#you can rsvp through the link!

[eunnieboo]

hello! i'm having a launch event with Brick & Mortar Books on the 17th!! the event is scheduled from 7:00-8:00 PM (PST), and there should be a Q&A and signing! hope to see you there~

[mochimooon]

Five Times Jean Teased You - jean kirstein x reader

Part Two of Two

pairing: Jean Kirstein x afab! Reader summary: In hindsight Jean should have known this would catch up with him.  The game he’s played with you during the summer was due to reach its twist. With your legs straddling his hips, pinning him to the mattress, Jean is not mad about the turn this game has taken. The strain in his pants serves as an indicator for how desperate he is to fuck you.   word count: 6k+ notes: Second part, set a month later, outside of the summer camp. (part one link) warnings: teasing, explicit content, explicit language, oral sex (male receiving), vaginal sex, teasing, dirty talk, sexual tension between colleagues, unprotected sex, jealousy, cockwarming, alcohol use, slight degradation

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT 18+ !!

Two Months Later…

Karma slowly catches up with Jean.

Although everyone exchanged contacts on their last day of camp, the counselors went back to their regular lives on Paradis. 

Sasha back to Dauper, Marco in Jinae, Jean in Trost, etc. etc. 

Remembering that you lived outside of Trost, by some cosmic intervention, Jean had hoped he’d run into you. 

To his chagrin (and the source of blue balls), he hasn’t. The biggest lesson he learned from the summer was that fate was a tease. 

Summer turned over into autumn, and you entered his mind daily like you did during camp. Thoughts and memories of you ran so rampant that Jean lost count of the amount of times he had picked up his phone to type out a message.

Each time, he set his phone down, unable to bite the bullet. 

He’s surprised himself with how restrained he’s become. At camp his confidence overflowed in excess, bordering arrogance. Maybe because the job was temporary, nothing held Jean back from teasing you all summer long. 

The teasing wore on, and while Jean did his best to hide it, he had worked himself up from his own game. Now, months onward, the confidence that guided him had fizzled out along with the summer’s heat.

Despite her cruelty, fate offers Jean some grace. 

Connie sends out a group message the first week of October. It’s the first time anyone from camp has reached out. Intrigued, he reads the message. 

How’s my camp family doing?

We’re due for a reunion… :o 

I’m throwing a party next weekend at my place in Ragako and want to see you all there!

Let me know if you can make it :P

The last details of the message are of Connie’s address.

One by one, responses fill the chat to RSVP. Eren, Reiner, Sasha, Hitch, Marco.

And finally…you confirm your attendance. 

Opportunity is knocking and Jean types out his response in a heartbeat.

I’ll be there too.

……

Walking into the house, Jean’s not surprised by the turnout. As the certified jokester at camp, it’s clear that Connie makes friends everywhere he goes, judging by the size of the crowd at the party. 

He doesn’t recognize a single face he passes, snaking through the throngs of people gathered in varying spots—the steps on the staircase, on the wall beneath the banister, the entryway— he even catches three girls lingering in the powder room, chatting idly with the door left open, sending him favorable looks.

Using his height to his advantage, Jean peeks into the living room, a myriad of unknown faces plunging his sights, but no one from camp. 

Music blares somewhere in the house, pounding like a hammer against Jean’s skull. He’s not drunk enough to handle the overstimulation yet. 

He finds his way into the kitchen, much bigger than he thought, and also crowded. Though, that’s where it’s less rowdy and where he sees the first familiar face.

Standing at the corner of the counter space, just past the sink, you’re sipping from a solo cup, chatting with someone.

His chest flutters, but when he gets a better look, the step he takes cracks like glass. 

Reiner leans close, too close, Jean thinks. A hand is planted on the kitchen cabinet, a hairsbreadth away from your face, while he lowers himself to whisper something into your ear, and you smile bashfully.

Jean’s temper flares. Reiner? What the hell? 

Jean backpedals, pushing past others to reach the kitchen island at the center. He doesn’t bother poring over the selection of liquor and chasers, filling his solo cup using the whiskey bottle within reach and adding a splash of pineapple juice. 

It tastes foul, but he downs it begrudgingly. 

You haven’t noticed him yet, smiling and nodding at whatever words Reiner regales you with, though the brute has pulled back to give you some space, except his hand still rests on the cabinet, caging you in. 

You and Jean had left camp on good terms, better than anyone else, or so he thought. There was a spark at orientation that crackled as the summer wore on and when you went your separate ways, things between you both were left in suspense, like unfinished business. 

Now, Jean wonders if that was wishful thinking. Or if that’s what he gets for teasing you all summer long. Either way, he reaches for the same bottle of whiskey and crafts another revolting cocktail. 

The pat on his shoulder steals his attention. 

“Look who it is.” Marco raises his cup in greeting. 

Jean’s mind lags, sneaking another look at you. 

Marco’s gaze follows and he clears his throat. “Don’t bother saying hi or anything.” Jean blinks, grumbling into his cup. “Hey, Marco.”

A saint, Marco doesn’t comment further on Jean’s dry reunion. “Was wondering when you’d show up. Everyone’s here.” He gestures around the kitchen. “But I see you only came for your favorite counselor.”

Heat warms Jean’s face, gulping his second round. He groans at the taste. “Shut up, I don’t have a favorite.” But his eyes flit back to you and Reiner, betraying his words. 

Marco heaves a sigh. “Uh-huh…go talk to her.”

Jean brushes Marco off. “I’ll catch up with her later.” Unable to help himself, his gaze crawls back, forgetting that he’s in the company of others. 

Marco hums, amused. “You can catch up with her now. Reiner’s not going to bite.”  

“What?” Jean hisses.

Marco pays no mind to Jean’s mounting annoyance. “Reiner’s a nice guy, and it looks like they’re being friendly.”

Are they? Jean thinks. 

When it came to camp responsibilities, it was clear Reiner’s dedication to being counselor of the year was an understatement. Great with kids, quick calls to action, a team player, and Jean doubts he’s ever heard one gripe from Reiner about anything. While he and the rest had their fair share of complaints about the job, Reiner was a natural, practically made for the role. Off-duty, he was the same, treating everyone equally. 

There isn’t anything to not like about Reiner. Still, Jean would have never expected you and Reiner cozying up to each other. Then again…

A few memories prick his brain. Interactions between you and Reiner that he had noticed during camp, but at the time swept under the radar because of how innocuous they were. 

At mealtimes, you two would often exchange a few laughs that never lasted long enough without the interruption of one of your campers. You both tended to hang back after the evening huddles to chat. While everyone headed back to their cabins, you and Reiner lagged behind at the end of the trail. Not to mention, the few times you offered to share your canteen bottle with Reiner during hikes.

Again—innocuous, logic whispers into Jean’s ear.

But a burning curiosity worms its way to the forefront of Jean’s mind. “Do you know if they stayed in touch?”

Marco purses his lips, shrugging. “No clue.” 

He gives you and Reiner another discreet onceover. Both enraptured in conversation, it’s like no one else at the party exists. 

Jean sighs, trailing towards defeat. Setting his cup down, he reaches past Marco to refill his cup of the same shitty cocktail. 

“Another one already?” Marco sounds impressed. 

Jean grumbles. “Yup…”

Quick to read the mood, Marco covers the rim of Jean’s cup. “Slow it down for now, Jean. When you get your chance to talk to her, you don’t want to be sloshed for it.”

Jean winces inwardly at the mention of you. But Marco’s right, he needs to slow it down whether or not he gets a chance to talk to you.  

“What’s his problem?”

Eren appears, along with Hitch and Sasha. 

“Why the face?” Eren presses. 

Jean clicks his tongue. “What face?”

“The sulking,” Hitch provides. “It’s weird to see you so moody. At camp, you were always relaxed.”

Jean raises his hands in a careless shrug. “Not at camp anymore.”

Hitch, however, is right. At camp, Jean was the picture of laid-back. The campers, the supervisors, his clashes with Eren weren’t enough to dampen his spirits. Feeling this dejected is new to him.

“Well, shit,” Hitch scoffs. “Is it because your girlfriend is talking to someone other than you?”

Eren raises a brow. “Jean has a girlfriend?”

“None of your business,” Jean drawls, eyeing the bottle of whiskey he used earlier. 

“Then who—?”

Marco steps in with a wave of his hand, subtly sliding the whiskey bottle from Jean’s reach. “Let’s drop it.”

Sasha’s brows rise, shuffling closer to Hitch. “Don’t think that’s a possibility.”

“Why?” Marco says. 

Hitch points, drawing everyone’s attention to you smiling and walking over with Reiner. 

“Shit…” Jean seizes the bottle of whiskey, pouring more than a shot into his cup.  

You greet Hitch and Sasha first with a warm, group hug. 

Reiner does the same, sliding past you and the ladies to gather the men in a group embrace. Jean stiffens, his grunt of displeasure falling on deaf ears.

“The gang’s back—reunited at last!” Reiner lets go, taking stock of the group. “Ladies, glad to see you here as well.”

“Sorry we didn’t say hi yet.” You wave casually at Eren and Marco before nodding at Jean. “How’s everyone been?”

A synchrony of ‘good’ echoes among the group. 

“And you?” Eren adds. 

“Good. It’s surreal to see everyone again, outside of camp.” You look to Jean. “You finally made it.”

Jean nearly chokes on a gulp of his drink, however he manages to swallow down the concoction without a grimace. “Better than late than never.” The weight of alcohol slowly tickles his nerves, distracting him with your attire. 

An oversized denim jacket hangs loose along one shoulder, a thin strap, a sorry excuse of fabric, the only thing covering your skin. Not that he’s complaining as his eyes dance to the neckline, less scandalous than the thin straps, but still grabs his attention. His breath hitches, finding your thigh hiding under the hem of the slit of your dress. It’s autumn and yet the only seasonally appropriate thing you’ve got on is a pair of ankle boots. 

He looks up, meeting your eyes that are unreadable at first, but the longer you hold his stare, he reads the familiar glimmer of mischief. 

He suddenly remembers Reiner at your side, his arm brushing against yours. 

“You two been hanging out?” He points, sizing the man up. He knows Reiner is harmless, but the bitterness on his tongue lacks rationale. 

Your brows raise, trading looks of confusion with the others and turning to Reiner. “At the party. It’s my first time seeing everyone since summer.”

“Saw her catching up with Connie earlier before he disappeared,” Reiner says, nonchalant. “We’ve been catching up and she’s the one who saw you all hanging by the island.” He leans against the island’s edge between you and Jean.

Straightening to his full height, Jean never noticed before, but he’s taller than Reiner (by a hair), restoring him with a grain of satisfaction. It’s a shallow victory, and Jean couldn’t care less. 

Why are you entertaining him in the first place? Jean’s standing right here…

“She was sharing her favorite camp memories.” Reiner’s hangs an arm along your bare shoulder and the solo cup in Jean’s hand dents. Reiner is none the wiser, carrying on. “It was a fun experience, I got to meet you guys, I’d do it again.”

Hitch shrugs. “It’s not a bad gig while you’re in university. Plus, it looks good on your resumé. Personally, not sure I’d do it again.”

Eren smirks. “I would. The lake’s the best part. If only enough people had balls to come out for a late-night swim—”

“Get over that, Eren,” Marco says, lightheartedly. “You’re lucky none of you got caught.”

“Hate to say it, but Jean has more edge than the rest of you.” Eren utters your name with approval. “And of course, the swim was better with you there.”

You raise your cup in a toast, taking a sip. “If someone tells me to jump in the lake, I do it. It’s a shame, we didn’t get to go skinny dipping though.” You cut a glance at Jean from the corners of your vision. 

Jean balks, puzzled at the turn the conversation has taken. Are you flirting with Eren? What about Reiner? What about him?

“Told Jean three’s a crowd,” Eren supplies, tone turning sensual. “If you’re ever in Shinganshina, I know a few spots we can make that happen.”

Marco takes Jean’s drink from his hand, slyly setting the mangled cup down on the kitchen island. “Eren’s joking,” he says under his breath. 

“Is he?” Jean pipes up without thinking. 

“Is who?” Reiner perks up. 

Realizing he spoke out loud, Jean clears his throat, folding his arms as he leans against the island. I’m still taller like this…he muses. 

“Count me in,” comes your answer to Eren’s previous statement. Your lips curve into a smirk as you turn your attention to Jean again, paying no mind to his renewed sulking. “So, Jean, how’s life post-grad?”

There’s an odd shift in the air. While he should be pleased that you’re finally talking to him, he’s suspicious. “Nothing to report. I’m still looking for a job in my field. You?”

You purse your lips, shrugging. “Same here. Reiner said he’s been looking at jobs in Trost. I told him that I spend the weekends there sometimes. Since that’s your turf, do you have any recommendations for him and me to try out?”

Jean has no clue what to make of this whole interaction. He wonders if you’re the same person he met at camp. The friendly, mild-mannered, albeit a little rebellious colleague that was so easy to tease and fluster. This person that he sees, looks the same, but a layer is slowly unraveling, revealing a side to you that he’s curious to know more of. 

However, he’d be remiss to say that this side to you doesn’t make him nervous or…doesn’t irritate him. 

“You spend enough time in Trost, you don’t need my input.” He can’t help the petty undertone. 

You take it in stride. “Thought to ask, and it would have been cool to drop you a visit.”

Eren chimes in, snatching your attention once more. “Trost is boring anyways. Shinganshina is where it’s at, closer to the beach, bigger space, and more things to do…”

Jean tunes out Eren’s voice, unable to look away from you. He doesn’t notice that Sasha has started chatting with Reiner who’s now lost your interest in favor of Eren’s rambling. Marco and Hitch, meanwhile, watch the interactions unfold with the former clapping a hand on Jean’s shoulder. 

“Connie’s probably on the hunt for you. We should find him.”

Jean hedges, looking back at you as you listen to Eren yammer on. 

Defeated, he nods, following Marco and Hitch out of the kitchen and into the living room. 

……

Connie appears out of thin air, juggling cans of hard seltzer. He hands Jean, Marco, and Hitch a can each, briefing them about his plans to apply for graduate school in the area. 

It doesn’t take long for another partygoer to call Connie’s attention, and he excuses himself to carry on with his hosting duties. 

“At least he’s thorough.” Marco cracks the seltzer can. “I doubt he’s neglected a soul here.”

“He’s a popular guy,” Hitch adds. “No offense to Eren, but Connie would have been a better co-counselor.” Your name slips from Hitch’s mouth. “She was lucky to have him.”

Marco snorts. “Thanks.”

But the comment strikes a nerve with Jean. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Marco and Hitch exchange looks. 

“Easy, Jean,” Hitch says, resting a hand on his chest. “Your jealousy is getting old fast. This is supposed to be a party.”

Jean scoffs. “I’m not jealous.”

“Right…” Hitch rolls her eyes. 

A reply hangs off the edge of Jean’s tongue, though it never lands. He stares at the unopened seltzer can with disinterest, setting it down the pool table—a graveyard of discarded, unfinished drinks.

This isn’t how he expected the night to go. 

He thought it’d be a renewal of the chemistry you two shared during camp. You had never left his mind since the end of summer, and the same doesn’t appear to be the case vice versa. 

It’s his own fault. The least he could have done was cherish getting to see you again, even as friends, acquaintances, ex-colleagues, or former quasi-flings. 

Eren and Sasha have resurfaced. 

Eren scans the room. “Have you seen Connie around?”

Marco nods amid another sip. “Oh yeah, we’ve seen him around a bunch of times. He’s keeping busy.”

Eren clicks his tongue around your name. “Not the same kind of busy as her and Reiner.”

Jean clenches his jaw. For all the bad takes Eren has, this is the worst one. And yet it doesn’t stop him from demanding, “What?”

Hitch cackles, leaning onto Sasha’s shoulder. “Her and Reiner? I mean he’s cute, not someone you’d kick out of bed…good for her.”

“The hell are you on about?” Jean stalks forward. 

Marco anchors him with a hand on his shoulder. “Whoa, relax. Eren’s jumping to conclusions.”

Eren jerks his thumb back. “C’mon, be real. Reiner was eye-fucking her, and I saw them head upstairs on my way out of the bathroom. A couple of minutes ago.”

Jean grits his teeth so hard it could shatter. He mulls over the likely scenario. Eren could be lying. Regardless of how much he wants to latch onto that possibility, it doesn’t sit well with him. 

Reiner’s interested in you from the way he hung back, arm over your shoulder, probably horny like a dog, and if you both went upstairs, there’s only one explanation as to why. 

Miraculously, Jean reins in his temper enough to ask in an even tone. “Where’s the bathroom?”

“There’s the powder room by the entryway, but every time I pass, it’s occupied,” Sasha supplies.

Marco, however, is not gullible. “Jean, they’re probably just talking, it’s no one’s business—”

Jean motions forward, continuing the act. “The whiskey ran through me, I need to take a leak. Eren, where’s the bathroom?”

The brunet glances at the others, ignoring their looks that demanded ‘don’t encourage him’. 

But Eren’s not like them. A wry grin crosses his face, an instigator at heart and the only time Jean can call him an accomplice. “Second door on the left, across from the master bedroom.”

Jean pats Eren’s shoulder as his way of gratitude, stalking away, leaving everyone else’s stunned faces in his wake.

He ignores two women that try to flag him down to chat, scaling up the steps without a care who he’s bumping into. 

At the top of the landing, there are more people mingling in the hall. 

He finds the second door where the bathroom is, sharply turning in the opposite direction.

Pressing his ear against the wooden frame, it’s impossible to hear anything with the party’s noise. Despite the adrenaline pumping in his veins, Jean’s manners slow him down. 

He knocks. Once, twice, no answer.

Whirling his sights, a few people give him odd stares. When some random guy suggests people are fucking inside, Jean’s restraint withers. 

Taking the knob, it turns with ease. Softer lighting enters his sights as Jean slips in, shutting the door to muffle the noise and he finds you laying on the queen mattress, scrolling on your phone…alone. 

Reiner is missing.

You draw your phone away, propping yourself up on your elbows with furrowed brows. “Jean?”

Now he feels foolish. 

You slide to the edge, the end of your dress fanning around your thighs. “What’re you doing here?”

He pads along the floor with less urgency, weighed down with confusion. “Um…Eren said he saw you come upstairs.”

You lean back on your hands, staring up at him, breathing a laugh. “He was right. I’m upstairs and so are you.”

“And it’s just you here?”

You look around before meeting his eyes. “Looks like it.” Your voice drips with a patronizing tone that Jean’s unfamiliar with, and slowly it grates on his nerves. 

“Where’s Reiner?” He steps closer. 

“Not sure.” You shrug. “Probably somewhere enjoying the party.”

Jean can’t bring himself to say a thing. You watch him with curiosity that Jean believes is sincere. The rush of adrenaline leeches away. 

However, it doesn’t make sense why you’re here alone.

“So…” Jean pauses. He doesn’t have a right to ask, but he does anyways. “Why are you in this room?”

“No reason…” Your expression becomes unreadable as you narrow your eyes. “What about you? Why are you really up here?”

Jean’s nerves go numb for a moment, unaware that he’s stepped closer that he’s now looming over you, his hand reaching to stroke your face. 

You watch him with the same eyes that hung with anticipation for his touch at camp, and the longer you hold his stare, Jean’s confidence slowly renews. 

You raise an impish brow. “Did you come here to fuck me before Reiner got his chance?”

The hand on your face goes still. Jean gulps, face warming so easily at the bold vulgarity. “Yes.”

“And you were going to do…what?”

This is a game he’s familiar with, this time the roles are reversed. However, he cautions indulging in this again. He’s learned his lesson. 

“It’s obvious,” he says, bluntly. “I wasn’t going to let it happen.”

“You wanted to cockblock us? I’m a free agent, Jean, I can fuck whoever I want.”

Jean bites his lip, feeling every drop of blood travel south. Although he misses the coy counselor he met at camp, this self-possessed confidence is making him hard.  

You scoot over, inviting him to sit. 

Jean sinks into the mattress next you, and you press closer to him, a hand crawling up his chest and the other stroking his jaw. 

Jean leans into your touch, blood spiking. 

You brush your lips against his. “Lay next to me.”

Jean blinks watching you crawl up the bed, and the sight of your ass under the dress is more than an incentive. 

He slinks up the bed, his long legs crowding most of the space. 

You kiss him softly, warm, and how he remembered kissing you the first time by the campfire. 

He gathers the back of your neck to deepen the kiss, savoring the slow, steady rhythm in a different setting. 

There was a thrill at the places he’s touched you at camp, but they pale in comparison to lying next to you on a bed where he can take his time with you. 

You pull back, throwing a leg over to straddle him. 

Jean swallows a grunt, hands running up your thighs to peel away your dress. 

His wrists are seized and pinned above his head, leaving him stupefied. He can easily free himself and roll you over. The fiendish smile you bear down on him scratches a dormant need he never knew he had. 

Slowly, you let go, ensuring that Jean keeps his hands above his head with a sharp look. Satisfied with his obedience, you shift your hips, seated atop the growing bulge in Jean's pants. 

“Jean,” you purr. Fingers dance along his chest, stopping to flatten on his shoulders. “Do you remember when you made me ride your leg?”

How could he forget? It plays like a highlight reel in the back of his mind, hardening the shaft of his cock every time he revisits that memory, along with every other thought involving you. 

He nods, hands itching to grab your hips to relive the memory.

You pin his wrists again to keep him still. “And when you ate me out in the boathouse?” 

His dick stutters, seeking the warmth between your legs. 

“I remember too,” you continue. “You want to do it again?”

His hips buck up in answer. The moan you swallow makes him dizzy with unbridled desire. He wants to touch every inch of you, no interruptions, and no games.

You smirk, sinful as a succubus. “I touched myself in the cabins thinking about you.” 

From the drag of your hips along his crotch and the mental image of you pleasuring yourself, presses a groan to climb up his throat. 

“I touched myself before the party. But I didn’t finish…I was hoping to have some help.”

Gulping, Jean stammers. “Let me help you out. I’ll please you all night long.”

“You will?” You tilt your head in mock disbelief. 

Jean’s hands move slowly, gauging whether you’ll swat them away. When your smirk widens, Jean takes your thighs, hissing at the feel of your flesh between his large hands. The hem of your dress drapes along your core and his fingers pull at the end. 

Your hands stop him. “Or are you going to tease me again?”

Jean shakes his head. “No, no I promise I won’t do that anymore. I promise I’ll make you feel so good, I’ll take care of you.”

You purse your lips, humming in consideration. “But you like teasing me. You enjoyed treating me like a toy.”

When it came to Jean, your pride never stood a chance. He could have had you like this several times already, even on the first day if he tried. And you’re not naïve. Jean enjoys seeing you flustered, edging you in the smallest ways like a game. 

In hindsight Jean should have known this would catch up with him. 

The game he’s played with you during the summer was due to reach its twist. With your legs straddling his hips, pinning him to the mattress, Jean is not mad about the turn this game has taken. The strain in his pants serves as an indicator for how desperate he is to fuck you.  

And the tension you’re stirring, it’s clear that you know how much he wants to take control again. 

“Let me return the favor, Jean.” You let go of his hands, shimmying off his crotch, lower and lower, until you’re straddling his thighs. 

His attention is laser-focused, skin burning with thrill as your hands reach the buckle of his belt. Darkened eyes, pupils blown wide like a beautiful void, ensnare his gaze. 

“May I?” you murmur.

“Yes.” Jean’s voice escapes him like smoke. 

The belt comes loose in seconds, and he nods when you look up at him, restraining every muscle in his body to not rip both his and your clothes off. 

Dragging his pants and boxers down, you laugh nervously, gawking at the size of Jean’s dick, rigid, hard, and aching. 

His dick twitches, spilling pre-cum, and Jean’s smug watching you swallow as though bracing yourself. 

“You going to take my dick in that pretty mouth?” The tease tastes like honey on his tongue, and he bites back a groan seeing you flustered. 

Your eyes flit over in challenge. Your tongue sticks out playfully, hot breath coating the tip of Jean’s dick.

He shudders, holding his breath. 

Instead of taking his dick in your mouth, you cock your head to the side. Your tongue runs along the shaft in a long, painstaking drag.

You’re breathtaking like this, he thinks. 

You continue the slow, thorough strokes of his length with an open-mouthed grin each time his dick spasmed, seeking more stimulation. 

Jean’s a patient man, he believes. He’s held off all summer from fucking you in every way he can possibly imagine, to his own detriment. Now that the roles are reversed and you have him at your mercy, Jean is willing to pay for the teasing, as it’s only fair. 

But since seeing you again for the first time tonight, his resolve continues to be tested, and he resorts to biting his lip—and bucking his hips. 

“What’s this?” you say, giving a kiss to the tip of his dick. “You need to fuck my mouth?” Without waiting for a reply, Jean’s dick is engulfed in warmth. 

Your lips wrap along his length, too big to take it all that the tip pokes the side of your cheek. 

Jean’s flushed from the sight, remembering how he fed you the popsicle. It was the first time he left you without a word, growing hard, he took solace in the showers to chase after the pleasure.  

“Jean…” Your voice vibrates. “How does this feel?”

Jean nods, words nowhere to be found on the edge of his tongue, but low groans that encourage you to keep going. 

“Fuck—” Unable to help himself, he cants his hips, and you respond with fondling his balls. “Fuck, fuck—” 

You pull away slightly, swiping your tongue along the tip a few times and Jean is so close to seeing stars. 

Suddenly, your mouth disappears. Relief and frustration wrestle for Jean’s attention, but when you remove your weight to slide off the bed, through heavy-lids, Jean catches you discard your jacket and slip out of your lace underwear.

Tension boils over, hotter than the summer heatwave. The sexual chemistry has reached its tipping point. It’s been a long time coming. 

You’re back on his hips, hard dick pressing into your inner thigh, so close to your pussy. Jean wastes no time meeting your lips, helping you undress him in a flurry. His jacket meets yours on the floor and his shirt is tossed elsewhere. 

Sitting up, Jean’s hand holds your nape to keep you from coming up for air. Breathless kisses turn sloppy and needy as you wrap your arms around the back of his neck. 

He slithers another hand up your dress. Again, you pull away, lips puckered from the passion. 

You exhale, taking the moment to admire him. Catching your breath, you take the sides of his face, purring, “My handsome boy…are you ready to fuck me?”

Jean lifts you up to free himself from his pants and boxers and he slides your dress over your head, pausing appraise your naked body for the first time. Despite getting personal with your form in the past, Jean only saw glimpses of your body. 

“On your back, Jean.”

Jean blinks, a hand hovering inches from your breast. “Hm?”

You smile into his lips. “On your back.” 

Bewitched, he allows you to push him lightly, his back hitting the mattress, though he feels like he’s floating.

“Pretty girl,” he hums, reaching between your legs. You’re soaked and aching, having edged yourself before the party. “Good girl. You got yourself wet for me?”

You give him a coquettish shrug.

There’s the counselor he teased all summer.

He remembers the looks you gave him, eyes coy one second and devious the next. Your energy was silent but effective in enchanting him. He may have been the tease all summer, but it was you who had more control than you realize. 

And with that control, he watches you lift your hips, stroking his dick a few times and rubbing the tip along your slit. 

Jean sucks in a hiss of pleasure around your name. “Please…let fill you up. I want to feel you.”

Lining up his dick, you exhale, walls stretching around Jean’s endowed length. 

Your tight pussy feels better than Jean could have ever imagined it to be. 

“Easy,” he coos, rubbing your thigh in a soothing gesture. “Take your time.”

Another moment and you’re seated fully, you and Jean sighing in delight. 

Fighting the ache in his cock, Jean waits for you to get more comfortable. A beat passes and you give an experiment shift of your hips. 

Jean moans, dick twitching deep inside of you. 

However, you don’t move again, keeping your hips still, gauging Jean’s reaction. 

He’s confused at first, a flicker of worry crossing his mind, concerned that you’re not comfortable. 

You prove that’s not the case, leaning back to rest your hands on Jean’s legs, pussy clenching around Jean’s cock, but not adding any momentum. 

Jean bucks his hips in an attempt to fuck into you, but you lean forward, planting your hands on his chest, tutting. 

“Stay still for me Jean.”

Jean breathes a choked laugh. “Let me fuck you, baby.” He lifts his hips to emphasize his point. 

Biting your lip, it’s as though you’re fighting the desire to forsake control. And yet, you resist. 

Leaning closer, your kiss is chaste yet heated. Jean’s not sure which he wants more your lips or to fuck you. 

You don’t stop there, peppering kisses along his face, trailing down his jaw. 

Jean releases a sigh of bliss, desire building from the affection. These delicate, tender gestures are an aphrodisiac to him. 

The kisses travel to his neck. Buried deep inside you, his dick spasms when your lips suck on his throat. 

“That feels good…” he hums, drunk from your soft touch. 

Pulling away, you bring your lips to his ear. “I want you to use me. I want you to fuck me. I want to be your camp whore.”

A switch is flipped, and Jean rolls you onto your back in a flash. He gets to his feet at the end of the bed, taking you by the ankles to drag you along with him. 

Your legs are anchored at the knees along his arms, and Jean catches your shiver of excitement. 

“You want to be fucked like a whore?” Jean grins. 

You nod eagerly, biting your lip. “Please, Jean.”

He yanks you closer, grin turning devilish at your surprised yelp. “Don’t take your eyes off of me,” he utters, sliding his dick back inside.

Your lips part at the renewed stretch and Jean spares no time. 

He fucks you with fervor, need, and urgency—a build-up of the tension his teasing had brewed. 

“Were you talking to Reiner to piss me off?” he grunts.

A slap to your clit cuts your breathy laugh short. “Maybe…”

“Oh, so you were trying to piss me off?” Jean continues with authority though it lacks bite. “Doesn’t matter. Like I said, I wouldn’t have let it happen. Even if I found you like this getting fucked by him.” He rains another slap. “I would have taken you for myself.”

“Jean…” you gasp. “So...close…”

He quickens the momentum, reaching over to rub your clit in a frantic pace. “Let me see you come for me.”

Another few harsh thrusts and you climax, lips parting in a sharp gasp and eyes alight.

Jean is quick to follow, pulling out with one arm holding your leg while the other pumps his dick, spilling his cum along your stomach. 

“Fuck—fuck…” He heaves a heavy sigh, blurry vision slowly returning from his release. When he regains his sights, he pauses, jaw unhinging. 

You scoop up his mess with your fingers to lick them clean, pinning him with a wicked smile. 

“You’re a deviant,” Jean whispers. He collapses, catching himself on the mattress to loom over you. He presses a kiss to your lips. “A fiend.” Another kiss. He holds your stare, running his fingers along your face. “I’m sorry for being a tease.”

You pout, though Jean knows it’s lighthearted. “You should be. I could have been getting railed by Reiner.”

Jean’s brain lags. “Reiner?”

You snort. “Yeah. Remember him?”

He rolls his eyes, all jealousy washed away from the storm of ecstasy. “Where did he go?”

You play with the light scruff on Jean’s chin. “Connie caught up with us and had a friend with him. A friend that wanted to get to know Reiner better.”

“Shit…atta boy. But what brought you in here?”

The bathroom across the hall was occupied and Connie said I could use the one in this room. Got a little bored of the party so I hung back and got stuck scrolling on my phone.”

Like Marco said, Eren was jumping to conclusions. Though if it weren’t for him, this wouldn’t have happened the way it did. He doesn’t know whether to kill him or thank him. 

“So…” he says, shifting the topic. “I have a few places in mind for your next visit to Trost.”

Your smile brightens. “Tell me more.”

Fate may be a tease, but from the lesson Jean’s learned, she’s forgiving.  

[writingbyshiloh]

Cautious Yet Optimistic and Graceful Part 3 (20/7 new ending)

PART 3 (edited with new ending)!!!! (part 1 and part 2)

CW: FEM!Reader, Morally gray Reader, JW universe, Beer, gambling, food, Killa appearance, kissing, soft(er) Vincent, mutual pinning, no beta, Possibly OOC Vincent, we never see him flirt in the film unless you count the stuff w Mr. Nobody, Suggestive content, confessions of feelings

Summary: The Marquis du Gramont invites you over for a thank-you dinner. You try to stay sane. 

AN: Link to the poem here!!!! TBH I like the second translation of the poem more but that's just me. (the poem has 1 physical descriptor but I just ignored that). Added more to the ending which I think sums it up better! TY to those that chimed in on how to add the ending

You wouldn’t know what to expect when he handed you the letter, let alone the fact that you almost kissed him but ended up with a burn. 

Holding your hand under running water you examine the letter more. The gold wax seal bears his coat of arms but the envelope is made of thick white paper, meaning you can’t see any words through the envelope. It’s flattering that he wrote your full name. 

It’s a dinner invitation. He wants (maybe not anymore) to have you over to his home as a thank-you for your help the other night. You immediately RSVP yes to the number he included as if he's going to yank the offer out from under you. Knowing him, he might.

You don’t get to spend much time obsessing over the dinner, normal work challenges and fires that you have to put out, memorizing new names and faces to the scene, shipping some markers back to New York. 

It's a relief when Killa calls you to tell you he's going to be in Paris for a few days. You spent a few years working under Killa, you feel that's where you gained some of your reputation. 

Killa suggested the bar. It's a nice change of pace, to be in a bar where people can kill each other. It's a big fear of yours, that someone ignores the rules and decides to kill while on your property. Here, people almost expect it. The bar is dark and smokey, but drinks are relatively cheap. Plus your reputation exceeds you, meaning no one is trying to chat you up. 

You rest your chin on your hand, and elbow on the sticky table. You see Killa at the bar, getting two more beers. 

You jump at the warm hand on your shoulder, your body jerking around before stopping at the soft voice behind you. 

“Mademoiselle.”

“Marquis de Gramont,” you reply. You haven’t seen him since the almost kiss, and you still had a few days before going to his mansion. You had started to mentally prepare for the dinner, but this caught you off guard. “This doesn’t seem like your usual company.” 

He cranes his head to observe the crowd scattered out at tables and the bar. You follow his gaze and see a few of his guards behind you. You twist back to your original sitting position and find him looking at you. 

“I’m excited about the dinner. Did you want me to bring anything?”

His eye catches Killa's frame, dressed in a purple suit at the bar, getting the new round of drinks. 

“You're here with Killa.” He deduces. He's more observant than you always think. 

“Yeah. He’s like a mentor to me.” You say affectionately.

“He was the one to suggest you for the manager job.” You can’t help but stare at Vincent, surprise on your face. “I know you think I did, but I thought you were ill-suited.” 

You can't describe your emotions. Crushed that your crush said he didn't want you for the job you're in? Glad that Killa thinks so highly of you? You decide to tease him to cover up your wounded ego. 

Nudging your shoe against his you ask “Is that why you invited me over? To tell me how bad I am at my job?” 

“Cleary, I don’t hold the same position. Paris would not be the same without you.” 

Your brain freezes for the third time. The gentle tone tells you that he probably means it to be affectionate.

You both turn to the table as Killa sets down two steins on the table, saving you from replying. You pull your close to your seat while Killa and the Marquis shake hands. You briefly wonder how much the gold on their fingers is worth when combined. 

It makes sense that they know each other, both are the High Table representatives for their country, but you never put it together. 

“Sit, please. Enjoy a game with us, ja?” Killa asks, reaching into a suit pocket for cards.

You balk at his suggestion. “No poker. It took me ages to work off my debt from the last game.” 

You can see Killa's four gold teeth as he grins at the Marquis. 

“Please excuse me. I have business to attend to. Killa, Mademoiselle.” Vincent says. You watch him disappear into the crowd. 

On the day of the dinner, you get ready early, probably a bit too early but you need to make sure there is not a hair out of place. Even if he thinks you rejected him during the cigarette you shared, you don't see him having any interest if you reject him twice. 

You need to make sure that you are ready for anything. Your most preferred situation would be ending up in his bed, finally having something positive come from the crush you’ve been nursing. If things went badly, you can always try to avoid him. The city was large, plus you could always let Camille deal with him. 

Even though he told you not to bring anything you still got him something. Obsessive googling of what to give as a host gift to a rich person, as well as just asking some people you chat with in your hotel gave you an idea. 

You got him lilies, seven of them to be exact. Some websites advised against gifts that make the host work to put them away but someone who had a friend who worked for him assured you that he has a dozen household staff who would take care of that. 

His hand is warm between your shoulder blades as he guides you into his dining room. You try not to stare at the emperor-style around you. Everything is large, gold, and expensive. 

The table is set for two, with shiny silverware marking your seats. You’re on edge, trying to figure out if this is a date under the cover of a thank-you dinner, or just that. A dinner thanking you for doing your job. 

He pulls out your chair for you and waits for you to sit before going over to his 

“How are you?” he asks while waiting for the food to be served. The table is long, but you sit on opposite sides of the length so you can speak easily to each other. 

You shrug, before remembering your manners. 

“I’m fine, I'm just struggling to find,” you pause, moving your hand around as if you could grab the words from the air,” some aesthetic to sum up Paris for the hotel.” 

“City of lights, city of love, art, culture, food…” The examples roll off his tongue, clearly showing off what he knows about his home. 

“That's why they filmed The Bad Touch video here.” you reply without thinking.

You can tell you have his interest even if he won't say it. You pray he thinks it's funny and that you’re not an idiot.

“The video has shots of the Eiffel Tower and Champ de Mars in the background.” you elaborate as if that would make your point smarter. 

The corner of his mouth twitches in amusement as he makes a small sound of amusement. 

“I have a book that will help you. Remind me after our dinner. How is your hotel?” He takes a sip of his wine. 

“Amazing, as usual. We have a mafia man staying for the week, he booked two rooms. One for him and his wife, the other for his mistress! On different floors, of course.” 

This made him laugh, finally allowing for a comfortable conversation to start to flow. 

His library is gorgeous. As with him and everything in his home, it's grand and highly decorated in hues of gold. Books are arranged neatly on shelves around the room, and a few scattered chairs and tables for reading or taking notes. It looks like it's hardly used, or just kept in very pristine condition. 

His excitement was obvious in the way he held himself, his hands not inside his pockets, but instead held tightly by his arms. He scans his bookshelves on a mission, ready to find you a specific book. You take in the titles at a more leisurely pace, looking for something you may have read.

The Marquis makes a noise of excitement, long legs carrying him over to where you are still looking at fiction. 

“Les Fleurs du Mal. I think you will find it helpful,” he says, placing a thick hardcover in your outstretched hand. 

You run a finger of your free hand over the cover, the title and the image of a flower embossed in gold on the hardcover.

“It’s a bilingual version. You can keep it.” 

Now he's giving you gifts, you think. If he does see you as a friend it must be a good one

“This is,” you pause to search for a word. A pity gift? Flirting? “Very kind” you finish. 

He hums and steps closer until his chest rests against your back while he gently takes the book out of your hands, leafing through the poems until he sees the one he wants. 

You feel like you're going to combust. All you can smell is his cologne and feel him. You pray he didn't notice how your breath hitched as his arm brushed yours to get the book. 

Vincent holds the page open in front of you. It's lowered to your height, but he can still see over your shoulder. You can't help but stare as his nimble fingers flick through the pages. 

“The introduction explains the industrialization of Paris. The rest are poems. Some were banned for immorality when first published.” His voice is quiet, not needing to be loud given how close his lips are to your ear. 

You glance down, thankful to have something to focus on other than how close he is to you and how badly you want him. One page has the original French version, Ciel Brouillé and its sister page has an English translation, Cloudy Sky. It's just four stanzas. You can get through this without making a fool of yourself. It's a short poem about a gray day. 

Until it's not. He reads the French version slowly as if he wants to savor the words. The English translation is making your face hot, as the poem describes a seductive but harsh woman, and what it would be like to be intimate with her. 

The poem finished, he looks at your side profile, trying to judge your reaction. 

“What do you think?” he asks, voice softer since he is right at your ear. 

All you can think about is your crush. You twist in his hold, now standing face to face. His arms cage you in, and Les Fleurs du Mal now digs into your back. He's looking at you while waiting for your answer. 

“It's a poem.” you manage. 

“Yes.”

Amusement is written over his face, you could only dream of being that composed. You bring your arms to hold onto his biceps. You fucked your chance to kiss him before you’re not doing to do it again. 

You make a show of eyes flicking down to his lips and back up to meet his eyes in a silent notice of what you want. You feel his arms move under your hands then feel relief at the book no longer digging into your back. One of his hands moves to your face, giving you flashbacks about the last time you two were in a similar position. 

With nothing around to burn you, it's the right time to make the final move. You quickly press your lips to his, probably a bit more forceful than you intended. 

He pulls back slightly, using his hand to maneuver your face for a better angle.

“Finally.” he breathes into your mouth. 

You don’t know why he called you graceful over dinner all those months ago. Now you’re all excitement mixing with nerves and incredibly turned on. 

Vincent is more smooth, walking backwards with his hands pulling you by your hips. He's telling you how pretty you look, and how much he likes your perfume while settling into the plush couch. He pulls you down so your legs are bracketing his. Each complement makes your face burn hot. 

Resting all your weight on your knees you hesitate to fully sit in this lap. As badly as you want this, you don’t think that you could put your heart back together if this was a one-time thing. 

“Vincent, I uh” you elect to use his first name not his title. “I can’t do this if it's a one-time thing.” 

He brings a hand to your face, moving your chin so you’re looking into his eyes. 

“Cherie, do you know how often I visited the Continental before your management?”

You frown slightly, unsure where he is going to go with this.

“Never. I can do everything the hotel offers myself.”

His hand moves to your lower back as he sits upright to take off his suit jacket. You help as he switches hands, always have one of your lower back. You gingerly lay it over the back of the couch before resting your hands on his shoulders, having fully settled onto him. 

“Do you know how often I go to that fucking disgusting bar before you started going?” 

“Never?” you venture. 

“Once,” he admits. “But when I was younger.” 

You want to pry on what he means by that but it's not the time. 

“You’re smart. Why would I do all of this?” 

You want to have a good answer, to not seem like you’re full of yourself. From what you heard about him, he would appreciate your directness more.

“For me?” 

“Oui.” 

It's a massive boost to your ego. The most powerful man in Paris, probably all of France, says that he goes to a bar he hates just to see you.  

“What about you? Did you wear this for me, mon amour?” he asks, hand moving over your thigh. 

Your emotions are running high. Between his confession and actions, you’re more confident than normal. 

“You should see what's underneath.” 

His eyes snap to your face, delighted in your boldness. 

The Marquis hooks a finger in your shirt, pulling the collar away from your body. He peers down the front of your shirt before looking back at your face. 

“Pretty.” 

You make a mental note to reclassify how you thought he would act in a romantic context. Still a bit annoying but charming too. 

[tunabesimpin]

🐟 Tuna Sea-Side, Side Quest! 🐟

[800+ Followers Event! CLOSED]

EVENT MASTERLIST | EVENT TAG #TunasSeaSideSQ

[After a long string of exams, a break finally comes! Whether you passed your exams flawlessly or barely grazed by, it doesn't matter anymore as all you can think about is the free-time that awaits you! Just as your heading back home for the day a shiny poster catches your eye!

(The poster reads) "Come one and all! Tunas Sea-Side party! An all expenses paid summer sea party is being held at the coast of the Coral Sea! Just bring yourself, any floaties, and something to swim in! Lots of events! "Capture the flag! Splash Contest! Beach Volleyball!" We'll be staying at a Villa provided generously by Rook! And Catering thanks to the Monstro Lounge! Hosted by TUNA! Rook! and Azul!" --- It sounds too good to be true... You cautiously take a rsvp paper attached at the bottom and shrug. Oh well, can't be worse then what you've had to deal with already! ]

Tuna is hosting a beach party and everyone is invited! Did they have to use all their savings for this? maybe... Did they also have to sign a contract with Azul to make it happen? Also possible! But Tuna has a bit of a surprise in store for all who come... 😈 Through some magical sweet talking and a LOT of pleading, this party is coming to fruition.

Featuring favorites like; Rook, Azul, the Tweels, Ruggie, Leona, and a plus one of your choice!

Starting May 21st and running until May 31st, send in your RSVP and join the event! (any submissions sent after May 31th 11:59pm PST will be sent to the void! 👻 )

EVENT RULES!

In order to make sure everyone gets to enjoy the event, please follow the rules below!

Must be following me & reblog the post! After all the more the merrier!

Please submit an ask describing what your favorite summer activity is or what you plan to do at the party, your favorite color, & what you plan to wear and/or bring along! If you plan to bring a plus one, please tell me who it is and how you convinced them to come!

You must include a reference link to your character or a physical description of your character!

You may only send in one request! Multiple OCs are OK, but please limit it to 3 characters total (including any plus one twst boys!)

Finally, be open minded! My writing skills are still in development, so characters may seem a bit ooc at times;; I apologize in advance!

OPTIONAL! If you want to make your own art or writing inspired by this please tag me and use #TunasSeaSideSQ I'd love to see whatever you create! ^O^

If your worried about your references, feel free to PM me if you have more info you didn't want/ couldn't include in the ask!

By sending in your RSVP I'll sketch your OC (s and plus one etc) and write a little drabble on how it goes down! ^v^ You're OC will also be included in a final full art & short drabble with everyone involved!

Please also note that responses may take longer to be released! I plan to work on these over the next few weeks so things might run into mid-June to receive a reply! Thank you for your understanding!

This is in honor of reaching 800, 700, and 600 followers! I never did a fun event for these milestones so, I thought it'd be perfect timing to have some fun! Plus I need a bit of practice on more normal sketching rather than chibis lolol!

Oh! and the special surprise will be released with the final art! (aka after everyone's request has been finished! ^v^)

Thank you for your support & interest! I hope to see ya there! 🐟

[insanityclause]

Deadline’s Contenders Television, the event where stars and showrunners talk up their shows ahead of Emmy voting, has unveiled its lineup.

The event kicks off on Saturday April 13 and runs through Sunday April 14 at the Directors Guild of America in LA. There will also be a virtual livestream of the event. Full details of the event and an RSVP link can be found here.

It will give you a sense of the hits of the last twelve months, as well as some shows that you’re about to be talking about, as the networks, studios and streamers vie for some awards love.

Stars attending include Tom Hiddleston, Nicole Kidman, Brie Larson, Kristen Wiig, Rebecca Ferguson, Lily Gladstone, David Oyelowo, Common, Jimmy Fallon, Giancarlo Esposito, Joey King, Andrea Riseborough, Sebastian Maniscalco, Bill Pullman, Kiefer Sutherland, Logan Lerman, Kelsey Grammer, Matt Bomer, Jonathan Bailey, Allison Williams, Maya Erskine, Nathan Fielder, Skeet Ulrich, Jeff Probst, Omar J. Dorsey, Harriet Dyer, Patrick Brammall, Sophia Di Martino, Sarayu Blue, Ji-young Yoo and Taylor Zakhar Perez.

Shows that will be featured across the two days include Parish, Masters of the Air, Lessons in Chemistry, The Morning Show, Silo, Palm Royale, The New Look, Survivor, Colin From Accounts, A Murder at the End of the World, True Detective: Night Country, We Were the Lucky Ones, Under the Bridge, Murdaugh Murders: The Movie, Loki, Alice & Jack, Genius: MLK/X, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, 3 Body Problem, Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie, Lawmen: Bass Reeves, Frasier, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Fallout, Expats, Red, White & Royal Blue, Fellow Travelers, The Curse, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, Platonic and Bookie.

There will also be numerous top showrunners and exec producers including Chuck Lorre, David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Alexander Woo, Benny Safdie, Graham Yost, Gary Goetzman, Lee Eisenberg, Abe Sylvia, Brit Marling, Zal Batmanglij, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Francesca Sloane, Lulu Wang, Sarah Schechter and Nicholas Stoller.

The studios, networks and streamers participating include AMC, Apple TV+, CBS, CBS Studios, FX, HBO and Max, Hulu, Lifetime, Marvel Studios and Disney+, Masterpiece on PBS, National Geographic, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Peacock, Paramount+, Prime Video, Showtime, Sony Pictures Television and Warner Bros. Television.

The event is sponsored by Apple TV+, Eyepetizer Eyewear and Final Draft + ScreenCraft in partnership with Four Seasons Resort Maui and 11 Ravens.

---

Both Tom and Sophia will be there.

[smalls-words]

Old Friends

Summary: Reunions aren’t always happy.

Pairings: ScarletWidow x GN!Stark!Reader

Genre: Fluff and Angst

Warnings: Bullying, panic attacks, high school (of course that’s a warning), mentions of disordered eating.

Requested: YES/no

Words: 3,111

A/N: May 20th at 5pm, I will be closing my requests as I have some upcoming uni exams to study for. I will still be writing, but I’ll be writing on the side when I’m trying not to burn out from understanding the difference between alkenes and alkanes :’)

*not my gifs*

You sat at your chair in the meeting room with your girls opposite you, their paperwork going smoothly whilst you did some work for your parents - answering emails from workers, doing some calculations for your dad and some financing for your mom. 

“Y/N/N…” Wanda grinned at you, biting her bottom lip.

“Yes, Wanda?” You answered, not looking up from your screen.

“Have I told you how awesome you look today? I mean, Tasha’s training sessions with you have been showing through…” 

You looked at her for two seconds before you pushed your glasses up on your nose. “Thank you, baby, but I’m not doing your paperwork for you.” 

She let out an annoyed groan and sank into her chair, making you and Natasha chuckle whilst the redhead finished. 

“What?! How?!” Wanda complained as Natasha kicked her feet up on the table. 

“Simple - get it done.” 

“Tasha, boots.” You warned her and she stuck her tongue out at you, your head shaking. 

Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t. 

“Come on, Wanda, you’re just writing a recount of what you did on the mission.” You smiled softly, leaving your computer to the side for a moment. 

“What am I supposed to say? I threw a few wiggly woos around and got the info?” She grumbled sarcastically, making Natasha laugh but you didn’t.

Instead, you stood and moved around the table, picking the witch up before sitting in her chair and placing her on your lap. She giggled softly and you kissed her neck, watching Natasha lean on your shoulder before giving her a kiss too.

You watched Wanda write smoothly, her handwriting neat and bubbly whilst Natasha’s was swift. You tucked your hand underneath Wanda’s shirt and lightly tickled her stomach with your nails, making her squeal lightly at your cold fingers. 

Finally, after a page and a half of recounting, she clicked her pen and placed it on top, turning around in your lap to face you, straddling your legs with hers.

“Can I have a kiss?” She asked and you nodded, giving her one.

A loud ping from your laptop interrupted and Wanda turned it around to see the screen. You asked her to bring it towards you and hand you the mouse, which she did, and you clicked on the new email.

Across the screen in bold, bright letters read ‘Y/N Stark, you have been invited to the reunion of your high school class at Midtown High! Please RSVP no later than tomorrow night so numbers and tables can be organised. Plus ones are, of course, welcome! Drinks and dinner will be served and payment is at the door. Further details are at the RSVP link below!’.

“A high school reunion? What’s that?” Wanda asked, trying to put her arms into your sleeves even though yours were already in there. 

“It’s where people from your graduating year all gather to catch up and see what everyone is doing.” Natasha answered as she pulled Wanda off of you and onto her whilst grabbing a blanket. 

“Should I RSVP?” You questioned.

“I think so. It might be nice seeing all of your old friends.” Wanda smiled, nuzzling into Natasha’s warmth. 

You opened the website and filled in the form to RSVP, stating that you’d be bringing two plus ones before submitting it. You closed your laptop and looked over at your girls, smirking as Wanda was ‘annoying’ Natasha by taking most of the blanket. 

“Come here, softie.” You grinned, picking up the witch whilst the Widow followed behind you.

You went to the movie room and grabbed the extra big blanket your dad had gifted for your latest birthday before you lightly threw Wanda onto one of the couches, smirking as she squeaked. You landed next to her whilst Natasha ended up on the other side of her, giving herself enough blanket to keep warm. 

You shivered slightly and watched as Wanda’s magic surrounded you, tucking you in close to her whilst the blanket was moved to cut off all of the cold air around you. She kissed your cheek softly and you nuzzled into her, thriving with her warm Sokovian skin.

“You’re always warm. Both of you.” You mumbled as the movie began to play.

“We were born in Sokovia and Russia, Y/N.” Natasha smirked, leaning across Wanda to kiss you softly.

“I’m right here.” Wanda grumbled.

“Yeah, but you kissed them earlier.” Natasha shot back quickly, making Wanda grumble and sink towards you.

“Sulky baby.” You murmured, kissing underneath her eye softly.

“Tasha’s being a meanie.” Wanda whined and you snickered, holding Wanda closely.

“You can be my heater tonight, Wands. Tasha can have a turn tomorrow.”

She smiled against the skin of your neck and kissed it before you felt her breathing even out, holding her close as you fell asleep too. 

⧖⧖⧖⧖⧖⧖⧖⧖⧖⧖⧖🜃🜂🜁🜄⧖⧖⧖⧖⧖⧖⧖⧖⧖⧖⧖⧖

After a few days, you received another email, showing the table groups, pricing and dress code for the reunion - it was a cocktail, and you knew your girls were going to try and steal the show. 

Now, the night of the party had come. FRIDAY had helped you design an outfit from your father’s nanites and you watched it crawl onto your body, a simple black suit with a white dress suit. 

You stood nervously by the door and waited for your girls. It was almost time to leave and they were giggling upstairs, no doubt a cause of Wanda’s antics that never failed to make you smile.

One thing you hadn’t told them was your past. 

Their’s, although more traumatic, were much more interesting than yours. Wanda had interacted with an Infinity Stone to get her powers, whilst Natasha had extensive training to get to where she was today. You? You got bullied, teased, absolutely annihilated because of your father and your intellect. 

It wasn’t your fault, you were just… smart. You got A’s on tests without even trying and your projects never failed to wow your teachers. You won the first place award in your science fair regularly whilst being in the band too. You remembered your bullies well, and although you were sure that they had probably left those antics in the past, it didn’t mean it hurt any less.

“Ahem.” 

Broken out of your thoughts, you looked up to see your girls standing at the top of the stairs. Wanda was in a dashing velvet-red suit with a white dress shirt underneath and her hair hanging off of her shoulders beautifully whilst Natasha wore a grey version of the suit, her hair tucked up into a bun.

Your jaw literally fell and they came down the stairs to kiss you softly, their makeup carefully constructed whilst a few hints of magic upon their lips didn’t smudge their handiwork.

“And… there.” Wanda closed your mouth and chuckled.

“You two are gonna be the death of me.” You muttered, getting into the back of the car whilst Natasha sat in the front and Wanda sat next to her.

The car ride was mostly silent, there wasn’t a need for conversation when it was just you three. Presence was all you needed, but you would have liked a distraction from the thoughts rambling in your head. 

What if your bullies were there tonight? Would you react badly? Would you ignore them? What if they tried to talk to you? You couldn’t be childish and just ignore them, that would be rude. But what if they were still like that? 

You were glad to have had the training against telepaths by Wanda as your thoughts were hidden behind that maze, making her unable to hear those daunting questions. Soon, you arrived, and rolling up in a Lamborghini Estoque was your first mistake. 

You stepped out and immediately saw multiple eyes on you, helping Wanda and Natasha out before you closed the doors and locked the car. With the both of them holding your hands, you led them to the entrance and paid the pricing for the three of you. 

“Alright, we do have some name tags for everyone just so that plus ones can mingle without the awkwardness of not knowing names.” The cashier smiled at you three before you walked in.

Immediately, you remembered what the gym used to look like. The updated benches around the basketball court were nothing like the dingy seats you used to have. The courts used to never be painted, now you could see they were being painted weekly.

“Wow! Honey, this is so cool!” Wanda smiled widely as she saw the decorations of blue and gold balloons, ribbons and whatnot. 

“Yeah, very cool.” You answered.

“Hey, are you okay? You seem off.” Natasha’s hand fell to the base of your back but you shook your head, putting on a smile.

“I’m okay.” 

She didn’t believe you, but Wanda was too distracted to help confirm her suspicion. So, she went along and met some of your old friends, glancing at the tables list to find where you would be sitting so she could put her stuff down.

“Babes, I’ll be back.” She spoke to you both as she made her way to your table, finding your labelled names.

She scanned the other places until she bumped into a man sitting down in one of them, jumping away as he chuckled loudly. 

“And who are you? Natasha… nice to meet you, beautiful. I’m Jack.” 

She already didn’t like him. 

“Hi Jack.” She smiled falsely, but he couldn’t tell the difference. 

“Who are you here with?” He asked her, sipping on his beer. 

“Y/N.” She stated, sitting in the empty chair next to him. 

“Pah! You came with them? Really? Didn’t think they’d make any friends after high school.” He shrugged.

“Oh really? Why’s that?” 

“They were just… weird, you know? Too smart for their own good, doing everything but sports.”

“Let me guess, you were the captain of the football team.” 

Jack raised an eyebrow as he eyed Natasha’s chest. “I see Y/N told you about me. Was that the only truth they told?” 

Her eyebrows furrowed. “My partner doesn’t lie to me.” 

“Doesn’t? Or are you too daft to notice?” He smirked, watching her stand and walk towards you.

“Who’s Jack to you?” She asked straight up, interrupting your conversation with an ex-band friend.

She didn’t miss the confused look in your eyes. “There’s a few Jack’s in my class, Tasha.”

She eyed the man at your table but didn’t see your cheeks get drained of colour, turning around too late to see the difference. “Him. Who is he?” 

“H-He’s… He’s, uh, he’s nobody.” You answered slowly, your mouth suddenly dry.

Jack Harlow. The classic dumb jock back when you were younger. You actually had a thing for him before you realised your sexuality and your senses, finding the whole asshole gig to be a serious red flag. 

Natasha noticed your dry mouth before you downed the soda can in your hand - you weren’t planning on following your father’s exact footsteps. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats so we can do memories and fun awards the staff and myself have come up with!” Your favourite teacher cheered.

You remembered your classes with her, how she would always call on you for questions she knew you could answer. Her classroom was your escape at breaks and your home away from home. You took your girls’ hands and led them to their chairs, with Wanda’s fascination peaking as she saw some of your old friends. 

Dinner was served and you thanked the waiter that gave you your meal, admiring it briefly before you began to eat it. You could feel Natasha’s leg tuck against yours and you got confused, following her eyes to see Jack smirking evilly at you.

“Don’t eat too quickly, Y/N. We all remember what you were like back in the day.” He snickered, blushing and alarmed looks coming your way.

“Shut up, Jack.” You grumbled, now picking at your food.

Now Natasha was fuming and Wanda was picking up on it. The witch placed a hand on your shoulder and you looked up at her, seeing a brief flicker of scarlet in her eyes.

*Don’t listen to him. Food is good, my love. Food is fuel for avenging, okay?* 

You nodded and thanked her mentally before you continued to eat, the gesture calming Natasha slightly. She placed her hand on your thigh and smiled when you looked at her, watching a blushing one form on your cheeks. 

*You look stunning tonight, detka (baby). I can’t wait until we get back home and have some cuddle time.* She muttered into your mind and your heart swelled at the mention of it.

*I look forward to it, Tasha.* 

“Alright, everyone, if I could have your attention please?” A woman you recognised as your valedictorian, Kelly, spoke and earned the attention of everyone quickly.

Except for your girls. 

“Now, we have a short video of photos, clips and memories we thought would be nice to share. Dennis, roll the clip!” 

You looked over at the tech station and saw Dennis, an old friend from one of your classes who was genuinely one of the sweetest men you’d met. The lights dimmed and the projection cast itself onto the lowering board, music beginning to play in the background.

Natasha and Wanda glanced at the screen every time you blushed as they knew it was a photo or video of you, but their eyes were on you the whole time. They saw through your little shield as the last photo came up, your eyes darting away whilst theirs turned to the screen. 

It was easily recognisable as Jack throwing flour onto your soaked body.

“Alright, now for the awards!” Kelly chirped into the microphone, starting to hand out awards for Best Dressed, Class Clown, and so on and so forth. 

Wanda looked at you as your eyes were squeezed tightly, fists doing the same. She knew it was what you did when you were blocking certain thoughts, thoughts that she hated. She put her hand on your shoulder and you instantly froze up, your chest tightening beyond control. You stood up quickly and began to walk towards the exit as breathing was getting harder and harder to do. 

“FRI… FRIDAY.” You muttered, gasping for air. 

“Suit forming.” She reported into your ear, your suit of maroon and black tickling over your skin. 

“FRIDAY, what’s… what’s happening to me?” You begged, a soft whine leaving you as you fell onto the sidewalk.

“Mx Stark, you are having a severe panic attack. I am alerting your emergency contacts.” 

Natasha was already after you, getting lost within the hallway until FRIDAY appeared on her phone and guided her to you. Wanda raced out, searching for you by mind, and landed in front of you in your suit. 

“Y/N/N, I need you to open the suit. Please, dorogoy (darling), open it.”

You tried, you really did, but you couldn’t get much out. 

“Manual override: Natalia Romanova, Alpha 4.” Natasha spoke next to you.

“Manual override accepted: Natalia Romanova.” 

“Open the mask, FRIDAY.” 

Their eyes met your wild ones, darting around as you tried to grasp onto something, anything. You heard two clunks until a blurry image of your father knelt in front of you, your mother by his side.

“Y/N/N, we need you to focus. What are five things you can hear?” Tony asked, but Natasha swiped him away lightly.

“That’s not gonna work on them. Y/N, I’m going to touch you now, okay?”

Your vision was starting to go black, but you nodded, trying desperately to focus on the voice. 

“Look at them! Still such a loser!” 

Jack wasn’t supposed to be that voice.

“How did you ever become an Avenger? What, with Daddy’s money? Pfft, and the fact that you’re not straight? What a weirdo. You should be glad you got bullied in high school, and I am forever privileged to be your bully.”

You saw a bright red glow to your right until you felt a pair of lips kissing yours. Your entire chest stopped for all of about five seconds before you felt them slip away, your eyes opening and focusing on the beautiful redhead in front of you.

“H-How’d you do that?” You muttered.

“I, uh… I read once that holding your breath could stop a panic attack. So, when I kissed you… you held your breath.” She explained, checking over you with every touch of her hands. 

“I did?”

“Yeah, you did, baby.” 

You kissed her again before she helped you stand, your super suit materialising back whilst your parents stood in theirs. You looked over as Wanda came back to you, kissing you fervently, and you smirked through the kiss.

“Was somebody worried about me?” You snickered and she lightly hit your shoulder.

“I will always worry about you.” She grumbled before you noticed the red still in her eyes.

You looked up and saw Jack held upside down by several tendrils, blood rushing to his face. You looked back at Wanda with a raised eyebrow and she sulked, bringing him back down again.

“You’re dating an Avenger?!” He screamed, the title bringing out almost everyone in the hall.

“No, Jackie boy, I’m dating two.” You smirked, feeling their arms lace around your waist before you shot into the air, not wanting to stay any longer.

⧖⧖⧖⧖⧖⧖⧖⧖⧖⧖⧖🜃🜂🜁🜄⧖⧖⧖⧖⧖⧖⧖⧖⧖⧖⧖⧖

As you returned to the compound, FRIDAY gave Tony a report on your health and he let you go after he read it. You went back to your room and heard the sound of zippers falling down whilst pyjamas were being pulled up, still staring at the mirror in the corner.

Two arms snaked around your stomach before a chin rested on your shoulder, the taller girlfriend smiling softly at you through the mirror. 

“Cuddle time?” Wanda asked sweetly and you nodded, pressing against the symbol on your chest so that your super suit could sink away and let you put your pyjamas on. 

You turned around and saw both of them waiting eagerly for you, shuffling around so that a gap was in-between them. You slid into it and sighed happily at the warmth they provided, snuggling up so that their bodies were pressed against yours.

“You know… I stole a glance at your award.” Natasha smirked.

“Oh yeah? What did our baby win?” Wanda asked before you could say that you didn’t care.

The Widow looked at you and you rolled your eyes, knowing what was gonna happen. However, her finger between your eyes, stroking down your nose, was not helping you stay awake. 

“Our hearts.”

[shiftingpath]

Exalted Secret Santa, 15th Edition

Hello friends!

It's that time again; time to come together over the winter season to make some art of each other's amazing Exalted characters. If you're an artist in the Exalted fandom, here's what you'll need to participate:

1) A working tumblr account. RSVP to me in an ask, message, reply to this post, confirmation in the reblog tags, etc. so I will know to add you to the list. If you submit under a new handle but have participated before, or if your tumblr name has changed, please note the name of the account you will be posting with for the exchange. I like to make sure repeat participants get different assignments and gifts every year; if you have changed names please just remind me a little, so I can ensure you don't get paired with the same person twice.

2) Post a journal to tumblr by December 10th with the descriptions of the character you would like drawn. Include two or three if you have them to give the person drawing for you more options. Please provide all the physical and relevant details needed to draw the character, and provide a reference picture if at all possible. (A piece of your own art, a commission, a play-by picture, etc.)

Also, if you have any strong aversions or phobias that might be important for a stranger drawing your character, please note that in the journal. (For example: “Silent Vortex of the Storm’s left eye is brilliant white-blue like her anima, but her right eye is lost and that side of her face scarred badly. She always wears her eyepatch and a close-fitting hood. (I’d prefer not to see any graphic eye trauma.)”

Just try to make it as easy as possible for your gifter to draw your character!

Tag your journal with #exalted or #exalted secret santa so I can find it (or message me with a link). Once all the journals are up, I’ll make a post compiling the links to them all so they’re easy to find. I will also send you a message through asks or messages with the name of the person you are assigned to draw for. Please try to get your journal up by the 10th so your gifter will have plenty of time to draw for you.

2) Check your messages or ask box for your assignment. I will have this to you on December 11th if at all possible. Let me know if you’re planning to be unavailable for any major length of time just in case I need to get ahold of you for further details. If you have an emergency and cannot finish the trade in time (for example, your tablet or scanner breaks), let me know asap so I can arrange a replacement. Thank you!

3) Submit a piece of finished artwork by January 14th.  Please tag your submission with the secret santa tag and your giftee’s name if you wish, or I can notify them once it’s up. When all the gifts are posted, I’ll compile them into a single post so we can all get a good look at them.

Let me know by December 10th and I will have your assignments to you within 24 hours if at all possible. Feel free to message me at any time with any questions.

Sorry, I do not accept writing or mechanics submissions for this Secret Santa (though you are welcome to accompany your picture with some text, and of course welcome to host a writing exchange of your own!)

Happy Calibration,

-Path.

[riboism]

yo no soy celoso

pairing: idol!san x f!reader

genre: angst, eventual smut

synopsis: you didn’t expect to run into your ex on the way back to your hotel room.

wc: 4.4k

a/n: feedback is much appreciated! it motivates me to keep writing :)

“yo no soy celoso, pero ¿qui��n e' ese cabrón? dime quién e' ese cabrón. tranquila, no soy psycho. no vo'a hacer un papelón, pero...ouch! mi corazón.”- bad bunny 

“Hey, watch where you’re going!”

San jolted his head up at the angry-looking man in front of him. He had been so focused on his dress shoes that he didn’t notice he walked right into someone.

“S-sorry sir” he stuttered.

The man gave him a look, mumbling to himself as he walked away. San looked around the hotel lobby, hoping nobody saw that. There weren’t a lot of people to begin with since it was already past midnight. He sighed in relief before continuing on with his depressed march back to his suite.

He didn’t know what he expected out of this night. He didn’t even wanna go to the wedding to begin with. Weddings were miserably long occasions. He remembered getting the invitation in the mail, running his fingers over the pretty lace design before mindlessly tossing it on the kitchen table with all the other useless mail. He thought he would just send a nice champagne bottle to his friend in exchange for not attending. He figured his friend would understand given the busy nature of his career and how hard it was to take a day off.

But then he found out you were coming.

Of course, the groom was a mutual friend of yours, why wouldn’t you be coming?

San had rushed back into the kitchen, flipping through the junk mail that thankfully Wooyoung hadn’t thrown out yet. Finally uncovering the laced envelope, he tore it open and put a tick mark next to the RSVP box.

San chuckled at how foolish he was. I mean what did he think was going to happen? That you’d see him, feel guilty about breaking up with him, beg him to take you back (which he’d gladly do), and then live happily ever after?

In reality, nothing had happened. The night was uneventful. He wanted to walk up to you to say hello, ask how you were doing, and tell you that he missed you and that things will be different this time. But all he could do was watch from afar as your arms linked with someone else’s. That hurt. You might as well have grabbed a revolver and shot a bullet through his heart, leaving him to bleed out on the floor. How could you? he thought. How could you move on so quickly? After everything we’ve been through, you just show up with some other guy like we never happened? Did you even miss me? Even just a little?

His heart ached at the sudden realization that there was nothing wrong with you bringing another man into your life. It had been over a year since you broke it off yet he was still hung up on you. Despite his friend's suggestions, he just couldn’t move on with another girl. How could he get back into the game if you were the best prize he’s ever won?

San had no one to blame but himself. His calls came less and less frequently, sometimes he wouldn’t even remember to text back for days. He got busier with comebacks, tours, promotions, and dance practices, but you were always on his mind. How could he explain that to you? How could he convince you to stay when he’s neglected you so much?

His mind reeled back to that fate-less day. You did it over the phone. It was late at night and San was still tired from his schedule. He regretted snapping at you, wishing he could turn back time so that he could go back to that moment and shove his words back into his mouth. He cringed thinking about all the awful things he said to you out of anger. If he could go back, he’d say I’m sorry, please don’t leave me, I’ll do better, we can get through this. But it was too late for that.

The elevator dinged, making him lose his train of thought. He let out a defeated sigh before hopping onto the elevator.

“Wait!” someone called out. San noticed a pair of heels running frantically towards the elevator. Before the doors could close, he held his hand out to let the person in.

“Thank you!” they said, breathless from the runover. San’s chest tightened as he recognized the voice. It was the same girl that was on his mind all night.

He looked at you with wide eyes. He couldn’t believe it. He wondered if he thought about you too much, that this was the reason why you were here with him now. Just his luck.

“Hey” you greeted. He didn’t say anything for a few seconds, only stared with those doe eyes of his. You worried if your hair was messy from the run. You ran her hand over it, gently patting any stray hairs down.

San finally responded. “Where’s that guy you were with?”

You let out an exasperated sigh, annoyed with his lack of composure. “That’s what you want to ask me? We haven’t seen each other in over a year, you don’t come up to me and say hello at the wedding, and now that I’m here with you, that’s the first thing you say to me?”

San’s cheeks glowed red, mentally cursing himself at his poor choice of words. He didn’t know what came over him. He was just so nervous and couldn’t help but blurt out whatever was on his mind without thinking first.

“Y-you could’ve come up and said hello to me first.” Fuck he thought, what the hell is wrong with you San?

Needless to say, you were disappointed. You thought maybe he was more grown-up now, but he proved you wrong. Relieved to hear the elevator stop at your floor, you bid your ex farewell. “Well, it was good seeing you.” The doors parted open and you stepped out, pulling out the keycard from your clutch.

“Wait!” he called, running to catch up with you. You groaned. What does he want now?

“Let me try again. Hi.”

You took a sharp inhale, questioning if it was worth entertaining his third attempt. But he looked more serious now, and a little apologetic, so you thought you’d give him one last try. 

“Hi.”

“How have you been?”

“I’ve been well. You?”

“Oh, you know,” he said, scratching the back of his head, “busy… But I’m holding up just fine.” San wasn’t sure if he believed that himself. The past year had been cloudy, days blended in with each other, and he had a hard time paying attention. Though he’d deny it, you were partly to blame for his lack of focus. “You look great by the way. Haven’t changed at all since the day I last saw you.”

You smiled shyly. “Thanks. Your hair is different.”

“Yeah, I thought I’d try blonde.”

“It’s nice...but I liked your black hair better.”

You both stood in the hall, gazing at each other for a while. He had changed a lot. You noticed his shoulders were broader and he seemed to be a lot more sure of himself. You couldn’t take your eyes off him and neither could he. You missed the way he looked at you. His soft eyes made you feel like you were the only person in the room and that nothing else mattered. You wondered if he was thinking the same thing.

“I uh,” you broke the silence, “I’m glad you’re well San. Really, I am. Anyway, I should go. My rooms over there.” You gave him a nod and turned on your heels. 

“Wait!” he called, stopping you in your tracks again. “Do you have to go? I mean...we should get a drink, catch up more...What do you say?”

You mulled over his suggestion. You knew you shouldn’t.

“It’s so late. The bars are probably closed.”

“I have a nice bottle of Brandy sitting in my room that’s just begging to be opened.”

You raised a brow at his proposal. You weren’t sure what to do. Your head was screaming at you to decline and go to sleep. You were tired from the festivities and you knew that if you agreed to go to his room, it would send him the wrong message. The year apart from San was hard but it did you a lot of good. You’d never forgive yourself for throwing away all that progress. But you had to admit, you did love having his eyes on you, wishing to be under his gaze for a while longer.

“I don’t know San-”

“Come on. Just one drink and a little conversation, nothing more. It’ll be like old times. Besides, I know how much you like brandy.”

You considered his suggestion. You did like brandy. “Fine,” you reluctantly agreed, “just one drink.”

.

.

.

San’s room was enormous. The Presidential Suite, he emphasized. You figured this room was as big as your apartment. Maybe even bigger. 

San poured you a glass which you delightfully took from his hands. “Thanks.”

“Why don’t we sit here.” San gestured to the very elegant-looking sitting area on the other side of the room. You made your way to one of the lounge chairs, careful not to sit down too fast. You had recently gotten a tattoo. It was nothing crazy, just a small delphinium flower on your hip. For a small design, it hurt like hell. You were sure to be careful to not aggravate the already sore skin.  

San poured himself a glass. He was a lot bigger than you remembered. The long sleeves of his dress shirt were now rolled up, revealing his forearm which was decorated with the thin cords of his veins. His sleeves were tight around his bicep, the seams looking like they’d burst at any minute. You quickly looked away, worried he might catch you staring.

San sat down across from you, watching you as you took a sip. “So what have you been up to?”

“Not much. Changed jobs, moved to a new place in the city for it. It’s nice.”

He nodded, setting his glass on the table. “New job, new place, new boyfriend...things are really looking up for you. So what’s his name?”

You held back a laugh. He really wasn’t going to let that go. “You seem to be more interested in him than in me.” 

“That’s not true. Say, where’d he go anyway? Did he really not even think of walking you back to your room? It’s the least he could’ve done.” He picked up his glass again, gulping down some of the dark liquid to calm his nerves.

“Someone sounds jealous” you teased.

“Jealous? Pfft, I’m not jealous. I just wanna know who this guy is.” He took another long sip. As much as he denied it, he was a little jealous. He remembered watching you two dance at the reception. His hands around your waist, lips so close to your ear, whispering what looked like sweet nothings to you. It was enough to make his blood boil. He desperately wanted to get out of his seat and peel him off of you. Worried he might do something psychotic, he decided to leave early, telling the groom and his bride that some important work stuff came up and that he had an early flight back tomorrow morning. 

“He’s a friend from work,” you explained “he’s nice, I thought I’d bring him as my plus one...he plays for the other team, actually...he kinda wanted to see you. He’s a fan. But I think he got nervous with you glaring at him all night.”

San choked on his drink. He sat the glass back on the table, coughing to clear his throat. His cheeks flushed in embarrassment. 

“I-I wasn’t glaring...god, I’m so sorry I just assumed that...” he trailed off, not sure what else to say to you. 

“It’s fine. Just make sure you send me a signed album to give to him.”

“Of course” he agreed. He tried hard not to show his relief after finding out you were still single. You tried hard not to notice. His eyes were fixed on you again, looking at you fondly. You tried to avoid his gaze but failed. His dimples were more pronounced now and his cheekbones were even sharper than you remembered. The thin slit at his brow made him look tough and intimidating, which was the complete opposite of his personality. You always admired how he could look so menacing on stage and then return to his sweet, charming, and awkward self. The eyebrow slits and makeup added to his intense stage persona, but his old self still shined through no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

Your thoughts were interrupted by the sore ache on your hip. You shifted in your seat, trying to get in a position that would alleviate the pain.

“Why are you sitting like that?” San asked.

“Like what?”

“Like this”, he mimicked your weird posture. You sighed, not really wanting to admit the reason why.

“I got a tattoo.”

San’s brow perked up. “You did?”

“Yes. Just yesterday. It hurts.”

“Where is it?”

“On my hip.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah.”

“What is it?”

“A delphini-” you stopped, not wanting to continue. God, why did you say that? you thought. You didn’t realize the significance when getting the tattoo. I mean yes, it was your favorite flower, but you didn’t realize it became your favorite flower after San gave you one when he officially asked you out for the first time. You thought it was strange of him to hand you a bouquet of delphinium flowers when he confessed to you. Usually, you’d give a rose, but he went with these long strands of lilac pinks and periwinkle blues. When you asked him later, he said it was because delphiniums signify joy and that’s how he feels anytime he’s around you. “U-uh, it’s just a flower.” 

San didn’t question you again. A loud silence lingered between you two. It was beginning to get awkward and you tried to think of an excuse to leave. This was a bad idea, you thought. I should’ve stayed in my room, what am I doing here? 

“Lidocaine” San announced, breaking the silence. 

“What?” you asked. 

“Lidocaine. It’s like a numbing spray. I used it when I got my tattoo, although the relief doesn’t last very long.” 

“Oh.” You looked down at your lap, playing with your fingers. “Thanks. I’ll look for that when I go to the pharmacy.” 

Another silence weighed in. You didn’t look back up, but you could feel the warmth of San’s eyes on you. You knew what he was going to say next and you wished you got up and left before he broke your heart again. 

“I miss you.” And just like that, your heart tore wide open at his small, desperate voice. 

“San-”

“Do you miss me?” 

You didn’t know how to answer him. “I missed you all those nights you didn’t call me back.” 

He let out a sigh. “I am sorry for that, y/n. I’m sorry I neglected you for so long. I just thought you’d understand but…” he stopped for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts, “...you deserved better than what I gave you.” 

You didn’t know how badly you needed to hear those words. You loved San, you really did. But your relationship with him wasn’t sustainable. You had to move on before it was too late to leave. “Thank you” you picked at the skin around your fingers, “and I did miss you…for a little bit, afterward.”

Another silence. Neither of you knew what to talk about next. You wanted to ask about the members and the upcoming comeback, but how could you say that after he just told you he missed you? You asked yourself why you agreed to come in the first place, still thinking this was a bad idea. 

“Y/n…”

You hummed in response, still twiddling with your fingers. 

“Y/n…”

You looked up at him finally, which was exactly what he wanted you to do. Your eyes reunited with his soft smiley orbs and you felt yourself melt into the couch. 

“I gotta to see it.” 

You sat up straight. “See what?” 

“The delphinium.” 

Your head spun at his words. You knew what he was really asking for and you weren’t sure if you could do it. 

“San…”

“Oh please, won’t you show me?” He looked at you with doting eyes that made it hard to say no. After a long back and forth with San, you finally caved in. You stood up, hesitating before pulling one side of your dress over your hip. You pulled the waistband of your underwear down to reveal the bruised skin. 

“It’s still healing.” You pouted at the swollen red spot.

“Come closer, I can’t see that far.” You don’t know why you listened to him. You could’ve said this was stupid and stormed out of there. But you obeyed his order, slowly walking up to show him your ink. You gulped as you watched his hand reach out to touch you. He gently caressed your red skin with his thumb, making you whimper at his touch. His eyes darted up at you as his hands went further down to where they weren’t supposed to be. 

“San” you breathed out. If you were thinking straight, you’d pull away from him and leave immediately, but something about the familiarity of his fingertips brushing up and down your sides made your legs jelly and unable to move. 

San shushed you before pressing his lips against your tattoo. You gasped at the feeling of his plush lips on your red hot skin. His kisses trailed up to your belly, hanging around the top of your underwear. He pulled on your waistband with his teeth, the elastic snapping back against your skin as he let go. He still had his eyes on you, waiting for your permission to go further. There were a million voices in your head telling you to stop, but you didn’t listen to a single one. Reading the defeated look on your face, San sprung up to his feet. His fingers wrapped around the back zipper of your dress, slowly pulling it down. He pulled the straps down your shoulders, letting your attire fall around your feet. He tilted your chin up, staring salaciously at your lips. The space between you two disappeared as he pushed his lips onto yours. You couldn’t help but moan into the kiss, realizing how much you missed having his lips on you. You were drowning in him, feeling as if you two were picking up from where you left off. 

He picked you up and you wrapped your legs around him like instinct. He walked over to his bed, gently placing you on top of his silk sheets, making sure not to break the kiss. He helped you undo your bra before gently pushing you down against the bed. His soft eyes turned hungry as he took in every detail of you. 

“You're so pretty baby” he sighed. He adored the way you looked at this moment. So soft and ready for him.

San got on his knees, pushing your legs apart for him. He was shirtless now and you couldn’t help but admire the broadness of his bare shoulders. He ran a finger over your clothed heat, making you tremble at his touch. Laughing softly at your reaction to his touch, he began rubbing slow circles over your clit. You were getting wet and it was only a matter of time before San sees the wet spot on your underwear. 

San clicked his tongue at the pool of arousal now staining your underwear. He pulled them to the side, revealing your puffy lips. He pressed a soft kiss onto your pussy lips, satisfied with the way you flinched at his touch. He flattened his tongue, slowly dragging it over your cunt. He let out a moan before you could, now lapping at your heat. 

“I missed your taste” he sighed into your cunt. Spreading your lips, San latched his onto your clit, sucking hard at the bud. 

You tried your best not to cry out, worried the people next door will hear. Seeming to hear your thoughts, San reassured you. “There’s no one else on this floor, so don’t hold back. I wanna hear those moans baby, it’s been too long.” 

He sucked on your bud harder, forcing a shaky moan out of your lips. You felt him smile into your cunt. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed those sounds baby.” 

You choked out a sob when he pulled away from your heat. He left a trail of kisses from your hip, to your stomach, and finally up to your bare chest. His tongue flicked at your hardened nipple, and you moaned again as you felt him tease your clit with his cock. 

“San please” you whimpered, wanting him to cut the bullshit and just fuck you already. 

“Hang on...you know I like to take my time with you.” It was true, San wasn’t one for quickies. Fucking you was an all-day event for him. He loved kissing every inch of your body, getting you warmed up from his tongue or his fingers (sometimes both) and once you become a good enough mess for him, he’d finally give in and give you his cock. Only, he’d fuck you way past your orgasm, laughing at your hazy expression as you cried that you couldn’t take it anymore. And he would tease you endlessly over it. What do you mean baby? I thought you said you wanted to cum?

Growing more and more impatient as he teased your entrance with his tip, you pushed him off of you, overtaking him and sitting on his stomach. He gave you that devilish grin of his as you steadied your legs around him. You desperately wanted to rub yourself on his abs, but you wanted his cock more. You were surprised he didn’t stop you as you grabbed his cock, laying it against your stomach, giving him languid strokes. He laid back, mouth hung open, already looking fucked out from your ministrations. You sank down, swallowing his hardness until there was no more of him to take. 

“Still fit me like a glove” he chuckled, before groaning as your walls clenched around him. “Fuck, did you get tighter?” 

Ignoring his remarks, you set a slow and steady pace. San sighed, hypnotized by your breasts bouncing over him. His hands gripped onto your waist, grunting every time you came down on him. 

“Fuck…fuck me like this baby.” He sat up and grabbed onto you tighter, now controlling your movements. He was stronger now, able to push you up and down his shaft like you were just a mere fleshlight. 

“Sannie!” you sobbed, feeling hazy from him massaging your walls like this. You grabbed onto his broad shoulders, bracing yourself as shoved his hard cock deep inside of you at an unforgiving pace. 

His lips were pressed up to your ear and you could feel his hot shaky breaths on your skin. “Again,” he commanded, “say it again…I love how you say my name.” 

You rambled his name over and over like it was the only word you knew how to say. You were coming apart, your eyes pressing shut as you felt your abdomen heat up. He was close too, you could tell because he was losing his hold on you, slowing down significantly. 

“Where do you want me?” his voice strained as your walls squeezed him tighter. 

“Cum inside me please Sannie, fill me up.”

And just like that, you felt a wave of pleasure overtaking you as he filled you up to the brim. He cursed in a shattered breath, pulling you closer to him as you both rode out your orgasms. Breathless, San’s head fell into the crook of your neck, placing soft kisses on your shoulder. Neither of you wanted to move and continued to stay in that position for some time before falling asleep.

.

.

.

A pearly glow illuminated the sky, the sunlight still absent as the sun hadn’t risen yet. San was laying beside you in a deep slumber. You always thought he looked so peaceful when he was asleep. His lips were parted slightly and his hair tousled perfectly over his head. You ran your fingers through his soft locks, careful not to wake him. You wanted to stay in bed with him, to watch him until he yawned and fluttered his eyes open, but you knew you couldn’t. You had to go before he would wake up or else he’d make it hard for you to leave again. 

You slowly unwrapped yourself from the comforter, using your elbows to sit up. Your leg hung over the edge of the bed, about to stand up until you felt a hand grab your wrist. You gasped, turning back to see San wide awake. 

“Don’t” he whispered, “don’t leave.” He looked at you with pleading eyes as you formulated your response. 

“San…” 

“Don’t say my name like that. Don’t do that.” You couldn’t tell for sure from the dim light coming in through the curtains, but his eyes looked wet.

“Last night was great,” you began “but us…San, we weren’t meant to last.” 

He moved closer to you, taking both of your hands into his. “Yes we were…I’ll prove it to you. I swear, this time will be different, just please don’t walk through that door.” 

You wanted to believe him. But you knew better. Of course, if you took him back, things will go well. But eventually, the same problems will resurface and you couldn’t handle being an afterthought again. 

Slipping your hands out of his, you cupped his face and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. 

“I love you” he cried as you pulled away. 

“You’ll get over it in time.” You didn’t mean to sound so cold, but one of you had to try and not be a sobbing mess. 

He watched you as you dressed yourself. He wanted to protest more, but his throat tightened, making it hard to produce any more sounds. Although you tried to hide it, you so desperately wanted to cry in his arms and never let go. You loved him more than he could ever imagine, more than he ever loved you. But the circumstances were different and this was all for the best, you told yourself. 

Walking to the door, you paused before placing your hand on the knob. 

“You’re wrong,” San said from his place on the bed, “I’ll never get over you.” 

Not looking back, you took a deep breath and pulled the door open.

taglist: @hyuckilstan​

please let me know if you want to be removed from the taglist. if you would like to join the taglist, please make sure your age is visible on your blog before asking me (18+ only).

[cerealmonster15]

For the date ideas post, may I slip a note under your door that says Idikei? K bye! 🏃‍♀️

HELLO. this ended up being way longer than i planned initially JFKDLSJKLF sorry it took forever but also THANK YOU for the suggestion i LOVE IDIKEI i'm so glad i had reason to make myself sit and write for them!

This was written as a prompt from this post! I asked for someone to suggest a ship, and I would randomly draw numbers for the rest of the categories. I pulled:

Date type: Wedding date

Date idea: Getting ice cream[x] and strolling through a park

How the date is going: Super romantic

I may have taken some liberties with the prompts LOL but the overall vibe is there.

[Ao3 Link]

Title: Blue Raspberry Mango

Word Count: 5,224

Rating: G

Summary: Idia absolutely cannot show up to Azul's wedding while he's still single. Can you IMAGINE the obnoxious gloating he'd have to endure? Good thing his best buddy Cater Diamond is willing to help him avoid such a perilous fate!

“Oh my god, Trey,” Cater sighed between bites of risotto, “No one does it like you! I miss your cooking SO much!”

“Cater, don’t talk with your mouth full,” Riddle chided from across the table, but smiled nonetheless. “I suppose that means you’ll just have to come visit us more often, doesn’t it?”

“You know our door is always open for you,” Trey agreed.

“Provided you call first,” Riddle added. “It’s good manners.”

Cater laughed. He was glad his job in photography allowed him to travel around and ultimately landed him in the Queendom of Roses for most of his work. He’d never expected that he’d see so much of his old friends after graduation  and yet… Here he was, years later, sitting at the dinner table with two of his best friends in the entire world.

“Ooh, speaking of getting together for some mingle time,” Cater said, a grin spreading wide across his face as he spoke. “Did you guys get the invite to Jamil and Azul’s wedding!?”

“We did.” Trey stood for a moment to step into the living room, returning shortly with a familiar card that he placed on the table. “Riddle already sent our RSVP, of course. You’re going too, I assume?”

“So punctual!” Cater winked at Riddle, then nodded. “And OBVI. Cay-Cay’s not about to miss a once in a lifetime event like this! Idia says Azul’s inviting practically everyone from our NRC days. Something about wanting to ‘flaunt his happy marriage to everyone that doubted him,’ or something like that. You know how Azul loves his theatrics.”

“Ugh, yes,” Riddle scrunched up his nose, “I’m sure Azul will love reminding me - again - how he and Jamil managed to schedule a wedding before Trey and I have.”

Trey chuckled, pressing a kiss to the top of Riddle’s head on his way back into the kitchen to retrieve dessert. “You know it’s not a competition.”

“It is to Azul, and he certainly believes he’s winning,” Riddle sighed, but then turned his focus back to Cater. “And how is Idia doing? I imagine you’re one of the few that he willingly keeps in contact with from NRC these days, yes?”

Cater nodded, a sense of pride filling in his chest at the acknowledgement that Cater was, in fact, one of the rare people Idia spent time talking with. On PURPOSE, even! “I sure am! He’s chill doin’ his thing over at S.T.Y.X. with Ortho. He still games with Lils on the ‘reg, and I think he and Azul do these, like, speedy flash matches on Chess.com? I don’t know if they even talk to each other. I think they just like the thrill of trying to digitally kill each other or whatever.”

Still, gaming and asserting dominance over virtual board games was practically the social pinnacle when it came to Idia Shroud.

Riddle raised a curious eyebrow. “Chess… Dot com…?”

Cater already had his phone out. “I’ll send you the link, and I'll get Idia and Azul’s usernames for you. I bet they’ll be thrilled to have a fresh opponent.” 

He pulled his phone out, despite Riddle’s unspoken no texting at the dinner table rule, and sent a quick text to Idia.

Cater: heyyy whats ur chess.com username or w/e + also azuls

To which Idia replied almost instantly, as he tended to do with Cater whenever he wasn’t physically too busy to multitask.

Idia: no way ur actually signing up for chess.com unprompted. whats it for

Idia: also ew why azul lol

Cater huffed a small laugh through his nose at the incoming messages while he sent the website link to Riddle, and then swapped back to Idia’s messages.

Cater: lol u know me so well bestie ~ it’s for riddle!

Cater: cmooooon u know u and azul would have fun doin one of those speedster rounds with him lol

Idia: they’re called bullet rounds 😑 w/e ya i’ll txt u the info

Idia: or yknow. he could wait to get it at the wedding. 👀👀👀

Cater gasped out loud, followed by a squeak of delight, causing both Trey and Riddle to look at him curiously.

“Whatever’s happening on your phone must be very interesting,” Trey said, “because you haven’t even glanced at the plate in front of you.”

There was, in fact, a new plate in front of Cater. A plate with a beautifully sliced, dark chocolate tart, topped with fresh strawberries and raspberries. A compromise, of course, as Trey trained himself in the art of locating more semisweet desserts back at NRC, so Cater wouldn’t feel completely shut out when it was time to bring dessert to the table. 

A subtle reminder to Cater that he was very loved by his dear friend.

“Aw, sorry Trey!” Cater set his phone down and took a bite of the tart. Perfectly balanced flavors, as always. “I just got excited! Sounds like Idia’s able to make it to Azul’s wedding after all. We weren’t sure ‘cause of his schedule, but I guess he managed to clear things up in time!”

“That’s good,” Riddle said, a light smirk forming across his face, “because I think we all know Azul would never let Idia hear the end of it if he failed to show.”

Cater’s phone lit up again, another text from Idia displayed for all to see.

Idia: ummmm ahem nows the part where u ask me if i cleared my schedule so i could go ( which ya i did) so that i can smoothly lead in2 asking u for a favor

Idia: cmon cay stay on the ball 🙄 

Riddle sighed. “Why don’t you just call him? There’s no use pretending you aren’t distracted by his texts going off every few seconds. It’s faster.”

Cater COULD argue that he and Idia weren’t exactly ‘callers’ so much as ‘texters’ or ‘video chatting in the privacy of their own homes while multitasking on six other activities’, but… He figured it was best not to start a disagreement with Riddle of all people.

After about three rings, Idia answered. “I-it’s not such a big favor that you needed to call me…” he sheepishly mumbled into the receiver.

Cater smiled. Idia was always so shy in the first few seconds of a call, planned or not. “Yeah, yeah, but I don’t wanna bug Riddle and Trey with my constant text notifs-”

“You know how to put your phone on silent.”

“Idiaaa…” Cater pouted, and though Idia couldn’t see his face, he could definitely hear it in Cater’s tone. “Just tell me what’s up?”

Idia exhaled a long, drawn out, dramatic sigh, before responding. “‘Kay, fine, whatever. Basically, I need you to LARP as my player 2 at Azul’s wedding. Y’know, secret stealth mission style.”

A long pause.

“...Huh?” Cater eloquently replied. “Um, what?”

“Uuughhh, this is why I didn't wanna have to explain out looouuud,” Idia groaned. “Listen. You know Azul. I know Azul. The dude invented the concept of being an insufferable, smug little bitch.”

That last comment pulled a full laugh out of Cater. “OMG, Idia, if that’s the kind of stuff you say about your besties, I’d hate to hear you tell me about your enemies!”

As if Cater hadn’t heard endless gamer rants time and time again about randos online that Idia felt personally wronged and slighted by. He knew exactly how cutting and fired up Idia could get, so by comparison, Idia was being gentle with Azul.

“LOL, Azul’s no bestie - but N-E-Way, circling back to the prime objective… Um…” Idia’s voice grew quieter as he cleared his throat. “What I’m saying is… There’s a 100% chance Azul’s gonna rub his stupid new marriage in my face, like, ‘Ohh, Idia, still single, are you? Wow, what’s that like? Can’t relate, Jamil and I are sooo happy in our stupid normie marriage, here come look at my ring did you see my ring-’ like, DUH I saw the stupid ring! He only emailed me a billion pictures of it!”

EMAIL?! Cater bit back a laugh. That was so on-brand for Azul.

“So, uh, anyway…” Idia resumed his mumbly, more reminiscent of NRC days tone of voice. “I wanna… Lie. W-With you.”

WHA-

“N-N-Not like, physically!” Idia quickly followed up before Cater could interject. “I mean, like, deceit! Lies and slander but without the slander! I want you to pretend to be my wedding date!”

“Your… Your wedding date?” Cater repeated, earning a couple of curious glances from Trey and Riddle. “Wait, what? You want me to pretend to be your date just so Azul doesn’t think you’re single?”

Trey raised an eyebrow. Riddle furrowed his brows together with a frown.

Cater pretended not to see.

“Exactly!” Idia responded with a sigh of relief that Cater was still following. “If he thinks I have a new b-boyfriend, he’ll have slightly less reason to be annoying towards me specifically! And it has to be believable anyway, right? You’re one of the few people I still talk to post-grad, so…”

It also didn’t hurt that Cater would be high up in Idia’s top 10 list of prettiest guys to ever graduate from NRC. And NO, it didn’t matter who the other nine on that list were, thank you very much.

“Well, for one, I’m totes flattered,” Cater said. “But, d’you think we’d be able to pull something like that off?”

“Cater!” Riddle interrupted. “You cannot seriously be considering-!”

“Shh,” Trey softly interrupted Riddle’s interruption. “Let’s see where they go with it, first.”

Riddle relented with a pout, leaning into Trey’s shoulder and watching Cater closely.

Idia huffed into the receiver. “What, because the Riddle Police is gonna expose us before we even try?”

“Aw, nooo, Riddle can keep a secret! Right, Riddle?” Cater covered the phone with his hand and offered Riddle and Trey his best, sweetest, pleading smile - complete with as much eyelash fluttering he could muster on the spot. A classic Cater Diamond move.

Riddle and Trey both sighed at the all-too familiar sight. 

“Cater,” Trey said, “You can’t weasel your way out of every situation with a cute face.”

“Ooh, is that a challenge?” Cater winked, then dissolved into giggles as Riddle crossed his arms and continued to pout at him.

“I don’t exactly feel right about you two lying for such frivolous reasons, but… I can’t say I don’t fully… Understand.” After all, having graduated alongside Azul, Riddle just might understand better than anyone why they might feel tempted to go about such a way to avoid Azul’s smug tendencies. “Just don’t expect Trey or me to carry any outlandish stories for either of you!”

“Yay!” Cater cheered, uncovering the receiver and speaking back into the phone. “No biggie, Idia. We’re all good over here!”

“Wait, so you’re in, then!?” Idia asked. He hadn’t really expected this to go so well, but he figured if anyone would be willing to hear him out, it would be Cater. He was always down for a fun shenanigan, after all, but still… “I kinda thought I’d have to do a little more convincing, TBH. I even wrote a speech-”

“Lemme hear it anyway!”

“No!” Idia shouted. “You already agreed, so no take-backs!”

Cater giggled. “Hehe, alright, alright! Let’s do a vid call when I get home later, and we can start planning our coordinated outfits!”

–

The wedding itself was beautiful, obviously. Cater and Idia wondered just how much bickering likely went on behind the scenes for Jamil and Azul to find a compromise between Azul’s need for an extravagant, flashy-yet-tasteful, show-off wedding, and Jamil perhaps wanting something more lowkey and humble.

Or, perhaps they truly both wanted to show off to their former classmates, as the wedding ultimately ended up very ‘cammable, as Cater made sure to tell Idia every five minutes. 

“God, did you see these centerpiece flowers?” Cater giggled between sips of champagne as he clutched Idia’s arm and tugged him over to a nearby table. He nearly spilled the glass on his shirt trying to pull his phone out of his pocket, and was saved only by Idia reaching over to pluck the champagne flute from his hand and finish drinking it himself. 

“Heh, failed your dex saving throw,” Idia grinned. “And yeah, I saw those same flowers when you pointed them out ten minutes ago.”

“Uh, ‘scuse me for getting excited about all the photo ops, babe.”

Idia rolled his eyes at the obvious teasing, but a few giggles spilled from his mouth all the same. Surely it was due to the champagne that he felt so lighthearted and giddy, despite being trapped at such a bustling social event.

“Well, well…” The familiar voice of Azul Ashengrotto called out from behind the pair as he and Jamil - arm in arm, much like Idia and Cater - approached. “It would seem that your message wasn’t full of baseless fabrications just to try and distract me from our active chess match after all, hmm?”

Cater couldn’t hold back from openly, loudly laughing. “Wait- Idia, did you for realsies RSVP to their wedding over Chess.com?!”

“Yes, he did,” Jamil sighed. 

“Oh, don’t act like it didn’t make you laugh too, my dear.” Azul patted Jamil on the arm, to which Jamil responded with a snort and roll of his eyes. 

“That being said,'' Azul continued, “I really couldn’t believe it until I saw it for myself in person. You two really did end up together after all, then?'' His piercing gaze shifted from Idia to Cater, and then back to Idia with a growing, devilish grin. “Your cute little high school crush never faded after all these years?”

Idia gasped. Oh, he should've known this was the route Azul would take the second he didn’t have a chance to gloat about Idia being single. Of course Azul wouldn’t forget about the forbidden knowledge he collected back in the olden days of NRC. An elephant - or in this case, an octopus - never forgets! And this particular octopus still had that stupid, smug grin on his face that Idia was so hoping to avoid.

But, there truly was no avoiding smugness when Azul Ashengrotto was involved; both Idia and Cater were fools if they thought they could prove otherwise.

And speaking of Cater, his gasp was even louder than Idia’s. “OMG. A crush!? You had a crush on me when we were in school?”

Idia instinctively reached for the hood that he was not wearing. Curse these fancy wedding clothes and their stupid, hoodless collars… “U-um! So what if I did?!”

“You never told me!” Cater huffed with the PUFFIEST cheeks he could muster. Trey and Riddle could say what they want, but his cute pouts were his most powerful weapon! … After his unique magic, probably.

“The poor thing thought you were dating Trey for the longest time,” Azul interjected, clearly pleased with the direction this conversation had gone. Idia’s flustered look of betrayal was more than satisfying.

“Wh-!? I literally TOLD YOU when Trey started dating Riddle!” 

“Okay, well, I thought you three had some sort of secret polycule hidden route thing going on in your IRL VN of a life!” Idia huffed, crossing his arms in what was probably a more adorably huffy look than he intended. 

“Oh? What’s the matter?” Azul asked, his smarmy grin not faltering in the slightest. “You’re together now, are you not? No need to be so embarrassed… Right?”

Oh. So that’s how it was. Azul was a doubter and a HATER, huh?

“Ugh,” Idia grumbled. “Anyone would get embarrassed when you go aggro-mode like that with forbidden lore of the past!” He reached for Cater’s hand as he spoke, and gripped it firmly in defiance of Azul’s stupid smug face. 

“Um, yeah, totes!” Cater returned his friendly, dazzling smile to his face. “Besides, I think it’s cute. Look how far we’ve come!”

“Maybe your wedding will be next, then.” Jamil said, a tiny smirk tugging on his lips as Idia once again failed to hide his jittery reaction. 

“Oh, please,” Cater laughed. “I think Riddle might actually kill me if we cut ahead of him and Trey.”

“Oh, yes, of course,” Azul chuckled. “And how long have those two been engaged, again?”

“UUGGHHH,” Cater groaned with every ounce of drama he could muster. “Don’t rush them! You KNOW Riddle isn’t gonna cut a single corner when it comes to having the perfect wedding!”

“Well, I’d say we managed to do so quite efficiently,” Azul said, not even pretending to be humble. “I couldn’t afford to waste time, after all. I wanted to marry the love of my life as soon as possi-”

“God, you’re so cringe, Azul,” Idia interrupted, crinkling his nose at Azul’s shameless, sappy proclamations of love for his partner while he and Cater were still standing RIGHT THERE! 

Cater decided that perhaps this was his and Idia’s cue to escape the conversation. “Um! Y’know what, Idia?” He said, starting to tug Idia in the opposite direction. “I totally feel inspired by their lovey-dovey vibes. Let’s go dance!”

“Wh-!” Idia’s protests dissolved in his throat as Cater swiftly pulled him through the crowd and back to the dance floor. Idia, of course, complained, but when Cater asked him if he’d rather dance together or go back and continue talking to Azul, the protests quickly stopped.

And so they danced - Cater led Idia through a range of more traditional dances that Riddle taught him over the years, and plenty of modern dance trends that Cater practiced through watching hours of viral Magicam videos. Idia, though nervous at first, soon forgot his fear of prying eyes as he and Cater got lost in the moment together. Cater wasn’t the only one with dances to teach, after all! Idia made sure to show Cater just how much he learned through all his hours of watching idol group music videos.

Perhaps their dancing strayed a bit from the theme of the actual music playing, but that didn’t matter to them. Idia and Cater had fun off to the side in their little pocket of the dance floor together, occasionally joined by a former classmate now and then, or pausing to make conversation. It really WAS  an NRC reunion, intentional or not.

And it was exciting! Exciting… And really, really draining.

“...Idi-BB,” Cater sighed, draping an arm around Idia’s shoulders and leaning against him with a few exhausted pants. “I’m, like, so spent from all our hardcore grooving. Y’’wanna go outside for some fresh air and a sensory break?”

“Yes,” Idia wheezed, nodding with equally exhausted enthusiasm. 

The two promptly fled the scene, getting themselves out of the crowded venue and across the street to a quiet little park that was decorated with seasonal lights and flowers.

“Azul and Jamil really know how to pick a location,” Cater murmured as he and Idia walked under an arch of twinkling lights and found their way to a bench. “Even the nearby lots are top-tier photogenic. It looks like there’s even some kind of night market going on at this park.”

“Just what we need,” Idia complained, “MORE activities.”

“Hey, c’mon, at least over here we don’t have the obligation to talk to anyone. No familiar faces at a random market! And besides…” Cater pointed towards one of the trucks with pretty lights and colorful signage. “That one looks like it’s selling ice cream!”

“You don’t even like ice cream!”

“But you do…” Cater mumbled, and then grinned. “Plus, ice cream from vendors always looks super pretty. So, like, you get a sweet treat, and I get sweet pics! It’s a win-win, really.” 

“Do you ever take a day off your photographer brain?”

“Absolutely not. The ‘cam life was simply my calling, as my professional website can show you. I still can’t believe Azul didn’t even ask to hire me for wedding photos, TBH.”

“You wouldn’t’ve wanted to,” Idia said, slowly standing up and inching over to the ice cream truck-slash-booth. “Azul would have crazy annoying standards and requests, and would no doubt try and squeeze out a ‘friends and family’ discount from you.”

“Ugh, totes,” Cater shook his head, walking alongside Idia towards the truck “I’d rather take it easy and enjoy the event as a guest, anyway. Much more fun!”

He paused for a moment, peering at the menu. “Looks like they've got some flavors based on the Great Seven - Ooh, OMG, you should get that one!” 

Idia looked at the menu item Cater pointed at and read it aloud. “...King of the Underworld Cone: Mango and Habanero Sorbet, topped with blue raspberry syrup and chili-lime flakes, and served in a blue raspberry cone.”

“I love a good mango-chili combo! And the colors are perfectly coordinated to match our hair. You’ve gotta get it so we can take a cute selfie under the lights!”

Idia sighed, but pulled out his wallet as Cater ordered it for him. It DID sound pretty good, so he wasn’t going to fight it. He allowed Cater to hold the cone and pull him back over to the bench, pull him in close, and finally snap the photo before he finally got to try the ice cream.

“Jeeze, you seriously haven’t let up on the selfie-taking all evening,” Idia said between licks. “It really is like we’re back at school.” He held the cone out to Cater, tilting his head and silently offering him a taste.

“Aw, c’mon!” Cater paused, eyeing the ice cream suspiciously for a movement before lowering his head and giving it a tiny, curious lick. “...Ooo, spicy! That’s not bad.” He smiled, then turned back to his phone to text Idia the photo. “And anyway, I’ve def let up on the selfies these days, especially since I take pics for a living now.” Cater supplemented his statement with yet another pout. “Besides, today was a special occasion! Like, hello? It’s a WEDDING, and there were a ton of people I haven’t seen in years!”

Cater reached over to boop Idia on the tip of his nose. “Like you, mister! You live so far away and with such a complex job, I haven’t seen you in, like, LITERALLY forever…” He sighed, dropping his head onto Idia’s shoulder.

It was a warm and familiar sensation to the both of them. Near the end of their time at NRC, the two spent many a late night in Idia’s room binge watching anime or pop idol music videos together, which almost always ended with Cater laying half asleep propped against Idia’s side. The first three dozen times it happened, it would send Idia into a silent, internal freak out spiral, but through the exposure therapy of Cater’s consistent sleepiness, he eventually not only grew used to the feeling, but started to yearn for it on nights he watched shows alone.

“...Tell Riddle and Trey to hurry up on their wedding planning, then,” Idia mumbled into his ice cream. “If I know about it early enough, it’d be easier to fit into my busy boss-lord schedule.”

Cater’s ears perked up. “Oh? Would you really go to their wedding?! I know you weren’t as close to Riddle and Trey as you are with Azul … But then again, I guess you have been playing those online chess matches with Riddle ever since we signed him up.”

“Never doubt a warrior’s bond over a chess board,” Idia snickered. “A-And, uh, yeah. I’d go, but… Only ‘cause I know we’d get to see each other again, or whatever… O-Ortho would probably want to go, anyway, so… Might as well.”

“Aww!” Cater picked his head up to beam at Idia, eyes shining with delight. “You better promise! ‘Cause I WILL be there, and I’ll be on official photographer duty, so you should start planning your perfect outfit now. There’s no hiding from this professional shutterbug!”

“Wha-?” Idia scrunched his eyebrows together in confusion. “Weren’t you just saying you were glad you didn’t have to put up with Azul’s picky perfectionism and just wanted to enjoy being a guest? You don’t seriously think Riddle Rosehearts would be any less difficult a client than Azul, do you?”

Cater laughed. “Oh, don’t worry, Idia. you’re forgetting one very crucial detail!”

“...What’s that?”

“Riddle is my bestie, and I love him.”

Idia burst out laughing, quickly covering his mouth to avoid spewing blue and orange droplets everywhere. “The power of friendship is gonna save you from Teapot Tyrant meltdowns?”

“Hey!” Cater protested. “I’ll have you know that Riddle is MUCH more mellow these days-”

“Heh. You should see the chat logs from our last chess match.”

“Oh my god,” Cater rolled his eyes. “ANYWAY, I’ll have you know I’m the perfect person for the role. Trey and I stood by Riddle’s side for two years running Heartslabyul and herding underclassmen around. Riddle trusted my aesthetic eye when it came to setting up tea parties, and I earned that role, thank you very much! I’m a trained professional in both photography AND Riddle de-escalation tactics.”

Idia laughed again as Cater dropped his head back down onto his shoulder. Really, he couldn’t argue with that logic. After Trey, Cater really was the only other person from their school days that knew how to handle the ins and outs of a Riddle Rosehearts tantrum.

Still, a lot had changed over the years…

“...Did you really have a crush on me when we were in school?”

Idia nearly choked on the half-crunched cone that he just shoved into his mouth. “WH- GHK- CATER!” 

Cater quickly sat up again and started patting Idia on the back while he coughed up blue chunks. “OMG- Don’t you dare die on me before giving me an answer!”

A few more coughs and wheezes, a rough swallow of ice cream remains, and then Idia finally spoke again. “...Ugh... Hey, what’s with the sneak attack!? Don’t you think I took enough psychic damage when Azul brought that up earlier?!”

“No!” Cater huffed. “Because you never even told me! Why’d I have to find out from AZUL?”

“B-B-Because…” Idia stammered, “Why would- I told you I thought you were dating Trey and kind of also Riddle back then! And there was also that one time you came over to hang out after you’d been to a party in Pomefiore, and you told me you kissed Rook Hunt!”

Cater gasped. “OMG, I can’t believe you remember that. I almost don’t remember that!”

“Of course I remember!” Idia took his turn to pout, now that the ice cream cone was finally finished and no longer a hazard to his theatrics. “I had a huge crush on you! OBVIOUSLY I’m gonna sit and agonize endlessly over every little detail you told me about your love life - and also my own headcanons to your love life, apparently. You were my super hot best friend and I was the school shut-in!”

Cater gasped. “You thought I was hot?”

“I still think  you’re hot!” Idia shouted, and then slammed his hands over his mouth as his eyes blew wide open and the tips of his hair flushed into a bright shade of pink, flaming wisps dancing wildly around his face.

Cater stared silently back at Idia with equally wide eyes as silence filled the air between them.

Idia promptly spent the next ten seconds planning out how he could escape and have Ortho help him fake his own death, only to be interrupted by Cater speaking again.

“...It’s kinda like the universe is playing a trick on us, don’tcha think?” 

When Idia’s only response was more panicked stares, Cater continued. “Um, like… Neither of us was really ever the type to seriously ask someone out, y’know? So we were both just… Sitting on our feelings.”

Idia finally managed to find his voice again as he squeaked out a reply. “Wh-?! Both? ‘O-our’ feelings?! You never-!”

“Ugh, Idia, please,” Cater grabbed Idia by the shoulders and turned him so they were facing each other. “I fell asleep on your shoulder WAY more times than I’ve ever gotten sleepy hanging out with Trey, and he and I were roomies for two years straight!”

“...How many times did you fall asleep on Tr-”

“NOT important! Just- Listen…” Cater closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. He slid his hands down from Idia’s shoulders to his hands, then opened his eyes and looked at Idia very seriously. “...I… Also still think you’re hot.”

“Wh- Don’t make fun of me!” Idia shrieked, his face now matching the color of the tips of his hair as he attempted - unsuccessfully - to wiggle his way out of Cater’s grasp.

“Sorry, sorry, I couldn’t help it!” Cater giggled, tugging Idia closer. “But I'm not making fun, I swear! You really are still a Grade-A hottie after all these years!”

Idia paused his squirming to glance sideways at Cater. “..Enough to kiss me instead of Rook at a party?”

Cater gasped in shock, and it was Idia’s turn to laugh. 

“IDIA! You’re so much bolder these days, jeeze….” A sly grin spread across Cater’s face, and he leaned closer. “But, y’know… We ARE at a wedding party, and Rook is one of the guests.

Idia went quiet again, freezing in place as he watched Cater’s face move closer.

“Totes within kissable range if we went back, I guess… But I kinda don’t wanna get on Vil and Leona’s bad side, y’know?”

He leaned in closer, and hoped Idia couldn’t hear the anxious hammering of his heart against his chest.

“And… You’re a lot closer… And a lot cuter, TBH…”

Cater paused, averting his eyes to the side. Waiting. 

The offer was on the table, and it was up to Idia what happened next. The following five seconds stretched across what felt like eons to them both as Idia focused all his energy on trying not to literally pass out on the bench and take Cater down with him, or get overwhelmed by the possibility that if he DID kiss Cater, Cater might immediately throw up all over him and run away screaming. Really, it wasn’t that he didn’t WANT to kiss Cater, but what if he died? What if they both died!?

Well, they didn’t die. The agonizing seconds passed, but Idia decided that if he DID die, he’d rather go out knowing what Cater Diamond’s lips felt like against his, even if just one time. 

The kiss itself was quick, but had the weight of ten thousand hammers crashing into their walls of repressed feelings built up over several years.

Idia pulled back first, watching Cater cautiously for any signs of nausea.

But, Cater smiled at him, a nervous giggle bubbling from his lips. “That was-”

“BIG BROTHER? CATER DIAMOND? WHERE ARE YOU!?” Ortho Shroud’s shouted out in the distance from the direction of the wedding venue.

Oh, shit. How long had they been hiding out at that park, again?

“We… We should probably… Go back…” Idia mumbled.

“Y-yeah…” Cater slowly backed off of Idia, face flushed, but had not let go of his hands. “We… We should talk tonight, yeah?”

Idia wordlessly nodded, clutching Cater’s hands like his life depended on it.They headed back towards the wedding venue, hand-in-hand, both ignoring the internal dread from within at the growing realization that they both, somehow, had Azul Ashengrotto to thank for this.

[rebeccalouisaferguson]

Deadline’s Contenders Television, the event where stars and showrunners talk up their shows ahead of Emmy voting, has unveiled its panel lineup.

The event kicks off Saturday, April 13 and runs through Sunday, April 14 at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles. There will also be a virtual livestream. Full details and an RSVP link can be found here.

Contenders TV will give you a sense of the hits of the last 12 months, as well as some shows that you’re about to be talking about, as the networks, studios and streamers vie for some awards love.

tars scheduled to attend include Tom Hiddleston, Nicole Kidman, Brie Larson, Kristen Wiig, Rebecca Ferguson, Lily Gladstone, David Oyelowo, Common, Jimmy Fallon, Giancarlo Esposito, Joey King, Andrea Riseborough, Sebastian Maniscalco, Bill Pullman, Kiefer Sutherland, Logan Lerman, Kelsey Grammer, Matt Bomer, Jonathan Bailey, Allison Williams, Maya Erskine, Nathan Fielder, Skeet Ulrich, Jeff Probst, Omar J. Dorsey, Harriet Dyer, Patrick Brammall, Sophia Di Martino, Sarayu Blue, Ji-young Yoo and Taylor Zakhar Perez.

Shows that will be featured across the two days include Parish, Masters of the Air, Lessons in Chemistry, The Morning Show, Silo, Palm Royale, The New Look, Survivor, Colin From Accounts, A Murder at the End of the World, True Detective: Night Country, We Were the Lucky Ones, Under the Bridge, Murdaugh Murders: The Movie, Loki, Alice & Jack, Genius: MLK/X, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, 3 Body Problem, Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie, Lawmen: Bass Reeves, Frasier, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Fallout, Expats, Red, White & Royal Blue, Fellow Travelers, The Curse, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, Platonic and Bookie.

[maddieautobot273]

Silk & Cologne - Christmas Special (1)

Title: All I Want For Christmas Is You - link to AO3 (X)

Chapter 1/10 - Seasons Greetings

Pairing: Miguel O'Hara x Female OC

Words: 2.3K+

Summary: It's the holiday season, and after a very convincing video message from Miles, Lisa, Miguel and the rest of the Spider-gang decide to spend the holidays at Aunt May's cottage in Buffalo. But slowly things start to go horribly, and magically, wrong, and Lisa becomes worried the perfect Spider-Christmas could be ruined. All she wants for Christmas is to spend it with her Spider-Family, especially Miguel.

////////

 “Is this thing on? Okay, okay, we’re rolling!” 

Miles Morales backs away as the camera of his phone records him standing close to Aunt May, an arm wrapped around her shoulder. There’s a wide smile on his face as the both of them appear to be outside in the snow, dressed comfortably for the weather. 

“Happy Holidays everyone! I know this is a bit of short notice with Christmas being a few weeks away, but I’m over visiting Aunt May for the weekend and she gave me the coolest idea! We’re over at her family’s cottage manor in Buffalo helping her move some stuff and we were thinking. . . why not invite you guys over here for Christmas? The entire weekend, we can all just hang out here! We can hang out, watch some holiday films, make and eat awesome food, and even open and exchange gifts!”

Aunt May chuckles at the boy's excitement. Miles was literally acting like a kid on Christmas. It was honestly the most adorable thing Lisa had ever seen. She leaned back in her seat, watching the video message. 

“Again, it’s short notice, but there’s plenty of room for everyone in the gang to come down. Even superheroes could use a break for the holidays, you know? I’ll text everyone the address and just RSVP if you can make it! I know ya’ll want to! Laterz!”

The video message ends with Miles giving Aunt May bunny ears and she laughs at his antics. Lisa chuckles softly at the end card, snuggled in her blanket on the couch in the apartment. Though it was originally Miguel’s apartment, he has since decreed it was their apartment ever since Lisa moved in with him just 6 months ago.

The pair had talked things over and things were going really well after dating for just over two years. So much so that Miguel brought up the idea of them moving in together. He had been such a saint with helping her move in and adjust, making any accommodations and changes if needed.

Lisa loved Christmas, and especially loved decorating for it. She thought Miguel would have a heart attack at the idea of decorating, at least to the level that Lisa wanted, so they compromised and Lisa even brought Miguel along with her while shopping so he could pick out decorations and lights that he’d like. The one downside about his spider-powers was being sensitive to harsh lights, so unfortunately you can't use certain holiday gizmos. 

The entire living space was decked out and decorated for the holiday season, complete with a tree with some presents already underneath waiting to be opened. A good mix of holiday cheer and calm modern aesthetic, it was really beginning to look a lot like Christmas. This was their first major holiday together under the same roof. 

The ultimate relationship test. 

Lisa scrolled through the group chat. It seemed the rest of the Spider gang were on board with the idea. Even Jess, who looked like her baby was due in a matter of weeks, which meant Lisa and Miguel were the only ones that hadn’t responded. Would Miguel want to go?

Keys rattling caught her ear as she glanced over in the direction to the front door of the apartment. Miguel stepped through the doorway and shut it behind him, his coat slightly damp from the flurry of snowflakes falling from the sky outside. “Mi amor, I’m home,” He announced, his voice warmer than any fire roaring in a fireplace. - My love 

Lisa smiled sweetly as she shoved the blanket off of her, sitting up as she walked over to meet with Miguel. “Hi honey,” Her voice was sweet as honey before she gently cupped his face, pressing a kiss to his lips.

“Shock, you’re so warm. . .” Miguel smiled into it, humming in delight as his hands wrapped around her waist. “I’m not late am I? Traffic coming home was awful. I swear, half of the people in this city don’t know how to drive in the snow,”

“You’re fine, Miguel, we’re not meeting Gabriel and Dana for dinner for another hour or so,” Lisa reassured him, helping him take his coat off. “You have time to shower and clean up,”

Miguel sighed in relief, “Thank you mi Mona Lisa,” Shaking off the chill from outside, Miguel tossed his keys on the counter as he sauntered down the hall, crossing the living room towards their master bedroom to use their shower when he glanced over and saw the Christmas tree. “Hey, you finished decorating it!”

“Just a few minutes ago, yes!” Lisa smiled proudly, admiring her work with the assortment of lights, ornaments and streamers. “I saved the star for you,”

“You are a gem,” Miguel smiled at her as he undid his tie, “Pass it over,”

With a bright smile on her face, Lisa reached for the star and brought it over to Miguel who met her half way as they both stood before the tree. Taking the star from her delicate hand, Miguel reached up and put the star on top of the tree. It starts lighting up, matching the glow of the other lights on the tree. 

“Now it’s complete!” She beamed. 

“You are so adorable,” Miguel chuckled softly as he wrapped an arm around Lisa’s shoulders, kissing her temple before looking up to admire the tree. “It looks wonderful, Lisa. You’re actually getting me into the Christmas spirit,”

“You never did before you met me?” Lisa asked him with a genuine curiosity. 

“I mean, sure, Gabriel and I would plan little get-togethers here and there over the years, but,” Miguel brushed off the question initially, shaking his head before he glanced down at her with a soft smile, a glimmer in his eyes. “I just have a good feeling about this year is all,”

“Our first Christmas together,” Lisa smiled back at him, gently cupping his face that was now finally starting to warm up from the harsh cold weather outside. “We’re going to have so much fun, I promise!”

“I don’t doubt you for a second,” Miguel grinned, holding her close. “I can start to picture it now. Waking up on Christmas morning with you in my arms, oh, I can’t wait to see the look on your face when you open your gifts,”

“As am I with you opening yours,” Lisa matched the twinkle in his eyes before patting his chest, gently shoving him away. “Now go shower and get ready, guapo,” - handsome 

“Yes ma’am,” Miguel smirked as he pecked her lips before pulling away, making his way into the master bedroom. He stripped himself of his clothes as he walked into the bathroom, leaving a trail of clothes behind as he turned the water on. “Oh, before I forget! I actually have some news!”

“Really?” Lisa exclaimed, both at his announcement and at the sight of his clothes left on the floor. She rolled her eyes before picking them up and throwing them in the laundry hamper. “I actually have some news of my own too,”

“Care to share?” He called out from the bathroom.

“You go first,” She smiled over her shoulder as Lisa opened their closet and rummaged through his clothes, picking out an outfit for him. 

“Remember that business trip I was telling you about? The conference with some other companies that partner with Alchemax?” He asked her. 

“Yeah, I remember you mentioning it the other week,” Lisa recalled as the conversation replayed in her head as she laid out Miguel’s clothes on the bed. “It’s in Washington D.C. I think. You said your co-worker was going, right? Oscar?”

“That’s the thing,” Miguel huffed, steam beginning to build up in the bathroom. “Oscar caught a bad case of food poisoning earlier today. Had to go to the emergency room,”

“Oh gosh!” Lisa’s eyes widened at the realization. Food poisoning was never fun. “Is he going to be okay?”

“Thankfully, yeah, but the poor guy is like a zombie so he can’t go on the trip anymore,” Miguel finished rinsing off as he shut the water off. Lisa could hear him shuffling around for a towel as he dried off before stepping back into the bedroom, towel wrapped around his waist. “Meaning. . . the board has asked me to take his place,”

“Wait, really?” Lisa shot up, gasping as she covered her mouth. 

“Turns out I was their runner-up,” Miguel shrugged casually, but there was a prideful grin on his face as he approached Lisa, his well-toned, heroic body bare for all to see. “They were really impressed with my report from our last big project,”

“Oh, Miguel, that's wonderful news!” Lisa smiled brightly as she jumped up and hugged him, squeezing Miguel as she wrapped her arms around his neck.  “That’s what I call a Christmas miracle,”

“It is!” Miguel chuckled softly as he returned the embrace before pulling away, his smile lowering. “But the trip is pretty close to the holiday. . .”

“It’s one week before Christmas right?” Lisa asked him as she handed Miguel his pants and underwear. 

“Uh, actually. . .” Miguel took the clothes and sat down, slipping his towel off as Lisa stepped around the bed to give Miguel a moment of privacy as she straightened his shirt. “They moved the date,”

“What? To when?” Lisa asked him as she tilted her head up to look at his backside. 

And what a backside that was~ 

“Um. . .” Lisa could see Miguel’s skin heat up as he turned to look at her, his cheeks red. “I fly back on Christmas Eve. .  .”

“You’re kidding?!” Lisa shot up. 

“There’s a storm coming in the area the week the conference was supposed to be held so they pushed it back,” Miguel rubbed the back of his neck nervously before tugging up his pants, sitting up. “The conference ends on the day before and I managed to book the first flight out back to the city that I could find, a lot of flights are booked already,”

Lisa sighed, glancing up at him as she picked up his shirt. “That’s holiday travel for you,”

“Hey,” Miguel spoke up as he stalked around the bed, gently taking the shirt off Lisa’s hands, talking as he slipped it on. “I know it might not be the first big Christmas holiday together that we wanted, but we’ll make it work. I’ll make it work,”

Lisa crossed her arms over her chest, a worried look on her face as she seemed unconvinced. 

“Let me put it like this,” Miguel offered her a smile as he buttoned up his shirt, and took his sweet time doing it. “I’ll finish my Christmas shopping and send them back over before I leave. Then when I do get back home, we’ll have a romantic candlelight dinner, cuddle up in those cute matching PJ’s you got us–”

“How did you find them?!” Lisa gawked. “I was saving them for Christmas morning!”

Miguel laughed at her reaction. “Just be thankful I haven’t spoiled and found out what you got me for actual gifts,” he winked. 

Lisa huffed, although she couldn’t help but grin when Miguel reached a hand out, delicately taking her chin and pulled her closer to him. 

“Maybe I’ll get too excited and can’t wait until morning and give you a few of my gifts,” He smirked, the look he gave her sending a chill down Lisa’s spine. “Let’s just say for one of them, Santa Claus can’t exactly wrap it,”

Lisa’s cheeks flushed, her eyes widening as Miguel’s lips brushed against hers in a teasing, yet tender kiss. “Okay. . .” Her smile curled, her expression turning goofy like a cartoon character. “You promise you’ll make it back in time?”

“I promise, mi amor,” He smiled gently. - my love 

“Fine. I suppose Nueva York can survive with just one Spider hero to protect it for a while,” Lisa smirked as she rolled her eyes playfully. “The city had you long before I came along,”

Miguel chuckled at her response before pecking her lips, pulling away shortly after. Reaching for his sweater on the bed, he slipped it over top of his shirt. “Now, I shared my news. what was it you wanted to tell me?”

Lisa got so lost in Miguel’s dreamy, enchanting gaze that she nearly forgot about Mile’s invitation. Her pupils went wide as the light bulb literally switched on in her head. “Oh yeah!”

She was starting to get nervous. Since Miguel poured his heart out on this plan of his, would he even be willing to even consider this idea? After all, they both initially had their hearts set on spending their first Christmas together just the two of them, in the comfort of their own home. 

Lisa pulled out her cell phone, bringing up the group chat and Mile’s video message. “Well, I received a holiday greeting from Miles and Aunt May,”

“Oh, really?” Miguel’s eyes lit up, both from happiness that their fellow Spider and family friend would think of them and curiosity as he stepped around to look at the phone screen. “What did they say?”

Lisa figured the video would speak for itself, so she pressed play. Miguel watched the video, a playful grin on his face at Miles’ antics. When he heard his offer about the spider gang coming over to the manor for Christmas, Lisa could see the look on Miguel’s face shift, looking surprised. 

The gears in his head were turning after the video was done. Miguel seemed to hesitate briefly, gathering his thoughts as he looked over to Lisa, “Would you like to go?”

Lisa’s heart fluttered, skipping a beat. “You really mean that? I mean, absolutely we can stay and spend Christmas here if that’s what you want. I value your opinion, Miguel, so I wanted to ask. . .”

Miguel’s smile was loving and laced with care as he looked down at Lisa, wrapping an arm around her as he held her close. “I appreciate that, Lisa. If I’m being honest. . .” His smile curled into a grin, his eyes twinkling. “It does look kind of fun,”

/////

Have a happy holidays!

[solradguy]

How do i find the motivation to practice art? I have so many shitposts that’ll never come to fruition because my skills plateaued ):

No one else is going to draw my ideas and I'm too broke to pay someone else to do it for me. For better or worse, I seem to approach a lot of things from a "gotta do everything myself around here" angle haha

Honestly—and I won't lie to you—doing art studies is a real pain in the ass, I hate doing them. I never do them unless I've got major art block, and even then I still hate doing them, but it's like taking medicine and I know doing them will make me better. Every art teacher I've ever had's grilled me about this, "solradguy, you need to do 15 studies before the end of the week to get a full grade this quarter." Blah blah blah.

I guess for some people doing studies could be fun, not having to think about pose or composition, whatever, just putting lines down on paper and focus on your reference. One time, when I was still in college, I had to do a certain amount of studies in charcoal so I booted up Red Dead Redemption and drew landscapes or objects from it that I kinda liked. It was enough. I told my professor it was from my grandma's farm hehe

Art memes can be a good way to practice too, especially those ones about drawing in different styles or drawing a character in different outfits. They combine fun with tricking you into drawing things you might not normally draw. Emulating different art styles is the only art study method that doesn't make me want to fall asleep. Don't forget they're just art games though, and especially don't forget:

👉If You Already Feel Burnt Out Don't Feel Compelled To Complete Every Art Meme You Start👈

As you get better at art, you start noticing improvements less and less because they become more subtle. When you're really new to art, figuring out stuff like basic anatomy or shading is REALLY obvious because they're foundational parts of art. Hang on to your really old stuff and look at it every now and then and I guarantee you'll have improved way more than you thought you had.

I get the impression you've probably been at art for a while now, and I don't want to come across as patronizing, but sometimes refreshing the basics can help overcome a plateau too. Drawabox is usually what I recommend to people just getting into art, I really like their approach. Here's a link to their introduction lesson: drawabox.com/lesson/0 And here's one that skips to the actual art stuff: drawabox.com/lesson/1

While it's probably beneficial to actually do the exercises in the lessons, just skimming through reading them can be good too.

Something I've noticed a lot of my artists friends (and artists online) do is try to make every single drawing a finished piece, and I'm like "damn, no wonder art feels like such a chore." My sketchbook is 99% scribbles done in pen:

I use Pentel RSVP fine point ballpoint pens so if I make a mistake I'm forced to deal with it. Doing these rough sketches before starting a bigger piece is something I recommend with my entire heart. Just get a pack of shitty $0.99 pens and doodle like it's high school math class. I like the cheap pens because you can get faint lines drawing lightly and can coax them into darker lines with a bit more pressure (and if you lose/break one it's no big deal).

The best way to get better at art is to keep putting lines on paper. Even if it's just silly pen doodles, you're still improving coordination/pen control, improving construction of basic shapes, exploring concepts, and thinking about art, which will lead to more new ideas and further inspiration.

Sorry this is long and meandering haha Hopefully something here helps at least a tiny bit.

[palefaceonline]

💥 You can help us break through💥Please RSVP / PRE-SAVE NOW our new album “Beyond the Bells” and You’ll get a free streaming link on release day Feb17th + an entry to win a T-SHIRT! Check it out via our website (LINK IN BIO) ​ ​Thanks so much for helping us gain traction on release day Upcoming Events: -Jan 29 CHARLOTTE NC @ Neighborhood Theatre w/ The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band -Feb 17 ALBUM RLEASE via all streaming platforms -Feb 24 PODCAST INTERVIEW on “The Avetts & Beyond” -March 3 SALISBURY NC @ SHUG’s -March 4 GREENSBORO’s NC @ Little Brother Brewing -April 2 HENDERSONVILLE NC @ Continuum ART -April 14 SALEM VA @ Parkway Brewing Company -April 15 BRISTOL VA @ Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol -May 13 North Carolina Brewers & Music Festival And currently booking!!! . @neighborhoodtheatre @bigdamnband @ncbrewsmusic @hrhcbristol @shugsnc @littlebrotherbrew @continuumartevents @1898waverlyinn @midwood_entertainment @maxxmusicpresents @parkwaybrew Damn Band . #newalbum #BeyondtheBells #newmusic #spotify #applemusic #youtube #bandcamp #deezer #amazon #LiveMusic #ontour #MusicFestival #livemusic #live #musicfestivals #festival #music #musicfestivals2023 #ontour #usa https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn-1q95s-Na/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[kenplume]

Remember how I said I was doing an Art Of #DuckTales signing tomorrow (Saturday) at Memory Lane Comics in Wilmington, NC? Well, now I can also reveal that, in addition to getting the art print bookplate, anyone who has preordered from MLC or picks up a copy of the book on Saturday during the signing will get a special bookplate - The details of which (blurred here) will remain a surprise. These will only be available when/if I do signings (until they’re gone). ——— THIS SATURDAY, November 12, I'll be doing my only ART OF DUCKTALES signing event for the foreseeable future, thanks to my pals at the best LCS around, Memory Lane Comics in Wilmington, NC. As I've mentioned before, my convention schedule this year crumbled, and I wasn't able to travel cross-country to the recent event with the DuckTales crew, but I will be signing copies this weekend at Memory Lane (as well as copies of GO TEAM VENTURE: THE ART AND MAKING OF THE VENTURE BROS., if anyone wants to bring their copy in). Folks who order THE ART OF DUCKTALES through Memory Lane for the signing will also get a special surprise. I'll have some of the the gold foil Scrooge/DuckTales bookplate art prints with me, as well, if you wanted to pick one of those up. Here are all of the details from Memory Lane (which can also be found at their event page, the link to which you'll find at bit.ly/ducktalesmlc). Do RSVP! If you have any questions, feel free to ring them up and ask - They'll be happy to help you.) WHEN: Saturday, November 12, 12 PM – 2 PM WHERE: Memory Lane Comics Part 2 222 Princess St. Wilmington, NC 28401 910-392-6647 DETAILS: Join us at Memory Lane Comics Part 2 for Ken Plume's new hardcover The Art of DuckTales! After his deep dive into the Venture Bros. Ken is back to tackle the 2017 revival of the beloved DuckTales series! We'll have a special surprise for people who pre-order the book through us so let us know if you'd like a copy! He'll be hanging out with us and signing copies. We also have a golden Scrooge McDuck we'll be raffling off to a lucky winner! Feel free to bring your Venture Bros. Hardcover in for him to sign as well! https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck0Y7J7O1vu/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[hifilounge]

German Physics Omnidirectional Speaker Open Day - 27th April!

Hi Everyone,

It's time for our first Open day of 2024 and this one is something a little different as it is for a speaker brand we do that I have always loved but I'm sure a lot of people have actually never sat down and listened to, German Physics, who are the world leaders in Omnidirectional Loudspeakers giving a very different presentation to a conventional speaker. For those who don't know what an Omnidirectional speaker is, basically they present the music in 360 degrees. Not only are they very musical but be being an Omnidirectional design they give a huge soundstage recreating that music hall live sound, they really are quite special and well worth a listen so if you are around on April 27th please do come in for a listen.

We will have both of our 2 downstairs demo rooms running, the first room with have the £19,500 HRS-130 speakers in and the next room will have the next model up, the Borderland MK IV playing, this was German Physics first speaker back in 1992 and is their most popular speaker.

Designed and manufactured in Germany the full range of German Physics loudspeakers embody the same DDD driver which eliminates the crossover point in the very important mid-range. The DDD driver also has a wide frequency range typically, from 200Hz to 24Khz and is phase linear across this bandwidth. All frequencies in its operating range radiate evenly through 360 degrees around the loudspeaker in a horizontal plane producing a stereo image you can enjoy from a wide range of positions in the listening room.

Over the years Omnidirectional loudspeakers have gone from a curiosity that few people were aware of and even fewer had heard to a class of loudspeakers that you will find at almost any audio show and offer a different approach to the traditional speaker design so for something truly different please feel free to join us.

Please find a very enthusiastic review from Terry Ellis below, as you can see he was extremely impressed, these are the actual speakers we will have at our open day much to Terry's disappointment as he would have loved to have kept them longer.

HiFi+ Editors Choice Award for Borderland MK IV's

Over the years German Physics have won countless awards and the latest addition to these is from HiFi+ who have just awarded the Borderland MK IV's their Editors Choice award, please see below -

RSVP Please!

We will have food and drink available on the day as well as representatives along from German Physics to help run the day and answer any questions you may have.

It would be great if you'd like to come along to experience something a little different, I think you will be very surprised just how good these speakers sound, if you can make it along can you please fire me a quick mail to the below, thanks -

paul@hifilounge.co.uk

Please also find a link below to the full German Physics range of speakers on our website below and a few pictures -

Hope to see you on April 27th,

All the best,

Regards,

Paul.

[drrogerjou]

SHORT NOTICE: CASY Cultural Autism Studies (The Ethnography Project led by Dr. Dawn Prince-Hughes) is delighted to welcome Tito Rajarshi Mukhopadhyay next Monday, March 11, 12:00 p.m. EDT.

There is no cost to attend, and international participants are invited to join. RSVP online though our borderless Meetup group https://www.meetup.com/projectcasy/events/299625613/

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

DESCRIPTION (provided by the guest): I am Tito Rajarshi Mukhopadhyay.

I began composing poetry and prose from an early age.

True! An Autism diagnosis closes many doors. One of them was a regular structure of general education classroom.

I needed to turn a disadvantage into an advantage. Sometimes the challenges can open other doors to cultivate different interests. I had time to develop my interest in creative writing.

While the typical world of ‘others’ solved problems in arithmetic and structured science homework, studied for grades in classes, learned where the War of Somme happened, I practiced a different skill. I practiced word sculpture by creating stories, writing poetry and other compositions. I engaged in literature - first through Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, William Blake, Robert Frost and many many great writers… learning from each book ‘how to organize stories and poetry’ until I met Dr. Ralph Savarese who mentored me through the process of sharpening my skills. One thing leads to another in the passage of existence.

My first book - Beyond the Silence was published when I was 11 years old. The National Autistic Society was kind enough to give me a printed book of my words. Since then, I had more opportunities to be published: The Mind Tree, How Can I Talk if My Lips Don’t Move?, Plankton Dreams, Teaching Myself to See, Creating the Faces and Other Poems and more.

I continue to write poetry and prose as part of my own discipline. Everything may not be for publishing. Some may be just a stray text which I call practice writing. I like writing a good sentence now and then.

I am honored to be featured in CNN, BBC, Good Morning America, 60 minutes, HBO documentary - A Mother’s Courage, New York Times, Peoples Magazine, The Telegraph (UK), Austin American Statesman are some of them.

By the way - I am a fatalist. Somethings may happen because that’s how they were staged to be. So, the meet up with you was part of the picture that was waiting to happen and not part of a coincidence. Otherwise out of so many people in the world why would Dr. Richard Mills give me a chance to be published through National Autistic Society when I was eleven? And why would the BBC do a documentary on me? --Tito

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

About CASY Cultural Autism Studies (The Ethnography Project led by Dr. Dawn Prince-Hughes): An 'ethnography' is an exploration of how a group of people express themselves in a cultural way. Autistic people have a growing kind of culture, and each autistic experience is a vital part of it. Dr. Dawn Prince-Hughes is an anthropologist, ethnographer, primatologist, and author who is autistic. Join her for an exploration of the importance of autistic self-expression and the culture that grows from it. Those who wish to share their content are free to do so on our private Facebook group (see below), organically contributing to a growing autistic culture.

Links to online events will also be shared on these private Facebook groups: SOCIAL CONNECTIVITY FOR AUTISM (http://tinyurl.com/mrxnxmnc) or CASY Cultural Autism Studies... The Ethnography Project (http://tinyurl.com/4ckbyut7).

CREDITS: The preparation of this material was financed under an agreement with the Connecticut Council on Developmental Disabilities (CTCDD). CASY Sparks membership, activities and events are free. CASY Sparks is sponsored in part by The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation Adult Autism Research Fund, and a generous gift from the Rosen family, and the research of Dr. Roger Jou, including Simons Foundation Powering Autism Research (SPARK) Clinical Site Network - Yale University (https://www.SPARKforAutism.org/Yale).