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#I want to do sport I want to run and dance and swim and stretch
miraelith · 1 year
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How to start a fitness journey
You always wanted to start moving your body but you always say "tomorrow" and end up on the couch again?
I will tell you some tips how to start your own personal fitness journey.
1. Find movement you enjoy
Find something that you truly enjoy! You will be able to motivate yourself a lot more if you like what you do. It has to be nothing extreme, just try different forms of movement for your body.
Here are some examples:
Walking, Yoga, Home workouts (Dance workouts, HIIT, Pilates, ...), Gym, Running, Stretching, Ice skating, Dancing, Cycling, Swimming, Boxing, Tennis, Hiking, Playing soccer, Zumba, ...
2. Start slow
For me it was very difficult to start. I always used to do some kind of sport and then always for an hour straight away. And then of course I didn't feel like doing this anymore because it was just too exhausting. Then I always quitted doing sports.
The key here is to just be consistent at the beginning! Try to find 2-3 days a week where you can do any form of movement you enjoy. Don't be too hard on yourself and start for example with a 20 minute workout on these days.
After a certain time you can increase your workout time. Just start slow and try to create the habit of moving your body a few days a week. You will find time to do a 20 minute workout two days a week, I am sure!
3. Find a workout buddy
Some people can motivate themselves better if they have a workout buddy (at the beginning). Maybe you can ask a friend that goes to the gym regularly if you can join in for a workout. Or you want to go on a daily walk with your best friend?
4. Think about how you will feel afterwards
This point is very important, because that gives me the most motivation when I don't feel like working out.
I always think about how good I will feel if I move my body. I am be so proud of myself, gain a lot of energy from the workout and always feel so fresh after my shower.
5. Consume motivating content
I personally prefer using social media for motivation and inspiration. Surround yourself with positive vibes and manifest yourself into the lifestyle you want to achieve!
You can watch YouTube videos about fitness, nutrition or Gymshark hauls. 😛 Follow people on Instagram that motivate you, do the same type of exercise that you prefer, spread healthy habits!
At this point I just want to emphasize, that please make sure you don't overdo it and consume toxic content (for example "what I eat in a days"), be careful that you follow people that have a healthy relationship with food and exercise.
6. Sportswear
Treat yourself to nice sportswear that benefits your exercise and looks and fits good for you.
It's so motivating to workout in cute fits, I always enjoy it so much more. And new sportswear is also a huge motivator!
7. Find the right time to workout
Everyone you know works out first thing in the morning. But you have no time for movement before going to work and you are also not a morning person. That is completely fine! Find your right time. Not everyone can workout on an empty stomach at 6 a.m., and you don't need to.
Try to workout during different times/days of the week and find your perfect exercising schedule.
8. Nutrition
I personally have had problems with food in the past. Let me tell you that nutrition is very important when it comes to exercise.
You don't need to trink a protein shake pre workout if you don't like it. You don't need to eat a salad for dinner that doesn't fill you up.
Instead try to include more vegetables and fruit in your diet and find out which food contains a lot of protein. You don't need a strict diet in your life, you need nutrition that fills you up and gives you energy to smash your workouts!
Find out if you prefer to exercise sober or if you need something to eat before working out.
Just try not to train immediately after eating, you need a few hours to digest.
Pre-workout meals could be for example: Bananas, Oatmeal, Chicken and vegetables, Cereal with Protein shake and banana, Smoothies, Protein bars/shakes, Eggs and toast, Pasta, Wraps, ...
Don't be too hard on yourself and please still enjoy the food you like.
Thank you so much if you read till here, I hope this helps. <3
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questwithambition · 2 years
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Mini life update!
Hello you wonderful people! As I’m now on summer vacation, I have a lot of plans and I thought I’d share them here. It’s under the cut as it’s a long one but to summarise: a 100 days of productivity challenge, dance & fitness, language learning, curbing social media time and some travelling!
1) 100 days of productivity challenge
I did this last summer and it was great, it really helped to push me to do things instead of letting passivity engulf me. The things I would like to do (almost) every day are:
Language learning: a couple of German duolingo lessons and watching / reading / some kind of interaction in Spanish
Sport: this one is important for physical health but even more so for my mental health. My goal is to do some kind of moderate to high intensity workout most days of the week (5/6x). This can be a ballet barre, dance class (virtual), run, weights training, pilates… Anything that gets the body moving! Mixing it up is key for me, I dislike monotone workouts
Make sure I practice dance technique, I made lots of progress this year, and don’t want to loose it!
Additionally I want to ensure I move throughout the day, I know I can get a workout in early doors and then I just sit and do nothing for the rest of the day. So I want to make sure I go on walks, play football either my brother, go swimming etc
I want to continue with my resolution to say yes to more things. 
Stretching: I’d like to make good progress towards getting my middle splits! 
The idea is to have a few categories to hit but being flexible about methods. I will be starting this once I get back from my trip to Sweden, on the 14th June. I will be skipping weeks here and there due to summer work and festivals (the goal of summer is, after all, to have fun!). If anyone is thinking of joining along please do tag me, I’d love to see
2) Some practices that I’ve been enjoying
I started journalling this year so will be keeping this up, it’s such a relief to drop your thoughts into something. I started doing no social media weekends around April time which was so so so good, but I slowly let that go. I would love to bring it back though - I think I might drop social media (except Pinterest because it doesn’t feel the same way) for the week I’m in Sweden so I can really make the most of it, hopefully that will jump start the process.
I’ve been reading a lot, setting aside time for it everyday and it really makes me happy. I’m planning to reread a lot of childhood favs this summer which I’m very excited for! (I was absolute trash for the boarding school trope. Malory towers here I come).
3) Other bits and bobs
A desire to be more present, to be more kind. To others and to myself. To move, to get around to the things I’ve been wanting to do. But also, being aware that things go haywire and some days all I will do is be tired and sleep. And that’s ok. 
I think that’s all from me, congrats to all who made it to the end of this long ramble. Sending you some virtual hugs 🤍
Oh and I’ll be tagging the challenge with the very basic #100 days of productivity 
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No tw’s
I’m turning 16 in two days (sept 2) and need some help. Since I was a child I’ve been rotting in this body with no real reason to heal myself. But I want to change, to evolve, to begin a new chapter of my life.
Are there any small steps I can take daily, milestones and standards goals I can do to better myself? I feel like it would help me a lot more to get out of this little room of my mind I’ve spent so long in.
I think it’s finally time to start working towards a happier life.
Happy belated birthday! It's great that you want to improve things. Small steps are a great way to start.
First thing's first: food, sleep, exercise. Make sure you're eating every 2-4 hours, try to get a variety of foods every day. Drink enough water. Try to get out and move your body. Dance, yoga, running, fitness classes, sports, swimming, stretching, anything is good!
Give yourself time to think about what your goals may be. Do you want to feel stronger? Do you want to love yourself more? Do you want to make friends?
Here are some ways to practice self compassion
Here are self care exercises
Journaling is a great way to vent, change your outlook, and/or see your progress. I have a journal for unfiltered venting that I don't judge myself for. I have another journal for gratitude. I write 3 things a day that I'm grateful for. This helps me feel like life isn't hopeless and it grounds me.
Here are some journal prompts.
Here, here, and here are some meditations. Meditation takes practice, but it can really help lower the baseline of depression and anxiety. Even if you just do it 5 minutes a day, or just before bed to sleep, that's positive.
Take care!
Mod Misa
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persephone13 · 9 months
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Hii 🥰
So in honor of World Yoga Day. I wanted to ask do your MC‘s and or OC‘s practice any type of sports?
If yes which one and why?
Hello there lovely 🥰 Sorry for the delay! I love this ask!
All of MC’s and OC’s practice yoga as a grounding exercise to help with their anxiety/PTSD (I’m not projecting at all 😇).
I post most in the Harry Potter fandom with Hermione as the MC, so she is doing yoga, boxing, and self-defense. Here’s a snippet from my fic Home on AO3:
“No?” she said, “I asked you to leave. You are still here. I can either remove you magically or physically. Your choice.”
“Mia...,” Sirius began.
“Don’t distract me, Siri,” she said in a tight voice. “If he gets a swing in and draws blood, I think Moony will go full wolf and tear him to bits. I’m pissed off with him, but I don’t want the fucker dead.” Sirius glanced at Remus and saw that the wolf was completely present, with just a hint of green outlining his amber irises showing that Remus was close by. Hermione continued to circle the wizard, who was backing away carefully while throwing glances at Sirius and Remus for assistance. “Fists up bitch.” She jabbed again. Fortunately, his reflexes were quick, and Hermione was drunk, because that punch only grazed his chin.
I have an OC in my Stranger Things unpublished WIP who is a stripper that is a classically trained dancer, so exercise and sports are part of her everyday routines. She loves yoga and is fond of running. I posted about her in a previous ask here.
And then there’s my OC from my Royal Romance WIP Darlin’, Just Dive Right In. She’s a therapist who uses exercise and sports to help with her PTSD. She does yoga daily. She also knows self-defense and boxing. Oh and knife throwing lol Her passion is actually swimming though. Family circumstances kept her from pursing a career in it, but it is her favorite activity. It is so calming. It’s her safe space. She’s like a mermaid. She loves it so much that Drake buys her a wetsuit so that she can swim when the weather gets cold. Here’s a snippet:
“You checking me out, Walker?” she asked, mischief dancing in her eyes.
“Maybe,” he smirked, cheeks turning pink.
“More like always,” she said with a grin. “I was just more obvious about catching you today.” He laughed loudly in surprise. “Why do you think I do all the stretching?” she winked. “I’ve been waiting for you to make a move for weeks. Slowpoke.” She stuck out her tongue and then launched herself off the platform.
As her body dove through the air and slid into the water, Selena felt joy spring forth from her fingertips all through her body and down to her toes. Any remaining anxiety and worry in her belly immediately dissipated as the coolness of the water caressed her skin. She remained underwater swimming, letting the water flow through her long curly hair. Her arms and legs moved easily, muscles singing happily with her strokes and kicks. She stayed under as long as she could before popping up for air, finding herself nearly at the solo platform. She turned around and found Drake still on the dock, staring at her with a small smile on his face. She smiled and waved before popping back under again, this time opening her eyes. The lake was clear, and she could see small schools of fish and lone fish swimming about. She was planning on buying a couple of snorkel masks so she and Drake could do some exploring one day.
Hope you enjoyed this answer! I always love your asks 🥰
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lucky97sblog · 10 months
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How can I stay fit without going to a gym?
It is possible to stay fit without going to the gym. Here are some suggestions to help you stay active and in shape:
Cardiovascular exercises: Engage in activities that raise your heart rate and get you moving, such as brisk walking, jogging, running, cycling, swimming, or dancing. You can do these activities outdoors or at home if you have the necessary equipment.
Bodyweight exercises: Perform exercises that utilize your own body weight to build strength and endurance. Examples include push-ups, squats, lunges, planks, burpees, and mountain climbers. You can create a routine with a variety of bodyweight exercises targeting different muscle groups.
HIIT workouts: High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) involves short bursts of intense exercise followed by brief rest periods. This can be an effective way to burn calories and improve cardiovascular fitness. You can find plenty of HIIT workout routines online or through fitness apps.
Yoga and Pilates: These forms of exercise focus on flexibility, core strength, and balance. Many online platforms offer free or paid yoga or Pilates classes that you can follow from the comfort of your home.
Resistance bands and dumbbells: Invest in some resistance bands or dumbbells to add resistance to your workouts. They are relatively inexpensive and versatile, allowing you to perform a wide range of strength-training exercises.
Calisthenics: Calisthenics involves using your body weight for strength training exercises. It includes movements like pull-ups, dips, and bodyweight squats. You can find tutorials and progressions online to help you get started.
Outdoor activities: Take advantage of outdoor activities like hiking, biking, swimming, or playing sports. These can provide both cardiovascular exercise and a refreshing change of scenery.
Online workout resources: There are numerous fitness apps, websites, and YouTube channels offering a wide range of workout routines and fitness classes. Look for options that align with your interests and fitness goals.
Incorporate movement into your daily routine: Look for opportunities to be active throughout the day. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, go for short walks during breaks, or stretch during TV commercial breaks.
Stay consistent: Establish a regular exercise routine and stick to it. Consistency is key to maintaining your fitness level, even without a gym.
If you want to Live Healthy you should follow good health habits...
If you want to read more about this: CLICK HERE
Before beginning any new workout regimen, remember to listen to your body and speak with a healthcare practitioner, especially if you have any underlying health concerns.
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ferdydurke-moved · 4 years
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I really want to have top surgery before this body is hurt to the point that I will never be able to live in it
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semischarmed · 3 years
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Detour, Part 3
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For a few still moments, Scott isn’t really sure what he is looking at. His unconscious friend Alex stands frozen in his previous position, head still pointing upwards, mouth agape. Aside from some light breathing, the only movement of yours that Scott can make out is Alex’s tongue-your first acquisition-twitching slightly. Your tongue then slowly dances around Alex’s lips, greedily tasting the new vessel. Delicious. Your new eyes shoot open, a little bloodshot from Alex’s last performance, and focus on Scott. They narrow, and you make your new, plump lips follow, closing slowly into a smile. “Mmmmm .... Scott, you sick fuck” Alex’s body speaks in half delirium with the vocal cords you borrow from him. You pull a little more of his strings, and his arms stir. In one unnatural motion, like someone moving their arms for the first time in their life- which, granted, this really is your first time- you clumsily run shaking fingers through your new body’s hair. Dread paints Scott’s face.
In his brain, you feel Alex together with you. You push his essence aside to assert dominance over your new bod. Surprisingly, he puts up less of a fight than you expect- no fight at all, actually. You just let a little of Alex leak out of you, which culminates in the radiant smile your body greets Scott with.
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“You’re really fucking sick, Scott.” You say with your Alex vocal cords, completely shifting the mood. You start feeling around your new face before you look back at him. “What kind of friend does this?” You lace that word with a poison that Scott has never heard from his friend’s mouth and you can tell it stings him a little.
“You-you’re not fucking Alex, faggot!” he shouts angrily.
Unfazed, you continue. “Now, that’s just plain wrong. I’m fucking Alex right fucking now, with his own body from his insides” you sadistically laugh with your old voice. It’s a little out of place coming out of Alex. “Here, come take a look.” You decide also take a little recording for yourself.
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God he looks so good. You can’t believe you’re in control of this little slice of heaven. Or hell. This tight bod runs hot. And you can’t tell if that’s just how he is or if it’s the persistent ecstasy you feel being in the driver’s seat of the human sports-car.
“Look... look what you did to me!” You moan, this time with Alex’s voice. You’re now settling inside of him. “You’re an asshole, Scott, I barely met the guy and the first thing you do is stuff me full of him” you start gyrating his body slowly “well, now we do know each other. Intimately. No one is ever going to know this body, this mind, this soul like he does... like I do” you make Alex state. “I feel like I’m gonna explode, Scott. There’s so much of him you put inside me,” you dig around a little in your new chest until you find the outline of the medallion deep inside Alex’s body and give it a slow rub. “Oh god, Scott, what did you do!” You say, in fake distress. 
“Oh god Scott! [moan] Help! He’s, he’s...[moan] inside meee.” You invoke the medallion’s powers to force Scott to watch you and prevent him from leaving the apartment. 
“[moan] Defiling me”. With your new tone arms, you find the only piece of you not yet integrated into Alex- the outline of your old dick, embedded in Alex’s groin. With his fingers, you dig and grab it and start pumping through your meatsuit’s skin -god that feels good- like an Alex fleshlight. As you grow, it starts to fill into Alex’s limp dick like a glove. 
“[whine] Empowering me”. In the throes of passion, you still don’t have perfect control of this new body. Your new face goes emotionless as you continue pumping your cocks. From Scott’s perspective, it’s unsettling enough seeing his best friend jack off in front of him. It’s even more unsettling seeing him do it with no emotion in his face. 
“[stare] Corrupting me”. As you can feel Alex’s body as well, you are hit with a wave of unimaginable bliss- your old body’s dick is not fully connected to his, so with each pump you give your Alex cock both an internal and external stimulation. In one fell swoop, face still impassive, you climax inside Alex- through Alex- as Alex, and complete the merge. You greedily suck the amalgamated cum off your fingers and gently moan “thank you housewarming present”. You put a deranged, dark smile on this meatsuit’s face and then heartily laugh. 
“And thank you, Scott, for lodging him inside me! [Pant] We can’t wait to repay the favor!”
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For a few moments, your new body sits in tranquility. Scott’s does too, though not of his own will. 
From the backseat of your mind, you feel a stirring from your other resident. Your body pants a little, “I think... I think he wants to talk to you. What do you think, Scott? Let’s go see what he’s up to..” your eyes roll to the back of your head and your new body convulses as you slowly let his best friend come out. “Scott! I, I’m... w-what happened?”
A moment of relief briefly flashes on Scott’s face as he sees his friend return and more tears well in his eyes. He’s lived with him for years so he can tell when his friend is being genuine. This was Alex. The real Alex. Relief turns to disheartenment when this Alex runs his new hands across his new face with a sly grin. 
You decide to keep the ‘real’ Alex in the driver’s seat. With Alex in control, your movements are much more natural. You stretch your arms casually and your sweat-drenched shirt lifts ever so slightly to reveal your glistening abs. With Alex behind the wheel, you give a commanding yawn as you gently scratch your balls through your now damp boxers. Your new face shifts into a sleazy sneer. “I think this is gonna work out juuuuust fine” Alex says, licking his lips.
“Alex, buddy, are you ok?” Scott expresses with concern. Alex ignores him and continues his exploration. 
He lifts your right arm, peeling back the shirt sleeve to see his-your hairy pits. It’s wet and it’s rank. “Goddamn we smell, don’t we baby” oddly, perhaps due to your presence in him, he seems to find his own scent alluring. He brings your new face in for a little taste and, involuntarily, winces. It is tart, musky, noxious. It’s good.
Alex then raises his hands, studying them, before reaching mentally instead to the medallion locked inside your combined mass. He effortlessly makes the nervous Scott give you both a little show. “Hey Scott, call me-call us master”. “M-Master!”. Alex gives you a mental wink before freezing Scott back into place.
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Alex continues to test your new powers, and their new potency. With the both of you here, you quickly notice how much more of a refined control you have over the medallion. You feel Alex come to the same conclusion.
“I’m already filled to the brim with you swimming inside me,” he chuckled, “it tickles. You’re already using me like a glove. Just finish it, I’m already yours” -he moans that last word, “Fuck Sophie. Since you’re in me, since you are me, I’m a faggot now.”
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“And this new faggot wants a piece of that hot, hot roommate-best-friend ass in front of us,” he adds, before giving the still Scott a small wink. Inside Alex, strange shock runs through your core. The medallion no longer surges power through this fleshy conduit, you feel intimately connected to its source. You yourself surge with power. Both bound and freed. Empowered. Invigorated. You are the medallion. You are Alex. This Alex body is wholly yours.
“We feel- no, we ARE a fucking god, Alex aren’t we?!” The Alex piece of you roars. 
He said most of that completely on his own. Intoxicated by the power his body now has as your puppet, he’s corrupted his own self, binding pieces of him to parts of the medallion- to parts of you. Permanently. Alex-the old Alex- body, mind, soul. He’s fully yours. Forever and ever. Evidently, the reason his body runs so hot and steamy is having you inside pulling his strings is turning him on. Evidently, the old Alex had a thing for being bound and controlled. Kinky. 
The medallion, previously wedged between your skin and Alex’s has long since dissolved into your new body, just as you have long since dissolved into Alex’s. You try to liquify a piece of your old self to pull it out of the hand it now occupies to no avail. Instead, your whole arm liquefies into a writhing mass, before recombining. You don’t even think you can even leave this cute little meatsuit now if you tried. There truly was no going back. He is now an extension of your soul- an extension of you. You let Alex take the wheel again, as your body moans and slowly removes your drenched shirt. You start to think, to reminisce back to your old body, your old life that you had unintentionally left behind. Your Alex-self gently places his fingers on his nipples and gives them a small twist, apparently something he did often. Fuck that felt good. Being permanently Alex feels good. Your fingers dance across this body as you feel your self up. Again, your past life flashes before your eyes before you focus on your new skin. Not giving this up. ‘Anyway, who would ever want to leave this tight piece of ass’.
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Another moan escapes you as you continue to pleasure your new body. Your eyes slowly fall on this still terrified, still frozen Scott, who’s face you command into one of longing, piercing blue eyes brimming with a hidden hatred. You take your new hands and gently stroke his cheek. “Don’t worry baby, We didn’t forget about you. After all, you're our. best. friend”. 
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-End Part 3-
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cockasinthebird · 3 years
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There’s a lot of things that Billy Hargrove loves about 4th of July. How loud the fireworks are, the chance to set something on fire without reprimand, barbecue food that reminds him of beach parties back home, beer just tastes better for some reason, the summer heat, and how scantily clad everyone is.
Guys with their exposed muscles, girls in their tiny bikinis.
Billy walks through the far too inebriated crowd spread out across the quarry, a beer in hand that is quickly warming up in his sweaty grasp, seemingly aimless in the way he looks at everyone who greets him all excited, then clearly disappointed that he didn’t stop to talk past pleasantries.
No, Billy is on a hunt; a hungry wolf looking for one specific lamb, no other temptations can match the urge for one pretty boy’s attention.
And he finds Steve Harrington, dressed in shorts too revealing and a top that ends just by his navel, leaning against the hood of someone’s car. Three girls in short skirts and bikini tops standing awfully close to him, listening intently - or at least pretending to - as he smiles all friendly and gestures with his red plastic cup to really emphasise whatever he’s saying.
Envy isn’t a thing Billy experiences, nah, definitely not, he reminds himself as he takes too big a gulp of his beer, yet it stirs sourly in the sudden pit of his stomach. They’re not dating, so he has no right to feel jealous about anything going on in front of him currently.
Yet when Steve leans in to whisper in one girl’s ear, causing her to giggle excessively and bash her eyes at him, Billy’s heart beats all wrong, fingers tightening around the neck of his bottle. It triggers that good old fight instinct in him, the one that used to make him throw fists with Steve before that handsome brunette dared kiss him.
Nothing’s been the same since- fucking Harrington; Billy was perfectly fine before that, completely, and now? Now he can’t stop thinking about their first time. Their second time. Their third. Fourth.
And what their fifth time might be like. Not that he’s keeping count, of course. Not that he’s anticipating it. Or thinking about it. Dreaming about it. Hoping…
Like a magnet to metal, Steve turns his head and his eyes lock right onto Billy’s, looking drunk but aware of how he’s being leered at. Something in his hooded gaze tells more than it should, like a confession to curiosity, answering questions that haven't yet been asked. At least not in so many words.
Billy takes a long swig of his beer, emptying the bottle and throwing it off to the side, then lets his eyes wander down - far enough for there to be absolutely no doubt what he’s thinking about, and from the way Steve smiles next only shows, “Message received.”
When Steve kicks off of the hood and moves to walk away from his little fangroup, one of the girls grabs on to his arm, with pleading eyes and a slight pout she says something Billy can’t hear, pressing her arms together to accentuate her tits, and Billy honestly can’t blame Steve for looking down at the inviting, soft flesh for a few seconds too many, before making up an excuse that sets him free.
The disappointment on all their faces feeds Billy’s narcissism immensely, and it shows in the grin that cracks across his face. Ah to know that he’s the first choice of princess Stevie’s desire, it washes away all that doubtful jealousy with warm waves of aroused excitement.
Steve stumbles just a slight bit as he approaches Billy, inebriated and smiling. “Hey Hargrove, got a smoke?”
Billy teases with his tongue out, biting down on it with shiny teeth, and oh the thrill when Steve’s eyes dart down to watch Billy wet his lips and appetite. 
“Sure I do,” he says with the most suggestive grin. “But not here, otherwise everyone else will want to bum a smoke, too.”
Not an actual concern, but a plausible excuse to get Steve alone.
Twigs bend and snap under Billy’s heavy footfall, and perhaps he didn’t think this through, walking in the forest in flip flops. Every time he turns to look behind, Steve’s still there, following with his eyes cast down to calculate every step before taking it, brows knit and eyes squinting in concentration.
The music is still audible at this distance, but all the lights from cars and bonfires have been obscured by trees.
Billy can’t imagine anyone bothered following them all the way out here, and since he can only hear the faint pop music and Steve stumbling near, decides that, yeah, this is far enough. 
Steve goes to slump against a tree, looking at Billy who fishes up a pack of cigs. “I didn’t actually follow you out here to smoke.”
“Oh really?” Billy chuckles deep and shoves the pack back into the pocket of his swimming trunks. “Just thought it’d be more courteous of me to offer you some anyways, but-”
One finger hooks itself on those red trunks and drags Billy closer till he lands close against Steve’s heated body.
“Eager, huh? Ah-” Billy hisses as Steve grinds their hips together, proving that he’s already sporting more than half a chub.
“I’ve been thinking about you for hours,” Steve admits with a slight slur, fingers working at the drawstrings of those red shorts. “Just waiting for you to show up, always fashionably late, wanna make sure everyone sees you, right?”
“Nothin’ wrong with liking being noticed,” Billy drawls with his nose pressed against Steve’s cheek, pursing his lips just enough to offer up light, almost chaste, kisses. “I’m more than worthy of the attention, don’t you think?”
“I do,” a whisper, and Steve turns his head to meet those gentle lips, just to then feel the breath of a moan graze his sweaty skin as he wraps his fingers around Billy’s girthy cock.
It teeters on the edge of uncomfortable, how stern a grasp Steve holds on his dick, the awkward movement of a clammy hand, but Billy grows hard quickly nevertheless, leaving him cursing and groaning.
“Fuck baby, ah-h…”
Steve smiles all too self-satisfied for doing such a half assed job.
With both arms extended above each of Steve’s shoulders, Billy braces himself against the tree, and when they kiss again - tongues dancing to the distant rhythm - he can taste absolutely every single sip of alcohol Steve’s had tonight, and Billy’s convinced it makes his own head spin a little.
“I want you so bad, Billy,” Steve whines all horny and pathetic into the embrace of their lips.
“Then turn around,” Billy’s voice is rough, demanding, confident, and he takes a step back to free up some space between them.
Steve lets out a shuddering breath at the chilling air between where their sweaty bodies had been connected, then swivels on his heels till his palms land firmly against rough bark. He pushes out his ass, serving it up on a silver platter, gazing over his shoulder to catch how Billy’s smiling all wicked and wild.
Billy runs his hand down the exposed bit of Steve’s back, where his crop top and shorts can’t reach, skin warm and soft and slightly damp from the summer heat. He dips a couple of fingers beneath the elastic waistband.
“Dressed a bit like a slut tonight, pretty boy,” he hums pleasantly and pulls at the shorts, just to let go and have it snap back, loudly.
An oddly delighted gasp escapes Steve. “Just for you.”
Billy’s hand had wandered down to caress a soft cheek, going further down to tease the skin just beneath the leg of the shorts.
“You really that needy and desperate for my attention?” His lips part in a grin, exposing sharp teeth that he licks across; a little predatory show that Steve absolutely notices.
“That’s not all I’m desperate for.”
Steve stretches out his arms proper and pushes himself against where Billy’s cock is rock hard, eliciting a groan followed by two hands grabbing all too hard onto Steve’s hips.
With his grasp bruising, Billy keeps Steve still as he ruts himself against the plush of Steve’s ass, both of them moaning as he slips and slides his full erection in the crevice between cheeks.
“Ah- Billy- please please please, I need more,” Steve whines with his head hanging low.
Billy chuckles, like rolling thunder in his chest, as he leans forward to bury his face in the crook of Steve’s neck, one hand slipping around and down to cup at Steve’s aching prick. He strokes it through the shorts, following the entire length up and down, Steve whimpering and panting and thrusting for more, as a wet spot forms by the head.
“God, you’re so wet and hard for me, baby,” Billy drawls, biting, kissing, sucking his way up Steve’s neck, marking him with his attention; make everyone know.
Thumbs hook themselves on the waistband to pull down the shorts just past the curve of supple cheeks, keeping his weeping dick trapped still.
“No underwear?” He brings his tongue to lick a sloppy line up Steve’s neck, nosing at the back of his ear, then breathes out hot, “Such a whore.”
Steve inhales as if to speak, to respond, but unadulterated lust occupies his mind like a thick fog, and all that comes out is a slight, erotic, “Fuck.”
And Billy brings his hand up to those pretty pink lips, pushing his way in without invitation, just to feel Steve’s tongue eagerly wrap itself around the two digits, letting Billy roam free in the wet heat till his fingers are dripping, spit running down his palm and wrist. Steve’s always so sloppy and obscene and greedy, which is what Billy loves about him.
He brings those slick fingers between them, down to circle around Steve’s rim, teasing with the tip applying just enough pressure for it to be agonizingly inadequate, making Steve whimper as he tries to move his hips in hopes of more.
Billy’s not a bad guy per se, at least not towards Steve anymore, so he gives his princess what he’s begging for and slips in a finger, smooth and easy, as deep as it goes, and he can feel how Steve trembles with delight. Relentlessly so, Billy pulls the finger almost all the way out, before plunging it back in again - setting a quick pace, but Steve’s hungry.
“Ah-h, more, Billy,” he moans with his head thrown back, mouth wide open to allow out every single lascivious little sound he has in him.
“Ssshh,” Billy hushes where he’s quick to lean in to whisper in Steve’s ear, “Be quiet and I’ll give you what you want. Can’t have people hear you and come looking for us.”
“What’s the matter, hmm? Ah- afraid of getting caught with your pants down?” Steve laughs but in a low manner, ultimately proving he’s following orders.
And truth be told yes, Billy is afraid to get caught like this with another guy, but that just makes this all the more thrilling. So without words and choosing actions instead, he with his one free hand covers Steve’s wide open mouth before pushing a second finger into his soft hole.
Thankfully so, for the way Steve moans in utter glee vibrates against the palm of Billy’s hand.
“God you need it so bad, huh princess? Need my cock in you?” his voice thick with wanton and self-restraint.
Steve mumbles out in agreement.
It doesn’t take long before he adds a third finger, and there’s an immediate ecstatic response from Steve, who suddenly can’t help himself as he reaches behind to grab Billy by the wrist and tries to push him in deeper.
“Such an impatient little slut tonight,” Billy barks out in laughter and curls his fingers. He can feel every single muscle twitch and tremble at it, and the way Steve keens makes his own hard prick throb with desire.
“Mmh, ah- please, Billy, fuck me,” Steve tears his mouth free from Billy’s grasp, lips wet with drool.
“Lucky for you I brought lube and a condom with your name on it,” Billy snickers as he reaches into his own back pocket for the small packs, when Steve complains,
“N-no, no condom, please,” he pleads all pathetic, twisting around till their eyes meet through the darkness. “I want to feel you inside of me, nothing between us.”
Billy doesn’t have to think twice about that. The condom was a nice courtesy on his behalf, so that Steve wouldn't have to walk around with cum dripping down his thighs, but if he wants it so bad…
With one hand he undoes the drawstrings of his shorts, with the other he holds the little silver pack of lube up to his teeth as he tears it open. The liquid is warm from the summer heat as he pours it on his steely cock, moaning as he strokes himself a few good times to cover up properly before lining up with Steve’s eager entrance.
“Yes, ohh,” spills from Steve’s open lips as Billy enters him; the fat, blunt head stretching him out nice and wide.
And Billy keeps pushing in, inch by inch till they’re flush together, Steve sandwiched between Billy’s broad frame and the tree where his nails dig into the bark.
“You got such a nice, tight ass, pretty boy. So perfect for my cock,” Billy growls into Steve’s ear, teeth scraping against the shell of it as he stands as close as he can get.
Steve doesn’t have command of his own words at this moment, he can barely even hum out in agreeance as he’s overcome with blinding lust.
Slowly at first Billy pulls out before sliding in in one smooth movement, out again and in as he carefully increases the pace to the rhythm of Steve’s moans. He’s starting to learn the pattern of the sounds Steve makes when he’s getting thoroughly fucked. A certain whine when he needs more, harder, faster. A deep, guttural groan when it’s all just perfect. A string of high pitched curses whenever Billy rams into his prostate. 
And the way Steve clenches tighter than any pussy Billy’s ever had whenever he’s close is almost gorgeous in a sense. With his eyes closed and forehead pressed against Steve’s shoulder, Billy thrusts into that indescribable heat, feeling how every muscle needs his cock, milking and massaging him, urging him deeper and deeper.
“Arrh fuck, feel so good.” He grabs on to Steve’s hips with both hands, pounding into him with ardent fervor, leaving poor Steve with the responsibility of covering up his own mouth.
Blame it on the liquor or Billy’s expert fucking, if he do say so himself, no matter which it has Steve cumming in near record time with an obscene, loud whine as he bites into his hand in an attemp to fight back his impulse to be heard.
It feels like magic, the way Steve’s climaxing body sucks Billy in, every single muscle convulsing around him.
“Yes, god, just like that, oh Steve I’m so close,” he groans out, strong and throaty, slamming in harder to get what he needs now that Steve has gotten his.
He leans back, one hand on Steve’s shoulder, pushing him against the tree as he pounds as hard as he can, staring down at where his girthy cock gets swallowed so eagerly, grinning at the oh so satisfying sound of skin slapping together almost violently so.
“Ahh fuck, Billy,” Steve whines, somewhat euphoric, somewhat sore, all together enjoying being used so easily.
“That’s right, bitch, say my name.”
“Billy!”
“Yes.”
“Billy-”
“Shit, yes, arh--” 
He cums with what feels like an explosion of ecstasy in his groin, radiating out and up his spine to flourish in his chest as he fills Steve up with every last bit of energy that he has in him; a pulsating, slick heat that he buries himself in to the base of his throbbing cock.
But he doesn’t linger. As soon as they’ve both caught their breath he pulls out, well satisfied with his work as he slaps Steve’s ass lightly with his tongue out between teeth, chuckling at the little yelp that comes with it.
“Jesus, Harrington, that was fucking good,” he says as he puts himself away again in his swimming trunks.
Truth be told he wants to stay. Hell, he even wants to cuddle a bit, but it’s too soon to tell if Steve wants the same. No matter the answer, Billy isn’t sure he wants to know. Instead of thinking too long about what could be, he fishes up a cigarette and lights it quickly so that the smoke may fill the emptiness inside.
Steve’s a whole mess still. Basking in the afterglow, slow to pull up his shorts and turn around, just to steal the cigarette from between Billy’s lips and taking a drag himself.
“Really good, yeah,” he breathes out in sweet relief, then dares to ask, “What now?”
Like it’s a fucking invitation for more. To open up. To tell the truth. Every possibility flies through Billy’s mind all at once, but he plays it safe,
“I could use a drink.”
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Focus On Me
i want yall to pretend i dont have outstanding wips i need to finish lmao. Have this instead:
Dickinette One-shot 1.9K words
Summary: 
“Dick is pissed as hell after arguing with Bruce.
His solution? Go to an underground fight club to get the shit beaten out of him.”
without further ado
Richard Grayson was many things. He was a professional acrobat. He was a dedicated vigilante. Son of freaking Batman himself. And now? Now he was pissed as hell. The fallout between him and Bruce wasn’t supposed to get this bad. Wasn’t supposed to go on this long. The radio silence was deafening and the cold shoulder burned hotter than any flaming hoop he jumped through as a kid. He knew Bruce had issues about Dick’s decision but that had nothing to do with his capabilities as a vigilante and everything to do with Bruce’s own fears and insecurities. Thinking about it just gets him riled up and he keeps replaying the harsh words they threw at each other before fists started flying too.
He needs to get out of his head for a few hours before he plans what his next move is. No. He needed to get out of his head, yes, but he needs to breathe and maybe punch someone who he doesn’t fear disappointing or someone who hasn’t dumped a ferry’s load of emotional bullshit on him. Planning what comes next can have the decency to at least wait a week. 
Trying to distract himself, he went to an underground boxing club he discovered when he was sixteen. The club was deep in the East End, hidden between the Black Bass Bar and 83rd Street. He’s been sneaking there every now and again when he wanted the time to recenter himself and get grounded before facing the world. It was therapeutic, the bruising knuckles, the blistered lips, the burning sweat in his eyes. It was rough, jaded and unpolished. Everything he wasn’t allowed to be. 
He snuck in through the regular back entrance that was reserved for fighters. The air reeked of tequila and piss and cigarettes. He could already hear the cacophony of roars and jeers from the club’s patrons as a match went on in the center ring. Making his way to the side of the ring to put his name into the bracket, he sees the current fight come to a close with a knockout. The poor guy was lying limply with a twisted ankle and a suspiciously dark bruise forming on his left side. The mat is soiled with blood, spit and what was possibly bile in one corner. Dick swung his gaze over to the fighter left standing. 
His breath feels punched out as he takes in the absolute powerhouse before him. A lean figure clad in simple matching black spandex and sports bra that left nothing to the imagination. Her bare feet were bruised and taped in seemingly random places but Dick recognised an arch to them that was only achieved through professional dancing or gymnastics. She was light on her feet, strong on her toes. Chiseled abs that put Superman to shame were marred by scars on pale skin and a fresh bandage over what could possibly be a recent stab wound resting near her hip. He eyed her wrapped fists that were caked in blood and dirt as she flexed and curled her fingers repeatedly. 
If he was left breathless by her physique then her face left him dead and buried. Bold blue eyes narrowed in concentration with her busted lips curled up in a sneer. Her cheeks were flushed and her entire face was covered in a light sheen of sweat. Her hair is pulled back into a regular ponytail with loose strands framing her face. Her hair, pure black, except for bleached blonde ends, looks greasy and unkept, highlighting her lack of care regarding her appearance. Her shoulders are hiked up to her ears and her muscles twitch and flex with pent up energy. She carries herself like someone who’s addicted to pain and the worst parts of themselves, desperate for a quick fix; the perfect reflection for how he feels right now.  Dick can’t wait to get in the ring.
“I’ll pay you $50 to get me in the ring with her right now.” He turned his neck to the fight coordinator who was counting a wad of cash. The balding man barely looked at him and just held out his hand for the payment. Dick couldn’t get his money out fast enough and before he even confirmed that he was the next fight, he was already taking his shirt off and going between the rope barriers to the floor.
The loser of the last fight was being dragged off with no concern for his well-being, while the victor stood off to the side guzzling some water. She barely side-eyes him, a quick sweep of her eyes without turning to face him, and he already feels himself flushing hot from the attention. He preens and starts stretching out his shoulders, rolling his ankles and warming up his legs at the same time. 
He barely registers the presence of the announcer, ears filled with cotton and eyes narrowing at his opponent. He looks for weaknesses, anything that would get him an edge, as he crouches into a starting position. Her wound is an obvious target and she’s short enough for easy face and neck shots. Hair pulling is also an option if he feels particularly brutish. She mirrors his stance, crouch closer to her feet and legs wider to increase lunging distance, and the full force of her gaze almost bowls him over. His eyes harden into ice shards, not willing to be swayed by twin pools of blue fire. The bell dings. He charges.
He swings an uppercut that just grazes her chin and she recoils, spins back and jabs an elbow in his ribs. He grabs her by the same elbow and twists his wrist. She twinges in pain but the hold doesn’t last long. She follows the rotation of her arm and faces him. He smells faint traces of beer on her lips and his mind swims. Pain erupts in his nose as she smashes her forehead into him. She kicks into his knee and sweeps his other leg out from underneath him. She clasps her fists together and drives them into the protruding knobs of his spine, ramming him into her awaiting knee. She moves to pin him and he uses this to his advantage. He grabs the arm that was about to press into his throat and spins her around on top of him, his chest to her back. He locks one leg around hers and cants his weight to the side, pinning her face first into the disgusting mat; he completely blankets her with his much larger body. This position doesn’t hold for long either. She still has an arm free and she uses it to punch into the side of his head. It’s not a particularly strong hit, but with the pain in his nose, and his brain feeling like it’s underwater, it is enough to disorient him and she pushes him off by her hips. 
Her narrow escape lights a fire under his skin and he reaches to grapple for her again. She slips away, again, and stands. He scurries to stand as well and immediately ducks from a leg swinging for his ribs. 
“What brings you here?” Dick almost gets whiplash from how fast he has to move. He was not expecting her to engage in conversation, much less initiate it. But she doesn’t sound malicious, just curious, and she pauses in her assault in attacks to display how genuine she was.
“Same as everyone else,” he says. He swings right for her head and follows left when she ducks, knocking her in her shoulder. “I want to pretend the rest of the world doesn’t exist and get slapped around for a while. You?”
She snickers at his honesty and drops into a leg sweep. He jumps over the leg but clearly she was expecting it. She rides her momentum into a roundhouse that knocks him flat as he descends. She doesn’t hesitate and charges to pin him again. 
He lets her.
“Why does someone as pretty as you want to risk ruining that nice face of yours?” Her face is close, much closer than this pin requires but he doesn’t want to push her away. But the show must go on so he kicks her in the stomach, digging his toe into her bandaged side to get her off. She recoils like a snake about to spring and regards him with cold resentment. She clearly doesn’t like the reminder of her injuries. 
“I could ask you the same thing, sweetheart. What’s a lovely lady like you doing here getting down and dirty with the local dogs?” She is many things he regards, but lovely is not one of them. ‘Stray cat’ would better describe the scrappy woman before him. The address sets her on edge and he almost regrets describing her as such. Almost. Her next series of punches have him on the defensive and he’s pushed back all the way until he feels the ropes rubbing into the bare skin of his back. The flurry of sensations is exhilarating. Suddenly it’s too much and not enough. He ducks the next punch and grabs both wrists. He made the mistake the first time and knows better now. She won’t escape him unless he lets her. Not one to be outdone, she pulls one more trick out. She doesn’t resist his grip and instead leans up closer to his ear. Her chest is pressed flush against him and he knows she’s tipping just to reach him. Her lips, damp with sweat and cooling blood, brush against his ear and a weight settles at the base of his spine.
“Got a firm grip there?” her voice is soft, almost delicate, and he almost doesn’t register the question. His tongue feels like lead and his mouth has run dry; his brain can’t make the right connections to form words. He tightens his hold on her as an answer instead. She gets it though because she chuckles a swift ‘Good’ before she’s leaping and bracing her feet against his stomach. She leans back and uses her weight to pull them both to the ground, then she lifts her feet and flips him over. His fingers loosen and she slips out of his hold again. She follows the momentum of her roll and sits firmly on his hips, one leg pinning each of his down. She grabs both of his wrists in her small hand and uses the other to tip his chin back, his skull crashing into the mat harshly, blunt nails digging into his skin.
Her face looms over his, again closer than is strictly necessary, and she smirks at him. Her tongue peaks out and swipes at the sweat above her upper lip. He holds his breath, waiting to hear what she has to say next. His patience doesn’t reward him that satisfaction, however. A ding echoes into the room, cutting through the shouts and growls of their captive audience. She won. 
Her victorious smile is a thing of beauty, he can’t really lament his loss. Before he could overthink and get lost in his head he takes a dive headfirst and gives into his impulses.
“I’m Richard Grayson. Call me Dick.” He sounds breathless and rung out. 
“I’m Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” her name is perfect like her. She releases his arms and moves to get off him. She offers a hand to help him up and he takes it. Before he could say something stupid she continues her introduction.
“You can call me Nette. I hope to see you next week.”
She will.
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moralesispunk · 3 years
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It Means A Lot
Marcus Moreno x Female Reader
Part 3 of the Caramel Latte series
Master list / < part 2 here / part 4 here >
Summary: with Missy staying at Marcus's mums this weekend, he invited you over for a dinner date. 
Warnings: smut, oral (f), penetrative sex, unprotected sex, this is an 18+ blog
You and Marcus went on a few more dates, sharing with each other your favourite restaurants or visiting museums together.
Every date would end the same way - Marcus standing in your hallway kissing you goodbye. You would be leaning against the wall, hands gripping tightly onto his biceps as his hands grasped at your waist. You would kiss each other until you were both breathless and quietly moaning into one another.
Before it went any further one of you would pull away knowing he would have to go and let the babysitter away or head to pick Missy up from her swimming practice.
“I’m sorry, I- I have to go,” he would whisper, his hair messy and eyes dark from excitement.
“I know, it’s okay,” you reply, gently taking his face in your hands and kissing him once more.
He would lean into the kiss, intoxicated and under whatever spell you had him under making it harder to pull away.
“I’ll call you.” 
You were making tonights dinner as you danced around the kitchen to the music playing from your phone speaker. The song was interrupted by a phone call with Marcus’s name flashing on the screen along with a photograph of him in front of his favourite of the art exhibits you visited on his third date.
“Hello there,” you answer, putting your phone on speaker.
“Hey honey.” 
Honey. The name he gave you on the same date you took the photo of him as he called you over to look at a painting. He wasn’t sure how you would react, the name slipping from his mouth before he could stop it. When you turned and he could see your smile however he knew he would keep calling you it to see that smile again.
“How was work?” you ask as you reach for a spoon to stir the pot in front of you.
“The usual,” he sighs, “looking forward to the weekend.”
“Me too, we still on for tomorrow?”
“That’s what I was phoning about. Missy is going to stay at my mum’s so why don’t you come here and I’ll make us dinner?”
“I would love that!” 
“Good,” he replies, hearing the smile in his voice, “my mum is going to come get her about 4 so what about dinner at 6?”
“Works for me, do you want me to bring anything?”
“Just yourself.”
You spent the rest of the time you make dinner on the phone talking about your days until the cooker timer goes off. As you sit down to eat you think about tomorrow night. You had been in his house once before as he finished getting ready for your date and it was exactly as you expected. It was clean and tidy but full of photographs and memories that made it feel like a family home. There was some of Missy’s artwork hanging on the fridge, photographs of the two of them on holiday, pieces of art that showed more of Marcus’s personality.
You didn’t know how tomorrow was going to go but the thought of going to Marcus when Missy was at his mums for the whole night had your stomach filled with butterflies.
You had both become more comfortable with one another, learning more about each other on every date (and night you spent hours on the phone with one another) and you were enjoying spending time together, but as a single dad it was difficult for Marcus to cross the line into the next stage. While you both knew that neither of you were going on dates with anyone else and content with one another there hadn’t been a conversation to define “what you were”.
Partially because other than the few hours Marcus had free to go out with you he was busy with work or being a dad. That meant you hadn’t had a chance to spend a full night together no matter how much you both wanted to. Also because Marcus wouldn’t want to become too serious for it not to work out. While he knew he liked you, in fact he knew he had fallen for you, he didn’t want to bring someone into Missy’s life for them to leave.
He had spoke to Missy about you with her asking him a million questions whenever he got home from dates and she was still up. She could see how happy you were making her dad and she wanted nothing more than him to be happy. If that meant you, she wanted to have you in her life too.
You and Marcus knew this conversation was coming soon but you were patient. You enjoyed spending the time you had with him and you would wait as long as he needed to go further.
You hadn’t been nervous the next day, taking a relaxing day to watch films before getting ready, but as you knocked on his door the butterflies began to play in your stomach.
“Just coming!” you heard from inside.
Marcus opened the door, wearing a t-shirt and nice pair of jeans. His hands were in a towel that hung over his shoulder, cleaning them off before opening the door wider to let you in.
“Hey,” he said before leaning down to kiss you.
“Hey back,” you uttered against his lips before kissing them gently again, “what are you making, it smells amazing!”
“My famous spaghetti meatballs! I know its not anything fancy but its my go to. Come on, let me go sit you down,” he walked you towards the kitchen.
He pulled out a chair at the table in the kitchen, waiting till you had sat down before leaning down and placing another kiss to your lips. 
“Can I get you something to drink?”  
“Oh, wait! I brought some wine for us.”
You pulled a bottle out of your bag to place on the table. 
“I told you that you didn’t have to bring anything,” he playfully scolded, “but thank you, I'll get some glasses.”
Marcus poured two glasses of the wine, placing one in front of you and lifting the other with him as he finished making dinner. You watched as he cooked, taking his glasses off when the steam hit them as he drained the spaghetti. 
Once the dinner was plated up he carried both plates over to the table.
“Bon appetit.”
“Wow, Marcus. It looks great, thank you.”
You spent the dinner talking about your week and sharing more anecdotes.
"You did not!" You laughed.
Marcus nodded, laughing as he finished his glass of wine before pouring you both another. He had been telling you of a time he and Miracle Guy ended up staying for an extra hour after their annual sports competition.
"He was a sore loser! I bet him by half a second and he wanted to go until he beat me."
"And did he?"
"Of course not, I might not look it but I am quite fit."
"I don't doubt that," you smirked back, making him blush.
After finishing the bottle of wine, you insisted on washing the dishes to help tidy up since he made dinner for you. Once you had washed and he had dried all the dishes you retired to the couch in his living room.
“I’m so glad we get to do this,” Marcus moved closer to you so his arm was placed behind you on the couch.
“Me too,” you smiled as you leaned further into his side.
“I’m sorry we’ve not got to do this before, just with Missy I-”
“Marcus,” you stopped him as you placed your hand on his thigh, “I don’t mind. I know things have to go slower because you have Missy. It’s not easy finding time and you don’t want to rush into anything but I love what we’re doing. Just getting to see you the way I do now is enough for me.”
“That means more than you could even know,” he replies, taking your hand in his free one.
Both your eyes suddenly flick down to one another’s lips before back up to your eyes. A smile plays on his lips as he leans forward to press his lips against yours, his hand moving up to hold your cheek. His lips brushed across yours lightly, feeling the softness of yours against his. Your hands found their way into his curls, pulling him closer to you as his tongue grazed your lips before finding its way into your mouth.
Marcus had you quickly moved onto his lap, pulling you against him with his hands wrapped around your back while yours wrapped round his neck. Your hips started gently rocking against one another without noticing, both of you trying to deal with the longing you had for one another.
He moaned into the kiss, breaking away to kiss down your neck and shoulder before back up to your lips again. You pulled away to look into his eyes, the same dark and neediness that you had seen so many times before at the end of every date.
“Do you- uhh- do you want to go to the bedroom?” he asked and you giggled, “sorry I’ve- I’m-”
You stopped his rambling with a kiss before pulling back again.
“Take me to bed, Marcus.”
His shy smile was suddenly replaced with a smirk as he lifted you with him when he stood. He playfully threw you over his shoulders as he carried you towards his bedroom, the sound of your laughter calming his nerves a little.
When he got to the bedroom he placed you down in front of him, taking your face in his hands and kissing you deeply before you could say anything. He walked towards the bed, stopping when his knees his the edge and sitting to bring you onto his lap again.
You lean back, stretching your neck slightly as he leaves sloppy kisses down your neck to your chest. He stops when he reaches the collar of your shirt, looking up at you.
You lift your arms, letting him pull it over your head. He stops, his hands gently running down your bare arms and back up again, holding the side of your neck as he looks back to your face. You can tell he looks a little nervous and reach your arms back to unclasp your own bra. He helps the straps down your arms. His eyes look at your chest and back at you before back down again. 
You reach down to the hem of his shirt, helping him lift it off and throwing it with your growing pile of clothes on the floor. He takes his glasses off and placed them on the bedside table as your hands run down his chest, feeling the muscles that are under his soft skin. He keeps his eyes on yours, his breathing heavy as he feels your soft skin on his. You shuffle forward slightly, letting your chests press against one another. You both gasp at the feeling of your skin touching, cold and soft, with electricity passing through.
Your hands slide up to hold the back of his neck, fingers tangled in his curls as he leans back to move his mouth down your chest. His lips kiss across your collarbones and down your sternum while his hands hold tightly onto your back before moving across to your nipple. He looks up at you as he takes one into his mouth, his tongue swirling round it while one of his hands moves round to play with the other. He releases the one in his mouth with a pop before moving to give the other the same attention.
You you out a moan, his lips expertly working your nipples. He releases the other, standing up and wrapping your legs around his waist as he turns to kneel and move up the bed, placing you down on the pillows. He leans down to give you a kiss before moving back down your body.
He stops as he reaches the button on your jeans, his hand running along the waistband. As you nod he kneels to undo the button and zip before sliding them down your legs. He reaches up again, bringing your panties along with them.
He kneels between your legs and takes a look at you laid out in front of him. His eyes trace over every inch of you as his hands rest on your thighs, growing harder in his own jeans.
You sit up on one of your elbows, the other arm reaching out to trace along the skin just above his jeans. He lets out a small whimper and your eyes flick back up to his, both of you smiling wide at one another.
"Shall we let him out of there?" you whisper.
Marcus nods moving to stand off the bed and reaches for his zip.
"Can I?" You ask and he nods.
You shuffle down the bed, kneeling in front of him and reaching for his button and zip. You undo them, dragging his jeans down his legs and helping them out of them, taking his socks with them. Looking back up at his face you notice his eyes on yours, his mouth hanging open as he watches you. You reach back up for his boxers, slowly releasing him from them as well.
A small moans comes out from your mouth as you take in the sight of him. You lean forward before slowly licking up the underneath of his cock, keeping your eyes on him. His head is thrown back as a groan is released from the back of his throat.
He reaches down, grabbing onto your shoulder as he gently pulls you to stand. His hand holds the side of your neck as he kisses you deeply, moving so you were now back lying at the top of the bed.
Marcus kisses back down your body, resting between your legs as his shoulders hold them open for him. He looks up at you, smirking slightly before attaching his lips to your clit. Your hands reach straight for his hair, tugging on it slightly as he finds the right pace.
He keeps his eyes on yours, watching as you come undone under him. Your hips start to lift of the bed and he moves an arm across your stomach to hold them in place. His other hand reaches up to hold yours, your fingers locking together.
"Marcus, I'm close," you whine to him.
"I know honey, let go. I've got you," he mumbles against you.
You feel the wave rush over you, your head thrown back as Marcus keeps going. He doesn't stop until your legs are limp around his shoulders and he pulls back, pressing a kiss to the inside of both your thighs before your stomach.
"Come here," you moan as you pull him up towards you.
He leans down, his tongue in your mouth as he kisses you deeply.
"You taste so good," he moans into the kiss.
"I need you," you whine.
"I know, I need you too. Condom?"
"I'm clean and on birth control but we can if you would prefer," you say looking in his eyes.
"I'm clean too," he smiles down at you.
You lean up, pressing your lips to his as he holds himself above you with one forearm while he lines himself up at your entrance with the other. He pushes in with one slow move of the hips, the both of you braking away from the kiss to moan.
You move one hand up to hold his hand next you your head, the other staying in his hair as his free hand grips your hip. With your legs wrapped around his waist he keeps his hips moving with slow, deep thrusts.
"You feel so good," he groaned before placing kisses down your neck.
"Marcus, please," you begged.
His hand moved from your hip you between your bodies, wanting you to cum one more time before he did.
"Oh god, Marcus. It feels so good."
"One more for me honey, I know you can," he moved to kiss your lips as you came round him again.
His thrusts began to lose any rhythm, him moving his arm underneath the bottom of your back to hold you close with his other hand still in yours. He came with your name repeated out of his mouth, his face buried in your neck.
His arms couldn't hold his weight off you completely anymore, giving out slightly as he pressed you further into the bed. You traced along his back and sides as he turned his head to kiss into your neck before lifting his weight off you. He walked to the bathroom, coming back to side on the edge of the bed and clean you slightly with a cloth.
He threw it into the basket, moving to lie on his side on the bed. You turned on your side to face him.
"Hey," you whispered.
"Hey," he laughed quietly back, "was that okay?"
"Okay? It was amazing Marcus," you laughed, shuffling closer to his chest.
"Sorry, just been a while," he laughed back.
"Was it okay for you?" You asked, moving your head to look up at him properly.
"It was perfect," he moved to kiss your forehead, "you tired?"
Just as he asked you let out a yawn and he laughed, moving so he was lying on his back and you were pulled onto his chest.
"Go to sleep, I've got you," he whispered into your hair.
"Goodnight Marcus," you turned to kiss his chest.
"Goodnight honey, sweet dreams."
Marcus waited as you fell asleep, tracing circles along your back and arms as your body went limp in his arms. He smiled, looking down at you in his arms, before he let himself fall asleep.
You sleep in the next morning, Marcus waiting up before you with you still asleep on his chest. He pulls you in tighter, kissing your forehead and lets himself fall back into a light sleep until you wake up. When you finally stir you look up to find him with a lazy smile on his face.
"Good morning," you groan as you stretch out.
"Good morning, you sleep well?"
"I really did, did you?"
"Better than I have in forever, I was thinking about going for a shower before making some breakfast," he smirks.
"Want some company?"
You both share a lazy shower together, washing each other after Marcus takes you up against the wall. You place kisses all over each other before he finally turns the water off and helps you out. You're glad for packing your toothbrush and some clean underwear, Marcus giving you one of his t-shirts to wear with your jeans.
He does downstairs, getting a start on breakfast as he leaves you to dry your hair. When you finish you find him cooking away in the kitchen, swaying his hips to whatever is playing on the radio.
"Someone woke up in a good mood," you laugh as you move to stand next to him.
"Hmm, guess that's what happens when I wake up next to a beautiful woman." He leans down to give you a kiss. "I hope you like pancakes."
"Who doesn't? Anything I can help with?"
"No, I'm good here, maybe just take the coffees over to the table for us?"
You walk to the kitchen table, setting down the coffees before sitting down at the table. Marcus soon joins you, placing the pancakes in front of you.
You eat the pancakes in a comfortable quiet as the radio plays in the background, Marcus's hand occasionally moving you squeeze your thigh. When you finish he takes the plates and sits them in the sink before coming back to join you.
"I was thinking we should maybe have a talk... about us," he says as he turns his chair to fully face you.
You nod, letting him know he can go on.
"I really like you, and I care about you. If you're okay with it, I think I'd like you to properly meet Missy. Means we can spend more time together by spending some time as the three of us?"
"Does this mean I'm officially your girlfriend, Marcus Moreno?" you giggle.
"God, I feel like I'm sixteen again asking you to be my girlfriend but yes, I'd like that."
"I'd like that too," you lean over to give him a kiss, "it means a lot that you want me to meet Missy."
"Well, you mean a lot to me," he brushes some hair behind you ear, "my mum's dropping her in about an hour if you want to wait?"
You and Marcus move to the living room, finding something to watch as you wait for Missy to come home. As time goes on you get more nervous. Marcus reaches over to place his hand on your shaking leg.
"You don't have to be nervous."
"I know but... what if she doesn't like me?"
Marcus laughs before taking your hands in his.
"She will. She already does. She sees how happy you make me and she wants to meet you," he reassures you.
Just as you nod you hear the door open and Missy shout goodbye to her grandma. Marcus stands to meet her in the hall and you hear them talk.
You stand to your feet, not able to sit still while you wait. Marcus's voice suddenly cuts through all your thoughts.
"Missy, I want you to meet someone again."
Marcus and Missy appear at the doorway, Marcus introducing you both for the second time. Even though you had technically met once before it had only been for a few minutes.
"Hi," she bounds over to stand in front of you, "my dad really likes you."
You laugh at her comment and how much it makes Marcus blush as he stays standing in the doorway.
"Missy!"
Missy turns to laugh at her dad before looking back at you.
"Are you staying to watch a film with us?"
"I don't see why not? If that's okay," you look up to Marcus.
"Of course it is, Missy why don't you go put your stuff in your room and you can come back and choose a film?"
She nods and smiles back at you before walking out the room. Marcus walks over to you and gently grips the top of your arms.
"Thank you for this. I know it must be a lot meeting your boyfriends daughter properly."
"Thank you, Marcus. I know it's a lot to have me meet her."
You both smile, giving each other a kiss before settling down on the couch with enough room between you for Missy.
When she comes down the stairs she takes the remote from her dads hand, choosing the first Avengers film to watch.
"I love these films," you say as she presses play.
"Really? Me too!"
You watch the first avengers and the second before Marcus asks if you want to stay for dinner. He orders some pizza for you to eat as you put on Infinity War.
He spent more time watching you and Missy than he did the films, laughing at how you playfully argued over who was the strongest superhero as the films went on.
When the third film of the day finishes Missy begs her dad to watch Endgame but he shakes his head.
"It's a school night, Missy."
"But Dad..."
"Why don't we save Endgame for another day, after a proper Marvel movie marathon?" you say.
She turns and nods, making you pinky promise before she goes for a shower before bed.
"I had a really good day with you," Missy says before giving you a hug.
"So did I," you hug her back.
Once she is upstairs you get your stuff ready to head as well with work the next day.
"I had an amazing time this weekend," Marcus says as he walks you to the door.
"So did I. It was really nice getting to meet Missy properly too."
"I'm glad we can spend more time like that now."
You stop at the door, turning to face Marcus completely. He leans forward, taking your face in your hands to give you a kiss goodbye.
"Will we sort something for during the week?" Marcus asks.
"Sounds good to me. Bye Marcus."
"Bye, honey."
He waits till your safely in your car and pulling out of the driveway before he closes the door behind you, leaning against it as he does so.
"You really like her, don't you Dad?" He hears Missy call from the top of the stairs.
"I really do."
////
Marcus fic tag list//
@heythere-mel @over300books
Permanent tag list//
@phoenixhalliwell
111 notes · View notes
ggukkiedae · 3 years
Text
❝𝕣𝕦𝕟 𝕓𝕥𝕤 𝕖𝕡. 𝟠𝟛-𝟠𝟝❞
𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜:
⇢ when you put bangtan in a resort that’s basically a water park
𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜:
⇢ conversations written in italics are spoken in english. requests and feedback are highly appreciated!
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Episode 83
yoonmi was practically drowning in the big shirt over her rashguard, so you can see her tying it at her waist while the others introduce the episode
“today’s run bts’s theme is summer outing”
“oh god, i’m not good at sports”
jungkook and her met eyes and “i got you, mimi” “hopefully we’re on the same team”
she got grouped with namjoon, hoseok, and seokjin
while the other team celebrated, she laughed while hoseok and seokjin lifted her up with their arms forming a makeshift throne
“oppas, please, i’m not good with sports”
she cheered when hoseok was called out to do the warm up exercises
she was giggling the whole warm up “why are we doing dance basics?”
she stretched out on the side, pulling her legs up into a scorpion position one at a time before sitting by the side of the pool. seokjin lifted her from under her armpits and placed her in the pool where the water reached her chest, almost to her collar bones
she exchanged looks with her teammates
“we’re at a huge disadvantage” “you’re telling me? they have ggukoo oppa, and he’s a powerhouse! i’m a noodle”
the game starts, and it shows the chaotic mess of the members. then there’s a one shot of her lightly splashing around in the water with squeaky noises layered on it
taehyung laughs and calls a time out around half way into the game “hold on, we’re at second set, and yoonmi’s just been playing in the back the whole time” “but, oppa, i’m literally armpit deep in the water!”
everyone laughs and calls her over to stand near their net with the caption “makdungie with no competitive bone” around her
surprisingly, she was able to hit the ball to the back where yoongi couldn’t reach
buuut they lost the second round
“i told you guys i can’t play”
for the third set, she was in front once again and the ball was just constantly sailing over her head. eventually she pouts
“i’m short, this isn’t fair”
to which hoseok just laughs and pats her head
she cheers when jungkook hits the ball softer for her to hit
but then he hits it back way too hard and it goes far behind them
“oppa,” she gasped at a laughing jungkook “are you mad?”
she hit the last ball, and they won the third set. the other three cheered and pulled her into a group hug
there’s a clip of yoonmi struggling to get out of the pool so jungkook lifts her out
next cut she’s in protective gear looking nervously at the boat
“are we gonna fly off? i can’t really swim” “that’s why you have a life vest, princess”
her eyes widened when she saw how fast and rocky the little boat was moving
“oppas! is it hard to stay on?”
all she could hear was screaming. she looked at seokjin “i’m gonna die” “no you’re not” “yes i am”
then it was their turn to get on. jungkook lightly tapped the side of her helmet “you’ll be fine. just hold tight”
her eyes and mouth are squeezed shut while they’re going, and she screams when the boat jumps
“125x7” “oppas, it’s 875, let’s do this fast so we can get off fast”
namjoon laughed “terror made you smarter makdungie”
then the boat moves once again
they arrive on land and she just lies down on the wooden floor
“oh my god, i’m never doing that again”
jimin shook his head fondly and pulled her to the others where they had chicken
she was zoned out and the caption on her one-shot said “the most stressed she’s been in her 19 years of life”
Episode 84
she was a lot more lively in the next game
“i like slides, this will be fun”
they chose her to go last and she grinned
she sat on where they were standing and clapped her hands when she saw the other members going down
by the time it was her and jungkook’s turn, the two maknaes cheerfully went up the slide
“they’re the only one’s not scared” namjoon noted
seokjin gave a confused look “which is surprising for yoonmi, but she enjoys slides too much”
she and jungkook did little wiggly dances when the pd asked if they were ready making the other members laugh
they went down, and she made sure to curl herself into a ball the moment she was off the slide
she stayed in the air considerably long before unfolding her body
once they hit the water, she floated up and wiped her face while laughing. jungkook pulled her with him to the side where she wasn’t even fazed at the news of losing
“it was fun!”
when taehyung went and forgot to say the s in bts, she fell to the ground in laughter
for the bob jump, they asked her if she would be able to do it to which she said no and curled up next to yoongi who also wasn’t doing it
“have fun, oppas”
she watched in awe while jungkook went and audibly gasped when she saw how high he went
“yup, i could not have managed that”
yoongi pulled her back to a chair where he kept her on his lap, wrapping them both in a towel to keep them warm while they watched the others
she sneezed a few times before yoongi looked at the on site medic
then they were on the platform by the obstacle course
“as you can see, we’re only seven now, but only six of us will be participating since hobi is feeling seasick, and yoonmi developed a slight fever, so we aren’t letting her play in case it gets worse”
“i want to go on the obstacle course, though,” yet she was silenced by six pairs of eyes silently telling her no to which she sighed
she sat on the blue platform to watch, but the staff told her to go wash up and get dressed in something warm. she pouted but hugged the six boys before running off
Episode 85
she appeared a little worse for wear with her hood up over her head.
jimin stood up and opened his arms
“aigoo, aegi, come here”
she sulked towards him and settled in a hug
“you’re burning up,” he felt her forehead, “thankfully you didn’t get too sick in the middle of a game. go sit beside kookie”
she sat on the table, head in her arms, while the others got food.
jungkook eventually returned not just with food, but also with a bottle of water and some medicine for yoonmi
taehyung was constantly feeding her or putting food on her plate
she was practically half asleep while eating, so she barely followed along with what was happening
“no,” seokjin laughed, “it’s a little funny because even hobi has more energy than yoonmi right now, and hobi just woke up”
she watched them do the bottle cap challenge with a tired smile
eventually taehyung pulled her over into a back hug and waddled them both towards the other chairs
then they were seated for the manito. she was between jimin and jungkook, arms tucked into the torso portion of her hoodie while jungkook tied her sleeves together
the pds asked her if she was okay “i drank my medicine! i’m okay!”
she saw yoongi’s gift and burst into a fit of giggles. when she saw seokjin’s gift, she just laughed. she burst into laughter when she saw taehyung’s gift and fell off her chair, so jimin had to help her up by untying her sleeves, but he fell, too which lead to more laughter
then namjoon started to approach taehyung with his gift
she jumped in surprise when he handed a small box to her
“oh, me? is this bts goods again?”
she opened the box and pulled out a leather bound notebook and a case of colorful pens. the leather notebook had “M.Y.” engraved in gold on the corner
“woah”
namjoon smiled when he sat back down “i know you’re looking into bullet journalling, so i thought maybe i could help you get started”
she smiled and skipped over to him before kissing his cheek “thank you oppa”
then it was her turn to give a gift. she twirled a little before gently attacking yoongi in a hug and placing a small paper bag in his arms. yoongi let her sit on his lap while he opened it
“woah, princess, and this fit in the price range?” “yupp!”
inside was a necklace with a shield shaped charm that had a heart shaped hole in it. she helped yoongi put it on then pulled her own necklace from under her hoodie and connected them
“yours is the shield because you always protect me and the oppas. you can even hang it on your bed or clip it to your bags, i don’t mind”
the other members were cooing at her while yoongi patted her cheek and pressed a kiss to the top of her head
“wait,” seokjin began, “so three of us got bangtan goods while yoonmi and yoongi don’t? wahhh”
this made everyone laugh
yoonmi went back to her seat and excitedly opened the notebook namjoon gave her, pleased to see the pages were dotted
they all finished giving each other presents, and she was just smiling despite how tired and lightheaded she felt
“it’s actually pretty nice we got to get each other presents” “you got journalling stuff, mimi. i got v fans” “that’s taetae oppa watching over you and keeping you cool!”
she leaned against yoongi for their ending shot. after calling out the slogan and the camera panning away, you can hear her voice
“i’m gonna start on my bullet journal as soon as i’m better and i’ve printed my pictures and stickers!”
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em0avacado · 3 years
Text
Supposed To Be (Angel Reyes x Reader)
summary : uh first it’s sad but then it’s..... not as sad. there’s no real plot. Angel slowly falls in love with his best friend.
trigger warning : UUUHH FILTH, mentions of cheating, broken hearts, also - all things dirty near the end.
word count : 2.1k
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It didn’t rain much in Santo Padre, that was a given, it was basically the desert. So on the rare occurrence that it did, you’d dwell in it. Sitting inside, against an open window, and listened to the water pelting against the glass, washing away the sins of the small town. But this time, you were soaked to the core, water hitting your head, your toes touching every puddle that was in her path, her heels not being very water nor cold resistance. The storm inside your heart mirrored the one that riddled the quiet streets. If it weren’t for your red, puffy eyes, one couldn’t even tell your cheeks were tear stained. Shivers hit you bones as she stepped up the front porch of your best friends house. Someone you loved so dearly, but someone that you’d pushed away, all due to the asshole you found buried deep in your only other friends pussy. It wasn’t the first time, either, for some odd reason, the first time, you’d been inclined to believe his sobbed apologies, you knew people made mistakes, and though this wasn’t one you’d forgive, you found yourself doing so. In your weak state, one you hated showing, despising how it felt to be so vulnerable to anyone, especially someone you hurt. You nearly fell into Angel’ s arms when he opened the door, wordless sobs racking your chest. You told him everything, and he listened, that day he swore that was the last time he’d let some lowlife break your heart, even if it meant he’d have to kill them.
You ended up moving in with Angel, the situation you had been in wasn’t ideal, and it took a while to really get yourself back but when you did? The sight was unbelievably gorgeous, after seeing you so low, seeing you on his step, eyes swollen, throat raw, hair a mess, clothing tattered, it was breath taking seeing you shine again. You allowed yourself to really feel the pain for a while, wanting to get that part over with, so you didn’t find yourself crawling back to someone like your ex again, and it almost felt.. like you’d been reborn in the rain that night. You took it one day at a time, within the first few days you didn’t get out of bed, then you did, starting with small tasks before you went back to bed, then you started going back to work, not intending to be some sort of mooch.
It was one night, a few months after living with him, he came home his usual time, around eight, stopping at the door when he heard the music blasting from the inside. Furrowing his brows when he heard you screech along, you were far from a singer, but he’d pay thousands to continue to hear the pure joy in your voice as the words pitched. He opened the door as quietly as possible, and when you didn’t notice him, he walked further in. He saw you dancing around the kitchen with a wooden spoon in your hand, using it as a microphone, you wore a sports bra, and plaid pj shorts that clung to your hips as you moved them, not at all to the rhythm. “My pride still feels the sting, you were my everything! someday i’ll find a love like yours!!” you sang brightly, more meaning behind the words than you’d like to admit. You jumped when Angel finished the lyric, lifting your spoon as a weapon, ready to strike as he sang “she’ll think i’m superman, not super minivan!” he laughed, then she did, finishing the song, she turned the radio down, and they carried on making dinner and talked about each other’s day.
It was the time that Angel had a really rough day, after being taught for years by ex lovers, and surely society itself that it wasn’t okay for him to express his emotions, you showed him that he’s allowed to be comfortable in himself and you, no matter the day. The storm cloud around his head was dark, his chest felt heavy, his limbs dragged. He’d ignored the “hello” he got from you after he came home, he went straight for his room, keeping it dark. Furrowing your brows, you gave him a few minutes before you went inside. Climbing into the bed, you lifted the sheets and wrapped your arms around his sleeping form, when he woke up, he saw you, sleeping with him in your grasp. He looked at you, watching you in silence, the heavy heart that say in his chest, lightened, you were there for him without asking the slightest of you. You made him feel safe.
It was that one friday, where he was supposed to be on a run, you were supposed to have the house to yourself so you ran around in a shirt that went down to mid thigh, an oversized shirt. his. oversized shirt. The club had gotten home early from a run, they were supposed to be home tomorrow, he could’ve stayed at the clubhouse. The Mayans had planned a party, but Angel felt himself missing you, it’d already been over twenty four hours since he saw you last and he felt the withdrawals. So, naturally, he went home, the house was silent, you were in bed, on top of the covers, bedroom door wide open, like a book, and your hands between your legs. Your head tilted back, eyes shut, he could tell you were close, so close, the small sources of light in the room bounced off your glistening skin. You didn’t withhold your moans, you were supposed to be alone, so of course you’d let yourself feel it.
He watched as you brought yourself closer and closer to that delicious climax that curled your toes, he felt like he should look away, like he should walk away and forget he ever saw that but his mouth watered at the sight, utterly star struck. He was about to walk away, leave you to it, his pants growing tighter, he wanted to give you your privacy but that was over the moment his name escaped your lips, in a soft, angelic moan. Disregarding his kutte quickly, he went up to the corner of your bed and cleared his throat “you called?” he asked, raising a brow at you as you scrambled to find cover, widening your eyes quickly, bringing you down from that high quickly and pulling your legs closed but he stopped you with a finger to your knee. “no, baby. lemme see that pretty pussy.” he nearly growled, a shiver ran down the length of your spine. Inhaling deeply, you slowly spread your legs again, putting your glistening heat on display for him.
You felt the bed shift as he got on, dipping with his weight, he ran his fingertips over your soft skin, a ghosting touch causing a litter of goosebumps to rise on your skin. You watched him closely, the suspense killing you slowly, you clenched your muscles around nothing, your desire for him burning hot as he just looked, awe struck. “This all for me?” he asked, his eyes meeting yours, and when you didn’t respond, looking at him in silence, he reached up, grasping your chin between his forefinger and thumb, adjusting your face roughly. “I asked you a question.” he said, his voice stern, and so velvety smooth.
“yes.” you mustered, caught up in arousal and nerves.
“yes, what, princess?” he asked, his free hand ghosting up your inner thigh, making you want to whine for his touch, shivering once again.
“yes, it’s all for you.” you nearly whimpered but did your best to maintain your composure.
“I want to taste you, may i?” he asked, eyes still on you as you nodded eagerly, and you didn’t need to say it twice.
He started at your knees, peppering soft kisses down the inside of your thighs as he lowered himself. Now laying between your legs, he placed little butterfly kisses everywhere but where you needed him the most. You whined, and squirmed, you wanted him, so, so, bad. His eyes met you again, looking for your reaction as he dove between your legs, starting to devour you the moment he made contact. His tongue trailing between your folds, lapping up your juices, leaving no part of you untouched. He wasn’t a religious man, but he knew right then, that if anything was the forbidden fruit, it was you. He was completely lost in the way you tasted, and your head was swimming, the moment he focused on your clit, you lost all and any control you had. You gripped his hair tightly as your orgasm ran through your body, arching your back, you ground your hips against his face, cumming quickly. But he didn’t stop, selfishly lapping up your climax, he pushed his thumb against your clit and just continued, you began forcing your legs shut around his head, pushing off the bed, you cried out his name and panted until he pulled his face away. Your cum dropping from his beard, he looked proud.
Panting, you thought he was done,maybe he’d fuck you next, but no, he sat up, wrapped his arms around your hips, pulled you closer and dove back in, he fucked you with his tongue for a while, getting you going again before he plunged two fingers in your tight hole and went to town. He curled them when he knew he should, and continued with the assault on your clit until you gripped onto any and everything you could, shoving pillows off the bed, squirming away, pushing at his head. He didn’t stop, nor slow down until you shook, moaning his name, and sprayed your arousal all over him. With a proud smirk, he added a third finger, quickening the pace of his fingers as you came harder than you could ever remember.
Then he gave you a moment to relax, pulling away, he set you down, leaving you a panting mess as you slowly came down. Looking at him after you opened your clenched shut eyes, you saw him undressing himself, and felt yourself get excited all over again, despite the utter exhaustion that washed over you. You sat up in a puddle of your own creation, and reached forward, you wanted to touch him, return the favour, but when he pulled your hand away, and flipped you on all fours, he set a pillow beneath your waist. Stroking himself before he slid in slowly, quickly, you stiffened, feeling him stretch you out, you cried out his name in pleasure. You knew you wouldn’t last long, but based on the way he swore under his breath, you knew he was in the same boat. He gave you a few moments to get used to his size, before he drove himself into you, hard and fast, his rhythms didnt slow or get sloppy, hearing you scream his name is what kept him going, until you came for a third time, he slapped his hand to your clit, circling his finger on it quickly as you shook. Crying of pleasure into the bed, the next thing you felt was him finishing inside you, pull out slowly, only to watch his seed slide out of you in a slow drip.
Collapsing next to you, he painted as you tried to collect yourself. He grabbed onto you carefully, pulling you into his side and wrapping his arms around you. “holy fuck.” you managed to whisper after a few minutes of catching your breath, he looked down at you, and nodded his head in agreement.
He picked her up, climbing out of bed with her he set her on the bathroom counter, running her a bath. “stay here, baby. I’m gonna toss your shit in the wash.” he hummed, kissing her forehead. So she did, she waited, and if she tried to get up her legs wobbled uncontrollably. He came back like he promised, her bed newly dressed, he set her in the tub and got in behind her. He slowly washed her, soaping up her limbs “You know, [Y/N] theres no point in not wanting to cross a line now so.. I fell in love with you, the day that I came home to you dancing in the kitchen, the way your smile glows and the way you light up a room on the darkest days.” he admitted in a soft hum, trailing his fingers over your wet skin.
“I fell in love with you, too. I can’t tell you when, I don’t know when, I just know I woke up one day and you were it.” you spoke the words Angel had always wanted to hear.
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melanielocke · 3 years
Text
Lost in the Shadows - Chapter 18
AO3
Taglist: @nott-the-best @foxglove-airmid @alastair-esfandiyar-carstairs1 @justanormaldemon @styxdrawings @ipromiseiwillwrite @a-dream-dirty-and-bruised
Previous Chapter: Chapter 17
Next Chapter: Chapter 19
Thomas had always enjoyed swimming. He used to be a competitive swimmer in school, and still considered going back to it at university. He was fast and he guessed he’d need to slow down for Alastair, who was not a frequent swimmer at all. While Alastair was fast and nimble on the land, his swimming skills appeared only enough to not drown. Which arguably was the most important when it came to swimming, but Thomas had to be careful, he didn’t want to exhaust Alastair or leave him behind.
‘I don’t usually like swimming all that much,’ Alastair admitted.
‘Really? Then why did you come?’ Thomas asked.
A wicked gleam appeared in Alastair’s dark eyes and he smiled. ‘For the scenery, of course.’
Thomas guessed it was the first time they’d seen each other wearing only swim shorts, although he had seen some of Alastair’s chest after Tessa had bandaged his shoulder. The wound looked closed now, but Thomas knew it was still sensitive.
While Alastair was skinny, he was also lightly toned. Not muscular like Thomas was, but elegant and graceful. He was beautiful. He remembered Alastair telling him he’d gained weight lately because of his new medication, but if this was his body after gaining weight, just how skinny had he been before?
And although Alastair tried to act casual, Thomas caught him staring at him too. Truth to be told, he was a little insecure about his body, and what Alastair would think of it. Thomas knew he was muscular, since he worked out so much, which he knew was considered desirable, but he often felt he was a bit too tall. Not to mention he hated the stretch marks that had appeared on his back, and worried what Alastair would think of those. His mother had freaked out the first time she’d seen them until she’d realized they were stretch marks. They were a faded pink now, although they used to be a bright red like wounds. Hopefully in time they’d fade to white. Of course, after three pregnancies, his mother had them too but everyone seemed to associate stretch marks with pregnancy when it was also completely normal to get them after gaining weight or growing very fast. Thomas sometimes wished he’d known that sooner.
‘My parents would often take me and my sisters swimming when I recovered from one of my fevers,’ Thomas said.
‘In the winter as well?’ Alastair asked. ‘Isn’t that cold?’
‘At the indoor pool,’ Thomas clarified. ‘I always had lots of fun there. There were water slides, a wave simulator bath, tropical plants to create a nice atmosphere. There was this one water slide that was in the dark and Barbara was scared of it so she always claimed I was too small for the water slide and wasn’t allowed to take it either.
Often when I was sick, it was something I looked forward to because I knew I could go to the pool when I got better. When I was older and no longer sick, I started swimming competitively. Didn’t you go swimming as a child?’
‘Not often,’ Alastair said. ‘Cordelia would go with Lucie and her parents sometimes.’
‘I remember getting these invites to classmates’ birthday parties. It’s a surprise what we’re doing, but bring your swimsuit,’ Thomas said. ‘Of course, I could only go when I was well enough, but it was a very common activity at my school.’
‘I was that child who never got invited. Which was fine, I didn’t really like being around other children anyway. My mother couldn’t swim, and my father didn’t really go have fun with us. I did take swimming lessons, passed my exams, but beyond that I didn’t really go swimming. My mother started taking classes not so long ago, though, so she’s learnt the basics. She found a class for adult women and even made some friends there.’
‘Maybe you should give it a chance,’ Thomas said. ‘Unfortunately, the pool I went to as a child closed. They built a mall there, I think. but I’m sure there are other pools I could take you someday.’
‘It’s not so bad,’ Alastair admitted. ‘Maybe if we survive this summer, I’ll take you up on that offer.’
Thomas felt himself become a little warm inside, despite the cold water. Here, spending time together in the lake and in the woods was nice, but Thomas wanted to show Alastair all his favorite places, go to the museum together, go swimming like he used to do. He wanted to introduce Alastair to his sisters, who would undoubtedly like him very much. He hoped they wouldn’t be too protective of him though, Thomas did not think Alastair would react well if Genie started threatening him. He made a mental note to send a warning to his sisters that there would be no threatening Alastair.
‘Do you play any sports?’ Thomas asked.
‘Currently not much beyond generally trying to stay active and taking very long walks,’ Alastair admitted. ‘Cordelia and I used to take dance classes together for several years, Father thought it important we learnt how to dance ballroom. The memory is a bit tainted because it was something he demanded of us, but truth to be told I did like dancing and I was quite good at it. We both were.’
‘Oh, that sounds nice,’ Thomas said. ‘I’ve always thought it would be nice to learn partner dancing, but I never got around to it. Besides, I’m a bit clumsy on my feet so I’d be stepping on my partner’s toes all the time.’
‘That doesn’t happen as often as people think,’ Alastair said. ‘I think there’s a dancing association at the university, so if you want to learn that might be a nice and affordable place to take classes. But you could also join a swimming team there if you’d prefer. Or both, but you’ll need to find time to study too.’
‘Is that something you struggled with?’ Thomas asked.
‘Not really. I had no social life beyond my ex boyfriend and I don’t need much time to study. Magic memory and all. But there were definitely a few students who were partying too much to keep up.’
‘I’m not really one for partying, so that won’t be a problem,’ Thomas admitted. ‘I didn’t realize there were so many options, all I heard about student life was either lots of partying or study until you drop.’
‘Oh no there are definitely options,’ Alastair said. ‘I’m just too antisocial for most of them. I don’t like being around people anyway. One on one is fine, but I’ve never liked groups. And I absolutely despite it when people are loud. What else do you like to do beside swimming?’
Thomas could recognize what Alastair described. He had always been shy as a child, and had never really grown over that. He liked being around people, but mostly in small groups.
‘I like music,’ Thomas said. ‘I play guitar, but I really like writing my own songs.’
He’d never told anyone that. He wasn’t sure why exactly. He’d started playing the guitar after growing over his sickness. He’d tried the saxophone before that when he was younger, but his frequent fevers made it difficult to keep up. To learn an instrument you had to practice daily, and that hadn’t worked out.
He’d started playing guitar at fourteen and he’d written lots of songs, most of which he’d discarded. He never believed they were any good, and he wasn’t very good at singing. He’d practiced, of course, and he knew how to pitch his voice, but he just didn’t sound that good or interesting. He could be a decent back up vocalist, he guessed, but then he’d need to find someone to actually sing his songs.
‘Really?’ Alastair asked. ‘What kind of songs?’
‘Oh, all sorts. Ballads, sad songs mostly, I guess. Love songs too. I’ve never told anyone before. They’re not good or anything.’
He remembered he’d written a very sappy, hopeless pining song not long after meeting Alastair. He was glad there was no remaining evidence of that ever happening, it was exactly the kind of thing Eugenia would use as blackmail. Which he guessed was why he’d never told Eugenia about his songs.
They reached the island in the middle of the lake, and sat down in the shallow water, a comfortable place to rest for a bit and talk. He could tell Alastair was getting tired, swimming was very different from walking or running and Alastair wasn’t used to it. Perhaps it was hard on his shoulder too.
‘You told no one? Really? Why?’ Alastair asked.
‘As I said, they’re not any good,’ Thomas admitted. ‘And I can’t sing well.’
‘Maybe I could sing them for you,’ Alastair said. ‘Although it’s been a while since I’ve really sung.’
‘You sing?’ Thomas asked. He wondered what Alastair’s voice would sound like when he sung.
‘I used to,’ Alastair said. ‘I played the piano too, growing up, but I haven’t played in years.’
‘Why did you stop?’ Thomas asked.
Alastair sighed. ‘I couldn’t find joy in playing music anymore. In anything really. Although I did listen to music a lot, and I do sing along occasionally. But apart from that… I just couldn’t bring myself to play anymore, it hurt too much. I wanted to get back to it, but so far I haven’t found that joy.’
That sounded sad. Would Thomas’ songs be able to cheer him up? Probably not, they were terrible. He would need some good music to play or sing to get back into it, not his hopeless attempts at song writing.
‘I hope you can,’ Thomas said. ‘I can’t imagine what it’s like to not be able to enjoy the things you used to.’
‘Well, sometimes interests change,’ Alastair said. ‘I’ve had a lot of odd interests that changed. But in this case… I want to be able to feel the joy I once felt. I want to play, and sing your songs and feel like myself again.’
Thomas wasn’t sure how comfortable he was with sharing any of his work, but if it would help Alastair then he would let him sing all of his songs.
‘Could you sing something? Now, I mean. If you want to, you don’t have to. I’m just really curious what you sound like.’
Thomas started rambling again, and Alastair silenced him by beginning to sing. The song would definitely sound better with accompanied by a guitar, but even on its own Alastair’s voice was beautiful. It was a bit lower than his speaking voice, but he seemed to have quite a range. Gentle, but firm and when he got farther into the song Thomas realized there was a lot of power behind Alastair’s voice. It was a romantic song he was singing, did this describe how Alastair felt about him? He didn’t catch everything, but some of the lyrics stuck with him.
Never opened myself this way.
Life is ours, we live it our way.
All these words I don’t just say
And nothing else matters
‘Trust I seek, and I find in you,’ Thomas repeated. ‘That sounds beautiful.’
Alastair smiled. ‘I do find trust in you. Even if it is something I still find difficult. I’m trying.’
‘What song is that?’ Thomas asked.
Alastair stared at him in shock. ‘You mean to tell me you don’t know this song? You can’t be serious.’
‘It sounds vaguely familiar, but I can’t name it,’ Thomas said. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘It’s Nothing else Matters by Metallica,’ Alastair said.
‘That does sounds familiar,’ Thomas admitted. ‘I’ve never listened much to Metallica.’
‘You should, their music is very good, and it’s very melodic for a metal band. That’s what I like the most, when music is both heavy and melodic.’
‘What other music do you like?’ Thomas asked.
‘Breaking Benjamin must be one of my favorite bands. You probably haven’t heard of them, they’re not very famous. They’re probably best described as alternative metal. Very angst heavy lyrics, things I can relate to. And I like Metallica, Skillet, Three Days Grace. Within Temptation and Nightwish occasionally. What do you listen to?’
‘I like Green Day,’ Thomas said. ‘And As It Is, which you might not know because they’re not very well known, but they’re a pop punk band.’
‘I don’t know As it Is. I do know Green Day though. I’ve always liked Boulevard of Broken Dreams.’
‘Me too,’ Thomas said. ‘But 21 guns is my favorite from Green Day.’
They talked some more about music, and Thomas made a note to listen to some of Alastair’s favorite songs when they got back. He hadn’t had the time or inspiration to write songs lately, with everything happening, but he wanted to write something for Alastair. If he ever found the time in between trying not to die.
Truth to be told, Thomas found it difficult to have people worry about him so much, risk themselves for his sake. He didn’t want to die and was grateful he had people who were willing to help him, but he hated how all this was because of him. He hated being taken care of, being someone’s burden. It was something Thomas had always struggled with. When his mother had quit her job because Thomas was sick so often it wasn’t doable for both his parents to work. Since his mother was a primary school teacher, it had made sense for her to quit working as his father made more money and worked more hours. When his sisters would come straight home after school to keep him company rather than spend time with their own friends. When his father would come home early as often as he could, passing on opportunities at work.
It wasn’t just that the amount of attention could be suffocating, it was because he didn’t want to be difficult, he didn’t want other people to change their life, their habits for him. But as a sick child, he’d had no choice but to let people take care of him. Everyone had had to adapt to his sickness and even in a loving family such as his own, it wasn’t easy to have a child who was ill so often. Sometimes Thomas feared he’d taken up too much attention and had taken that away from Barbara and Eugenia.
‘You’re thinking of something,’ Alastair said. ‘Something that is bothering you.’
‘It’s nothing,’ Thomas said.
It wouldn’t be fair to complain about his childhood to Alastair. Compared to what he had been through, Thomas had wanted for nothing.
‘It’s not nothing,’ Alastair said. ‘I can tell when you tense up, when you’re thinking of something hurtful. Is it something I did?’
‘No. You didn’t do anything wrong.’ Thomas brushed his hand across Alastair’s cheek. ‘You’re perfect.’
‘Then what is it?’ Alastair looked away. ‘Look, I know how difficult it is to talk about how you feel, how vulnerable it makes you feel. But I can tell when things are bothering you, I know when people are upset. If you don’t want to share, at least tell me you’d rather not talk about it. Because people always like to pretend they’re fine but they’re not and…’
Alastair didn’t finish his sentence, he seemed upset too now. Thomas felt horrible. He didn’t want Alastair to worry, he didn’t want to hurt him. It made sense Alastair could read people well. Thomas had always been good at reading people’s body language, but Alastair had had to deal with his father’s changing moods, anticipating them had to be how he’d survived. Of course people’s bad moods were stressful for him, because Alastair had learnt he’d get hurt when other people were stressed.
Perhaps it was better to tell, that might set Alastair’s mind at ease. Even if it was difficult, even if he did not quite understand why he felt this way.
‘I was thinking about how you’re all risking your life for me, and I find that difficult. I’ve never wanted to trouble others, I’ve never wanted to be a burden. But I also know I cannot do this without help. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you or to Cordelia or Lucie because of me.’
Alastair put his hand on Thomas’ cheek, wet from the lake water.
‘I understand. But none of this is your fault, Tom, and you’re not a burden.’
‘I’ve always felt like a burden,’ Thomas said softly. ‘I always needed to be taken care of because I was sick.’
‘Is it a burden when the people caring for you love you and gladly care for you?’ Alastair asked.
‘I don’t know,’ Thomas said. ‘With James and Matthew, I was so glad to find friends, people my own age. But James’ mother and Matthew’s mother are my mother’s best friends, so we already knew each other from a young age. We were very close when I was still a child and they would come by to keep me company when I was sick. I am grateful, but they learnt I needed to be protected and when I grew over my sickness, Matthew still believed I was meek and dependent and needed to be rescued from you. James wasn’t as bad, he never noticed I liked you because he was always reading. I think the reason we drifted apart a bit is because of that. I never dared tell them how I felt about you, and I don’t think they would have reacted well. And again, I feared my feelings would make me a burden. That was less of an issue with Lucie, so I think that’s why I’m now closer to her. It was never a problem to tell her I liked you, and that’s why she was the first person I told.’
‘I didn’t realize you’d drifted apart from them. At school, it was always the three of you,’ Alastair said.
‘True, and I still care about them, I really do. But I think they’re closer to each other than to me, and that made me feel out of place at times. I still see them and spend time with them, and we text often, but not as much as we used to. But that’s fine, I think it was for the best. I still have plenty of people around me, enough friends, and we probably work better with a little more distance anyway.’
‘I didn’t realize, that’s all,’ Alastair said. ‘Sometimes change is for the best. How are James and Matthew anyway?’
‘I haven’t contacted them a lot with everything happening, and the last few days I haven’t been able to reach them. But I’m not yet sure what to say when I do call them. Do I tell them about us? Or about what’s going on? Do I tell my sisters? I do not want anyone else to come here and put themselves in danger.’
‘I have not yet decided what I will tell my mother either,’ Alastair said. ‘I did tell her I liked you, before I realized you liked me as well. But the past few days I haven’t been able to reach her, or Risa. Wait a moment, you said you couldn’t reach James and Matthew.’
‘Nor my sisters,’ Thomas said. ‘And my father said he was unable to reach uncle Gabriel. I don’t think uncle Will has had any success calling uncle Jem or your father either. Which is odd. You’d think out of all these people, at least someone would pick up a phone.’
‘Or perhaps that is part of what Tatiana is doing,’ Alastair said. ‘Isolating us so we cannot call anyone for help.’
Thomas tried to think that through. If he were in Tatiana’s shoes, he definitely wouldn’t want them to be able to contact uncle Gabriel and aunt Cecily. Nor uncle Jem, he guessed. Matthew and James were no threat to her, nor were his sisters, so he wasn’t sure why they were unable to contact them. Nor did he suspect Alastair’s mother was a threat. Perhaps it was simply easier to cut them off from everyone.
‘That makes sense,’ Thomas said. ‘But if we can’t call them, how far away from the town and the forest would we have to be if we were to reach people again?’ Thomas wasn’t so sure it would be that simple though.
‘I’m not sure,’ Alastair said. ‘Perhaps it’s like the land in between, except bigger. Perhaps something Tatiana did will not only cut off our ability to contact people who aren’t here, but will also prevent us from leaving.’ He paused. ‘I assumed there would be no point in leaving, because whatever is happening to you would simply follow you wherever you go. But perhaps Tatiana does need you here.’
Thomas wasn’t sure how to feel about that. He hadn’t considered running, didn’t think there would be a point to it. How could you run from a powerful being? But perhaps Alastair had a point and he was running from Tatiana. Perhaps that powerful being would simply take Jesse back if Tatiana failed, and that would be it. The thought brought no comfort. He would never want Jesse to suffer. None of this was his fault either.
‘It makes me wonder why that being picked Jesse over me,’ Thomas said. ‘It must have liked Tatiana a lot better than my parents, and I think when Jesse died Tatiana already knew what was happening. I think she assumed I would be the one to die, and when Jesse died and I didn’t, she got mad with my father.
But wouldn’t it have made more sense to take me instead of Jesse? Since Tatiana knew more about the deal, knew about the creature, knew how to barter with it?’
Alastair grimaced. ‘No. I think that is exactly why it chose Jesse. I don’t think the thief of souls intended to keep Jesse forever. If it had taken you, your parents would have been heart broken, they would grieve you, they would have sustained a wound that would never heal. But they would not have tried to get you back, not at the cost of someone else’s life.
Tatiana, on the other hand, would do anything for her son, and seems to hate everyone else. It doesn’t matter to her that lots of people will die, souls forfeit, as long as she can have her son back. She knew what was going on, what would happen to her son. Perhaps she tried to appease it, to make sure you would be chosen and not Jesse. But that’s exactly why it chose Jesse. Because with Jesse dead, Tatiana would do anything to bring him back, and she would exchange your life for Jesse. And the thief of souls could have asked her for anything it wanted, anything else she would realistically be able to give her.’
Thomas stared at Alastair. Everything he said made perfect sense. He had been looking at this from the wrong angle, from his own perspective of someone who made decisions based on emotion, based on his love for the people around him. But the thief of souls wasn’t like that, he didn’t care for Tatiana just because she liked him better than his father did. He saw her as a tool he could use. He played a strategic game and souls were the prize.
‘Why now, though?’ Thomas asked. ‘Jesse has been dead for years. If Tatiana already knew what was happening, wouldn’t she have gotten him back sooner?’
‘I think the thief of souls must have demanded much from her,’ Alastair said. ‘He could ask for anything. Do any of you know what she’s been up to the past years?’
‘She moved away from London, left her house in a state of disrepair,’ Thomas said. ‘My grandfather was incredibly rich and Tatiana inherited lots of money, so she could afford to just move around and leave her father’s house.’
Thomas knew his father and uncle Gabriel had often wondered what to do with the money inherited from their father, money he’d earned through dark deals and exploitation. Money none of them deserved. But for uncle Gabriel and aunt Cecily the money had allowed them to hunt the supernatural, stop people like Benedict, since such line of work wasn’t exactly paid. His father had donated some of the money, but for them it had been convenient too since his illness meant he always needed someone around to take care of him.
‘Meaning, you don’t know where she’s been?’ Alastair asked. ‘I can’t imagine having so much money that you can just leave an entire house for several years without selling it. Honestly that should be illegal, considering how difficult it is for some people to even find a place to live.’
‘It was her father’s manor, had been in the family for a long time,’ Thomas said. ‘I don’t think she could have even considered selling it, it was very important to Benedict. But no, we don’t know where she’s been. My father and uncle Gabriel did try to reach out to her occasionally. At the very least they called her on her birthday, but she never picked up.’
‘So these past years, maybe she had to complete other tasks first, offer him other souls, anything he could have wanted. And at some point she must have captured Grace, which I imagine made completing his requests a lot easier.’
‘How long do you think Grace has been her prisoner?’ Thomas wondered. ‘I assumed it was a recent thing, what if she’s been with Tatiana for years?’
‘No idea,’ Alastair said. ‘Perhaps capturing Grace is what finally allowed her to win enough favor to get back Jesse’s soul. Whatever he wanted from her, it must have been easier with a siren under her control. But I think there’s still more she must do to bring him back to life. Perhaps that child that drowned was part of it too.’
‘And when Jesse lives, I die,’ Thomas concluded.
Thomas had no idea how to fix this. How to survive without sacrificing Jesse. He knew Lucie and Cordelia wanted to kill the thief of souls, but they didn’t even know what it was. Their attention had to be on Grace right now, if anyone knew more of Tatiana’s plans it had to be her.
‘We’ll get Grace’ skin,’ Alastair promised. ‘Tomorrow. And when she is free, she can tell us all she knows of Tatiana. There must be so much Grace knows.’
‘Will you be alright?’ Thomas said. ‘After this morning… will you feel up to it? I can’t imagine how exhausting that must have been. It’s fine if you need more rest.’
‘I hope so, but if not I can function pretty well while tired. At some point you get used to it. I have good days and bad days. Today was not so good, you’re right that I’m still very tired from this morning. Such breakdowns are always exhausting, that is not something I’ve gotten used to. I would go to sleep early, maybe take some melatonin, but I’ll only have nightmares. And we don’t have the kind of time to wait for me to recover from this morning, I’ll have to do with how I function tomorrow morning.’
Thomas considered for a moment, turning a little red before looking Alastair in the eyes. Thomas had always found Alastair’s eyes beautiful, big and so dark it was difficult to tell apart the iris and the pupil. He’d never quite understood the way people obsessed over blue or green eyes, described as sapphires and emeralds in many of Lucie’s books. Green and blue eyes didn’t even look like that. Light eyes might be less common than brown eyes, but Thomas had always found dark brown eyes combined with dark hair like Alastair’s far more striking.
‘Maybe I could sleep over,’ Thomas suggested. ‘I mean, do you think that would help?’
‘I don’t know if it would help with my nightmares, but I would certainly like it if you stayed with me,’ Alastair said. ‘I like to cuddle. It is very nice when you hold me, sensory wise. So, where are we sleeping? I think my bed is bigger, we could easily both fit in there.’
Thomas wondered what Alastair meant with that it was nice, sensory wise. It sounded like something Lucie, who was autistic, might say, but Alastair had not mentioned such a thing, had he?
‘Alright, then I’ll sleep over at your place,’ Thomas said. ‘And I’ll cuddle with you as much as you want. And when you have a nightmare, I’ll be there to remind you that you’re safe.’
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cripplingaddictions · 3 years
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Haikyuu boys when you get injured playing your sport pt.2
Oikawa, Tsukishima, Tendo, Asahi, Kageyama
Summary: The first one was really fun to write, so here is part 2! This is some others and how I think they’d react when you get hurt during sport!
Warnings: Explicit mention of blood and open wounds
A/N: I’d like to thank everyone for over 100 followers! Yes, I know that doesn’t seem like many but it’s a big deal to me, so thank you!! I also appreciate the patience with my messed up writing schedule <3 ...Tendo’s got really long and Kageyama’s got a little angsty whoops 
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Oikawa:
As one who suffers from a sport injury himself, Oikawa is constantly aware of the possibility
Reminds you before every game of hockey to stay safe
His tone may be lighthearted when he says it, but he’s very serious
He knows the ins and outs of stretching and the recovery process for injuries
Usually, he doesn’t come to your games, mostly because he’s busy or he's afraid of getting recognised
When you get home or see him next, he’d ask out the game and listen with excitement and interest
He definitely does research on the game too
This time, he was so glad he went
To avoid being recognised, he wore a cap and sunglasses, standing at the back of the spectators
His height allowed him to easily watch you from the crowd
You were really hyped for the game, knowing your opponents were going to be tough
Unfortunately, your team was struggling with the game
The other team was scoring goal after goal, and you couldn’t keep up
You ran back to defend the goal, in the way for an approaching player
They were ready to score, and you were ready to dive in
The urgency and pressure of the situation got to your head, and you ran towards them with anger
You let out a cry, charging towards the hockey ball
In the back of your mind, you knew Oikawa wouldn’t be impressed with how you lost your patience
And you were right
He treaded closer to the game, his eyebrows furrowed and his arms crossed
“Y/N... Don’t get ahead of yourself”
He whispered, wishing you could hear him
Your opponent placed the ball in position to swing for goal
But you had gotten too far ahead of yourself
They swung their hockey stick
Your ankle was in the way
Usually, you wouldn’t be too bothered, bruises littering your ankle for a week after
This time, the stick was made of aluminium
The impact and pain that shot through your ankle brought you to the ground
Pain unbearable, you dropped your own stick and held your food
“Ow, ow, ow”
You mumbled sloppily, tears, saliva, and snot dribbling over your lips
You wanted to stand up and keep playing but the pain continued like an unforgiving clamp tightening on your ankle
Suddenly aware of how you look, you wiped your mouth from the fluids
You heard a whistle blow, but the pain caused for stars to dance in your vision
“Y/N-chan, eyes up here”
The stars from your eyes cleared, the sight of your boyfriend crouching next to you on the field shining through
You couldn’t form words, not that they would have helped
He immediately moved to take your shoe off, seeing how it had already started to swell 
It blew up like a balloon before your very eyes
“I’ll carry you”
Oikawa whispered, sliding an arm around your back and the other securely under your knees
Lifting you up, he escorted you off the field
He didn’t let you ride in the ambulance your coach called by yourself, holding your hand the whole way
It was definitely a bad break, being a pain through the recovery process as you could hardly apply any pressure on the foot
You were in a cast, and Oikawa wrote a lovey-dovey message on it that took up half the space
Once you were out of it Oikawa knew all the right physiological stretches in order to get you back on your feet to play again
He did a great job taking care of you, and you couldn't thank him more
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Tsukishima:
Doesn’t effect your relationship that you were into swimming as that was not why he loved you
That doesn’t mean he doesn’t like how you are training so hard for it
It’s the passion and love for swimming that he wishes he had for volleyball
To be honest, Tsukishima wouldn’t be worried about you getting hurt
He thinks swimming is not a very hazardous sport
Which is fairly true, so you don’t get injured during a specific race or anything
Your injury shows up slowly over time
Originally you shook it off, expecting that the soreness in your shoulders was just your muscles tired after a long two hours of lap after lap
However, it started getting worse, and you began to tell Tsukishima your concerns
He’d say something like, “Then just take your time at training. I can’t do anything about it. What did you expect me to say?”
Let’s be real, he’s kind of worried
Especially as he began to notice how you would wince after taking your bag off your shoulders, or if you reached up to the top shelf
The day he realised that you needed to get them checked out was when you had walked to his place after training
The whole walk there the straps of your bag felt a lot heavier
Your shoulders hurt, but the left was the worst one by fair
Shifting the weight of your bag to your right shoulder, you gave the left a rest
Soon enough you knocked on Tsukishima’s door and he opened quickly after
You dropped your bag inside the door and rubbed your shoulder
“Oi, Y/N, are you okay?”
Tsukishima asked, the way your sighed making his eyebrows furrow ever so slightly
“Yeah, but my shoulder is pretty bad”
You tell him, hoping that he’ll show some sympathy
He scooped up your bag and called for you to follow him to the couch
He left you there, leaving momentarily to drop your bag with your wet swimmers into the laundry
Soon, he plopped down on the couch beside you and turned on the tv
Carefully, he pulled you onto his lap and you instinctively dropped your head onto his shoulder
Instead of huffing slightly like he usually did, you pushed you forward 
“No, sit towards my knees”
You obeyed him, and he hovered his fingers over your shoulders
Smiling once you realised what he was going to do, you let him work his nibble fingers into your shoulders
He stopped if you whined, asking where to go from there
It really helped, you never realised how good Tsukishima was with his fingers (no... not like that)
You were putty in his hands, completely relaxed as you watched the tv 
Once you felt the tension was mostly gone, Tsukishima scooted out from underneath you to book a scan
When you had it, you discovered you had Bursitis 
(A/N: I have this in my shoulder and it sucks)
This required for lots of rest, icing, and careful exercise
You were off swimming for almost three months before Tsukishima was convinced that you could handle tending to it afterwards
When you got back to swimming, you wore a sling on the worst days and Tsukishima carried your bag for you
He raised his hand in class if you needed to ask a question, and made sure you never had to overexert your left arm
His favourite thing to do was tease you even more about having to get him to get stuff off the top shelves
You were shorter than him, but now you need him even more
When you use your condition as a counterargument he always says “aww, poor baby Y/N”
No doubt, he does certainly cared for you, but get ready for a long road ahead for the both of you
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Tendo:
You’re a figure skater! And how he loves to watch you skate!
He gets so excited, you have no idea
Whether you are in a competition, or if you are just practicing, he gets so giddy and proud while watching you glide across the ice
Thinks you look so good in the costumes, no matter your body type 
If you were to have to travel internationally for a competition, you bet he’d be coming with you
Tendo does get into trouble when he disturbs your practise at the rink
But you always invite him to watch any time, not caring what your coach thought
Super supportive of you, it’s not funny
However, what is funny is that he has no idea all the technical terms or how the point system works
So, when he watches you during a comp, he’ll greet you off the ice with:
“BABE, THAT FANCY THING YOU DID WITH YOUR ARMS AFTER YOU LANDED FROM THE SPINNING-TOP-JUMPY-THING YOU DID WAS SO SEXY! YOU’VE GOT TO WIN! YOU LOOKED SO GOOD, MY PARADISE”
You double over in laughter every time he says something like that
You only just manage out a “Thank you, Tori” before you’re ushered off to get your score
The score you were appointed is half decent, placing you in third place
When you go to find Tendo so you can sit with him while watching the rest of the skaters, he appalled
“PARADISE, YOU DESERVED MUCH BETTER THAN THAT! I’D HAVE GIVEN YOU A 634.53!!”
“Satori, that’s basically impossible for a short program”
“I DON’T CARE BECAUSE IT IS WHAT YOU DESERVE”
It’s kind of embarrassing, in a large rink of people, for him to be yelling like that
But... it’s all because he thinks you are incredibly talented
Which is very sweet
Anyways, you injure yourself at practice 
Tendo had just got of his volleyball practice at Shiratorizawa and decided to swing by the rink
You were staying in late, your coach and the rest of the skaters had gone home, so it was just you and a few workers at the rink
Tendo burst in, the goofy grin on his face that cases his eyes to be forced shut by the adorable purity of it
You were focusing on a quadruple axel that you hadn’t perfected when he arrived
“Good evening, paradise! How are you-”
You had been halfway through the jump when you peeled your eyes open
Immediately happy to see him, you smiled brightly
But, your excitement cost you the landing
You slipped, landing harshly onto the ice on your hip with a thud, the water soaking into your tights
“Y/N!”
Tendo dropped his bags, running and sliding his lanky body across the ice on his knees to where you had sprawled out
There was certainly going to be really bad bruise there, you could tell
But the coolness of the ice made your hip numb to the pain
“Are you okay? I scared you, didn’t I?”
You couldn’t help but laugh at the way Tendo was leaning over you, now having soaked knees too
“Yeah, you did”
“Let’s take you home and have a nice warm shower, hey?”
You agreed, leading him off the ice with both of your hands in his, because the psycho had run onto the ice with no skates on
The two of you walked home, the whole time you noticing the numbness leaving your hip
While having your shower, you checked your hip to find a dark purple bruise the size of your hand, raw to the touch
You took a shower, afterwards putting on some underwear and one of your boyfriend’s large shirts
Leaving your room, you enter the living room find Tendo sprawled on the couch
He made a comment about how good you look, leaving you giggling
You grabbed an icepack from the freezer and a tea towel to wrap it in
Laying on top of Tendo, you rolled on your side to have your bruised hip facing the ceiling
“Whatcha got there?”
Tendo asked
You flashed the icepack in front of his face, before quickly wrapping it up
Pulling the oversized shirt over your hip, you exposed the bruise to your boyfriend
“This is what you did to me, you scary man”
You joke, poking him in the cheek
The colour drained from his face in a split second, and he let out a cry of agony
“No! I’m so sorry! How can I make you feel better?”
He leaned over you, pressing scattered kisses over the bruise and mumbling sorry between each one
You knew he was trying to be feathery with his kisses, but the slightest pressure hurt
So, you pushed his head away
“Ow, Tori, that hurts. You can hold the ice for me”
He does as he’s told and you thank him, kindly
He has eagle eyes on you constantly after that, acting like your personal bodyguard
Makes sure he’s always on the side that is bruised at school, so that no one can bump it
Lines your bed with pillows, as to not accidentally bump it on the wall
Stops you from walking if you don’t have to, in which you tell him he’s fine
You try reassuring him by saying that it could have been worse, but that makes him even more wary when you skate knowing that worse could happen to you
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Asahi:
He’s adorable, constantly being supportive during your games of netball
Out of everyone, he’s the most likely to be worried about possible injury
Even though it’s a fairly safer sport, Asahi makes sure that you are reminded of every possible scenario that he had made up in his head before a game
You’d shut him up with a kiss to the lips, but he’ll be trembling when you walk away
Understands the game, not needing much help with keeping up with points or rules
He’ll calm down eventually while watching you play, focusing on silently praising you
Secretly a fan of the uniform, don’t tell anyone - he’d be so embarrassed
Doesn’t come to practice often because of the clashes with his volleyball training
When you got injured during a game, thank goodness Nishinoya had joined him to cheer you on
The energy Nishinoya brought to the sidelines motivated Asahi to cheer more too
Usually, you’d wave to him after getting a point and he’d wave back
But you could actually hear him because of Noya
You had in the back of your head to thank him for bringing him out of his shell
Have of the reason he never went to your practice because he was scared the other players would have thought he was some creepy middle-aged man there to stare at them in their uniforms
That’s why he always came to your games without fail, to make up for it and because he felt safer from a distance
However, Nishinoya had dragged him to the front, which he was hesitant about at first
But when he saw how excited you were to see him so close made him smile 
You were in perfect position to receive the ball in order to shoot
Your teammates passed back and forth, approaching you slowly
“I’m free! Guys!”
You gained their attention, and they sent the ball your way
You caught it and immediately shot for the goal while the opponents were distracted
“Come on, Y/N!” 
Both Nishinoya and Asahi shouted, Noya obviously the loudest
The first shot missed, but you quickly caught it and shot again
This time, the ball landed through the hoop and the whistle blown to confirm that it was a point 
You could hear Asahi and Nishinoya celebrating on the sidelines
Pumping your fists in the air, you brushed your forearm against the goal post
A nail had been sticking out of it, slicing through your skin
You immediately hissed, the pain stinging dramatically
You grab your arm, searching to find a massive gash down the length of your forearm
Blood poured from the wound and you called your coach
They immediately brought you off once they saw the red liquid
Asahi was worried, slipping around to where you were holding a towel to your arm
Hissing in pain, you found Asahi approaching
“Y-Y/N, what happened?”
He could see the pain laced into your face, shaking nervously
You wanted to hide it, afraid of how he would react
Carefully, you removed the damp cloth from the wound with a hiss as the air hit the tenderness
“I’m gonna need stitches”
You hissed through your teeth, turning to show Asahi
By then Nishinoya had arrived by Asahi, and at the perfect time
One look at the way your arm had been split open with blood gushing from the open wound...
And Asahi had fainted
Luckily Nishinoya was there to catch him and lower him to the ground
Now you were more worried for Asahi than yourself, to be honest
With Asahi out of commission, your coach had to take you to get you almost twenty stitches
Nishinoya stayed back to make sure Asahi woke up safely, and when he did, he was anxiously asking where you were and how you were
Asahi dropped into your place after finding out you were out of hospital, pulling you into a hug
Of course you made sure he was okay after his episode too
Constant tender touches while you healed, and soft kisses over the patch on your arm
He treated you like an absolute princess, especially after Nishinoya had scared him again by saying “I think she’ll need to get it amputated” right after he woke up
Fainted again when he went with you to get the stitches removed
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Kageyama:
This boy does not get rugby at all
He tries, because he’s smart enough to pick it up if he wanted to
But, he’s more impressed with sports that involve more ‘thinking and skill’
What is impressive to him, however, is how fit and strong you are
Even though he is still taller than you, he almost feels like you are the bigger person in the relationship with the muscle you have
Likes being small spoon with your figure
Silently admires your athletic ability, and thinks you are really cool whenever you make a massive run down the field
Kageyama likes to watch when you win
He gets so blushy and excited when you bound into his arms after a good game 
Unfortunately, he’s very busy with volleyball, unable to make many training sessions or games
He tries his hardest to be at your training grounds in time to walk home with you
He tries to keep his Saturday’s free to be with you or at your games
Recently, he had been even more busy, and this week he couldn’t make it too 
This team had been tough, with a lot of bigger players 
You were sort of struggling to break past them, unable to score any tries
All you remember was receiving the ball, trying to break through the wall they had created
You had run headfirst into the players, and the next thing you knew...
You woke up in hospital
Your head was wrapped up, and it thumped painfully
Trying to sit up hurt your head, so you laid back down
With how fuzzy your head was, you failed to notice Kageyama sitting in the corner with a carton of milk
He had been anxiously twiddling his thumbs while emptying carton after carton
When your eyes opened, he shot up, hurrying to your bedside
You finally noticed him, smiling softly at the pout on his lips and the shine of glossiness in his eyes
“Tobio...”
Even speaking hurt your head
“Don’t speak if it hurts”
Kageyama basically read your mind, taking your hand in his and placing your open palm on his cheek
“You’re such a dumbass, scaring me like that”
He rested his head on the bed next to you on the bed
You glided your thumb over his cheek, watching as the pout on his lips began to tremble slightly
Whining slightly in order to awe at him, you whispered
“I’m sorry...”
“Why did it happen the one game I can’t make it... damn it... I should have been there”
You shifted your head, ignoring the pain, in order to get a better view of him
His dark blue eyed were sparkling with tears, and you mumbled
“No... baby...”
Kageyama ignored you, turning to press his face into the white sheet on your thighs, blinking back his tears
“I was scared...”
He mumbled in a cracked voice into your thigh
You took his face in your hands and carefully pulled him towards your face
Giving him a kiss to his nose, you let him lay his head on your chest
“Don’t cry... I’m here”
You croaked, threading your fingers through his raven hair
The recovery process was long and hard, having received severe head trauma
You were in hospital for another day after you woke up for tests and to make sure you could stand without fainting
Kageyama stayed with you the entire time, only leaving when your parents insisted he get some sleep
After this, your parents were certain you could marry him, not kidding
He treated you like glass whenever he saw you, especially when you took the time off school
He would accidentally yell at you if he saw you up and about, but immediately took it back and apologised 
Poor Hinata got all of Kageyama’s pent up anger about everything, being unable to yell at you
When you return to school, he’s like your shadow, following you around and making sure you’re drinking enough water
Reassure him that it wasn’t his fault and that you’re not going anywhere
281 notes · View notes
vanaglori-ah · 2 years
Text
Bombshell - Chapter 2
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Fandom: Love Island: the Game (S2) Pairing: Henrik x Emma (Fem MC) Word Count: 10,161 words Warnings: Alcohol Consumption, Gendered Language (man/woman/girl/boy) Notes: This chapter covers Day 5 and Day 6. It’s a lot longer than the previous chapter so if you need to take it slow, take it slow. I definitely need a break after writing this much so fast. 😣
“Henrik. You look like a Henrik.” Emma smiled. “Not in a bad way! I promise.”
“Thanks,” he bites his lip a bit. “So I guess you’re up early before everyone else?”
“Yeah. I just happened to be up. I was stretching on the roof terrace. Can’t go wrong with some stretching exercises to start the day you know. It’s good for your energy.”
“It’s also a good idea to prevent yourself from pulling anything or causing an injury if you’re going to work out or participate in physical activity.” Lucas informs. “Do you do a lot of physical activity?”
“I dance on occasion. Dancing is important when it comes to my career. People want the whole package. Singing, dancing, playing an instrument. The Holy Trinity of the music industry!” Emma was also using her hands while talking. “And you both probably saw on the telly that I’ve started doing weights and swimming.”
“You’re one of the more interesting people to watch.” Henrik runs a hand through his hair. She swore she could feel her face heat up a bit watching it happen. Was she watching it in slo-mo? Oh god.
“I think the best part so far was you defending Priya.” Lucas scratches his chin as he thinks. “A lot of people seemed happy about it on social media.”
Emma blinked a few times as she processed that sentence. Social media? she thought. “Huh…” She was looking down at the pool water, watching it gently move.
“Emma, you okay?” Henrik asks.
She looks back up at him, a strained smile forming on her face. “Yeah. I’m fine.” Just forgot that cameras exist in the Villa for the past two days. The sudden sound of footsteps interrupted her and she turned her head.
“New boys!” Priya exclaims, running over in her pajamas.
“Way to wake us up Emma.” Lottie says sarcastically.
“Yeah why didn’t you wake us up?” Hope raises an eyebrow.
“It’s not my fault you guys sleep like the dead.” Emma rolled her eyes, moving aside to let the girls introduce themselves to Henrik and Lucas. Immediately began the questioning.
“What do you do for a living?” Marisol asks.
“I’m a physiotherapist.” Lucas was very confident in his answer. That explains his earlier statement about stretching. Emma thinks.
“I’m a climbing and wilderness survival instructor.” Henrik did seem more of a natural kind of guy.
“So what about hobbies?” Lottie pushes.
“I row.” Lucas seems proud of this.
“Rowing is a tiring sport. You must be really strong,” Emma interjects.
“That explains the muscle.” Hope looks at Lucas up and down.
“And what about you Henrik?” the pop singer asks, looking at him.
“Mostly climbing. I also like doing extreme sports and basically anything outdoors.” He answers, giving her a smile.
“I like a man in touch with nature,” Priya smirks. “A natural man.”
“Sounds rugged,” Emma winks. “And explains the body.”
Henrik smirks. “Thanks. Do you climb? You mentioned before that you do physical activities.”
“On occasion. I do like climbing if my schedule will allow me so. I usually use it to help build my leg strength even if it’s a good balance between your legs and your arms?”
“I mean you’re not wrong about that. I would love to go climbing with you one day and give you some tips.” He winks.
“Tips…I would love that. Refining my technique and all.” Emma’s voice came out more breathy as her heart began beating faster. That wink sent shivers down her spine in a good way and she could feel her face beginning to heat up.
“Hey! Hey! New boys!” Bobby exclaims as the guys follow him outside.
“You girls have hogged the new boys long enough.” Gary smiles. “Hey, you’re awake. You okay?” He turns his attention to Emma.
“Um, yeah. I’m fine.” She places a hand on his upper arm. “I promise I’m fine. I just woke up early to stretch.”
“And rush down here to meet the new boys without waking us up!” Lottie interjects.
“And that too, I guess.”
“It’s okay.” Gary gives her a reassuring smile. “New lads to get to know, yeah?”
“Yes.” Emma squeezes his arm affectionately. “I’m going to go change. You can feel free to show Lucas and Henrik around. It’s time for me to go swimming.”
“Okay. Make sure to hydrate after okay?”
“I promise. You know how much I love water!” Emma walked back inside, picking out a black high waisted bikini with sunflowers and a plain black top. While washing her face in the bathroom, she took a look at herself. “Maybe I should stop buying so many clothes with flowers.” She mutters. “Nope, nope! Don’t even think about it! Flowers are cute! You love flowers!” She told herself in the mirror before taking a deep breath. “Flowers are cute. Flowers are part of your heritage. Flowers are beautiful. And you are beautiful.” She smiles. “Yeah, that’s better. Flowers are for everyone regardless of age.”
“Hey.” Bobby chimes, leaning against the doorway of the bathroom.
“Holy shit!” Emma flinched, turning around. “Bobby!”
“Sorry. I wanted to wait ‘til you were done.” He laughs.
“How much did you hear?”
“All of it.”
“Fuck me,” she groans.
“I mean I’ve known that you talk to yourself since Day 2.” Emma pursed her lips. “And everyone else also knows.”
“God damn it.”
“There’s nothing wrong with it. I think it’s a perfectly good way to build up confidence within yourself. It’s like daily affirmations, you know.” Bobby rubs his chin like he’s in a movie with a thoughtful expression. “Words of affirmation but for yourself!”
“Yeah. I guess so.” Emma smiles. “I’ll remember that.”
“Good, good. Because I need to use the bathroom.” Bobby walks in. “Oh and here’s a towel. I overheard you talking to Gary.” He hands her the white beach towel lying around in the Villa.
“Thanks Bobby.” She takes the towel and looks at it affectionately. “You’re great, you know? Even if it’s only been five days.” She gently punches his arm.
“That makes me feel good. Now get out. I need to use the bathroom.” He’s quick to push her out.
Emma finds a lounge chair and tosses the towel onto it, leaving her flip flops besides it. Everyone else seemed to be occupied working out, having conversations, or talking to Henrik and Lucas while they’re given a tour around the Villa. She watches as Henrik laughs at something Lottie says and for a brief second, she feels a brief sting to her heart. Are you jealous? She questions herself. You can’t be! You literally just met him! You’ve known Lottie since Day 1. It’s probably nothing. The woman took a deep breath before tying her hair into a bun and reverting her eyes to the pool. She steps inside, shivering at the coldness of the water. “Shit.” She mutters before submerging herself completely into the pool. When she came up, Emma felt a lot more comfortable with the temperature. She started at the left end of the pool and pushed herself off the wall to begin her laps. 15 minutes were spent doing butterfly stroke (because it was the hardest and most annoying stroke), another 15 doing backstroke (it was hard to look up because of the sun’s rays as if her vision wasn’t already bad enough because of genetics), the third 15 minute section of the hour was dedicated to freestyle, and the final 15 minutes was dedicated to breaststroke (her favorite). When Emma came up from her final lap, she was busy slicking her hair back and wiping her face to remove the excess water droplets. That is until a voice chimes in. “Hey.”
“Oh fuck!” She exclaims, looking up to see Henrik sitting on the ledge of the pool, feet in the water. “Um, hi. Sorry, you startled me for a bit.”
“That’s okay. I get it,” Henrik leans forward a bit, his hands together on his lap. “You were in the zone.”
“The zone is a good place to be. It’s like with running, you know. That adrenaline rush.” Emma was able to stand on the pool floor (thankfully since this was the shallow end). “How long have you…” She didn’t know how to ask the question.
“Been watching? For about twenty minutes.” He smiles. “Your freestyle and breaststroke are great. I wonder how your butterfly and backstroke are.”
“You wouldn’t want to know.” Emma walks to the edge and hoists herself out of the pool, sitting next to him. She untied her hair and made sure to squeeze out any excess water over the pool. “Oh, I’m sorry if I’m getting you wet. I can move over—”
“It’s okay. I was wet earlier anyways. I don’t mind it.” Henrik reassures, straightening his posture.
“Oh. Yeah, um…” She didn’t know what to say. She looks down at her hands, seeing the black hair tie around her wrist and watches the ripples in the water from the slight motion of her feet. The water was always calming to watch. The warm sun, the gentle breeze, the sound of water. All of them created a perfect ingredient for her to fall asleep on the lounger and have a nice nap.
“So you wanna hear what I’ve seen on the telly?” Henrik asks, breaking the silence and turning his head to look at her.
She looks back at him. “Did I miss that earlier?”
Henrik shrugs. “Yeah you did.”
“Sorry. Go on and tell me all about it.”
“So, Bobby does a lot of impressions in the bathroom.”
Emma laughs. “I figured. I overheard him once.” 
“Oh and some people snuck in a few kisses.”
If Emma had been drinking something, she would’ve spat out whatever liquid was in her mouth. “Wait, are you serious?” She looked around the Villa, glancing over at everyone. “Oh my God! Who? Now I need to know!”
“I won’t tell. I think we should let it play out for itself.” Henrik smirks.
“Hard to forget that we know everything and nothing while in the Villa.” Emma leaned back against her arms.
“While the public doesn’t know everything, they also do,” Henrik laughs. “Bobby said the same thing earlier.”
“Guess we’re more alike than I thought we were.” She sighs.
“Yeah. So what’s your type?”
“Me? It’s…well, I don’t really have a type I guess.” She plays with her hair. “I really just want someone who respects me, my boundaries, and will make me laugh. And he will dance with me and watch movies with me and sing and cook. I’m also partial to men with long hair.” She glances at his blond locks.
“Oh. That’s nice to know.” He smirks.
“What about you?”
“I like someone who’s more laid back, someone who doesn’t mind getting dirty,” he gestures to her soaking wet figure. “or wet.”
“Sounds like me I guess.”
“Well, on the first day you kind of said you like to go all out.”
“Well who doesn’t? Makeup is a form of expression and sometimes it’s an appropriate way to express myself.” Emma explains. “I like color. Besides, I try to do light makeup anyways. My skin can quickly devolve into a mess.”
“I think your skin looks great,” he leans closer to her, causing her cheeks to go pink.
“Oh really? There are a lot of dark spots and blemishes and sometimes my acne—”
“You have good skin.” Henrik reassures, his hand gently resting besides her. She could feel the slight touch from his finger right next to hers and her blush darkened while her heart began to beat faster. “Take the compliment. It won’t hurt, I promise.” His voice was low enough for only the two of them to hear. “You’re beautiful already.”
Emma opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. She was completely speechless as her heart beat so fast it kind of hurt. She could only hear her own breathing as the two of them sat together, in their own little bubble away from the prying eyes of the cameras, the public’s opinion, and the presence of their own Islanders. All she could do was stare into Henrik’s green eyes and look at his lips, his cheeks, his skin, everything. She could imagine kissing his lips. They looked soft and he looked like a gentle kisser. “Hey Emma!” Priya exclaims, running over.
Emma immediately pulls her hand away from Henrik’s and looks up at Priya. “Yeah? You, uh, need me for anything?”
“Yes. Come have a girls talk with me!” She giggles. “Sorry Henrik. I have to steal her.”
“That’s okay.” He turns to Emma. “I’ll see you around, yeah?” His smile is gentle and inviting. His eyes could only be sending the message that he wanted to see her again.
“Yeah no problem. I’ll see you later Henrik.” Emma smiles and stands up, walking over to the lounger to put on her flip flops and use the towel to pat herself dry and dry her hair. She made sure to take her water bottle with her, following Priya to the bean bags. She wrapped the towel around her waist and sat on a bean bag, the towel under her so she wouldn’t soak the bean bag. “Hey Lottie. Hey Hope.”
“I see you and the new boy were getting quite cozy together~” Priya teases as she sits down.
“It was nothing,” Emma takes a sip from her water bottle. “We just had a chat.”
“Clearly what was shown to be a very intimate chat.” Hope teased. “Besides, he watched you swim for like twenty minutes.”
“He’s so into you!” Lottie points out.
“Well he can’t be you know,” Emma shrugs. “I think we’re all gorgeous and hot. Besides I’m sure you guys like Henrik as much as I do.”
“Well I do think he’s very attractive.” Lottie smirks while messing with the hair tie around her wrist.
“So do I. That body of his makes him so attractive.” Priya licks her lips.
Emma smiled as she heard her phone ding! and pulled it out to check the text. Emma, you have been chosen to go on a date with Lucas. Please get ready. #AfternoonDate #LoveIsInTheAir “Oh looks like I have to go.” She excuses herself. “I’ll see you guys later.”
“Oh! Does Emma have a date with Henrik?” Priya teases.
“I’ll tell you later.” Emma laughs before walking back inside the Villa. She took a brief shower, scrubbing her body and lightly shampooing her hair before leaving and drying her hair. This time around she chose a short sleeved ruffled blue crop top with puff sleeves and pink tulips, blue high waisted denim shorts, and her trusty white block heels. She decided to go with minimal makeup this time around, adding a little bit of highlighter and using some sparkly white eyeshadow on top of pink to accentuate her eyes. She finished her makeup with some pink blush and lip tint. “Okay. I’m almost done.” Emma tied her hair in a low bun, letting a few strands of hair fall out of purpose so it can frame her face, and added pearl droplet earrings. “You have a date! Get ready!” She tells herself before walking downstairs.
“Hey,” Gary smiles as he sees her. “You look amazing.”
“Thank you.”
“You have a date?”
“Yeah with Lucas.”
“Alright. Well have fun alright. Don’t go doing bits on the first date.”
Emma rolled her eyes. “I won’t. You’re a good lad Gary. I know we don’t exactly work romantically. But I appreciate you being with me.”
“No problem. I figured that one of them has turned your head.” His voice sounds slightly sad. “They’re good lads. Now go! Don’t be late!”
“Okay dad.” She laughs, walking out of the Villa. Guided by a producer, she sees a table set up neatly with Lucas sitting at it. “Hey!”
“Hi!” He stands up with his arms open. Emma gently hugs him before sitting down.
“I wasn’t expecting you to ask me.” She picks up a napkin and places it on her lap.
“Well I found you interesting.”
“I’m not disappointed.” She watches as Lucas pours some wine into her glass.
“So I’m curious. Tell me where you imagine yourself to be with your ideal person.”
“Hm, that’s hard. I guess it would have to be my kitchen at home.” Emma took a sip of wine. “It’s a comfortable space away from the public. And thankfully, my address is secret so the tabloids don’t know. It’s the only place I can be myself.”
“The kitchen must be where you reign. Gary told me you love to cook.”
“I do. I love cooking. I can make plenty of cuisines.”
“So what’s your comfort food?”
“Gai ka prow.” Emma answers without hesitation. “I prefer ground chicken instead of sliced chicken.”
“Is that Thai?”
“Yeah. You might know it as whatever meat in basil sauce. My mom makes it the best.”
“Well nothing is better than mom’s cooking, especially Asian moms.”
“I know! Or grandma especially when she doesn’t measure. So what about you? What’s your favorite?”
“Mmm, my mom’s sotbap and usually she uses leftover meat and vegetables. There’s something about what my mom does with the stone pot that just adds an extra level of…homeliness.”
“That sounds great.” Emma takes another sip of wine. “Your mom sounds like she’s amazing at cooking.”
“And she most definitely is.” Lucas looked at his phone. “Oh looks like our date is over.” He smiles sadly.
“Well I’ll be seeing you soon.” Emma stands up, beginning to walk back but the ding! from her phone. Emma, you have been chosen to go on a date with Henrik. You can choose to attend or not. “Well, who am I to say no?” She giddily was led over to the next table, a big smile on her face seeing Henrik. “Hey!”
Henrik looked up, eyes becoming bright and a smile forming on his face. “I didn’t think you would come!”
“What makes you say that? After our chat by the poolside? No way.” Emma sits down across from him, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear.
“You look beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous.” He pours her a glass of sparkling water. “I asked the producers if we could switch out wine for mineral water.”
“Oh. You remember,” Emma has a slightly shocked facial expression.
“Of course. It was on the telly,” Henrik poured himself a glass. “Shall we toast?”
“To new friends! And new possibilities!” She picks up her glasses, gently tapping it against Henrik’s glass. Emma took a long sip before setting the glass down. “So…”
“I’m interested in you,” Henrik says right off the bat. “I think there’s something in between us. That’s if you aren’t too invested with Gary?”
“I think me and Gary are better off lads. I have a lot more interest in you.”
“That’s nice to know.” Henrik smiles. “So now I need to know: do you read?”
“Of course I read. But I also love movies and video games. I’m partial to strategy based games and roleplaying games too. I am not a fan of first person games since they can make me a little bit motion sick.”
“That’s good to know.” Henrik took a sip. “What got you into climbing?”
“Me?” Emma scoffs. “It’s not that eventful.”
“Oh come on. Everyone has a story!” Henrik leans in. “Tell me yours.”
“Well…My mental health hasn’t always been the best. My grandfather in particular has…well, you probably know.” She took another sip of mineral water. “I like being at peace. I like doing nothing and hearing the sound of nature. Like the beach for example. I just lie on the sand, listen to the sound of water, and drift off into sleep. The same applies for climbing I guess. It’s a lot more physical than sleeping on the beach but it helps take my mind off of my life and work. I can never relax I guess.” She laughs nervously. “Bad habit, needing to constantly work all the time and if I don’t then I spiral a bit. But climbing…you just focus on where you’re going to put your hand or foot next. And when you’re done, you just look out and admire the view.” Emma turns her head, looking at the scenery. “It’s the best reward to be able to relax. Sometimes I wonder why I became a pop star. I just…I want to become a hermit. Live somewhere where no one will find me and do nothing but the basic necessities.” Her tone changed, her mind returning to reality. “It sounds idyllic and unrealistic, I know. And such a thing would require a ton of money.” She looks back at Henrik. “What?”
“What do you mean what?” Henrik replies amusingly.
“You’re looking at me.” His face told her he was interested in listening to her.
“Because you’re so beautiful when you talk. You have a way with words.”
“Well I wish I had the charisma to attract people. People don’t exactly listen to me, you know.” She takes another sip of water. “I have a following but I don’t think I influence them that much. Besides, I have way too much anxiety.” She finishes her mineral water and sets the glass down.
“Charisma isn’t always important. You need to know how to speak and formulate your thoughts if you want to utilize it properly.”
“I think you are probably both. Charismatic and eloquent.”
Henrik nervously chuckles. “What makes you think that?”
“You’re an instructor. You have to have charisma in order to get people’s attention. It’s like a teacher. And you’re eloquent because you have to explain things properly and boil down concepts to make them understandable. That requires a lot of eloquence and thinking.”
“I wish. Sometimes I babble off. I forget to cut the fluff. But, I don’t know, I think we would balance each other out.” Henrik raises an eyebrow.
“Is that your way of asking me to couple up with you?” She laughs.
“I mean, if you want to interpret it that way.” He laughs with her. They eventually stop, looking into each other’s eyes. “Your eyes are so pretty.”
“Oh really?” She scoffs. “I remember people making fun of my eyes when I was a kid. They would say that they look like shit.”
“Well I think they look like the Earth, the soil, the dark bark of the trees. We wouldn’t exist without them.”
“That’s sweet.” Emma feels her cheeks heat up. “You’re sweet like a dessert.”
“Do you like dessert?”
She leans forward. “I love dessert.”
“Well,” Henrik smirks. “I’ll take that.” The sudden ding! from his phone interrupts the moment and he pulls it out. “Oh looks like our date is over.”
“Oh. I was really looking forward to spending more time with you.”
Henrik smiles as he stands up. “Just find me in the Villa and take me aside for a chat, yeah?”
“Of course I will.” She gets out of her chair, pushing it in. The two of them begin to walk back to the Villa together albeit midway, Henrik’s hand suddenly intertwined with hers. Her cheeks became hot, her heart pounding against her chest. But Henrik? He was calm, cool, and he had a smile on his face. You just met him! Calm yourself! Emma thinks as they walk into the Villa.
“Hey! They’re back!” Hope exclaims. “What took you two so long?”
“We were just talking.” Emma brushes a strand of hair behind her ear.
Hope glances down at their hands and Emma quickly removes her hand from Henrik’s grip. “Okay. Come with me!” The woman takes the smaller woman’s hand before leading her away from Henrik. “We’re comparing dates right now.” Hope sits down in a bean bag and Emma sits next to her. “Okay who chose you for a date?”
“Both of them.” Emma smiles.
“No way! Emma, you player!” Priya teases.
“I guess Emma and Priya are the main courses for the day.” Lottie remarks.
“Did Henrik ask you?”
“He did!”
Marisol looks at Emma and Priya. “Do you think your heads could be turned?”
“Oh maybe. But I do really fancy Rahim.” Priya had a thoughtful expression. “Each boy has their own perks!”
“I think…my head might already be turned?” Emma replied sheepishly.
“Oh Emma! Are you and Henrik already getting it?” Priya presses.
“No no! We were just talking, that’s all.”
“Except you two had quite the intimate chat at the pool~” Hope teases.
“I…He’s like my dream man if I am being honest.”
“Oh Emma! I’m so excited for you!” Priya exclaims.
“He’s just…I don’t know how to describe him. My tongue gets into knots when I think about him, my heart beats faster and my face heats up. I know he just arrived but I really fancy him.”
“You’re so cute when you’re flustered!”
“I am not!” She playfully shoves Priya.
“Hey girls!” Bobby walks over. “You guys going to join us for the welcome party?”
“Oh of course! We’re just catching up.” Lottie stands.
“I’m going to stay behind to talk to Emma for a bit.” Priya turns to Emma. “Is that okay?”
“I would love a girls chat.” Emma smiles. “We’ll be over there soon!”
Hope, Marisol, and Lottie joined Bobby, walking over to the kitchen. “Alright. They’re gone.” Priya turns to Emma. “Tell me all the juicy details about the date. Did you guys kiss?”
“No we didn’t.” She recounts the date. “But…he was so sweet. He complimented my eyes. No one has ever complimented my eyes like the way he did before.” She could feel herself tearing up a bit and had to wipe them away while trying not to ruin her makeup.
“Oh babes. Your eyes are so pretty!” Priya leans over, embracing the girl. “Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!”
“It’s just…so different.” Her voice was choking up a bit. “He sounded so genuine. And he didn’t say it in a demeaning or fetishizing way. Like where was that when I was dating? It’s just…I don’t know why I’m getting so emotional over a compliment about my eyes.” She laughs through the tears.
“Oh babes. You have every right to be emotional about it.” Priya pulls away, gently holding her hands. “People are cruel, too cruel to girls like us, especially when we’re so young. I used to hate going out in the sun because so many boys told me that my brown skin was ugly. But I remember that one guy who told me he loved my skin color because I didn’t listen to my mum about using bleaching creams and staying out of the sun. But those compliments…they run so deep and it’s a new sense of validation that we have never experienced.” Priya was also tearing up a bit.
“You’re so beautiful. How could anyone say such terrible things about you!” The girl cried, embracing Priya tightly. Priya hugs her back just as tight.
“I don’t know. But that’s why we have each other.” Priya gently wipes her own tears away. “Okay should we go to the party?”
“Yeah.” Emma sniffs, fanning her eyes as Priya helps her up. “Am I selling myself out to the White man?”
“I mean…yes? But who cares right!” Priya laughed and her laugh was infectious. It was hearty and full of love and joy and it came from her gut. She even snorted a bit and Emma laughed with her as they walked to the scene of the party. They went into the kitchen first, seeing Lottie and Ibrahim talking and Gary was choking on something. “What’s going on guys?”
“Rahim’s made a cocktail.” Lottie points out.
“It’s a Violet Man cocktail!” Rahim was enthusiastic. “I made it.”
“With hot sauce?” Hope raises an eyebrow.
“Exactly!”
“What about the tomato?”
“It’s probably his shield,” Emma shrugs.
“Yes! Do you read Violet Man Em?” Rahim asks.
“No. I just answered based on inference. Besides, I personally find The Adventures of Gray Bat more entertaining. But I’ll take a Violet Man!”
“Coming right up!” Ibrahim made his cocktail quickly before handing Emma the glass. She took one sip before setting it down. “Is it bad?”
“I think it’s good. Has a small kick to it!” Lottie reassures.
“It’s good. But I don’t taste the spice.” Emma looked around. “I could use a ton of more hot sauce.” She took the bottle herself and added a lot more hot sauce before taking a sip. “That’s better even if it’s a small kick.”
“How can you not taste anything?” Gary exclaims before leaving.
“I’ll go make sure he’s okay.” Lottie poured a glass of milk and followed after Gary.
Emma could only raise an eyebrow as she finished the cocktail and walked out. She walked over to where Marisol and Rocco were sitting but stopped, squinting her eyes slightly. She was beginning to feel the effect of the alcohol. Not good. I’ll live as long as I’m not as red as a tomato. She left Marisol and Rocco alone, heading to the Fire Pit. It looked like Gary was okay after the cocktail. “It’s white, creamy, and sticky.” He says.
“Excuse me?” Emma raises an eyebrow at the group which consisted of Noah and Hope.
“We’re playing a game where we have to guess an item.” Hope explains as Emma sits next to her. “But Gary’s making it sound much more gross than it seems.” She sent the buff man a brief glance.
“You can put it on sandwiches!” Gary clarifies.
“Is it mayonnaise?” Noah asks.
“Yes! Correct.”
“Why did you need to make it sound so dirty?” Emma mutters, fanning her face because of how the alcohol made her hot. She looked around, seeing Henrik and Lucas hanging out together. “Hey!” She exclaims giddily, waving a hand to gesture them over. They say something to one another before walking over. Henrik plops himself down right next to Emma.
“Hey. Fancy seeing you here.” The blond smirks.
“It’s great seeing you too!” She turns to Lucas. “Am I red?”
“Nope. No Asian flush for you.” Lucas chuckles.
“Good. It would be a shame if I was, like, beet red.”
“We’re playing a game where you have to guess what Gary’s describing.” Noah informs the two men. “But he’s also doing it in the most dirty way possible.”
“I’m not done! Here’s one.” Gary clears his throat. “They can be tall. They become erect. And they build civilizations!”
Emma began giggling, partially from the alcohol and partially because her sense of humor was broken. It was probably not what she was thinking. “Someone had quite a bit to drink.” Hope teases.
“It was one drink! I swear!” She looks at Henrik and gives him a reassuring smile. “I swear. I’m just a lightweight.”
“That’s okay. If you need me to help you, you can ask me.” Henrik brushes a strand of hair behind his ear.
“Did I mention how good you look?” Emma gently grazes his arm with her fingertips, noticing his shiver and goosebumps beginning to form on her skin. “The top really accentuates your arms.”
“I’m happy you noticed that.”
Lucas suddenly interrupts the moment between his friends. “A skyscraper.”
“Yes! That’s correct!” Gary looked excited.
“Don’t they have to do with your job?” Noah questions.
“Well I love my job as a crane operator.”
“I’m happy you’re so passionate.” Emma smiled before standing up. “Anyways I need to go to sober up. That one cocktail might give me a massive hangover so, I’ll see you all tomorrow.” She looks at Henrik. “Talk to you tomorrow?”
“Of course.” He sends her a smile so cute that she wanted to burst into a fit of giggles.
Emma made her way back inside the Villa and took a nice long shower. The shower, thankfully, allowed her to sober up a bit more and let the pounding in her head from the alcohol fade away. Shower, skin care, brushing her teeth, using the loo, drying her hair. She straightened out her night gown while brushing her hair before crawling into her bed with Gary. “Fuck. Why am I so tired?” She sighs, looking up at the ceiling before turning onto her side, curling into herself, and drifting off into darkness.
~~~
When waking up, Emma had come to realize that she had a habit of either waking up after everyone else or waking up before everyone else. There seemed to be no in between. Frankly, she’d rather wake up earlier than other people to get some alone time, to let her battery recharge from all the socializing. There was, after all, nothing else to do outside of swimming and lifting weights. Socializing was a necessity and frankly, her battery was beginning to run low. She made sure her footsteps were quiet as she went to the bathroom to do her morning routine and picked out an outfit to wear. This time, she decided on the same ensemble she wore on the first day. It was always a classic and she had finished her laundry. She was humming songs to herself while in the kitchen, once in a while actually using her voice to sing. Toast, eggs, beans, sausages, bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, and potato hash. Perhaps she was taking it too far by making breakfast for everyone but she needed something to take her mind off of the stress she was currently feeling. A small scoff left her lips as she was cutting the mushrooms and tomatoes. Just like mom. Always making big portions when stressed. She continued to prep and put everything together while the music from her phone was on a very low volume. The singer was too occupied with cooking and singing “Boy With Luv” to notice that someone else had woken up and was leaning against the wooden ledge. “Yeah, you makin’ me a boy with luv. Oh my, my, my! Oh my, my, my! You got me high so fast!” Her voice was on pitch as she sauteed the mushrooms and tomatoes and her Korean pronunciation was on point. “Oh my, my, my! Oh my, my my! You got me fly so fast.” She poured the beans in a serving bowl and added another egg to the pan frying seven more eggs. “Love is nothing stronger than a boy with luv~”
“Your voice is really nice.”
“Oh my god!” She exclaims, looking at the direction of the voice. Her shoulders relaxed seeing those familiar green eyes. “Henrik you scared me!”
“You were in your zone and I didn’t want to potentially disrupt you. Especially since you were cutting tomatoes and mushrooms at the time.” He raises an eyebrow.
“Smart.” She smiles sheepishly before opening the cabinet and pulling out enough plates for all of the Islanders. “You want a fry up?”
“I would love a fry up.” Henrik walks over and breathes in the scent of food. “It smells delicious!”
“Thanks.” Emma smiles. “One or two eggs?”
“Two.”
“Good, good.” She scooped up fresh eggs from the pan and placed it on the plate. “How about toast?”
“One is good.”
“Yes, yes.” Emma plated some bacon, sausage, potato hash, and beans. She pulled the hot bread out of the toaster and cut it into triangles, spreading some butter onto the slices and putting it on the plate. She finished the fry up with the mushrooms and tomatoes. “Here you go. One fry up.” She places it in front of Henrik on the counter, passing him a knife and fork.
“Man. This looks amazing!”
“I would’ve added black pudding but we don’t have any.”
“You go all out huh?” Henrik begins to eat, cutting into his sausage. “Do you like cooking?”
“I love it. It’s like swimming and climbing. Peace, my zone. I used to watch my mom and my dad and my grandparents cook all the time as a kid. So naturally I became more inclined to cook. I also happen to stress cook.” Emma gestures to the large amount of food. “Which involves making a lot.”
“And what happened to cause this?” Henrik waves around his little piece of toast.
“I was just feeling exhausted. Low social battery and everything.” Emma made sure all the food was off the pans and began loading the dishwasher after scrubbing off any food remains and disposing of any grease. “I needed some time to myself that didn’t involve laying around doing nothing. Makes me feel extremely anxious if I don’t have anything to do.”
“Well I have to say that you’re an amazing cook. And I would love to try more of your meals.” Henrik smiles, causing her to smile. His compliment made her blush.
“Hey, what smells so good?” Priya yawns, walking into the kitchen in her pajamas. “Breakfast! Emma!” She rushes over. “Did you make breakfast for the whole Villa?”
“Yeah. Little stress cooking moment. But help yourself.”
“Let me get everyone.” Priya ran, yelling to everyone. “Emma made breakfast! And it smells absolutely delicious.”
It didn’t take long for everyone to come out, some of them still drowsy. Emma also prepared some boiling water while they were getting their food. She was happy to see that she made enough food to go around. The fresh fry up tasted so good to her and she felt herself melting in her seat. Once she was done, she started washing the dishes and making sure the dishwasher was completely full. When it was, she decided to handwash the rest of the dishes. “Hey,” Noah sets his plate down. “Breakfast was good today. I wasn’t exactly planning on having a fry up but I think it was a good decision.”
“Yeah?” Emma takes his plate and begins to wash it. “I’m glad. I was just in the mood for cooking and it happened.”
“You should cook more for the Villa. I’m sure everyone will appreciate it.”
“Thanks Noah.”
His eyes glanced down at her hand movements. “You cooked. Let me clean.”
“Oh that’s fine. I can do it.”
“I insist. It’s only reasonable that the person who cooks doesn’t clean.”
“Just let me do it! It has to be done the right way!” She snaps before pursing her lips. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to. I got this. Go have fun with Hope!”
Noah glances back, seeing the woman he’s coupled up with talking to Lucas and laughing at something with him. “I think Hope’s doing just fine.”
Emma glanced over. “Aren’t you guys going strong?”
“I would like to think so. But I can’t help but think that her head might be turned.”
She finishes the last dish and dries it, putting it away. “I don’t think so. Hope really fancies you. I think it would take a lot more than Lucas to turn her head.”
“Your head got turned really quickly.” He raises his eyebrows at her.
Emma scoffs. “Me and Gary weren’t even that serious to begin with. I swear.”
“I mean okay. Sure.” He teases. “But you and Henrik?”
“Are friends.”
“After about a day of being quite intimate with each other.”
“This is Love Island.” Emma shrugs. She suddenly hears a ding! from her phone and picks it up. “I got a text!” She yells excitedly. “I got a text!” Everyone was quick to rush over. “Islanders, what better way to learn more about each other than a perfect round of Kiss and Tell? Today’s challenge will be a boys vs. girls challenge and the winner gets cocktails! Please head over to the designated challenge location to begin. #KissAndDontTell #JuicySecrets.”
“Oh shit! I’m not dressed yet!” Priya exclaims. “I was enjoying breakfast so much.” Emma could only laugh and she tied her hair in a low bun.
The Islanders gathered on the platform, looking at the chalkboard that was meant to keep score. Emma was standing between Priya and Hope, sneaking glances at Henrik. His eyes made contact with hers and he even sent her a cheeky grin. “My god, you two should just couple up already!” Priya rolls her eyes.
“Priya!” Emma whispers as the challenge begins.
“Okay. So the rules of the challenge are as follows: a secret will be revealed about one person. You must concur with your fellow Islanders about who the secret is about and then kiss them. The group with the most points gets cocktails.” Hope read. “So the first secret belongs to a boy. He spent £500 on a date.”
“That’s got to be Lucas.” Marisol says without question. “He’s loaded!”
“I feel like it’s Rahim. Golf players are also really loaded.” Emma interjects. “It’s either one of them. Hope it’s your choice.”
“I’d say Rahim.” Lottie answers. “He just seems like the type.”
“Alright.” Hope walks up to Rahim and gives him a small peck on his cheek. She steps back in line with the rest of the girls.
Rahim sheepishly steps forward. “It was in fact me. I was afraid that the date would fail!”
“What exactly costed £500?” Marisol questions.
“A helicopter.”
Emma pursed her lips before the boys got together to see their first clue. “This girl got a full makeover for a movie night.” Bobby raises his eyebrows, glancing at her. She waves sheepishly before the girls huddle.
“Okay. Fess up. Who was it?” Hope asks.
“It was me.” Priya sighs. “I like to go all out.”
“Are you sure it isn’t you Emma?”
“It’s not Hope. I promise.” She glanced over. “Looks like they’re done.” The girls returned to the line.
“We think the girl is…Lottie!” Gary walks over to the Australian girl and kisses her. She kisses him back albeit the kiss seems…quite steamy and passionate. Emma could only raise her eyebrows at the sight and look away. Gary jogged back to the boys side as Priya looked at her friend.
“What was that?” She whispers.
“No idea.” Emma brushes a strand of hair behind her ear.
Lottie glances over at the girls. “Why are you guys looking at me like that? It was a good kiss.”
“Yeah no kidding.” Emma says sarcastically.
“Well, it was me!” Priya steps forward. “It was a small mistake. I had a date but he flaked and my friends had already made me over. So we went to the movies together!” She falls back in line.
“Alright the next secret is…pick the boy with the most sexual partners.” Hope reads off.
“I got this one in the bag.” Lottie assures. “I know it’s Gary.”
“And how can you know?” Marisol questions.
“Because he bragged about his numbers at the Fire Pit the other night.” Lottie rolls her eyes. “We think it’s Gary.” She walks over to him and another passionate, heated kiss engages between the two of them. Emma rubbed the back of her neck as she watched it happen and Lottie pulled away.
“Well it was me.” His cheeks were tinted pink.
“Alright the next secret is…This girl danced on the table at a bar once!” Bobby reads out. “Personally I think it’s Emma. She has some mean dance moves.”
“She seems like the type.” Lucas glances at the girl in blue.
Emma turned to the girls. “It’s not me. Who is it?”
“...It’s me.” Hope confesses sheepishly. “It happened one time at a bar. It was late and the music was good.”
“Wow Hope!” Emma gently nudges her. “You must be so fun to go to the club with!”
“When we get out of here we should go.”
“Obviously!”
Lucas cleared his throat as he looked at all the women. “We think the girl who danced on the tables is Emma.” He walks over. “Do you mind?”
“A cheek kiss would be much preferred.” Lucas bent down and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for being a pal.”
“Of course.” Lucas walks back to the line as Hope steps forward.
“It wasn’t Emma babes. It was me.” An expression of embarrassment crossed her face.
“I should’ve seen it coming.” Noah mutters.
“Alright this boy gets a back, sack, and a crack wax often.” Lottie reads, eyebrows moving upwards. “Damn. Someone’s dedicated.”
“It’s either Henrik or Bobby.” Emma says. “Or Lucas or Rahim. Waxing can be expensive. Henrik and Bobby are also completely clear of hair from what we can see.” She turns her head. “Marisol!”
“I think it’s Rocco!” Marisol kisses Rocco and the sudden tension among the group sky rocketed. Lottie was scowling, noticing that the kiss was…a little more than just a kiss.
“That little—”
“Lottie,” Emma coughs. “Wait until after the challenge.”
Bobby steps forward. “It was me. I like to have a strict grooming regimen, you know.”
“Okay and the second to last secret is…” Hope reads. “This girl canceled a romantic weekend to stay with a friend.”
“Oh I bet that’s Emma!” Priya whispers, looking at the shorter girl. “Is it?”
“I mean…I didn’t want to go on the getaway anyways. The guy was…bothering me. My commitment issues were not having it.” Emma clears her throat. “He was also desperate and said some really off things that had me running for the hills.”
“Well that’s nice to…know,” Hope’s voice slows, watching as Rocco walks over to Marisol.
“I think it’s Marisol.” He announces before kissing her. Emma felt a little uneasy, sneaking glances at everyone around. Clearly this was the opportunity to grind on other Islanders. The perfect opportunity.
Emma sighs as she steps forward. “Actually it was me.”
“I think it was obviously you.” Bobby teases. “You did tell me about that time you left the poor dude.”
“Really?” Henrik raises his eyebrows.
“He was really creepy.”
“And the final secret!” Lottie says distastefully, glaring at Marisol and Rocco. “This boy was caught naked in public. Wow…”
“I got this one.” Emma looked at the boys. “Most likely to be caught naked…Is it bad that I can imagine all of them?”
“If you want my guess it’s most likely Gary since he has so many sexual escapades.” Hope infers.
“Do you think of Gary as a public guy?”
“He does strike me as someone who would do it anywhere.”
“Hey! Give me some dignity!” The man exclaims from the other side.
Emma laughed. “Calm down.” Her eyes met Henrik’s and he appeared to be biting his cheek. His lips were pursed and those green eyes shifted away from hers and down to the ground. His cheeks were also slightly pink as if embarrassed. She stopped in front of him. “Hey stranger.”
“Hey.” He looks back up at her.
Emma takes one step closer to him. “You mind if I kiss you?” She tells him in a low voice.
He licks his lips. “No. I would like for you to kiss me.” His voice was sultry and he moved closer to her and even bent down to meet her.
“Good.” Her hands gently cup his face as she leans in and her lips meet his. His lips are soft and he kisses her back, leaning into the kiss. Her chest feels hot as well as her face. One hand leaves his face to place itself on his chest while his hands gently hold her wait. He had a woody scent to him and his stubble tickled her face. She could feel a rush of energy behind the kiss and it felt like an eternity before she pulled away, cheeks pink. Emma cleared her throat and composed herself, adjusting her robe. “Because I think you were caught naked in public.”
Henrik put a heart against his chest with a shocked facial expression. “No! How could you know!” He says dramatically, causing Bobby to laugh. “It was me.” He becomes serious again. “It was an accident too. I was hiking and I got soaked and drenched in mud so I decided to take a dip in the lake without my clothes on. And a park ranger happened to see me!”
“Sounds super exciting.” Emma smiles before walking back over to the girls line.
Hope looks down at her phone. “Oh I got a text! Girls, you have won the challenge! Later tonight there will be cocktails for you on the roof terrace. #CocktailParty #GirlsRule”
“Well now it’s time to celebrate!” Priya exclaims. “Let’s go!”
Emma followed the girls, anticipating a night of disaster. She resorted to being by herself and picking out an outfit. She decided to go with a yellow halter top, a white pleated skirt, yellow pumps, small hoop earrings, and some gold bangles. The woman decided to keep her hair down and go with white eyeshadow, black eyeliner, and pink lip gloss. While getting ready, Lottie and Marisol were arguing. Over what? Rocco. “How can you just kiss him like that! He’s my partner! I’m coupled up with him!” Lottie exclaims while the rest of the girls are getting ready.
“It was just a kiss Lottie. Nothing more,” Marisol has her mascara face on while brushing the wand against her eyelashes.
“It wasn’t just a kiss! You’ve been snaking around with him and for a while I reckon!”
“Can’t you stop arguing? You haven’t exactly been the best partner to him! Rocco’s a lot more than he lets on.”
“His so-called ‘deep’ persona is fake.” Emma interjects while applying her mascara, causing the girls to look at her. “Man relies on outdated colonial ideas to be deep.”
“And what makes you say that?” Marisol scowls at the woman.
“The orientalism.” Emma looks at her. “The fucking tattoo. Chinese character. Lot of people get those tattoos to be deep, to pretend they’re cultured. And yet they know nothing about the culture they wear on their skin. All East Asian languages are the same. All cultures are the same. All people are the same. We are never changing. We are stagnant.” She puts the wand back into the tube and closes it, setting it on the vanity. “We are the savage, backwards East that will never change. Our traditions have been traditions for centuries. We don’t evolve. And because we don’t evolve, we are viewed with exoticism, with a morbid fascination that treats us like animals at a zoo!” Her voice was raised with the last sentence. “He’s literally full of crap Marisol.”
“You know nothing about him!” Marisol sounded hurt. “You are reaching.”
“Am I? I have to deal with this stuff daily. That’s why I decided to avoid him the moment I saw him.”
“You’re being judgmental!”
“Well judgmental is what I am. And a lot of the time, my ‘judgment’ is correct. It’s my gut instinct and most of the time it’s correct.”
“Screw you!” Marisol left.
“Hey! You can’t just walk away!” Lottie tries to follow after her but Emma stops her.
“Leave her. Let her sit around and contemplate.”
“Why are you being so cool about this? I thought you were all about putting us girls first.”
“And I am—”
“And you’re not concerned about the kiss?”
“If I was then I would be giving you shit about kissing Gary.” Lottie’s face fell as Emma applied her lip gloss before closing the tube. “You have no right to talk about Marisol and Rocco. I’m paired up with Gary and I’m not giving you shit. You’ve been giving everyone since Day 1 and frankly, it’s getting on my nerves.”
“Well fuck you too.” Lottie stormed out of the room.
“What was that?” Hope exclaims.
“Me giving my honest opinion. Rocco’s been chatting around. We all know it. He’s full of crap.” Emma brushed through her hair.
“Well we need to sort this out.” Hope sighs. “I’ll deal with Lottie. You go deal with Marisol? Tell her please.”
“We’ll see how well she takes me.” Emma sighs before walking out. The woman looks around for Marisol, finding her by the loungers. She sits in one next to her. “Hey.”
“It was only a few minutes ago when you told me the…man I like is full of crap.” She readjusts her glasses. “What do you want? Are you going to apologize?”
“I’m not going to apologize. What I said is true and I’ve been meaning to say it for a while. But I’m mostly here to tell you, once again, that Rocco’s full of crap.”
“Well not in the way you were talking about!”
“It’s not even that. You could listen to me about that if you want but that’s a conversation that should be saved to the outside. I’m talking about Rocco chatting up the other girls.”
Marisol raises an eyebrow. “And? You’re allowed to chat up other girls.”
“Not in the platonic way.”
“Oh.” Marisol’s face falls.
“You might’ve just been another girl he was chatting up. And you don’t deserve that. Which is why I say he’s full of crap.” Emma gently takes her hands.
“He’s full of it. But he does have a kind soul. You just need to give him the chance.”
“I’ve given plenty of chances to people like him. And instead I came out with more trauma. So consider it a defensive move to not get to know him.”
“Well…regardless, I’m still going to go for him even if it makes Lottie upset.” Marisol sniffs. “I found a connection with him. And he’s the only one I’ve found a connection with.”
“Well I can’t stop you. But I’m just letting you know.”
“Okay…You know? You need to work on your bluntness.”
“Do I now?”
“Yeah. It can really be rude.”
“What I want to say might be too political so I won’t say it.” Emma stood up. “Shall we go to the roof terrace for our cocktails?”
“Yeah.” Marisol got off the lounger and walked with the singer up to the roof terrace where the rest of the girls were sitting.
“Had a good chat?” Hope asks with Lottie and Priya sitting near her.
“Yeah.” Emma sits down with Marisol next to her. “Now I’m sure we can handle this like adults. So just vent your feelings.” She picks up a cocktail and takes one sip. It wasn’t that bad. She peeked her head over the roof terrace, looking around to find Henrik. She found him, sitting with Lucas and Gary and talking. Her thoughts trailed back to their kiss and she could still remember the lingering heat of his kiss when he pulled away, the feeling of his soft lips, the woody smell of his cologne, his soft hair grazing her cheeks. It wasn’t what she imagined her first kiss with him to be like but she was not disappointed. A small sigh left her lips.
“Emma!”
“Hm?” She turned back to the group. “Yeah?”
Hope sighs. “We were just airing out our feelings if you were paying attention.”
“And we’ve agreed to ignore Rocco for the rest of his time here.” Lottie interjects.
“Cool.” Emma takes another sip of her cocktail.
“That’s it? Cool?” Hope raises an eyebrow.
“I’ve already been avoiding and ignoring him since Day 1. So it doesn’t matter to me.”
“I think Emma has something else on her mind.” Priya wiggles her brows causing Emma’s cheeks to become red.
“Well drama solved. So I’m leaving.” She stands and walks out, Priya following after her with a cocktail in hand. The two women walk over to the Fire Pit to chat.
“So, you’ve been thinking about Henrik?” Priya asks as she finishes her drink.
“Obviously. The man has me around his little finger.” She sips her alcohol.
“Describe the kiss. You two looked like you were having a swell time earlier.”
“Oh…it was hot. So hot.” Priya nodded along. “He knew rhythm. Good rhythm. And his lips were soft and he smelled so good. And his stubble! I don’t like facial hair. I prefer clean shaven, like nothing. But I didn’t mind it this time around.”
“Did it tickle?”
“A little.” Emma giggles. “He’s just…so handsome. And I fancy him so much. He’s given me plenty of attention while in the Villa that it kind of feels like he’s only had eyes on me. Is that an egotistical thing to say?”
“Of course not! He’s giving you attention and you love it. Besides, which girl doesn’t want all of someone’s attention?”
“That’s true.” Emma finished her cocktail.
“Well I’m going to go talk to Rahim to see if the boys are doing anything.” Priya stands. “Do you want me to take your glass?”
“Oh yeah. Thanks Priya!” She hands her the glass and watches as Priya disappears. Emma took her time resting by the Fire Pit, relishing in the alone time she finally has. After about ten minutes of watching the flames move, she looked up upon hearing footsteps.
Henrik smiled sheepishly. “Mind if I join you?”
“No. Not at all.” She watches as he sits next to her. The two of them sit in silence for a bit.
“So, how do you feel about the Villa so far?” He breaks the silence.
“I think it’s good. I just wish I could be…in my zone more often. Outside of the pool. The kitchen is outdoors so my me time can literally be interrupted by anything.”
“I’m really liking the Villa so far. Everyone’s nice and friendly. Everyone’s been warm.”
“So who do you have your eye on?” She couldn’t stop the question from coming out. “You don’t need to tell me.”
“I mean. Everyone’s lovely. Lottie’s cool. We have similar interests. Priya’s also amazing. She’s so chipper that she brightens the room instantly.” Emma sighed gently upon hearing that. “But I’m mostly interested in you.”
She had to blink. “Why?” It came out before she could stop it.
“Aside from being pretty, you have a way with words, you climb, you swim and have a very nice form when you swim, and you’re kind.”
“I think a lot of people would beg to differ.”
“Well everyone has flaws. I can’t say exactly what they are because my experience with you has mostly been pleasant and my initial impression is from the telly.” Henrik looks at her into her eyes and his gaze causes her to stiffen and her heart to begin picking up pace. “But most importantly, I think we have something. We have that spark.”
“What makes you think that?”
“Because of the kiss earlier. I wanted to ask for another one to make sure. But I think after sitting on it, I’m sure.” Henrik’s hand touches Emma’s. “What about you?”
“I…” She looks at the fire. “I’ve been crazy about you since you’ve come into the Villa. You were…a bomb in the Villa. You’re my type and everything.” She looks back at him.
“But Gary.”
“Gary and I are just friends. But you…I want to get to know you more, know you more intimately. I don’t know. My emotions are all over the place with you, with the girls, with my social battery being drained already. But I know that I want to get to know you more.”
Henrik smiles. “Of course.”
Emma smiles back. “Good. Now I’m beginning to get tired.” She stands. “Shall we head back?”
“Yeah of course.” Henrik stands up, holding her hand. The two of them walk, stopping in front of the door. He looks down at her into her eyes. “I…” He bites his lip. “Can I kiss you?”
Her cheeks immediately became pink as the tension between them thickened. “Umm…” She was speechless hearing that question. All she could do was stand there, look into his eyes. He was so close to her. So painfully close. All she would have to say was yes, to feel his soft lips on hers again and feel the sense of warmth that was present during the challenge. And yet, she couldn’t say anything. Something was stuck in her throat and she didn’t know why she was scared to say yes. This was Henrik, a man who came into the Villa and completely turned her head. He reciprocated her interest. He was everything she wanted on paper (at least, so far). They had a spark. So why couldn’t she say yes? She opened her mouth to answer when someone interrupted them.
“Hey guys I think I left something—” Bobby stops. “Oh…OH!”
“Sorry Bobby.” Emma pulled away quickly. “I was going to head to bed.”
Bobby looks at Henrik who clears his throat. “Yeah. Me too.”
“Okay. Cool. Everyone’s getting ready for bed anyways.”
Quickly, the two of them went back upstairs. “Hey, um…Talk to me tomorrow?” The blond asks.
“Of course. Most definitely.” Emma smiles and gets on her tippy toes to kiss him on the cheek. Henrik’s cheeks went pink before the two of them separated. She immediately removed her makeup and showered, drying her hair before sleeping. All she could think about was how she couldn’t utter the word yes while showering. Why? How? Was she nervous? Was she getting cold feet? Was she already getting bored? She couldn’t think about it now. Not when she needed sleep. She would figure it out tomorrow.
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flowerfan2 · 3 years
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Ok friends, I’m cracking up sitting here right now, because I just took a quick trip to get bagels, came inside with the bag of bagels in my hand, and then sat down to post today’s chapter before allowing myself the reward of eating breakfast... and this is how the first line of today’s chapter begin:
David comes into the house with a bag of bagels in one hand and a tray of hot beverages in the other...
I got iced coffee instead of hot, but still, I guess it was meant to be!  Hope you enjoy Chapter 15.  @perryavenue​ is going to recognize where I got my inspiration for this one...
David x Patrick, A03, 3k this chapter, 48k so far.  
Chapter 15
David comes into the house with a bag of bagels in one hand and a tray of hot beverages in the other, listening to see if Patrick is awake yet.  He was hoping to surprise him with breakfast in bed.  Unfortunately, sunny Saturday mornings mean long lines at the bagel place, and it all took a lot longer than he had hoped.
David deposits the bagels on the counter, spotting Patrick sitting outside on the lanai.  Drinks in hand, he joins him at the table and leans over to give him a quick kiss.
“Successful trip?” Patrick asks, taking the lid off his tea and inhaling appreciatively.
“Mmm, yes.  I checked several of the bagels on the way home.  The French toast flavor is overrated, but they do an excellent marble rye.”
“Leave any for me?”
“Even I can’t eat a dozen bagels in half an hour.  Three, maybe, although that would still be a mistake.  There are plenty left for you to choose from.”
Patrick grins at him and leans back, putting his bare feet up on David’s lap.  David frowns.
“What, are foot rubs before coffee incorrect?”
David mock-glares at Patrick, even though he loves these silly call-backs to their history together.  “Bare feet outdoors is incorrect.”
“But there’s a swimming pool.”
“The pool is over there,” David waves his hand.  “You are here, sitting at a table, eating breakfast.  Not swimming.”
“Technically I was reading the news on my phone.  Not eating breakfast.”
“Keep antagonizing me and there won’t be any breakfast in your future, either.”
Patrick grins at him, then removes his feet from David’s lap and goes inside to retrieve the bagels, along with plates, cream cheese and lox.  Ordinarily David would insist on toasting his bagel, but these are so fresh and warm that they demand to be eaten immediately.  They busy themselves with their food for a few minutes, David moaning in appreciation, mostly just to watch Patrick react.
“So, I had an idea for what we could do today.”
“Is eating a pile of bagels and then taking a nap not good enough for you?”
Patrick chuckles.  “I was actually thinking of going kayaking.”
David nearly chokes on his food, and Patrick pats his back good-naturedly.  “Kayaking?”  He doesn’t screech, but it is a near thing.  “What about me, exactly, suggests that I would want to go kayaking?”
“Come on, David.  We’ve been sitting around here for weeks.  I did just get the all clear from the doctor.  It’ll be fun.”
David does not think for a minute that it will be fun, as kayaking will undoubtedly involve bugs, unstable vehicles, and the threat of drowning.  But Patrick has been beached, so to speak, ever since his injury, and David knows it has been weighing on him.
“I don’t suppose we could go on a nice, safe hike instead?”
Patrick laughs.  “We can do that another day.  I called a place about a half hour from here, they have two boats available this afternoon.  Just give it a try.  If you hate it, we won’t stay out long.”
Much to his surprise, David does not hate it.
They show up at the launching area in their swim trunks and shirts, David with his long-sleeved swim shirt on, and Patrick with some kind of sports related jersey.  Their guide makes them wear ugly life preservers, which ruin David’s look but do give him a bit of relief when it comes to his drowning concern.  After a short lesson, during which Patrick asks lots of excited questions and David tries valiantly to follow along, they each get into a kayak and are pushed out into the water.
The sun is shining rather enthusiastically, and David is glad that he has sunglasses on – he even made them stop along the way to buy a cheap pair, in case they wind up in the water.  Patrick bought a ridiculous strap that holds his on his head, and he’s got a ball cap on as well, so there’s not much to see of him except his lovely pale arms which David very much enjoyed slathering in sunscreen.
David pulls his attention away from Patrick and focuses on stroking his paddle through the water, trying to put the guide’s instructions into action.  Patrick stays near him, offering quiet corrections, and soon they both fall into a comfortable rhythm.
David knows that he’s in better shape now than he’s been in for most of his life.  Although running doesn’t do much for his upper body, at least he’s got stamina.  He tries to relax and enjoy it.  If he paddles just right, the kayak cuts through the water without very much effort on his part.  It’s kind of neat.  Soothing, even, almost like the way it feels when he gets into a groove on a run.
They aren’t out on the Gulf, as ocean kayaking is far beyond their skill level.  Instead, they are making their way down an inlet of some kind, a broad waterway with docks and houses on both sides.  Soon they are out in the bay, and Patrick directs them past a piling with an egret’s nest on top, over to a bristly bunch of trees at the water’s edge.
“These are mangroves,” Patrick says, indicating the dense tangle of scrubby looking trees with visible roots.  “They’ve adapted to living in salt water, extracting the fresh water they need.  Some of them push the salt out onto their leaves.  The leaves even taste salty.”
David doesn’t ask how Patrick knows this.  He’d just wind up watching him lick a leaf.
They paddle closer, and David can see into the clusters of plants, the roots and branches weaving together.
“Want to go through?”
David has no idea what Patrick is talking about, but he follows him as he kayaks around the edge of a cluster.  There’s an overhang, and what looks like a tunnel into the middle of the clump of mangroves.
“Are you serious?”  David asks under his breath, but Patrick is already nearing the entrance.
“Go slow,” Patrick says over his shoulder.  “Try not to point into them, and if you do get stuck, just grab on carefully and lever yourself off.  Remember not to overbalance.”
It’s a recipe for disaster, but David gently eases himself into the tunnel.  It’s cooler and dim inside, with branches and green leaves all around him.  It smells like low tide, musty and brackish.  The nose of his kayak gets hung up briefly as he turns too hard in one direction and for a brief moment it lists dangerously sideways, but he takes a breath and then uses his paddle to back up a bit and set himself on a straighter path.
He catches Patrick looking back at him, having executed some kind of fancy twisting maneuver so that he can see David.  “Nice paddling, David.”
They rest for a minute there, Patrick showing David how to move his paddle to make his kayak go sideways (“it’s like a figure eight”) with limited success.  Then Patrick spends some time pointing out to David the difference between the red, white, and black mangroves, which doesn’t make any sense because they are all clearly green.
David doesn’t argue with him.  It’s far too nice here, hidden among the curving branches with Patrick who is so clearly, uncomplicatedly happy.  David will wear an ugly life jacket and take his chances with the alligators anytime if it makes Patrick smile.
After they extract themselves from the mangroves, Patrick makes them paddle into the wind in order to reach a spot where they can pull up on to the beach.  It’s less pleasant than drifting in the trees, but it’s worth it when their kayaks land on a sandy shore.  Patrick jumps out of his boat first, pulling the bright orange monstrosity up out of the water, and then returns to help David get out of his without tumbling over, which David very much appreciates.  
They sit down and stretch their legs, Patrick continuing to chatter about the birds they saw on the way over, how he’s never seen so many of the pink ones (roseate spoonbills, they’re called, but Patrick likes to correct David, so he pretends he doesn’t remember), how they’re fortunate to see so many birds of some kind or another this time of year.
After a while David just pulls Patrick against him, and Patrick shuts up, kissing David with the taste of salt on his tongue.  They make out for a while, alone on the shore, their kayaks shifting slightly as the water laps against their sterns.  Patrick lies back on the sand and David hovers close, his elbow braced against the ground as his other hand slides Patrick’s sunglasses off so that he has more skin to kiss.
They can’t go too far, for obvious reasons, but it feels wonderful to kiss and cuddle in the sun.
Finally they sit up, a little shy, and Patrick takes David’s hand in his and squeezes it.
“Thanks for doing this today,” Patrick says, and David’s heart swells.  It’s not such a big deal, participating in an activity just because your partner asked you to.  And it really wasn’t a hardship.
“It’s fun,” he concedes.
“I didn’t think you’d agree to come.”  Patrick looks away, out across the water.
David puts a hand on Patrick’s chin and turns his face towards him, until his brown eyes are locked onto his own.  “You asked.”  There’s very little he wouldn’t do for Patrick.  He can’t quite say that out loud, but he doesn’t have to.  He thinks Patrick hears it anyway.  
That night David’s putting away the remains of their take-out (Thai food, purchased on the way back from their kayaking adventure) when Patrick dances over to him and presents him with a package.
“What’s this?  Aside from an already opened and poorly resealed cardboard box?”
“Open it and find out.”
Inside under the blue tissue paper is a menorah, a pretty silver-plated one with a leaf and branch design.  It can’t have been cheap.
“Patrick, you didn’t have to-”
“I always imagined getting you a nice menorah, when we finally had a place together.  I had seen this one online, and when I realized it was Hanukkah, well.  Here it is.”
David just stares at it for a moment, tongue-tied.
“Do you like it?”
He wraps his arms around Patrick and kisses him soundly.  “I love it.”
It’s actually the end of Hanukkah already, so they load up the menorah with the appropriate number of candles and David mumbles what he remembers of the blessings.  It’s a rather lovely moment on top of a particularly lovely day, and David has to take a minute to keep it from overwhelming him.
Patrick notices, of course, and wraps his arms around him from behind, his chin on David’s shoulder, and they breathe together for a while.  When David relaxes Patrick nuzzles his ear.  “Want to go to bed?”
David turns in Patrick’s arms, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth at the eager look on Patrick’s face.  “Someone’s having a good day.”
Patrick captures David’s lips in a kiss, hot and insistent, and when he pulls back David is breathing hard.  “Tell me you’re not.”
He shakes his head, happiness bubbling out of him.  “Can’t do it.”
They make it back to the bedroom just before clothes start to come off, and soon they are naked and wrapped around each other, hands skimming over heated skin.  Patrick seems to have a plan, he’s wound up and raring to go, and David loves it.
“What did you have in mind?” he asks as Patrick straddles him, holding his head in his hands and nipping along David’s jaw.
“I want you to fuck me,” Patrick says into the shell of David’s ear.  “Open me up like this, and then fuck me.”
A thrum of arousal pulses through David at Patrick’s words.  They’ve had a lot of sex over the past week, but Patrick hasn’t asked for this yet.  
Their initial attempts at penetrative sex hadn’t gone particularly smoothly, back when they first got together.  After a few mishaps they had ignored it for a while, content to turn each other on and get each other off in a variety of easier ways.  David was happy to introduce Patrick to the pleasures of a really excellent blow job, and Patrick was, as always, a quick study, finding that he loved to bring David to the edge and then tease him until he was reduced to a writhing, begging mess.
And David was always quick to reassure Patrick that penetrative sex wasn’t the only way to have sex, that no matter what he thought in the past, they could make each other happy in any way they were comfortable with.
But Patrick was nothing if not determined, and so eventually they made their way back to it, first Patrick tentatively pushing into David, and later, when Patrick was in just the right mood, Patrick asking for David to do the same for him.  
“You don’t have to like it,” David remembers saying to Patrick, one night when Patrick was feeling some combination of bad and nervous and embarrassed about the whole issue.  “It’s okay if you don’t want to do it.  It really is.”
At some point, though, something happened that changed Patrick’s mind.  David’s pretty sure it had to do more with Patrick’s headspace than anything else, his gradual letting go of heteronormativity and becoming more comfortable with his view of himself as queer, but his prostrate probably factored into it as well.  Afterwards Patrick clung to David like an octopus, both of them sweaty and blissed out.
“How do people not do this all the time?” Patrick asked, pressing his face into David’s neck.  “How can it feel so good?  Why didn’t you tell me?”
David had laughed and hugged Patrick tight, too caught up in his fiancé’s astonished joy to wonder how he was going to keep the attention of such an amazing man.  It had been a very good night.
Tonight was shaping up to be even better.
Patrick holds himself over David while David finds the lube, and lets out a low moan when David reaches down and starts to press at his hole.  David takes his time, circling gently, then increasing the pressure, all while Patrick moans and sways above him.
Patrick leans down to kiss him, his mouth open and trailing wetly down David’s jaw, catching on the stubble.  He’s got a hand on David’s chest, and then Patrick shifts so his mouth can continue its journey, finding one of David’s nipples and sucking hard.
“God, Patrick,” David whines, just holding on to Patrick’s hips while Patrick bites at one nipple and then the other, sending sparks of electricity through his body.  “Come here, let me-” David gets his fingers back where he wants them, and then he’s pressing inside, Patrick fucking his fingers.
“Ah – David – oh god, yes, there, oh-” Patrick pushes back against David’s fingers, rocking back and forth, hands grasping at David’s arm and his chest and then valiantly pulling at David’s cock, although his attention is understandably elsewhere.  “Ohhhh, David, now, please, fuck me now.”
“Like this, or…?”
Patrick slides off David’s fingers and stretches out on the bed, pulling David on top of him.  “Like this.  Please. Now.  Come on.”  
David’s helpless to resist, Patrick’s big eyes pleading with him, his hands running up and down David’s arms, grabbing at his ass, squirming underneath him like he can’t wait a moment more.
“Okay, baby, okay.  I’ve got you.”  And he does, lubing himself up with a few quick strokes, and then positioning himself carefully between Patrick’s quivering thighs, one hand bracing himself on the bed as he slides into Patrick’s tight heat.
“David,” Patrick moans, “oh, fuck, yes.”  He’s reaching for David, trying to pull him into a kiss, and it’s messy and breaks David’s rhythm and he doesn’t care, it’s so good, Patrick wanting him like this.  David’s heart is slamming against his chest in time with his thrusts, and Patrick is writhing underneath him.  The slick slide of their bodies feels so good, David doesn’t know how he can hold it all inside.
“Patrick, baby, I love you, I love you,” David pants out, heat pooling inside him, a familiar tightness building.  
“Come on, David, oh god, come on,” Patrick pleads roughly.
David’s hips are moving frantically now, his muscles burning.  He’s shaking, dripping sweat everywhere, and he’s close, he just needs to keep going a little longer, for Patrick, he can do it.  
“David, I’m so close, oh god, you can, David-” Patrick gets a hand on his own cock and pulls, and David feels him, feels him quaking and shivering.
David comes with a rush of sensation, light exploding behind his eyes.  Patrick is almost there too, and David gets a hand on him, both of their hands on Patrick’s cock, twisting together, over and over.  Suddenly Patrick’s back arches and his whole body convulses as he comes, head thrown back in ecstasy, a long whine falling from his open mouth.
David collapses next to Patrick on the bed, turning his head to press his face against Patrick’s shoulder.  Patrick drapes himself over David’s side, arm sliding over his back, nose digging into his collarbone.  They lie there until the aftershocks subside, and then some, not wanting to move.
“Gonna have to change the sheets,” David finally says.
“That’s the first thing you think about, at a time like this?”  Patrick teases, a shaky hand brushing David’s hair out of his face and onto his forehead.
“No, it’s not,” David says.  “But it’s the first thing I can say without blushing, and I don’t have the energy for that.”
“David,” Patrick says, pressing a kiss to David’s lips, then pulling back before David has a chance to enjoy it.  “Are you feeling things tonight?”
David snorts.  “I’m feeling quite a lot.  Seemed like you were, too.”
Patrick starts to hum <i>“Feeling Groovy”</i> and David can tell it’s coming, he can tell before Patrick even gets a whole phrase out, and he slaps a hand over Patrick’s mouth.
“For once could we finish up our lovemaking without a concert?”
Patrick is laughing against David’s hand, and he bites gently at the ball of his thumb.  “Do you really want me to stop?” he asks, his breath warm against David’s skin.
“No,” David confesses, too open to argue even about this, about Patrick’s awful love songs whispered in his ears at highly inappropriate times.  “I don’t want you to stop.  Don’t stop any of it.”
“Deal,” Patrick says, easing David’s hand away from his mouth and wrapping him in his arms.  David settles in, not caring anymore about sticky sheets and sweaty skin.  All of that can wait for tomorrow.  For now, he’s just going to focus on how wonderful it feels to drift off to sleep with the love of his life holding him close.
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