#I didn’t anticipate feeling so welcome and feeling like I found my people

[sassmill]

Folks tonight I think I’m gonna watch witches of Eastwick while I update my CV to express interest in a coordinator position at the museum that I still can’t believe I work at

#I just. i love this place with every inch of my being. #the very first time I set foot on the property I had a feeling of ‘I’m not done here yet’ #and at that point I didn’t even know I’d be applying for a job by the end of the day #I didn’t anticipate feeling so welcome and feeling like I found my people #in a way that I haven’t since I first entered the theatre department in college #and I like #I’m always thinking about how I wish I could do more hours here #and working in admin would do that #plus it would mean spending more time with those very people #who I already learn so much from every day #I just. #I feel like I found where I’m meant to be and it’s a terrifying amount of certainty #that I haven’t felt about anything else #museum musings #what do you do with a ba in theatre

[suga-kookiemonster]

ctrl-alt-del | jjk (teaser)

summary⇢ you graduated bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, but, to your extreme disappointment, your big girl job isn't turning out to be nearly as exciting as you thought it would be. still, you're holding out hope that your talents will soon be recognized and your coworkers will stop trying to include you in their gossip sessions. enter jungkook, the quiet IT guy who's gradually making your days more bearable. (and if you find him easy on the eyes, that's nobody's business but yours.) pairing⇢ jungkook/reader teaser word count⇢ 1.4k genre⇢ smut | humor | office!au warnings⇢ nothing too bad for this teaser! just a mention of oral

a/n⇢this fic has literally been sitting in my wips for YEARS lmao. i feel like it's finally time to set it free 🕊️✨ it's looking like it's gonna lean more towards pwp, but there's definitely still enough plot in there to keep it interesting. not sure when it will be up, but wanted to share a snippet to get your thoughts and get myself excited to finish the last leg--fingers crossed for the next month or so 🤞🏾🙌🏾💜

When you graduated top of your class with a marketing degree and a job already lined up, you weren’t big-headed to assume you would be given a lot in the beginning. No, you knew that you were the new kid on the block and needed to prove yourself first, needed to work your way up from the bottom. But what you definitely didn’t anticipate was working up from thefigurative trenches, almost exclusively doing busywork—constantly making coffee runs, catering business lunches, printing out endless spreadsheets.

Eighty-thousand dollars in debt, and you are a glorified intern.

You’re positively itching to hit the ground running and get your hands dirty, your job isn’t too bad. The people there are all nice and welcoming, the complimentary coffee in the break room is decent enough for your dwindling bank account, and every couple of weeks, the company sponsors an employee barbecue were everyone can fraternize and enjoy free food.

“Apparently it fosters unity and teamwork,” your coworker Joy informs you as you both stand in the food line. “Seokjin—that’s our CEO—is really big on unity and teamwork.”

Joy is also a member of your marketing team. Though as sweet as can be, she has no filter, and thus always has a lot to say about everything—which has helped you when it comes to learning the ropes about the company, but has also had you clutching your imaginary pearls in some situations where you found it inappropriate. Despite only being a year older than you, her title of Marketing Associate (instead of your measly Assistant)means that she technically outranks you, though she doesn’t usually enforce that fact (unless there was something that needed to be copied or filed, of course). Still, she immediately took you under her wing when you first started, and she is the closest person to a friend you have at work (even though her daily coffee order is always so ridiculous, you are convinced that she has to be fucking with you—or at least engaging in some form of mild hazing.).

“I think it’s nice,” you reply. “I’ll never say no to free food, and they let us out early and everything.”

“I mean, pretty sure you can get the hotdogs twelve in a pack at the dollar store,” Joy quips, raising her eyebrows at you pointedly. “But sometimes the boys from Sales take their shirts off and play soccer, so there’s that.”

Your eyes dart to said Sales boys against your will, gaze drawn to Jung Hoseok as he chats animatedly with his teammates by the tables. You’ve only spoken to him once or twice, but his fiery red hair and even brighter smile caught your attention immediately, your heart rate accelerating at the sight of him in hallways mere days into starting your new position. Who better to have a mild work crush on than a sweet-talking salesman who winks at you sometimes in passing?

An appreciative noise has you turning back around, embarrassed at being caught ogling how shapely Hoseok’s butt looks in his dress pants today, but it’s just Wendy from accounting, Joy’s best friend and thus a harmless, familiar face. Wendy has cut in front of a few editors to join you and Joy, and the way that she smiles at you lets you know she’s up to no good. “He’s cute, huh?” she asks, leaning towards you conspiratorially. “I would definitely give him the good ol’ suck behind the dumpsters over there, if you catch my drift.”

“Err…yeah, I do,” you reply awkwardly. She had been explicitly clear—keyword explicit—so there definitely isn’t any room for misunderstandings. Is this truly appropriate work function conversation? From the way the editors behind you are politely clearing their throats, you think not.

“Behind the dumpster?” Joy asks curiously. “He’s standing right next to some sturdy tables that I, for one, would take great advantage of—”

“I’m gonna go get us some drinks,” you announce loudly, your neck heating up. “Can you grab me a hot dog, Joy?”

“Sure,” she says dismissively, already distracted by her sudden debate with Wendy about the most convenient place to suck off salesman Jung.

The whole conversation is making you uncomfortable. You are not a prude—far from it—but there is a time and place for everything, and your coworkers’ blasé attitude towards speaking about inappropriate topics at company functions on company time rattles you a bit. So instead of engaging in the risqué discussion further, you make your way to the cluster of brightly-colored coolers that presumably hold beverages, sidling up to the only other person lingering the area.

“Anything good?” you ask cordially, making your coworker, who had apparently been deep in thought while considering his beverage options, startle a bit.

He’s tall, his large frame covered in the appropriate business casual attire of nice jeans and a powder-blue buttonup. When he turns his head to look at you, you’re met with large, dark eyes blinking in surprise from behind wire-rimmed glasses. Said eyes dart around for a moment before determining that you were, in fact, speaking to him.

The man clears his throat. “Just the usual,” he says, voice soft. Timid.

“The usual?” you repeat. There are little hoops dangling from his earlobes, and you brush off your surprise at seeing them, returning your gaze to the coolers. Water, a clear soda, a cola. “The basics, you mean. Well, can’t really complain, right? Seeing as it’s all free. I think it’s really nice of them.”

Your companion seems surprised at your words. “It is,” he agrees softly, eyes meeting yours for a second before dropping back down to the cooler. “Um, are you...are you new?”

“Damn, I guess my cover’s blown.” You shoot him a wry smile. “Yeah, I just started a couple of weeks ago. What gave it away?”

“It’s just—no one else here really cares about these barbecues anymore,” he admits, looking at you, but not quite. More like, in your direction. “Everyone has forgotten to appreciate the little things.”

“Nothing is a given,” you shrug. “So you need to appreciate things when you can. And besides, those lots of little things can really add up without you realizing it.”

He finally seems to look at you properly, and the weight of his large, gentle brown eyes throws you off for a second. “They can,” he agrees, lips slowly drifting up. 

“What do we have over here?” a loud voice interrupts, a hand falling to your shoulder. You look up, and are met with the brightness of salesman Jung.

“Ah,” Hoseok says with a wink, reaching into the cooler. “I love Sprite.”

“Me too,” you reply automatically, and then immediately want to smack yourself. Because you don’t—carbonated beverages make you break out. But your mouth had formed the lie without your permission.

Embarrassed, you reach into the cooler, grabbing three water bottles. “See you later,” you squeak, avoiding eye contact as you make your escape.

Joy and Wendy are already watching you when you return to where they have procured a table, and when you hand them their waters, Joy raises an eyebrow. “I was wondering how long you were going to talk to that IT guy.”

“Yeah, and why did you leave when Hoseok showed up?” Wendy pouted. “_____, the universe is only going to give you so many opportunities. If you don’t want the ball, then pass it to me! Goddamn.”

“IT guy?” you ask, hoping to slide past that last remark.

“Yeah. His name is Jungkook, I think? Mostly works with the printers, started a couple months ago.” Joy shrugs, obviously disinterested by the topic. She reaches for the ketchup bottle in the center of the table and squirts some on her hot dog. “This is the first time I’ve seen him at a barbecue, though. Honestly, I’m surprised he even came out, because the IT dudes generally keep to themselves. The rarely leave their little tower,” she adds with a dismissive wave.

Wendy scoffs. “Who cares about Jeremy! Hurry up and eat, I’m sure Sales is gonna start their soccer game soon.”

“Soccer game?” you ask.

“The sales department likes to play soccer during these things,” Joy informs you. Her expression brightens. “Hey, maybe Hoseok will take his shirt off again! Let us pray.”

To your coworkers’ disappointment, Hoseok did not take his shirt off. But they certainly had a good time watching him run back and forth across the grass.

#jungkook fic #jungkook x reader #jungkook smut #jungkook scenario #bts fic #mine #fic: ctrl alt del #bby

[sanjiyue]

Ethereal and Brilliance

notes: suggestive, kissing yay!

small blurb about sanji because i love love him so much he is my ultimate baby boy absolutely

haven’t written abt kissing in so long but sanji makes me swooon

_

Sanji loved kissing you like the sun loved the moon.

He loved the way you would melt into him, greedily searching for his lips, loved the way you looked, slightly red and out of breath when he pulled away.

On a ship with so many people, privacy was rare to be found, but welcomed by Sanji with open arms.

All throughout dinner, Sanji had grown antsy.

His gaze lingered on your fingers as you held your cutlery, only to be illuminated by the moonlight flooding in through the windows and the soft flicker of the candles.

His eyes never left the sight of your lips as you drank in the dark liquid, a stardusted hint of blush spreading across your cheeks.

And now that you were alone, he would have you just as he craved so.

Like the sun craved to touch the moon, Sanji endured the dinner, endured the explosive conversations, all for this moment.

With everyone gone, he could finally get his taste.

He pushed you against the counters of the kitchen, his dark eyes filled with flaming desire, peered at you under his long lashes.

The cigarette in his fingers had been long forgotten in your presence.

Reaching down, he brushed your hair back along the nape of your neck slowly, tantalizingly, finally arriving at your lower lip.

Softly, he runs a his thumb over your cold skin, cracking a little smile when your mouth slightly parts open with a silent breath.

He ran a hand through his golden hair, attempting to calm himself down at the mere sight of you as his other hand toyed with your neckline.

His eyes flitted to your lips, enchanted, waiting for you to move with a hushed silence.

You smiled at his way of asking, and tugged him a little closer.

At this, Sanji thought he might actually drown in his want.

He leaned forward, all muscles tense with anticipation, his lips gently pressing against yours.

The feeling of wanting and being wanted, Sanji could never ask for more in this moment.

He pressed deeper into you as he spilled soft words of affection and love in between his breathless kisses, his sighs hitching in his throat as your fingers found their way into his sunkissed hair.

His words hot against your mouth, you grow almost dizzy from the relentless waves of passion he poured with radiance and glow.

Your skin is almost electric as his fingers brush against it, his fingers seeking yours.

“Oh angel,” he moans softly against your lips, “if you keep going, I won’t be able to hold myself back.” His hands weaved in between yours, he broke the kiss, his eyes on yours.

You didn’t respond, just eager to find his lips again with a smile.

You leaned in to continue.

Basking in his warm glow, you found that you could not resist such radiance.

#vinsmoke sanji #one piece #one piece x reader #black leg sanji #one piece sanji #op sanji #sanji x reader #sanji x y/n #sanji x you #sanji

[mysterious-moonstruck-musings]

Closed Position: Week 3 (Cha Cha Part 2)

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

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

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

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

Chapter Word Count: 17.6k

👉 Warnings: Themes dealing with intimate partner violence, past alcohol abuse, and past drug abuse. There will be fluff, tears, spicy language, and smut. This will be a slow burn. Read at your own risk. Dieter Bravo comes with his own warnings.

👉 Chapter Warnings: Dieter being Dieter. Gratuitous use of the "f" word and talk about Dieter’s member. Cat and Plant dad Dieter cuteness. Brief mentions of intimate partner violence (more protective Dieter).

Chapter Quote: “I think I just became the bitch of a seven pound menace.”

Dieter’s POV

This week had been a fucking roller coaster. It started off with a bizarre production meeting with Stacia and Joe. I couldn’t believe they asked Kat and me to be flirty for the cameras, knowing she was engaged to someone else who is part of the cast. It was beyond inappropriate. Honestly, it pissed me off and I wasn’t OK with it. I didn’t like the position it would put her in. 

They hadn’t been wrong about Kat standing out during the group performance. It was obvious to anyone who had eyes and I honestly felt proud of her. After the way Stacia had acted when I requested Kat as my partner, like she wasn’t that great of a dancer, it was almost like a big ‘fuck you’ to her. I loved every second of it and was feeling a little smug as they talked about putting Kat in the spotlight. It took everything in me not to rub it in.

The lunch with Kat that followed was an interesting experience. We really hadn’t got to spend a lot of time talking about things other than dancing up to this point. The lunch was a welcome break to have other conversations. I appreciated that she seemed interested in my hobbies. My plant hobby wasn’t something that I really got to discuss with people, so it was refreshing. I also got to learn about her plans for opening a dance studio after this season ends. I could tell she wasn’t looking forward to giving up competitions, but she seemed legitimately excited about her next steps. I was excited for her, and honestly, I couldn’t wait to see what she came up with. I knew whatever she did would be amazing.

During our first rehearsal for the Cha Cha, I found myself spiraling. Especially when we started putting the dance together. I knew the Latin dances had more of a flirty and sexual feel to them and I tried to mentally prepare myself for that ahead of time. However, I was not prepared for the way Kat was moving her hips, especially when she was doing it with her backside essentially rubbing up against my dick. When I told her I didn’t want to make an ass of myself, I was referring to the fact that it was taking everything in me to keep little bravo from standing at full attention and poking her from behind. I couldn’t focus and I couldn’t relax. It was literal torture. I was obviously going to have to figure out how to deal with that or we were going to have a problem going forward. I’m not even sure how I made it through rehearsals that day. 

I was shocked when a text from Kat popped up on my phone later that evening. I was even more shocked when she said we were going to a Latin dance club. I tried to play it off with jokes, but internally I was falling apart. I spent the evening standing in my closet staring at my clothes. I had no fucking clue what to wear to a Latin dance club. I ended up texting my stylist around 10:30 PM, begging her to tell me what to wear. I was relieved when she said she would have a few things sent over the next day.

I had an appointment with my therapist very early the next morning. The first topic of the day was how things were going with Kat. I lied through my teeth, wanting to change the subject. I was not ready to unpack my feelings for Kat with Dr. Smith. Mostly because I was afraid of what she would have to say about it. I’m not sure Dr. Smith believed a word I said. She gave me a skeptical look when I changed the subject, but let me continue without coming back to that topic. I did notice her jotting down some notes though. I had a feeling it was going to come back to bite me later. I knew my feelings were wrong and that I shouldn’t be having them, but I couldn’t help it. I felt like it was out of my control at this point. I had tried so fucking hard to ignore it and I was still trying but failing. Some of it was physical, obviously, but the more time I spent with Kat the more I was drawn to her personality. I had never felt anything like this before and could not even begin to understand what it meant. I just wanted to pack it away and worry about it later. 

I had a photo shoot with some fancy men’s fashion magazine after that. Honestly, I wasn’t even sure which one. It was the last thing I wanted to be doing, but I needed any job I could get. I still had to prove that I had my shit together and could show up and work without issue. It was also part of rehabilitating my image. The new and improved stylish Dieter Bravo. People in Hollywood talked, so it was important that I was present mentally and physically for this. I did my best to smile and be engaged with everyone, but it all felt forced. However, everyone seemed happy with the final product, so I took that as a win. At least it kept my mind distracted from what Kat and I were doing later. 

When I got home, I found that my stylist had dropped off several items of clothing for our outing. I went with what looked the most comfortable. Luckily it was mostly light fabrics, so I wouldn’t burn up. I really only needed to change clothes since I had already showered, and my hair was styled from the shoot. That left me with an hour to do absolutely nothing except get myself worked up into a frenzy. The minutes were dragging on agonizingly slow, and my mind was already going to places that it shouldn’t be. I wondered what Kat would be wearing and if she was going to be moving the way she had been during rehearsals the day before. The thought of her rubbing up against me again was already making me hard. 

I paced around my bedroom, begging my dick to calm the fuck down. Nothing was working. The only resolution I could come up with was to take care of it. I had been avoiding doing this because every time, my thoughts would wander to Kat. I didn’t want to think about her that way, worried that it would open up a door that I was frantically trying to hold closed.

I huffed out a quiet “fuck it” under my breath before quickly undressing and grabbing a t-shirt off the floor that I had slept in and crawled onto the bed. I found a bottle of lube in the nightstand drawer and went for it. I didn’t even try to keep the thoughts of Kat away this time - the way she would bite her lip and look at me through her lashes, the way it felt when she touched me while we were dancing, the way her hips moved. I imagined how she would look moving her hips like that on top of me and how fucking amazing she would feel wrapped around me. That was all it took to send me over the edge. I felt like a fucking teenager who was unable to control his load with how fast I came into my dirty t-shirt over the mental image of her writhing on top of me.  

I laid there with my eyes closed for a few minutes, trying to come down from the high I was still riding, but the images and thoughts kept coming. I couldn’t stop them now. I wondered how she was when it came to sex. Would she prefer it to be slow and sensual or did she have a wild side? Something told me it was a little bit of both, and I was one hundred fucking percent on board with that. Within minutes, I was hard again. Jesus fucking Christ what is wrong with me? It had to be a new record because it never happened that quickly. Was it because I had been denying myself? Or was it because of Kat? Maybe both? 

I looked at the clock, realizing I had to leave in 30 minutes. I sighed loudly, aware that this little problem wasn’t going away on its own. It was already almost painful. So, I went for round two and hoped that it got whatever the fuck this was out of my system. 

Twenty minutes later I was a sweaty mess, standing in front of a fan trying to cool off after having one of the most intense orgasms I can recall having from masturbating. Then again, I had probably been too high in the past to remember the majority of them, so that didn’t say much. Once my heart rate calmed down, I moved to the bathroom and grabbed a towel to dry myself off some. I didn’t have time for a shower, so I threw on some more deodorant and cologne and hoped for the best. At least my hair still looked decent. 

I somehow made it to the dance studio a few minutes early. I sat in the car waiting for Kat. I leaned my head back against the seat and closed my eyes, feeling strangely calm and focused. I hoped I could maintain this mood for the rest of the evening - the rest of the week even. I just needed time to desensitize myself to the intimacy and close proximity that we were being forced into this week. Once I did that, I would be able to handle anything. I had to. 

I was startled from my thoughts by Kat opening the passenger side door. She laughed loudly over my reaction and it was the most beautiful sound. I could listen to her laugh all day. Then I took in what she was wearing, a simple knee length black dress that hugged her curves in all the right places. It was the sexiest thing I had ever seen, and she wasn’t even showing that much skin. 

I appreciated that she thought to warn me about the bar during the drive to the club. Most people wouldn’t have considered that. I figured there would be alcohol and other substances floating around, but oddly enough, those things were not even on my radar. I wasn’t lying to her when I said it was a non-issue because I would be distracted. I just fibbed about what my distraction would be. My thoughts were only of her, and I knew they would be for the rest of the night. 

The club was as expected, the same as any other. Kat wasted no time pulling me onto the dance floor. I was hesitant at first, worried about the possible involuntary reactions my dick might decide to have. Any hesitation I had dissipated when Kat grabbed my face and forced me to focus on her. There was something familiar about the way she was looking at me that I couldn’t place as she urged me to become one with her and the music - to relax and trust her. It drew me in, igniting that connection that we shared. The connection that I had been fighting so hard this week. After that, I was surprised to find that my worries ended up being a non-issue. I had to laugh to myself, realizing the only thing I had been needing to do was beat little Bravo into submission, for tonight at least.

The longer we danced, the more at ease I became. It felt like we were just two friends having a good time together. It seemed a little flirty, but that was the general atmosphere, and it came with this type of dancing. I knew that and tried not to dwell on it much. When Kat broke away and suggested a water break, I noticed she had an odd look on her face. I wanted to ask if something was wrong, but decided not to, figuring she was probably just tired. She had been going all day after all. She offered to go grab us some bottles of water. She didn’t have to say it, but I knew she was making an effort to keep me away from the bar, which I appreciated. The last thing I needed was to be photographed near one.

I was surprised when a few fans approached and asked for pictures while I waited for Kat to return. In the past, I had been kind of an asshole to fans, and I knew it. So, I tried to make it a good experience for them. They seemed just excited to see Kat when she joined us. They had actually been fun to talk to and it ended up being a humbling reminder that they were the reason I had the life that I did. It made me appreciate my choice to get sober even more.  

Once Kat and I got back on the dance floor, I could feel something shifting between us. She had that familiar look on her face again and it was stirring something inside of me. After a few songs, it finally hit me. It was the same look she had in the video I had watched of her and Alec dancing. She never had it with any of her other partners from what I had seen. 

This realization sent my mind spiraling. Now that I had picked up on it, I couldn’t stop looking at her eyes. There was fire blazing in them as she looked back at me, but there was something else there too. Conflict? Confusion? The intensity of it only seemed to increase the longer we went on. I could feel the air crackling between us so strongly that it was making me dizzy. I was almost afraid to think about it, but my gut told me that she was feeling something for me too. 

When I playfully dipped her backward, I couldn’t help admiring her neck as her hair slid off it. For the first time, I dared to wonder what it would be like to kiss her there. As I pulled her upward, our eyes locked. I knew I should look away, but I couldn’t. She rested her forehead against mine as her hand gently caressed my cheek. I could feel her hot breath blowing over my lips as we lingered there. I really thought she was going to kiss me, until she suddenly turned to walk away. I didn’t want to let go, allowing my hands to trail down her body as she moved toward the edge of the dance floor. What the fuck just happened? 

And just like that, the spell was broken. When she turned back toward me, she was smiling, but her eyes were guarded, and the fire was nearly extinguished. It wasn’t completely gone though, I could still see it simmering under whatever composure she thought she had gained. I gave her a big smile, relishing my new discovery. 

I wasn’t surprised when she suggested we leave after that. The atmosphere of this place was chipping away at the thin wall that both of us had put up. If we stayed, that wall was going to crumble, fast. 

I didn’t hesitate to take her hand as she led us out of the club. I was having sort of a “fuck it” moment and throwing caution to the wind when it came to touching her. I wasn’t even sure if I could stop myself at this point. We took a minute to take some selfies with fans on our way out. I kept at least one hand on her throughout that. The whole ride back to the studio I did manage to restrain myself since I had no reason to touch her while I was driving. I wanted more than anything to take her hand or rest mine on her thigh. I was dumbfounded by this sudden urge. It wasn’t one that I had before. I usually shied away from any type of physical touch unless I was having sex with someone. Even then, it wasn’t affectionate. It was for pleasure. Affection just wasn’t something I had had a lot of in my life and it wasn’t something I ever wanted. Until now. 

When we got back to the studio and found Alec waiting outside, my stomach dropped. I had a really bad feeling about leaving Kat alone with him because he looked angry and a little inebriated. When she told me to go inside, I hesitated, but felt like I couldn’t just stand there. So, I went inside and got changed, realizing that I had left my sneakers in the car when I didn’t find them in my gym bag. At least I had a good excuse to go outside and make sure she was OK. 

As I walked out the front entrance, my eyes immediately sought Kat out. My gaze found her just as Alec shoved her against the wall, causing her head to smack against the brick. I didn’t hesitate to go to her and shove him out of the way. I had never wanted to cause harm to someone so much in my life. It was taking everything in me not to crush his fucking face in with my bare hands, but Kat came first, and I needed to make sure she was unharmed. I’m sure my attentiveness to her only pissed Alec off further, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t going to bow down to his ego anymore. 

I decided to try and diffuse the situation, for Kat’s sake, but that didn’t go as planned. I couldn’t say I was really surprised that Alec tried to hit me. I saw the look in his eyes and the way his hand balled up before he threw the punch. I was surprised by my reaction to it though. I’m pretty sure I closed my eyes as I flinched away from his fist, but somehow still managed to hit him pretty damn hard right in the nose. Hard enough that my hand was burning afterward. The satisfaction that I got from seeing his busted up face was well worth it. 

When Alec called out for Kat to leave with him, I could feel every muscle in my body tense. There was no way I was letting her go. I couldn’t. I would hit him again before I let that happen. I was relieved when he didn’t try to fight it and left without further issue. As soon as he was safely out of our vicinity, I pulled Kat into a tight hug. I needed to check her over again - make sure she was really OK. Of course, she brushed away my concern in place of her own as she looked over my hand. 

I realized she needed something else to focus on so that she didn’t fall apart. So, I let her take care of me. It didn’t stop me from looking her over again as she dug through the first aid kit. I could see her hands trembling as she rummaged around for supplies. Physically she seemed fine, but I knew her emotions were all over the place. I could tell she was in a fragile state, and it was breaking my heart. For the first time I noticed that this sweet and beautiful person was so fucking broken on the inside. She had done well to hide it, but the cracks were there, and I was finally seeing them. I wanted nothing more than to make her feel better and keep her safe. I wanted her to be mine and I wanted to take care of her the way she deserved. 

I knew it was a bad idea to put my feelings out into the world right now, so I didn’t. I did, however, want her to know that I was here for her and that I was willing to help in any way she needed. It was all I could offer, but it seemed to be enough. For now. Even though I didn’t tell her how I felt about her, I did share what I thought about Alec. I could only hope she would consider my words and make the right choice for her own well being. I had already decided that I would be there for her through it, no matter what, I just hoped she would let me.

I spent all night tossing and turning, worried about whether Kat was safe. She had texted that she got home safely and was locked in, but that didn’t do anything to relieve my anxiety. I was up before my alarm went off the next morning, in a rush to get to the studio just so I could lay eyes on her. Then I realized me getting there sooner didn’t mean she would get there sooner. I grabbed my phone, found her name in my contacts, and typed out a quick text. 

Me: Want me to pick you up some breakfast with your coffee? Muffin? Cheese Danish? Kit Kat? 😏 (smirk emoji). 

It was my sneaky ass way of making sure she was OK without asking. 

Kat: Again, I will never turn down food. Surprise me. No Kit Kats though. I’m banning them from the studio. 

I chuckled. It seemed like she was back to her normal snarky self. 

Me: ☹️☹️☹️ (three frowny face emojis)

Kat: OK. Fine. Just don’t let me SEE you eating them. 

Kat: And Dieter…

Me: Yeah?

Kat: I’m OK. You could have just asked. Thank you though. 💜 (heart emoji)

Well, damn. She was onto me. Not that I minded. I kind of loved that she knew me well enough to know what I was up to. 

Me: I didn’t want to be annoying about it. I’m happy you’re OK though. I was worried. Maybe I’ll actually get some sleep tonight…I’ll see you soon.  

I hesitated before I hit send on that reply, but I wanted her to know how concerned I was and that I actually cared. At this point, I felt like I was mentally getting out a hammer and chisel, chipping away tiny pieces of wall between us. I wasn’t going to be able to keep all this in forever. Hell, before it’s over, I may end up busting through, Kool-Aid man style. 

Once I gathered everything I needed for the day, I headed to the coffee shop, getting there in record time. I got Kat’s usual coffee order and added a blueberry scone. I was antsy, wanting to get the studio as soon as possible. I still needed to see her, to be sure. I knew the tightness in my chest wasn’t going to go away until I did. 

I arrived at the studio twenty minutes early. I was surprised when I spotted Kat’s car in its usual spot. The space beside it was open, so I pulled in. Knowing it would be easier for me to keep an eye on things as we left later. My arms were full causing me to struggle to get inside the main entrance, but I managed without dropping anything. Kat laughed at my exasperated face once she noticed me trying to open the heavy studio doors. She ran over to help, giving me a warm smile as she took the drinks and food from my hands. 

Kat sat everything down on a few chairs at the back of the room. I followed behind, eyeing her. I was relieved to see that she did seem to be OK, that was until she reached up to tie her hair back. After she finished, the wide neck of her top slid off of her shoulder, revealing bruises. I could feel my jaw tightening as I reached out to touch them. 

Kat’s brow furrowed at my expression before looking down to where my fingertips softly grazed her discolored skin. She sighed, taking my hand in hers as she peered up at me, “I told you, I’m fine. I didn’t even notice it.” 

I shook my head, feeling the rage simmering, then pulled her into a tight hug. “Please tell me you’re done with him,” I said into the top of her hair. 

She hugged me around the waist, burying her face in my chest for a moment before she pulled back, inhaling a deep breath, “I had a ton of messages and missed calls from him when I got home last night. All full of apologies…he knows he fucked up.” 

I tensed, not liking how this sounded.

“I texted him back…not ending things, but I did ask for space. I have a lot to think about and I can’t do that with him talking at me.” 

I was hopeful that she would see what an asshole he was. She had to. She couldn’t continue like this.

“How are you feeling about things this morning?” I asked.

She gave me an apprehensive look.

“You know what, it’s not my business. I shouldn’t be asking.” I said before she could respond, suddenly feeling like I was prying. I didn’t want to do that. I moved to turn away from her, but then I felt her hand on my arm, “No, really…it’s OK. I don’t have anyone to talk to about it. Nobody knows about that side of him.”

She sighed, sat down, then ran her hands down her face. “Honestly, I’m just kind of numb. I really don’t feel anything. I should at least be angry, right? Is that bad?”

I sat down beside her. She reached for my injured hand and started rubbing her fingers over the knuckles with a lost look in her eyes. I watched her for a moment before I responded. 

“Honestly, I think maybe you feel that way because you're avoiding dealing with it. Compartmentalizing it maybe? But I get the feeling it’s reaching a point where you can’t do that anymore.”

She pursed her lips and nodded. “I think maybe you might be right.” 

Her eyes met mine with a sad smile on her lips, “The film crew will be here soon. I should try to cover this up. I don’t wanna give them gossip on a silver platter.” 

She turned and reached for her gym bag, pulling out a smaller pouch full of makeup. I watched as she dabbed green, yellow, and purple color correctors on my knuckles then covered it with concealer, finishing with a setting spray. The discoloration and bruising were hardly noticeable now. 

“Hopefully that will last long enough to get us through filming today. I’ll try to be careful and not rub it off while we’re dancing,” she said. Now turning her attention to the noticeable bruise on her shoulder. She started working to cover that as well, but struggled, not really able to see what she was doing. I reached out my hand, “Here, let me do that for you.” She sighed, but relented and handed me the color corrector palette she was holding. 

I could feel her eyes on my face as I worked. My cheeks heated under her gaze as my heart pounded away in my chest. The static was crackling between us again, causing a few more chips to fall away from the wall between us. The moment felt incredibly intimate, and it only made me crave more. Once I was finished, she quietly thanked me and packed everything away out of sight. 

We sat enjoying our coffee and breakfast as the camera crew started filing in with their equipment. A couple of the crew members got us mic'd up and started the interview right away while everything else was set up.  Of course, they had questions about the sightings of us at the Latin club. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was. Luckily, Kat handled those questions perfectly. I know I would have stumbled my way through them in a way that probably would have raised some eyebrows. 

Overall, we were more relaxed during filming this week - actually laughing and having fun as we rehearsed. We had a moment where Kat accidentally kicked me in the shin while transitioning to a lift. I turned on the dramatics for it, whining and rubbing at the spot as if it had hurt badly. It really hadn’t, but I did enjoy getting her worked up over it. Once she realized I was messing with her, she lightly smacked my shoulder and called me a jerk before breaking into laughter. The crew got a good chuckle out of it, quickly catching onto my antics before Kat did. We pretty much had the routine down by the end of the day, which put us a little ahead of schedule. That took a lot of stress off us for the week, which I think helped with the playfulness between us. 

The day was over before we knew it.  Kat seemed to be in better spirits as she got into her car, smiling at me over the roof of it as she waved. Once she was safely on her way, I pulled out of the parking lot to head to the pet store…again. I had gone through several different brands of cat food over the last week. The Little Dude wasn’t having any of it. He only wanted Tuna. I found myself in the cat food aisle, staring at a wall of packages. They all looked the same to me. I sighed, feeling overwhelmed by the options and not knowing anything about cats. I finally settled on some meaty looking wet food and hoped for the best. 

As soon as I got home, I found Little Dude waiting outside the sliding glass door in the kitchen. He was on a schedule now and wasn’t going to let me forget about it. I opened the door, allowing him to come sashaying into the kitchen to sit next to the island. Waiting and watching as I scooped some of the new canned food out onto a plate and presented it to him. He stood and tentatively sniffed the chunks, then took a few nibbles but decided against it. He sat back down and looked up at me, whipping his tail around. 

“Still a no, huh?” I said to him. He meowed loudly back at me. I sighed heavily, “You know, considering you were on the streets not long ago, you’ve gotten awfully picky. I feel taken advantage of here…” 

He meowed again. I rolled my eyes as I moved toward the pantry for another pouch of tuna. I tried mixing some of the juice in with the food and gave it back to him. He still wouldn’t touch it. So, I added a few chunks of tuna as a topping. He ate the tuna and left the rest of it, before plopping himself down on his haunches and staring at me for more.

I chuckled to myself, “I think I just became the bitch of a seven pound menace. Fine, Dude. You win. Here’s your damn tuna. We need to get this figured out though. I’m sure you're not getting all your nutrients from that.”

He meowed up at me happily as I added more tuna to the plate. Once he had his fill, he walked over and jumped up on the couch making himself at home. I scoffed, “Dude, come on. You smell like something out of Pet Semetary.” He had the audacity to start wallowing around on his back. I rolled my eyes as I made my way to the linen closet, pulling out a spare blanket. After moving back to the couch, I opened up the blanket and fluffed it out next to him. He wasted no time settling in, purring and making biscuits with his paws. I gave him some scratches behind the ears as he dozed off. It was clear to me now, this cat was obviously trying to move in. With a heavy sigh, I realized that I needed to get some cat stuff for the house if this was going to be a thing, but I wasn’t even sure where to start with that. It was just another thing to worry about, but I sort of didn’t mind. He was definitely growing on me, making the house feel less empty and me less alone.  

Friday rehearsals went by in a blur. I arrived a few minutes early, finding Kat in the studio, ready to go. She seemed in good spirits as we joked through our morning coffee. Her twinkling laugh continued as we went through our stretch routine. I moaned and groaned through the torture while she bent my body to its limits, and I loved every fucking minute of it. I noticed that our new found comfort with each other had her leaning into me more. Her touches were more casual and relaxed. I couldn’t get enough of the feeling of her warmth against me or the brilliant smile on her face as she laughed at my ridiculousness. The hint of sadness that I noticed hidden in her eyes the last couple of days was nowhere in sight. 

Once we moved into the routine, the air between us felt like it was crackling again. Heated glances and small smiles passed between us as we made it through the entirety of the dance several times without error. We were so in tune with each other now, dancing in silence as one. Moving effortlessly through the steps without any thought or hesitation from either of us. The world fell away at that moment. We could have been in the midst of a war zone, and I wouldn’t have noticed. All I saw was her. There was no question about it now, I definitely had feelings for her that were more than just physical attraction. I couldn’t keep denying it to myself. 

Of course, Alec was technically still in the picture. Kat made a point to say that she hadn’t ended things with him. She had only asked for space. I was still determined not to put her in any type of compromising position. I had too much respect for her to do that, my own feelings be damned. I really needed to watch myself. 

After a few hours, we finally took a break. I lay sprawled out on the floor, staring up at her as she drank from her water bottle. I could see the sweat running down her neck, disappearing in the hidden space between her breasts. I had to force my eyes upward to her face before little Bravo decided to wake up against my wishes. 

When she finished, she turned to me, catching me staring. I didn’t even bother to look away. She gave me a shy smile as she sat down on the floor next to me. 

“So, what are you up to this evening? More plant daddy responsibilities?”

I snorted, “Plant daddy? That’s one I haven’t heard before.” 

Kat snickered before taking another sip of water. 

“No, actually I need to go to the pet store…hey, do you know anything about cats?”

Her brow furrowed, “Is this some kind of weird joke that I’m about to walk into?”

I chuckled, “No, I’m serious. I’m talking about the feline kind. I’ve had this stray show up at my house and he won’t fucking leave. Somehow that’s turned into him becoming a roommate. I’m having issues finding food he’ll eat though. I also don’t know what sort of cat stuff I need if I bring him inside like he seems to want to do.” 

She chuckled, a mischievous glint in her eye as she said, “So, you’re a cat daddy now, too?”

I shrugged with a smirk, “Yeah, I guess I’m trying to be.” 

She had a look on her face that I couldn’t decipher before breaking into a smile. 

“Yeah, I had cats growing up. They can be finicky and dramatic when it comes to food.”

I nodded, “Yeah, I’ve picked up on that...What should I do? Can you give me a list of stuff I need to get? I’ve never had a pet, so I have no idea where to start.” 

Her face softened, “You’re going to the pet store after you leave here?”

I nodded, curious what her tone meant. She paused before answering, seeming somewhat hesitant at first, “I could go with you if you want?”

I felt one side of my lips tug upward, “That would be amazing, actually.” 

Kat was true to her word. Once we finished rehearsal, she followed me to the pet store. Parking in the space next to mine and smiling as she exited her car. As she walked toward me, I realized it made me feel strangely giddy to be doing something like this with her. 

She hooked her arm with mine as we walked toward the entrance. I could feel warmth spreading in my chest at her casual touches. I had to fight the smile tugging at my lips.

“So, what is your fur child actually eating?” She asked. 

I grimaced, “Well, up until like a week or so ago, I assume whatever he could catch and kill. Honestly, he smells like something out of that Pet Semetary movie…which reminds me…have you ever given a cat a bath?” 

It was her turn to grimace, “Are you insane? Cats usually don’t like water. There are professionals that will do that for you, ya know?” 

I shook my head, “This kid is not used to people. I fear he wouldn’t be able to handle a grooming salon. At least not yet…”

She sighed, giving me a serious wide-eyed stare, “Fine, I’ll help you give the cat a bath…but if I die…I’m haunting your ass.” 

I belly laughed at her response as we entered the store, which seemed to draw some eyes toward us. I dropped my head and moved toward the first aisle as Kat got a shopping cart. 

“A cart, huh? How much of my money are you about to spend?”  

She chuckled, “Hey, I’m just making recommendations. You do what you will with them.” 

She pointed things out as we moved down the aisles, some of it just for fun, some of it was needed. I ended up splurging on a couple of robotic litter boxes and cat cave beds, bathing supplies, toys, a ridiculously massive cat tree, and a collar all before getting to the food. She was relentless with her teasing about my need to buy the most expensive thing on the shelf. I loved it when she teased me like this. It caused her eyes to light up in a way that made my heart race.

Once we got to the food aisle, she again asked what the cat was currently eating. 

“The only thing I’ve been successful with so far is Tuna. I’ve gotten several different kinds of cat food, and he just turns his nose up to them.” 

She stood staring down the aisle with too many options, scrunching up her nose before speaking again. “OK, so he likes fishy stuff. Have you tried dry food or wet food?”

She is too fucking adorable when she makes that face. My brows arched at her, “Both.” 

Her lips set into a line, “Did you try salmon flavored?”

I scoffed, “I’m pretty sure I tried every flavor they have. They were all a no.” 

Her brow furrowed as she looked up and down the aisle, thinking. Her eyes finally settled on a freezer at the far end, “Maybe he would prefer something a little fresher since he’s a hunter?”

My eyes widened, “I hope you don’t mean like…live rats or something. I’m not doing that.” 

She snorted, “Noooo. Ugh, no. I would never suggest that. I meant raw food.”

My eyes widened, “Ohhh. I hadn’t thought of that. Maybe…I’m willing to give it a try.” 

We made our way down to the freezer and she picked out a raw salmon food. It was small scoopable frozen nuggets full of organic ingredients. It honestly sounded better than the other stuff I had bought. At least I could pronounce everything on the label. I felt confident this might do the trick. It figures I would end up with a cat that had a taste for the fancy stuff. 

As we walked down the last couple of aisles, I circled back to the bath conversation, “Sooo, were you serious about helping give the Little Dude a bath?”

She nodded with a smirk, “Yes, I meant every word I said.” 

I chuckled, “You wanna come over tomorrow evening for that? I can get everything set up for him tonight. I’ll let him formally move in after he’s bathed.”

She made an annoyed face, “Tomorrow is spray tan day.”

I puffed air out through my cheeks. “I could get some of those long dish washing gloves, then we won’t get wet…and maybe protect us from being clawed to death too.”  

She snorted, “That sounds like a plan.” 

“I’ll make dinner. I have a feeling I’ll owe you by the time this is over...” 

One of her brows ticked upward, “I know I said I would never say no to food, but…you’re gonna cook?”

I placed my hand on my chest, feigning offense. “Excuse me? I happen to be a very good cook. It’s another new hobby I’ve picked up since rehab. My stuff is better than any five star restaurant.” 

The sound of her twinkling laugh filled my ears. “Riiiight. I’ll believe it when I see it,” she said between laughs. 

I rolled my eyes and gave her a playful smile, “Fine. Be prepared to stick your foot in your mouth.” 

Kat chuckled as we approached the checkout counter. We were surprised when the young lady behind the counter nervously asked if she could take a picture with us. We of course agreed and snapped a quick group selfie with the girl. We made small talk with her as she rang up my items. I explained how I had a new visitor show up and Kat was kind enough to show me what all I needed to buy, suddenly worried the girl might get the wrong idea about why we were there together. I had a feeling this would show up on social media at some point.

Kat helped me load everything into the back of my car before giving me a small smile and asking to let her know how the new food goes over with the Little Dude. I thanked her again with a cheesy grin before we both got into our vehicles and headed to our respective homes. 

It was a little after 9PM and I was deep into cat tree assembly when I received a text from Kat asking how dinner went. I pursed my lips as my fingers hovered over the keypad. Instead of typing out a message, I hit the video call button. I almost thought she was going to send me to voicemail, but she finally answered, her eyes wide as they jumped around the screen. It looked like she was lying in bed in a dimly lit room. Her hair fell around her face in damp waves, like maybe she had just showered. She looked beautiful. It took me a few seconds too long to find my voice.

“Hey, sorry, are you in bed?” I finally managed to sputter out. 

She smiled, “I’m in bed, but not sleeping. Just watching trashy TV and doom scrolling. How did the new food go?” 

I smiled at the screen, “Amazing. He devoured it…didn’t even hesitate.” 

She smiled back at me, “Good. Happy to hear it. What is he up to now?” 

I huffed out a laugh, “Laying at the end of the sectional, silently judging me over my struggles to put this damn cat tree together. I swear you have to be a fucking engineer to figure it out.”

I turned on the front camera of my phone to show her the cat, stretched out on his stinky blanket at the end of the couch as he gave me that judgy stare. She laughed loudly. 

“Oooh he’s pretty! He does look very judgy right now though.”

I switched the camera back to me, “This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen. Why are there so many parts?”

“Hey, you’re the one that had to get the biggest one they had in the store. Deal with the consequences. I told you that you should’ve just asked for the floor model that was already put together.” 

“Ummm, no. I wasn’t about to buy something that’s had a million grubby little hands on it and who knows what else. Dude only gets the best…brand new out of the box.” 

She rolled her eyes at me, “Did you try looking at the instructions? I know that’s hard for guys to do.” 

I scoffed and rattled the paper in front of the camera, “Umm…excuse me? I have been looking at the instructions and they’re garbage. Do you SEE this? It’s literally really bad drawings with no words. I can’t tell the pieces apart. It’s bullshit.”

She let out a loud laugh at my dramatics, covering her mouth with her hand to try and hold it back. I loved seeing her like this. A small part of me wondered what it would be like to lay in bed with her, laughing at trashy TV shows while we were wrapped up in each other under the covers. I shook my head slightly to clear that thought. 

“Is this your way of asking me to help you, without actually asking…out of fear of further judgment?”

I furrowed my brows and snorted, “I’m not afraid to ask. Judge me, I don’t care. I have no shame…but if you’re offering…” 

“Send me a picture of the instructions. I’ll hold your hand through it.” 

I rolled my eyes, “Oh yeah, thanks. You had to go and say it like that.” 

I did send her the instructions and we spent the next hour and a half on facetime putting the cat tree together. She had my full attention every time she would pull up the drawings to look at them. Her face would scrunch up in the most adorable way as she tried to figure out the next steps. The only thing that could have made the day more perfect is if she had been here with me in person. 

Once the tree was put together, we said goodnight. I noticed Kat lingered on the call for a moment before finally ending it. It caused my stomach to flip. I wished I knew what she was thinking. Is she feeling this too? Or am I just being delusional? 

After getting Dude settled in the garage for the evening, I finally crawled into bed. I laid there thinking about what I should cook for dinner. I didn’t want to do anything too over the top, but I did want to impress her. Then I moved on to picturing her in my house, in my space. Us in my space together. It was almost overwhelming. Realizing how badly I wanted that almost scared me. 

Sunday rehearsals flew by. We did the last of our fine tuning to the routine, running through it several times with the music track. We nailed it each time. The flirty aspect of the dance seemed to come to us easily now. There was no longer any lingering awkwardness between us. We were both comfortable and trusting of each other and having fun. 

We ended up leaving rehearsals a little early to get over to Television City Studios for the cast spray tanning session. We were hoping to get finished quicker by getting there before everyone else. I also felt like Kat was trying to avoid Alec too, which gave me a surge of excitement. It gave me hope that she was possibly thinking about ending things with him for good. 

After heading to our respective dressing rooms to get changed into our robes, we found each other again outside the large room used for the spray tan setup. To our surprise they were able to get us in quickly. Kat went in first, then they called me in several minutes later. After I was finished, I wandered back to my dressing room and changed into my gym shorts. I took a minute to dig around in my duffel bag for a t-shirt that I didn’t care for in case the spray tan rubbed off on it. There was no sense in ruining all of my shirts for this shit. 

There was a quiet knock on the door, I moved to unlock and open it, assuming it was Kat. She stood there, eyes racking over me with a smirk on her face. I gave her a quick smile as I turned my attention back to my bag, “I’m almost ready…just trying to find a shirt that I don’t care to mess up.”

She came in and leaned against the countertop of the vanity, “No problem, take your time.” She sounded amused. I glanced up at her, she had her arms crossed over her chest as she watched me with one brow raised. “Is something funny?” I asked. 

“Every time I come in here, you're half naked.” 

I found the shirt I was looking for and pulled it out, standing to my full height to face her, “If that’s the case, why do you keep coming in here then?”

Her face reddened, “Touché. You got me there.” 

I laughed, “Yeah, see how that works? I mean…it’s a dressing room. There’s bound to be various stages of undress happening. Don’t act so shocked. At least I have pants on this time.” 

She rolled her eyes before looking away. I moved to put my shirt on, purposely taking my time to pull it down over my head. Just as I yanked it down over my face, I caught her eyes shifting away from me. She was definitely checking me out. I could see it in the flush of her cheeks. Well, that's interesting. Maybe she was feeling the spark between us just as much as I am. It doesn’t matter, Bravo. She’s technically still taken. 

I turned to pile all of my junk back into my bag, pretending I hadn’t noticed her staring. She finally broke the silence, “So, what are you making me for dinner? I need to start preparing myself now if I’m to survive it.” 

I scoffed, “Come on. Give me some credit. You should know by now that I excel in all my extracurricular activities.”

Her eyes widened briefly, a small smirk playing on her lips, “I won’t believe it until I have firsthand experience as proof.”

Are we still talking about cooking? I felt like this conversation had a double meaning. I gave her a cocky grin, “Then prepare yourself for the most…pleasurable…food experience of your life.” 

She snorted out a laugh as she moved toward the door, “Right. We’ll see.” I grabbed my bag and followed behind her. Within minutes, I was in my car, driving toward my house with Kat following behind me. I tried not to think of what the evening held, but I knew I needed to behave myself. I had to keep reminding myself that I couldn’t cross any lines with her, no matter how badly I now realized I wanted to. 

A short time later, I was keying into my front door with Kat standing close behind me, taking in her surroundings. I was suddenly nervous for her to see my home. It made me feel naked in a different kind of way that I wasn’t prepared for. She would be seeing pieces of me that no one outside of my very small inner circle had. I would be opening myself up to her in a very raw and unfiltered way and I worried she wouldn’t like what she found.  

We were both quiet as she entered the living room. There was a small smile playing on her lips as she slowly walked around the space, running her hands over things as she went. Stopping to look at books and little knick-knacks I had sitting around from my travels. My stomach quickly rose to my throat when she focused on the paintings hanging on the walls. There were several duotone abstract pieces I had painted throughout my early days of recovery - visual representations of where I was emotionally at the time I painted them. I had hung them to remind myself of my progress. She spent a lot more time looking at these than anything else, raising her hand to touch the one closest to her.

“These are amazing,” she said quietly, almost to herself.

I could hear my heart pounding in my ears as I watched her fingers drop down to the rounded DB initials in the bottom right corner. Her eyes suddenly widening as realization set in. She turned to me, her face now lit up in a way I had never seen. Her eyes were sparkling with wonder as she peered up at me. “Dieter…d-did you paint these?”

I nodded shyly. I couldn’t speak, afraid that my emotions would reveal themselves to her. It meant more to me than I expected that she liked them. Now realizing that her opinion was the only one that ever really mattered to me. 

She smiled, “Well…I guess you do seem to excel in your extracurriculars. I can’t wait to see what else you have up your sleeve.” 

I smirked at her, swiping my thumb across my lip before speaking. “Hmm, well…I’ll have your mouth watering within the hour. You wanna help me get started?”

One of her brows twitched upward, “I’d be happy to.” 

I led her to the kitchen and began pulling ingredients out of the refrigerator and pantry. She stood nearby, taking everything in. 

“I’m actually a little jealous of your kitchen. This is nice and so are all your gadgets.” 

I chuckled, “I do spend a lot of time in here. A fancy kitchen was one of my requirements when I moved.” 

She nodded, then pointed at the speaker on the counter. “Do you usually play music while you cook?” 

“Yeah, you wanna turn something on?”

“Sure, it’s almost too quiet in here. I like a little background noise.” 

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and opened up the music streaming app - hitting play on whatever playlist was already queued up. A soulful blues song started emitting from the speaker. Kat smiled and nodded in approval. I went back to pulling out the rest of the ingredients, piling everything that needed chopping near the cutting board on the island then grabbed two knives from the drawer. 

“Can you handle chopping the veggies? It’ll make this go a lot faster.” 

She nodded, then took one of the knives and got to work chopping the mushrooms that I sat in front of her. We worked side-by-side in silence for a few minutes. My mind wandered to thoughts of how domesticated this felt. I liked it…too much. 

My attention was suddenly drawn back to Kat as her hips started moving to the rhythm of the music. Fuck, that’s distracting. I placed my hand on the small of her back, causing her to pause and look up at me, “You’re gonna chop a finger off moving around like that.” 

The side of her lip tugged upward as she peered at me through her lashes, “Don’t worry…I’m a pro at my extracurriculars too. I can do a lotta things with my hands while my hips are moving.” 

I sucked in a sharp breath at her words, my mind started running through all the possibilities behind them and none of it was wholesome. I finally managed to choke out a laugh, before going back to chopping the celery I had started on. Kat continued moving to the music beside me, humming along with the chorus. Fucking hell, I’m gonna chop my own finger off if I don’t watch it. The next song started playing. I was too distracted by Kat’s rolling hips and my thoughts that I didn’t realize what it was until the chorus hit. 

Fuck me like you mean it / Make me believe it / Walk the wire, it's alright / Love me like you need it / 'Cause I can feel it / Take it higher, show me why

The knife in my hand clattered down onto the cutting board, I was slightly mortified.

Kat’s movements paused, “Well, I didn’t see that coming…that's a little dirty...” She snickered.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize what song this was…. I’ll change it.”

Kat placed her hand on my forearm as I turned to grab my phone, “No, I actually kind of like his sound. Leave it.” 

Her hip movements continued as I switched to chopping the carrots and her the tomatoes. I wasn’t sure how much more of this I could take. I stood there willing my dick not to get hard. Luckily, I got through the carrots quickly, and took the opportunity to turn my back to her. Moving on to peel and cut an onion under the cold water from the faucet. Which is probably just as well, because another song by the same artist came on that was sending my mind straight to the gutter. It felt like a playlist straight from my debauched thoughts. 

Hypnotic lover taking over my mind / Your spell is binding, makes it so hard to fight / She twists her hips and keeps it coming all night / I can't control myself, that girl is so fine

Thankfully we finished with all the vegetable cutting soon after that. I moved on to preparing the pork and getting the frying pan and oil up to temperature. I was happy to have something that required my focus. Kat appeared, leaning against the counter next to the stove, watching me intently. 

“So, are you ever gonna tell me what you’re cooking?”

I smirked, “Pork cacciatore.” 

She gave me a deadpan stare, “You do know I’m a vegetarian, right?” 

I was briefly hit with a streak of panic, before I realized she was messing with me. She had eaten a steak burrito in front of me, twice. I let out a dramatic sigh then smiled, “I guess I’ll be eating alone then. Oh well, more for me.” 

She laughed as she playfully smacked my shoulder. I moved in front of her, placing my hand on her hip to scoot her out of the way as I reached above her head to get into the cabinet that housed all the spices. I muttered a quiet “excuse me” as I glanced down at her eyes that were looking up at me through her lashes. She didn’t really move. Instead, she stayed pinned between me and the counter. I could hear the faint sound of her breath hitching at my proximity. I smirked, then turned my attention back to the cabinet, pulling out the dried rosemary, oregano, and basil before finally removing my hand from her hip and stepping back to the stove. I could feel her eyes on me the entire time. 

As I started mixing in all the ingredients to simmer, she leaned down on her elbows and inhaled deeply, “Mmm…you were right. My mouth is watering. This smells amazing.”

I gave her a cocky smile, “I told you….and it tastes better than it smells. It’s like an orgasm for your taste buds.” 

Shit. I probably shouldn’t have said that. My mouth got ahead of my brain. Her tinkling laugh filled my ears, “That’s a lot of confidence you’ve got in your cooking skills, Bravo.”

I shrugged, “I promised you a pleasurable experience. I’m just delivering on my word.” 

Fucking hell, I’m being ridiculous and getting out of line. Reel it in, Bravo! 

She didn’t seem phased by my comments, if anything it felt like she was enjoying the banter. 

We soon sat down at the dinner table, which I couldn’t recall ever actually sitting at to eat. Kat proceeded to moan through several bites and gush about how delicious it was. I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face. It made me feel almost giddy that she enjoyed it. Our conversation flowed easily, as we talked about different things. Getting to know each other a little more and slowly chipping away at that imaginary wall that separated us. 

“I’m just gonna start coming over here for dinner every night. My cooking can’t compete with this,” she finally said with a joking tone as she scooped that last bite off her plate. 

I gave her a toothy grin, “I’ll cook for you anytime you want me to.”

She laughed, “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

I laughed it off, but she had no idea how fucking serious I was. I would cook for her every night of forever if she’d let me. 

After several minutes of Kat fussing over helping with the dishes, I finally convinced her to let it be. I had a housekeeper that would take care of it in the morning, so it really wasn’t that big of a deal. We decided to take our chances by giving the Little Dude a bath after that. I led her out to the garage which was still a mess with boxes, but Dude didn’t seem to mind it. He had turned it into his own personal playground. 

I had set up everything we would need for a bath next to the utility sink so we could get right to it. Kat grabbed one of the towels and laid it out on the counter and got the brushes ready, saying we should brush out all the mats first. As she was explaining the steps we should take, Little Dude decided to make his presence known. He came strutting out from somewhere in his box fort to meow out me. He then proceeded to rub up against Kat’s legs. She giggled at him, bending down to pick him up.

“Ooof, he is rank,” she said through a chuckle. 

“I told you. I swear he rolled in something dead.” 

She grimaced, moving him away from her body to sit him on the counter. 

“He’s really pretty though. He seems young. Have you taken him to the vet yet?”

“Not yet. I’m working up to it. I didn’t wanna stress him out too much all at once…though…he seems strangely fine with everything. He’s the one that wants to move in,” I said - laughing quietly to myself over the absurdity of it. 

Kat began to look him over, “He has some pretty bad mats under his arms, we may have to cut those. Do you have scissors? They aren’t too close to the skin, so I think I can cut them easily enough.” 

“Uhh, yeah. I have a whole clipper kit with scissors. I’ll go get it.”

I ran to get the kit and was back within minutes to find Little Dude sprawled out on his back while Kat brushed at the hair on his stomach. He seemed to love the attention. I stood next to Kat, keeping him distracted with pets while she worked. She ended up cutting a lot of the mats out just to save time. After several minutes had passed, she turned to me, a concerned look on her face. 

“What? Is something wrong?” I asked. 

“I would say so. We have a major problem here.” 

My stomach was suddenly in my throat. My mind now conjuring up the worst things, “What is it?” 

She fought to hold back a laugh, “Dude is not a dude.” 

My brow furrowed, “What do you mean?”

She snorted, “There is no twig and berries down there. Dude is a Dudette.” 

“Seriously? You’re joking?” 

“Nope. Did you even check?” 

“Do you see how much hair she has? I was just guessing. I couldn’t tell. It makes sense why she wouldn’t leave though…chics do love me.” 

Kat snorted again, “Staaap. You’re so ridiculous.” 

I chuckled, “At least now I know why I was getting the judgy looks.” 

“Well, now you need to give her a proper name. Something cute…that is not Dudette.”

“Yeah, I guess I’ll have to think about it. Damn.” 

After a brief pause to laugh about our discovery. We continued. Luckily the cat’s top half wasn’t as bad, so Kat made quick work of it. Then we took a minute to prepare ourselves for the chaos of the bath. Strategizing on the best way to handle it if she freaked out. It turns out, we didn’t even need to do that. The cat apparently loved water, which blew our minds. She sat still, enjoying the massage we gave her as we worked the shampoo into her fur. She nearly fell asleep as I used the spray head to rinse her, occasionally pointing the stream in Kat’s direction just to be obnoxious. After reminding me that we had just gotten a spray tan, I stopped. She said I wouldn’t be able to endure her wrath if I made her streaky. 

Once we got the Little Dudette clean and dry, I picked her up and brought her inside. I took a minute to show her where the litter boxes were, her beds, and her new cat tree. I sat her at the top of the cat tree, and she immediately began exploring it. Kat and I watched her for a few minutes, before Kat looked around the room.

“Hmmm…the plants could be an issue. I know some are poisonous to cats.”  

My eyes widened. I hadn’t even thought about that. Damn I already suck at this cat dad stuff.

Kat pulled out her phone and found a list of toxic plants and let me look over it. I sucked air through my teeth, then moved to pick up the Aloe plant sitting on the end table, “Sorry Barb. Looks like you’re gonna be banished to the art studio.”  I handed it to Kat, “Please hold Barb for a moment.” 

She started laughing at me. I turned to grab the Cutleaf Philodendron that was sitting in the dining room. “You’re out too, Cutlet,” I said as I picked up the medium sized tropical plant. 

“Follow me. We’ll put these away in another room.” 

As we made our way through the house, I grabbed another Aloe plant that was sitting on a bookshelf. “Sorry, you’re out too, Spike.” 

I could hear Kat snickering behind me as we ascended the stairs. Once we reached the door to my studio, I juggled the plants in my arms to turn the knob. I suddenly felt nervous for Kat to be in the space, but tried not to dwell on it as I pushed the door open with my foot. She followed me inside and set Barb down on the window sill next to Spike. I set Cutlet down on the desk. I’d have to find a spot for him later. 

I could tell Kat wanted to explore the room, but she held back, shyly looking down at the ground instead. I was sure she could sense this was an extremely personal space for me and didn’t want to intrude.  

“You can look around if you want.” I finally mustered up the courage to say. I trusted her enough to share this side of myself. Not many people got to see it. 

Her eyes lit up with excitement, “Are you sure? I don’t wanna make you uncomfortable.” 

I nodded and gave her a small smile. Standing back to watch as she walked around the room looking at the various paintings leaned against the walls. Her eyes roamed over every surface, pausing to spend extra time on the sketches spread out on the tables and desk. 

I hadn’t spent any time in this room since rehearsals started. I hadn’t had the time, and when I did, I was too tired. However, I suddenly had that nagging need to. There were images swirling in my head that I needed to get out onto a canvas. I was shocked to find they were colorful shades of purple and blue with hints of magenta. There was no black in sight. I knew the cause of the shift, it was Kat. She was my new muse. Replacing the self-hatred and unhappiness with her light. I wanted to paint her dancing with the fire in her eyes. I wanted to sketch all of my favorite parts of her - her lips, her eyes, the curve of her hips. 

Seeing her in my home and how easily she could fit into my life was making me want things I never thought I would. I wanted her to be part of everything. My other half. I wanted to share my existence with her. Then reality set in. She still belongs to someone else, Bravo. Stop thinking like this. 

I shook my head to clear it as she looked my way with a smile. I tried to return it, but it didn’t reach my eyes. She walked toward me, “Dieter, all of this is amazing. I-I don’t have any words. You’re so talented.” 

My brow furrowed, I was suddenly feeling emotional. I murmured a quiet “thanks” to her as she turned to look around the room one last time before turning back to me, “Would you paint something…for me? I would love to have one.” 

I gave her a genuine smile now, “Of course. I think I already have an idea for something.” 

Our gazes locked for a moment, something unsaid lingering between us, but it passed. I motioned toward the door, “Well, would you like a tour of the rest of the place? I have a feeling you might enjoy my other sanctuary.”

She gave me a quizzical look, “Lead the way. You have me intrigued now.” 

I snickered as we walked into the hallway and closed the door behind us. I led Kat down the hall to the room where I did everything else - music, reading, writing. It really was my other sanctuary. It was a large open room with glass doors that opened to the balcony overlooking the ocean. The espresso colored hardwood was covered by a deep navy and maroon Persian area rug. Floor to ceiling shelves lined one cream colored wall, full of books and scripts. Two leather chairs sat in one corner with two acoustic guitars perched on stands between them. Several other guitars hung on the wall nearby. Another wall of shelves housed my record collection. The old record player stood next to it, connected to vintage floor speakers. An espresso colored wicker hanging chair with a white cushion hung from the ceiling in the corner near the record player. An extra large white furry beanbag sat nearby, with a few deep yellow throw pillows on it. There were plants everywhere - large potted ones sitting on the floor, vines hanging from the ceiling, small succulents scattered throughout the shelves. A small writing desk sat against the wall next to the balcony doors. The few open spaces on the wall were home to more of my paintings. The center of the room was completely open. Aside from my studio, it was my favorite place to be. 

When I opened the door and motioned for Kat to enter, her face shifted. A hint of a smile ghosted her lips as her eyes rounded and sparkled. She stood in the center of the room turning in a slow circle, taking in the space. 

“Dieter…you’re right. I love this. Everything about it is perfect.” 

She walked over to one of the paintings, an abstract sunset of black, deep blue, red, and yellow. It was a more recent one, not as dark as the ones downstairs. Her fingers grazed over the DB scrawled in the bottom corner. One side of her lip turned upward once she realized it was another one of my paintings. She turned, moving back toward the center of the room and spun around with her arms out.

“This room is huge…big enough we could rehearse in here.”

My teeth sunk into my bottom lip, biting back a smile. I loved that the thought had crossed her mind. That she wanted to be in this space with me. 

“We could. There’s a lot of open space. I left it like that so I could come in here and paint if I wanted. Depending on the time of day, the lighting can be better here than in the studio. Plus, I can open the doors and hear the ocean. It’s soothing.” 

She nodded, a pensive look on her face as she continued looking around the room. 

“I take it you probably didn’t expect all this, huh?” 

She shook her head as her brows pinched together, “No, honestly. I’m not sure what I expected, but strangely enough, I’m not surprised. I know you're not shallow and emotionless like the tabloids often make you out to be.” 

She was standing in front of me now, her eyes roaming my face. “I see you, Dieter. I know you feel things deeply…even if you don’t always admit to it. So, it doesn’t surprise me that this is how you spend your time. Us tortured souls have to get the feelings out somehow.”

I couldn’t breathe. The way she was looking at me literally took my breath away. I knew without a doubt that she meant what she said. She did understand me better than anyone ever had because we were the same in a lot of ways, but complete opposites in others. We balanced each other out and fit together in a way that filled in each other's gaps to make a whole. We were meant to find each other, I could feel it in my bones. If only she could see that and finally get rid of the disease in her life that was Alec. 

Kat’s face turned almost wistful as she stared at me for a beat. Finally turning away and moving toward the leather chairs in the corner and sitting down. She turned, eyeing the acoustic guitars sitting next to her. 

She pointed, “Are these for decoration or do you actually play?”

I shrugged, “I guess you can call it that…I had to learn for a role many years ago. It kind of stayed with me after that.” 

She raised a brow in my direction as her hand slid around the neck of the nearest instrument, “Do you mind…” she asked, pausing for my response. 

Curious where this was going, I shook my head. “No, I don’t. Have at it.” 

The way she handled it told me this was something she was familiar with. I could hear the blood pumping in my ears from excitement at the thought that she might play something. I shuffled over to sit in the seat next to her and picked up the other instrument as her fingers slid over the strings, like she was getting a feel for it. I bit back the anxious feeling that was forming in my chest and started plucking at the strings on the guitar I had just picked up. Playing chords for the first song that came to mind. 

Kat watched me for a moment. Her eyes narrowed at my hands, “I know this song…” 

I smiled up at her as she hummed along for a few seconds, trying to place it. She surprised me when she started to sing along.

She's the place I go / When there's nowhere left to run to / She's the one I hold / When there's no one to hold on to

I was awed by her. Her voice was amazing - soulful, velvety, and pure. She was so fucking beautiful it hurt. The moment caused something to swell inside of me, making me emotional. I had to take a deep breath to fight it back as I watched her place her fingers on the frets and start strumming along with me. She continued singing the chorus. Without thinking, I joined in, which elicited a brilliant smile from her. 

She's been with me late at night / When I was drowning in the dark / She heard my every word / When I was pouring out my heart / So I thank my lucky stars / For every crack, scratch, and scar on this guitar

Our voices harmonized together perfectly, causing goosebumps to break out across my body. I suddenly felt connected to her in a way that I hadn’t before. I picked up the next verse as she continued playing with me.

She's given me her best / When I am at my worst / When I can't find the pieces / Fingers scratching in the dirt / She offers no forgiveness / 'Cause she likes to make it hurt

Her eyes stayed on mine. I could see the fire blazing in them again. I couldn’t help smiling as the words passed through my lips. She returned it as she joined back in for the chorus. We finished the reminder of the song with a flourish, breaking into laughter when it was done. 

Once the laughter settled, I finally asked, “Why didn’t you tell me you played? And can sing for that matter?”

She shrugged, “It’s not really something I do a lot of anymore…Not since my dad passed. He taught me to play when I was younger…before things got bad with him. We picked it up again after he was sober.” 

A sad smile formed on her lips, “He had a few friends he would play with on the weekends…pickin' and grinnin' is what they called it. Just a bunch of friends and their families hanging out in someone's backyard, having fun. I learned a lot from them.”

I had a sudden urge to hug her, but then the sparkle from that damn engagement ring on her finger caught my attention for the first time that evening. It was a stark contrast against the black bout of the guitar, silently screaming a reminder that she was still with the asshole. It broke through the delusional thoughts that had started to swirl around in my head the last few minutes.

I cleared my throat, “Well, you’re really good. I didn’t see that coming.”

She gave me a genuine smile now, “You’re not so bad yourself. Still excelling in all areas apparently.” 

I had the sudden need to be away from her. I was feeling overwhelmed by my conflicting feelings. I glanced down at my watch, “Hmm…it’s getting late. We should probably call it a night. I don’t wanna be your excuse for being tired tomorrow.” I let out a nervous laugh. 

She looked at her watch, “Oh damn. Yeah, it is…and I still have a 30 minute drive home.” 

An awkward tension settled in the air as I placed the guitars back on their stands. We walked in silence down the stairs. Kat took a minute to give the kitty some scratches before collecting her purse and phone to leave. I asked her to let me know when she made it home as she leaned in for a side hug. 

“I will…and thanks for dinner. It was amazing.” 

When she pulled away, her hand lingered at my waist. She smiled before finally turning to walk toward her car. I kept an eye on her until she was locked inside and backing out of the driveway. This was getting to be too fucking hard. 

I sighed, walking through the house to turn everything off and lock up for the night. The cat followed behind me every step of the way. Once I got settled in the bed, I felt her jump onto the mattress. She tentatively walked over and climbed up on my chest, purring into my hand as I scratched behind her ears. 

“Maybe you're meant to be the only woman in my life. I should probably accept that and move on.” 

Her eyes drooped under my touch. A quiet meow squeaked out in response.  “I guess I should give you a proper name now, because Dude is not gonna cut it.” 

I thought for a minute. A plant name might be cute, right? “How about poppy? Ehh, no. That might raise some eyebrows given who your dad is. Let’s avoid drug references…”

I laughed to myself. It was so ridiculous that I had to think about stuff like that. 

“Hmm, how about Rosie? Na…that’s too girly. You’re kind of a bad ass critter catcher.”

She meowed loudly, almost like she was agreeing with me. I chuckled. “I’ve got it. Zinnia. Zee for short. That’s cool, right?”

She was asleep now. She could have cared less. “Zee it is. Zee my little warrior queen.” 

I got a text from Kat a few minutes later, letting me know she got home. I sent her a thumbs up emoji then set the phone on its docking station for the night. I somehow managed to drift off to sleep. 

I was woken up about ten minutes before my alarm went off by Zee, making biscuits in the crook of my arm and purring. I couldn’t even be upset about it because it was too fucking cute. This cat was already making me melt and had me wrapped around her paw. I nuzzled my face into her fur, she smelled so much better. It was nice to finally have her properly clean so I could cuddle her without being grossed out. I don’t know why I fought against having her for so long. It felt nice to have another living being in the house with me. 

I finally rolled out of bed and took a quick shower. It was show day, so I couldn’t be dicking around this morning. I threw on clean shorts and a t-shirt, then headed out. I stopped to get our usual cups of coffee before heading to Television City Studios. Kat and I were one of the first groups there, determined to get the rough run through out of the way. 

Kat was already chatting with the band when I walked in and handed her coffee over. We went through the routine a few times to get the camera blocking out of the way and gave feedback on the music. The other couples had started to filter in by the time we were on our last run through. I could see Alec sitting, waiting for his and Lana’s turn. I hadn’t seen him since the incident, so I wasn’t sure what the damage was. His face was pretty bruised up around the nose and under the eyes. I had to hold back the satisfied smile that was tugging at my lips as we walked by him. 

Kat did take a minute to add some makeup to my knuckles. They were still a little bruised. We didn’t want the cast to see it if we could help it. After she finished, we headed into hair and makeup to get slathered in more makeup and hair gel. 

Kat and I were seated next to each other again. We chatted with each other while they worked on us. I told her what I decided to name the cat. She laughed at first but wasn’t at all surprised that it was the name of a plant. She finally relented, admitting that it was cute and giving her seal of approval.

About 30 minutes after sitting down in the makeup chair, Anika approached me. She had a shy, but flirty smile on her face as she leaned against the vanity in front of my seat and purred out a “good morning.”

I smiled at her awkwardly, unsure of what was happening. Anika glanced toward Kat, then turned so that her back was toward her. 

“What are you doing after the show tonight?” she finally asked. 

I shrugged, “I don’t know yet. I suppose it depends on how tired I am.”

She laughed like I had just told the most hilarious joke. I now realized what was happening. Fucking hell. Please don’t do it. 

Her hand rested on my knee, “How about we go out for drinks after? Maybe we can hang out for a bit.” She gave a suggestive squeeze with her fingers as she spoke. 

I could tell from my reflection that I had the deer in headlights look. My brain completely shut down. I was not interested in the least. “Umm, I dunno. I really need to get home…and feed my cat.” 

“Oh, come on, just one drink. You can do that after.”

It was Kat who responded with an agitated tone, “You do realize he’s sober, right?”

Anika looked surprised, then laughed nervously. “Well in that case, you can just watch me drink. You don’t have to have anything with alcohol.”

I sat there with my mouth agape, not really sure how to respond to that. I couldn’t stop anyone from drinking around me, but damn. If she was trying to win me over, that was not the way to do it. 

“Are you a fucking idiot? He’s sober. He doesn’t wanna be around alcohol.” Kat was having none of this from her. 

Anika huffed, “I don’t think I asked you, Katarina. Mind your business. Shouldn’t you be worried about what your own man is up to?” 

I realized the ladies that had been doing our hair and makeup had stepped back. Kat looked like she was about to come up out of her seat after this girl. I cleared my throat, “Ummm thanks for the offer, Anika…but I think I’ll pass. Maybe another time?” I said nervously.

She gave me a disappointed look before flipping Kat off and walking out of the room. 

Kat puffed air out of her cheeks, “Ugh, I fucking hate that girl.”

The ladies who were working on us snickered before continuing with their task. 

I glanced over at Kat, “Thank you for that. I wasn’t really sure how to handle it.”

“Well, you better figure it out, because I’m sure she’s not done asking. Unless you wanna go out with her, of course.” Her tone was very clipped, and I wasn’t sure why. It surprised me. Did I do something wrong?

Kat was quieter after that, seemingly lost in her thoughts. I wasn’t sure how to handle it. It was making me feel off. I was happy when hair and makeup had finished with me. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. I made a beeline for my dressing room to get changed into my costume. I didn’t hear from Kat for a while, assuming they had dress rehearsals for the group performances.

While I waited, I texted my assistant and asked him to bring me some brunch to pass the time. It was a little early for lunch, but I was already starving. A few minutes after he dropped off the food, I got a text from Kat, asking where I was. 

Me: In my dressing room. I have 🌯🌯🌯. (three burrito emojis) 

It wasn’t even a full minute before there was a knock on the door.

“Come in.” I managed to garble out through a mouth full of steak goodness. Kat pushed the door open, standing there with a disapproving look and her hands on her hips. 

“You're hiding away to eat burritos? Really?”

My ability to speak left me as soon as I laid eyes on her. The only response I could muster was to hold out the extra burrito I had gotten for her. She looked fucking amazing in her costume. The hem was asymmetrical, showing off her toned legs. The shorter side revealed her entire right thigh. The front was lower cut than I had expected, showing the curve of her breast. From the sketches, I knew the back was non-existent. There was only enough of the fringy fabric to cover her ass. They had left her chestnut hair half down this time. The front of it was pinned back leaving the soft curls cascading down around her bare shoulders. The red shade of the dress, if you could even call it that, looked amazing against her golden skin and made her red lips pop. All of the exposed flesh definitely had little Bravo’s attention. It took everything in me to refocus my thoughts and get him under control. 

She raised a questioning brow at me, a smirk forming on her lips as she took the burrito, “You OK, Bravo?”

I nodded as I swallowed down the food I had been chewing even though I wasn’t ready, nearly getting choked in the process. I coughed uncontrollably for a moment, then reached for my drink. I ended up dropping burrito juices on the robe I had put on over my costume. 

Kat laughed, “Good thing you put the robe on. I wouldn’t want to explain that mess to the costumers or producers.”

After taking a long drink through the straw, I managed to get myself together enough to respond, “No kidding. I have an extra one hanging over there if you wanna use it while you eat. I know these are messy.” 

“Why yes, I think I will. Thank you.”

Whatever had been bothering her earlier seemed to have passed. She was back to her normal smiley self as we rushed through our meal. It helped me feel a little more at ease and out of my head. Once I was finished with my burrito, I pulled the robe off, checking to make sure I hadn’t gotten anything on the costume. I turned to ask Kat if she saw any evidence left behind. I didn’t miss how her eyes looked me up and down before focusing on my shirt. 

I couldn’t help teasing her, “You see something you like, Kit Kat?” 

She narrowed her eyes at me, “I was just getting a look at your costume. I hadn’t seen it on you yet.”

I stood back, pulled the blazer open, and did a little spin for her, “You like?”

“Oddly enough…yes. The 70’s vibe suits you. I can’t believe you have it buttoned all the way up though. I was beginning to think you had a button allergy.” 

I gave her a cocky grin, “If you wanna see a little more skin, just ask honey. I guess I probably should show a little more, in solidarity with you.” 

She rolled her eyes before taking her last bite. I turned to the mirror and undid the top few buttons. I could see her watching me in the reflection, shaking her head with a smirk on her face. A few minutes later, we headed toward the ballroom for our final dress rehearsal. As we stood on the outer perimeter of the dance floor, Alec and Lana came to stand behind us to wait their turn. Kat seemed to be ignoring them, which was surprising. I couldn’t help glancing over at Alec. My mouth seemed to have a mind of its own as I took in his appearance.

“It looks like hair and makeup did a knockout job on you today, Alec. Can’t even tell that your face is fucked up.” 

Kat snorted next to me, covering her mouth with her hand to hold back the laugh. I was surprised to see that Lana also had a hint of a smile on her lips. 

Alec sneered, “Don’t get too excited, Bravo. You didn’t hit me that hard…nothing is broken.”

I gave him a toothy smile, “Nothing but your pride, right?” 

“Fuck you, Bravo.” 

Kat turned to me, placing her hand on my chest, “That’s enough, you two. Shut up or I’ll throat punch both of you.” 

I was still smiling when I muttered a quick “sorry” her way. 

She gave me a playful wink that Alec couldn’t see before looping her arm with mine, forcing me to turn away from him. We were called to go through our routine soon after that. We nailed it the first time through. The lightning, music, and camera angles fell into place perfectly for us. We went through it two more times just to be sure. 

I don’t really know what came over me, I assumed it was because Alec was glaring at me the entire time, but I made sure to turn the flirtiness of our routine up a few notches. Kat didn’t seem to mind, meeting me where I was. Not that it was all an act. The way the fringy dress accentuated her hip movements really did almost have me on my knees. The woman’s body moved in ways that my brain could not handle. 

I have to admit, I was getting a small thrill out of knowing Alec was seeing how good Kat and I were together. I didn’t want to make things harder on her, but he really did need to be put in his place. He needed to know that Kat was desirable. 

I could feel the static crackling in the air between me and Kat as we walked off the dance floor, hand in hand. She had that look in her eyes again while we waited for final feedback. We were given the all clear to head to our final fitting after that. Kat kept hold of my hand the entire time. Only dropping it as soon as we ran into Stacia and Joe in the hallway. We moved to walk around them, but Stacia stopped us. I noticed she looked both of us over before she spoke to Kat, “Care to share what happened to Alec’s face?”

Kat’s eyes widened slightly, “What did Alec say happened to his face?” 

Stacia’s eyes narrowed, “He didn’t…just said he’s clumsy.” 

I worked to keep my face neutral, but I really wanted to laugh at the absurdity of everything.

Kat gave her a tight lipped smile, “Well, I won’t argue with that. He is clumsy.” 

“So, you’re not gonna spill the details?” Stacia prodded. 

“I’m afraid I don’t know the details. He was fine the last time I saw him…so I can’t help you there.”

I could tell by the way Stacia was looking at Kat that she didn’t believe her. It was almost like they were having some sort of standoff now, eyes locked in an intense gaze. Stacia’s eyes finally shifted over to me, her head tilting slightly. “How about you, Dieter? Do you know what happened to his face?”

I shrugged, “What makes you think I would know anything? I hardly see the guy.” 

Stacia studied my face for a moment, almost like she was trying to read if I was lying. Her lips eventually turned upward into a smirk, “Well, good luck you two. Your dress rehearsal looked perfect. You’ve really turned up the heat this week. I’m sure the viewers are gonna love it.” 

Joe stood by smiling like the Cheshire Cat through this entire interaction. Only mumbling a quiet “Good luck” as they walked away. Kat and I gave each other wide-eyed looks as we turned to head toward the wardrobe department for our final fitting. Once the fitting was done, we stopped in for hair and makeup touch ups. Kat had to go change for the opening performance while I went to the staging area to wait. 

Since I skipped out on watching the group dress rehearsals, this was my first time seeing it. I remembered Stacia saying that they were going to put more attention on Kat, but I didn’t realize how much. She was the performance. Everyone else might as well have been background dancers. She worked the room and the cameras like no other and had the audience going crazy. She was magnetic and I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. 

I lost interest once she was off the dance floor, opting to scroll through social media on my phone instead. I went down a rabbit hole of hashtags for the show, curious what people were saying. Kat was indeed a hot topic, and it was mostly positive. They fucking loved her and that made me happier than it probably should have. I definitely felt like Stacia was getting a heavy dose of karma after insinuating that Kat wasn’t that good in the beginning. 

I eventually came across a Dieter and Kat hashtag. I thought twice about clicking it but did so anyway. There were apparently a lot of shippers for us out there. It now made more sense why Stacia and Joe were pushing that narrative. I was honestly surprised at the support for it. Usually, my fans flipped the fuck out anytime I was linked to any sort of serious romantic partner, but they seemed ok with this. I saw Kat coming in my periphery, so I hit the hashtag ‘follow’ button then locked my phone just as she made it over to me.

We were buzzing with anticipation as we awaited our turn. Kat hooked up her earbuds to her phone, “You ready for some hype music?” 

I nodded, “What’s it gonna be today? Eye of the Tiger?” 

She chuckled, “Oh no. I only pull out the big guns when it’s serious.”

She handed me one bud and my ear was immediately filled with the familiar guitar riffs of Walk this Way by Aerosmith and Run DMC. “Yaaaaaas! I approve!” I said with a wide grin. She laughed, bobbing her head to the beat while my fingers played the chords on my air guitar. It was exactly what we needed to get hyped up. 

Before we knew it, it was our turn. I was strangely calm as we stepped out onto the dance floor and took our places. Kat’s confidence and sparkling eyes seemed to keep me grounded in the moment as the spotlight dropped down on her. I stood off to the side in the darkness, waiting until it was time to join her. She opened with the flirty strut and hip shaking thing she does so effortlessly before I came into the light, playing the lovesick puppy matching her every move while she shimmed and gyrated around me. There were a couple of instances where there was no space between us as our bodies moved as one to the beat. Kat’s cheek rested against mine, our fronts pressed together, our bodies twisting downward before popping back up for me to dip her backwards. She pushed me away dramatically before we transitioned into a lock step sequence followed by cross over breaks and a chase with full turns. We ended with a flourish as I spun Kat around and dipped her backward again, this time pulling her leg upward into our ending pose. 

When the lights dimmed, I pulled Kat upward and hugged her against me as she bounced up and down. Her arms wrapped around my neck as her cheek pressed firmly against mine. “I swear, that was fucking perfect. We killed it,” she said loud enough for me to hear it. I could feel her hot breath against my ear as she spoke. I couldn’t help burying my face in her neck for a brief moment. I inhaled her scent quickly, it was sweet like berries and a spring day. I didn’t want to let go, but I had to. The producers were finally getting what they wanted, our whole interaction since stepping foot on the dance floor was over the top flirty and sexy. More so than it had been during rehearsals as we continued matching each other’s energy, not holding anything back. If the connection between us continued to grow like this every week, it was only a matter of time before something happened between us. Having this much chemistry was unsustainable in its current form. 

While I did my interview and waited for the scores, Kat stood hugging me around the middle with both arms. I wrapped one of mine around her and pulled her tightly into my side. 

The judges didn’t really have any feedback for us. They mostly gushed about the sexiness of the performance and how in sync we were with each other. Noting that we probably had a stronger connection than any other couple on the show this season. My head was spinning from the adrenaline of it all before we even got our scores. My knees felt like they were going to give out as they started calling out the numbers. They gave us two 8’s and two 9’s. Kat and I were both in shock as we stood with our mouths agape. She had to give me a little shake to bring me back down to earth as the host asked how I was feeling about having the highest score of the night. 

Afterwards, we walked back to the staging area with smiles on our faces. Several cast members congratulated us as we passed by. We found a spot in the back corner, away from the others. Kat pulled me in for another hug, “That is the highest score I have ever gotten. I think I’m in shock.” 

I chuckled, “I know, I’m in shock. That was…wow. I have no words.”  

“We should celebrate with a big greasy burger after this,” she said with a toothy grin. 

I nodded, my hand still resting on Kat’s hip after she pulled away from the hug. Her hand sat on the back of my shoulder as she leaned into my side. We stayed like that while watching the next couple’s performance. The energy was still buzzing between us when we were interrupted by Alec. I noticed his eyes drop down to where my hand was on Kat, anger briefly flashed across his face, but he managed to compose himself. 

“Kat, can we talk for a minute?” he finally asked. 

Her lips set into a tight line before she finally nodded and pulled away from me. He’s not really gonna do this now, is he?

They moved further away into the back corner, but I could still hear him begging her for another chance. I rolled my eyes, trying not to listen, but I honestly couldn’t help it. 

“Baby, please, I swear. I’m not gonna fuck up again. I’m really gonna try to do better. I went to an AA meeting yesterday. I haven’t drank at all since that night. I feel terrible and I realize I can’t keep acting like this. I’ll do whatever you want. I’m still going to anger management, I’ll do therapy too if that’s what you really want. Please, I’ll do anything.”

I chanced a glance in their direction, Kat looked like her resolve was breaking. Fucking asshole. He was saying all the right things and I bet he didn’t mean a word of it. 

“Alec, I can’t keep doing this.”

“I know baby, I don’t blame you. Just one more chance, please.” 

Kat sighed, “OK. This is the LAST time though. You fuck up again and I’m done. It’s on you. You hear me?”

I didn’t even hear Alec’s response. I felt like the air had been knocked out of me. I had gotten my hopes up - let my fantasies of her being mine run wild and infect my senses. I felt dizzy for a different reason now, realizing my breathing was turning shallow.

My attention was drawn back to Kat when I heard my name. 

“You need to get over whatever your issue is with Dieter. He’s done nothing wrong and doesn’t deserve to be treated like this. I’m not gonna put up with it. I want you to apologize for trying to hit him. That was on you.” 

I don’t want his fucking apology. 

“I’ll do whatever you want, just let me come home with you tonight. Please? So, we can talk, and I can show you how sorry I am. Let me make it up to you.” 

She puffed air through her cheeks before nodding, “Fine. Whatever.” 

I felt sick. I needed to leave. It felt like the walls were closing in on me and everything was suddenly too loud. Sweat was beading at the nape of my neck and running down my back. I felt like I was gonna have a fucking panic attack. 

I turned to leave, nearly bumping into Kat who was now holding Alec’s hand at her side. I just stared at them wide-eyed. I could see the concern on Kat’s face, but I didn’t care.

“Dieter man, listen…I’m sor…” Alec started to say. 

“Save it. I don’t want your fucking apology.” 

I glanced down at Kat, “Enjoy your evening. I’m not feeling well, I need to go.” 

I could hear Kat calling after me as I left the staging area and moved toward my dressing room. I quickly changed out of my costume and stuffed it into the dry cleaning bag, sitting it outside my door for pickup. I closed the door behind me and locked it. I sat down in the chair, my head in my hands as I fought to control my breathing. The tears pooled in my eyes as I tried to reason through why I was reacting like this. It wasn’t normal. The hurt was too much. 

I was startled from my thoughts by a loud knock on the door. 

“Dieter, are you in there?” It was Kat. I didn’t answer her. 

My phone buzzed with several incoming text messages. They were from her, but I didn’t bother to look at them. I couldn’t. 

I exhaled slowly, running my hands down my face. What is my fucking problem? It was then that the realization finally hit me. I was in love with her. “Fuck.”

Next: Week 4

A/N: Y'all ready to come at me with pitchforks? Don't worry, it won't last long. Alec is a class A fuck up. You know it's only a matter of time. So, there was a lot that went down in this chapter. Now that you've read Dieter's side, who do you think is down worse, Dieter or Kat? There was a lot of flirty banter in this chapter and I am here for it. Do we think Kat was intentionally flirting? What do we think about them singing together? I can confirm, this will not be the only time that happens... We got a small glimpse of plant dad and cat dad Dieter in this part. Are we swooning yet? How much did we love Dieter being a smart ass to Alec during dress rehearsals? I feel like we need more snarky Dieter. What about Dieter's revelation at the end? How do you think that is going to affect his interactions with Kat going forward? Now for some fun stuff... a big shout out to @readingiskeepingmegoing for introducing me to one of the music artist featured in this chapter. I. AM. OBSESSED. The three songs referenced in this chapter are linked below as well as their performance song. I have also included another fun Cha Cha video that I took inspo from.

CP Taglist: @secretelephanttattoo @titlee78 @maggiemayhemnj @legendary-pink-dot @morallyinept

@survivingandenduring  @wannab-urs @harriedandharassed @hisandsnakes @misstokyo7love

@readingiskeepingmegoing @runningmom94 @sin-djarin @cakipy-blog @missladym1981

@guelyury @weho2kcmo @alokaerza @girlofchaos @trulybetty

@rhoorl @bitchwitch1981 @madnessofadaydreamer @darkheartgatita @jazzloveslatte

@timpletance @musings-of-a-rose @samiamproductions @myloveistoolittle @for-a-longlongtime 

@copperhalfcent @auteurdelabre @drewharrisonwriter @burntheedges @stevie75

@bunniboo0015 @quicax3 jackie923 @sherala007 @pastelnap @pedrostories

@angelofsmalldeath-codeine @jessthebaker @rebel-held @gwendibleywrites @senorabond

👉 If your name is marked out, it wouldn’t let me tag you. ☹️

If you would like to be added to the tag list, let me know in the comments or shoot me a DM.

Credits: Support/MDNI Dividers: @cafekitsune Disco Divider: @deadbranch

#dieter bravo #dieter bravo fic #pedro pascal #pedro pascal characters #pedro pascal fanfic #dancing dieter #cat dad dieter #plant dad dieter #soft dieter #dieter bravo fluff #dieter bravo x ofc #closed position series #Spotify

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Hello, how are you doing, and have you eaten yet? I found your post when I was looking for ror post and I really love the Isekai cafe reader!

Can I please request when the first time these ror characters first find her restaurant? They probably expecting a threat, but instead find it is a restaurant run by reader. After talking to reader and finding out about how the place come to be, they ordered a dish/beverage/dessert, which ends up as their favourite food/drinks/dessert but they end always visiting not only for the food because they were worried for reader being alone in the restaurant all day and tending to a lot of people.

Poseidon, Hades , Odin and Thor for the Gods

Adam, Lu Bu, Jack, Buddha and Sasaki for the human side please!

-You couldn’t help but smile, looking around your restaurant, it was such a warm and cozy feeling, there were seats everywhere, a fully stocked kitchen will all sorts of toys, and now all you needed was customers!!

-When the front door appeared all over Valhalla, some in seemingly random places, like in the center of a large field, many thought that it was an enemy attack, as the magic was unknown, even to someone like Odin who was so well versed in magic!

-Many approached the various doors cautiously, not all at the same time of course, weapon in hand, preparing for a fight on the other side of the door.

-When they opened it, they weren’t expecting to see a restaurant. They were even more shocked when you, a child, walked out from the kitchen, beaming brightly at them, “Welcome to my restaurant!”

-They couldn’t understand it, how could a child like you perform teleportation magic like this, how were you running a restaurant by yourself, and where was your family?!

-With each question they had another lined up! Nothing made sense!

-They knew that you had died, as you wouldn’t be in Valhalla otherwise, but when asked by Odin, your first guest ever, “What is this place?” you just beamed brightly, your hands on your hips, “This is my restaurant, this is what I got for my wish when I died!”

-That… did very little to clear things up but you ushered each guest to a table, asking if they wanted anything to eat or drink after providing them with a menu.

-It was one thing for you to be running this restaurant on your own, but when you took their order, something they made from more shock than anything, they didn’t anticipate you going into the kitchen and cooking it yourself!!

-He couldn’t help but peek into the kitchen, worried about you, but you looked like a pro, like you had been doing it for years!!

-The food was immaculate, the plating was stunning, the taste was out of this world, it was unlike anything they had ever had before!

-You were stunned to learn that your guests were actual gods or people from history, historical figures and warriors, and that your doors were opening all over their home of Valhalla!!

-You were in disbelief, meeting these new and strange individuals, who became regulars, getting pretty much the same thing each time they visited, except for Loki, who got something new each time, as he wanted to taste many different dishes.

-The doors never seemed to appear in the same place, but they appeared each day, so you got new people all the time.

-There was only one rule for your restaurant, no fighting- which made your place a neutral zone, there would be no fighting, or you would ban them, then they couldn’t enter ever again!! They couldn’t miss out on food this good and seeing someone so bright and warm as you.

-As time went on and you gained more customers day by day, except for the two days off you take a week, you gained so many new friends, you had never imagined having this many friends before, but you wouldn’t trade it or your restaurant for the world!

-They also learned of your past, how you had died so young, and you were given this restaurant, and you would remain inside it, being unable to leave, until you found a family you would feel safe with.

-You just had no idea that it was much closer than you thought!

-Poseidon- Gambas al Ajillo with various white wines with mini fruit tart for dessert

-Hades- Filet Mignon with various wines with Opera Cake for dessert

-Odin- Buttered lobster roll with Filet Mignon and honey toast for dessert

-Thor- T-bone steak with baked potato and chilled ale

-Lu Bu- T-bone steak with a full rack of beef ribs, no veggies and no sweets

-Adam- apple pie a la mode with caramel drizzle

-Jack- apple and cheddar pie with hot tea; sometimes will get a chicken pot pie

-Buddha- various desserts, will try several different types with each visit

-Kojiro- Unadon (grilled eel rice bowl) with melon bread for dessert

#record of ragnarok #ror x reader #ror poseidon #ror hades #ror odin #ror thor #ror lu bu #ror adam #ror jack the ripper #ror buddha #ror kojiro sasaki

[juvenillia]

~ tangled series ~ part 3

Simon 'Ghost' Riley x fem!reader x John 'Soap' MacTavish

a/n: Welcome back to part 3 of the tangled series. By now I decided that this series will become also a bit longer. Let's see where it'll lead us. Also I am sorry for the lack of updates atm, but I'm trying my best.

worcount: 3.6k

》Masterlist《 》 Read on AO3 《 》Master Post《

It seemed like you were the only one relaxed in the whole situation. Simon was tense as a rock, he didn’t dare to move, his eyes still subtle pinned on every movement you made trying to put the pieces together. He didn’t even dare to remove his mask, it stayed stern in place, only tugged up to sip on his drink occasionally. Johnny on the other hand was avoiding eye contact with everyone. His eyes stared down at his still empty plate. Kyle was the one trying to ease the whole vibe while chatting with his captain and getting some comments out of you as well. Humming along the conversation while sipping on your water in peace. John on the other hand was stressed as well. To be honest he was already on edge because of his medical leave, but seeing how his team, his boys behaved around you made him kind of nervous.

A ringing of the timer on your phone broke the vibe a bit. “Kyle? Mind me helpin’?” You stood up from John’s right side and requested man followed you to the kitchen, a genuine smile on his lips. It gave John a second to get a grip on the whole situation.

“Bloody fuckin’ hell. What’s wrong with you boys?” His voice had this authorial tone he used often as their captain. Still there was a worried undertone in. And a glimpse of regret not being able to be the captain they deserved right now.

“Bein’ a bit on edge lately. Sorry cap.” It was Johnny who answered, his voice full of regret. His partner looked at him with a concerned glance. Eyeing him up from toe to head before his hand found his nape. Squeezing it just so slightly. Simon didn’t know why this whole situation affected the Scot so much. Maybe it was seeing a happy couple so at ease. It wasn’t something self-evident for people with their career to have a partner waiting at home for them. Something the Scot wished often for but was now somehow stuck with his comrade and kind-of lover. It made Simon himself feel somehow guilty. But at least it helped him to ease his own mind, knowing that Johnny needed him now. Little did both know.

“Alright. Pull yourself together just for the few hours.” Price scolded them quiet, still an understanding tune in it as the door from the kitchen swung once more open. Revealing Kyle with two plates of baked pasta, holding the door with his body open for you to walk up to table with three plates yourself.

“Thank you.” Johnny mumbled as you handed him a plate, Simon only nodded.

“Anytime.” The sing-song voice that once made him excited and flustered gave him now a nauseous feeling down his guts. He couldn’t look at you, his mind flooding with thoughts of what-ifs and questions he had no answer for. All of you started to eat in silence.

“Lovely as al…” Just as John wanted to praise your cooking, an alarm set off. Not an alarm per se, but it sounded like on. It was the ringtone of your on-call phone. “You said no work, sunny.” Now it was Price’s voice that was filled with a certain sadness.

You pulled the napkin from your lap and placed it on the table. You gave him an apologetic look before walking over the shelf next to the dining table, pulling your phone from it and flicking the green button. “Price,” you answered quick and left the open living room area. John eyes followed your figure.

The room felt with anticipation, mostly because of the behavior of John. It was contagious for the others. It took you about 10 minutes to return to the room. A bag slipped over your shoulder, and a hoodie already thrown over your statue. A soft smile playing on your lips as you walked up to John. “Connor could draft in someone else…” His eyes met yours and you nodded.

“It’s better off in my hands, we both know that.” You assured him, shoving your phone into the pocket.

“How bad is it?” John reached his right hand that wasn’t caught in a cast out to you. It was the first time this evening Johnny dared to look at you again.

You stood closer, his hand placed onto your back, as you leaned over to him. “It’s not Piccadilly.” You laughed and John rolled his eyes at your statement. Kyle’s brows furrowed with confusion.

“He really needs to learn how to sort out priorities…” That made you roll your eyes. It was an inside joke you shared with him since the terror attack at Piccadilly Circus. Your coworker Connor and boss always referred to any incident as ‘not as was worse as piccadilly’, because nothing could be nearly worse than this day. You worked for more than two days straight. Five minutes naps were the only rest you got in between two patients and coffee became your best friend and somehow worst nightmare. “Call me. Alright?”

“Sure, Johnny.” You reassured him with your soft and still teasing voice before turning to your guests. The Scots stomach took some twists about the nickname. The name you cried out while he went down on you months ago. “Was a pleasure.” Did you intend the double meaning? Johnny couldn’t tell. You forced a half-hearted smile onto your lips, while the men around just nodded their goodbyes. And soon you were gone through the front door.

As soon as your car pulled off, Kyle looked at his captain. “Due to all respect. What was she dealing with at Piccadilly?” Kyle did remember that day like the back of his hand. It was the day he and Price met, and his life took a sudden turn.

Price exhaled; his brows furrowed in regret. “She is a trauma surgeon and had to deal with the aftermaths of our mistakes.” His voice was an octave deeper than usual and full of guilt.  

Kyle’s eyes widen in shock, and a certain guilty vibe clung over the table. All for different reasons. A vibe nobody of them could really ease. So, they ate in silence, shared some more thoughts about the latest operations and how Price would make sure to get some assistance for the time he couldn’t be at base. Just like that the evening ended and the three men found themselves back in Simon’s car. The trip back to the base was filled with nothing than silence. Everyone caught up in their thoughts. Not daring to speak those out aloud.

Just as they pulled into the garage Johnny couldn’t bare it anymore. He knew that Simon could read him like an open book. Something that came with their work, what made their relationship a bit easier. But therefor he also assumed that his partner already knew that the Scot felt more than uncomfortable this evening. He didn’t even wait for Kyle to leave the car, because he fairly well knew himself as he was Johnny’s wingman back then. “So… I think we need to talk…” Johnny’s voice was full of pity. He didn’t even dare to look at Simon, who only hummed in approval, own eyes pinned onto his fist clenching around the steering wheel. The Brit assumed that Johnny caught something of his weird behavior tonight.

It stayed calm for another minute. One that felt unbearable. “I fucked the Captains wife.” Both said at the same time and immediately looked at each other in completely shock.

“Ye dae what?” It was Johnny whose sorrow turned into completely shock. He knew they agreed on having an open situationship. Especially for times when separated to blow off some steam. But he didn’t know that Simon actually had someone since their agreement.

“Wait, you both had the same bloody bird?” Kyle’s voice was somehow filled with amusement but also with disbelief. He shook his head. “You really need to sort things out mates. Cheers.” He left the car and made up his own mind. As much as he loved to get into the gossip deeper, he respected the boundaries his three teammates now had to take care of.

The when’s and how’s were cleared fast. Stating the facts and sharing it with each other as they found themselves in Simon’s room, sitting on his bed. “I mean… something must be wrong if lass actually cheats on him, eh?” Johnny tried to find a reason to blame your behavior and not theirs. Trying to somehow ease his mind. “And ye said ye met her while she was working in a bar? But Cap said she’s a surgeon? Dinnea make any sense…” His hands found some loose strands at the end of his mohawk as he slightly pulled at them.

Simon’s huge, calloused hands found his. As he pulled them away and interlaced his fingers with his. “Do we know for sure…that they’re married?” The question was only above a whisper. Johnny looked in disbelief at him. “They don’t wear a ring.” Simon went through his mind, all the way back to when he met you. To the dinner, to all the times he saw Price’s hands bare in front of him. Never did he saw a ring on the left hand. Not even something like a tan line was imprinted in his brain.

“Maybe they dinnea wear it because of their jobs… I dinnea ken.” He exhaled deeply. Leaning into the side of his partner for comfort.

“Maybe we should ‘st forget about it all… it happened, it’s in the past and now we should draw our distance from her. Strictly.” Simon’s voice was firm, but somehow gentle as his hand ran up and down of Johnny’s spine. Johnny nodded and both were sure, that it wouldn’t be that hard. They haven’t seen you all the years before, so why should that change now?

Well for the next day’s nothing indeed changed. They were going after their choirs on base and prepared everything for the next deployment. Trying to suppress any feelings turning in their stomachs and minds. In the meantime, it was Alex Keller who took a temporally place in their office, trying to get a grip on everything that was happening around. A familiar and friendly face around the base to help when their Captain was still on medical leave. They were just gathered around a table in a briefing room, discussing over some intel they gathered on the last operation when they could hear a knock on the door. Simon’s head snapped into the direction. “C’mon in.”

The door opened and revealed nothing different than your soft features. Johnny’s stomach instantly twisting as he saw your face. It hurt him to see you, how he still had the urge to be close to you. Dreams of the last nights all circling around you, and the things his partner and you did together. Imaging how pretty you’d have to look beneath Simon’s frame. He had dreams about you before, but now it was worse. He couldn’t shake the hot thoughts away when imagine himself and his partner sharing the same woman. And still he knew how all that was way too inappropriate.

“Hello there. John sends his regards. Said you could need that.” You walked over and handed a file to Simon, which eyes stared down at you. Right now, he wasn’t Simon, he was the Ghost. Not letting his emotions and thoughts getting in the way of his job.

“Sunny.” It was Alex’ voice that was heard before Ghost even could say something. He rounded the table to give you a quick and friendly hug. One that lasted a bit longer than Johnny thought was appropriate.

“Don’t let him hear that.” You laughed. While crossing your arms in front of your chest. You knew Alex from before. He was one of the rare mates of John you ever actual met. Even if it was a coincidence, you rather wanted to forget.

Alex let out a quiet chuckle. “Still the same, hm? And I wanted to ask you out for dinner. What a shame.” He gave you a coquettish smirk. The action confused the other members of the 141 even more. “How’s he doing?”

“You’d wish.” Winking at him with a sweet smile. “Better. Nearly ready to go again. Need to keep his arse taped down though.” You laughed, and that was the first time the vibe relaxed a bit. All of them could easily imagine how Price would try to do anything but rest. The thought of you chasing after him to get him to actual rest.

Your glance switched to the clock on your wrist. “Busy as ever?” Alex’s smile dropped a bit. He was always so tender and flirtatious without any further intentions though.

 “You know me too well Keller.” A smile on your lips before you waved them goodbye and went after your business. Even after all those hours after your leaving, Johnny’s thoughts were always pinned to his partners words. And he couldn’t help himself but imagining how you’d feel pressed between both of their sweaty bodies. You were like a drug, and he couldn’t get away, while Simon tried to ditch everything that even had to deal with you. You were a forbidden fruit. Something he didn’t only not deserved but was completely not allowed to even think about. And he managed pretty well. Still, he found himself late at nights, with a naked Scot curled up at his side imagine how you were there with him, with them. How you were pinned on his chest while his mind so hard to chase those thoughts away.

It was four weeks later, when everything changed, and things started to make a bit more sense. The 141 including Alex and John just came back from a mission. It was the first one after Price went back to duty. Everything went well so far, and they found themselves in a nearby pub to celebrate their success and return of their captain. Kyle was the assigned driver for the night while everyone else toasted to their accomplishments. John was already quiet drunk, his medication still wearing on him, mixed with the whiskey rushing through his blood. Alex decided it would be for the best to send him home early. But nobody wanted to leave already. Everyone was into a way to good mood to let the night end already. Especially Johnny, as Simon was found to be a bit more touchy-feely with him. Something that happened very rarely in public, and he was too down for it. Maybe it was because this bar gave him a few memories. Some of them he tried to keep locked in the very last corner of his brain.

That way, Alex tried to be the most reasonable and called you, just as John and Johnny sung along the melody in the pub. Johnny already needed to steady his captain with his own arm while Simon had his hand on the Scots thigh.

“What’s wrong?” Your voice sounded worried as you picked up Alex’ call.

“Why should something be wrong?” Alex tried to calm his voice, trying to sober up just a little bit.

“Alex Keller. You do not just call me in the night when you are on deployment.” You had a scolding tone in your voice. Something he was familiar with. It was the same tone John himself hold all so often.

“We’re already back. It’s just… John…”

“Spit it out.” Your shoulders tensed as you feared the worst.

“He overdid it. I think he needs rest. Maybe you can come get him?” Alex rubbed his neck while his eyes fell onto the statue of Price. He almost clung to Johnny to keep him up. For a soldier that has been through a lot, the mixture of alcohol, pain meds and the last days of operation had grown its toll on him.

“Bloody ‘ell… y’all are drunk, aren’t ya? Stevie’s?” Your accent grew a bit thicker, as you already throw a jacket over your shoulders and took the keys of your car.

“Yeah and thank you.”

It took you about half an hour to arrive at the bar. A bar that belonged to a close friend of John’s. A friend that was a former soldier but retired because of a chronical hearing disability, caused through his job as a demolition expert back then. A bar where Steve now often offered soldiers as a safe space to calm their thoughts. A place you sometimes lend a helping hand when the pain and PTSD got the best of him. This man had risked his own life to save John’s. How could you not help him when he needed a day off? This was only possible when you had your days off of course. Otherwise, you were too occupied to save lives in your own way.

You made your way up to the bar fast, greeting some of the regulars, like Marcus. Bit your greetings to Stevie and get a glass of water. Kyle nearly choked on his drink as he found your figure approaching your table. “Sunshine?” John’s voice was drained as he noticed you, but he tried to stand up. Alex was faster on his feet, pushing him down into his seat again.

“Drink.” Your voice was stern as you pushed the glass into his hand. He followed your order without hesitation. “Things should never have been allowed to come to this pass.” You looked at Alex with a scolding hint in your eyes. The others of the 141 watched the whole scenery with mixed feelings. The grip on the Scots thigh tightened as Simons eyes were pinned onto your figure. The same excitement washing over him as he watched you handling those assholes when he first met you.

Alex stood up and placed his hands on your shoulders. His eyes an unspoken apology, before his mouth accomplished the words. “I am sorry, sunny.”

These words flipped a switch in John’s brain. He was quicker on his feet than anybody could even blink. His statue standing between the both of you and literally ripping Alex’ hands of you. “Don’t you fuckin’ dare, soldier.” Alex stepped back a bit, his hands up in defense. He had seen the captain’s fury before.

That when you forcefully turned him around. “John.” He just wanted to turn back to Alex. That’s when your voice became that same demanding tone as John’s. “Jonathan Price.” It somehow snapped him back, his clouded thoughts sobering up a bit. “Get in the car.” Your tone sent shivers down his spine. Bot not only to John’s. The Scot found himself a bit too aroused by the tone in your voice as he shifted a bit further into the male next to him.

“Sunny…” John’s voice was pleading as he tried to reach out to you. His eyes full of regret.

“Weren’t my words clear enough?” You literal hissed at him. And he shook his head no before walking sloppy out of the pub. Kyle was quick to steady him and help him out. Simon saw Price often with regret clinging to his body, but never with this kind of defeat. You punched the bridge of your nose with a deep exhale. “Next time call earlier.” You looked at Alex and nodded. “Sorry for the interruptions. Enjoy the rest of the night.” You apologized and smiled genuine at the remaining members on the table, who looked at you with a certain understanding, while everything in their eyes screamed to take you somewhere else. Somewhere behind closed doors to go after those inappropriate fantasies that were haunting their dreams. But they could do nothing to stare after you while you left. Still eyes pinned on the door you walked through minutes later as Kyle just returned, a wide grin on his lips, that somehow didn’t make any sense to Simon nor Johnny.

“What’s ‘e face about?” Simon’s voice was a low grumble. Trying to process everything that just happened.

“You’ll see soon enough.” Kyle laughed while Alex took the place next to him again.

This revelation came sooner than everyone expected. It was at the next day. The men already gathered for some breakfast as their captain returned to base. His head a bit lower than usual. “I wanted to apologize.” He looked at all his team members, but mostly at Alex who only nodded. But before Alex could answer John continued. “I stepped a line.” Simon looked at him in disbelief. Never did he noticed such an undertone lingering in between his words. It was nearly hurt.

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“Sir, due to all respect, but if my sister would’ve been through the same… I wouldn’t have act any different.” Alex’ hand found the shoulder of the older man. A reassuring smile on his lips as Price only nodded. The rumbling inside John’s heart settling more and more. While this whole situation only established a deep longing in Johnny’s stomach. Sister…you weren’t his wife. You were his little sister. Neither him nor Simon had broken into your relationship. Johnny shoved all the thoughts of the eventual reaction of their captain aside. Maybe there was still hope for the dreams he had. Maybe he could reach them somehow. His eyes found those of his partner, who already stared at back at him and Johnny could’ve sworn to see some of the same kind of desire in those brown orbs.

@cooliofango @ghostslillady @anothersimpsblog

#cod x reader #cod mw x reader #simon riley x reader #ghost x reader #simon ghost x reader #soap x reader #soap x ghost #soap x reader x ghost #ghost x reader x soap #simon riley #simon ghost riley #john soap mactavish #john soap mctavish x reader #johnny soap mctavish x reader #johnny mactavish x reader #johnny mactavish #task force 141 #task force 141 x reader #john price cod #kyle gaz garrick

[belladonnadawn]

Is It Over Now?

“You dream of my mouth before it called you a lying traitor.”

Zaros x Reader

You catch yourself in a whirlwind of emotions after seeing him again.

When you were young, your future was already predetermined. You accepted the responsibility of being a future heir of Serulla. And after you met Zaros, you admit that you had imagined a future that includes him. But life was as unpredictable, bringing you to places you never thought you’d find yourself in.

You remembered the fateful day and how things unfolded. A familiar ache swarmed your body as if you were there once again. The scene replayed, fresh from the memories.

“You are a disgusting leech who won my trust, only to break me after. Knowing you is my greatest regret, I never want to see your face again.”

The grip in your glass tightened as the words echoed once again. A tinge of guilt and anger surged you once more. Before those ugly emotions consume you swallow it down with the drink, burning your throat. You shook your head, preventing those thoughts from lingering again. 

Instead, you turned your attention to your duties. Observing and relishing yourself at the lavish banquet filled with lords and ladies, and other nobles from across the land with a variety of delicacies you’ll gladly indulge. There's no time for sulking when you have subjects to attend to. You composed yourself, wearing the same smile you practised in the mirror. 

Walking down with your head high, you were greeted with such honour and respect. Some are welcoming, some are visibly intimidated. You paid no mind, you understand how high the tension was especially in the upcoming ascension. It was exhilarating, drowning in power that people bestowed felt akin to wearing such a heavy crown. 

Your heart skipped a beat as your eyes landed on him. A wave of irritation, longing, and nostalgia flowed through you. You had anticipated his arrival, but you never thought that it could feel this way. Zaros is as handsome and insufferable as ever. He walked towards you carrying himself with that familiar manner.

“Not enjoying the party? You look as bored as the dead.” You felt your teeth clench as you heard his smooth pesky voice. You took a deep breath before responding, “There’s no need to worry, I am enjoying myself thoroughly.” plastering a fake smile, you answered him as politely as you can.

“You look pitiful standing here on your own.” Zaros scoffed as he looked at you from head to toe. 

You didn’t give him the satisfaction of revelling in your reaction, so you just gave him a half hearted smile, hoping he’ll go away. But he never did.

Minutes passed and Zaros continued to talk about the upcoming ascension and the dominion. So far you also heard snide remarks, jabs, and insults to get reaction out of you– sometimes, bringing out the past to poke deeper. You decided to practice the virtue of patience and understand his attitude; so you put up with it for tonight.

All of the sudden, you saw him reach his hand out. “Want to dance?’ Zaros offered and all you can do is look at him as if he’s a madman. You tolerated his remarks and mockery, but a dance? It was beyond your endurance.

“Pardon?” You tilted your head, hoping that this was just one of his teasing.

“What better way to show we’re getting along?” Zaros smirked.

“A conversation just like what we were having.” You immediately answered.

“You don’t think so? You have everything to gain.” 

“What gain?”

“Like the love of your soon to be subjects. Knowing that you can dance with a leech and still keep calm.” He spoke with pride, using the same undertone. You almost groaned at that damned ‘nickname’, you used it against him and now he’s using it against you. Unbelievable. Nevertheless, you begrudgingly accepted.

Dancing with him was pleasurable– if he only knew when to close his mouth. You remembered what they taught you, and with Zaros, your bodies flowed smoothly to the rhythm. There’s a part of you that missed the closeness, one that found your longing satiated. The other part was still as bitter and dismissive, wanting nothing to do with him.

As you both swayed into the music, you can’t help but observe him and wonder. Eight years ago, you didn’t have to watch him from afar. There was no need for formality, nor acts of civility. No snarky remarks, hurtful banters, nor mockery thrown towards each other. However, time has passed; you can’t be the naive child like you were back then. While you understand that one day both of you would grow, you never anticipated that you’ll grow apart. You looked away, tightening the mask that you wear. Responsibility has no time for insignificant relations, and you’ll always remember that.

“Today we contest the seat of Ilves.”

Gasps and murmurs filled the room at Lady Nira Atha’lin’s declaration. Surprise filled your face as you witnessed it play out. You were prepared for any declaration of contesting, but you never expected that it would be from the family of Zaros. Looking at him, you watched him consent to the decision, it felt unreal. Who could’ve known that he’d be truly your rival?

You watched your mother accept the decision gracefully. “Then as per the law all contenders must reside in the palace until the trials are concluded. I shall retain my position in the meantime and will officially renounce my title when our future ruler is justly selected.” Reside in the palace. Your eyes widened, realizing that your interaction with him would be longer than anticipated. 

“Thank you for your patience and your support. Though my rule will soon come to an end the night has only just begun. So please enjoy the rest of your time here.” The room was filled with applause and cheers as Queen Roena concluded, but you can’t help but stand in shock. Having to interact with Zaros almost everyday after what happened between you felt like the biggest challenge despite the trial not starting yet.

A small glance was exchanged between you and Zaros. Life with him at the palace was new and unpredictable. And somehow, you’re looking forward to it.

Pattern banner from Cafekitsune.

#zsakuva #sakuverse #zsakuva zaros #zaros x reader

[faulty-writes]

[ Okay I know I promised that I would publish a part II forever ago. But better late than never! So...this is a continuation of this request from lovely Daysans-World (Tumblr isn't letting me tag them, boo) and fair warning, this features a female reader. I hope you enjoy it. Writing Neito is fun. He’s slightly yandere, slightly preppy, and beautifully ignorant. It’s amazing. ]

You groaned, rounding the corner that led to the student housing. Leaning against a nearby tree, you catch your breath before fisting your hand into your hair. ‘What is wrong with me!? I’ve only known the guy for a day! Maybe less…’ honestly it didn’t matter.

In the short span of your time with him, he managed to get you to speak more words to him than you had anyone outside of the General Studies Department. That was strange enough, seriously what kind of power did Neito have over you?

Scratch that, you weren’t sure if you wanted to know. Yet that didn’t change the fact that you never anticipated someone like him being able to do that. Although this could be another example of the type of characteristics that can be found in heroes or maybe just in Neito.

“Y/n?” you paused and turned to see Hitoshi. He was a former general studies student who had tried his hardest to get into the hero course. You were happy for him, and he was still one of the few people that you weren’t afraid to talk to.

“Oh, hi Shinso…” you replied, giving a nervous chuckle as you lowered your hand. “Something wrong?” he asked, although his voice always sounded monotone to you. Did he ever show any emotion? Well, now wasn’t the time to think about that.

“Um, n-no!” you replied, waving your hands like mad. “Uh, I mean well…” you scratched the side of your head before a thought came. “Hey,” you said, “do you know Momona?” Hitoshi’s eyes widened in recognition before he glanced away, rubbing the back of his neck.

“...yeah,” he replied, but you sensed something was off about his answer. It was like he didn’t want to talk about it. You latched onto your lip which was beginning to feel sore. “Um, do you…do you know anything about him?” Hitoshi knitted his eyebrows.

“What do you mean?” he replied, and you were almost afraid to look at him for fear you’d see suspicion in his eyes. “Just, I…” you paused, should you tell him that you agreed to let Neito be a part of your project? Maybe not. “I want to know more about him,” you said. “What?” Hitoshi replied, “Why?” he added.

“No reason just…” you shifted your eyes back and forth, trying to devise an excuse. “I think he’s cool?” you said, shrugging and hoping that Hitoshi wouldn’t be able to sense that you were lying to him. “Hm, cool huh?” he asked, crossing his arms. “Y-yes?” you replied, shrugging. He glanced away, huffing.

“He’s annoying…has no sense of personal space and is overdramatic,” at least those were the first three things that came to his mind. He noticed that your face dropped, and your eyes held a shattered look as if he had smashed some hope you had related to Neito.

He sighed. “He was also the first one that welcomed me as his friend,” your eyes widened. “R-really?” He nodded. “Guess that says something about his character, most are put off by me, but he saw strength in my abilities,” a smile tugged at the corner of your lips.

You should be writing this down, then again, this information wasn’t exactly related to your project so you could let it go for now. “Thank you, Shinso!” you said politely and rushed past him before he could say anything more.

That night, thoughts of Neito clouded your mind as you lay in your bed with your heart pounding. It was a strange feeling, and you wondered what was happening. ‘Am I…happy?’ The thought seemed ridiculous, and you shook your head before turning on your side, focusing your attention on the wall.

“Ah! Mr. Aizawa ruined everything!” Neito screamed as he raised his arms above his head before entangling his hands in his hair. “Am I truly cursed to not have one peaceful moment with my dear Y/n, she’s surely the most tolerable and shyest of the creatures here at Yuuei and I want her to myself!”

He stomped his foot against the ground. “Surely no one else is worthy of caring for her!” A chuckle filled the air and he paused, looking around like mad to find the source of the noise. “Excuse you! It’s rude to eavesdrop on another’s conversation!” he snapped, continuing to look around.

“Or is it that you’re interested in Y/n as well!?” he growled, ready to fight whoever was laughing at him. “Not at all dude, but your shouting is kind of loud. I thought something was up, so I came to check out the scene!” Neito knitted his eyebrows, clearly perplexed.

“Tch and just where are you?” He asked, crossing his arms. “Look at your feet dude,” he blinked and sure enough when he looked down, he saw the face of Mirio phased through the ground and stumbled back. “You!?” he shouted in response.

“Heh, yeah,” Mirio smiled, “wait right here, I’ll be back!” With that, he disappeared once more. “The nerve of him,” Neito grumbled, tapping his foot against the ground. The sound of birds chirping in the distance and the leaves rustling surrounded him.

Beyond the tree line, he could see the sun beginning to set and the sky turning various hues of red, orange, and yellow. He frowned, his mind still lingering with thoughts of you. ‘Oh dear, what will I do to get her close to me?’ There had to be a way to crack that hard shell of yours.

“Heyo!” Neito turned, watching as Mirio approached. He scowled and his body stiffened in response, yes most would respect upperclassmen but not in this case. Not when they tried to steal you away from him. “What do you want?” He asked with a glare.

“Oh uh, heh,” Mirio noticed this but decided to be friendly regardless. “You’re the one I saw in the library earlier, right?” he asked, placing his hands on his hips, and smiling but Neito gave no response. “I’m still really sorry about that,” he said, scratching the side of his head.

“I wasn’t trying to interfere just-” he stepped back when Neito pointed his finger at him. “Just what?! How dare you interrupt my moment with Y/n,” he said with a snarl, this upperclassman was no better than Mr. Aizawa. “What else are you planning to ruin between us? Why are you even here?” he demanded.

“Uh, well you see…” he could have sworn he told him that earlier, but oh well. Maybe he just wasn’t paying attention, after all, he did kind of startle him. “I…I couldn’t help but overhear your dilemma, and I’m here to help!” he declared with a wink and smile.

Neito growled. “Help? Hah, that’s quite humorous but I don’t need any help,” he declared, turning his back on Mirio. “Are you sure?” he replied, knitting his eyebrows. “Y/n seemed pretty shy in the library and well…if there’s anything I can do to help her, let me know!” Maybe it was just hard for him to accept no as an answer.

Especially when it seemed that Neito did need his help. “After all, the best way to get to know someone is by doing nice things for them!” Neito glanced to the side, tapping his chin in thought. What did he know about you? From observing you as long as he did, he could recall a few things.

Onigiri was one of your favorite snacks, you worked hard on your academic studies but also enjoyed reading mystery novels on your own time. When you talked with other general studies students, you displayed a deep sense of care for them.

Of course, it was a mystery to him as to why you cared for others. But he wasn’t so ignorant as to completely disregard what it felt like to care for another. “Are you suggesting that if I were to give Y/n the things she likes, she would open up to me?” he asked, turning to face Mirio.

“Uh, well I think there’s more to it than that! But sure!” he said shrugging. “Hm…” Neito nodded. “Very well, I’m happy I thought of that,” he said walking past Mirio whose eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to speak, but decided against it as he watched the lowerclassmen walk away.

“Here!” Neito declared, slamming a box onto the table in the library and nearly scaring you half to death. “Huh?” you knitted your eyebrows, noting that what he so rudely slammed down was an ordinary box covered in light blue wrapping paper with colorful bows across the top of it.

“Um, y-you…” Neito smirked. “Yes of course, I, the one and only Phantom Thief have presented you with a gift,” and of course, it was better than any other gift you could receive from any other ordinary everyday boring student.

Your heart began to pound and couldn’t help but smile as you unwrapped the gift. “Oh,” you marveled when you saw several pieces of delicious and differently flavored onigiri inside. In addition, there were a few mouth-watering drinks.

You picked one up, quickly reading the label before looking at the pink-colored liquid that had bits of strawberries floating in it. However, you ended up dropping it when Neito’s hand hit the table. He seemed to ignore the fact that the bottle had rolled off said table and onto the floor.

“Yes, I know. Quite amazing, isn’t it? Now…” he reached over, grasping your chin to lift your head. “What do you say?” he asked. “Huh?” you blinked before realizing what he wanted. “Oh, t-thank you!” Had you forgotten to thank him!?

He smirked at your response. “Oh, you’re quite welcome,” he said, leering at you possessively. “Now then,” he took the seat opposite you and folded his hands on the table. “Hm?” you looked at him before taking an onigiri out of the box.

You then made sure it was closed and placed it on the floor next to your chair. You picked up the drink you had dropped earlier and placed it on the table before adjusting yourself in your seat. Then you unwrapped the onigiri you had chosen and took a bite, waiting for Neito to speak.

“I do hope Mr. Aizawa’s intrusion didn’t disturb you too much, although it was rather rude for you to run away without giving me a goodbye.” His words made you freeze, and you thought about speaking in your defense but knowing Neito, it wouldn’t make a difference.

You grumbled and glanced away before taking another bite of your food, you chewed it slowly and swallowed. “Why…” your question faded into the air making you groan in frustration. After yesterday, you shouldn’t be having a problem talking to him. You took a deep breath, ignoring how Neito leaned closer.

‘Okay, I can do this…his eyes are on me.’ You tried to ignore your rapid heart rate and flushed cheeks. “Why…d-did you…w-want to become a…he-hero?!” You exclaimed, squeezing your eyes shut and cringing as your voice echoed through the library.

“Hm?” Neito blinked, looking at you with surprise before he smiled. “Awe is my dear Y/n finally coming out of her shell?” he teased, noticing the way your cheeks grew a darker shade of red. Oh, how he loved knowing he was the cause of it.

He chuckled before leaning back in his chair, the smile fading from his face. You noticed this and suddenly felt awkward and guilty, had you caused him to get sad!? “Y-you don’t have to…u-uh, I, u-um…” he shook his head.

“No, it’s quite alright. After all, I agreed to be a part of your project, it’s only natural to want to know the past of someone as marvelous as I!” he declared, brushing his hand over his bangs although you couldn’t help but wonder if he was putting up a front.

That frown had to mean something, have you struck a nerve? A painful past? Now that you thought about it, maybe villains weren’t the only ones with a painful past. Did heroes have them too? He took a deep breath and sighed.

“As a child, I was mercilessly teased!” he declared dramatically, pressing one hand against his chest. “Others called my quirk useless,” your eyes widened. “Useless?” you repeated with a frown. How could others have said such a cruel thing to him?

“Of course, I vowed to become a hero to prove them wrong. Their taunts surely couldn’t hold me down,” he said with a smirk. “Mmhm,” you replied. At least he found the courage to overcome the obstacles that tried to stop him from becoming a hero and maybe that’s why he acted the way he did.

It wasn’t to make others feel small, but rather to continue to make himself feel bigger than those bullies. “Of course, there are also the familial expectations,” your thoughts were broken. “Familial…e-expectations?” you repeated, feeling your heart sink in your chest.

“Oh yes, the pressure to maintain good grades and appearances and all that. It’s really quite exhausting living up to certain expectations,” he admitted with a dramatic sigh. You narrowed your eyes and focused on the look of hurt that now danced in his.

As much as you wanted to tell him about your family’s expectations, you instead placed what was left of your onigiri down and hesitantly reached across the table and laid your hand over his. He gasped at the contact, and you immediately pulled away.

“S-sorry!” you exclaimed, the heat in your cheeks rising. “I...I m-mean I wasn’t...I j-just...I uh...” You looked at him, swallowing thickly as he raised his eyebrow. Glancing down, you expected him to say something rude in response, but instead, he reached over, taking your hand.

“Huh?” You raised your head, watching as he slid his palm along yours, aligning your fingers. His hand, you noticed, felt warm and his skin smooth. “Um...” you latched onto your lip, nervously chewing it before finding the courage to ask what he was doing.

“Shh,” he responded and slowly slipped his fingers between yours and smiled as he stared at your now conjoined hands. It wasn’t like any smile he had given before. There was something softer, loving about it. Like he had just witnessed the most beautiful thing in the world and then he muttered the words, “Perfect fit.”

To say that such words caught you off guard would be an understatement. That same sensation from last night came when you looked at your hand cradled in his. A smile then enveloped your features. ‘Maybe this is happiness,’ you confirmed, squeezing his hand gently.

Silence filled the space between the two of you as you enjoyed this happy moment. But then, a thought entered your mind, and it was this thought that shattered the smile on your face to pieces. “Hm? Is something the matter?” he asked, feeling insulted that you were frowning because he was currently holding your hand.

You shook your head. “N-no,” you said, looking at him again. “Nothing’s um…wrong.” A sigh escaped your lips moments later, causing him to knit his eyebrows. He opened his mouth, prepared to ask what was wrong again, but you spoke first.

“My family a-also has certain…e-expectations…and...” You looked away from him, rubbing the side of your neck. Why you were even telling him this, you didn’t know. Neito narrowed his eyes as he watched your cheeks turn a luscious pink.

Although he was quite astounded by this, he was envious that he wasn’t the cause of it…maybe even a little angry. “And what?” He growled, making you knit your eyebrows as you looked at him. For a moment, you wondered if what you had said made him angry.

Maybe he was just angry that the attention had shifted to you. Regardless of the happy moment the two of you shared earlier, you still thought Neito was a bit selfish and obsessed with himself. “Um…” you looked down, partly wondering if you should actually tell him or not.

Then again, you were trying to bond with him in a sense, and he had told you details about his life he surely wouldn’t have shared with anyone else. So, you took a deep breath and let it out. “T-they have expectations about my…f-future love life…” It was like a lightning bolt passed through his chest, causing his heart to crumble.

“W-what!?” He snapped in reply, standing from his seat and ignoring the people who were now staring because of his outburst causing your cheeks to darken into a rich red color. “Uh, M-Monoma…” You said, sinking in your seat.

However, he wasn’t willing to listen to reason and shook his head. “What on Earth do you mean they have expectations, surely they do not intend to marry you off to…to...” He clenched his jaw, trying to think of the correct words. “Some immature individual who could never hope to measure up to the greatness I display!”

He pressed his hands against the table and leaned over, intent on speaking more until he saw the expression on your face. Like a kicked puppy, a frown decorated your lips, and your eyes were dull as if someone had ripped out your very soul.

He blinked. “Y/n?” he questioned, and you latched onto your lip before gathering your things from the table and quickly putting them into your backpack. “Y/n?” he repeated, panic and concern dripping from his voice. “I-I’ll see you later, Monoma…” you said, slipping your backpack over your shoulders.

“Wait!” he half-heartedly called, but you left the library in a hurry. More importantly, you left the gift he had so generously given you and the drink you had placed on the table. “Mm…” he frowned, obviously confused and angry as to why you had reacted the way you did to his words.

Days passed, and Neito found himself increasingly anxious. He hated to admit that he was feeling such a way, and it was hard to keep up his confidence when he hadn’t seen you. Even when he happened to catch a glimpse of you, it was clear you were going out of your way to avoid him.

He pondered if his words were the reason behind your drastic actions and eventually, he was unable to contain his frustration. “Ah!” He shouted into the night. Having been unable to sleep, he decided wandering the grounds of the student housing campus may help him.

But unfortunately, it didn’t. His mind was still fixated on you and more importantly, “How can I get her to fall for me!?” He raised his arms above his head and sighed dramatically before his knees buckled. He fell to the ground with his fists twisted into the grass.

“Heh, so I take it that Y/n didn’t receive your gifts well?” His body instantly snapped up and he looked around, uncertain of where the voice had come from. “Huh?” He raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. Surely, he was not going mad.

He sighed, then again, perhaps you had something to do with that. Oh, how could he get you to see him the way that he saw you? He clenched his jaw, feeling his body heat up and anger rush through his veins. He stood on his feet.

“Hmp,” he grumbled before turning around only to stumble straight into someone else. He cried out, and his nose crinkled at the rather cheap smell that invaded his nostrils. He looked up, only to see Mirio smiling down at him.

He cried out in disgust and attempted to shove him away, but due to their stature difference, Mirio remained where he was, and Neito ended up stumbling back because of his actions. “Heh, did I scare you? Sorry about that, totally didn’t mean to!” The upperclassman commented, only to have Neito growl in response.

“So, what happened between you and Y/n? Did my suggestion not work as well as you hoped?” He asked, ignoring Neito’s glare. “I should have known better than to take advice from anyone,” he stated, stomping his foot against the ground. “I will win over Y/n myself! I do not need your help,” he declared, walking away.

Mirio tilted his head, somewhat confused by what he was seeing, but waved him goodbye. “Well, alright! But you know you could just confess your feelings. That is if you want Y/n to know how much you care about her,” Neito stopped and looked at Mirio from over his shoulder.

“Confess…my…feelings?” He repeated, his eyes shifting back and forth. “Yup,” Mirio replied, placing his hands on his hips. “After all, how can you expect someone to fall for you if they don’t even know how you feel in the first place?” He blinked, before tapping his chin a few times.

He thought he had already made his feelings for you clear. Then again, you were rather shy and antisocial. Why of course! That must be why you remained unreceptive to his actions and words. You needed him to be clearer. Yes, yes! That was it.

He simply needed to tell you how he felt about you straight-forward and then, oh yes, you would no doubt fall for him. It was a perfectly devised plan. “Hm, very well. Perhaps confessing my feelings for Y/n would be beneficial,” he replied and tried to ignore the rather absurd smile that Mirio gave him.

“That sounds awesome! Good luck!” He stated, and despite receiving a rather obscene glare from the underclassmen, he was still happy for him. Although confessing your feelings wasn’t easy, from what he had already seen Neito was quite the character and in a way, anyone would be lucky to have someone with such confidence in their life.

In the back of his mind, however, he couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if Neito got rejected. Yikes, probably nothing good. But if that did happen, he’d try his best to help. Broken hearts kind of sucked, but they could be healed with plenty of support from friends.

Despite your conflicting feelings, you found yourself sitting in the library, at your usual table, which over the past week had also become Neito’s table. You weren’t sure why you were even here, but you knew that Neito wasn’t exactly the most thoughtful with his words.

More than likely, he didn’t realize just how intense the romantic pressure your family placed on you was. Frankly, it disgusted you that they wanted to marry you off to whoever they thought was best for you. It was a wonder what they’d think of Neito and his unorthodox method of trying to court you.

If you were honest, the possessive nature that he held over you was also a bit unnerving. Then again, it was probably his ego talking, and after everything he had gone through, including people making fun of his quirk and putting him down, it was understandable why he would be prideful.

However, that was no excuse to oversell yourself or try to claim someone else as your own. Yet, it was nice to know that someone wanted you that bad. Someone who aspired to do good through his hero work and had overcome his inner demons.

So maybe you were just sitting here in hopes he’d come to you. Little did you know that was exactly what was going to happen. His heart was pounding in his chest, and a warm hue coursed through his cheeks giving them a pink appearance.

He ran past the doors of the library, startling the few students standing around or browsing through the nearby shelves. He frantically looked around and a sense of relief rushed over him when he spotted you. His lip quivered, a sensation that was entirely new to him.

Yet, he knew that you were the reason behind it, and it was almost scary thinking that someone such as yourself had this kind of power over him. But perhaps that was love. Yes, he would admit that he was a tad bit obsessed with you.

However, his affection stemmed from the fact that you were vastly different from everyone else. He took a deep breath. ‘Pull yourself together, you’re Neito Monoma!’ He reminded himself, curling his hands into fists before he made his way to your table.

“Hm?” You held your breath when you lifted your head and saw him walking toward you, just as you predicted. It was almost as though the two of you were drawn to this space, to one another. You noticed the unusual nervous expression he wore, and it perplexed you. Why was he nervous? If anyone should be nervous, it should be you.

As he stood in front of the table, the pink color that filled his cheeks turned a soft red. He glanced away and rubbed the side of his neck. Oh, how would he confess to you? Surely you wouldn’t accept his feelings if they weren’t presented in the most perfect way possible. Then again…perhaps feelings were askew for a reason.

They were not something one asked for, and in some cases, couldn’t control. He took a deep breath and felt a tingle course through him, it was almost like lightning. It caused his hair to stand on end and only intensified when he locked eyes with you.

He stumbled forward, slamming his hands on the table to ensure he truly had your attention. Your eyes widened in response, and yes, you looked at him with an expression that danced somewhere between confusion and irritation. Why did he do that in the first place?

He smirked and leaned over, despite the damned butterflies in his stomach, he poured out his emotions. “Y-you!” He stated with a pointed finger. “My…pursuit of you has proved to be difficult, and although I desired you because of your unusual personality-” You looked at him strangely.

“Unusual...personality?” you repeated, almost sounding offended. He nodded and while he could go into detail, now wasn’t the time for that. “My plan to court you,” he continued, “by insisting on being the star topic of your presentation has...fallen apart.” He glanced away, feeling more shameful than anything.

He hated failure and yes maybe that stemmed from his family’s expectations. Unlike you, however, he had a choice when it came to his love life, and he chose you. Yes, you, and damn anyone else. You kept looking at him perplexed. This was not what you expected.

He glanced back at you, his cheeks remaining a soft red. “I…I do not know why you acted the way you did when I attempted to claim courtship rights over you despite your familial expectations. Perhaps romance makes you uncomfortable,” he dreaded to think his courting methods made you feel such a way.

But surely that was ridiculous. As he had stated many times, no one was more perfect for you than him. “I’m more than certain you know I will not stop my pursuit,” he hissed, he had to at least make that clear. He placed one hand on his hip, and the other remained pressed against the table.

His head turned to the side, and he closed his eyes. His lips curled up as if he had smelled something foul. “You are truly naive if you believe that I would allow your family to hand you off to anyone who is not me!” He snapped, placing the hand that was against his hip on his chest.

Your heart fluttered, you knew family matters, especially dealing with arranged marriages and love, were complicated. And even if Neito’s affection was somewhat yandere, it was clear that he wouldn’t let your family control you. Your thoughts were shattered when you heard him huff.

“The thought of losing you to…another is just…unethical. Nobody could take better care of you than I, Neito Monoma!” He announced and before you could react, he raced around the table to stand in front of you and took your hand.

Your soft delicate hand that he never wanted to let go. Then he got down on one knee as if he were proposing, and while you wouldn’t put that past him, it was clear there was another reason he was doing it. Once he was situated, he pressed your hand against his chest, and you could feel the rapid flutter of his heart.

You were a little worried that he might need to see Recovery Girl. But even if you suggested that, he would refuse until he said what he needed to say. He narrowed his eyes with determination. “I will not stop my pursuit of you,” he repeated, before taking a deep breath.

“As such, I vow to become the ideal hero for you.” Even if he had said similar things to you over the past week, a wave of surprise and a feeling of newfound hope coursed through your veins and a gentle smile formed on your face.

He felt a tinge of nerves once again consume him when you leaned forward, parting your lips to speak. This was it. Were you going to reject or accept his feelings? Either way, it didn’t matter. He’d wear you down until you were his.

Much to his surprise, you said, “I…accept your feelings.” Although you couldn’t tell him how to feel in the first place. His mouth hung open, making you chuckle. That look of confusion and shock was a rare sight, but he shook his head, soon regaining his composure as he stood back up.

“W-well of course you would,” he said, using that familiar know-it-all tone that you had gotten all too associated with. He then cleared his throat before noticing an exhibition board lying against one of the legs of the table. “What is that?” He questioned, pointing to it.

You turned your head and your stomach twisted. Oh, so he had noticed it. You took a deep breath, rubbing your hands along your thighs before grabbing it. “I…f-finished my project,” you said, opening it to reveal three separate panels.

The words ‘Pro Hero or Student: Traits that Make Both Shine’ were across the top of it. On the first panel, you had an explanation of what you were doing with your project and the traits you had experimented with. The middle panel displayed pictures of famous heroes and the qualities they possessed.

Finally on the last panel was a picture of Phantom Thief, Neito’s hero alias, and underneath was information regarding the versatility of his quirk, the traits he had in common with your selection of pro heroes, and why they were stronger.

Although flattered, he was expecting more of the focus to be on him. Surely, he should have taken up all three panels. But this was a start, at least the General Studies Department would know how amazing he was. He smiled pridefully and looked at you.

“Well, perhaps your next assigned project can truly focus on me,” he said, already making assumptions. You resisted the urge to roll your eyes and closed the exhibition board before placing it back against the leg of the table. “I…e-even after what you said I…I wanted to w-work on the project…” you admitted.

“I thought it was t-the right thing to d-do because…” you paused and Neito leaned closer, eager to hear what you had to say about him. You took a deep breath, feeling heat course through your cheeks. The weight of his stare was certainly heavy but welcomed.

You turned your gaze back on him. “You’ve been through so much a-and despite your attitude,” which while unpleasant sometimes also was welcomed, “y-you’re an amazing person,” you stated before glancing away. You could feel your cheeks growing hotter by the second and your confidence skyrocketing.

“And…if what you say i-is true, that you’d never l-let my family marry me to anyone else then…” you swallowed unsure of how you’d phrase this. “I want you in my life,” yup. There it was. The conclusion of your project-themed journey with Neito. Sure…he was egotistical, pushy, and at times had no common decency when it came to manners.

But he was still determined, always looking to do the right thing, and willing to do whatever it took to protect those he cared about. Even through the negativity and doubt that people had regarding his abilities as a hero, he sought to prove them wrong.

Of course, you suspected that he also sought to prove to himself that he had what it took to become a hero. To rise above naysayers was a quality to be admired; maybe sometime soon, he could teach you how to be a social butterfly or at least speak to other students outside of your department.

Then again, maybe it was better not to think about social interaction now. His face was beaming and the expression that danced in his eyes reflected that loving and caring side that he often kept concealed. “Oh Y/n!” he exclaimed, making you yelp in surprise when he embraced you and proceeded to nuzzle his head against yours.

He loved the floral and fruity scent that permeated from your hair and invaded his nostrils. It gave him a sense of peace before he pulled away. “What a glorious moment this is!” He said, taking hold of your hands. “Come!” He stated, and without warning yanked you out of your chair.

“What!?” You exclaimed as he pulled you against him once more and smirked. A soft chuckle escaped him before he leaned closer. “You are rather adorable when taken by surprise, perhaps I’ll do this more often,” he said, wrapping an arm around your waist.

“For now, I believe a celebration is in order,” you knitted your eyebrows. A celebration? For what? Your newfound friendship? Your acceptance of his feelings? It was so hard to determine what was going through his mind. But you allowed him to lead you out of the library regardless.

While he rambled on about getting some type of latte, something dawned on you. Your life was going to change drastically now that Neito was part of it. Then again, you had a feeling the more traits you learned about him, the closer the two of you would become. 

#neito x female reader #bnha x fem!reader #monoma x y/n #bnha x female reader #bnha x reader #bnha x you #bnha x y/n #monoma x female reader #monoma x reader #neito x reader #faulty writes: neito monoma: 23 #faulty writes: neito monoma: hero studies series: 23

[inviisiiblelee]

The Beginning of a Lifetime

Fandom: Hazbin Hotel Word Count: 2,030 Rating: Teen and Up Audience Relationship: Alastor/Vox Additional Tags: Vox is named George Taylor, Vox is Brand New, Alastor Has a Heart (Hazbin Hotel), Fluff, First Meetings, i love writing about first meetings, Vox died in the 40s, Probably only a handful of years after Alastor at most, Alastor Takes Vox Under His Wings, porting from AO3, link included above if prefered. Notes: Always based around headcanons. I named him George Taylor simply because its a really non-unique and generic type of name. Meant for a boring, plain little man. I thought about V names like how Angel is Anthony, but I was looking up popular names for boys born in 1890's when I headcanon Vox was probably born and wanted to stay within the top of popularity. A (late) entry for RadioStatic week day 1. Enjoy! <3 Meant to rival in name my other work, The End of a Lifetime, too.

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George Taylor was not a violent man in life, and to be faced with so much violence immediately in Hell? He was absolutely not ready. Not only was he unprepared for the levels of pure chaos, but even his own body was beyond a little different. He couldn’t say it didn’t make some sense, he’d only died with a large television set dropped directly onto his head. Turns out that’s quite enough pressure to cause the skull to give in and be crushed completely. He had enemies, sure, while alive, it wasn’t something that could be easily avoided in the line of business he had pursued, at the end of the day. And some of those people were more temperamental than he was, but that was where his disarming charm was used the best. He could talk a majority of people down from a direct conflict, could sugar his words just right so that they would feel reassured. White lies, little seeds of doubt or warmth, a way of wriggling into their hearts and minds. He was good at it. He was just a plain, simple man, anyway. What was intimidating of someone as plain as him? Dressed well and groomed, with an easy smile and all the patience in the world. A soft voice, dulcet tones, easy airs of confidence and pleasantry. It worked.

Usually. 

His life’s final confrontation was impossible to ease down, and George was not a fighter in any way. He could be quick on his feet, but fear, while motivating, didn’t make it easy. It wasn’t as though it wasn’t a fair experience - he’d gotten the man booted from his job, needled down with debt, and serving time for something he definitely did not do, as a star witness who lied on the stand in full confidence and with the performance of a lifetime. It made sense he was murdered, and it made perfect sense he found himself here in Hell, something he did, at least, gather quickly.

He didn’t anticipate some sort of warm welcome, of course, no group of happy campers to explain how things worked or to help him out, but he also didn’t quite anticipate being jumped and pushed into an alleyway by a small group of three rough looking demons (he had to guess? Surely that was what they were called?) who threw him to the ground, searched his pockets, slammed his head against a wall, and took his slightly worn out jacket and his shoes of all things, considering he had nothing else to offer. He wasn’t sure how a television of a head could lead to the pain shooting through his back and limbs, and while he was unsure of anything else that was injured, it hurt more than he liked to admit, and trying to stand led to such severe vertigo that he slid down against the wall and just stayed there. 

He had never been so beaten down so fast while alive, even as a sickly sort. He was often ill, pushing through regardless and a little less than sturdy as a result, but he’d always been able to keep some sort of victimization at bay. Yet here he was now, exhausted already, in pretty poor shape and relative thundering pain, hazy vision and some sort of buzzing in the back of his mind that was steadily growing. It was a little distracting, really, and he sort of leaned into the sound, trying to follow it, the odd tones and shifting noise. It reminded him of an older time, before he was a television personality, back when he worked in the industry fixing problems with the tech. It was a sound mostly associated with audio problems, really. He wondered how deep the effects of having such a … changed physical form went. He hadn’t even had the opportunity to really look or examine it much before things went down, anyway.

Static was building in his head, and George was finding it hard to think. The sound of it shifted and changed every moment, pitch and tone flowing up and down like someone trying to tune an old instrument, except interspersed by buzzing and screeching of something electronic. Like a speaker ruined by water, or being in general interfered with. He tried reaching out to it mentally in some way, a sort of … internal troubleshooting. It felt weird and almost nauseating to explore, but he was trying to make any sense of it. He found he could sort of lower the volume of it, but it kept rising even when he did, steadily, and eventually he gave up, letting the buzzing, shrill feedback take over his mind. 

He barely noticed a shadow tower over him.

But he did. He saw it projected along the ground and over his person, and his heart dropped into his stomach. A soft little plea for mercy escaped him, and he realized he had been whimpering quietly for a little while now. He hadn’t noticed in the whirlwind of emotion and sensation, and something akin to tears appeared to be dripping from his screen. It felt weird. A chill settled over him, and he felt fear sink into his soul. 

George looked up at the person causing the shadow. Shades of red, black accents, a demon dressed rather formally and holding something that looked like both a cane and some sort of … microphone? The buzzing was so loud in his ears, and then it abruptly cut quiet as the looming form spoke.

“Good to see you, old friend.” A hand was outstretched to him, the friendliest gesture anyone had shown him so far, at all. 

Old friend? For a moment, all George could do was stare at him, this strange … person? Man? Devil? And then it clicked. 

Was that Alastor? They had met a couple of times over the years they lived on Earth simultaneously. A radio host, whose voice George was fairly familiar with when he would make his trips through his area. They’d met in person only a handful of times, at various functions that George ended up at per his workplace. The two had shared a few conversations, and he remembered them well, one of which being recommended to look into broadcasting himself, a compliment that George had taken quite seriously. Alastor had been a hell of a man when alive, certainly, in spite of what he thought he knew of his potential crimes. It wasn’t as though it was his job to judge, and it wasn’t as though he felt he had been in any danger. He remembered hearing about his death, finding it quite regrettable and sad, even. It was quite the accident to learn of. But Alastor was far from who he expected to run into, let alone to be recognized by.

“Alastor?” 

Idiot. It was the only thing he could seem to say, even as he reached forward and placed his own hand in the other’s. His blue fingers contrasted so starkly against the red of his old acquaintance’s. But he found support and strength in the grip of his friend’s, and Alastor helped him stand and steadied him easily when he swayed. He was smiling wide, and George wondered if he was really that happy to see him. He couldn’t help but feel a little relief - okay, a lot of it. A weight was being lifted from his chest, seeing someone familiar, someone he would happily trust in this moment. Maybe a little naive, or a dangerous line of thoughts, but he couldn’t help himself. 

“The one and only!” Alastor replied, chipper energy in the words. “You look an absolute mess, friend, what happened?”

“Oh, uh,” George hesitated to respond, but it was hard to miss the clear evidence of an attack, anyway. Or at the least, the torn clothing and dazed expressions. “Someone stole my jacket and shoes.” He said it with a shrug, and he offered his own easy smile. It was something he could do, at least. He could pretend, in this moment, that it didn’t matter. 

“How shameful of them! Come along, I’ll get you sorted out straight away. What did they look like?” The question had him blinking, and then scrambling to remember. It hadn’t even happened more than an hour ago, so he gave what description he could. Alastor simply nodded, looking away in what he thought was some sort of consideration. He placed a hand on George’s back, urging him out of the alleyway finally, leading him down the sidewalk.

“Sorry, I’m just a little out of it still,” he said quickly. “Just got here and I didn’t quite think it would all be so … immediately exciting.” Carefully chosen words as he examined his surroundings, peering around to finally get a sense of where he might be, the state of things around here. He’d barely made it a few blocks on his own, before. 

“Worry not, we’ll get you right as rain in no time at all,” was all Alastor offered, and George fell into step with him cautiously. 

Things were odd. Alastor brought him to what seemed to be a tailor, offering to cover him getting repaired and refreshed clothing for the time being. He didn’t ask for anything from George as they left, but he couldn’t help feeling relieved. He noted that many seemed to shy away from Alastor for some reason, fleeting glances and then people crossing the roads, as if to get away from him. It was a weird thing to see - Alastor was still only smiling, seemingly unbothered by any of it. 

“What’s with the parting of the crowd?” George finally asked after a little more walking, entirely unsure where they were even going, now. 

“Oh, they’re merely getting out of the way,” Alastor said simply. “I’ve made a few waves here, they know to move pretty well.” He said it so jauntily, George couldn’t find a reason to mind it. If Alastor had made a name for himself already, then all the better, right? Good for him. 

They walked only for a few blocks before George realized they were within sight of the group that had attacked him. Stepping a little closer to Alastor, without realizing it, he tensed up. Alastor seemed to notice, however.

“Is that them?”

“I- I think so? The one on the right has my jacket, at least.”

“Stay here, yes?”

“Uh. Okay.”

Alastor broke away from him with a few strides and approached the small group of other demons. Alastor’s height towered over them, and they seemed very startled by his presence. George stayed where he was told, unable to hear the conversation, though it was clearly mostly Alastor speaking to them at length before holding out one hand, palm up, expecting something. A moment passed, and then something in the air changed, and the buzzing static and feedback roared in his ears all of a sudden. He saw the space around Alastor darken, saw a long, strange set of antlers begin to grow from his temples. Dark shadows formed around the trio, and those around otherwise were quick to clear away at the display, but George could only seem to stare. The shadows traveled up and wrapped around each of the demons, and he snatched George's jacket and shoes from them, as well as other belongings. The shadows squeezed harder and harder, until they were certainly pleading desperately, before being abruptly consumed into the ground without further showing. Alastor draped the jacket over his arm and returned to George’s side, holding his things out.

George blinked a few times before remembering himself, taking them from him with a rushed set of thank you’s, which Alastor only waved away with a quick dismissive comment. They fell into step together again, and Alastor asked if he felt fine enough to join him for lunch.

“Oh, yeah, of course. I’ll be fine, thank you.”

“No thanks necessary. What else are friends for? You must catch me up, I’m sure we have plenty to discuss, so stay close, hm?”

“Definitely will do.”

And, well. Vox would be a man of his word, for as long as Alastor wanted him there.

#staticradio #radiostatic #radiostatic week 2024 #radiostatic week day 1 #first meetings radiostatic #alastor the radio demon #alastor hazbin hotel #alastor x vox #vox hazbin hotel #early hell hazbin hotel #my writing #hazbin hotel fanfiction

[m-i-s-a-n-t-r-o-p]

Things will get better with time

Hey! This is my first ever fic so hopefully it makes some sense haha. Written for a lovely soul I met here on Tumblr a few days ago, asking someone to write them a comfort fic so here i am, trying to save the day. Hope you will like it! Tell me what you think!

Ps. this is not proofread, it is 11pm here and my brain is dying:)

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Pairing: Billy Russo x fem!reader (not canon, this Billy is actually sweet and caring!)

warnings: a bit of swearing, feelings of being unworthy (can't think of anything else tbh)

Summary: You are on a girl's trip in Greece with your best friend but things aren't really going the way you anticipated. After a fight with her, you leave the hotel and find yourself sitting on a lonely bench when a weird stranger asks if you're okay.

A lot of angst to comfort.

Word count: 2937

Greece. Greece. 

You muttered to yourself as your eyes scanned over the department board once more, simply to confirm that this was really happening. Your first ever trip abroad. You were beyond excited as you continued to find your friend in the maze of people and luggage. All the thoughts of warm nights, hours spent by the beach and days of simply existing and relaxing were filling your mind. As you finally spotted Stephanie your excitement grew even more. A girl’s trip, something you have anticipated for quite some time now. She was, as usual, completely wrapped up in her boyfriend’s arms. Not that you didn’t want her to be happy, not that you were jealous, it was just… sometimes you wanted to spend time with just her, without Luke always there. But now you have finally managed to escape his prying eyes, his ever-present arms around your best friend and his snarky comments of always stealing his girl away from him. And to be honest, you were pretty happy about finally getting rid of him. 

“I’ll miss you baby,” Stephanie said for the hundredth time in the last ten minutes. The boarding would start any minute now and yet here you were, still in the departure hall, trying to get Steph to bid goodbye and finally enjoy herself on this trip. Luke hugged her once more while saying “Call me every day, okay baby girl?” and your friend profoundly nodded, as if to confirm something far greater than just to call her boyfriend every once in a while. 

The flight, to your surprise, was quite smooth. That went without counting Stephanie’s constant cries of how she wishes Luke would have come with you. Don’t be so harsh, you told yourself, it is the first time they are really away from each other. You tried to seek some understanding within you and for the first hour you actually did find it. But when the conversation would not steer in a different direction even after two hours, you simply excused yourself from the one-sided debate, popped in your earphones and tried to fall asleep. You thought of all the beaches again, of the sea, and of course, of all the handsome men you will probably meet in Greece. 

It was not as if Steph was a bad friend. She was wonderful at times. Attentive, caring, supportive. But that was all before she met Luke. After they started dating, you have been cast aside, thrown away like a used doll that didn’t fit the child’s expectations anymore. And you understood, for who you were to stand between two people in love? So you salvaged all the little time you could get with your friend, enduring all the conversations about her love life, feeling happy for her. You just hoped things would get better with time. But they never really did. 

When you finally touched down in Greece, you were welcomed with gentle warm breeze on your cheeks and the sun stroking your hair gently in the late afternoon. The ride to your hotel was silent, a fact you were much thankful for after the exhausting flight. You guessed Steph was tired too but as you looked behind your shoulder to the backseat, you found her with her phone glued to her hands, her eyes fixed on the screen. “Everything good Steph?” you asked, concerned something was the matter as she was frowning quite hard. She looked up momentarily and forged a small smile on her lips as a form of wordless apology. She said, surprising you “Yeah, it’s just Luke. He was asking about the flight; you know how he is with planes” and chuckling a bit to herself as her eyes returned to the screen. You simply nodded, knowing she is not paying attention to you anyways. Luke, always Luke… even here in Greece, with all the beautiful scenery around, it’s always Luke. Yet you could not really bring yourself to feel anger, or at least not enough of it. It will get better, you thought to yourself as the car came to a halt in front of your hotel. 

The first two days were weird, to say the least. Your room was spacious, beautifully furnished and with a dazzling view of the town you were staying in and of the seemingly endless glimmering sea. The food was great, the people were kind and the weather even kinder to you. You have heard quite a lot of people say that Greece is insufferable at this time of the year for its hot temperatures, but you guessed you were lucky as there was always gentle breeze cooling you down. Everything was great. Except that it was not. Stephanie, despite promising you she would reserve her daily calls with Luke for the less busy afternoons, was on her phone most of the time. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, Luke’s calling me, I gotta go”.

“Can this wait? Luke and I are going to facetime now”.

“Luke’s texting me, hold that thought!”

On and on, these sentences and their versions filled your days like a plague. You were getting tired of always being put second, never really being the first option Steph would choose. Because even though she was there with you, she still decided to prioritize her boyfriend. Now don’t get it wrong, you were happy for her, you truly were. But you also thought that maybe this was not entirely fair towards you. After all this was supposed to be a getaway from your work, you busy life, from all the other people. It was supposed to be just the two of you, like the old times. And you still thought that maybe things will get better. 

The late afternoon has finally begun to bleed into an endless night when you suggested going for a walk through the little town. “I suppose we could do that; it could be fun!” Stephanie exclaimed, finally agreed to doing something other than just lying in her bed facetiming Luke. You were beyond happy for finally snatching some of her attention for yourself. The two of you agreed on dressing up a bit so that you could take some lovely photos by the white houses typical for this area. You put on a beautiful flowy dress that hugged your curves perfectly and reached just above your bare knees, with flowing sleeves of blue see-through fabric. The neckline was a little lower than what you would usually go for, yet it still didn’t reveal much, only a hint, only a tease. Your hair was twisted into a simple up-do and you also put on some lighter make up, just to compliment the look. As you stood in front of the mirror, you felt so beautiful. Yet something was still missing. Oh, the earrings! You thought as you remembered you bought a pair of intricate gold earrings on the farmer’s market the other day. An old lady sold them to you, telling you they were literally made for you. And boy, was she right. You looked gorgeous. 

“Steph, I’m ready!” you called out from the bathroom. 

But your friend didn’t return the excitement which now began to slowly replace itself with disappointment. “You’re gonna hate me…” She didn’t even need to go on, you already knew where this was going. “Luke? Again? Seriously? You guys just spent the last four hours talking on the phone!” and this long-held disappointment and neglect has finally merged into a well-deserved anger. “But he says it’s important! Come on, you can’t be mad at me. I miss him so much…” Stephanie countered your angry statement with a response filled with sadness. “I wouldn’t be mad if it was just a one-time thing but Steph, you’ve been on your phone the whole time we’ve been here. I feel like I don’t even exist to you!” now you were beginning to fight, your emotions getting the better of you. “That’s now true!” your friend yelled back at you. “You know goddamn well that it is.” You said, voice barely above whisper, as if you were afraid that if you spoke loudly it would break. As if you stood your ground, then you would break. And Stephanie just stood there, looking at you, not really knowing what to say. Maybe she knew you were right, maybe she did really feel bad. But it didn’t matter anymore. You were hurt, you were lonely and you just wanted to hide somewhere and cry your heart out. So, picking up your purse and walking towards the door, you turned to her one last time and quietly left. There was nothing else to say. 

You could not exactly recall when the tears started to stream down your face, ruining your pretty make up. And you also could not recall when you’ve abolished trying to walk in these uncomfortable shoes, or how exactly you got to the lonely bench you were now sitting on. The moon was high up in the sky now, the stars singing their lullaby to anyone willing to listen. The sea was quiet and dark, a companion for worse times. And the omnipresent wind sometimes ever-so-slightly ruffled through the leaves of the trees enveloping you like a safe haven. It was peaceful, to say the least. And it indeed was a nice contrast to the war of emotions taking place in your heart. A part of you felt bad for leaving Steph like that, a part of you felt like maybe you should have yelled at her more. And as you were crying silently in the embrace of the night, you didn’t even notice the presence of someone else behind you. 

“Are you alright?

You jumped at the sound of a deep velvet voice that cut through the silence like a knife. Oh shit, oh shit. Suddenly the state of your situation started to dawn on you. You were completely alone, on the outskirts of the city, in a dress and now with a strange man. I’m fucked. You decided to play it safe.

“Yeah.” You tried to sound strong but your voice was laced with sadness and salty tears. 

“Are you sure? I thought I heard you cryin’ so I decided to check on you.” The stranger spoke up, his voice firm, yet somehow gentle and warm. Maybe he was not a bad guy after all. And you so desperately needed a shoulder to cry on, you didn’t really care whose the shoulder would be. 

When you didn’t reply, too caught up in thinking about the pros and cons, the man quietly moved next to the bench. But he didn’t sit down just yet. He was approaching you as if you were a scared animal, trying to get you to trust him. His scent filled the air around you; a sweet cologne, a bit of fire and something you could not quite name. It was pleasant, you had to admit. 

“Mind if I sit?” he asked, jerking you out of your overthinking. You silently nodded to let him know he could sit down next to you, hoping he wasn’t some kind of a creep. He sat down next to you, not close enough to let your shoulders touch, but not far enough that you could not sense the warmth radiating off his body. 

“So…” he said, suddenly unsure of himself. But you could not bare the weight of all the emotions anymore and words started to spill out without you having any control over them.

“I hate it, I hate her. I hate that I feel like this. I feel so fucking lonely, on my own goddamn holiday! I thought we would have a good time, that I would relax and enjoy myself and instead I am here, sitting on a bench god knows where with a stranger listening to me because my best friend is too selfish to do that instead.” At the end you were almost screaming into the night, your body trembling, your eyes stained with tears, your heart breaking at the realisation of what was really happening. It was pathetic really. Telling a stranger things like that, how does that even happen? But you felt like you could trust him. There was just something about him that made you feel safe. And he was listening intently, not saying anything. He was just there. And that was all you needed in that moment. When he noticed how shaken up you were, he placed his hand affirmingly on shoulder to encourage you to continue. When you calmed down a bit, you resumed your rant. 

“My friend and I, we agreed to go here on vacation. As a way to relax, you know. I thought it would be great. It is actually my first ever trip abroad. But she wouldn’t get off the phone. She is always talking to her boyfriend. Always. Texting, calling, facetiming, you name it. It’s as if I’m not even there! And it hurts so much, it feels so lonely. And I tried talking to her about it but we just got into a fight and now I am here, crying instead of enjoying this trip.”

His fingers were drawing gentle circles on your bare shoulder and you found it soothing. 

“I’m so sorry. That’s pretty shitty.”

“Yeah, it is shitty.” It almost made you laugh. Because it was shitty. 

“Look, your friend is a really bad friend. Abandoning you like this, that’s not somethin’ good friends do. You deserve so much better than this. I usually tell people that they should talk things out but if you’ve tried that and it turned into an argument, maybe it would be better if you gave this friendship some time and space. So that both of you can assess your priorities. And to also realize what is important to you.” He said, his voice calm and even, comforting your worried heart. “It doesn’t take the pain away now, I know. But it will help you a lot in the future.”

“I hate that you’re right.” you agreed and much to your surprise, smiled. “It’s just a lot of built-up anger I suppose. And disappointment too. It has been going on like this for quite some time but I never really noticed it until now.”

He took a breath as if to think a bit on what to say next, as if you weren’t going to like what he got to say about it. “I understand. Sometimes we just want to see the good in people no matter how much they’ve hurt us. And we are too blind to see that they are causin’ too much pain and not enough happiness. Sometimes it’s just better to let people go. You can be happy on your own, happier even. You know, go and see a movie alone, go to a museum or to the beach, just enjoy your own company.” 

“But doesn’t that get lonely?” you asked, still looking out at the sea. It calmed you down, the repetitiveness of the waves, the sound of water and also the warmth of his hand still on your shoulder. 

“Sometimes. But I have found out it is better to be lonely than to be with the wrong people.”

It were those words that made you finally turn around and look at him. And you were met with a sight worth more than words could ever describe. A man so handsome you thought he was conjured by your own imagination. But then, your imagination could not possibly produce something so perfect. His eyes, dark as the sea draped in darkness, looking warmly at you. His lips curled into the faintest reassuring smile. You could tell his hair was once neatly styled with gel, now ruffled and messy, yet still looking soft. And to top it all off, his perfectly trimmed beard. 

He smiled at you, a wide and beautiful smile. “Hey there.”

You weren’t looking at him, no, you were quite intently staring. “I’m Billy.” He extended his hand towards you, waiting.

“Y/N” you said at last, smiling too. You shook his hand and suddenly felt the urge to apologise. “I’m so sorry, I probably shouldn’t have done tha-“ “Don’t apologize sweetheart. I couldn’t bear to see you cry.”

A quiet “Thank you” found its way onto your lips. And his smile grew even wider. “Please, don’t thank me. Letting you talk it out was the least I could do.” 

And even though his voice was reassuring, and his eyes told you he spoke earnestly, you still couldn’t shake the feeling you should feel bad. Maybe because you were still shaken up from Stephanie not listening to you or maybe because you found yourself on a bench in Greece with this handsome man, spilling your heart out. And suddenly, tears rolled down your cheeks again and your heart felt too heavy to carry once more. 

“Oh no, baby, come here.” Billy said as he wiped some of your tears with his thumbs. “Shhh, it’s all okay sweetheart, it’s okay” he whispered into your hair as he pulled you closer. His strong arms hid you away from the world, pressed against his chest, and you wished for nothing more than to simply stay in this little shelter that he suddenly became. “I’m here Y/N, I’m here. All is well, it’s okay” he repeated, rocking you back and forth, as you cried into his shirt. And as you stayed there, on that bench, talking the night away in Billy’s arms, you let yourself believe that, for the first time in a while, things will get better with time.

#billy russo x reader #the punisher #billy russo #billy russo x you #billy russo fluff #billy russo imagine #billy russo x y/n #billy russo x female reader

[shadowsandshapes]

FFTB | CH 11: Homecoming (Dabi/F!Reader)

Summary: You face the rest of the League after Toga's mortifying discovery. After the next steps of the plan are revealed to you, you open up about your insecurities to Dabi. He does his best to comfort you. Contains: Explicit Language, Sexual Themes & Discussion, Minor Character Death, Canon-Typical Violence, Power Fantasy Elements, A Series Of Very Unfortunate Events, Hurt & Comfort

[3.1k]

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Half the League, actually – all of them stifled their laughs and comments as soon as you walked into the meeting room with Dabi. The silence was telling. You tugged at the ratty old shirt, subconsciously attempting to cover as much of yourself as you possibly could. The only thing that made this bearable was Dabi’s arm around your waist and the unbothered confidence the man exuded.

You didn’t even have a spare pair of undies so you were stuck wearing the cum-stained ones for the time being. A fact that Dabi found incredibly gratifying. His eyes kept wandering towards your legs. From the right angle, the stain was definitely visible. The knowledge that it was there was enough to coax a prideful smirk from your companion. Though you yourself were less enthusiastic about speaking to your leader with Dabi’s spunk crusting up against your thighs.

Speaking of Shigaraki, the man quickly hushed his friends but failed at hiding his own amusement when addressing you. “Nice to see you again, (Y/n). I trust Dabi gave you a warm welcome?”

For fuck’s sake. Please let the earth beneath your feet shatter and drag you directly to hell. You would take an eternity of penance for your sins right now. Anything would be preferable to this.

“Sure did, boss.” Dabi cut into the conversation, graciously saving you the embarrassment of having to acknowledge the situation yourself. Even if it was to actively add his own suggestive comments. “She was real open to it.”

“Talk about TMI.” Tomura scrunched his nose but otherwise didn’t seem too bothered about the comment. “Regardless now that you’re back (Y/n), does that mean I can assume you’re here to stay?”

That was the million-dollar question, wasn’t it? 

All eyes turned to you. Each of the members eagerly awaited your answer. You looked at their faces brimming with anticipation. They didn’t want to make their own feelings known – but you could read it off of their expressions. Please stay. The League was a family. One you had become a part of for a while. Fights happened, you realized. Despite how you had treated them during your departure – they still wanted you here. That came with its own set of problems. Accepting them into your life was a risk. They could get hurt or even killed by the side effects of your selfish Quirk. Still – these people, for all their flaws and imperfections, were the best friends you had ever known. That didn’t even take into consideration that you’d become hopelessly attached to a certain arsonist. 

“Yeah…I’m not running away from this,” you said. “There’s no debt keeping me here but if you’ll still have me, I’d like to stay.”

Compress was the first to speak, opening his arms wide in a flamboyant gesture. “Magnificent – the lost child returns!”

Toga clapped in excitement, then threw double fists into the air to celebrate. “Welcome back! Don’t you dare scare us like that again!” she said. “I can’t believe you just left. So rude! You’re lucky you’re so cute or I wouldn’t have been as forgiving.” You didn’t doubt her comment. That girl stabbed people she liked. What she did to people who had hurt her feelings was something you weren’t too keen on finding out.

Twice gave you an enthusiastic thumbs-up. “Didn’t even know you were gone – I’m SO happy you’re back!” Ah – the duality of Twice. You smiled at the realization that, yes, you had missed even his inconsistent ass.

And Spinner – even Spinner – grinned at you. “Don’t get too comfortable, (Y/n). I’ve got my eye on you.”

“Come off it, princess,” you fired back. “I know you missed me.”

A mix of chuckles and snorts erupted from the small crowd gathered – and the tension broke. You smiled feeling Dabi pull you against him. All the attention was nice, but you were glad he was here to keep you grounded. He hesitated – then curled his fingers around your wrist. Your pulse quickened beneath the touch. It wasn’t quite like he was holding your hand and you didn’t expect him to. Neither of you quite knew what you meant to each other yet. You loved him. You did. But the exact definition of your relationship was still up in the air at this point. Sex, if you could even call dry-humping his cock during an emotionally vulnerable moment that, meant nothing in the grand scheme of things. You wanted to know, in no uncertain terms, who you were to him. That was a talk you still had to have with Dabi. 

So this token of affection – no matter how small or insignificant – felt reassuring all the same.

“I hate to cut the celebration short,” Shigaraki started, impatiently tapping his nails on the table in front of him. “But now that you’re back on the team – we can move along with the plan. We’ve wasted enough time as it is. I’ve managed to stall my meeting with the Shie Hassaikai for a while but they’re just about breathing down my neck.”

Just like that, the pressure was on once more. No rest for the wicked.

Gathering around the table as Tomura laid out their plans, everyone listened attentively to what he had to say. You were aware of some of the details. While the Shie Hassaikai was well-funded, it didn’t have the same reputation as the League. Mainly their history with the law made it difficult to make new connections in the criminal and villain underworld. Their leader wanted to change that. He had managed to procure Shigaraki’s phone number and had tried setting up a personal meeting. Tomura rebuffed him for a while – needing time to work out a counter-plan. You had personally contributed to this already. Stealing information and getting details about the Eight Bullets and the nature of their Quirks. 

But it seemed your fearless leader had more in store for you.

“They want to meet me alone but I’m not that stupid,” Shigaraki explained. “(Y/n) is, as far as the Yakuza are aware, not a threat. They’ll underestimate her Quirk just like we did in the beginning – which is why she’ll be going with me to meet Chisaki.”

In a similar way to when you were sent on that solo mission, Dabi tensed up beside you. That uncomfortable nagging sensation flooded back into his senses. Digging into your hip ever so slightly, the hand on your waist twitched. You could see his jaw clench – but he said nothing. You already understood what was running through his mind. Dabi would not be able to come with you for this mission. His presence would be seen as a show of force. With Shigaraki as your only backup, you’d be walking directly into the lion’s den. You’d be somewhere he couldn’t follow.

Just when you had decided to do this together, to go through whatever shitshow life was going to throw at you, you would be separated again.

A heavy sigh escaped the man – it served like a charm to knock the tension from his bones. Dabi released your waist and nodded. “Easy – she’s got this. It’s just a meeting, yeah? Just sit there and look pretty. Nothing she can’t handle.” He paused – and when he said the following words, you felt your cheeks heat up: “I trust her.”

Implicitly.

It was difficult for him to admit this though. His eyes didn’t lie. Dabi was used to relying only on himself. Having spent so much time ignoring and willfully misinterpreting his feelings, it came naturally to him to dismiss others. But you were capable. Strong. And wouldn’t be fucked with. He knew that better than anyone. When he hurt you – you hurt him back. Not to mention his favorite part about you. Your inner little shit. Anyone who challenged you would have to deal with a lifetime of bad luck. He had to trust that you could handle it. Otherwise, he would lose his mind agonizing over every second you spent apart.

“Okay. And you’re agreeing to this – coming with me?” When you nodded, Shigaraki continued: “You have some time to prepare. Use it productively.” Tomura narrowed his eyes at Dabi as he enunciated the word. 

In response, the arsonist simply grinned and raised his hands, playing stupid to the implication.

After the meeting, Dabi took you back to his room. You sat atop the bed, wringing your hands and rubbing them against the fabric of your shirt. Almost obsessively so. The prospect of meeting with the Shie Hassaikai had you feeling jittery. Were you sweating? You might be sweating. Fuck. This was real. You were with the League of Villains. People would start seeing you as one of them from now on. Sure, you’d done small missions for them before, but after this whole Yakuza business, there would be no going back. You had spent your entire life fighting the villain label you had been given and now you were actively embracing it. 

Maybe this was a mistake.

“That shirt is gonna catch fire if you keep rubbing it like that,” Dabi commented, eyeing your hands as they fisted the hem and twisted the fabric back and forth. “You’ve got no reason to be nervo–”

“I’m a shit villain,” you blurted out. “Dabi, I fucking suck at this.”

Withholding the snarky retort he instinctively wanted to throw back at you, Dabi bit his tongue instead. He simply sat beside you and waited for you to explain your sudden outburst. It was obvious you were in distress but Dabi had never had to comfort someone like this before. He didn’t know what to do with you. Still – you were worth trying for. You let out a sigh and composed yourself.

“I know this is gonna sound utterly pathetic but I never wanted to be a villain. It just sorta happened. But yeah – I’m a shitty one at that.”

People rarely ever want to be villains. You both knew that but he had to ask – he had to know who you were.

“What happened?” Dabi asked. The question immediately made your stomach turn. 

“I fucked up –” you shrugged – stating the phrase like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Usually, when shit went tits up you were somehow responsible. After a while, you developed a sense of apathy for the chaos that followed you wherever you went. It was the only thing keeping you sane. Not giving a shit about the people you hurt was your only defense. “You know why I let you push me away? Why I didn’t even fight back when you told me the League didn’t want me anymore? Fuck – I didn’t even ask questions. Just accepted it.” In hindsight, it seems obvious what you were doing. Dabi told you they were using you and you jumped at the chance to tuck tail and run. Because you were utterly terrified. “The last crew I ran with got demolished, Dabi. One of them died. It was my fault. If I hadn’t been there, he would still be alive.”

It hurt to say it out loud. Your hands fumbled to find something to hold. Something to keep you grounded. Dabi didn’t hesitate – taking them into his own. Their warmth was soothing. He didn’t say anything but it was enough. The anxious, gnawing pain in your stomach snapped away as you laughed. A pained and ironic chuckle. “I dropped a fucking building on the guy. Didn’t even hesitate either. I just did it.”

Dabi shook his head. “There’s gotta be more to it, I know you – you’re careful. Between the two of us, you’re the responsible one. We’re been on enough missions together for me to know that, sweet thing.”

“Wasn’t always the case,” you admitted. “When my Quirk came in, anything that could go wrong, would go wrong. Even if I had nothing to do with it – I was easy to blame. My parents couldn’t handle it and I wouldn’t stay where I wasn’t wanted. So I left. Eventually ending up with the wrong crowd. To be honest, they didn’t really like me either. But I was useful. They treated me like shit. I didn’t really care because I was just happy someone wanted to be near me. He was different though. Always making me laugh. Taking care of me. We got along like a house on fire. That day –” you recalled the Heroes storming the villain’s den. The smoke – the chaos. Your comrades scattered, fighting for their freedom and their lives. “We had a fight the night before. I don’t even remember what I was mad about –” you forced down a sob. “It was something stupid and insignificant. I was so mad at him…so when the Heroes came down on us my Luck didn’t consider him an ally. I took out a support pillar, hoping it would cause enough chaos for us to make our escape. The ceiling came down on top of him…he–” 

You couldn’t say it. The image of his crumpled, bleeding body was burned into your memory. He had died on impact. His agonized scream ripping through the battlefield was the last thing you remembered. It was over in seconds but that moment had stuck with you ever since. Making it an undying part of who you had become. “People get hurt around me because of my Quirk. It made me a villain against my will. Took my loved ones from me and made me miserable.”

That’s why you despised being called Lucky. That’s why you were afraid of the mission ahead. You would be protecting Shigaraki – and in doing so you might kill him.

You huffed out a surprised gasp as you collided with Dabi’s chest. He wrapped his arms around you – yanking you against him rather roughly and unexpectedly. The sudden movement caught you off guard – but his embrace brought immediate comfort. Your entire body relaxed, melting into him as you allowed the stress to dissipate. 

“That wasn’t your fault, idiot. You did what you could with what you had. I’m not that guy. No amount of bad luck is gonna take me away from you. I’m too fucking stubborn to die. I refuse.” His words caused your heart to ache. It was overwhelming how easily Dabi could pull your heart apart. “Your Quirk might be volatile as fuck – but it also brought you to me. I don’t know about you but I think that’s pretty fucking lucky.”

You had heard so many different ways someone could say ‘I hate you’ in your lifetime. Harsh and cruel words – accusations and insults. A raised voice and acts of physical violence. You had heard and seen it all. This? This was the first time someone had said ‘I love you’ like Dabi had. He wanted to be near you. More than that – he agonized over being without you. Scoffed at the idea that you would hurt him. Even involuntarily. Fate could throw whatever it wanted at him – Dabi would still fight for you. 

That’s love.

Your cowardice had almost cost you a family. More than that. It had very nearly cost you something even more precious. You no longer had to worry about what you meant to Dabi. The answer was in front of you.

It was everything.

Dabi reached for you – his kiss drawing away every doubt in your mind that this would end in tragedy. He delighted in the way you squeaked against his lips, equal parts surprise and a deep desire accompanying the sound. It was adorable – the noises you made caused his chest to tighten. You leaned into his loving touch, feeling his hand on the back of your head guiding you closer. His free hand trailed across your thigh, the coldness of the staples on his palm causing goosebumps to erupt on your bare skin. You shivered at the sensation and Dabi chuckled against your lips.

“You’re so sensitive, baby…” he breathed out, voice running ragged from the sheer desperation in his kiss. “I just wanna feel up that pretty body of yours. Maybe slap it around a little, if you’re into that.” His confession brought a blush to your cheeks that only deepened when he squeezed the tender flesh of your thighs to empathize his point. Dabi’s brilliant eyes landed on your bare legs as they chased his hand’s movements up to your hips. He was obsessed with touching you. Now that he had allowed himself that luxury, he couldn’t stop doing it.

“Dabi…” you complained – though only half-heartedly. “Shigaraki said I should use this time to prepare for the mission…”

He chuckled at that, a flash of mischief rising in his gaze as your eyes met. “I guess you’re right.” Dabi leaned in once more – the heat of his breath fanning against your lips as he spoke. “You made me feel real good earlier but I gotta return the favor somehow, yeah? Think you can stand waiting for me until after you get back?”

Hey now – that was rude. 

You pouted slightly, glaring at the stupid little grin on Dabi’s face that only seemed to grow wider at your discontent. “I’ll wait as long as I have to, hotshot.” A small smirk played at the corner of your lip as you pressed a swift kiss against his cheek. “You better be worth the wait, though.”

Oh, a challenge? Dabi liked that. If you wanted to give him sass, he knew just how to deal with that kind of attitude. He was going to have you sobbing and crying for more on his dick soon enough.

“Don’t worry, doll. I’d never disappoint my girl. You pull off this mission and I’m gonna make you scream my name for hours.” He meant it. You could see it in his eyes, the determination and sheer desire lighting up his gaze. “I just hope you can keep up. I’ve been waiting so long for this…I can’t promise I’ll be satisfied easily, ya know?” His fingers grazed against the side of your neck as he stared into your eyes, pressing his body against yours as he closed the distance to kiss your lovely, slender throat. You didn’t wanna play with him right now? Well – then he’d just have to make you crazy. It was that simple. By the time you got back from your mission with Shigaraki, you’d be begging him to fuck you.

The unspoken promise in his words had you clenching your thighs. Dabi was doing this on purpose, that much was obvious. “You’re the worst…” you groaned out, feeling a wave of heat spread throughout your body. This was just a taste of what he wanted to do to you – and yet here you were, unraveling for him at the slightest touch.

Dabi hummed – obviously pleased with himself for making you feel such desperation. “I’m sure you’ll change your mind about that once I get my hands on that pretty pussy of yours. Now –” he abruptly pulled back, leaving you tethering on the edge. “Get your ass in gear and make me proud out there.”

A/N: I…yknow one of these days I'll stop cockblocking you (: Today is not that day! We're heading into the final act now, boiz!!

Taglist: @kelin-is-writing @dynamars @dabislittlemouse @simpysheep @ohnoitsthatonekid @tonysttank @dabislittlesluttyprincess @when-you-are-just-done @dabislittlebeaniebaby

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#shade's fftb #dabi #touya todoroki #dabi x y/n #dabi x reader #dabi x you #dabi x female reader #touya todoroki x reader #touya x you #touya x reader #touya x y/n #mha dabi #dabi my hero academia #dabi bnha #bnha dabi #dabi smut

[sparkledfirecracker]

Eyes on me

Pairing: Steve Rogers x female reader Word count: 984 Warnings: 18+ only, explicit language, explicit sexual content, oral (m+f receiving), handjobs, fingering, sex club setting, mention of alcohol, exhibitionism?, voyeurism?, sex work, peepshow. If I forgot any feel free to let me know.

A/N: This is my warmup drabble for Navy and Roo’s @the-slumberparty, my word being ‘peepshow’. Massive thanks to @slothspaghettiwrites for helping me out with a grammatical question and @dreamlessinparis for telling my insecurities to take a hike. This is not beta’d.

Do not repost, translate or copy my work without my explicit permission. Reblogs, likes, comments or silent reading are all welcomed, but most of all enjoy!

By clicking keep reading you agree to be 18 years or older.

It hadn’t been on your schedule to end up at a dodgy-looking club. But since your best friend, Ruby, had begged you to come to her new job, it hadn’t been something you could postpone much longer. Especially after the stress from today, in need of a release. 

You had been so confused entering the club. The service attendant laughed as you took in the registration lobby. This bar had such an exclusive feel to it. Anticipation coursed your body to find out what was behind the velvet curtain. 

As soon as you were approved, the bouncer nodded to the attendant. Opening up the curtain and granting you access through a door. Never had you expected to walk into an exclusive-looking strip club. You giggled to yourself as it was only Tuesday.

You found Ruby laughing at the bar with a large muscular man. His presence was intimidating. A softness took over as your eyes locked. You watched him down the last of his glass and pushed off the bar, walking through the small crowd that had been scattered across the room and watching the current woman on stage. 

“You’re here.” Ruby squealed, leaning over the bar top to kiss your cheek. 

“You didn’t tell me you worked at a strip club.”

“Sex club.” Ruby shrugged. “It pays well and the tips are outstanding. Its target audience - very wealthy and powerful people.” 

“I should be shocked they even let me in.”

“They let everyone in, that’s on the list.” Ruby laughed as she watched your face fall in confusion. “Each employee is allowed to put people on the list. They’re also the ones responsible for their listed friend. So make sure you behave.” 

You nodded at her firm warning, not intending to get into anything other than have a few drinks to take off the edge from your stressful day. 

Ruby slid a tumbler with straight vodka and a slice of lemon your way. Without hesitation, you downed the entirety of the glass. 

“Girl, you need more than just a drink. You need an orgasm.” 

You laughed, the irony of being at a sex club. Shaking your head as you kept bantering back and forth. After a few drinks, you had to use the toilet. Pushing off the bar you stood up from your seat. Going in the direction Ruby had told you to. 

It wasn’t upon exiting that the buzz of the drinks kicked in. Stumbling into a different hallway than you had come through. The darkness surrounded you, some doors closed and a few still opened. You slipped inside one of the booths near the end. Just a quick look wouldn’t hurt anyone.

The soft glow of the red light peeped through the curtain covering a small window in the blacked-out wall. Curiosity made you lean in. Your hands pulled the curtains aside, your eyes adjusted to the light and there he stood. The same large-built man you had locked eyes with earlier.

His hand glided over his length. Stroke after stroke you watched him grow larger. His cock swelled with each movement until he could no more. 

Without thinking you closed the door behind you, making sure to lock it. You marked your spot in front of the wall. Watching the platform rotate, allowing you to see every angle of his naked body. 

His mouth parted as his head fell back. You watched this muscular man possess his own body. Pumping himself and pleasuring himself for all to see. Soft strokes switched with hard tugs. An erotic scene evolved right in front of your eyes. 

The throb of your pussy grew as the man in front of you kept playing with himself. His large cock pulsing right in his hand. Wondering how it would feel to have him inside you. The feel of the evident veins, the rim of his head delightfully brushing past your inside walls and pounding your cunt.

Your fingers ached with your panties dampening at the sight. Allowing your hand to slip under your dress and past the hem Of the lace material. Two fingers glided down your slit, spreading them with a drag upwards and rounding your clit. Soaking your digits in your own arousal. 

Your mouth fell open when you inserted one inside your drenched hole. Another finger pushed past the barrier, letting your mind wander that it was his fingers fucking you. 

You leaned back, not breaking your vision from watching the performance of a lifetime.

He could’ve heard your moan right through this thin wall. But he didn’t seem to be bothered by knowing other people were watching him or getting off to his performance. It only seemed to spur him on, knowing he had an audience. 

The exclusive feel made it look like he was your private man. An intimate bond was created through a new sexual experience. You both were pleasuring yourselves, imagining it to be someone else. 

There was a certain boyish charm to the man in front of you, wanting nothing more than to feel the outline of his chiselled chest and stomach.  

Pleasure building at the base of your spine. The more you curled your fingers inside your walls, the more the feeling of ecstasy amplified, like a firecracker that was sparked off.

The coil inside your stomach snapped, and your body combusted. A million joyous pieces of pleasure rippling through your veins, sobbing at the orgasm. Unable to stop the moans as you soaked your hand. 

The strain and tension of his godly-shaped body contracted from his pleasure. A sheen layer of sweat and euphoric bliss coated his skin while he performed for others. He lost control of all his senses, a slight tremble to his being as he covered his stomach with cum, emptying his cock as he kept stroking it. 

Just as the light dimmed, it felt like your eyes had connected one more time. 

#lilos writing #steve rogers x you #steve rogers x female reader #steve rogers smut #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers x y/n #chris evans smut #navy and roo sleepover

[thebroccolination]

Be My Favorite - Intro

WELCOME TO KEY’S SUMMER FIXATION SERIES. \:D/

Hello! I’m Key, and I’ll be your Be My Favorite historian and enthusiast.

I’ve been really excited for Be My Favorite ever since the series was first announced in December of 2021. The premise grabbed me right away since I’m a big fan of time loops (please watch Triage if you haven’t already, I’d say it’s the strongest BL series to date), and Krist’s one of my favorite actors, so it was an instant five stars of anticipation for me. Then in September of 2022, Gawin (another favorite of mine) was cast, and I had a dream casting I think I might have joked about once. (So I did this, you’re welcome.)

Whoever cast Gawin, I’ll send you a basket of whatever you love and aren’t allergic to.

THE CASTING HISTORY

Be My Favorite had a rocky road to casting.

From what I’ve been able to follow, it was initially meant to be a KristSingto comeback vehicle. (Their last BL together was the SOTUS Our Skyy episode in 2018.) However, in 2022, Krist tentatively told fans at a fan meeting that Singto’s schedule didn’t work out with filming. Seeing as GMMTV didn’t want Krist acting in BL series without his brand partner, I think they knew Singto wasn’t planning to renew his contract, so they cast Mike instead. Personally, I was excited to see Krist step outside his comfort zone with a different actor, and he’s close to Mike, so I figured it’d be a good match. I was also happy for Singto, because he’s wanted more independence in his career. He’s into photography and directing, he’s made his own studio, formed his own fan club in Japan, etc. (I think it’s likely he and Krist will work together again, though. They’re still very close, they play video games online with their friends from university fairly regularly, and Singto went out of his way to organize a KristSingto concert in December of 2022 through his Japanese fan club. KS used to hold their GMMTV-sponsored concerts there annually before the pandemic, so I think it was both a “final chapter” to one part of their lives and evidence that they can collaborate again if they want to.)

I didn’t have strong feelings about Mike’s casting. I haven’t seen him in much, but I liked him in the teaser, and he’s already close to Krist, so I was on board. After seeing Singto improve through his series with other actors (something he might have had to fight for, but that’s pure speculation), I was just excited for Krist to get the same opportunities.

And then…Gawin. [seventeen sparkle emojis]

As I said on Twitter the day Gawin’s casting was announced, “I could not be more pleased and delighted that I’ve built a reputation for myself that makes people think, ‘Krist and Gawin? QUICKLY, LIGHT THE FIRES AND TELL KEY,’” because I woke up to not one but three separate friends letting me know about it.

I went from excited to feral in the four seconds it took my brain to go from, “This can’t be real,” to, “Finally, bizarre breaking news that isn’t actively traumatizing.”

Truly, I have to hand it to Krist, because he's wanted this project to do well from the start, and he's stuck with it and worked hard on it through potentially three scene partners. And he really seems to have grown and learned from Gawin, so good on him.

THE WRITER/DIRECTOR

My one worry was that I haven’t enjoyed most of Jittirain’s adaptations.

But then I found out that the director, Waa, directed The Gifted and also has screenwriting experience. Krist has worked with Waa before and speaks highly of his process. There are a lot of scenes in the first episode of BMF that seem very clean and well edited, so I have hope.

On top of that, I’ve also seen fans mention that Be My Favorite is “inspired by” Jittirain’s novel, not adapted from it, which I think is a crucial distinction. (I don’t know the source for that, but I want it to be true, so I’ll believe it for now.)

Krist has said that they changed a lot from the novel, and based on what I know, the first episode has already departed quite a bit, so I have put my faith in Waa.

POSTPRODUCTION

For many reasons, some series just get the short stick with the amount of postproduction and budget they get. Some series are still filming as they start airing, some have budget cuts during production, etc.

Filming for Be My Favorite began on November 19th, 2022 and wrapped two months ago on March 24th. That same day, Waa shared on Twitter that he’d be starting work on intense editing right away. That was a great sign to me. With filming complete and two months of postproduction, he was almost certainly able to do a cleaner job than if he’d had to struggle under continued filming and simultaneous editing while the show was airing.

Also, BMF definitely seems to have money behind it. For example, this upgrade from the trailer to the first episode. In the trailer, as Kawi makes his first trip to the past, there's a bright, swirling glow around him.

When the episode aired, the effect looked a lot cleaner and had scenes from future episodes woven in.

Also, I loved this transition shot with the blurry background, and the dandelion seed floating across the screen was a cute detail, since that's the flower in the time loop globe.

Little things like like this tells me they’ve had the time to do this series well, and that there's a lot of love and effort going into it.

THE ACTING COACH

This February, the acting coach for BMF did an interview (1 & 2) that I really enjoyed. She said she’ll be sharing a video of their workshop now that the series is airing, so I’m keeping an eye out for that.

THE ACTORS

Like I said, I love both of them. I first watched SOTUS and the Kiss series in 2020, so I became a fan of both right around the same time.

In April of 2022, I made a top ten list of what I thought were the best acting performances up to that point. Krist was on it, and so was Gawin. I admire both of them a lot, and I think they’ve both improved tremendously over the years.

Krist, from what I can tell through interviews, leans toward method acting. For example, in the scene I included on my list above, Arthit was apparently meant to cry a few lines later on, but Krist lost it earlier than scripted because in order to channel the emotion he needed for the scene, he imagined how he’d feel when Singto followed through with a long-time dream of studying overseas. It ended up one of their strongest scenes together because it was genuine.

Meanwhile, Gawin was interviewed in November of 2022, and while I think the whole interview is a great read, I wanted to emphasize this part:

“When I prepare for a role, I really have to dig into the story of the script,” [Gawin] explains. “Sometimes they do the last scenes of the series on the first day of being on set. So, you have to be really prepared with the entire story. You’ve got to know the whole thing, what emotions that character went through, and the changes with that character.” 

I think part of what makes Krist and Gawin a good combination is that they’re strong actors with different energies who might just have different ways of preparing for a role. I’d love to hear both of them talk in more detail about their processes, but it seems to me like Krist looks inward for personal experiences to connect with the character, and Gawin creates the character he’s playing based on research.

Another interesting point is that In that same interview, Gawin says he thinks Saifa from Enchanté most resembles his personality (easygoing, music lover, etc.), but he got his start as Mork from the Kiss series (attitude issues, perfect sasspot, etc.). Meanwhile, Krist had an easy link to his first major role, Arthit, in that he’d also been head hazer in university. So Krist started his career able to access a common point with his character, so that might’ve influenced his approach to future roles. Whereas Gawin started off with a character completely unlike himself, so he started from a place of more emotional detachment and probably a more research-oriented approach.

Also, they just seem to have connected on a personal level.

Working with someone so different gives actors the opportunity to learn from each other. When interviewed, Gawin said he and Krist discovered they have a lot in common, and it seems like they bonded over music and spent a lot of time on set singing together. (Their harmonizing is genuinely beautiful.)

Krist’s OST for the series is one of my favorites and Gawin has a ballad coming up later in the series, but I hope they give them a duet at some point. (It’d be a huge missed opportunity if they don’t.)

CATS???

One of the sponsors for the series is fucking Wiskas.

This could just be because Krist is their brand ambassador. (The man has four cats. He has an army to feed.)

OR there is a feline presence in the show. If this is true, I will die, because Triage, series of my soul, also had cats in it.

Listen, I will send TWO baskets of whatever Waa likes if he's enabled me to make the "if I had a nickel for every time there have been cats in a Thai BL time loop series, I'd have two nickels. It's not a lot but it's weird that it happened twice" joke.

CONCLUSION

Big fan! Love it all! (PLEASE CATS.)

I’ll leave this here as an introductory post, and I’ll make separate posts for my individual episode thoughts using #key watches bmf.

#key watches bmf #krist perawat #gawin caskey #gawinkrist #be my favorite #thai bl #thai series

[junowritings]

Hey!! Hi!! Hello!! I noticed your matchups are open right now and I was wondering if I could get a BG3 matchup :]

I use any pronouns and have no gender preference!

I tend to be a bit introverted and like being alone but the second I’m around my friends I am the LIFE of the party and am usually the one to organize hangouts and parties among the group. Comedically enough though my friends typically compare me to Gale, usually calling me a recluse who “hasn’t seen the light of day in 3 years” lmao. I,,, may be autistic.

My hobbies primarily include art, whether that be digital, traditional, animation, 3D modeling or hell, playing guitar, ukulele or even the ocarina. I’ve also recently rediscovered my love for reading and learning languages (I’m currently learning Swedish lol). I also really enjoy traveling and will get out of town and occasionally out of the country whenever I get the chance. On a nice sunny day I’ve also been known to walk to the nearby park and just walk around barefoot cuz I like the feeling of Nature*tm*.

In a relationship I’m typically the person to initiate contact, usually bringing up date ideas and initiating physical affection and the like. I don’t mind PDA though I do generally prefer being affectionate in private. On that note, I am VERY AFFECTIONATE and once someone has accepted me hugging them it will be a WHILE till I let go lol. Besides the obvious physical touch I do show affection more often through sharing fun facts and the like :]

Likes: Physical affection, art, music, hanging out with my friends, chai, mochi, being in nature, anything steampunk and anything relating to pirates

Dislikes: bright lights, loud noises, extreme temperatures (though mostly hotter weather), people acting like they’re better than me

My strengths id say are primarily my creativity and initiative. Id also argue I have good planning and social skills.

My weaknesses primarily include my tendency to get overly focused on things and sometimes forget to take care of myself because of it ehe,,,

Thaaatt,,, should be all! Thanks <]

Heyya hi! :D You certainly can get a match-up! Been a hot second so I need to brush up on my BG3 knowledge, but I think I found a lovely fit for you...

Welcome to opposites attract. On this episode-

Whilst I’ll admit that at first you and Gale seemed like a potentially good fit, Rolan inevitably won out because I believe that you two would compliment one another really well and bring out the best in each other!

You keep to yourself initially, which Rolan is unsurprisingly respectful of; if there’s anyone you have to worry about needlessly bothering you when you’re not up for the interaction, it’s definitely not him. He understands that preferring to spend some time on your own isn’t a bad thing; he’s very much the kind of person to enjoy some alone time (though the chances he gets to actually do that are few and far between even after things have settled down lmao). Sometimes enjoying one’s own company is healthy and has its merits, allowing you to recharge after a long day.

The first time he sees you break from your shell though the contrast is rather stark. Rolan had already caught a few glimpses of the life bubbling under the surface of your otherwise introverted nature the more that you warmed up to him - but when he sees you in the company of your closest friends for the first time? He’s taken aback by the way you practically lighten up in their company. He’s heard others in your circle commencing that you’re the life of the party whenever you’re around, but the tiefling definitely didn’t anticipate that to be so literal watching you immerse yourself amongst friends with a renewed vigor.

The jokes your companions crack about your comparisons to a certain wizard of Waterdeep earn an eyeroll or two from the tiefling as he listens to them ribbing you over your occasional tendencies. He’s been on enough of your planned outings to know that’s hardly the case and will tell them as such, though it’s all in good fun thankfully - besides if you prefer to hole yourself away with your creature comforts, you’re always welcome to do so at the tower. Oftentimes the wizard will chime in on the usual banter to add that it’s a good thing you made an exception to that little reclusive streak of yours for him - it would have been quite the loss otherwise.

Your instruments always have a safe place in the tower, that’s assured from the moment you make any kind of mention about the instruments that you play. He says it’s because there’s few places as well protected as his home, so why not keep them there to practice if you ever come over to visit? In reality it’s all a not so hidden excuse just to hear you play. He’ll leave his office door open or linger on the main floor of the upper levels of the tower whenever he knows you’re about to start playing, acting as though it’s not completely obvious he’s actively listening. I personally think that Rolan would be quite partial to the ukulele, if only for how fluid the notes as you pluck at the strings. If you were to take a peek at the tiefling as you’re playing, you’ll find that he often stops what he's doing to bask in the melody for a little while, the slight tilt of his head towards the direction the music is coming from a dead giveaway that you’ve got his attention hook line and sinker. Speaking of the tower though, sorcerous sundries provides a wealth of entertainment for your rediscovered passion in reading. In truth most of the stock is ancient texts and magical tomes older than both of you combined, but whatever you find that peaks your interest is yours for the reading (once he’s ensured it’s safe and not somehow curse-laden - hells knows what’s in some of those things.) It’s the first sign that he’s actively vying for your affections - Rolan hopes to earn your approval through impressing you at every turn. So the moment you express a shred of interest in the books lining the shelves all around, he’s set. And perhaps he uses some of his new connections to quietly add a couple of actual reading materials to those shelves just for you, who knows~?

After the events of the main game, Rolan is rather stubborn about staying put in the tower and the gate in general. After everything that he and the other Teiflings went through just to get here, and honestly having experienced some of the worst things the outside world has to offer he’s set on sticking to the four walls of his new home, thank you very much. It can admittedly be a point of contention given his reluctance to explain how he’s feeling sometimes; coming off as downright stubborn until you learn that he’s not exactly opposed to the idea of traveling, it will just…take some time before that avenue opens up for discussion. Trips around the gate though are fair game for the early relationship. Rolan learns quickly to spot the signs that you’re plotting another day out - hears the hum as you mull them over and the way your mouth quirks when you’ve settled on an idea. Thankfully there’s some wonderful places in the city where the bustle of crowds and incessant noise struggles to reach, offering a respite for the both of you where he can enjoy the quiet of your company and you can get your fill of being out in nature.

You and Rolan are definitely on the same page about preferring affection in private. In the early stages of your relationship you may find that it takes a little while to warm up to your affectionate nature. He certainly doesn’t mind it - quite the opposite, as the guy is so blatantly wanton of any romantic gestures that you could very well reduce him to a mess in your hands if you wanted to. In the privacy of your own home you’ll find that the man is far more open with his own affection, tail curling around you as he slips into your arms. Please card your hands through his hair - even if you accidentally knock his horns a couple of times in the process you’ll be able to watch the stress evaporate from his body with each moment, sinking deeper and deeper into your embrace. Gods forbid you cuddle him lying or sitting down because once he’s truly relaxed in one place neither of you are going anywhere.

#baldurs gate 3 x reader #bg3 x reader #bg3 #baldurs gate 3 #bg3 rolan #rolan x reader #rolan #bg3 match up #baldurs gate match up #juno art #match ups #hope you like it hun! #man its been a while i feel kinda rusty lmao

[supercorpkid]

You are almost you again.

Supergirl, B!D, Kara Danvers x Sister!Reader, Alex Danvers x Sister!Reader, Lena Luthor x Reader, Reader insert.

Word Count: 2820.

Warning: Eating disorder! Please don’t read it if it’s a trigger! Please!

Notes: prompt by @greysgirl2456, I hope i did ok with this one.

“Y/N! I’m so glad you came in. God, I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.” Lena says as soon as you walk into her office. “I’m going to sue your company if they send you on another business trip soon.”

“I know, right?” You come closer, ready to walk into her open and welcoming arms. “I’ve been out of National City so much, yesterday I forgot my own address. I almost ended up in Kara’s place.”

“She would’ve loved that.” Lena smiles and hugs you tenderly. She breathes in, sounding extremely satisfied to have you in her arms. “I’ve missed you, darling.”

“I’ve missed you too, Lee.” You finally part the hug, looking at her with a wide smile.

“Come, let’s catch up over lunch.”

It’s a simple word. Lunch. Jesus, people talk about lunch and dinner all the time, and yet this simple word makes your body shiver in anticipation. Because lunch involves eating, and you, well, you’re not particularly fond of eating.

Except there is one thing you learned with this particular group of people, the Superfriends, is that everything has to be done over food. This is mainly because Kara is an alien and needs or likes food more than anything else in this world, but it became a habit to them. And that, unfortunately, means that you have to join.

“Oh,” Your body stiffens, when she moves around her office, with a big sushi platter in hand. “I didn’t know that’s what we were doing. Had I known I wouldn’t have eaten on my way here.”

“Oh no, really? I ordered your favorite.” You look at the food on her hands. This was once your favorite, she is right. But now… “Just have a bite with me.” Lena pleads moving to the couch. “All this traveling is making you lose too much weight.”

“What? No, it hasn’t.” You look at yourself, on your much larger clothes, because yeah, you have been losing weight and haven’t been around in National City much and when you are, the last thing you want to do is go out to buy new ones.

“Y/N.” Your name comes in a condescending tone that you hate. “Please. You’re like half of who you used to be.”

You move to the couch, sitting next to her. You must be doing some kind of face because she reaches out for your hand, supportively.

“I know how hard it is eating right when work is so demanding of you. Trust me, I’ve been there.” She smiles, fond and sweet and you agree with your head. Sure, let’s blame it on work, this sure is easier.

“Yeah, you get it.” You smile back at her, praying she doesn’t realize how fake you sound. “I’m basically living on a plane.”

“I know, darling.” She reassures you, sensing your guilt. “So why don’t we just sit here for 30 minutes, eat, and catch up on each other’s lives?” She asks, not breaking eye contact. “Shall we?”

You can’t say no. You wish you could, it would be a lot easier, but she might find it weird, and you can't have people catching on.

“Sure.” You smile, though on the inside you’re feeling quite the opposite. Right now, you wish you had Kara’s powers so you can fake an emergency and just fly out the window.

Yet, you eat, and talk, and do exactly what Lena had planned.

It’s something else, this thing you’re going through. You would feel guilty if you didn’t sit here and eat with Lena, but once you do, you also feel guilty as hell for putting so much food inside you.

It has become an obsession. One you haven’t found a way to break. One you don’t want anyone to know or worry about. One that makes you feel shameful and worse every time you do it, which only leads you to doing it more.

“Ms. Luthor? I’m sorry to interrupt your lunch, but the scientists need feedback on the new prototype.” Lena’s assistant shoots as soon as she opens the door and when she is done talking, Lena looks at you apologetic.

“I’m sorry, Y/N. I’ll just say yes or no to this. Five minutes tops.”

“Oh,” you stand up when you see her moving. “I could-I could leave.”

“No, please don’t.” Lena holds your hand. “There’s still a lot to talk about and I haven’t seen you in weeks. Please stay. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay, yeah, sure.”

Lena smiles at you, before accompanying her assistant out of her office, leaving you alone. You’ve been here too many times before, so you know exactly where the bathroom is. You look around furtively, before making your way there. There’s no one around, but you make sure to check it three times before going inside.

“Oh, I forgot the-” Lena looks at you, kneeled before her toilet, and your mind goes blank for a second, before being filled with crappy explanations in an angry rush. “Oh, Y/N.”

It’s the way she says your name that gives away the fact that she knows exactly what is going on. Which makes your heart sit heavy inside, and the food comes back out without you having to force it.

“The sushi-” You try when you raise your head again. Lena doesn’t look like she’ll believe whatever you have to say for yourself, but she still makes her way to where you are and holds your hair in a high ponytail.

“You’re ok. Come on, darling. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

You’re filled with shame, and your face burns red in embarrassment. You can’t believe you got caught. You can’t believe Lena knows. She knows. It’s all you can think about. It’s your most stealthy and dark secret, something you wouldn’t -couldn’t- even tell your therapist, and yet, Lena knows.

And if Lena knows, then she’ll tell Kara. Then Kara will obviously tell Alex. Alex will tell her wife Kelly. And oh my God, the food tries to make its way back to your mouth and you breathe deep holding it down. Because somewhere between Lena helping you up and your negative thoughts while your mind spirals out of control, Lena is cleaning your face so you can’t throw up again.

She cleans one tear, you think, when her thumb strokes your face lightly. “It’s ok.” She guarantees.

But it’s not ok. It hasn’t been ok in months. It has been nothing, but you being stuck inside your raging mind, with a voice yelling that you’re not good enough, that everything you do is wrong, that you can’t control anything in your life except this. It’s a voice you haven’t heard before compelling you to act in the most harmful ways you can think of.

How do you tell Lena that you have been demanding, begging, for more work so you will have something else to think about aside from what to eat or not, how hard to exercise, how many calories you need to eat to survive, and how many can you take away from that, so you can continue to be in control of your body?

“Darling, you can talk to me.”

Can you? What can you say for yourself?

“Yeah, um, I think the sushi didn’t sit well.” You finally detach yourself from her, smiling through the tears. “Sorry you had to see that.” You flush and smile harder, forced, fake. “I should get going. You have to work, and I still have so many things to do.” You pass her going straight for your things, still talking, so she doesn’t have time to argue. “Thanks for this, Lee. I’ll see you soon, ok?”

“You promise?” Lena asks before you slip out the door.

“Yeah.”

What’s one more lie for someone who hasn’t been able to tell the truth for months?

To say that you threw yourself into work after that would be an understatement. Your sisters have been texting you for days about game night, then sisters night, then a CatCo event, but all of their texts are left on ‘seen’.

Sisters group chat:

Alex: What’s the point of a group chat if only me and Kara talk?

Alex: Y/N do you mind letting your sisters know that you are ok?

Kara: Y/N! ANSWER NOW OR I’LL SEND THE COPS!

Y/N: Gosh, you guys are so melodramatic. I’m fine!

Alex: Oh, would you look at that. She is alive, everyone!

Kara: Is she? Someone else might have her phone.

Kara: Picture now or I’ll still send the cops.

Y/N: Who are you sending over, Maggie?

Alex: Don’t be funny. Picture of yourself from now or I’ll call mom and tell her you’re on drugs.

Y/N: You wouldn’t dare.

Alex: Try me.

Y/N: You’re a dick.

Y/N: photo 📷

Y/N: Happy now?

Y/N: Hello?

Y/N: Alex DO NOT CALL MOM!

You abandon your phone on the dinner table, rubbing your eyes, trying to get rid of the sleep that is creeping in. You still have a lot of work to do, you need more coffee if you want to keep working.

It’s so fast the way your brain starts calculating how many calories you can still have today and if an extra cup of black coffee is worth all of it.

“Just one more.” You agree with your raging mind, while promising yourself you’ll eat even less tomorrow.

You’re on your way to the kitchen counter when you hear the doorbell. If they sent the cops, you swear to God.

“Baby.” Kara says, arms open wide, pulling you inside her arms for a long hug.

“I sent the picture!” You don’t make any move out of her embrace, but you’re annoyed they are both here after you did exactly what they asked and sent proof you’re still alive.

“And we saw that you’re still working!” Alex makes her way inside your apartment with two bags in her hands. It’s food. You can smell it and your stomach growls. “It’s late and it’s Sunday. Honestly Y/N, give it a rest.”

“I can’t.” You finally let yourself out of Kara’s embrace and turn around to look at Alex. “I can’t give it a rest until I’m done, ok? I have a deadline, Alex.”

“Baby.” Kara says again, and you turn to look at her this time. She looks at you in pity. “I haven’t seen you in a month, and I know you’re hungry. Let’s just eat together.”

“I’m not hungry.” Your stomach growls, proving that you are lying. “It’s growling with impatience.”

“Yeah, sure.” Kara ignores you, making her way inside to where Alex is. “I swear, next time I hug you I might break your bones if you keep forgetting to eat because of work.”

Hm.

They don’t know.

Lena didn’t tell them about the, um, incident.

“Guys, I appreciate you both worrying about me.” No, you don’t. You wish they would just leave you alone. “But this is a huge project, and the deadline is so close. I promise we’ll hang out more once I’m done with this.”

Kara, ignoring you completely, goes to your laptop, while Alex opens your fridge.

“Gee, there’s nothing here. This is either a fake fridge or you’ve found out a way to live without food.”

“Great, go around my apartment, why not?” You mumble to yourself and groan when Kara closes your laptop. “GODDAMNIT KARA!”

“Don’t worry, I know how to save a document.” She moves the laptop out of the way, along with all of your papers, making space for the food that Alex is bringing to set on the table.

“Seriously, I’m really busy.” You make your way to them, crossing your arms and hardening your features. Something’s gotta work.

“Sit down and have dinner, Y/N.” Alex pulls the chair for you. “I’m not going to say it twice.”

“I’m not your child, Alex.”

“I know you’re not. Because Esme knows when it’s time to eat, and she knows better than to argue with me about it.” Alex points at the chair, while passing Kara a dish. “Well?”

Reluctantly, you sit next to her. Kara serves you food, while Alex fills a glass of water for you. They wait until you have the first bite, so they can start eating too.

Your stomach thanks you, satisfied with real food going in, while your mind angrily shouts at you that tomorrow you’ll have to run farther, eat less, and so on. When you finish everything on your plate, feeling guilty and satiated at the same time, and are about to tell your sisters they have to leave so you can keep working, Alex clears her throat.

“So.” Alex starts, eyeing Kara to stop inhaling her food. “There’s something we want to talk to you about.”

Kara sets her food aside, looking way too serious. That makes your heart beat faster. “We’ve been noticing for a while that you haven’t been eating a lot.”

Oh no.

“Then Lena told me about what happened the last time you saw each other.”

“I felt sick with the sushi she bought. Don’t blame me.”

“We’re not blaming you.” Alex reassures you, immediately touching your arm for comfort. “We really just want to understand what’s going on, baby. We’re just worried.”

“You don’t have to. I’m fine.” They are not buying, and your heart is beating out of your chest, whilst your mind is being filled with blame and accusations. “I’m just working a lot and traveling so much.”

“Baby, your face is pale and bony. And just by looking at you I’m sure you are malnourished.” Alex gives you her best mother voice, and you think of all the times she’s done that before. “Don’t tell us there’s nothing wrong. We’re way past that. We want to understand what is happening with you, so we can help.”

Your first reaction is to fight it. To tell them there’s absolutely nothing wrong, that you don’t need help and that they must leave so you can go back to work. But it all comes crumbling down when Kara wraps you up in her arms, picking you up from where you are, and moving to the couch with you.

You feel like a child. Not only because of the way she’s holding you, or how they’re talking to you, but because you look so small when wrapped around Kara’s arms. You feel skeletal, your mind is sick and angry at your own existence, and sure, you are definitely malnourished.  

So when Kara kisses the top of your head, and Alex sits on your coffee table with a worried face and a hand on your knee for encouragement, tears stream down your face uncontrollably.

“I don’t know what’s going on, I just-” You cry and cry. They wait patiently for your time, for your truth. “I just hate myself. And sometimes I hate everyone around me, and work and life. And God, this is the only thing I can control. It’s the only thing in my life I can control, so I need it.”

“Hey.” Kara kisses your temple. “You don’t need it. You don’t. We love you so much, baby.”

“But why?” You beg. “I’m not-”

“Yes, you are.” Alex stops you before you go on with harming words about yourself. “You are amazing. You’re smart, and sweet, and beautiful, and funny, and so important to us. You are everything you see on everyone else but yourself, ok?”

“Alex.” You cry her name out of your lips and she gets it. Your older sister completely gets you.

“I’m here.” She holds both of your wrists, squeezing it gently. “I’m with you. We’re with you forever and we’re going to get over this together, ok?”

“I don’t even know what to do, where to start, I-”

“To be honest, baby, neither do we.” Kara holds you tighter. “But here’s one thing we know. We’ll be with you every step of the way.”

“We’ll learn how to deal with it together.” Alex calms you. “One step at a time, ok?” She cleans your tears with her hands. “You’ll have everything you need. Medical help, our help, friends’ support. We’ll give you everything so you can overcome this, baby.”

Alex gets up from the coffee table and sits next to Kara. Soon you are enveloped between both of your sisters’ loving arms, while they restate that there’s nothing wrong with you, and that they love you very much.

You love them too, even if sometimes along the way to recovery you find yourself hating what they’re doing, you make sure to remember that you need them and love them so dearly much, and that they are the best sisters in the universe.

It’s a hard, long road full of bumps, cracks, and obstacles, but with their help it gets you where you need to be and you start feeling like yourself again.

#supergirl #kara danvers #kara x reader #lena luthor #lena x reader #alex danvers #baby danvers #alex x reader #supergirl fanfiction

[lcs-library]

More of Lu being oblivious, you’re welcome😌

Lucille pushed open the door to the small cafe, its bell clanging as she did so. Quickly scanning the place, her eyes met the ones she was searching for.

Azuma smiled gently at her, waving her over as she joined him.

“Hey, Azu!” She greeted, taking a seat across from him.

“Hello, Lu, always good to see you.” He replied, resting his chin on his hands.

“You too.”

Lucille had requested some time with Azuma earlier that week, to which he happily agreed, also wanting to spend some much-needed time with his new troupemate.

“I have to ask, why a cafe? You know my room is always open for visitors.” Azuma said with a small tilt of his head.

Lu shifted in her seat anxiously, a rare sight for someone like her. “That’s because, well, I’m asking about someone in the company.”

“Oh? Is that so?” He inquired, a mischievous look crossing his face.

“I’ll just tell you after we order, okay?” She sighed, trying to brush off his teasing comment.

“Fufu, if you insist.”

As if on cue, one of the wait staff joined them, taking their order faster than Lucille had anticipated. She fumbled through the menu to find something, even after assurance that everything there was delicious, and settled on something random that left her mind immediately after the two were alone again.

Something she had also forgotten in the rush was what she had told Azuma.

“So, who’s your little crush, hm?” He asked, a cheshire grin on his face.

“I never said it was a crush!” She shot back, embarrassed.

“That blush says otherwise.”

“Shut up!”

“I’m kidding, please, relax. I just want to know what’s troubling that pretty little head of yours.” He said with a chuckle, patting her head to accentuate his point.

Lucille sighed. Why did she want to talk to him again?

“I…think I like Sakuya.” She confessed, her cheeks growing an ever deeper shade of crimson.

“So I was right.” He replied, his grin growing in tandem with her blush.

“You knew?”

“You may be a good actor, but you’re not a very good liar.”

“Dammit.”

Azuma chuckled, settling back against his seat.

“It’s not a bad thing, you know. By the looks of it, he hasn’t been very secretive either.”

“What?” Lu asked, making sure she wasn’t misinterpreting anything.

“Nothing,” he mused, shifting to lean against the table. “Now tell me, why are you coming to me of all people with this? I’d expect you to go to someone closer to him.”

Lucille cursed under her breath. The only question she was trying to avoid(other than ones related to a certain redhead).

“Promise me you won’t laugh?”

“Promise.”

“You just seem the most experienced with love stuff. So I thought who better to help me figure out my feelings than the guy constantly asking people to cuddle with him? Though now that I say it out loud, it sounds kinda stupid,” Lu covered her nerves with another giggle.

“I’m honored to be deemed someone experienced, but I don’t know much about love either.” Azuma replied with a calm shrug.

“You what.” She deadpanned.

“That was only my job. Of course, I’d be happy to help you and listen to your worries, though you’ll have to take it all with a grain of salt.”

“Well, anything’s better than Masumi.” She said with a sigh.

“Now, why don’t you tell me exactly what’s going on, hm?”

With that, Lucille explained her dilemma, rambling on and on about how she would still be happy even if he didn’t love her back, and how she admired every facet of him.

Right as she finished her rant, the drinks arrived. Lu found herself unable to look at what she had ordered: a sakura latte. Fitting for spring, yes, but a little too fitting for the situation at hand.

Unfortunately, Azuma caught this, and let out a laugh.

“I didn’t expect you to be so bashful about a drink.”

“It was the featured item, do you think I thought about what it was?!”

“Or were you thinking about a certain sakura blossom?”

“I don’t even like sakura flavoring, so, again, do you really think I thought about it?”

“Sure, say that all you want.” Azuma drawled, taking a smug sip of his espresso.

“Azu!”

He laughed once more.

“I kid. Do you want to order something else? It’s all on me, after all.”

“Nah, I’m fine.”

“Alright, then. If I may, I do think your feelings towards Saku are love as well.”

Lu almost choked on her coffee.

“Again?”

“Of course. You want to spend forever with him, yes?”

“Well, as long as I can…”

“And you’d like to be the reason he smiles?”

“Yeah…”

“And all you want is for him to be happy?”

“Mhm.”

Azuma smiled, raising his eyebrows.

“Then that’s love if I’ve ever seen it.”

Lucille stared blankly into his eyes.

“So it is.”

“I do have a question, however.”

“Shoot.”

“Why do you think it is that you get invited along with us so often?” He asked, leaning even closer to her.

“Because you guys like me and I’m awesome?”

“Yes, that, but there’s always a certain someone that’s always there.“

“What do you mean?”

“Why do you think you get to come to the Spring Troupe’s training camps but almost never the others?”

“…because I’m close to the Spring Troupe?”

Azuma sighed.

“What about street acts? Who usually volunteers to go with you?”

“Oh, Sakuya!”

“And who’s the one that asks if you want to come help out at shows Mankai is invited to perform in?”

“Also Sakuya?”

“Why do you think that is?”

“Because we’re friends!” She replied cheerily. If Azuma wasn’t a peaceful man, he would start throwing bricks at her.

“Even if you’re friends, I’d like you to think about why it’s you and not another ensemble member.”

“Okay…?”

“Good.”

Lucille took a sip of her latte, still a little confused. This time, the sakura was sweet.

#i CANNOT be the only one who thinks sakura flavor tastes like soap and is only decent in dango #anyway I don’t know which part I wanna have come next bc I do have a timeline I just don’t know if I’m gonna follow it #fanfiction #yume time #acting angels