if you weren't in my life, I probably would've just taken a buddy along anyways"

You were still in shock at the fact that all of these wonderful things were happening to you. Things like that just didn't happen to you; you've always been weirdly unlucky. But ever since you met this incredible man in front of you, your life has never felt more complete. "Aleeex" you protested, sighing in defeat since you knew he had already bought the tickets. You leaned into his chest and curled your arms around him snugly. He beamed down at you and kissed the top top of your head. "How long are we staying there?" You asked shyly, voice muffled against his chest. You felt his little laugh vibrate through his chest

"7 days" he said happily, rubbing your back. "We're going to be staying in a private beach house" Your first instinct was to protest, knowing that kind of thing cannot have been cheap. But you knew he had the money and more importantly, he wanted to do it. For you. You get to spend a whole week in Spain with the love of your life. Reality hit you and you started to tear up again. You took a deep breath in and out and looked up at him

"I'm so excited hunny, truly. I cant even begin to thank you" you whispered, chin resting against his toned torso. He grinned down at you, using his thumbs to wipe away the tear that had spilled over

"I know baby, I know. I love you" he said as he tilted his head down to kiss you. You kissed him back right away, never able to resist those lips of his. All too soon however, he broke apart, giving your ass a light spank. "Now let's get packing sweet cheeks, we got a plane to catch!!"

~~arriving there the next day~~

"We're almost here" the cab driver announced as he turned down a private road. You and Alex were huddled together in the back seat like you had been the whole plane ride here, excitedly looking out the window. The driver pulled up to a gorgeous looking beach house and put the car in park. "Here you are guys, the place looks lovely!" The driver said happily

"Yeah it does, here you go! Thanks pal!" Alex handed the driver the money and opened the car door, walking over to your side to offer you his hand getting out. You got out of the cab and took a deep breath in, looking around in amazement

"God, this place is beautiful!" You sighed contentedly

"It really is! It's so warm!" Alex commented, hauling both your bags out of the trunk before closing it and walking with you to the front door. You held the door open for him and stepped inside after him. Alex let your bags fall to the floor as you both took in your surroundings. The place seemed much bigger in person, it was open and airy with an incredible view of the ocean. You walked over to the window in the kitchen, staring out at the beach in awe. Alex snaked his arms around you from behind, kissing your neck softly

"You know, that beach is private...we can do whatever we want on there" he teased, kissing up to your earlobe. You fought back a laugh as he hit a ticklish spot. The ache in you longed for him to take you on every surface here, but your head was so groggy that you had to push that thought away until later

"Mmm that's true" you replied, tilting your head to allow him a better angle. "But you said yourself you wanted to go see the city first. We can celebrate properly tonight" you added, rubbing your ass against his growing erection. He groaned audibly at your tease, biting your neck in retaliation. You tried to hold back your soft moan, but it slipped out. Alex laughed, backing up and kissing your cheek

"Alright you delicious thing, later" he chuckled. "Let's go check out the beach first!" He grabbed your hand and dragged you out the back door to your private backyard

"Holy....shit..." you gasped, taking in the beautiful scenery with wide eyes. Alex was just as entranced as you, staring at the nature like a kid in the candy store

"I can't fucking WAIT to take pictures of this..." he sighed. You smiled to yourself and turned your head to look at your incredible man. The incredible man who literally bought you a week long vacation in Spain....you wanted to say so much to him, but you couldn't think of words to match how you were feeling, so you just grabbed his hand instead. Alex looked down at you and squeezed your hand. "You like it baby?" He asked hopefully

"Like it???" You laughed incredulously, shaking your head in disbelief. "Alex, this is INSANELY beautiful. I...you didn't...thank you" you huffed, frustrated momentarily that you couldn't think of what to say. He just grinned down at you and kissed your forehead

"I wanted to do this Y/N. I promise I didn't spend that much. Lots of frequent flyer miles..." he joked, elbowing you in the side. You groaned softly, but smiled genuinely at him

"I love it. I love you" you tiptoed to kiss him, to which he responded by casually picking you up like you weigh less than a feather and wrapping your legs around him

"I love-you-too" he said in between kisses. "Wanna go check out the city? We can walk from here". You nodded happily and gathered your things to go exploring the city. Alex wrapped his camera around his neck and took a quick picture of the two of you on his phone, posting it to IG with a smile

"What's our caption hunny?" You asked lightly. He smiled and handed you his phone

Here's to a week in paradise with my love Y/N. She's an even better view than the ocean people, so I'm damn lucky 😍

God he was amazing. You walked hand in hand down the road to the little town, stopping every few minutes for Alex to take a picture of something. The town was full of cute little shops and you two finally decided to stop somewhere to eat. The restaurant had seating outside, which you guys gladly took advantage of

"Here you go guys" the waitress rang out cheerfully, setting down your plates and heading back inside. You both dug into your meals like ravenous beasts that hadn't eaten in days

"Holy crap hunny!" you choked out a laugh as Alex nearly finished half his plate already. "If I knew you were this hungry, I would've suggested eating before!!" You giggled. He just shrugged his shoulders and waved the thought away with his hand. You munched on your food happily and listened to the music playing in the background. You had no idea what the lady was saying, but it sounded so beautiful

https://youtu.be/LDfottS5UhY

Alex snuck out his camera and started taking pictures of the locals. Everyone seemed to be in a great mood, whether it was the impeccable weather or the lively music who knows, but every face you met greeted you with a warm smile. You noticed one of the locals who looked to be in her mid twenties in a group full of other women. They were all so stunningly beautiful and fashionably dressed. The one that caught your attention for whatever reason spun around, causing your confidence to plummet. She was one of the most beautiful people you had ever seen, and she was staring at Alex. She started whispering to her friends and then more heads turned to look. They must notice who he is...you thought to yourself. Alex was totally unaware of his new admirers, he was too caught up trying to get a perfect shot of a building. The group of women started walking up to your table and you were suddenly grateful you were wearing dark sunglasses, because you were shooting daggers at them. The one you had been eyeballing reached to her boobs and squeezed them up in her bra so that they were pretty much exploding out of her shirt. She was wearing a very smug smile as she reached your table

"Uhm, excuse me?" She asked in a fakely-high voice. You stared at her with a blank face and Alex reluctantly put his camera down to look at them for the first time. He looked confusedly at them, looking over his shoulder to see if they were talking to someone else. "You're Alex Høgh Anderson, right?" She pressed on. Alex cleared his throat and nodded in response. The girl beamed down at him, pulling out her cell phone. "Do you mind taking a picture with us??" She asked as she noticeably crossed her arms over her chest to push her boobs up even higher. You chewed the inside of your cheek in annoyance. He always says yes to fans, and you totally understand that, but sometimes you wish you could just punch them in the face

"Uhm..yeah sure. No problem" he half smiled before getting up and leaning over the table to kiss you right in front of them. You saw her face drop in disappointment and you had to hold back a laugh. "Be right back baby" Alex called to you as he walked over to where they requested the picture. You watched in pure adoration as he took the picture and waved goodbye at them then jogged back to your table. "Whew god that chick had so much makeup on, I thought the sun was going to melt it off like a crayon!" He shook his head in disbelief. "I'm pretty sure she was trying to make her tits look bigger than they were too" he added. You snorted and nodded in agreement

After you were done at the restaurant, you returned home and changed into your bathing suits to go take advantage of having your own private beach. You had confidently packed a bikini, but after seeing how beautiful and fit most of the women you saw today were, you were second guessing your warbrode choices. But it was either that or go nude, so you nervously put on the thin fabric. Looking yourself over in the mirror, you didnt hate the way you looked, but there were definitely areas you liked less than others. Pushing your negative thoughts to the side, you stepped out and made your way to the backyard. Alex was laying out some towels on the sunny deck to sunbathe. He looked fucking delicious in his swim shorts, bending over to arrange the towels and giving you the perfect view of his ass. You opened the door and slowly walked up to him, one arm draped around your torso. Alex looked up at you and his eyes nearly bulged out of his head

"God damn baby..." he marveled, eyeing you up and down with hungry eyes. You laughed lightly and shoved his shoulder playfully. "I uh....I really like your new bikini..." he chuckled, handing you a cocktail he had made

"You're not looking bad yourself my love" you smiled, taking a sip of the fruity beverage before laying down on your back and feeling the sun immediately absorb into your skin. Alex smirked at you and grabbed the bottle of sun lotion behind him

"I grabbed spf 40 because I know you burn like a stop sign baby" he joked, opening the cap and squirting some on his hand to warm it up

"Soo sexyyyy" you mumbled unenthusiasticly with your eyes closed, making him laugh. He had both hands full of lotion and he slowly and gently started rubbing your soft stomach. Your breath hitched in your throat, you weren't expecting him to lotion you. He massaged all over your torso, down by your hips, your thighs, making sure to get the top of your feet before rubbing them too. It felt like absolute heaven having him man handle your body in this way, so lovingly and tender. All you could do the whole time was mumble about how good it felt. He finally finished rubbing the lotion in and quickly got himself before joining you on the towels. After awhile, you switched and tanned your backside together, listening to some music in the background. By the time you were a few shades darker, it was sunset. And boy oh boy did you have a view

You watched in awe as the sky changed colors, completely mesmerized by the beauty nature was creating. Little did you know, Alex found you even more beautiful and couldn't resist taking a few pictures of you and your reaction to the sky. He clicked once, twice, three times until he gasped. You spun around, wondering what happened. He was staring at his camera with his mouth open. He looked....emotional? Not suprised, not scared...something like pride? "Alex baby, what's wrong? What is it?" You asked, walking towards him

He simply turned his camera around for you to see. You stepped closer only to see a gorgeous woman and a breathtaking sunset all working together with the wind to create some sort of masterpiece. It took you another minute to realize the woman in the picture was you. He captured you at the exact right moment to make you feel the most confident about yourself that you ever had. "Oh my god....that's....that's so fucking pretty Alex...." you whispered, leaning your head against his arm

"That's you Y/N. That's all you. That's how I see you every day..." he murmured, resting his head on top of yours happily. You were so overcome with emotion that you couldn't help but cry, burying your face in his shoulder. He immediately set his camera down and wrapped his arms around you tightly, quietly sshhhing you and trying not to cry himself. You were so precious to him. He knew about your insecurities, he loved you even more because of them. But because of him, you were finally able to see yourself for what you were to him: the most beautiful person in the world. Immense pride filled his heart as he held you

"You're so fucking beautiful Y/N, you really are. I'm so lucky I have you" he whispered to you while you both just held on for dear life and rocked back and forth

"I love you Alex. So damn much" you sniffled, wiping your eyes on your wrist and taking a deep breath. He took one with you and grabbed both of your hands

"I love you too Y/N" he smiled before glancing over at the crashing waves and biting his lip. "Come with me" he said suddenly, grabbing your hand and walking along the hot sand to the water. He guided you slowly into the water, which was pleasantly warm despite the time of year. You got about hips deep before he stopped and pulled you into him, guiding you onto his lap

You both ducked underwater and looked around the crystal clear blue before he grabbed you and pulled you into him again, pushing up off the bottom of the shallow ocean to come back up for air. You broke the surface laughing hysterically because his hair was all in his face and you had to wipe it away for him to see. He laughed heartily at you and looked up at the sky

"Gettin dark, the sun's almost gone" he pointed out. You looked around to see he was right. You had neighbors on both sides, but there was enough shrubbery separating the lots that you couldn't get a clear view. You heard lots of people chattering about how they were going to be headed in since it was getting dark. You weren't really sure what Alex had planned, if anything, for tonight

"Do you want to head inside?" You questioned him, still straddling his lap

"No" he said casually, giving your ass a squeeze. "I want to stay out here and make love to you under the stars". You blushed, glancing around to see if your neighbors may have heard

"What about them?" You whispered, half excited half nervous as you gestured to your neighbors

"Eh, who cares? I doubt they can see but if they can, of well" he shrugged. You swallowed hard, weighing the possibility of getting caught. You did want him. Bad. Screw it, you thought to yourself as you leaned in and started kissing his neck. Alex responded immediately, exhaling roughly as he tilted his head and pulled your center closer to his. You went to town on his neck, kissing your way down his jawline to his shoulder while his hands sneakily wove around you and untied your bikini top with one pull. You bit his shoulder lightly as he did that, grinding forward into him teasingly. Alex hissed and leaned back, letting your top slowly drift off into the water revealing your bare chest to him. He eyed it hungrily and tossed the top to shore so it wouldn't float away. He kissed his way down the valley of your beasts before kneading them with both hands and sucking one nipple into his mouth

"Fuck" you moaned, tangling your hand into his wet hair. Alex smirked with his mouth full, letting his other hand slide down your body to your remaining article of clothing. Too impatient to wait for him, you shimmied out of them immediately, throwing them to the shore as well, which made him chuckle before switching breasts and taking the other nipple in his mouth. Your hands found their way to his shorts and you managed to slide them down without interrupting his glorious attack on your chest. Tossing his shorts by your bikini, you grabbed his free cock in your hands and started rubbing it

"Oh gods" Alex growled, sounding exactly like Ivar in that moment and making you even wetter. He grabbed your face with his hand forcefully but without hurting you, causing you to look him directly in the eyes. "I love you so much woman" he panted before plunging his tongue inside your mouth. Your tongues battled for dominance for a few minutes while you both groped one another until you finally gave in and let him win. He rolled his tongue over yours and moaned deep in the back of your throat. You tightened your legs around his hips and rolled yourself forward, wanting to be inside of him desperately. He took the hint and started walking to the shore, naked as all hell and not giving a damn

"I need--to be inside--of you--right--now" he moaned in between kisses as he walked your naked bodies up to the house. You barely made it inside before Alex propped you up on the counter and lined himself up with your entrance. You were so caught up in the moment that you didnt even realize where you were, not that it mattered to you one bit as long as you could get him inside you. "You ready for me baby?" He questioned as his chest was heaving with excitement. You nodded quickly, grabbing onto his upper arms as his muscles flexed. He slowly pushed himself inside of you in one stroke, filling you to the tilt. You'll never get used to the absolute satisfaction that comes along with being intimate with him. Your bodies really became one, working together to see who will come undone first. It's almost always you. "You feel soooo fucking good Alex" you breathed

"Mmm you too baby girl, you too" he groaned, eyes closed as he held himself back from just cuming right there. "So fucking tight for me". You whimpered in response, arching your back as he pulled almost all the way out of you and slid back in with ease. He picked up his pace, unrelenting as he slammed into you again and again and again. Your hand tightened its grip on his arm as the other pulled on his hair, merely prompting him to go harder. You could already tell you were close, and so could he. He started mumbling out compliment after compliment as he pounded into you. You take me so well baby, fuck you're amazing, look at you oh my fucking god yes. His words faded away and all that filled the room for 30 seconds was both of your breathy moans and the sound of wet skin slapping together. The noise along with the sensations sent you careening over the edge, your whole body clenching around him as you came. The feeling and sight of your orgasm flung Alex into his as he shakily let go inside of you, his thrusts spasming into a slower rhythm before stopping completely. You both stayed there, a panting mess, while the soft ticking of the clock on the wall reminded you that you were on Earth. You lazily unwrapped your legs from around his waist as he pulled out of you

"God damn, that was....that was incredible" Alex said as enthusiastically as he could, looking high as a kite from the amazing sex. "Here, come here baby, let me help you down" he offered you his hand

"I'm not going to be able to walk tomorrow" you sighed groggily as you both laughed

"Hey, that means I did my job right" Alex joked, taking your hand and leading you to the bedroom. The bedroom was gorgeous too, with a view of the ocean as well. Alex dramatically collapsed onto the bed face first. You giggled and walked over to the window to open it, letting in the warm salty air before heading to the bathroom to wipe yourself up. You grabbed one for him too, tossing it over at him on the bed

"Heads up" you called as it flung through the air. Alex lifted his head just in time for the damp towel to hit him right in the face

"Oof!" Alex puffed and rolled onto his back to clean himself up too. "Baaaaaaaabe" he called out lazily. You were just putting your hair in a messy bun as he called you

"Yes love?" You called back

"Come to bed!" He responded. You laughed lightly and walked back to the bed, climbing in next to your man. You assumed your usual cuddle position and curled up as close as you could to him. He kissed your cheek, nose, and forehead lovingly before kissing your lips. "We've got 6 more days of this" he pointed out, smirking in the dark bedroom

"Mmm" you hummed sleepily. "If it was anything like this day, it will be fucking phenomenal" you yawned. Alex hummed in return

"Oh. One more thing before you fall asleep, since it's after midnight" Alex piped up, rubbing your back softly. You grinned against his skin, knowing what he was going to say. You hummed in response

"Happy birthday Y/N" his voice echoed through your head as you drifted off to sleep

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

Tagging people who may be interested!!

@ivarlcthbrok @ivarthebonelessvk @ivaraddict @ivarslittlebadgirl @ivarsshieldmadien @alexhoeghandersenswife @tephi101 @dangerousvikings @odinsravendutchess @therealcalicali @grungyblonde @laketaj24 @thevikingsheaux @forvalhallaandodin @headedforvalhalla @vikingsbifrost @vikingdrabbles @nikky-the-writer

[angelynrostrand]

Chapter 15

Summary:  To the outside world, nothing should connect shy girl Angel Monroe and popular boy Xavier Hazelwood. But that isn't entirely true. They both hold secrets. Behind both of them lie 2 separate wolf packs. Xavier is well on his way to Alpha status and running the pack. Angel is not a wolf but instead the last healer in the world. When the realization comes forward that they are connected by destiny, will they decide to fulfill it? Is their connection predetermined by fate or will they choose their hearts? Lives and packs cross and mingle while romance and conflict brews. The story of 2 opposite souls on a collision path. Will destiny win out? Even the most innocent face, has the darkest secrets.

Word Count: 4,241

https://knittingbordado.com/de/home_decorations?cat=baby&id=1454

"Ah sugar, ah honey honey

You are my candy girl

And you've got me wanting you

Ah honey, ah sugar sugar

You are my candy girl

And you've got me wanting you" I sang of one of Archie's icon songs. It's the best song to play on vinyl.

Since six in the morning, I have been up. I am too nervous to go back to school. Since I can not sleep, I have occupied my time by redecorating my room. My walls are too dull so I take it upon myself to add some color. I continue to sing annoyingly on top of a ladder to reach the high ceiling. With each brushstroke, I distract myself. I take a little break to get ready for school. I put on my oversized pant overalls then go back on the ladder to paint flowers on my walls. Maybe I'll paint some birds and a tree for the birds to live in. Oh yes. I like it.

"Damn it, Angel. What are you doing?" A voice spoke behind me. The stranger's voice brought me back to reality and almost made me fall off the ladder.

"Xavier? What are you doing?" I repeat his words. "In my house and in my room."

"First off get down. I can't afford to lose you." He helped me down from each step. "You shouldn't be up there anyway."

"Xavier I am fine. But again what are you doing here?"

"I am here to pick you for school. You really shouldn’t be up there. You are still healing."

"I am fine. I have been cleared by Dr. Shirley," I say as I finally land back on the ground. "My brother knows about this pick-up? Does he even know you are here? How did you get in the house?"

"Yes, he knows. It was his idea." That statement takes me back for a second. "He called me and said you have gone mad and disturbed everyone in this house since 6 in the morning. Now I see why." He looks up at my wall and looks back at me for an explanation.

"What?" I shrug my shoulder. "I couldn't sleep."

"Ya, I see that." He thumb brush over my cheek to remove some paint. "Well, get cleaned up so we can get to school. I am sure you are excited to go back." He turns me around and gently pushes me to my bathroom.

I clean the rest of the paint off my forehead, cheek and my arms. I am not sure how I caused such a mess. Xavier continues to say, "So this is your room." I let my long hair down and free from my scrunchie.

"Yup," I say across the room.

"It is just like the cottage but with more artwork. Did you do all of these?” He refers to the sketches and watercolor portraits. I walk back in my room and nod yes to his question. "Am I the first boy in your room?" I notice he is holding a grin as he sits on my bed.

"No." His smile drops. "Jesus has been in my room before you. He has been so nice and has been with me while I heal." I teased him.

"What? Really? I don't like him. He is always around you and doesn't understand that you are my mate. He was supposed to protect you and failed to do so."

"Jesus is a good guy.  Trust me. You have nothing to worry about. He's not a threat, so calm down your alpha wolf. He is harmless." I stand in front of him, appreciating his freshly combed hair.

"I'll drop it for now, but are you sure you are up for school today?"

"Yes, please I am dying of boredom from staying in one place. They put me on bed rest for a week so I have healed properly for today. What do I have to do to convince you otherwise?"

He thinks for a moment then he grinned widely. Oh boy, what his he thinking. "How about a morning kiss? I need my morning dosage of Angel Monroe. If you do then I'll be convinced."

"You make me sound like a drug," I laugh.

"You are my favorite type of drug. Just one." He begs, pouting fiercely.

I lean down to reach him but disappoint him by whispering, "Nice try." I smile and help him up on his feet. "Come on, let's go to school." I collect my school bag and we both make our way to the door.

"Don't laugh and don't be a tease, it's not funny." He complains, clearly still upset about not getting his morning dosage.

"Then why am I laughing." I smiled at him. But before I could continue to walk, I remember where I had left my phone. "Dang it." I turn back around to walk to the laundry room.

"What is it?" He takes note of my frustrated expression.

"Nothing, I forgot my phone is in the laundry room. I forgot I was doing some last-minute loads this morning.” I walk back in the hallway with Xavier following my lead. "It will only take a second. Let just..." I open the door to expose Beta Cam and Jesus. I gasp but cover it by putting a hand over my mouth. I just caught them in a heavy make-out session. And why isn't Cam wearing a shirt? Oh my god.

"What is it...?" Xavier opens the door wider to see. "Oh my god..."

I stutter to say, "Sorry didn't mean to interpret. Sorry. Just came to get my phone." I reach over to grab it. "Umm... carry on. We have to go and get educated bye." I grab Xavier's hand and rush out of the room to Xavier's parked car. Of course, why didn't I put it together? After Jesus mention his mate, I should have figured it out. That it was Cameron. We both sat in his car just waiting for the shock to sink in. "Well... I did say you had nothing to worry about."

"Ya, I think I understand now."

"Please don't tell anyone. I knew Cam was gay, but he is not ready to come out."

"I won't." He said and a wave of relief rushes over me. "But in exchange for a kiss."

"Really?' I gave him a serious look. He nods happily and smiles. "Fine." I roll my eyes and lean in to kiss him, only on the cheek. "Let's go. We are going to be late.” He is still not satisfied but that only makes me smile more.

He puts his car in drive and asks, "Are you scared to go back after what happened?"

"No, it's not like Becca is going to be there."

"How are you so brave and never scared?"

"Oh, I am. I am scared of semi-trucks, clowns, and big crowds." I smile.

"I am serious." He tries to bring it back to a serious conversation.

"Me too." I laugh but try to work with him. "No, I am still scared. I wasn't shot but I can still hear it and I can still feel the moment. Like I was disappearing. I bet that sounds weird."

"No, it makes sense. You have that right to feel like that." His right hand lets go of the wheel to hold my hand. He brings it up to his lip to kiss my hand. "And if you feel scared like that then come to find me. Okay?" I smile and nod feeling lucky to have a loyal mate.

"Did the twins see too? They were there too, right?"

"Ya, they were. I haven't said anything to them. But they are pushing my buttons about it. Asking how you are and if they were seeing things."

"That's sweet of them, but I don't want to lie to them or have you lie for me. I don't  know what I am going to do."

"Whatever it is, I am with you." Xavier pulls in to the student parking lot.

"But it's been over a week I am sure they won't remember." Xavier parks and we both hop out to make our way to school. "What is going on?" We found 5 news channels at the front entrance. I really hate crowds. I hold Xavier's hand tighter. "What are they doing here?"

The news caught us and rushes over at us from every angle. My heart is about to beat out of my chest and I am ready to hide in my shell. Event the students run up towards me. A load of question from students and journalist asked:

"How are you feeling today?"

"Did you know you are a hero?"

"Any statement about that night?"

"Were you and Rebecca Cruz friends?"

"Can we get an interview?"

I was bombarded with students, cameras, and lights. I lose Xavier in the mix. I am drowning with questions and random people talking to me. "Xavier," I say, but it only comes out like a whisper. "I am...am okay." I try to make through. I finally find Xavier but he is in the back with the twins. Xavier's long arms are able to reach over to protect me from the crowd. He uses his arms to shelter me. I can't breathe from the thick air. I can see Xavier's lips moving, but I can't hear what he is saying. I can only hear are screams and flicker of the light. I plug my ears and tried to calm myself before I accidentally do something I can't explain. The twins do their best to block them off. We almost make to the door when a reporter aggressively yanks my arm to look at him. He wanted a photo or something to prove he saw me.

I yelp out loud and it caught Xavier's attention. His eyes went dark once again and he lost it. He punches the reporter in his face. "Xavier! Don't!" I yell at the same time as he broke the guy's camera. "Xavier, don't. Please. Just help me get out of here." I think the desperation in my voice makes him stop punching that guy.

He nods and with the help of the twins and the facility staff, including my principle, I am helped inside and we all make our way to a private conference room. My principal, Mr. Hawkins yell out, "Stay here. I'll be back." He rushes out to get our school police officer.

The four of us catch our breath and as we do my first words are, "Xavier. Why did you do that?"

"What? I am not sorry for punching that guy. He assaulted you, Angel. I would do it again if I have to. I wish I could do it to all of them. They were all attacking you." He says. Where did my sweet boy go? The Xavier who is playful and makes me laugh. Who is this man?

"Xavier you shouldn't have done that. It made things worse." I peek through the blinds to see the police finally arrived and the teacher is separating the students from the reporters. Forcing them to go to class. "Xavier..." I was about to scowl him when I look down at his bloody and bruised hand. "Your hand." I lifted in my own hand. I lead him to sit down with me. "I can't believe I am going to do this."

"Do what?" Xavier questioned.

"Jordan, Brandon can you guys lookout and make sure no one is coming?"

"Of course but why?" Brandon asks.

"Well, you guys have been wondering about me since the shooting. This who I am. Xavier trust me and don't move.” I place one hand underneath and one on top of Xavier's injured hand. I closed my eyes and whisper a simple chant. A dim light appears between our hands. I open my eyes to see it is back to normal. The swelling has gone down. I see the shock on all the male's faces but they also look impressed. "There. All better. There shouldn't be a scar or anything but I suggest to clean the dry blood before someone says something."

"Angel, how did you?" Jordan asked but was stopped when the facility staff walks in.

"Angel, are you alright?" Mr. Hawkins asks.

"Yes, I am. Just in shock."

"That's understandable. If you want, you can call your father and he can get you. You will be excused for today." 

"No, I just want to be here. My father is out of town and my brother is working. I need to go back to my normal schedule." I say and I can tell he doesn't want to push.

"But for you, Mr. Hazlewood, was it necessary for you to get violent?" He turns to Xavier.

"Yes. Sorry, they were attacking her and I had to do something. I will pay for a new camera for him. I am sorry." He tries to please our principal.

"Fine but this is your warning any more and you are looking at In-School Suspension."

"I understand sir." He is still high on adrenaline. I can tell by the way he is clenching his fist.

"Angel, are you sure you want to attend school?" He asks me.

"Yes. I just need a moment before I go to class."

"Of course take your time." Before leaving he writes four late passes for when we are ready to go to class. They all leave the room leaving only the twins, Xavier and I.

"I am fine. Sorry, I just need a minute." I tell them but it was really for myself. I close my eyes and relax my head on the table. I can feel Xavier's hand on my back rubbing small circles.

"Angel you don't have to apologize. We understand." Jordan says.

I lift my head off the table to look at the twins. "Aren't you guys going to ask?"

"Not now. You were just attacked and is still healing. I think we can wait. We trust you." Brandon says and continues with, "We are going to class, but if you need anything we will be around." The boys take their passes and exit.

"How freaked out are you?" I ask Xavier.

"I am not. I thought it was pretty cool. Are you still upset with me?"

"Yes, I hate it. I hate what you did to that poor man. He could have died. You didn't hit him as a human would. You used your wolf strength. That man..."

"That man hurt you and assaulted you. Did you think I want to sit there and watch you get tackled? Look at your wrist, look at what he did to you?" I didn't notice there was a handprint on it. "I am sorry if I scared you or whatever, but I am not sorry I did it." I cover the print so I don't have to face the facts.

"I am going to class. I'll see you later."

"Angel wait. Let me walk you." He stops me from leaving the room.

"No, and my brother can pick me up after school. I just want to be alone. You should really clean your hand. I'll see you later." I exit out of the room. I leave my anger and dark mate behind.

I was 10 minutes late to my first class and the moment I open the door all their head move to see a fragile girl. I walk over to my teacher and gave her my pass. "Sorry I am late." I sit down. Sage is right in front of me and gives me her best morning smile to brighten my day. She knows and everybody knows they are all talking gingerly towards me. They don't want to upset me more but their questions still itch me away.

Sage being Sage warn them off like the great friend she is. But she can't always protect me. At the end class, she gives me a hug and says, "Hang in there and come to me if anyone bothers you. I am not afraid to fight them." We laugh but I can tell she was totally serious by the tone of her voice. "I'll see you in art."

"Thanks, I'll see you later." I start to walk my old route when I want to avoid Xavier.

At my second class all "my students" surprise me with flowers and welcome me back. To find yellow flowers at my desk made me smile from ear to ear. Next to the card was a card signed by everyone in the class. 

"Thank you, guys." My kind and soft eyes were on the brink of happy tears rather than fearful tears from this morning with Xavier.

"We just want to make sure you have a great day back," Jaymie says.

"You do much for us and help us so much. You always make sure we are ok, so it's our turn to make sure you are ok." Eddie said another student.

"I agree. Angel, thank you for helping the freshmen in English. They have all been passing and it's all thanks to you." Ms. White says. She is the supervisor for this study hall section and a part of the English department.

"Oh no," Jaymie says as she looked down at the notification on her phone. "Angel, you and your friends are tending." She shows me a video of Xavier punching that reporter on repeat. Underneath the video was an article about me and the reporter. His name is Ramon Silva. He was known for getting physical and he is an independent reporter. He is not owned by any company, he just goes around and people buy his photos. It also mentions Xavier, but rewatching the clip I cringe at the blood and the horror. I don't do so well with violence. I can really see what happened from a bird's eye view. The large crowd wasn't my imagination. It was unwelcome.

"Alright everyone, go back to your seats." Ms. White says and pushes the students to focus on their work and not the news. I hand the phone back to Jaymin. I can feel my own phone buzzing in my pocket. 9 miss calls from Eric.

"Ms. White, can I call my brother back?" I show her the missed calls. "He is worried."

"Yes dear, just go in the hallway." She directs me outside.

"Thank you." I dial Eric's number and after the first ring he picks up.

"Angel, honey are you okay?" Eric asks through the phone.

"Yes, I am fine. I was just not expecting that this morning. Can you pick me up after school at noon?"

"Yes, of course."

"Have you heard from father? Does he know?"

"Angel, I tried to call him but nothing. Sorry."

"I need to get back to class." I try to end the call early.

"Angel wait." I think he can hear the disappointment and sadness.

"No, I got to go. I'll see you later." I end the call before he can say anymore. Dad where are you? No more tears. Stop crying. I tell myself. Stop it. I wipe the small drop off my cheeks and walk back in class with a smile.

Besides this morning, the hallways are the worst part of my day. Their stares dig in my skin. The whispers crawl throughout the hallway. I hold my binder close to my body thinking it can shield me. It can protect me from teen's judgmental faces and the rumors. Some kind people were making sure I am okay. I fake it by smiling and nodding yes.

In art, we only discuss art history. It gives me a chance to take notes and have a sense of normal. To go back to my days when I would bury myself in books, highlight my notes and focus on my school work. But once the light turns back on and the projector is turned off, I am sadly pulled back into my reality. I sit on a bench and wait for Eric to pick me up. Lucky for me all the reporters disappeared thanks to the police. I couldn't help to look up articles about this morning's event. I watch the video again and I hate how my body crumbles into the crowd. I look so helpless. Even the students at my school recorded for their social media. I continue to scroll down to find new photos of me. My eyes widen when I saw a couple of photos of me in class and one in the hallway. I drop my phone and looked around me. The student must have taken them when I was not looking. Eric's car pulls over and I rush in with a slight of panic.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Eric ask. I hold up my phone to show him. With the same reaction as I did, he grabs the phone to search through it.

"Eric what am I going to do?" He turns to me and shuts my phone off. He drives back around to park his car in front of the school's office.

"We are going to talk to your principal. I am sorry." Eric jumps out of the car with determination. His face made of iron and I follow right behind him, worried what his next move will be.

We both wait in the same conference room I was in earlier. I hold my sweaty hands together on my lap. Eric grabs it to calm me down. The door opens, I am expecting Principal Hawkins but Xavier and his parents walk in. Along with the twins and their mother. I met her at the game. She was so happy when I last saw her. She had both of the twin's numbers written on her shirt. Now she looks just as tired as I do. They all sit down around the circular table

"What are you doing here Alpha and Luna Hazelwood?"

"We were called in. Plus I have a few questions of my own about my son's safety." Alpha Hazelwood says as he fixes his tie. The mention of Xavier makes me look over and we both make eye contact.

"So do I," Grace, the twin's mother says.

"Hello, I am Alpha Eric Monroe." My brother shakes hands with Grace.

"Grace McGuire and these are my boys Brandon and Jordan." She replies back.

"I want to thank you both and Xavier for protecting Angel for this morning," Eric says.

"Thank you." "It was nothing." the twins mumble.

"I just want to make sure she is safe," Xavier said and all head turn to him including mine.

Principal Hawkins walks in and said, "Good everyone is here. I understand that you have some questions about this morning. Since all your kids and were involved I thought it would be appropriate to have you guys altogether." Kid? I almost laugh everyone's parents are here but mine. I am grateful for Eric. For never leaving my side.

"Yes, thank you, Mr. Hawkins, but we want to make sure our kids are safe." May, Xavier's mother asks.

"Yes, they are and I am truly sorry they were involved, but your sons are great men for helping Miss Monroe. I have called in some resources and they are not allowed on campus property."

"What about the students?" My brother asked.

"The students?" Hawkins questions, along with everyone in the room.

Eric pulls out my phone to show him. "Your students have been taking secret pictures of my little sister and selling to the news. What do you suggest me do cause I am not allowing her to stay here if..." Everyone was shocked and they pass around my phone around. Xavier temper was once again tested by the photo. Please not again.

"No, I am not running away. I want to finish school here and I don't want to hide away. I just want my privacy. Please" I finally speak out. I caught everyone's attention.

"I am sorry that today wasn't the best but I will send out an email and if you find more there will consequence to those students."

"Thank you. I am sorry for troubling everyone and dragging you guys in this mess" I said. I turn to their parents.

"Honey it is ok we want to make sure you are safe." Luna May Hazelwood says.

"I really do appreciate it." I smile.

The twins had to go back to class since and Grace also left. The rest of the meeting was making sure my safety was a priority. Alpha Lucas Hazlewood did the same with his son. They also mention the fight to his parents. His parents are not happy. They were proud he was protecting his future luna but they couldn't say it in front of a human. But if Xavier slips up one more time he will not be walking at the graduation ceremony. Besides that, the meeting ends earlier than scheduled. 

Everyone exits the room and leave to their cars. I follow my older brother from behind like a proper child before Xavier has a chance to pull me away to talk. Eric keeps me close and opens the door for me. I shrug sorry to Xavier and enter into Eric's car. We drive away and I am ready to go home and leave this day behind me.

[yukahoo]

Jimin’s journey in the Bangtan Universe #2: In this place of eternal mayhem the party never stops

#0: Intro #1: The one who laughed the loudest

The Run MV starts out deceptively. Music is calm, the mood mellow. Namjoon walks on the familiar train tracks but instead of meeting the boys on top of a train car he pulls its door open and is transported into another time and place. The MV keeps cutting to scenes in the “real-life” that have perhaps already happened but in this place of eternal mayhem the party never stops.

Jimin meets him at the door.

JM here couldn’t be further from the JM we got used to in the INU MV and the Prologue short film. That JM was smiley and soft, if not a bit unremarkable in his plain brown bowl cut and buttoned up polo shirt. This JM has flaming orange hair and a whole lot of attitude. The mood of the entire MV and all the members is a lot more rebellious, bordering on self-destructive but with no one is the contrast starker than with JM’s character. He seems angry.

An aspect of JM journey that has only been hinted at thus far is his seemingly special relationship with Hoseok. They start off the narrative with a hint of a parallel (bathrooms) and HS is seen showing affection towards JM in both the INU MV and the Prologue SF.

But in Run that connection is made much more visible and a functional part of the narrative. For the first time we see scenes with just the two of them, without the others present. But as I watched the MV again, now with a bit more concentration on JM on particular I couldn’t shake the feeling that everything was not quite as it seemed. I’m not entirely convinced that those moments shared between the two are not just a figment of HS’s imagination.

The most important moment of theirs in this MV is when HS wakes up to JM smiling down at him. They’re in what appears to be a hospital room. At a quick glance you could think they’re both patients there as they are wearing similar clothes. But as we cut to a wider shot we see there is no second bed in the room. HS grabs his pillow to swing it at JM but we cut away before impact is made. When we return to the scene next, HS falls back into his bed, defeated. He is alone in the room.

It seems to me JM was never actually there. HS is hallucinating and is swinging his pillow at nothing more than air. Even the image of HS and JM falling back into a bed of feathers after a pillow fight free-for-all between the the whole group is put into question when HS repeats the action in the Japanese version of the Run MV, this time alone. By now feathers have become a staple of HS’s imagery in the HYYH storyline, just like water is for JM.

In the Korean Run MV we also see HS and JM screaming on a empty street but the quick pace editing hides the fact we don’t actually see them there together. Once again, my impression is that HS is actually screaming alone.

The MV does not provide any clearcut explanation to what any of this means. Is JM just a plot device to show us HS slowly losing grip on reality or is this supposed to be read as a part of JM’s narrative as well? 

I haven’t gone into detail about the Prologue SF that was released between the INU and Run MVs because in many ways, the Prologue is not there to further JM’s story at all. Its emphasis is elsewhere. But nevertheless there are a few interesting moments to point out. The Prologue as well as both INU and Run MVs give us subtle hints about a separation or erasure of JM from his group of friends.

In the Prologue the boys take a special trip to the sea. We see them gather round to pose for a group photo but JM’s face is completely cut out from the shot. It’s not a mistake by the filmmaker, it’s intentional. 

Also the very last image on that beloved beach is of them surrounding their car and quite honestly JM is as good as not even being there. He has his back turned to the camera, sitting the furthest away. He’s looking at the water, in no way engaging with his friends.

At the end of the INU MV, the group of friends is by the waterfront but just before we fade to black we see JM take a step back and pull away from the group. In the end of the Run MV he is walking at a distance from the rest.

In a change of pace from before, the Run MV actually gives us our first group scene where the focus seems to be on JM. It’s set in the house party realm so its status as “reality” can immediately be put into question but nevertheless, it’s about him. JM walks through a foggy hallway and opens the door into what can be seen as a smaller version of his bathroom from the INU MV. All his friends are there. JM is visibly surprised but ultimately pleased. The party continues and a laughing JM gets shoved into the tub and pushed repeatedly underwater until he is soaked through.

Yet once again, something seems a bit off. All the while JM is the focus there is not a single angle where we can properly see Taehyung. He always seems to be behind the other guys, Yoongi even bending down awkwardly to block the view. As the scene unfolds suddenly it’s not even JM who is being shoved into the tub but TH.

Of course TH in the tub creates a nice little parallel to him trashing around in the water he fell into in the beginning of the MV but still. The way the scene is put together leaves me pondering. At the last moment, all the members are present and seen, if TH not slightly blocked by NJ.

I feel like this narrative thread only hinted at in the examples above was never really taken to any real conclusion. There was enough there for it not to be entirely coincidental but the payoff never came. But even so, it irrevocably put JM on lonely path that most definitely has shaped his storyline in the grand narrative.

If we wait until after the ending credits we see JM still sitting in the tub, alone. Was everything just wishful thinking on JM’s part? As an unambiguous echo from the beginning of the INU MV he burns a polaroid taken on the beach in the Prologue video. 

Much later when the HYYH Notes are released, Jin tells us: “After returning from the sea, we were all alone.” JM in the tub tells us the same story.

Next up >> #3: Youth is not coming back

[strawberrymarshmallowstories]

Oneshot | Coffee Cups and Little Scribbles

Title: Coffee Cups and Little Scribbles

Pairing: Hoseok/Reader

Word Count: a tad bit over 3K <3

Rating: SFW guys, it’s all safe!

Summary:  You never knew a simple message on a coffee cup could change your Christmas.

MASTERLIST

´

~

  2 weeks to go until Christmas. You thought just as you popped a small gingerbread man on top of a latte. Gingerbread lattes had become a weakness of yours, a secret indulgence when the frost pinched your cheeks, and with quiet concern you saw the manager go around the cupboards, trying to find some more biscuits. You were not going to confess how many you'd had.

 Working in a coffee shop was far from where you wished to be during holidays, but you needed to pay your bills. They were more than happy to be flexible around your schedule and who said no to extra money, free coffee and work that required auto-pilot more than complex problem solving skills.

 Bingo.

 Well, sometimes the coffee machine did stop working, and that did require some brain-power.

 'Is that the best you can do?' You heard a voice that had taken you a month to get used to - it was bright and bubbly, but with a twist of sugar-rush on the top. Demanding your attention, you knew she would never go unheard.

 You ignored her, managing on a smile that came easier than you thought, and handed the coffee over to a customer whose smile was enough of a thanks, and you wished her a wonderful day.

 Homely and cosy. This was the theme for the coffee shop, with its variety of armchairs and small round tables that breathed a little history in the place.

 'I already got like, enough tips to cover my shift for 2 hours.’

 Your co-worker Nicole was otherwise lovely, but way too competitive. And sometimes her gossip streak got the best of her. Over time she had must've got the hint that you just did not care and her stories were spared on ears that would respond in a way that she wished.

 You definitely did not need to know about anyone's intimate lives or who did what and where.

 Although, the where was sometimes rather interesting.

 'Is that-' She abruptly said as her body went still, and despite the early morning, your head snapped towards the door.

 And indeed there he was.

 Everyone called him the Americano guy, as no one had yet the nerve to ask for his name. Reddish hair that changed its colour more often than seasons (according to basically everyone), cheekbones and jaw sharp lines that would make many men envious, shoulders just wide enough to make you yearn for a pair of strong arms around you. He was a beautiful man, his steps light and smooth-

 And he had the most beautiful smile you had ever seen.

 'Good morning!' You heard Nicole chirp as she rushed to the till, her hands still adjusting her apron that was on the verge of falling off her hips. As always - that girl did not know how to tie properly.

 He smiled and luckily enough for you his focus was on her. Luckily, because you had a stupid smile tugging at your lips.

 'Hello Nicole,' he said without glancing at her name tag, voice just a tad bit lower than you had expected. 'Can I have an Americano please? I'll have it here.'

 'Of course! It will be my pleasure!' She chirped again and you dragged your eyes away just in time before the beautiful stranger caught yours. 

 He must've thought you were new, and you weren't surprised as during the term you were on evening duty, way after your lectures and workshops into late hours. But stories of this man had still reached you through different sources, and you had always wondered who was the cause of all the buzz. Especially if even your quiet but strict manager joined in with words of admiration.

 By instinct your hands prepared the coffee while your mind lingered somewhere in-between. After locking it into place, you let it drip while you prepared the saucer and a small spoon - and thanked yourself for polishing some teaspoons as no one else seemed to understand the importance. Little things, as they would say.

 Same words, only from a different perspective.

 Your back facing the commotion, his voice still managed to cut through your seemingly occupied thoughts. His tone of silk contrasted against Nicole's high-pitched squeal and the difference was strange but beautiful. With a voice like his, he was a blessing on the listening ears.

 It was like a soft caress over your senses.

 And for once you wished the Christmas playlist to stop. For the first time ever it was a little too loud.

 'Here you go,' you said, your voice a little higher than usual - which was probably as much of a surprise to you than to Nicole whose quick glance at you meant she had noticed.

 She didn't need to look surprised, you were surprised enough.

 You knew exactly what it was that had charmed her and most possibly had made many women throw themselves at his feet. The small dimples in his cheeks were something magical as they did weird things to your stomach whenever they appeared.

 And then his eyes fell on you. Those extraordinary eyes, so clear and soft, pinning you on the spot.

 Your knees almost buckled.

 You couldn't look away, as if in a trance.

 'Thank you,' he said with a flicker in his eyes, smile untouched, 'Have a nice day, you two. Don't get caught in the snowstorm!'

 'We will, so please come and save us!' Nicole chirped from beside you, her body angled in obvious invitation. For the first time ever her words did not steal your attention and you could not blame yourself - you eyes were stuck on his back, wondering exactly how a single person could make the whole cafe buzz from excitement.

 Not that you didn't know it already. It wasn't that he was just handsome and charming - he exuded sincerity, quiet confidence, and literally felt like a ray of sunshine from the moment he stepped in.

 It was his whole presence, it was who he was.

 He laughed and took a seat in the corner at the front, and fell into his own world of what you presumed was work, completely oblivious to the giggles that erupted next to you. And completely oblivious to the glances from nearby tables.

 Soon enough people would start gathering.

 'Oh my god, I found out his name!' She low-key squealed and you had to slap her arm to keep it down, not bothering to hide your own smile. You weren't sure if it was him, or was Nicole's excitement brushing off on you.

 The light from the street outlined his figure, his hair even redder than the dark strands you thought these had been before.

 And then it got busy.

 Unfortunately you didn't see him leaving.

 ~

  12 days to go until Christmas. You thought and a week had never felt longer. Yes, you had agreed to do some extra hours as your uni was on a break, but you kind of missed even the most boring professor whose lecture recordings were like a saviour during sleepless nights.

 By now you knew how to keep yourself awake, and the key was the free coffee that was now an integral part of your daily life.

 With an invisible sigh and a smile on your lips, you served another caramel latte with extra caramel syrup to a young mother that really needed a pick-me-up. All while her toddlers' sole mission was to try to run around the counter. The mother apologised, the toddler only frowned, but clearly understanding what a no meant.

 Even if he didn't like it.

 That done, you took a breather as the morning rush was finally over. You were on a shift with Nicole and Stefan for the day and you were quite happy with it. Stefan, the seemingly nerdy but in reality such a smooth flirt, was a guy with few words but who was incredibly enthusiastic about coffee - which was good for him, and for you as well.

 Good because his knowledge was bound to brush off on you, helping you to create connections with both regulars and new discoverers of coffee. The key was confidence and knowledge.

 'How's the Christmas blend?' You jolted from surprise, heart pounding against your ribcage. You had not heard the door open, which on quiet mornings was like nails across the chalkboard.

 But that was not important.

 'Uhm- it's- it's quite nice-,' You stuttered from surprise, your lips and vocal chords not quite catching up. And you could not stop yourself in time as you fell into what used to be a part of your life.

 Panic settled in, growing stronger by the millisecond and just barely you caught the end of it. You suppressed an urge to run, to escape, to hide. Anxiety had never hit you this hard and had always been a silent reminder of what you had used to feel.

 This was all behind you now. You took a deep breath in.

 If he noticed, he made no note of it. 'I'll try that one, but can I have it takeaway?' His hand moved, and your eyes couldn't help but follow the way he loosened the scarf around his neck. His unhurried movements calmed you.

 'It's quite warm in here, isn't it,' he said. You nodded and took the payment.

 'Sorry, it's early and I haven't had a cup of coffee yet,' you voiced, adding in a small laugh when the silence felt too much. 

 Not even the Christmas carols could fill in the gap.

 'That's alright, I believe you,' Hoseok smiled a little wider as he tapped his card against the machine.

 'It really is nice though,' you said when you trusted your body once again, 'it's similar to our regular brew, but smoother with hints of Christmas spices. It's like a festive take on our traditional coffee which has everyone going for seconds.'

 You saw him nod and took this as a cue to start preparing the coffee. With your back turned to him you released a slow breath you had not noticed you had been holding. Nicole had finished with a customer, and she was eyeing you from the corner of her eye. Obviously trying to find a spot when to pipe in - and you could've actually used some help.

 Not that you would ever admit to it.

 'It would be nice to try it,' he said and just as you were about to respond with something you couldn't recall, you heard a phone go off.

 He stepped away and his words turned into a soft mumble, drowned out by the noise of the cafe. Before you knew it, Nicole was already next to you.

 'You have to write something on the cup!' She said, her eyes full of such joy that for a second you forgot she was your age. You could probably take her excitement and turn it into glitter, but what scared you was a marker in her hands.

 You had to admit her persistence was admirable.

 'I will not,' you flat-out refused, appalled at her suggestion, 'Who does that anyway?'

 Nicole raised one of her eyebrows and continued with a furious whisper, 'I do, and it works! Otherwise I'll do it!'

 You twisted away from her, further away from her reach. No way you were going to risk with Hoseok never placing his foot in this cafe ever again.

  But how come seconds later it was still in your hands? And to your dismay, there was black writing on the cup staring back at you, which had turned out quite nice considering the rush.

  Have a fab day! :)

  Hoseok did not seem to notice it as he thanked you for the coffee and took off. Although you did have to admit, you did put in extra effort to ensure it would be facing away from him. Baby steps were the key.

 The second he left, you sagged against the wall.

 You moaned, hitting your head against the wall behind you. Stefan gave you a pitied look while Nicole stayed, a victorious smile playing on her lips.

 'It's good! You have to pique his interest!' She said, 'I mean, I would totally go for him but I can read my cues..'

 You froze, eyes wide, 'Why did you let me do it then?'

 'Well, I was available to take a customer but he just walked over to you even though you were busy,' she shrugged. But then her voice turned sweeter, almost dreamy, 'This is so lovely though, it must be the start of something new.'

 'Oh no no, don't you High School Musical me,' you warned and just as you were about to snap something else, Nicole grinned as she was saved by an approaching customer.

 'It's your fault if he never steps a foot in here again,' you hissed and Nicole only gave you a knowing grin before letting her voice be carried over the cafe in a warm welcome.

 At that moment, who knew you would keep writing messages on his takeaway cups.

 ~

  7 days to go until Christmas. You thought as you took a sip of your own coffee, savouring the first sip of the day, fresh on your tongue. You had been working for the whole week and were dying for a day off, and had gone way too over the number of people you could talk to in a day without a wavering smile.

 You were mentally preparing yourself for another upcoming day, letting yourself indulge in the quiet early morning as you took in the scent of the Christmas blend that had become your favourite.

 Funny, how before working there you rarely used to drink coffee.

 There went the bell again, a bright chime that now did nothing to elevate your mood, and you got up from your small bench you had dragged from the back kitchen. Managing on a smile that for some may have seemed forced, you sent out your first greeting of the day. To you it was the best you could do on the seventh day of work.

 Making coffees used to be fun, but you guessed it was not your thing after all. It didn't excite you as it excited Stefan.

 Was there anything that excited you as much coffee excited Stefan?

 'Not looking very happy today,' you heard a voice, a voice that had become so familiar, but you still froze on the spot as you drew in a sharp breath.

 A voice that made goosebumps erupt all over your skin and what once had been a forced smile, was now a smile that could have melted icebergs.

 You guessed you had enough energy after all.

 'Good morning,' you chirped out, only a second later realising you must've sounded like Nicole. Once again he did not make note of it.

 'It's freezing outside,' he commented as he opened the helms of his coat. He was wearing a beautiful burgundy sweater underneath and the colour had never looked so good.

 You tried to keep your eyes on his face. 'It is americano for you?'

 'Yes please,' he said and you turned around to prepare while he flipped through his cards, and tapped the card machine. Without a word he took his bag and coat over to his usual spot. You guessed he was drinking it there today.

 'Hi Hoseok, my new favourite friend!', Nicole's voice rang over the floor and you would've told her to quiet down if there had been any other customers.

 There wasn't any, so you said nothing.

 You watched him turn to Nicole with a smile, with a wave and a greeting before turning back to you.

 'No messages for me today?' He said jokingly, and you almost choked on oxygen. You coughed, and felt your ears fuming.

 'It's not you,' you said in response to his grin, and Nicole's laugh cut through your thoughts. 'Stop embarrassing me, or I'll sabotage your coffee.'

 'If you spike it, please make it strong,' Hoseok said with a wink and Nicole giggled once again. You turned away to prepare his coffee, not daring to say anything in fear of making it even worse.

 ~

  4 days to go until Christmas. You thought as you pulled your hair up into a ponytail. You had two days off, and there was only a couple more to go before you would be off for the Christmas days. And you would skip away after your last shift of the year, with a Christmas carol on your lips.

 'Look at you today,' Nicole said, in her own way of saying you looked nice. From her it was an acknowledgement. And truth be told, you had been feeling good when you opted for a red lip and a tad bit mascara. Feeling festive? Maybe.

 You were feeling amazing, looked amazing and felt like the world was open at your feet. It was one of those days where you just felt good.

 And it would be a cherry on the top if Hoseok decided to drop by. Not that you cared that much, of course.

 Liar.

 And even amidst all this, he still managed to surprise you as he was late, appearing just before your lunch break was supposed to start and your stomach grumbled as on time.

 You had to admit he had played a major part of your cheerfulness and glee as the days passed one by one, not even minding the work and the customers that were in danger to be set off even at the slightest threat.

 Whether it was the coffee not being dry enough, or the milk being too hot for a hot chocolate. You had seen it all.

 'Do you even have a day off?' He asked after a brief greeting, faking a shocked expression which you laughed off before mentioning your two days off and how you had done nothing productive.

 And you almost had to slap yourself. What happened to reading an interesting book or taking up a course?

 You know, projecting yourself like an adult.

 'Oh, I guess it's the last time I'll see you then,' he said with a furrowed brow, his head tilting to the right. Just a tiny bit that usually would've gone unnoticed.

 'Wait,' you said, confused. 'Why so?'

 'You're going back to evening shifts, aren't you?'

 And it dawned upon you.

 'You can always drop in and say-'

 But he cut you off, 'Do you want to go on a date?'

  The world stilled around you.

  Silence.

  'Wait, what, me?'

 Nicole, who had been on the floor to collect some cups, stood there, eyes wide. As if not believing what she was witnessing, and not really grasping if what was happening was a dream or reality. You didn't blame her, you were thinking the same.

 'Yeah, I'd love to take you out for dinner, or even for a cup of coffee.. somewhere else, of course,' he said as his hand came up to the back of his neck.

 'Or you can just take it that your messages called out to my heart and I would love to see more of these,' he added with a laugh.

 And suddenly Nicole was there, grabbed his phone from his hands and shoved it into yours.

 'Just do it. I can't stand watching you any longer!'

 Hoseok laughed.

 And so did you, as you typed in your number.

     ~

[telltheworld-phff]

Chapter 36: Bésame*

They were back at the hotel an hour later. They had called their families to wish them a happy new year and turned off their phones for the rest of the night. When they entered their room, Carol was surprised to see it was all candle lit, with red roses everywhere. They had chocolates and champagne and other things to snack. She put her hands on her mouth to see what Harry had done for her. She looked behind her and he had his hands casually on his pockets. He smiled and she went to him.

“Why did you do all of this?” she whispered and looking around this romantic setting once again.

“Becaue I want only the best for my girl.” he answered simply and caressed her face.

“It’s too much, Henry. You didn’t have to do all of this, you didn’t have to spend your money on this trip. I’d be happy even if we were in pajamas watching TV.” she looked at him concerned.

“I know I didn’t have to. And I said already a couple of times that I wanted to do all of this for you. You deserve to be treated like this, Carol. And the fact that you’d be happy with pajamas and TV is one of the many reasons why I fell for you. I know you’re not a bedazzled person.” he answered her.

“I don’t think I’m worth all of this.” she said shyly and his hand got hers before he kissed her palm.

“That’s where we beg to differ. You’re worth way more than just this.” he said and walked to the table and served their glasses of champagne. He gave her one and said: “To you, to us. To a new year full of happiness and great memories.”

They drank the first sip and she was again looking around. The roses were giving the room a great smell and it all was so romantic that she was getting emotional, again. She smiled and looked at him. They both had already taken off the heavier parts of their clothing.

“I...” she said and stopped, then took another sip of her champagne and started again. “I want to do something.”

“Anything. But what is it?” he asked curiously.

“Wait for me here. Ok?” she said and shyly smooched him before opening the wardrobe’s door and getting her luggage out of it and locking herself in the bathroom.

He simply waited for her by the table admiring their room’s view of the fjord.

She fidgeted over the idea for a couple of minutes before going her heart’s way. If he had gone out of his way to make all of this for her, she could thank him properly. She opened her bag and took a white negligee that she saw on one of the stores while he got their car. She didn’t think she’d use it – not on this trip, anyway – but now she couldn’t find any reason to why not. She changed quickly, retouched the light make up she was wearing and combed her hair again. She thought she was silly by doing it, Harry already saw her body, he already knew it. But she couldn’t lie and say she didn’t like the way his eyes burnt with passion whenever she undressed for him. She took several deep breaths before opening the door. She was thankful he had his back turned to her, she was shy and acting like a virgin in front of this man that knew all of the keys from her body. She adjusted the negligee on her body and walked up to him. She embraced him from behind and he immediately looked for her hands to kiss it before turning around and seeing her.

He studied her body and she was so self conscious at this moment which showed when she bit her lips and had her eyes to the floor. He loved the way the white silk and lace covered her body but didn’t leave much to imagination. He loved how it made her breasts look bigger and how the small panties she was wearing made her legs be wider and her butt hotter. He gulped before putting his index finger under her chin and lifting it up. He wanted to see her eyes. He wanted to make sure she wasn’t doing this because she thought he was wanting something in return from the trip. He wasn’t.

He smiled and she could see that he desired her but he also looked a bit confused. She shyly smiled and he soon followed.

“Wow...” he whispered getting his face closer to hers. “It should be a sin for you to be able to wear something like this.”

“Why?” she was hypnotized by his staring. “You don’t like it?”

“I love it.” he soon answered. “But now everything I can think of is taking it all off you.”

“What’s stopping you?” she said before closing the distance between them and kissing him.

-----M-----

Bésame la boca, con tu lagrima de risa, bésame la luna y tapa el sol con el pulgar, bésame el espacio entre mi cuerpo y tu silueta y al mar mas profundo besaré con tu humedad.

[Kiss my mouth, with your tear of laughter, kiss me the moon and cover the sun with your thumb, kiss me the space between my body and your silhouette. And I will kiss the deepest sea with your moisture.]

He angled his face so his lips could lock on hers. It started small, almost innocent. His hands were on her waist and hers ran from his arms to his neck and she held on there. It was soft and gentle and meaningful for them. Harry brought her body closer to his and she sighed into his mouth. She soon snaked her arms on his neck and when the kiss started to grow to a more intense path, her nails gently scratched his scalp. She tentatively used her tongue on his lips until he opened his mouth and they could have a taste of each other. Her kiss was getting more and more confident by the minute and the flavor of champagne only increased her wishes to give herself to this man that was wanting her. She traced her tongue over his while it explored his mouth and he moaned a couple of times when she bit his lower lip. She’d sometimes suck on it and when they parted the kiss to breath, both were with swollen lips and cocky smiles on their faces. One of Harry’s hands went lower and grabbed her ass while his kisses traveled from her delicious lips to her face and then to sweet spot behind her ear where he bit softly and then sucked on it. He used his tongue to make a path to her neck and his breathing so close to this sensitive spot made goosebumps appear on her soft skin. He pressed his body against her and tightened his hold on her. He nuzzled his nose on her neck over and over and over again and she closed her eyes and he felt her shivering. He made her walk until her legs felt the bed. It was full of rose petals and he, holding her by the hips, adjusted her in the middle of it. He was in front of her and cupped he head in his hands before kissing her temple and cheeks and her mouth. He wanted the sweet taste of her kiss again.

Bésame el susurro que me hiciste en el oido, besa el recorrido de mis manos a tu altar con agua bendita de tu fuente bésame toda la frente, que me bautiza y me bendice, esa manera de besar.

[Kiss me the whisper that you made to me in the ear, kiss the path of my hands to your altar

With holy water from your source kiss my whole forehead, who baptizes me and blesses me, that way of kissing.]

She used her hands to unbutton his shirt while his mouth devoured hers. She couldn’t hold in her soft moans while he kissed her and specially when his hands started to wander on her body. Harry knew when to touch, how to touch, where and how much he could press and he simply knew what she enjoyed more. He was taking care of her, and she loved that he always put her wishes and pleasure first his own. When his mouth was away from hers, he kissed her chest and the round flesh around her barely exposed breasts. She looked at him while caressing his head and smiled. He was for sure a boob man. He had a bit of a hard time untying the knot on the front of the negligee but he naughtily smiled when he got it out. He undressed her so quickly and discarded the small piece of clothing on the floor. Her boobs were the right size and he could cup them with his hands. Her nipples were already up, like if they knew they’d get the needing attention they wanted. It was like her body missed his. His strong hands cupped her breasts before his face lowered enough to give soft bites on the flesh around them, he was playing and taking his time. When she felt his hot breath on her already excited nipple the goosebumps reappeared on her skin, she closed her eyes and arched her back and he didn’t lose any more time before suckling on one of them. She gave slowly and gentle suckles and small bites while his hand and fingers paid attention to the other one. Carol’s hands were on his arms and she even put one of her hands over his, so when he squeezed her breasts she made him do it harder.

Besa mis campos y mis flores, con tus gotitas de colores, besa la lluvia que resbalala ventana, besa mi vida y mis cenizas, me diras que voy deprisa, bésame y deja con un grito, que lo logre. Besa el torrente de ilusiones, bésame todas las pasiones, besa mi rio hasta su desembocadura, besa mi vida y mis cenizas, me diras que voy deprisa, besa mis dias y mis noches, mis diluvios y mi cielo a pleno sol.

[Kiss my fields and my flowers, with your droplets of colors, kiss the rain that slips the window, Kiss my life and my ashes, you'll tell me I'm hurrying, kiss me and leave with a shout to make it. Kiss the torrent of illusions, kiss me all the passions, kiss my river to it’s mouth, Kiss my life and my ashes, you'll tell me I'm hurrying, kiss my days and my nights, My floods and my sky in full sun.]

He kissed her chest, her belly, her arms and hands before letting her lay down on the bed. He took off the shirt she already unbuttoned and she smiled at him.

“You’re so perfect.” he whispered getting in the middle of her legs and her hands soon found his and their fingers intertwined when his mouth started kissing her inner thighs. He bit and he kissed, he rubbed his nose on her pearl over the small panties she was wearing and she gasped. He let go of her hands only to take of her last piece of clothing and he spread her legs a bit more. Her breath was labored because she knew how good his mouth made her feel, her hands were running on her body and she cupped her breasts when she felt his breath approaching her. She let out a small hiss when his hot tongue circled her clit. It was so damn slow but it was making everything within her awake. He circled her clit one, two, three times before getting it gently into his mouth and sucking on it. He smiled when she let out a small cry and her body shivered. He hooked his arms under her knees to make sure her legs would stay open and watched as she cupped her breasts and pinched her nipples while his tongue traveled around her sex. He watched, with her clit in his mouth, when she opened her eyes and stared at him. He dirty smiled and again circled her pearl so she could watch. He saw when the lust filled her eyes and her once sweet and shy smiles gave way to her sexy and aroused ones. He loved that he could notice the difference between them and used his teeth to gently ran across her clit before traveling down with his mouth and giving suckles on her inner labia before running his tongue up and down her entrance. He would never get tired of her sweet taste. He would never get tired of how wet she’d get with his touch. He licked and bit and suckled until she almost came before stopping. He had a naughty look and she was annoyed. He had brought her to the edge and now he stopped.

Bésame los ojos, aun dormido en la mañana, bésame la piel con el caudal de tu estreches, con agua bendita de tu fuente, bésame toda la frente que me bautiza y me bendice esa manera de besar. [Kiss my eyes, even asleep in the morning, kiss me the skin with the flow of your narrow, With holy water from your fountain, kiss me the whole front who baptizes me and blesses me that way of kissing.]

He quickly was out of his pants and boxers and he sat cross legged on the bed. He helped her to sit and she still had a frustrated expression on her face and he laughed at that. She sat on his lap and she wrapped her legs around him and her arms around his neck. She started to rub herself on his hard and hot member while staring at him in the eye. He liked the feeling of her wanting him as much as he wanted her. His hands were on her ass and his face was so close to her breasts that he sucked on one of them leaving a love mark around it.

He only let go of her ass with a hand and he used it to rub his head on her clit. She bit her lip and he soon did the same. He bit her lip and suckled on it, his head was almost entering her when she stopped him.

“Harry… the condom!” she remembered.

“We’re safe with the pill.” he answered. “It’ll be in your system for longer than my swimmers.” he kissed her neck and waited until she insisted. He didn’t like to wear condoms and he wanted to really know what it was like to be inside her without it in the way.

“You sure?” she said and sighed when he kept rubbing his head on her.

“I am. I want to cum inside you. I want to feel your hot pussy around my dick.” he whispered in her ear. He looked at her and she nodded. He gently lifted her a little bit and helped her guide his length inside her. Both of them had a moan stuck in their throats when they felt each other. Carol was tighter and hotter and wetter than he thought she’d be. And Harry was throbbing, she could actually feel it, and it was the most amazing feeling she had ever felt.

“Holy fuck, Carolina.” he cursed when he was all inside her and she was again sitting on his lap and with her hands around his neck. Her forehead was on his and they were still for a while, panting and with eyes closed for a while. She was the one that moved her hips around first. She was getting used to him inside her. She moved her hands and could feel him follow her movements.

She sucked on his earlobe when she was slightly lifting her body so he could slide in and out and he was doing it easily because of her wetness. She moaned in his ear and she loved to see that it did the trick all the time. He tightened his hold on her and helped her to increase the pace. They opened their eyes at the same time and both had dirty smiles on their faces. Carol looked down and watched and he sliding in and out of her. She watched they getting united and listened to the small noises their bodies made. She got even more aroused by that and Harry led one of his hands to her clit, he used her own moisture to wet his finger before rubbing it slowly.

She moved her hips up and down, back and forth and she twirled around his member. She loved the feeling of being filled. She was for the first time in forever feeling whole. She was feeling loved and desired and respected. She was out of her comfort zone, but she was in a place where she recognized as home. He was her home, he was her best friend and he was the best sex partner she ever had. She let out a loud moan when his mouth circled around her nipple and he suckled on it. Her senses were up and he was overstimulating her.

“So fucking great” Harry said, his voice low and husky and filled with lust.

“You like this?” she asked and he simply nodded. “What about this?” she clenched her walls the way he loved and his cock was now sliding inside her with more difficulty. She even held his head in a place before releasing it so he could thrust inside her again.

“If you keep doing this I’m not going to last longer.” he said and flexed his hip to find hers again. She was quickening their pace and he let her lead the moment. She kept clenching her walls now and then and she loved to see him cursing and moaning and groaning her name while sweat formed on his forehead. She kissed and suckled on his neck while she did that and her nipples rubbed on his chest.

“You going to cum inside me, hm?” she whispered sexily while sucking his earlobe again and while her hands wandered on his body. He didn’t answer and she noticed he was almost there, she could feel him throbbing inside of her and she was so, so close.

She then started to roll her hips and lifted herself a little bit more. He was helping by flexing his own hips to meet hers mid thrust. Their bodies took total control of the moment and Carol leaned back, supporting her weight with her hands behind her on the bed, she was going up and down on his length feeling all of it inside her and he soon started rubbing her clit again. She was moaning and with her eyes closed. She felt when the first wave hit her. She screamed his name and clutched the bed’s cover. Her body filled with goosebumps and she shivered. He groaned and grumbled when he started to cum. The first shot was sent her even more to the edge. She felt him, hot and sticky on her. Again. She loved the feeling of being his in this way and she writhed while her body climaxed together with him.

-----M-----

It took them a while before coming down from their high. They were still joined when she hugged him. She hid her face on his neck and he caressed her back. He waited a little bit before gently lifting her so he could slide of. She smiled at him and cleaned the line of sweat on his forehead.

“You’re going to kill me someday, Carol.” he said and she laughed.

“Why?”

“You are so fucking delicious and you keep clenching the walls on me...” he said pecking her lips playfully while she laughed.

“Well… you like it. Works every time.” she shrugged and laid on the bed. Her legs were still too weak to be able to get up and get cleaned up. She adjusted the pillows and he admired her body.

“I’m glad to see you gained a few kilos back.” he said running his hands on her thighs, still sitting.

“I gained a few back, I did. But I guess I gotta stop now.” she scrunched her nose at him.

“As long as your boobs stay the same, I don’t really care.” they both laughed.

“You’re such a boob man, Harry.” she called for him with her index finger and he laid beside her.

“I am. And you have the perfect ones. And they love me too.” he said looking at her.

“I think they do.” she caressed her boobs and he ran his tongue on his lips looking at it. “And you left me with another mark.”

“Well… It’s not my fault.” he said before putting his hand over hers while she caressed her boobs.

“Harry… we just had sex and you want another go?” she was surprised when noticed his change in behavior.

“Well… not right now, but we’re entering 2018 the right way.” he blinked at her and she laughed.

They stayed in bed for a while before he getting up and going to the bathroom. He cleaned up and got a small piece of cloth with warm water and came back to the room. She was still laying in bed when he sat beside her and asked her if he could help her. She was shocked and ashamed and was saying it was a couple more minutes before she’d be able to walk and go get cleaned and he was the perfect gentleman.

“You don’t have to be ashamed. It’s a normal thing. Let me help you so you can rest.” he said and she nodded after a while. He opened her legs and gently cleaned her with he cloth. He discarded it on the trash bin and made her a plate with snacks and more champagne. They ate and it took her a while to not be shy around him anymore.

What surprised her the most was the fact Harry was always touching her. Either he was caressing or kissing or hugging or simply resting his hand on her, he was always finding a way to be close to her. She always thought he’d like to have personal space and never imagined he’d be just the way she liked: someone who wasn’t afraid of demonstrating their feelings.

A/N: I promised I’d be back and here I am. I love me some loving Harry. Don’t you guys do too??

Let me know.

Bésame means kiss me. 

And this chapter’s song is this one.

[thepeanutbutterwizard]

Precipice Chapter 5: The Saddest Song

Here we go!  The angst train is leaving the station!

Chapter 4       Chapter 6

Warnings for blood, violence, and some...freaky-deaky eerie magical implications.

This one guys, this one got painful.  Enjoy!

Ford was paralyzed.  No, no, nonono.  This can’t be happening.  This can’t be real.  His breath hitched in his lungs, and it felt like ice was forming in his chest, squeezing his heart.  He was caught like a deer in the headlights under the yellow glare coming from his brothers eyes.

”IN THE FLESH FORDSY!” Bill cackled through Stan. “WELL, NOT MY FLESH YET, BUT THIS IS BETTER THAN NOTHING.  ESPECIALLY SINCE YOU DECIDED TO BLOCK ALL MY CALLS.”  Bill awkwardly moved Stan’s broken arm and knocked the plaster cast against his head, hard. “TALK ABOUT RUDE.”

Blood stated to seep through the bandages around Stan’s head where Bill had banged the cast against it.  The sight of the crimson stain growing on the white bandages snapped Ford out of his stupor. “BILL!”  Ford yelled, his voice thick with fear and rage “Get out of my brother!”

”AWW LOOK AT YOU FORDSY, PRETENDING TO BE A CARING BROTHER AFTER FORTY YEARS OF HATING OL’ STANLEY’S GUTS!  IT’S ADORABLE WATCHING YOU MEAT SACKS AND YOUR DELUSIONS OF LOVE AND ALL THAT JUNK!”  Bills grin impossibly got wider, stretching Stanley’s face to the point that it made Ford’s cheeks hurt just looking at him.  “BUT HEY, IF YOU INSIST ON PRETENDING TO LOVE YOUR DUMB BROTHER, I’LL PLAY ALONG!”  Bill twisted, swinging Stanley’s broken arm over to the one that was tied to the bed.  Before Ford could even process what Bill was doing, he grabbed Stan’s thumb and gave it a hard wrench.  A sickening ‘pop’ echoed through the hospital room, and Bill slid Stan’s hand through the restraint with a loud, pleased laugh.  “OHH MAN!  I FORGOT HOW AMAZING IT FEELS TO DISLOCATE FINGERS!  I MEAN, A DISLOCATED ARM IS FUN AND ALL, BUT THERE’S JUST SOMETHING SO INTENSE ABOUT DISLOCATING SOMETHING SO SMALL!”  Bill reached down and undid the restraints around Stan’s ankles, before throwing the thin hospital sheet and Mabel’s beautiful gift to the floor.  He swung around, hanging Stan’s legs off the side of the bed, and threw his arms out as best he could, tugging the IV lines taught.  “COME GIVE YOUR BROTHER A HUG SIXER!  WE BOTH KNOW YOU WANT TO!”

Ford took a step back, mind racing.  “This is a trick!  Enough of your games Cipher!  Leave me in peace!”  This was all a dream.  That was the only situation that made sense.  Ford must have fallen asleep in that chair, and left himself open, vulnerable to Cipher and his power over the Mindscape. That had to be what was happening.  Ford knew that Stan would never fall for Bill’s tricks and flattery.

“OH HO HO, YOU WISH THIS WAS A TRICK SIXER!”  Bill cackled  “YOU WISH THAT THIS WAS JUST ONE OF YOUR NIGHTMARES!  BUT, NOPE, THIS IS 100 PERCENT, CERTIFIABLY REAL!”  Bill waved Stan’s arms around, doing his best to aggravate Stan’s broken arm by banging it against his chest repeatedly.  “Y’SEE, EVEN THOUGH HE ISN’T QUITE PRESENT, STANNY BOY’S MINDSCAPE IS VERY MUCH ACTIVE!  WELL,  IT’S AS ACTIVE AS AN IDIOT LIKE YOUR BROTHER’S CAN BE!”

“Don’t you dare!”  Ford roared, pointing a finger at Bill and taking a step forward.  Hot rage and icy fear were both swirling in Fords chest, making it difficult to decide what to do.  Part of him wanted to flee, and part of him wanted to fight.  But Ford was certain of one thing: whatever he did, he wasn’t going to leave Stanley.  “Don’t you dare insult my brother!”

Bill waved Stanley’s right hand dismissively, making the dislocated thumb stick out at an awkward angle.  A small trickle of blood started to flow out from under Stanley’s bandages. “OH PUH-LEASE SMART GUY!  DON’T PRETEND THAT I’M NOT SAYING ANYTHING THAT YOU HAVEN’T THOUGHT!  I’VE SEEN EVERY INCH OF YOUR MIND STANFORD!  WE BOTH AGREE THAT STANLEY IS JUST A GOOD-FOR-NOTHING LYING BUM!”

“Shut up Bill!  Shut up and leave him alone, he’s hurt!”  Ford took another step towards Bill, hands held out in a placating gesture.  Over Stan’s shoulder, Ford caught sight of a small metal tray next to the bed, with a single needle filled with a clear drug, resting on it.  One of the doctors must have left it, in case Stanley had woken up violently again.  A vague plan, more like a snippet of one, started to form in Ford’s mind.  Perhaps I could use that to expel Bill from Stanley’s body.  I just need to get around him with out Bill figuring out what I’m trying to do, or else who knows what he could try to do to Stanley. Let’s see if I can get him rambling.  Bill loves to talk about himself.  “Leave, before one of the doctors comes to see why his breathing tube disconnected.”  Ford knew it was a clumsy change in topic, but he had to try.

“PFFT, AS IF SIXER!”  Bill didn’t seem to notice or care about Fords desperate conversation switch.  “I’VE BEEN TRYING TO GET AHOLD OF THIS BODY SINCE STANLEY BROKE HIS SKULL OPEN!  EVEN WHEN HE’S HALUCINATING ABOUT YOU TWO BEING ON THAT STUPID BOAT, STANLEY’S PRETTY CRAFTY!  A CONMAN AFTER MY OWN NONEXISTANT HEART, HE IS!”  Bill’s voice was filled with mock pride as he spoke.  It made Ford sick to hear him talking about Stanley, his Stanley, his brother, his twin, like he was some sort of prized protégée.  “I’M INSULTED THAT YOU THINK I WOULD WASTE ALL OF THAT EFFORT TO GET HERE WITHOUT MAKING SURE THE MEAT SACKS THAT FIX BROKEN MEAT SACKS WERE OUT OF THE WAY!  NO ONE IS GOING TO BOTHER COMING AROUND HERE FOR AT LEAST AN HOUR AND A HALF.”   Bill’s grin shifted into something more taunting.  A spike of fear stabbed Ford in the heart.  Oh no, what now?  “IN FACT I’M SO INSULTED, I THINK I MIGHT DO...THIS!!”  In one swift movement, Bill dislocated another one of Stan’s fingers, letting out another insane peal of laughter.

“STOP!”  Ford’s voice cracked as he screamed at Bill.  “Bill, please, please I’m begging you!”  He reached out to Stanley, taking another step forward.  Ford’s outstretched hand’s were mere inches away from Stanley’s wrists.  Maybe if I go now, I could get to the sedative, and end this now!

“REALLY?  THE HIGH AND MIGHTY DR. STANFORD FILBRICK PINES PhD TIMES TWELVE, BROUGHT SO LOW THAT HE’S BEGGING SOMEONE FOR SOMETHING?  I NEVER THOUGHT I’D SEE THE DAY!”  Bill taunted  “AND I NEVER THOUGHT YOUR DUMB BROTHER WOULD BE THE THING YOU’RE BEGGING FOR!”  Bill laughed, smacking Stanley’s thigh with his broken arm as he did so.  The cast clunked as it hit the brace on Stanley’s leg, and Bill laughed harder at the pain  "THAT IS RICH I TELL YA FORDSY!  BUT HEY, SINCE YOU’RE BEGGING AND ALL, YOU MIGHT AS WELL DO IT PROPERLY!”  Bill placed one of Stanley’s injured fingers on Fords forehead and gave a weak push.  Ford had no choice but to step back, further away from the demon wearing his brother’s skin and the syringe that could end the living hell Ford had to rescue Stan from.  “WHY DON’T YOU TAKE A COUPLE OF STEPS BACK FORDSY?  GIVE US SOME SPACE, AND KNEEL FOR US SIXER!”  Bill cackled.

Ford hesitated.  He couldn’t kneel to Cipher!  He needed to stay on his feet, needed to get to that sedative, before Bill tried to throw Stanley’s body down the stairs across the hall, or something even worse.  And even though he wouldn’t admit it to himself, a small part of Ford felt repulsed at the idea of showing any sort of subservience to the triangular demon, for any reason.  Ford was long past the days he thought Bill was worth any sort of praise.

Bills smile twisted sinisterly.  “WELL, THAT���S A SHAME THAT IS.  YOU CAN’T EVEN BEG FOR YOUR OWN BROTHER’S LIFE PROPERLY!  BUT HEY, WE BOTH KNOW YOU DON’T REALLY LOVE THIS GUY SIXER! YOU JUST WANNA PLAY THE HERO LIKE ALWAYS, DON’T YOU?  BE THE BETTER BROTHER AGAIN, RIGHT?”  Bill scoffed.  “BUT REALLY, THIS GUY ISN’T WORTH YOUR PITY.  YOU CAN DROP THE ACT FORDSY, IT’S JUST US TWO OLD FRIENDS HERE!”  Bill rolled his eyes in disdain and absently waved Stanley’s hand around, gesturing vaguely towards the ceiling with Stanley’s dislocated fingers. “WELL, STAN IS FLOATING AROUND HERE TOO, BUT HE’S A LITTLE, ‘OUT OF ORDER’ AT THE MOMENT, IF YOU CATCH MY DRIFT.” Bill laughed, lower and more sinisterly than normal.  The demons words alarmed Ford.  What could he mean by that?  Bill reached over and grabbed another one of Stanley’s fingers.

Ford’s heart leapt straight into his throat, almost choking him as he desperately cried out to the demon “WAIT!”  Ford held his hands up and dropped to his knees, looking up at Bill.  “Wait.  Please, I’m kneeling Bill. I am kneeling and I am begging you to leave Stanley alone.”  Ford watched in trepidation as Bill eyed him with an unreadable look on Stanley’s face.  A familiar feeling of unease settled in Ford’s stomach.  He could remember the days when Stanley and him had been able to read each others faces like open books.  Ever since Ford had been brought home, that bond had been achingly absent despite Ford’s attempts to ignore that feeling of loss, but it was the times when he would look at Stanley and not be able to read anything off of him that Ford felt the absence of that connection the most.  This time was a thousand times worse than all the other times though.  “Please, just give me my brother back, Bill.”

Bill laughed. “THIS IS PATHETIC SIXER!  YOU SOUND JUST LIKE STANLEY HERE DID WHEN WE MADE OUR DEAL LAST NIGHT.” 

Ford blinked in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Bill groaned  “STAN’S MINDSCAPE HAS BEEN STUCK ON ONE PARTICULAR MEMORY SINCE HIS HILARIOUS LITTLE ACCIDENT.  SOME DUMB THING WITH THE TWO OF YOU ON THAT BEAT UP OLD BOAT.  HE KEPT IGNORING ME WHEN HE THOUGHT THE TWO OF YOU WERE STILL BUDDY-BUDDY, AND HIS MINDSCAPE IS SO MUDDLED THAT IT TOOK ME AWHILE TO DREDGE UP A DIFFERENT MEMORY TO STICK HIM IN.  BUT BOY, WAS IT WORTH IT!  IT TOOK BARELY A MINUTE BEFORE STANLEY WAS BEGGING ME ‘I WANT MY BROTHER BACK, PLEASE, JUST GIVE ME MY BROTHER BACK.” Bill mocked. “AND, AS A BONUS, THAT MADE HIM START FREAKING OUT OUT HERE.  NOW THAT WAS A GREAT SHOW!”

Ford gaped up at Bill.  “What memory did you-did you put Stanley in?”  Ford knew Stan had gone to jail before, and a vague memory having to do with the trunk of a car poked the corners of his brain.  He had no idea what could have been so bad, so terrible, to make Stanley react the way he did.

Bill smirked at Ford, leered at him down on the ground.  The blood running down Stanley’s face had increased, and had started to drip off of his chin.  The crimson droplets fell all the way down to the floor, landing on the blanket Mabel had knit.  The grey wool of the sailboat absorbed the blood, turning a murky, ugly color.  “I JUST TOOK HIM BACK TO THE WORST NIGHT OF HIS LIFE FORDSY.”  Bill said in a manner-of-fact tone.  “THE NIGHT HE GOT KICKED OUT AND STARTED LIVING IN HIS CAR.”  Bill held Fords gaze for a moment, yellow against brown, before he wrenched Stanley’s finger backward.  There was a sickening ‘snap’ along with the horrible ‘pop’, and Bill laughed hysterically as Ford cried out in desperation “STOP IT!”

“OH MAN OH MAN OH MAN, I THINK I BROKE THAT FINGER AND DISLOCATED IT AT THE SAME TIME!  I’VE NEVER DONE THAT BEFORE SIXER, NOT EVEN WITH YOU!”  Bill wiped a mirthful tear off of Stanley’s face, smearing the blood from Stanley’s head wound.  He grabbed another one of Stanley’s fingers, smiling with cruel glee.

“PLEASE BILL, PLEASE!”  Ford screamed at the demon, tears filling his eyes again. His hands smacked the ground, fingers spread wide.  “LEAVE HIM ALONE!!”  Ford couldn’t look up at the demon anymore, couldn’t bare to see those yellow eyes in his brothers face.  He bowed his head, screwed his eyes shut, and tried to look as submissive as possible.  Ford clenched his teeth, holding back a sob.  He felt so useless!  The only reason Stanley was in this mess in the first place was because of Ford and his research and his stubborn pride.  Ford had to play along with Bill’s sick game until he could get the sedative, and hopefully that would work.  If he had to kneel and beg, he would kneel and he would beg.  For Stanley.

“HMM, YOU KNOW, THAT’S A REALLY CONVINCING ARGUMENT STANFORD.”  Bills voice dripped with sarcasm.  “I THINK I’M ACTUALLY GONNA LISTEN TO YOU AND LEAVE THIS WORTHLESS WASTE OF SPACE YOU CALL A BROTHER.”  Ford’s hands clenched into fists on the ground as Bill insulted Stanley again, but he forced himself not to react.  There was a tense pause.  “HAHA, JUST KIDDING!  WE BOTH KNOW I’M NOT GOING ANYWHERE UNTILL I GET WHAT I WANT FORDSY!”  Bill said in a sing-song tone, swinging Stanley’s good leg back and forth to beat out a solemn rhythm on the side of the hospital bed.

“The Rift.”  Ford breathed out, eyes snapping open to stare at the hospital floor.  Of course that was what this was all about.  Bill was holding Stanley hostage in order to get the Rift.  Ford’s stomach dropped in despair.

“DING DING DING, YOU GOT IT IN ONE TRY!”  Bill mockingly cheered, clapping Stanley’s injured hands together.  Ford felt nauseous when he saw the angles Stanley’s finger were bent at.  “NOW, HERE’S WHAT WE’LL DO.  I’LL PLAY COMATOSE FOR A BIT WHILE YOU RUN HOME AND GET THE RIFT!  WE TRADE OFF, ONE TEAR IN THE VERY FABRIC OF SPACE FOR ONE USELESS BROKEN OLD MEAT-SACK, AND THEN WE’LL CALL IT A DAY!  HOW’S THAT SOUND FORDSY, DO WE HAVE A DEAL?”  Bill offered Ford a handshake with Stanley’s mangled hand, a smug, self-confident grin on his stolen face.

“No.”  The word barely made it out of Ford’s mouth, but it still stung and burned his throat as he forced himself to say it.  “You can’t have the Rift.”  Ford knew he was condemning his brother to further torture, and every molecule he was comprised of protested.  But if Bill got the Rift, Stanley, as well as everyone else in Fords home dimension, would be as good as dead.  Ford knew he could force Bill out of his brother’s body, he knew that this was the right decision, the only decision that could be made.  But that didn’t stop him from hating himself for it.

“HMM.”  Bill hummed contemplatively, and Ford felt his heart stop and his blood run cold.  He had been expecting Bill to rage, and more than likely make Stanley suffer more.  Ford had been hoping that Bill would get so angry he could make a dash for the sedative.  Now, he froze to the ground, terrified of what Bill had planned for Stanley.  “WELL THEN,” Bill pulled Stanley’s hand back and leaned closer to Ford.  Ford sat up higher, leaning back on his heels, his face less than a foot away from where Bill’s eyes shone out of Stanley’s face.  “WHAT IF I SWEETEN THE DEAL?”

“What?”  Ford’s voice cracked as he spoke.  The knowing smile Bill had twisted onto his brothers face was unnerving, and his yellow eyes were far too close.

“Y’SEE FORDSY, THE PHSICAL WORLD THAT YOU’RE PART OF TIES DIRECTLY INTO THE MINDSCAPE.  IT HAS A LOT MORE INFLUENCE ON MY DOMAIN THAN I’VE LET ON BEFORE.”  Bill voice took on a tone that Ford remembered him using back when they were working on the Portal together.  It was candid, with a touch of condescension that had always slightly irked Ford back then, but he had ignored it in favor of learning from what he had considered a muse at the time.  Now, it sent unpleasant chills down Fords spine.  “STANLEY TOOK A HUGE HIT TO THE HEAD, AND ALL THE TRAUMA TO HIS BRAIN HAS REALLY DONE A NUMBER ON HIS MINDSCAPE.  THAT, PLUS ALL THE DRUGS THAT ARE PUMPING INTO HIS FLESHY MEAT-SACK BODY,”  Bill waved Stan’s arm, straining the IV lines further and causing blood to bubble up on Stanley’s arm where they were inserted.  “LEAVES STANNY HERE A PRIME CANDIDATE FOR SOME MUCH NEEDED...REWIRING, YOU COULD CALL IT.”  Bill gave Ford a sly grin.

Confusion swirled through Ford for a moment, before the full implications of what Bill was saying crashed down on Ford with the force of an asteroid careening through Earth’ s atmosphere and landing on him.  A small, choked gasp wheezed out of Ford.  Pure panic clouded his thoughts, turning them into a jumble of not possible, can’t be true, need to save Stanley, what has he done, and leaving him frozen in place.  “You didn’t...” Ford coughed out, horrified at what he might hear.

“DON’T WORRY, I HAVEN’T DONE ANYTHING YET!”  Bill said  “I WOULD NEED TO MAKE A DEAL WITH SOMEONE TO HAVE ENOUGH POWER TO RESHAPE A HUMAN’S MIND AND PERSONALITY.”   He smacked Stanley in the head with the cast again.  “EVEN WHEN IT’S AS SCREWED UP AS THIS ONE IS.  SO!”  Bill clapped Stanley’s hands together in excitement.  “YOU HAND ME THE RIFT, I GIVE YOU A NEW-AND-IMPROVED TWIN!” 

“...new-and-improved...”  Ford murmured numbly.  This was worse than he could have imagined.  Bill was in Stanley’s head, and worse than that, Bill could...he could...alter Stanley’s mind and personality.  Bill could rewrite the core of his brothers being, his very soul.

All he needed was someone to make a deal with him.

And Bill thought Ford would want-would be the one to-his own brother-

“SOUNDS PRETTY GREAT, DOESN’T IT?”  Bill said eagerly, leaning closer to Ford with a conspiratorial look on his face.  “WHAT DO YOU WANT DONE?  YOU TWO ARE ALWAYS FIGHTING, SO I BET YOU’D LIKE HIM TO BE MORE SUBMISSIVE.  I CAN FIX HIS SENSE OF HUMOR TOO, MAKE IT MORE YOUR STYLE.  I CAN MAKE HIM LIKE THAT NERDY GAME YOU THINK IS SO GREAT.  AND I KNOW YOU HATE THE MYSTERY SHACK, SO WE CAN HAVE STANNY HERE SHUT THAT DOWN EASY-PEASY.  OH!  I CAN EVEN MAKE HIM SMARTER, BELIEVE IT OR NOT!”  Bill leaned back, throwing Stanley’s arms wide and finally managing to rip the IV lines out of Stanley’s arm.  Blood spurted, landing all over the knit blanket on the floor.  Bill didn’t notice.  “THE SKY IS THE LIMIT FORDSY!  YOU CAN MAKE THE TWIN BROTHER YOU ALWAYS WANTED!  WHADDAYA SAY?  DO WE HAVE A DEAL?”  Bill held Stanley’s hand out to Ford again.

Stanley’s mangled hand hung in front of Ford’s face.  He looked at it, and his eyes trace up Stanley’s arm, past the fingers that were sticking out at odd angles, the blood that was dribbling down his arm and dripping onto the blanket, and Ford focused on Stanley’s face.  Not the lurid yellow eye’s with slit-like pupils, not the too wide, unnerving grin, but the ghost of a six-knuckled bruise on his jaw.  The bruise Stanley had gotten because he was stubborn, and unwilling to listen to reason, and loyal to a fault, and for some reason he though that Ford was worth more than an entire dimension.  The horror Ford had felt at Bill’s talk of remaking Stanley ignited into rage.  Ford pushed himself off of his knees.

“No.”  This time he said it firmly, his voice stronger than it had been during the whole cursed conversation with Bill.

Bill looked affronted “NO?  YOU’RE TURNING DOWN AN OFFER LIKE THIS?  YOU GIVE ME ONE MEASLY TEAR IN THE FABRIC OF REALITY, AND I GIVE YOU THE PERFECT TWIN BROTHER, A ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY, AND YOU’RE TELLING ME NO!?”  Bill growled out the last word.

“I would never agree to doing something like that to anybody, no matter the circumstances!”  Ford growled back, fists clenched at his sides.  “I’ll never hand the Rift over to you, and I’ll never take your deal for the ‘perfect twin’” He spat the words out like they were venom.  “All I want is to have my brother back!”

Bill was silent for a moment, then he let out a derisive snort and forced Stanley’s body to stand.  He swayed for a moment, distressing Ford, before he found his balance, standing with most of his weight on Stanley’s left leg.  Ford saw his chance to grab the sedative. “WRONG CHOICE SIXER.”  Bill snarled.

Ford dove around Stanley’s right side, aiming to vault the bed, but Bill lifted Stanley’s broken arm, and Ford’s face collided with the hard plaster cast.  Ford reeled back, stunned, and Bill staggered, but managed to keep Stanley’s body upright.  Ford recovered first, diving onto the bed and reaching for the sedative.

“WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING?”  Stanley’s cast clipped the side of Ford’s head, spinning him around.  His fingertips clipped the edge of the tray holding the sedative, tipping it over onto the bed.  A bony knee pressed down onto Ford’s stomach, and Ford instinctively curled his hand into a fist, pulled it back, and-

-he dropped the fist as quickly as he had made it.  Don’t hurt Stanley!  Ford put his hands again Stanley’s chest and started to push-

-until he felt the broken ribs.  He couldn’t do anything to defend himself without hurting Stanley!

“WHAT’S THE MATTER FORDSY? AFRAID OF HURTING YOUR IDIOT BROTHER?”  Bill laughed over Ford, and reached for his throat with Stanley’s right hand.   “HEY! THIS’LL MAKE A GREAT STORY FOR THE NEWS! ‘STAN PINES WAKES FROM COMA JUST TO MURDER HIS BROTHER AND JUMP OFF THE ROOF’!”  The dislocated and broken fingers meant Bill had to press the heel of Stanley’s hand against his wind pipe, forcing Ford’s head down and back, the top of it pressing into the mattress.

Ford struggled to breath, and already darkness started to encroach upon his vision.  Upside-down, Ford was able to see the syringe. Clumsily, with his sight dimming and everything starting to go fuzzy, Ford wrapped one hand around Stanley’s forearm, and with the other he snagged the syringe, miraculously without stabbing himself with the needle.  With a strangled gasp, Ford plunged the needle into Stanley’s forearm.

For a moment, nothing happened.  Everything around Ford faded to a murky blur, with the bright yellow of Bill’s eyes staying vibrant.  The word’s I’m sorry, Stanley echoed through Ford’s head.

Then, Stanley’s arm buckled.  Ford gasped, sucking in a desperate breath of air.  Above him, Bill was resting Stanley’s forearm on Ford’s chest, the syringe sticking out of it.  Ford could feel blood soak into his sweater.  “WHAAT WAS THA SHTUFF?”  Bill slurred, blinking and shaking Stanley’s head back and forth.  His yellow eyes got hazy and half-lidded, and Bill struggled to keep Stanley’s body upright.  “YOU THINK THISH IS OVER SSHIXER? WON’ BELON’ FOR I’M BACK STANFERD.  GONNA MAKE ‘NOTHER DEEL SHOON, ‘NTHEN I’LL GET TH’ RIFT.  YER GONNA SLIP UP, N’ WHEN YA DO...”  Bill struggled to say more, but Stanley’s body finally gave out, succumbing to the drug, collapsing on top of Ford.  “UUUGHHHnnn...”  Bill gave a final groan, his voice fading out and Stanley’s deeper, more gravely voice filled Ford’s ears.  The yellow faded from Stanley’s eyes as they slid shut.

Ford lay on the bed for a moment, stunned and trying to catch his breath.  Stanley rested on top of him, unmoving.  With a sudden jolt, Ford remembered all of Stanley’s injuries, and his IV’s needed to be reinserted, and his breathing tube was- Stanley’s breathing tube was out!

As quickly as he could without being too rough on his brother’s battered body, Ford wormed out from underneath him.  Ford checked Stanley’s breathing quickly, and was relieved to find a trickle of air passing through his brother’s lips, though it was weak and irregular.  Ford felt bile rise in his throat as he redid the restraints around Stanley’s wrist and ankles, but he couldn’t let the hospital staff know what had really happened.  At best Ford could see them removing him from Stanley’s room, and at worst they would retain him on suspicions of mental instability.  Neither was a viable option.

Ford carefully relocated and set Stanley’s injured fingers, which were swelling and turning lurid shades of blue and purple and green.  Stanley’s arm was still bleeding, so Ford peeled his new sweater off and wadded it around Stanley’s arm.  Before leaving he retrieved the button-down from the bathroom and threw it on, only doing up a few buttons as he sped out of the hospital room.  Stanley was the only patient in the ICU, and there wasn’t a doctor or nurse in sight.

Ford skidded out of the ICU, swinging his trench coat on.  He made it down two more hallways before almost literally running into a pair of doctors.

After some shouting and overly excited arm waving, Ford was able to rush the doctors into Stanley’s room.  Luckily for Ford, his frantic behavior discouraged the doctors from asking too many questions.  While one doctor tended to Stanley, the other insisted on looking at Ford’s bruising face.  Not for the first time, Ford’s nose had been broken, although this was the first time Ford had been injured by Stanley’s hand.

At a request from Ford, the blanket and sweater Mabel had knit were taken and washed quickly.  He couldn’t bare to think of Mabel seeing that the gifts she had made for Stanley and him were missing.  One of the doctors, with the help of a nurse he had brought in, jury-rigged a restraint for Stanley’s broken arm.

After Ford was left alone with Stanley again, he collapsed into his chair.  Ford couldn’t take his eyes off of his brothers face, which was slack and relaxed now, a contrast to the manic grin Bill had forced onto his face.

Ford sighed, hanging his head.  Bill had possessed Stanley.  It was something Ford hadn’t considered a possibility before, and now because of his short-sightedness, Bill had manipulated his brother, tormented him both physically and mentally. 

And then, there was the...rewiring Bill had talked about.  Simply thinking about what Bill was suggesting made Ford feel terrified.  More than that, it made Ford feel completely helpless.  Ford could protect Stanley physically- though he had already failed at that-but there was nothing Ford could do to protect Stanley in his own mind!

All Bill needed was a deal.

It didn't matter who he made it with.

And Ford would lose his brother again, but this time, there would be no possible way to get him back.

“Oh Stanley, what are we going to do?”  Ford sighed.  Unsurprisingly, Stanley didn’t answer.

Ford stood and paced, trying to think of a plan, a course of action, anything!  But the only thoughts that filled his head were of Bill, poking around in Stanley’s mind, scrambling it, reshaping it, remaking his brother into someone he wasn’t, and the knowledge that Bill could be doing so at that very moment.  If there was any food in Ford’s stomach, it would have come up again.  He couldn’t think, there were too many thoughts swirling through his head.  Ford longed for one of his Journals, just so he could have some way to organize his thoughts!  At the thought of his Journals, a small plan started to form.  He would have to work fast, and he needed to look through his Journals first, but maybe, just maybe, he might have a chance to fix things.  But first he needed to get his Journals, and he couldn’t wait till morning.

The door clicked open, and Ford whirled to face it.  A young nurse walked in, holding Stanley’s blanket and Ford’s sweater, freshly cleaned.  She started at Ford’s behavior, but she quickly relaxed and gave Ford a kind smile.  

“Here you go sir.”  She held the knit items out to Ford, and he snatched them out of her hands with a murmur of thanks.  Ford gently draped the blanket over Stanley, feeling a twinge of painful nostalgia when he saw the sailboat again.  He quickly turned back to the young nurse, catching her attention before she left.

“Excuse me, miss?  I need to use a phone.  And a phone book.”

The nurse lead Ford to the desk just outside of Stanley’s room.  Ford felt immediate unease leaving Stanley alone, but it was necessary.  

It took Ford far too long to find the number for the Ramirez household, and even longer for him to get the exhausted Soos on the other end of the line to give him the number of Wendy’s cellular phone.  Then it took him two tries before Wendy responded.

“Whotheflipisthisit’soneinthemorningIhopeyouhavelifeinsurancecauseI’mgonnashankyouwhenI’mconsciousyouflamingpieceof-” 

“Wendy, it’s Dr. Pines.”  Ford cut off her slurred, half-awake tirade.

“It’s one in the morning.”  Wendy said flatly.

“Yes, I am aware of that-”

“Why’re you calling me at one in the morning old man?”  Wendy growled into the phone, before giving a small gasp.  “Did something else happen to Stan?”

Ford hesitated briefly before answering “No, Stan is fine.  I need you to do me a favor.  It’s urgent.”

On the other end of the line, Ford heard Wendy shifting around.  “Okay.  What do you need me to do at this ungodly hour Stan Two?”

Ford blinked, mildly surprised at her quick cooperation.  He was about to request that she collect his Journals and bring them to him at the hospital, but he saw two looming flaws in that plan.  One, the time it would take for the Journals to get to him, and two, he would have to leave Stanley alone if he were to put his plan into action.  

“Hey, Stan Two, are you still there?”  Wendy’s voice brought Ford out of his reverie.

“Yes.  Wendy, I need you to listen to me, very carefully.  This could help Stanley’s recovery, but speed is of the essence.”  Ford carefully listed off everything he needed Wendy to do.  Occasionally, Wendy would have him repeat something, and Ford could hear the sound of something scratching against paper on the end of the phone. 

“Is that everything Doc?”  Wendy asked.

“Yes.  That should be all.”  Ford said, running through everything in his head.

“Okay.  I’ll get started on all of this...weird junk you need me to do.  See you in a bit.”

“Wendy?”  Ford stopped her from hanging up on him just yet.  “Thank you.  For helping me and my family with all of this.”

“Yeah.  No prob, dude.”  Wendy’s voice had a touch of concern to it.  “Just hang in there.”  She ended the call.

Ford returned to Stanley’s room, finally changing back into the sweater from Mabel.  It was still warm from the wash.  Then, he waited.

An hour passed.

Then two.

As the third hour passed, Ford was ready to tear the hospital room apart.

A knock came from the window, making Ford jump.  He stalked over to it, cautiously peeking through the curtains.  Wendy was perched outside of the hospital window.  The fourth floor hospital window.  Ford pulled the window open and Wendy slid inside.  Instead of her typical Corduroy family flannel, she had on a dark tank top with a wolf on it and shorts, and she had a backpack slung over her shoulders.

“What were you doing out there?”  Ford scolded her.  “You could have fallen to your death!”

Wendy swung the backpack off and started rummaging through it.  “Relax old man.  I’ve been climbing trees higher than that since I was eight.”

“I don’t doubt your skill Wendy.”  Ford said.  “I would just prefer that no one else ends up in the hospital anytime soon.”

“Oh.”  Wendy gave Ford an unreadable look.  “Sorry, Dr. Pines.  Visiting hours are closed right now.  That was the only way I could get in.”  She started to hand things to Ford; a small cloth sack with contents that clinked softly, several old mercury thermometers stolen from the Gravity Falls museum, photocopies of Journal 3 that Ford had found in his basement lab, a bottle of glue, a few tools Ford had picked up from other dimensions and, to Ford’s complete surprise, a small sandwich bag full of rainbow toned unicorn hair.

“How in the multiverse did you manage to get this?”  Ford stared at the unicorn hair in wonder.

“Fairy Dust.”  Wendy said shortly.  “I’ll give you the whole story tomorrow.  Or, y’know, when today feels like daytime.”

Ford winced apologetically.  “I’m sorry that I had to wake you at this hour.”

Wendy shrugged her backpack on. “Eh, it’s cool dude.  You’re just trying to help your brother.  I know the feeling.”  She gave him a small smile before slipping back out the window.  Ford watched her make it safely to the ground before setting to work.

It took him around twenty minutes to bury the moonstones and mercury in the linoleum floor with the tools he had gotten from Dimension Z#’m, and another fifteen to glue the unicorn hair around the whole room, going up and around the door frame.  It was far too much time.

Ford didn’t finish the barrier completely.  Right next to Stanley’s bed, down near the floor, there was a tiny gap.  Ford didn’t know if Bill was in Stanley’s mind or not, and he had to make sure that Stanley’s mind was free of the demon before he sealed the room.  Ford moved his chair close to the head of Stanley’s bed and rifled through the copies of his Journal.  With a satisfied hum, Ford found the page he was looking for.  The incantation that would allow him to enter his brothers mind.

Ford reached out to place his hand on Stanley’s forehead, but he hesitated.  What would he see in his brothers mind?  If Bill was to be believed, Stanley’s mind was currently in a state of disarray.  There was a chance that Ford could cause more damage in there than good.  And, if he was being honest, Ford dreaded finding out just what his brother thought of him.  Stanley must hate him by now.  But if Ford did nothing, than Bill could-he could-

‘...MAKE ANOTHER DEAL SOON...YOU’LL SLIP UP AND WHEN YOU DO...NEW-AND-IMPROVED TWIN...MUCH NEEDED REWIRING...’  Bills sinister words came back to Ford.  It didn’t matter if Stanley hated Ford, and Ford wouldn’t blame his brother at all if he never wanted to see him again after this.  Stanley needed Ford’s help, not for him to turn away again!

Ford took a deep breath and placed his hand on Stanley’s forehead, carefully minding the fresh bandages and stitches, and read the incantation.

“Videntus omnium. Magister mentium.

Magnesium ad hominem. Magnum opus.

Habeas corpus! Inceptus Nolanus overratus!

Magister mentium! Magister mentium! MAGISTER MENTIUM!”

Everything faded to white.

[magzoso-tech]

New Post has been published on https://magzoso.com/tech/dji-osmo-mobile-3-review/

DJI Osmo Mobile 3 Review

DJI is popularly known as a maker of drones and handheld stabilisers for cameras. Even though it has recently branched out into the action camera space with the Osmo Action, its core strengths remain in manufacturing high-quality gimbals for smartphones and cameras. Its most recent introduction has been the Osmo Mobile 3, which is its third-generation handheld stabiliser for smartphones. This 3-axis gimbal makes for a great tool for content creators, especially if your phone doesn’t have the best electronic or optical stabilisation.

The Osmo Mobile 3 gets some neat upgrades over its predecessor. It’s now foldable for better portability; has better ergonomics; and boasts of new shortcuts and gestures. We’ve been using the DJI Osmo Mobile 3 for about a week now, and here’s what we think of it.

DJI Osmo Mobile 3 design and features

The Osmo Mobile 3 is available in India as a standalone device for Rs. 8,999 or as a ‘Combo’ priced at Rs. 10,999, which includes a hard carrying case and an Osmo Grip tripod. The latter doesn’t add any height to the gimbal but it does have collapsable feet, so it can be used as an extended grip when closed or as a regular tripod. The Osmo Mobile 3 weighs just 405g, making it quite light. The handgrip and most parts of the gimbal itself are made of plastic, but the quality is very good. There’s ample rubber cladding on the handgrip for extra support for sweaty palms.

The arm of the gimbal can now be folded, making it easier to carry. You can even keep a phone mounted on it when it’s folded, which is convenient. The 3-axis stabilisation lets you perform tilt, roll, and pan actions when shooting. The front of the handgrip is where you’ll find the main buttons. These include a multi-direction joystick and buttons for recording and switching between shooting modes (‘M’). There’s a zoom slider on the left and a USB Type-C port on the right for charging.

The DJI Osmo Mobile 3 has ergonomically placed buttons on the handgrip

The Osmo Mobile 3 also has a full-sized USB Type-A port on the handgrip, in case you need to charge your phone while shooting. Last, we have an ergonomically placed trigger button at the back of the handgrip, which can be used to reset the phone’s position, and depending on the number of taps, it can also be used to activate ‘Sports Mode,’ lock the tilt axis, and switch between your phone’s rear and front cameras.

The Osmo Mobile 3 has a standard tripod mount at the bottom so you can mount it on any tripod for timelapse shots, or use the bundled one if you buy the ‘Combo’ pack. In the box, you’ll find a basic quick start guide, a USB Type-C cable, a wrist strap, and a soft storage pouch. We received the combo pack for review, which also includes the case and tripod. The hardshell case is of good quality and is stiff enough to provide good protection. We just wish it was big enough to accommodate the tripod in it too.

The DJI Osmo Mobile 3 Combo bundle includes a carrying case and the Osmo Grip

DJI Osmo Mobile 3 performance

Before powering this device on, you’ll have to unfold it which is easily done thanks to the spring-loaded arm. The arms of the gimbal also lock in place when its folded, thanks to carefully placed grooves and latches, so it doesn’t accidentally unfold. Before you can pop your phone into the clamp begin using it, the gimbal needs to be ‘activated’. This involves downloading and signing in to the DJI Mimo app, which is available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Once you go through the setup process, which also checks and downloads any available firmware update for the gimbal, you’re ready to use the Osmo Mobile 3.

The gimbal will automatically try and centre the phone you have installed but you can also manually adjust its position by holding the tilt motor. You can calibrate the phone’s position and angle through an option within the Mimo app too. The Osmo Mobile 3 is compatible with most of today’s popular phones but not all features are available for all phones. For instance, slow-motion video and 60fps video in the Mimo app is currently only available on iPhones. Shooting at 4K is still not available on some Android phones such as the Realme X2 Pro (Review), but it is available on others like the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 (Review). However, even if your phone is not on the list, you’ll still be able to use all the basic features of the app. Hopefully, we should see better support in future versions of it.

We tested the Osmo Mobile 3 with a variety of phones such as the Redmi Note 8 (Review), Realme X2 Pro Master Edition, Samsung Galaxy Note 9, and Apple iPhone 11 Pro. The holder for the phone is also cleverly designed, so it doesn’t come in contact with any of its buttons, thereby allowing you to centre it properly. We noticed that all the phones we tried got quite warm after extended use of the Mimo app, and it did tend to drain their batteries quickly. When you’re not shooting, it’s best to turn the screen off or put the gimbal in standby mode to conserve power on both devices.

The Osmo Mobile 3 lets you capture professional-looking stabilised videos without much effort. This is especially useful on phones that don’t have electronic stabilisation or don’t do a good job of it. The Redmi Note 8, for instance, shoots decent quality 4K videos in the day but without stabilisation. The Osmo Mobile 3 fixes this, making an otherwise unusable video clip look like it’s been shot on a much more expensive phone.

We even tried capturing a video while zoomed in, which exaggerates shakiness from even tiny movements. Even while walking, the gimbal made a world of a difference. If you have a high-end phone with optical stabilisation, shooting in low light is still challenging. Having a stabiliser for such situations makes a noticeable difference to the final output. 

The DJI Mimo app offers good features for shooting and controlling the Osmo Mobile 3

Besides standard photos and videos, the Mimo app also offers other shooting modes and features too. It lets you capture professional-looking motion timelapse videos, where you can set the path the gimbal will follow for the duration of the timelapse. Hyperlapse videos are also possible, and the end results looked very good to us, even with a budget phone such as the Redmi Note 8.

‘Story Mode’ lets you create short stories easily. All you have to do it pick a template and follow the guide to capture short clips, which are then automatically stitched together with transitions, on-screen text, and music. You also have the option to share these clips immediately on social platforms.

For panoramas, you can select a 180-degree shot or a wider one, which captures a lot more angles. However, with the latter, the end result didn’t always look good and we noticed some inconsistencies in the stitching at times. Also, the Osmo Mobile 3’s gimbal still has a limit to how far it can rotate, so you can’t take 360 degree photos or panoramas on this one.

A 3×3 panorama stitched together by the DJI Mimo app, using the Redmi Note 8

The Osmo Mobile 3 also features ActiveTrack 3.0, which is available through the Mimo app. You can select the object you want to follow through the viewfinder, and the gimbal will automatically track it to ensure it’s always in the centre of the frame. It worked very well with people, but not so much with fast-moving objects. There’s a Sport Mode which can be engaged when you double-press and hold the trigger button. This enables active tracking on the object in the centre of the frame and increases the speed of the motors, so the gimbal can pan and tilt more rapidly. ActiveTrack 3.0 can also be enabled by showing a palm or ‘V’ sign gesture to the camera, but this needs to be enabled in the app’s settings.

Other gestures include a double-tap on the Mode button flip the phone horizontally or vertically; and a triple-tap on the trigger button to switch between the front and rear cameras. You can also opt to enable ‘Quick Menu,’ which lets you use the joystick to navigate through all the shooting modes, so you never have to reach for your phone’s screen.

DJI claims a battery life of up to 15 hours. With actual usage, we found the battery life to be closer to 10 hours, which is still not bad. We think this should be more than enough runtime for whatever you’ll be filming at a stretch. The Osmo Mobile 3 can be used while it’s charging so you could technically use it for a lot longer. Charging it fully took us about two and a half hours when it was connected to a 10W adapter.

The DJI Osmo Mobile 3 works with pretty much any phone, but some features in the Mimo app are only available on some models

Verdict

The DJI Osmo 3 is an incredibly fun gadget and a must-have accessory for any serious content creator. Even for casual users, it’s a very handy accessory to have when you’re on a holiday or if you simply love making home videos. The best part is that it’s easy to use, and it can make videos shot even with a budget smartphone look more professional. We love how compact it gets when folded up; the subject tracking feature works well on people; and the Mimo app offers useful shooting modes. We hope that DJI updates the app to support more resolutions and framerates on a wider selection of Android phones.

The starting price of Rs. 8,999 is very good considering the performance and features that this device offers. We‘d recommend putting in a bit more money and getting the ‘Combo’ bundle, as the hardcase is a must-have if you travel a lot and the tripod is very handy for timelapse shots.

Price: Rs. 8,999 (Base model) ; Rs. 10,999 (Combo model)

Pros 

Comfortable and portable

Very good stabilisation

Easy to use

Useful companion app

Decent battery life

Cons 

Object tracking could be better

[irphanfic]

Piano Interlude

prompt: I don’t know you, but you grabbed me to help with your audition videos and wow, you’re really good and attractive…Oh crap, stop the camera now? (i changed the prompt a bit, because I got carried away, I’m sorry)

summary: Dan needs help filming his audition for one of the most prestigious music schools in Britain. Will he find someone to help him?

word count: 3.1k

no trigger warnings

I actually have no knowledge about anything related to music schools in Britain, so I did a little research but I’m sorry if it is not accurate enough.

Dan Howell had just started uni. He had always loved playing the piano, it was his passion. Since he was little, he attended to piano lessons his school offered and since not everybody was so keen on learning how to play an instrument, you could say he had personal piano lessons with his music teacher.

Dan had always wanted to make a career out of music, but he knew it was hard to enter the best British music schools. It was expensive as hell to study there, and since Dan came from a pretty normal family, they couldn’t afford it. So, he finally opted for his second best option, to study Law.

You know, Dan really hated law. He hated all of it. Now, Dan found himself studying a career he hated and also trying to keep up doing what he had always loved, but uni was making it impossible. With all the studying he had to do every day, he found himself drowning in a sea of papers and wasn’t even able to escape his desk to even play a few notes. It was horrible.

__________________

It was Friday night, and after being in his desk for almost 8 hours, he decided he was done with studying and was going to torture himself by looking at some British music school programs. He took his laptop, threw himself in the bed and started scrolling endlessly till… WAIT A MINUTE WHAT

‘’Guildhall School of Music & Drama offers you the opportunity to win a scholarship. For that, you will need to send your audition video, where you will need to introduce yourself and also we will need to see you playing the instrument(s) you think you are good on. The video must be, by far, 5 minutes long, no more. You will find more information below…’’

HE NEEDED TO SING UP TO THAT AUDITION. HE NEEDED TO WIN THE SCHOLARSHIP. He ran downstairs shouting, in search of his parents that where sitting in the sofa. ‘’MUM DAD’’ he shouted again one he reached the doorway of the lounge.

‘’What’s wrong, Dan? Why are you shouting like that?’’ said his dad.

Dan proceeded to explain all he had read, what they school said and as he was explaining he could see his parents face change.

‘’Why are you pulling those faces? Don’t you trust me to make it?’’ Dan felt like crying. His parents hadn’t always been the most supportive, but he thought that had changed.

‘’No, Dan… it is just that it is a big school and it’s just one scholarship. Don’t you think it will be worthless to try to get in? Like, you will have to waste time to film the audition that you could use to study and you don’t know anything about filming, how are you even gonna do it?’’ his mom explained.

Dan, not believing what his mum was saying, hardly stared at them and in a loud and firm voice he said ‘’You know? I will make the best audition video you will ever see and I will get the scholarship and I will show you that I can do it even though you don’t feel the same’’. With that last sentence, he turned around and went back to his bedroom while he silently cried at the same time he read all the information he needed to the audition.

‘’The video needs to be perfectly filmed, no blurry camera shots and weird angles that could disturb our judges’’

Okay, so, apparently the video needed to be filmed perfectly, like have real film making skills to be honest. That’s the only thing he couldn’t do by himself. He didn’t even had a camera… Then, he needed to find help. Dan decided to put some kind of announcement in his uni, it wouldn’t be too difficult to find someone who had the understanding of a camera, right? So, with the decision made, he opened a word document and began writing.

‘’PERSON WITH EXPERIENCE IN FILM MAKING OR EVEN KNOWING HOW TO USE A VIDEO CAMERA PLEASE CONTACT ME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE IN THIS PHONE NUMBER OR EMAIL’’

He made about 50 copies on the document, grabbed a roll of tape and stuffed it in his backpack. ‘Well, wish me good luck piano gods’ was Dan’s last thought before going to sleep.

___________________

Dan finished up putting all his announcements two hours ago. He decided to walk home, since he didn’t feel like going to class today. After the fight with his parents he decided he would invest all of his time in this audition and not bothering about law anymore.

He was mindlessly walking when he suddenly felt his phone vibrate. Was it even possible to someone to have contacted him that fast? He rapidly took his phone out of his pocket and YES! IT WAS A TEXT MESSAGE FROM AN UNKNOWN NUMBER!

‘’Hello, my name is Phil Lester and I read that you needed help with filming something? Maybe I could help, contact me back in this phone number and we will arrange something. Bye!’’ it said. He couldn’t believe it, this Phil guy contacted him and seemed super nice.

He opened a new conversation and began typing ‘’Hello Phil, my name is Dan Howell and yes, I need your help. If you are available on Friday evening it would be perfect, thank you!’’

The response came immediately ‘’Yeah, sure. Just name place and hour, I will be there. I will bring my camera equipment so you can notice me since I don’t even know how you look like haha :D’’

Dan laughed at that. He seemed like a nice guy he could work with, so he sent him another message telling him that they could meet at his house perfectly, there was no need to meet anywhere else, so he sent him his address and waited for his response.

‘’Perfect, I’m looking forward to it ;)’’ was Phil’s last answer.  

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Friday evening came and Dan was anxiously waiting for Phil. We was nervous, he didn’t know what to expect from him. What if by text he was the sweetest but in real life was horrible? As more random thoughts ran in his mind, he heard the doorbell ring. Dan, took a deep sigh and opened the door, ready to expect anything.

‘Wow, you could go swimming in those eyes’ was Dan’s first thought.

‘’Hey, I’m Phil as you already expected, nice to meet you’’ with a smile, he extended a hand expecting Dan to take it.

This one, still entranced by the other’s blue eyes, excused himself and proceeded to greet Phil properly ‘’Oh yeah, sorry, I’m Dan, as you already know, c’mon in’’. He opened the door wider so Phil could enter his house with all the equipment he had brought.

The both of them, silently took the stairs to Dan’s bedroom and awkwardly left all of Phil’s equipment by the door before seating in Dan’s bed. ‘’Well, Dan, tell me, what do you need me for?’’

‘’The story is quite long, but to make it short, I want to audition to win a scholarship at Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and they expect the participants to film themselves playing the instrument, but they clearly don’t want any bad quality videos, so, there we are’’ Dan explained as good as he could.

‘’Oh, what instrument do you play?’’

‘’Piano…’’ Dan said, not knowing why but feeling the need to explain the whole story to Phil ‘’I have been playing the piano for as long as I can remember and my dream was to study in one of the best British music school, and since my family can’t afford one, I promised myself I would get this scholarship so I can finally achieve what I have always dreamed for’’ he finished, a bit embarrassed by rambling so much.

Phil, surprised by Dan’s story, looked at him with a small smile and softly said ‘’well, we better get filming then, yes?’’ he stood up and offered Dan a hand, who hesitantly took it, not really knowing Phil’s intentions.

Phil led them to the piano he spotted in one of the rooms of the house while they were climbing up the stairs to Dan’s bedroom. ‘’Mind if you play for a bit, just so I can imagine in my head how can we film this’’

‘’Yeah…’’ Dan, unsure about it, slowly sat in the bench in front of the keys and before playing he turned to Phil ‘’I have never played in front of anyone other than my piano teacher in school, so yeah, I…’’

‘’Not even your parents?’’ said Phil suddenly, realizing what he had said he rapidly apologized ‘’Sorry, that is not my business, sorry’’.

‘’No, not even my parents, don’t worry about it’’ Dan dismissed it with a hand, which then slowly caressed the keys. He took the silence as a go and started playing, hitting the keys like he had learned.

Once he had finished, Dan looked at Phil who in the softest voice whispered ‘’that was beautiful Dan’’.

Dan, now red faced from embarrassment, ducked his head and murmured ‘’Thank you’’.

_____________________

Since Friday was a very busy day for both of his parents, the both of them had arranged that every Friday evening, they would meet up at Dan’s so they could film bits for the video while they were alone. Right know Phil decided he needed to capture Dan’s hand movement from above, so he needed to stand right behind Dan so he could lift his camera above enough to film it.

‘’Okay, I’m ready…’’ Phil waited a beat before loudly saying ‘’Action!’’

With that signal, Dan began gently hitting the keys, like he had done multiple times before, but something about having Phil’s body warmth so close to it, made the atmosphere in the room much intimate.

If that was not enough, the song he was playing was making him sentimental. He decided that he would send an original song he had actually composed. He created the melody few years back, not knowing for sure if it was good enough. But as he learned new things, he improved the song and decided to go for it.

Once he had finished, a few tears were rolling down his cheeks. He was so entranced he leaned back into Phil’s body and rested his head in Phil’s stomach, only looking to be comforted right now.

Phil, quickly noticed Dan was crying, so he left his camera abandoned at the top of the piano, lowered himself to Dan’s level and softly grabbed Dan’s cheek, trying to clean the tears with his thumb. ‘’Hey, Dan… what’s wrong?’’ he asked.

Dan, who was now only whimpering murmured ‘’it’s just that playing this song made me sentimental’’ he took a breath and continued explaining ‘’it’s the first song I had ever composed by myself and just thinking how hard I had worked on it made me put everything into perspective’’

Phil surprised by Dan’s talent, he couldn’t do anything more than to blurt out a surprised ‘’you composed this song? By yourself? That’s the most impressive thing I have ever heard Dan, really.’’

‘’Really?’’ he questioned back.

‘’Really’’ Phil said, sincerity clear in his blue eyes. ‘’Dan…’’ he softly muttered before giving the other boy a hug. Dan, surprised by Phil’s action, decided to enjoy the moment and buried his head into his shoulder.

‘’If they don’t give you the scholarship I promise you I will do everything that is in my hands so you can study there, I promise’’ Phil whispered into his neck.

Dan, taken aback by Phil’s promise he grabbed Phil’s shoulders and separated himself from the hug muttering a loud ‘’What? Phil I can’t let you do that! No! I won’t let you do it!’’

‘’Dan, you deserve that scholarship more that anyone, if you don’t get it I will not forgive myself if your audition video is not good enough’’ Phil confessed. He was actually worried his film making skills would ruin Dan’s chance to get his dream. He was sure Dan’s talent wouldn’t be unnoticed, but if the video was bad…

‘’Hey Phil’’ it was Dan’s this time who caressed Phil’s cheek, ‘’I’m sure your editing will do us justice. I’m sure of it’’ he reassured Phil, hoping he would believe him.

‘’Okay…’’ Phil quietly responded, not quiet believing in himself.

____________________

A week had passed from that, and they had enough footage to make a full length 5 minute video, Dan’s introduction included, so they decided that they would spent the whole Friday editing. They needed to send the video by Sunday night and their plan was to finish it on Saturday or even Sunday morning.

Dan really had no idea of how editing even worked, so he figured he was going to be pretty lost on that. Phil arrived and they both sat on Dan’s desk, checking all the footage Phil had filmed. Let me tell you it was a lot of footage, A LOT.

How did they even manage to get almost three hours of Dan playing the piano? They had no idea to be honest.

To begin editing, they needed to see everything they had filmed, so they could take the best parts and then insert them into the final cut. Before they noticed, it was already 10pm and they hadn’t even finished.

‘’C’mon, I’m hungry, let’s make some pizza and you can stay here Phil’’ Dan mentioned, sitting up from his spot and making his way down to the kitchen.

Phil, too concentrated on his editing, just realised what Dan had said, just rapidly sitting up in his spot and making his way downstairs too.

‘’Dan, I can’t stay here, I didn’t even brought pyjamas and I’m sure your parents will be bothered when they find a boy sleeping in their sofa, don’t you think?’’ Phil explained.

‘’Who said you will be sleeping on the sofa? You don’t even fit there, I won’t let you sleep there so your back hurts,’’ Dan mentioned, ‘’look, Phil it’s fine, I will let you borrow my PJ’s and my bed is big enough to fit the both of us, don’t worry’’.

Dan grabbed the pizza that was already baked and started making his way upstairs, before he came back and shouted ‘’Oh, and also, I’m sure my parents won’t mind if you stay. They are away this weekend so don’t worry’’.

‘’But Dan…’’ Phil said, letting a frustrated groan and making his way upstairs.

‘’Ah, no. No ‘buts’ Phil, it is the least I can do for everything you have done for me’’ Dan sincerely responded. ‘’Now, go, grab a slice while I find some extra pj’s for you’’ said Dan exiting the bedroom.

_____________________

They were lying in Dan’s bed, both completely awake. Neither of them seemed to want to sleep. ‘’You know’’ Dan softly spoke ‘’I didn’t even think of anything to give you as a thank you for this, I could pay you if you want to, but I don’t know… I don’t think I have enough money to pay you for this, you are wonderful Phil. So, thank you so much.’’

Phil, confused, turned around, looking at Dan’s profile and softly replied ‘’Dan, I don’t want your money. I don’t want anything from you, really. I did this because I like helping people, and if I can help you getting that scholarship I will.’’

Dan, turned around, and faced Phil. ‘’Phil no, I need to reward you. Promise me you will think of something I can reward you with’’ Dan took Phil’s hands in his and looked at him in the eyes ‘’Promise me.’’

‘’Okay, I promise’’ Phil responded, slowly closing his eyes and drifting to sleep, his hands still between Dan’s.

_____________________

It was Sunday night, and they were ready to send the video. They were rewatching it again and again, just to make sure it was perfect.

‘’Okay, I’m ready’’ Dan quietly said.

He took the video archive, attached it too the email addressing Guildhall School of Music & Drama and hit send. That was it. He did it.

He turned to Phil and tackled him into a hug, sending them both to the floor. ‘’I did it’’ Dan whispered.

‘’You did it’’ Phil whispered back.

_____________________

Today was the day. Dan was going to finally know if he had won the scholarship or not. He was expecting a phone call and had been anxiously pacing around his room all morning. He had called Phil, he didn’t want to deal with whatever happened alone even if he got the scholarship or not.

Phil arrived and was trying to distract Dan so he wouldn’t focus on his phone every single minute. They were sitting on Dan’s bed watching a movie when Dan’s phone rang.

They both jumped at the sound, Phil rapidly paused the movie and shook Dan a bit so he would get up and grab the damned phone.

Dan cautiously responded ‘’Hello?’’

‘’Yeah… Yeah… Thank you’’ was all Phil could make out form the phone call. Suddenly, Dan hung up and looked at Phil as a tear slid down his cheek. ‘’Phil, I got it. I got the scholarship. I’m going to Guildhall’’

Phil, jumped out of bed and engulfed Dan in a hug while lifting him up and spinning the both of them, both of them laughing ‘’I knew it! I knew you would get it! You deserve it so much, Dan Howell, so damn much’’ he said, stopping them both and lowering Dan to the ground again.

‘’Thank you Phil, I couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you so much.’’ While he gave him another hug.

‘’There is nothing to thank for Dan, don’t worry’’ he answered.

‘’Oh, by the way, did you think of your reward? I cannot thank you enough Phil, really. So tell me, what do you want?’’

‘’Well, you can say no but I was thinking you could allow me to…’’ Phil commented, while rubbing the back of his neck, ‘’take you on a date? I really would like to know you better Dan and I think we could make a good thing out of this’’

‘’You know, Phil, I would love to go on a date with you, but I also thought of something I could give you’’ Dan replied, while biting his lower lip.

‘’Oh, what is that?’’ Phil questioned back, oblivious to what Dan was suggesting.

‘’This’’ Dan whispered, grabbing Phil’s head with both hands and making his lips meet Phil’s while both softly moaned into the kiss.

Now it was time they both composed their own music.