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#and I am very much going to use the shade of his hair to indicate his age in fanart from now on
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okay but real question, does Miles have white hair when he gets old or does it stay grey
Let's just assume that his hair isn't dyed since he's had grey hair since early childhood and it probably isn't just because anime logic or something since unnatural hair colours aren't very common in AA (even though Franziska's bluish hair kinda breaks my model here but let's assume she has naturally light hair and dyed it for now) so the only option that leaves us with is some probably genetic and/or autoimmune illness that causes decrease or loss of cells' ability to produce pigment (similar to Vitiligo which can also cause grey or white hair but obviously doesn't work like this) and if we compare sprites from the original AA trilogy and then graphics from Dual Destinies his hair does get very slightly lighter which is probably mostly because of different shading styles but since ageing can make the loss of pigmentation even more severe what I'm saying is old man Edgeworth does very much have very light or even white hair
thank you for coming to my very random ramble about why does a little child have grey hair for fucks sake
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sp0o0kylights · 1 year
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Steve And Robin Are Stuck in A Timeloop AU 
Steve's lost track of which time loop this is.
Had lost track pretty much instantly, because it turns out when people die repeatedly in front of you, it kinda takes precedence in your memory. 
Besides, Robin has a list in her head, memorized via some kind of musical code, alongside all the dates and times they wake up in. 
(Steve doesn't see what difference it makes if they wake up at 7:15 am the day of the Championship or 8:25 am, but Robin's insistent that even the slightest variations could mean something.) 
He’ll have to ask his soulmate when he finds her though, because presently Steve has determined they're having one of their weirder loops.
Typically, when the two of them get kicked back in time, they wake up the day of the Championship game. Occasionally it will be the day right before or the day after, but sometimes? 
Sometimes they’re sent back someplace, some time, that isn’t related to 1986 at all. 
Thus far, the Starcourt loop had been the worst. 
("If it happens a third time I'm killing myself." Steve had told Robin after they’d failed that one. 
Robin didn’t even look at him, the two of them huddled up together in Steve’s bed. "No you're not Dingus, not without shooting me first."
"How come I have to shoot you!? Is it because I'm a man? That's not very feminist of you."
"No its because you've seen me shoot, I would miss!") 
Steve had even woken up in an odd place. Not his bed or the couch, but the driver's seat of the Beamer, seated in the high school parking lot.  
It made him immediately uneasy. 
The chair is reclined all the way back, the mass of cars indicating it was a school day. Steve struggled to recall when he's ever taken a nap in his car as he got out of it, trying to decide how he wanted to go about things. 
Felt his pocket and was surprised to find it full of a packet of smokes. 
The sheer implication of that had him pulling out a cig and lighting it before the knowledge that he'd officially quit buying his own cigarettes in 1985 sank in.
Panicked and chainsmokes three, before deciding his best course of action was his usual one. 
Find Robin. 
Which of course means that he found Eddie instead. 
xxx
He’d started his first lap, walking out if the parking lot and round to the more shaded, empty parts of the building when a voice he knew yelled. 
The kind of yell he’d grown intimately familiar with, the one Eddie used when he was terrified and using anger to hide it. 
Steve turns automatically, following the taunts and loud, pained breathing until he finds a handful of jocks encircling the metalhead. He's down on one knee, snarling like a wildcat caught in a trap while some guy Steve barely recognizes holds him by the hair, laughing. 
Red coats his vision instantly, and any thoughts Steve had about being stuck in time (sort of) vanish from his mind entirely. 
The world shrinks down, to that white knuckled grip on Eddie's hair, the way it’s pulling the older boy’s face up so that Steve can see the straining muscles in his throat. 
The protective creature that lives in his chest and likes to punch it’s way out of problems awakens, and a thrum goes through Steve as he feels its demand for blood. 
"Hey fellas " Steve calls joyfully, striding directly into the crowd. "What’re we doing?" 
Two part before him like fish seeing a shark,and a faraway inner voice identifies them as members of the swim team. 
Which likely meant the other two were football players, and for all the tackling they did they were surprisingly easy to scare, if you knew how to play it right. 
Steve absolutely knew how to play it right. 
"Fuck off Harrington. This isn't your business." The one holding Eddie's hair spits. 
"Well that would be where you're wrong." Steve was still keeping things conversational as he positioned himself, arms nice and loose at his sides. He lets the thing that lives inside him, who made him turn right back around all those years ago and charge back into the Byers house, out a little more. Feels the need to protect, to save, to destroy the things that are his, fuel him.  "Seeing as all of Eddie's business is my business."
Eddie stares up at him, wide eyed at the declaration. 
Feeling entirely out of control of his body, Steve sends him a wink. 
"Since when!?" The other football player asks. 
"Since now." Steve declares cheerfully--and then smiles. 
It isn’t a nice smile. 
Thoroughly unnerved, his swim team members shrink back. He’ll have words for them later if he has time--Steve can't ever recall the swim team members being dicks but who fucking knows. 
His memory wasn't the best before he and Robin got stuck in time. 
"You fucking into drugs now or wha--" Their ringleader, still holding onto Eddie by the hair, doesn't get to finish his sentence.
Mostly because his mouth is too busy catching Steve's fist. 
Fighting, he knows, is something he does best when it's too the death and he's armed with something. 
Bonus points if his opponent is a horrific monster from another dimension. 
He has gotten better though, and here the rapid pace he sets feels almost too easy. 
The first guy goes down on the ground before the rest pick up on it, giving Eddie time to lurch backwards as Steve turns and torpedoes into the next jock. 
This one gets in a good shot--Steve staggers with a blow to his side but it's not enough to wind him. He keeps to his feet and advances, delivering one more punch before the swim team guys are trying to call him off. 
"Come on man, you're gonna kill them!" 
Steve almost laughs-- he hasn't come close to killing either idiot-- but backs away, keeping himself between them and Eddie. 
They wave their hands, getting ahold of their bloodied friends as they slowly ease between them and Steve. Make apologizes and promises that it was a poor joke, Munson just got to them, hot heads you know? 
Steve snarls at them to fuck off, and glares until they're gone. 
"What the hell just happened?" Eddie asks him, and Steve turns to find him on his feet, leaning heavily against the brick wall of the school. 
As far as he can get away from Steve. 
"Our football quarterback can't hit for shit." Steve informs him, having finally placed an least one of the guys. "It's probably why we always lose." 
Eddie gives him such a freaked out face it almost makes him laugh a second time.
The effect isn't helped by the fact that Eddie's normally long mane is hovering just over his shoulders, the curls somehow poofier than normal. Clearly he’s still trying to grow it out, but it just makes him look like one of those frazzled dogs. 
Adorable. 
On instinct Steve reaches out to playfully pull a few strands, then freezes when Eddie flinches from him. 
"Sorry." He keeps his hands up, as he takes in Munson's face. "Shit dude, he got your nose good." 
There's blood smeared under it, and given the look of the skin surrounding it? 
Eddie's gonna have an impressive bruise soon enough. 
Steve gets a glare sent his way. "Why do you care?" Eddie spits, back very much still up, and-- right. 
Right. 
Time travel. 
"I'm really bad at explaining it." Steve warns, running a hand through his hair. He did this part plenty without Robin (meeting Eddie that was--Robs usually tackled Nancy.) But he also typically did in it 1986, and with at least three of the kids, not whenever they currently were. 
"We usually start with facts only you'd know, but I don't actually know when I am right now." He finishes, and realizes immediately that it doesn’t make a lick of sense. 
"When you are?" Eddie asks, because of course he clocks that part immediately. 
"Ye--eah." Steve says, dragging out the word. 
He looks at Eddie desperately, like the metalhead will tell him the exact information he needs. 
Eddie just stares back. 
"Look, it sounds really stupid when you say it out loud." Steve says finally, because fuck, it does!
"Comparable to all the other times you talk out loud?" Eddie snips, voice full of venom. 
"Shut up.” Steve replies automatically, but his tone holds no heat. He’s too used to trading banter with Eddie that is friendly.  “I'm gonna preface this by saying I can prove it."
"Oh wow preface. Such a big word for you! Did Nancy Wheeler teach you that one?"
"Robin actually." Then, "Nancy?"
The look Eddie gives him could melt steel beams. "Yeah man. Nancy Wheeler. Your girlfriend." 
"Oh--oh god." Steve says, because that means they're way back. Possibly to the beginning. 
Or worse, before he and Nancy had broken up.
"I can’t handle that breakup a second time." He says wide eyed, the panic gripping him for a second. “I could-no, no I could get Robin to tell her!” 
Because that sure would work. 
Steve can just imagine it now. Robin, sauntering up to Nancy and going ‘Hey, we really haven’t met yet but you’re gonna dump Steve, if you haven’t already and to cut through all the drama, I’m here to just tell you on his behalf that it’s over. What was that? A coward? Why yes, he is one!’
You know, provided she didn’t just laugh in his face and then cuff him over the head when she realized he was being serious. 
“Dude.” Eddie says, sinking a world’s worth of judgment into the single syllable. 
“Yeah, you’re right, bad call.” Steve says, and whatever Eddie was expecting it clearly wasn’t that. 
“Are you on drugs right now?” Eddie finally asks when Steve reverts back to looking to him as if he’s going to help. A bad habit, and one Steve knows he needs to stop doing. 
Even if Eddie, in the original timeline and every one after they got him on board, eventually becomes someone Steve can rely on like that. 
“You can tell me if you are, man, you know I won’t judge.” The hateful air around him is fading into something more confused, and then into something else entirely. The persona Eddie pulls when he’s hurt and trying to hide it with jokes and rants. “Unless you and your buddies bought from someone that wasn’t me, in which case I get exclusive rights to judge.” 
He’s shifting as he finally stands up off the wall, and Steve doesn’t miss how he hugs one hand to a rib. 
Shit. 
He needs to get Eddie up to speed and he needs to do it fast.
Steve sighs and just starts listing Eddie Munson Facts like an unprepared kid who was called on in class. 
"Okay, so your uncle collects mugs, right? And--fuck I don't know when you get all the tattoos,” Steve makes a vague gesture around his chest, “but you have bats on your arm and you gave them all names." 
Eddie's eyes pop wide again, jaw slacking as Steve volleys off a few more Munson Facts. 
"You have this weird fear about red ribbon necklaces because of a book you read in third grade, your first guitar has this giant ugly--sorry dude, but you cannot write legibly to save your life, 'This machine slays dragons' quote across it and--oh!"
 He was so fucking stupid. The answer was literally staring at him in the face, dangling around Eddie's neck. 
Steve snapped his fingers excitedly. "The guitar pick on your neck is your moms!"
Eddie’s mouth open and closes like a fish, long enough that the smile slowly slides off of Steve’s face.  
"How the fuck do you know all that?" He manages after a long, tortuous moment, looking like he’d been sucker punched. 
Again. 
With the most pained look his face can manage, Steve finally answers. "Time travel."
Eddie blinks.
Then blinks again. 
 "Time travel." He echoes faintly. 
"Yeah. I'm from 1986, where things kinda got really fucked up."
"No kidding?" Eddie says, right before he erupts into giggles. 
"Did they get you in the head?" Steve asks, abruptly concerned, as Eddie collapses back against the wall in a growing fit of laughter.  
Concussed Eddie was not a road he wanted to go down but Steve knew better than anyone what happens if you ignore such things. 
"I think my weed just hit." Eddie explains as he wipes away a tear, and Steve wants to shake him, but knows it won't get him anywhere. 
"That's great. That's just great."  He grumbles, hands going onto his hips. "Come on."
"Where are we going?"
"To get you a bandage. And then find Robin.” 
Robin, Steve decided, could handle a high, concussed Eddie.
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blorbologist · 1 year
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I AM HERE WITH A 🌟🌟 TO HEAR ABOUT SOMETHING YOU'VE BEEN DYING TO GUSH ABOUT IN YOUR WRITINGS.
EXANDRIAN 👏 WEDDING 👏 CELEBRATION👏 WORLDBUILDING👏
- Wedding rings convergently evolved in a lot of contexts due to some divine events/recurrences (ex: halos of some aasimar and divine casters). Though how they're used varies (some cultures have many, with rings being added as the couple has children or for other life events; some wear them in their hair or as body piercings; some insist the couple or someone close to them make the rings themselves; sometimes they're made as a chain that's ceremonially broken during the wedding and reforged).
- I love the common HC that elven weddings involve ceremonial knots and rope/string tying the couple together! Drow use white-silver threads (heated debate rage as to if this is nods to Loloth or the Luxon in the Dynasty), wood elves will use plant-based fibers grown from each family's land/plants that grow near their home, and all elves will use fancier material to indicate wealth. A common practice for half-elves, especially from societies where they’re more common and can share this knowledge, is to intersperse the weaving and knots with rings, or save the threads to make into necklaces or armbands.
- many Ashari wedding practices (a little different for each tribe) have their roots in Drashari & Age of Arcanum customs that survived. For Zephrah in particular, I like the idea of the couple writing their vows, folding the paper into a bird or flower or something specific to Them (Vaxleth would 100% do a raven) and sending it flying from the cliffs. I'm undecided if they're supposed to use wind spells/cantrips to keep them aloft or trust in the air to carry them and their hopes for the relationship. (The people living downwind think it's good luck to catch Ashari wedding vows, and sometimes make the trek up to return them to the happy couple.) They don't know this is adapted from the spell kites of Cathmoíra.
- Several parts of Wildemount include planting something Important as part of the ceremony. Either something that will grow (a tree, a vital crop, a favorite flower) or not (a memory capsule, an offering, or something meant to decay). If the planting doesn't go well, or if the plant/burried thing gets damaged down the line, it's seen as a terrible omen. Couples living in cities will keep theirs on windowsills or roofs to ensure they get enough light, and it’s a common source of gossip if a neighbor's plant is unwell or if the pot of soil tips during a storm, spilling out the gifts within.
- I've thought. So much. About Whitestone weddings. The city-state was very isolated for years, so their practices are very tailored to their home. Laurels are made out of the Sun Tree's shed leaves, which are also scattered around their feet. Weddings are usually held at dawn or midday for Pelor reasons, and the rings are weighed in scales blessed by Erathis to ensure the partnership is equal. The ceremony is usually held in front of the Sun Tree, and if the couple is very lucky or of high status a fallen bough will be brought with them into their marital home to keep them safe and blessed by its shade (and it's meant to be burnt as firewood should they face a challenge they feel they can't surmount, be it a terrible winter or awful fight). Most couples only get a twig or small branch though. Actually, you'll see soon ;3
- Vex's wedding ring is 100% forged from melted down gold pieces from her own person. Because there's a chance, however small, that one or two pieces used were among those Percy gave her when they first met. Percy includes some residuum in his, partially because he wanted to make sure their rings could both be used as Resurrection components should anything happen... and partially because he still remembers the Sunken Tomb and how his offering of residuum then was not accepted. He doesn’t want to forget what his mistake cost them, a reminder to be careful (what if he had succeeded? would Vax not have - then he might - fuck.).
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snortlaughs · 1 year
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trial paperwork
fandom: ace attorney
pairing: narumitsu/wrightworth
characters included: lee!wright, ler!edgeworth
word count: 1.3k
genre: fluff. SO MUCH FLUFF.
warnings: none
author’s note: YIPPEEEEE FIRST ACE ATTORNEY FIC! ALSO I HAVEN’T POSTED A FIC IN SO LONG HIIIIII i hope that you all enjoy~
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Phoenix laid down on the couch in Edgeworth’s office, looking at his navy-blue coat that snugly hung on the back of the heavy mahogany door. It was quite an eyesore relative to the rest of the room, which was covered in various shades of maroon.
He listened intently to the noises of pen on paper that came from the desk behind him. It was a Tuesday evening, and Miles was filling out paperwork for the trial that was scheduled for the upcoming Friday.
Wright knew this.
However, he still asked…
“What are you working on over there?”
Edgeworth rolled his eyes with a light groan before he placed his pen onto his nicely-polished desk, finally allowing Nick his full attention.
“Wright, this is the third time that you’ve asked me that question, and it’s going to be the third time that I’ve answered that question.” The man growled. “Does nothing get through your thick skull?”
Phoenix shifted his torso with a grunt, now laying on the sofa tummy-down and meeting Edgeworth’s disgruntled gaze.
The defense attorney rested his chin in his hand and grinned his signature, shit-eating grin, which only annoyed Edgeworth even more.
“Alright, don’t lie to me, Edgey.” He hummed, swaying his legs in the air rhythmically. “You didn’t really answer the first two times that I asked. You just shushed me or told me to leave. Very rudely, might I add.”
“Okay, well,” Edgeworth uttered after he took a deep breath. “Listen closely, because I am not answering any more of your brainless questions after this.”
Wright cupped his left ear with his hand to indicate that he was, indeed, listening.
“I am working on documentation for our upcoming trial — getting everything sorted.” Edgeworth said, grateful for the fact that no noise was coming out of Phoenix’s mouth. For once. “Shouldn’t you be doing the same thing? Why are you here bothering me when you could be doing something productive?”
“Well, since you asked oh-so nicely,” Wright purred, earning a huff from the silver-haired man, “I already got all of my paperwork finished, so I don’t have anything to worry about. Also, I like bothering you. You get worked up so easily — it’s fun to watch.”
Edgeworth, at this point, had had enough.
Not only was Phoenix Wright, his rival, invading his space and filling his mind with useless thoughts — now he was just humiliating him!
Not to mention, the warm blush that was building up in his cheeks as a result of Nick’s comment certainly wasn’t helping.
“Oh, it’s fun to watch, is it?” Miles scoffed, standing up from his desk. He shrugged his jacket off of his shoulders and haphazardly tossed it onto his chair.
Wright, satisfied with his pestering, flopped onto his back again and stared up at the ceiling. He crossed his arms over his head, each hand holding the opposite elbow. “Why, yes! Very much so.”
Before Nick knew it, Miles was standing next to the couch and then clumsily climbing onto his lap, straddling him. He used his left hand to grasp the defense attorney’s forearms and hold them firmly against the sofa.
Phoenix, after his initial surprise wore off, began squirming underneath Edgeworth’s weight with a goofy grin.
It was almost as if he knew what was coming.
“M—Miles!” The pointy-haired man stuttered, his eyes darting between the prosecutor’s free hand and his face, which was painted with a playful, happy smirk — an expression that Wright had never seen from Miles before.
Edgeworth was pretty much always frowning. To be honest, this was almost a nice change of pace. Almost.
“I’ll show you what’s fun to watch, Mr. Wright.”
This being said, he started teasingly wiggling his fingers in the air and hovering his hand over various areas of Wright’s torso, causing the man to let out a startled squeak.
“Quihit doing that!” He whined, kicking his feet petulantly against the rose-colored cushions.
“Aww, Phoenix…” Miles said, raising his eyebrows. “I haven’t even touched you yet. I wonder if you’re still just as ticklish as you were when we were kids… I think I may just have to test that out.”
That being said, Edgeworth began lightly clawing at Wright’s sides through the fabric of his collared shirt.
A shrill squeal rang through the spacious room. Phoenix instinctively sucked his tummy in to avoid the tingly sensations that danced across his skin.
“Edgewohohorth! I—I’m stihihihill just as tihihicklish as I was when we were kihihids! You don’t have to tehehest it! Reheheheheally!” The man babbled, his cheeks already covered in a blotchy, red flush.
Edgeworth shook his head with a scoff, unable to wipe his smile off of his face. “So endearing…” he thought.
“Hmmm,” Miles hummed teasingly. “Yeah, I don’t have to test it… you’re right about that. Your sensitivity is obvious.”
“…But I’m still going to tickle you to pieces.”
Phoenix barely had the time to pout before Edgeworth stealthily untucked his top and started poking sporadically at his bare ribs.
“Mihihihiles!” Nick howled, pushing his blushy face into his bicep in order to avoid his assailant’s teasing gaze.
He attempted to free his arms from Edgeworth’s hold, but the prosecutor was surprisingly strong. Instead, he did what seemed to be the next best thing — he breathlessly wriggled under the man’s weight in an attempt to dodge his pokes.
“What, Wright?” Edgeworth said, cocking his head innocently and ceasing his teasy touches for a moment. “This is what you get for bothering me! Maybe you’ll be a bit more mindful next time.”
“B—buhuhut it’s so fuhuhun to annohohoy youuuu! Yohou’re so cu—!”
Before Wright could finish his sentence and fluster Miles even more than he already had, the attacker shot his hand under Phoenix’s left arm and began moving his nimble fingers as quickly as they could go.
“EHEHEHEDGEWOHORTH!” the attorney shrieked, thrashing his torso back and forth in a feeble attempt to break free from the prosecutor. 
Miles’ face, at this point, could have been compared to that of a freshly-boiled lobster — bright red. This was possibly the reddest that he’d ever been, and he was eternally grateful that Wright was too out of sorts to notice. Hopefully.
“W—What is it, Nick?” Edgeworth said falteringly, trying hard to regain his composure after having thought about the fact that he was definitely noticeably flustered.
He switched his hand to the defense attorney’s right underarm and continued his attack, which earned him an adorably shrill yelp. 
“Can’t take it?” 
“NOHOHOHO! Plehehehehease have mehehehercy!” 
“Fine, fine.” Edgeworth said, admittedly quite bummed that his tickly onslaught had finished. He let go of Phoenix’s arms, which he immediately slammed down on either side of his torso as giggles continued to pour past his lips. 
Edgeworth rested his hands on Wright’s chest and looked down at the man laying under him, almost as if he was admiring the mess that he had made. 
Phoenix was quivering, and tears of mirth were being wiped from his deep blue eyes. 
Miles scoffed with a grin. “You’re still such a child, Wright.” 
Phoenix, after a few more moments, had mostly calmed down. However, his voice was still shaky and he was still unable to wipe his dorky smile off of his lips. 
He looked up at Miles, who turned his face away in faux nonchalance.
“M—Maybe that’s true, Edgey,” he said, as solidly as he could. “But you know what?” 
Edgeworth slowly turned his face back towards Wright’s, taking fistfuls of the spiky-haired defense attorney’s button-up shirt into his palms.
“...What?” 
Phoenix grinned.
“I think that you’re a bit of a child, too. I mean, after all these years, you remembered how ticklish I was — you even went out of your way to check and see if I still am,” he stated matter-of-factly. “This must have been taking up a lot of your mental real estate, huh, Miles? Thinking about how ticklish I am, I mean.”
Edgeworth’s eyes widened as he immediately turned away from Wright.
His face was beet-red, and his blush was quickly trailing down his neck. He silently swore at himself, irritated by the fact that he got flustered so easily.
“Seems like I got it right,” Phoenix purred, poking playfully at Edgeworth’s sides and taking note of how he flinched.
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blackjackkent · 2 months
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Jaheira does not volunteer an explanation for the little girl's behavior, but Hector almost immediately starts to formulate some theories, especially since he can hear the little girl talking with another voice inside the building.
"She'll be here. Any second. Maybe she's sneaking." "Doubtful - we'd hear her knees cracking."
"Enough, Fig. There's no point getting your hopes up. She'll be back when she's back." "You don't think she will." "I know she will. But we can wait a little longer, if you like."
"I saw her, I swear!" "Are you sure? Maybe it was just a laborer hauling a shaggy grey mop." "Be serious, Rion. Who puts braids on a mop?"
Hector swallows the urge to smile. Whoever these people are, they know Jaheira. They have been waiting for her to return from the shadowlands. This is going to be a reunion.
He looks at her sideways as they step through the door, but her expression is utterly still, entirely unreadable. She only speaks as they reach the center of the living room and the arranged figures standing there (Fig included) turn towards them.
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"Oh, Malar's mark... here we go," she says, and a rueful smile flickers onto her face.
It's a rather motley crowd arranged to receive her. Fig and another girl about her age stand by the side of a young elven woman with dark hair wearing a greathammer on her back and polished leather armor. Next to her is a hulking half-orc fellow with bright pink hair. All of them look more than a little surprised.
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"Are we quite sure she hasn't actually died this time, brother?" the elf says with jocular humor, lounging back on her heels and looking at the orc. "She *looks* dead."
"Smells it, too," the orc grunts.
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Jaheira snorts. "It has been a hard road," she says with something between amusement and indignation. "But I can clip you both around the ear to prove I am no ghost, if it would help!"
The woman grins sardonically. "Forgive us, mother. We're just surprised you know how to find your way home."
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Hector's eyebrows shoot to his hairline and his mouth drops open. "Mother? Jaheira, these are your children?!"
Adoptees, certainly, unless Jaheira casts her net far wider than he would have ever taken her for. He finds himself deeply touched to picture the actions that would have led to this diverse bunch calling themselves siblings. Jaheira has a more sentimental streak than she would ever actively admit.
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"She always brings the smartest people home, too," the woman says dryly.
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"Enough, Rion," says Jaheira, suddenly sharp. "I taught you better manners than that."
"No, you didn't," the orc mumbles, sotto voce.
Rion rolls her eyes. "A sending spell can carry twenty-five words. Do you know how many Jaheira's only message contained, in all this time she's been away? Seven."
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Hector winces. OK, maybe Jaheira's not *that* sentimental, he thinks wryly.
"This... really isn't any of my business," he says awkwardly, rubbing his jaw with one hand.
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Rion laughs, a shade bitterly. "Hah. Now there is a phrase Jaheira has never uttered. But no." A slight pause. "The message went, 'I'm sorry. You know what to do.'"
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"So why haven't you done it?" Jaheira interjects with visible agitation. "You were supposed to get the young ones out of the city!"
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"And you were supposed to be dead," Rion fires back without missing a beat. "That's what your oh-so-stoic message meant, yes?" Her voice softens almost imperceptibly, and Hector can hear the thread of anxiety underneath it. "Yet here you are. So... what happened out there?"
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Jaheira frowns, then jerks her head to indicate Hector. "I got my skin saved by this one. We've come to take the fight to the cult - which is *exactly* why you all cannot be here."
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The woman juts her jaw out stubbornly. "Why? You plan on winning, don't you?" She turns in Hector's direction, lifts an eyebrow at him - in a way that reminds him very much of Jaheira indeed. "You're the one who saved her, so tell me. Are we all doomed?"
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Hector folds his arms and looks back at her steadily. "The cult is powerful," he says. "It's not going to be an easy fight."
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"So fight," Rion says sharply. "That's what all you heroes and Harpers are for, isn't it?"
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Jaheira sighs. "You are a very irritating girl," she deadpans.
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"Ah-ah--" Rion wags a finger at her. "This isn't your house, remember? You'll keep a civil tongue under our roof - *if* we let you stay at all."
"Have mercy, sister," the orc puts in. "She's old after all."
"SOOOOOO old," one of the little girls says with a giggle.
"She can stay," Fig declares. "But only if she brought home *presents.*"
Rion laughs softly, though without much humor. "Seems I'm out-voted. See, mother? That is how you go about talking things through with your family." She shakes her head, looks at the others of the group with some skepticism, then shrugs. "Now, if there's more to discuss, then bloody well come in. And wipe your boots."
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cutelittleriot · 4 months
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Tw for vomiting
Broken bones
Blood
Like I said Branch is getting it this chapter
For once its Poppy who wakes up before Branch. What woke her up was a slight stabbing sensation on her fingertips.
Her claws must be starting to come in welp no use going back to sleep with this pain.
Getting up she looks around the dark room noticing that Branch is still asleep although it looks like he is in pain if the soft groans that were coming from him were any indicator.
Getting up she goes over to him and shakes him gently "Branch? Are you ok? Are you having a nightmare?" She asks very concerned for her boyfriend.
"It hurts Poppy it hurts" He groans opening his eyes at her and was it her or were they glowing a bit? "Your feet? I mean aren't your claws growing in that should hurt just like it did for your hands right?" She asks him a bit confused.
"That but everything around and below my knees won't stop hurting its like I have pulled a muscle and it hurts so much to move my legs I can't even get up" He says. When he woke up to horrible pain he knew something else was happening. He could feel the pain in his toes from claws currently growing but when he could feel even worse pain in his legs he knew something was wrong.
Compared to the claws this is easily 10 times worse. If he could rate the pain the claws would be a 5 the fangs would be a 3 and this is a easy 10. "I don't think I can leave bed today Poppy sorry" He apologizes. "Nono it's ok Branch really. I will help take care of you until your better" She says placing his paw in hers and they both smile at eachother even if one is in alot of pain.
"I will go make some breakfast for us and you get to have breakfast in bed lucky you!" She cheerfully tells him and he just rolls his eyes playfully.
Poppy heads to the kitchen and begins to make some pancakes and omlettes for herself and Branch. Thankfully Branch has been teaching her some recipes that she has been wanting to try. She checks the time and is surprised it's around 7:30 am as she usually sleeps until 8 and Branch usually gets up when the sun rises but then again he isn't exactly able to leave at the moment.
In the 2 days she has been here Branch always got up at around at the same time and she knows he tries his best to prevent her from waking up but her new enhanced hearing all but prevents that.
While waiting for the pan to heat up she looks at her paws. Like with branch there are little slits in her paws where the claws will come out of. She shudders as to what will happen later today if what Branch went through was any indicator. She just worries about this stage that he is going through right now becuase she will go through the same thing soon enough.
She also notices the fur on her paws up to her wrists is becoming darker in color. It's a darker shade of pink than her hair which is surprising but then again Branchs paws are grey now so she guesses its a part of the transformation. She didn't want to bring it up with him in case it brings up bad memories or in case he was having a grey day as he has those every once in a while and with the whole transformation thing going on,although it wouldn't surprise her if he did have one.
Shaking her head she decides to worry about the negatives later,her boyfriend needs her right now! Soon enough there are 2 stacks of pancakes and 2 omlettes along with some milk and orange juice.
She heads back to Branchs room who is currently curled up on his side seemingly trying to find a position that is the least painful. "Here ya go Branch I used that recipe you taught me to make these" She says handing him a plate of pancakes and an omlette and his oj.
"Oh wow thanks Poppy ouch" He says as he gets up wincing in pain. He begins eating at a normal pace thankfully and she joins him as they both eat in blissful silence. Soon she finishes albeit quicker than him when she wants to check something. "Hey Branch?" She asks. "Hmm" He replies mouth full of food.
"Is it alright if I checked your feet and legs? I just want to see what's going on" She asks not wanting this to sound weird. "Uh sure go ahead I have been curious myself but I haven't been able to look myself as I have been in pain" He says and becuase he hasn't been able to muster up the courage to look,not that he will tell her.
Nodding she takes the covers and gently pulls back and looks at his legs. His feet were complete paws now hardly even resembling toes and the fur up to his ankles has begun to turn the same shade of grey as his paws. Just like with their paws there are slits right where his toes would be but now they look more animal like than troll.
Branch looks at his feet in horror. His feet were turning grey too?! And what happened to his toes?! He tries to wiggle them hut they barely move at all! Were they even considered toes anymore?! He winces at his attempt at moving his toes and his leg. He notices that the pain increases when he attempts to move any of his legs below the knees.
"Oh wow Branch this is not what I was expecting" She looks both amazed and shocked. "Me neither I'm pretty sure my toes weren't this shape when I went to bed, I mean they looked somewhat rounder but not this different! And my ankles! Look at the fur around them, it's grey!" He exclaims.
"Yeah how weird I mean it's sort of happening with me right now but my fur is just becoming a darker shade of pink and isn't turning grey like yours" She says showing him one of her paws. That was something he noticed when she brought him food,to be honest the darker pink suits her.
"Thanks for the food Poppy I really mean it. I didn't think the pain would be this bad. I know your in pain right now and don't you dare say you aren't, I saw you wince when you held your fork. You had to figure out a way to eat that doesn't hurt your fingers." He explains. Sometimes she forgets just how observative he can be especially when it comes to her.
"Its fine Branch really and yes while it does hurt I can tell yours is alot worse compared to mine. I will stay with you the whole time until this stage is complete I promise you that " She says giving him a gentle smile that makes his heart skip a beat every time he sees it.
"Thanks Poppy that means alot to me" He says returning her gentle smile with one of his own and to both of their surprise she begins to softly purr. She gently places a paw on her chest. "So this is what it's like to purr....it feels weird but in a good way" She says with a small laugh at the end. They are then alerted to another sound and it's coming from Branch turns out he started to purr seemingly in response to Poppy's.
"Would you look at that we both are purring" He laughs a little and she joins him both trolls are quietly but happily enjoying eachothers company with the only sound being the purring that is being caused by them. Alas all good things must come to an end when his purring stops and he groans in pain again.
"I'll be right back Branch I'm just gonna grab some stuff to do while I'm in here taking care of you" She says and he nods before she quickly runs out and grabs her scrapbooking supplies along with some card games and a jigsaw puzzle along with a pack of ice for branchs pain maybe she can at least help numb it along with his scratching pad just in case he needs something to scratch and something to grip onto so he won't rip his bed sheets.
She is back in just a matter of minutes her arms full of supplies. "I have returned!" She proudly exclaims. "I can see that" Branch sarcastically retorts back. She sets out her supplies and games off to the side for the moment as she proceeds to hand him a ice pack for his legs.
"Thanks Poppy this means alot to me" He thanks her and as soon as she puts the ice on his legs she can see his face relax just a bit so it seems to help for now. "That feels so much better thanks I really mean it" He thanks her and yawns. "Whats wrong Branch? Did you not sleep well last night?" She asks.
"No this pain has kept me up a good majority of the night so I'm tired right now. I'm going to take a nap and savor this numbness for as long as possible." He says closing his eyes.
"Alright I will be over here working on this puzzle while you sleep" She says and she can see the briefest of nods coming from him. Normally she would scrapbook but all the cutting and stuff would probably bother him while trying to sleep and he very much obviously needs his sleep so she chose a quiet activity instead.
She is at the jigsaw puzzles for a while until around noon with the pain in her fingertips slowing increasing in pain. It's not excruciating at least not yet but it's actually starting to hurt almost the same pain as when her teeth fell out. Her ears perk up when she hears Branch let out a yelp in pain as he wakes up.
"Poppy" He takes a deep breath "My claws they are starting to come out I can feel it!" He exclaims. This is weird usually they would probably grow near the afternoon like with his paws. It usually isn't this soon but then again he is the only case they can go off of right now but still! She nods and while she was busy doing the puzzle she went and got some paper towels for the inevitable blood that would cone from his claws.
Gently lifting the covers she can hear Brach groaning occasionally yelping in pain as he grips his scratching board like crazy. Just like the day before right before her very eyes 2 sets of black claws come out of the slits that were on Branchs feet. They were curved downward and covered in blood just like before. Gently she takes the paper towel and wipes off the blood and soon the claws retract back into the paws.
"Is it done?" Branch asks her. "Yeah it's done they are out they just retracted a second ago" She tells him. "Than why am I still in pain?" He asks confused. "Wait you are?" She says shocked. "Yeah the claws coming out somehow hurt less than what I'm dealing with right now" He says turning his head to the side as if that will help the pain.
"When the ones on my hands came out afterwords my fingertips only ached a bit but soon went away and it's happening with my toes right now but the pain in my legs has not gone away at all" He explains as he looks at his feet that look almost as grey as his paws.
"It could be something else with your transformation maybe it is combining 2 stages at once?" Poppy suggests. "Could be but ugh why do that?" Branch questions even though he knows Poppy knows as much as he does when it comes to this transformation.
"Guess we will have to wait this stage out to see what happens" Branch groans at least with the other stages it was somewhat obvious what was changing but this is a total mystery to him. I can refreeze the ice pack if you want me to" Poppy asks him but he just shakes his head. "No it's getting to a point to where ice isn't doing much for me anymore" He says feeling bad that the blissful numbness of ice won't work anymore.
She just nods and covers him back up. "Do you....want to play some card games? It's a good way to pass the time" She suggests as she pulls out a deck of cards. He just nods and they begin to play.
They played through many rounds both have won and lost a good amount but Poppy is in the lead at the moment. As time ticked on by Branch began to loose focus more and more as the pain seemingly got worse and worse every hour. The same went for Poppy as she can feel it's almost time for her claws to come out as the stabbing is getting worse.
By mid afternoon he could no longer play as the pain got to be too much for him and he just lays in his bed as he wallows in agony. She really wishes she could do something for him but she can't go see Doctor Moonbloom when she looks the way she does.
Branch gently but firmly hold her paw "Poppy I have never felt this much pain before in my life. It hurts......it hurts so much I don't know how much more I can take" He tells her and it just breaks her heart into two. She has never seen this from him before. She has seen him sad before yes but never in pain before.
"I wish I could help I really do" She tells him to which he just smiles. "I know you would if you could" He says. The two trolls continue to hold eachothers paws for a good half hour before something happens.
Branchs breath hitches all of a sudden his pupils shrink to pinpricks and his grip on Poppy suddenly becomes so tight she though he was gonna cut off circulation in her paw. Thankfully he quickly grabs his scratching mat with his claws out and gripping so tightly she though he wa gonna break it. It doesn't help when he suddenly let's out a scream that shocks Poppy to her very core.
She has never heard Branch let alone anyone scream like that. If they were in the village she is pretty sure everyone would come to see what was going on as it sounded like someone was being murdered.
He thrashes in his bed his head waving side to side as if it will stop the pain as tears of pain come out of his eyes. "Branch! What's wrong?!" She frantically asks him but he doesn't answer her he just continues to scream.
That's when she hears it
**crack**
*snap*
*pop*
*crunch*
Horrified she takes the covers off of branchs legs and covers her mouth in horror. It takes everything in her not to vomit as tears begin to leak out of her eyes.
Right before her very eyes Branch's legs shift and morph and rearrange themselves all the while making those horrible sounds. Branch probably can't even hear it as he is screaming so loud and the pain isn't even letting him think properly.
She is so horrified that she doesn't even register the stabbing pain of her claws ripping through the slits of her paws.
The process takes at least two to 3 minutes but finally the noises stop and his legs stop morphing as they are now a digigrade shape instead of what normal troll legs should look like. The moment the sounds stop along with the transformation so does Branch's screaming as he gasps heavily from the pain.
Neither of them say anything for a good minute and when Poppy finally turns over to him to say something Branch is passed out due to the pain and stress of the transformation.
It's only then that she registers the blood dripping from her new claws. She looks at them,they were white in color and they were actually smaller than Branch' claws. Numbly she heads to the bathroom and washs her paws of blood. And then she proceeds to vomit for a few good minutes at the horror she just witnessed.
After cleaning herself up from that whole fiasco she heads out to see that Branch is fast asleep and she honestly doesn't blame him. 'Does he even know what happened to his legs? Or was he in too much pain to know?'She asks herself honestly neither option was good.
She decides to not eat anything as to not do anything to upset her stomach and just cuts off the lights and tries to sleep.
She didn't get much sleep that night becuase she knows that's what's going to happen to her too soon.
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dreadfutures · 2 years
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“Person A placing small flowers into person B’s hair as they rest under the shade of a tree” For Ixchel and whoever you’d like???
Thank you!
For @dadrunkwriting super late right as I'm falling asleep 😅
Solavellan
-:-:-
It was not the first time she noticed his younger self reflected in the Fade, but she did not know what about this night had brought it out. She had guesses, of course: having just passed through Val Royeux, symbolic of nearly every excess of the Orlesian Empire, perhaps Solas had been reminded of the height of his own empire; perhaps it was the fruit they had shared a few days prior, granting some reconnection to his youthful explorations of exotic lands or even a memory of his elusive home. She did not know if it was wise to ask, but she could not let it go entirely unaddressed.
His hair was too beautiful to go without appreciation.
It spilled all over her lap, gilded red where sunbeams fell across it. Metal laurels curled around his ears in a delicate crown that hooked beneath the mass of his hair, but besides that he was entirely unadorned. His clothing was plain and light, appropriate for summer, and it seemed somehow incongruous with the smooth, taut skin at the corner of his eyes and mouth where age and grief has been washed away.
Ixchel could not stop touching his hair, it's silken mass so warm and heavy across her legs, and Solas did not seem to want her to stop if the noises he made were any indication as she ran her fingers from room to tip. He was practically purring.
But she did stop, eventually, just for a moment. She needed to focus.
Ixchel shapes the Fade around them to meet her needs, and she felt Solas'curiosity briefly probe at what she was doing before retreating, pleased but bemused.
She plucked up the first of the vibrant orange blossoms she had sprouted from memory alone. They grew somewhere in Tevinter, and she had seen them only once--but it had been a stunning memory. An unseasonable rain had crossed the countryside and within a week, the barren, dry valley they had been traversing became a sea of the most *orange* orange she had ever experienced. It nearly hurt the eyes to gaze upon the wildflowers, and they rippled and dance like flames in the wind. And, strangely, the whole host of them together smelled of curdled milk.
She did not bring that touch into her memory now, however. There were more pleasant things on her mind.
"They are no Ardent Blossom," she teased, "but I couldn't resist putting something in your hair, and the color matches mine so well..."
Solas' eyes flirted up to her face, shining bright like an active eluvian, beckoning her in. "I did not realize I had shifted," he mused. "Thank you. They are a beautiful memory, Ixchel.*
"Of course," she replied warmly. "I love seeing you like this. Lighter. It needed celebrating, I think."
Solas chuckled, and Ixchel immediately heard the rueful note in his voice now. "This is a much fonder memory to have than what brought me back to my youth," he said. "I think it was our recent intrigue and flight that has made me recall some of my more...daring escapades."
He raised one hand to brush his knuckles along the side of her cheek, even as she focused on weaving more flowers into his hair. "Thank you for making this a good dream, vhenan," he sais softly. "Respites such as this... I did not think I would have them in my old age."
Her heart stuttered, but her fingers did not.
"I wouldn't be unhappy if this was all that awaited us, I think," she said quietly. "But I've learned I am very bad at predicting the future, and being imaginative with my hopes."
"Is anyone?"
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booksandwords · 2 years
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2 Sisters Detective Agency by James Patterson and Candice Fox
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Read time: 5 Days Rating: 4/5
The quote: "Did you body-shame Dad too, or am I just lucky?" I asked. "That's different," Baby said. "It's okay for guys to be fat," "Excuse me," I said to the servers as she topped up my coffee. "Cold you please tell me what year it is? My daughter here thinks it's 1959." — Rhonda Bird and Baby Bird (p.116)
I'm so glad I read this. I do recommend reading it, it gives me very slight Women's Murder Club vibes and sets up a longer series well. Rhonda Bird is such a surprise packet. When she is introduced to the reader you could have knocked me other with a feather. "As big as I am—260 pounds, some of it well earned muscle and some of it long-maintained fat—there's no point trying to fit in with the crowd. The pink hair was just the latest shade in a rotating kaleidoscope of colors I applied to my half shaved, wavy quiff, and I always wore rock band shirts in the courtroom under my blazer." (p.4, and this doesn't even include her car). Her description is just so visible and to me at least she is a bit unique among protagonists. When was the last time you read a protagonist with such size? And she owns it, doesn't allow people to look down on her for it. Barbara Ann "Baby" Bird is so different. It was often really hard for me to remember how old she isn't. That said damn she's smart.
On the plot in a way predictable, in a way not so much. The way the characters layer together in different ways is enjoyable. The multitude of villains are diverse and want different things. The villainous characters are different levels of criminal, we know some of their backstories. Comeuppance is relative in this story. There are also some innocents included but they too are multidimensional. There are some points that will likely make you just say wait... what? Yes, Perry Tuddy I'm looking at you and you're whole freakish thing. His exact words are "Freak. Big freak. How can I help you, my freaky friend?" (p.186) The whole Bruhs and Queen of the party made me laugh and question. These moments compensate for moments of darkness that aren't distressing but not far off it.
On the writing style, 2 Sisters Detective Agency does roll through multiple perspectives throughout the book. Of interest is the use of povs. Rhonda is the primary pov written primarily in the first person. We are in her head and seeing the world through her eyes. Everyone else, all villains (Vera and Jacob primarily), are written in the third person. We just watch them, sometimes a true blessing (btw warnings for torture, death, drugs, violence, vaping if that is a problem for you and all kinds of problems). I do like the use of the rolling perspectives it can make the whole this a very visual experience. Smartly all the characters have different voices. It all combines well for an enjoyable read. There are some moments where you really get an indication of the intended of 2 Sisters Detective Agency specifically the choice in celebrity names, they are nineties references being made by kids that wouldn't necessarily have known them. But the references would be known by the audience that Patterson and Fox think will be reading it. I was quite surprised when I read that co-author, Candice Fox, is Australian. To me there was little to no evidence of it, usually, I can catch glimpses of it. I'm honestly trying to decide if I'm disappointed or not.
"Look, it's hard to explain, but... I think I saw your freak flag." "My freak flag?" "Yeah," I said. I showed him my tattooed arms, gestured to my pink hair. "I mean, look at me. You can spot me a mile away I fly my freak flag proudly. But you—you're more subtle." — Perry is an interesting character. His addiction is one of the strangest things I've ever read. I'm not going to spoil it even if I could with the completion of this quote or a couple of others. (Rhonda Bird and Perry Tuddy, p.184)
"I don't spend a lot of time looking at pictures of dead bodies," I said "Neither do I." He shrugged. "But this young man is no longer in pain, if that's what's disturbing you." — This is an interesting moment. Rhonda is a lawyer used to helping these kids. This line of he's no longer in pain was possibly the best way to help her in this moment. I also really like the line. (Rhonda Bird and Perry Tuddy, p.188)
"I'm not going anywhere. You can push me and push me and push me, but I'm not going to go away. Dad's gone out of our lives for good, and I'm here to stay. And those are two realities you have to deal with." — This line is glorious. It is their relationship... well aside from the occasional sisterly pettiness. (Rhonda Bird, p.231)
Read for Dymocks 2022 Reading Challenge. Filling the prompt: "Number in the title" 2 Sisters Detective Agency has been the book I intended to read for this prompt from the time I saw the title and the prompt. I don't read a lot of this genre and better yet this promised to be female lead. 🕵🏼‍♀️
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nyuksw · 3 years
Text
The Shop — Sunwoo, smut
warnings: sex toys, kinda public sex, unprotected sex, masturbation, oral (my old work being modified and re-posted)
You were walking towards the shop you’ve seen so many times as you drove by almost every day. You decided to wear a hoodie despite the warm weather just to pull on the soft material over your head, wearing some dark shades and hugging your bag closer to your chest. Anyone that could see you right now would think you were buying something else. You parked just in front of the shop, yet the walk through the short distance felt way too long for your liking.
Walking through the big front doors, the sensor bell goes off making you pursue your lips. Why did it have to indicate someone coming in?! You took a deep breath, hoping no one would come to greet you or even offer their help, a blush already creeping up your cheeks just by thinking about it.
You looked around the shop, plenty of toys decorating the walls and the shelves, some that you have never seen or even imagined existed. Different sizes, uses, what even are those?! Your eyes widening upon seeing a weird long shaped object by one of the shelves.
“Okay maybe I should leave, I shouldn’t have listened to my friends.” you whispered to yourself, turning around and ready to sprint towards your car.
But before you could even take a step, a male voice spoke behind you. “Hello, welcome to Cupid’s Box. Looking for anything in particular?”
You closed your eyes, suddenly feeling too shy to even move. You turned around slowly, coming face to face with a tall and handsome guy, flashing you a bright and friendly smile. You scanned his face, eyes moving down his tall body. Luckily you were still wearing those shades or he would’ve noticed you were checking him out.
“I was uhm, I was just looking around.” you said, your voice coming out hesitant.
He raised an eyebrow at you, eyeing you quickly and biting back a smile. It’s not the first time he has encountered customers like you, coming in in disguise to shop, some even leaving without stepping inside. You were nervous and embarrassed, he clearly could see that.
Bringing a hand up to your face he took the glasses and removed them from your face, revealing your pretty eyes that were already wide in surprise and frantically looking at everything and everyone but him.
“If you’re going to just look around, you should remove these at least so you could see better.” He said while chuckling, “I’m Sunwoo by the way, I’d gladly assist you today.”
“Thank you, Sunwoo. But I was just passing by, not really shopping.” you said one more time, rather than trying to convince him it sounded more like you were trying to convince yourself of it.
“Are you sure? I mean, based on your outfit, the dark shades and the way you’re holding your bag, I can tell that you entered the shop with plans of buying something but you got too embarrassed and if it wasn’t for me talking to you, you would’ve ran out. Am I right?” He tilted his head to the side slightly and raised an eyebrow at you.
You pulled your hood away from your head, fixing your hair with a huff, “Fine, yes. I wanted to get a.... toy.” you said, still avoiding his eyes.
“Do you have anything in mind? A dildo, vibrator, perhaps both in one?” he asked and for the first time you locked eyes with him, he was very handsome and that smile, ugh that smile was enough to get your knees buckling.
“I don’t know, I came here without a clue of what exactly I'm looking for.” you laughed nervously but he smiled at you yet again
“Don’t worry, that’s why I'm here. First of all I need to know something, do you prefer clit or g-spot stimulation?”
“Well I have never had a g-spot orgasm,” you chuckle awkwardly, remembering how your ex never really focused on your pleasure and rather on his own, as well as other casual one night stands you’ve had here and there, which is why you’re currently standing on a sex shop. Hoping to get something to pleasure you the way no guy has ever done, and when you look up at him again he is just looking at you expectantly, “so I think a clit one will work better.”
“A vibrator it is then!” he said excitedly, clapping his hands together, “please follow me.”
You followed him through the shop towards the other side, glancing around and seeing the amount of toys there were besides the typical ones you knew. There were nipple clamps, butt plugs, whips, cock rings, lubes. Eyes wide and a deep pink blush over your cheeks as you eyed them, quickly turning around and gluing your eyes on the back of the tall and handsome worker.
“Here it is, our most famous vibrator.” he said, suddenly stopping and making you crash on his back, letting out a small sorry you took a few steps back and observed the pink colored device on his hand.
“This guy here is made from body safe silicone, it has 10 ultra powerful vibration intensities and 6 vibration patterns. It’s usb rechargeable and shower friendly too. Pretty good for someone who is just starting to get into toys.” he explained, extending the toy out for you to take it and see it yourself, but instead of focusing on the pink toy, your eyes were glued to his long pretty fingers. Unsure if it was because of the shop’s atmosphere or because you were that needy, your mind started to wonder how those fingers would feel if he- wait, no. You blinked rapidly, quickly glancing up at him and nodded, “I’ll buy that one.”
He raised his eyebrows at you, “Are you sure? You don’t want to see other options? There are some other ones with more functions.” he suggested but you quickly shook your head.
“Alright then.” he grinned and started to walk towards the cash register.
“Would you like to buy anything else?” he asked as he started to scan the code, looking up at you a few seconds later only to see you looking at some cuffs that were on the counter next to you.
“Perhaps those?” he suggested.
You looked at him, shaking your head and looking down as you took out your wallet, “I don’t have anyone to use those with so I’ll pass. How much do I owe you?”
He raised an eyebrow at you, biting his lip to prevent a smirk from forming on his lips as he just learned that you were single, but you caught it and yet again, just by it you were somehow getting aroused. Damn it, you really need to get out of there soon and get home right now.
“That would be $95.” he said and you immediately handed him the money.
He started to work packing your order, and you noticed he was hesitant about something. Eyeing him curiously until he finally decided to speak up.
“You don’t remember me?” he questioned.
You frowned, “Remember you?”
“Yeah from school, I’m Kim Sunwoo. We were classmates pretty much from kids until highschool.” he chuckled.
Your eyes widened in shock and horror, your life almost flashing right in front of you. As if this wasn’t already embarrassing enough, the guy working there and helping you get a sex toy, was an old friend.
“I thought you would recognize me. I guess I changed?” he chuckled, trying to hide the small disappointment from you not recognizing him.
You took the bag and tried to hide it in your purse but it was too big so frustrated you simply rolled the plastic bag with the box trying to cover the name of the shop on it and held it closer to you.
“Thank you for purchasing here at Cupid’s Box. I hope to see you around here again.” He said smiling at you but you quickly nodded and muttered a quick thank you before turning around and quickly walked towards your car, totally missing the way he made emphasis on the last sentence.
You arrived back home, already feeling a little bored as it was still a little too early. Your mind going back to Sunwoo, there was something about him that caught your eye. Just thinking about him already made you feel that tingling sensation down there, biting your lip you took the toy from the bag and went into your room.
Laying in bed after removing your clothes, hands exploring your own body, sliding your hand down your body, thinking all the time about Sunwoo, wishing it was his hand the one touching you right now. A soft moan leaving your lips the moment your fingers came in contact with your already sensitive clit, squirming a little as you started to rub it slowly.
You extended your arm to the side where you left the vibrator, taking it and turning it on in the lowest mode, you opened your legs a little more, fingers spreading your own folds as you lowered the toy against your clit. Moaning loudly as it sent waves of pleasure, throwing your head back, thinking about how that pretty face would look between your legs with those pretty plump lips eating you out. You clicked on another button, putting the vibrator on a higher mode, the sudden shock making you close your legs with the toy still between them as you became a whiny mess.
You were getting closer to your orgasm, but before you could even reach it, the vibrator stopped working. Snapping your eyes open, you clicked continuously on the buttons trying to get it on again.
“This can’t be happening.” you groaned in frustration, taking the toy from between your legs and continued pushing every button. You stood up from bed and grabbed the charger, maybe it ran out of battery. But plugging in you realized the battery light didn’t turn on, which meant the vibrator completely died out of nowhere after purchasing it just an hour ago.
“Best one my ass.” you muttered angrily, quickly putting on some clothes again after cleaning up and throwing the toy into your purse, storming out of your apartment and driving all the way to the shop again.
It was almost closing time, Sunwoo was preparing everything to close when he saw a car carelessly pull up in front of the shop, sighing and thinking that maybe it was another weird customer doing some last minute shopping before their night wild adventures. But to his surprise he saw you walking into the store, hair a little messy as well as the clothes, it was like you just threw on whatever and didn’t even look in the mirror.
Raising his eyebrows as he watched you walk towards him, hand going inside your bag and pulling the vibrator you got earlier that day, slamming it down on the counter right in front of him and looking down at it with a questioning look before looking back at you, this time noticing your flushed cheeks.
“I want a refund.” you said glaring at him.
“I’m sorry but our policy says we can’t refund money for us-”
“This thing died on me right before I was about to orgasm. It didn’t even last 20 minutes and it simply stopped working. It seems I just can’t get pleasure, not even with a damn toy. My ex, who was a total asshole by the way, never cared about satisfying me too, no guy has ever for that matter. I came here hoping to get something better that could do the work they don’t but I just got scammed because this thing didn’t do anything.” you rambled and Sunwoo only stared at you. You were very frustrated, sexually frustrated to be exact, so you didn’t care at this point about rambling to a hot old classmate at a sex shop.
“I’m really sorry for the inconvenience, some toys come with malfunctions from the factory. Since the toy has been used I can’t give you a refund, but I can offer you some amazing deals for another toy.” he suggested, quickly glancing at the clock to his side.
“No, I don’t want another toy! Or maybe I do, I don’t know. I just want to be fucked either by a dick or a toy, I don’t care anymore.” you groaned, throwing your hands in the air.
Sunwoo glanced at the clock again, 9:00 PM finally, closing time. Smirking, he turned around to look at you again. “Here at Cupid’s Box, our customer’s satisfaction is our priority. So let me make it up to you and not exactly with a toy.”
It took you a moment to fully process what he just said, opening your mouth to talk only to close it again. You were taken aback, but you weren’t even sure if he really insinuated that or you just misinterpreted his words.
“How?” you asked, decided to play along and maybe get to somewhere with it.
“Let me be the one to pleasure you,” He smirked, walking behind the counter until he was out of there and in front of you. Placing his hands against the counter, making sure you cage you in his arms, he leaned closer to you, lips ghosting over yours as he kept talking, “let me be the one to make up for the toy and all those assholes you’ve slept with that doesn’t know how to treat you right and give you what you need.”
“Do it already then.” you said and he crashed his lips against yours, hands messily touching each other. You weren’t the only one who wanted this, the moment he stepped in Sunwoo laid his eyes on you, so timid and innocent yet you wanted to buy a sex toy. But then when he took off your glasses he recognized you, the person who he always had a crush on, old feelings surfacing again and seeing you buying toys really turned him on. Leaving him the entire day alone with his imagination thinking about you using the vibrator and maybe, just maybe, thinking of him as you did.
He lowered his hands, unbuttoning your pants and dragging them down. He grabbed you by the waist and lifted you up, placing you on the counter without breaking the kiss. He settled between your legs, moving his hands up to lift your shirt and remove your bra. Licking his lips when he saw your exposed body, his cold fingers ghosting over your nipples, watching them get hard before leaning down to wrap his pretty lips around one.
He explored your upper body with his lips and tongue, attacking your neck and chest, leaving marks as he lowered a hand until it was on your clothed core, making you gasp and buck your hips against his hand. He smirked against your skin, liking the way you were reacting to his touch and he didn't even start yet. He pressed his fingers against it, feeling your wetness through the material.
“You’re already this wet for me?” He murmured, trailing kisses all the way up to your neck.
He pushed your panties to the side, fingers tracing up and down your slit before pushing two inside you. The coldness of his fingers just made it feel even better before they warmed up, he moved his head and captured your lips once again as he kept pumping his fingers in and out of you. He pulled his fingers out of you and pulled down your panties, spreading your legs again and kneeling down until his face was in front of you.
He decided to tease you painfully slowly, looking up at you with a smirk on his face before sticking his tongue out and giving you a quick lick, lips leaving kisses all over your thighs before moving back and started giving you short kitten licks. The movements of his tongue were slow but precise, starting from your slit all the way up towards your clit. Flicking the sensitive bud with the tip of his tongue, earning a moan from you. Smirking proudly against your folds, he decided to speed up his work.
Thrusting two fingers inside you again, his lips wrapped around your clit and started to lick and suck on it, feeling you clench around his fingers making him groan against you. The sounds coming out from his throat sent vibrations against you, lowering a hand you ran your fingers through his curly hair, pulling on it as you started to grind against his mouth. He curled his fingers inside you, pressing on your sweet spot as his tongue quickly laped over your clit.
“that’s it, cum on my mouth.” he murmured, tongue going back to doing its job, pushing you over the edge seconds later and orgasming. You let go of his hair, slamming your hand on the counter for support as you leaned back, shaking and moaning in pleasure as he kept licking clean your folds.
You opened your eyes, looking down at him as he placed one last kiss on your inner thigh and stood up, licking his lips.
“You taste so sweet.” he said, hands sneaking around your waist pulling you towards him, lips meeting yours again into a slower but still heated kiss. He lifted you up from the counter, helping you to get off.
Hands quickly moving to unbutton his pants and pulling them down along with his underwear, his erection touching your thighs making you pull away. You looked down, licking your lips at the sight, quickly getting on your knees you wrapped a hand around it and took him into your mouth, humming in satisfaction as you did. You bobbed your head, taking him fully before pulling away, using your hand to jerk him off. Your tongue giving him a long lick from the base to the tip, lips wrapping around it again.
“Oh fuck, fuck Y/N.” he said under his breath. Looking down, eyes fixed on how pretty you are looking with his dick in your mouth. You started to speed up your movements, making him shut his eyes and groan. But before he could even get closer to his own climax, he pulled you away and helped you up. A hand wrapped around your neck and the other one cupping your boob, thumb playing with your nipple.
“I want to fuck you, I want to cum with my dick buried inside of you.” he said, lips hovering yours as he spoke before pressing them and kissing you, biting your lip as he pulled away.
“Wait, what if someone walks in?” you said, remembering you were still in the shop.
“Are you worrying about that now? Someone could have already walked in and see your pretty pussy being eaten by me or you sucking my cock.” he chuckled, “this is a sex shop, weird and kinky people walk in every day. I don’t think they would have a problem seeing me fuck you right here, doesn’t being caught excites you? Hm?” he said, murmuring against your skin as he trailed kisses down your neck.
Those words alone were making you wet again already, throbbing and clenching around nothing as he whispered next to your ear and neck, his hot breath fanning over your skin and sending shivers down your spine. He turned you around, bending you over the counter and spreading your legs with his knee. He removed his shirt and threw it somewhere on the floor along with the other clothes, pumping himself a few times as he took a good look at you all bent over, throbbing and waiting for him.
He teased your entrance with the tip, pushing in slowly and taking it out again, making you whine. “Sunwoo, please. Just put it in already, please. Fill me up, I need to feel you inside me, I need you...” you begged, eyes shut and fingers gripping the edge of the counter.
“You really want it? Do you really want me to fuck you Y/N?” he asked, slapping his cock against your clit, what a tease.
“Just do it already Sunwoo or I swear t-”
He thrusted deep in you, making you gasp. It felt better than what you imagined, he filled you up just right, thrusting at a fast pace just like you needed, making sure you felt every inch as he was balls deep inside you. Your nipples rub against the cold surface of the counter as your tits bounced with every snap of his hips, adding more pleasure to the whole thing.
You were soaked, aching for him ever since you saw him earlier. It has been quite a long time since anyone has been inside of you, let alone fucking you this good. It was a pleasure that you never felt with anyone else, and definitely not even with the short period of time that vibrator worked. You hissed as he pulled out of you and slammed back in, hands sliding down from your hips to squeeze your ass before slapping it, his hand leaving a red mark.
His hand slid down your ass and towards your thigh, lifting your leg up until your knee was resting against the edge of the counter, the new angle giving him not only a better view but better access for him to sneak his hand between your legs and start rubbing your clit in circles. The new position making his cock hit your g-spot with every single thrust, “oh fuck.” you wailed, starting to clench around him.
Leaning down to kiss your shoulder as he kept thrusting and stimulating your clit, “come on baby, cum for me.” he murmured, your whimpers filling his ears making him groan by your hot sounds.
You felt it bubbling up in your stomach, slowly washing all over you until you were screaming out his name, still clenching around him as you rode out of your orgasm. You managed to lean back a little, just enough to turn your head to the side just enough, he cupped the side of your neck and leaned in to kiss you. He thrusted hard a few more times before he came, grunting and moaning your name against your lips. Feeling him twitch inside of you and filling you up with his cum.
He moved slowly inside you, making both of you whimper at the overstimulation. Letting go of your face he leaned back, pulling out of you and resting his forehead against your shoulder, you could feel his warm cum leaking out of you. He took a few seconds to steady his breathing before taking a step back just to see how his cum was dripping down your core, smirking proudly.
He extended a hand behind the counter and took out some wipes and paper towel, helping you clean up before handing you your clothes. You leaned back against the counter for support, your legs still shaking from the action. He finished putting on his clothes and turned around to look at you, a warm smile and fond look over his features now.
“You do that with every customer?” you questioned, unsure of what to say, trying to lift the mood even more in a playful way.
“Not really, you’re the first one.” he chuckled, making you raise an eyebrow at him. “And the last one because once my boss finds out what I did here, he will fire me. Not that I mind, I was planning to quit anyway.”
There was silence between you two, glancing at him to see him fixing his hair, probably not knowing what to say either.
“Thank you, Sunwoo. That was amazing.” you whispered, and you really meant it.
He turned around to look at you, his eyes getting lost in yours and a smile making its way on his lips. Shaking his head slightly, as if telling you that you don’t even have to thank him.
He took a step closer to you, “I, uh…” he was getting lost in his own words, not knowing how to properly phrase them. “I don’t want this to be just a one time thing and I don’t mean it just for the sex. Even though it was indeed amazing, I also want to be able to take you out and let me treat you right, like you deserve.”
You bit your lip, a blush creeping up on your cheeks and a smile already forming on your lips, “I would love that.”
His smile grew bigger, his eyes turning into cute crescents and you felt your heart swoon. “I have to close up, how about we get some dinner?”
“Sounds just perfect.” you said, leaning in and pecking his cheek, “i’ll wait.”
But before he could turn around to lock the front door, he extended an arm, taking something from the counter beside you. Wriggling in the air the handcuffs you were eyeing earlier that day, “better get these for the next time.” he said, shoving them into his pocket and winked at you, finally turning around to lock the place.
700 notes · View notes
ayamturd · 3 years
Text
end│dreamwastaken
summary: dream was once your everything that you would do anything for; what happens when you finally confront the reality of his manipulation and sadistic destruction?
prompt: “we’re both at fault here, and now we both have to pay the price.” 
warnings: descriptive manipulation, a single curse word, angst
pairing: in-game c!dream
a/n: this is my entry for @sleepysoupi​‘s 1.8k event! it goes without saying how late i am considering she’s currently working on her 2.0k event, but still a huge congratulatory to her amazing success and obvious, well deserved recognition <33 we love soupi in this household, nothing less of the fact *^*
also i know the prison doesn’t work exactly like how i wrote it, but let’s pretend for the sake of this fic
wc: (1.6k) - m.list
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“Don’t do this, y/n.”
The air was sticky and heavy. As the lava bubbled behind you, it felt as if the heat could reach out and smother you entirely; the subtle warmth that felt insufferably suffocating in the tight space was a large contrast to the dark, opaque walls. 
Although you stood in front of him by your own desire, habits quickly fell to place as he stood proudly above you. Chin raised, Dream’s shoulders were relaxed while he spoke to you. His words were firm, and with clenched fists, you swallowed harshly from his mocking tone. 
You could practically hear his condescending grin without looking in how belittling he addressed you, and you hated how familiar the speech was. 
“After all I’ve done for you, and you want to throw it all away?”
Despite all attempts, you unconsciously bowed your head down. Whether in unjustified guilt or the internal rage from his lies, you couldn’t say yourself. He noticed nonetheless, and played into your vulnerability further. 
He was the one defenseless in this scenario, yet he held all the power in the small cage between the two of you. 
“We made promises! ‘Till the very end, right?!” He began to raise his voice and feigned some form of heartbreak, taking a step dangerously closer to you while you stood there in frozen fear.
Staring harshly down at your feet, the weight of gravity pulled at your tears as they trickled down sparsely. This was different than when you originally confronted him mere hours ago. Here, you were alone and with no backing, no one to reassure you that you did the right thing. That he was a monster that had you blinded for so long.
That you were justified for betraying Dream. 
“Don’t play stupid with me now. You can’t act like I did this all alone. That I’m not the only sick fuck in the room who enjoys the-”
“Stop it,” you whispered with closed eyes. While your voice was small, it echoed so loudly and threw Dream off guard. He shook his head and with a dark chuckle, sneered disparagingly. 
“You really th-”
Your eyes opened as you unexpectedly interrupted him.
“No. For once in my life, I mean it. Shut your egotistical mouth for one goddamn second.”
Everything was in a frozen stand still as you snapped. 
Course tears ran steadily down your cheeks, yet your eyes held more strength than Dream could had ever perceived in that moment. It had been so long since you had lost your voice. Lost your confidence, your fire that drew him in in the first place. It had been so long since you felt like yourself again, the person you once were before he teared you down completely to his mercy. 
You swallowed sternly in exposed anxiety; when was the last time you saw his face like this? Saw his face at all, at that. 
The molten lava radiated the room, it being the main source of light in contrast to the faint glow of the lanterns built into the walls. When you had originally requested to see him one final time before he was officially locked away for good, you had no idea what you expected to see. You didn’t see anything, actually, since you couldn’t bring yourself to try and meet his eye line the entire time. 
Until now. 
As the magma shaded the room in a warm shine, his dull eyes gleamed a faded hue of ash green. His dirty blond hair was visible without his signature hoodie, his previous clothes stripped away and replaced with an attired uniform instead. He hid behind a mask for so long, it was surreal to see him as something so mundane and human.
Your mouth felt so dry from seeing him again. He almost looked like when you first laid eyes on him, that beautiful day when you thought you had fallen in love. How nice the sun felt, and how crisp the wind blew. The summer day was fresh and the sweet smell of honey pervaded the air. To think it was by mere chance he approached you in the white flower field, hidden in the depths of the forest with a charming smile and gentle hand.
How cruel reality liked to play with you and give you false hope that such love could truly exist. 
The memory brought a smoldering rage that made your heart race in return. Back straight, you dared a step towards him with a quiet, yet firm declaration. 
“I’m done making excuses for your lies. For your actions, for the hurt you cause, for you.”
Dream could barely register your words as you continued in growing fury. It was like the floodgates were open and you felt free to speak your truth. 
You were riding this new found wave and would hold nothing back anymore. 
“I let you get away with so much because I truly believed that I loved you. That my love could fix you, or change what you are.”
You stepped forward again, your finger shakily pointed at him. His mouth opened to respond but you spoke before he could try. You weren’t going to give him anything, you thought, he doesn’t deserve your silence.
“I went against everything I believed!” you suddenly yelled, “everything I stood for, everything I thought because of you!”
Your vision was a blur as your raw emotions came loose. You screamed from the top of your lungs to the point where your voice cracked with a head lifted high. 
“I let people get hurt! People I love and care for because I prioritized you over everything I had!”
Another step forward, your voice shook with quivered lips as a result of an ached and long scorned heart.
“To think I used to be so proud to say it, to say you were my everything and my world.” With a trembled exhale, you gathered yourself before finishing your thought. “Maybe I am stupid, but trust me when I say my ignorance was your freedom and my considered love a blind devotion.”
Dream’s face softened considerably, for he was at a loss for words and didn’t have anything to probe at anymore. It was his turn to suffer in a lost acceptance.
“I…”
Shaking your head, you scoffed with your head tilted in disbelief. Smiling darkly, you knew then and there you regained the power of the room and your self-assurance over him. How the turn tables.
“Funny how things change when you have no where to run. When you’re the one helpless and reliant.”
Standing strong with your arms crossed, you stared at him with such distaste. Dream’s brows furrowed with a clench jaw as he stepped even closer to you. He was now mere inches away and glared down at you from his given height. Even then, you wouldn’t back down any longer.
“I do love you, y/n. Everything I did, I did for us. You can’t leave me like this.” He gazed down with such intensity that your past you would have wanted to say something just to appease him entirely; you weren’t that person anymore, and you wouldn’t let him drag you down more than he already has. 
Dropping yours arms before stepping back, you messaged Sam without wavering your eye contact from him. 
“We’re both at fault here, and now we both have to pay the price of it alone.”
The sounded mechanics from outside the box indicated the lava dropping, signifying the end of your visit. Dream grew agitated at the thought of you leaving and dropped his eyes down in resent, a huge contrast to your relaxed and calm state. 
You moved backwards until your back threatened to be burned by the heat. 
“Here’s to loosing all those attachments you mentioned.”
Dream’s head snapped up from your words, but before he could attempt anything further, the Netherite divider rose and separated you both. The lava parted as you approached the platform, Sam visible from across the entrapping moat. He watched closely in regard to your safety and anything Dream might try with your back currently turned. 
Approaching the stone platform once deemed safe, you turned to face him a final time as the contraption slowly pulled you away. Your chin was raised, and your tears were dry in satisfaction to your found closure.
“You were right,” you affirmed, “we did make promises, and this is our end.”
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Bonus:
Tommy had been tormenting Dream for the past few minutes or so, his obnoxious taunts a sign of recovery from all the trauma he had dealt with from his young age. He hid behind his humor, but was strong when confronting his abuser with no uncertainty then. 
“Who do you miss the most?”
Dream paused from fiddling with the leather of the book covers from the simple question. His hand began to curl around the thick material, and he drowned out Tommy’s rambling from behind him.
A familiar scent filled his senses, an old and precious memory uncovered from the oppressed depths of his mind. He pulled the book in hand open to a random, but intentional page, his callous fingers tracing over the stained ink.
He wasn’t an artist, and it easily would have been passed for messy, nonsense doodles, yet the drawing practically burned the paper as a reminder of his failed objectives.
The innocent azure bluets insulted him despite being his own creation.
Dream was done playing into Tommy’s confidence, and spoke lowly as his head turned further away from the boy.
“… I think you should go, Tommy."
335 notes · View notes
silkenstarlight · 3 years
Text
wild cherry sweet (part two)
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Summary: Reader is distracted as she and Bucky prepare to embark on their mission at the GRC’s private gala. Bucky decides to help ease her tension.
Pairing: Bucky Barnes x female reader
Warning/s: smut (18+ only, minors dni!); public sex, oral (f receiving), fingering, kissing, brief mention of sugar daddy
Word count: 3.9k
Find part one here
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Author’s note: i didn’t plan a part two for this, but tbh bucky is not the type to let a woman pleasure him without even trying to reciprocate on her
Do not repost! Likes and reblogs are welcome and encouraged :))
“Glasses? Really?”
You pressed your lips together tightly, scrutinizing Bucky’s lackadaisical efforts at putting together a disguise: wayfarer eyeglasses with a thick tortoiseshell frame that pressed awkwardly against his brow bone. You leaned across the center console of the car, and when you reached up to his face, he smiled dopily at you, expecting some loving, gentle caress. But, when you ripped the tag off of the glasses he had just bought at the pharmacy, his jaw clenched, lips turning downward into a chagrined frown. You settled behind the wheel again. 
He seemed strangely excited about the prospect of donning a costume for the mission, so unlike his usual disgruntled self. Even so, his efforts at disguise were last-minute and low-effort. Earlier, before you had left the apartment to drive to the gala’s discreet venue, he had flattened his hair onto his forehead in an uncharacteristic style, reminiscent of the neatly-combed 60’s mop-tops donned by the likes of Ringo Starr. And, when you were slinging on your heels, ready to walk out of the door, he had asked you to dust some eyeshadow below his eyes. He explained that exaggerated dark circles would help to draw his face down and make him appear slightly older. 
You obliged, trying not to let the breath stall in your throat as you traced a cool taupe shade below his eyes in faint crescents. You couldn’t ignore the fact that his eyes were trained on you the whole time.
The way his eyes followed your every move had made you suddenly shy and docile, even though just minutes before, you had been on your knees in front of him, his cock shoved down your throat. After he came, he had brought you up from your knees to a standing position, and had kissed you with the fervor of a man who was just getting started. 
But, you had a mission. Which you were already late for.
You had fixed your hair and lipstick quickly after he had tucked himself back into his pants, a brush and a damp tissue working wonders to conceal your tryst. And then, you were both out of the door, climbing into your car and plugging the gala’s location into Google maps.
But, first, he had insisted on making a stop. You groaned, clutching the wheel tightly as he directed you through traffic towards a pharmacy a few blocks away from the venue. You parallel parked and he jumped out of the car, jaunting into the store with bouncing, confident steps. You left the engine running, eager to get to the gala. The sooner your mission was over, after all, the sooner you could both return to the apartment and resume where you left off.
The thought made you ache, the wetness pooling in your underwear momentarily making you forget the jittery tapping of your foot and the sweat that slicked the creases of your palms. Your stomach flipped when you remembered the blissed-out expression on Bucky’s face as your mouth had bobbed up and down his length, lips popping with a lewd smack as you pulled back--
The passenger door opened and Bucky climbed in with a plastic bag in hand, interrupting your daydreaming and making you jump.
He noticed, settling in his seat and shutting the car door behind him.“Pre-mission jitters?” He asked knowingly.
“Uh-- yeah.” You blushed, choosing not to elaborate.
He simply gave you a smirk, as if he could read your every thought, and pulled his purchase from the plastic bag. A pair of reading glasses. He slid them on, and you scoffed.
“Glasses? Really?” You lightly whacked his arm, laughing. “Who are you, Clark Kent?”
He shrugged. “Well, it seemed to work for him just fine.”
“Alright, just don’t come complaining to me when the magnification in the lenses starts giving you a headache.”
“Noted.”
You pulled out from your parking spot and rejoined traffic, hoping to find a parking space closer to the venue. You didn’t want to use the valet, just in case things went south and you needed a convenient means of escape. So, when you were two blocks away, you parked.
You both climbed out, stepping up to the sidewalk and locking the car as you began to walk. You smoothed your hands nervously over the skirt of your dress, breath slightly shaky. Missions like these were a part of the job description, but you would never get used to the nerves they gave you.
Or, maybe, the possibility of impending doom wasn’t what was giving you nerves.
Maybe it was the man walking next to you.
You bit your lip at the thought, turning your head to look at him.
“What?” he asked, still facing ahead, surveying the streets around them for possible exit points they could use if the evening went south.
You just shook your head, pushing the thought to the back of your mind. It wasn’t safe to get distracted like this, on a night as potentially dangerous as this one. Instead, you surveyed his body language, noticing that he had adopted a slouch to accompany his floppy hair, gaunt makeup, and glasses.
You snorted. “You look like an old man.”
“I am an old man, thank you very much.” His eyes slid to yours briefly, before facing forwards again.
“Never said it was a bad thing,” you smirked, trying to get a rise out of him before the serious portion of the evening officially began.
He grabbed your wrist suddenly, pulling you flush to his side and wrapping his arm around you.“Oh, I know that you like it,” he whispered, lips brushing against your hair. You felt your throat constrict, and he squeezed your waist before letting you go. “But we’ll have to save that part of the evening for later.”
“If you insist,” you sighed, lacing your voice with faux disappointment, knowing that if there was even a whiff of foul play at tonight’s event, you would both be cool, composed, and on the job, lewd thoughts far from center stage. But, it was fun to tease him, to hope that the gala would be tame, just so that you could go home sooner and do some not-so-tame things with each other.
The venue was a stocky cement building, gray and brutal and unassuming, the windows surprisingly dark. The only indication that it housed a private event was the presence of two guards, their bulky, muscled figures situated on either side of a nondescript metal door. You grabbed Bucky’s hand, fingers intertwining with his, and took a deep breath before you approached the guards.
You cleared your throat. “We’re here for the GRC event.” You clenched your jaw as both guards swept their gazes up and down your’s and Bucky’s bodies.
“Last name?” The one on the right asked gruffly, not bothering to look at your faces, pulling a tablet computer from behind his back to check the guest list.
“Jancovik. Daria Jancovik.” Your voice was steady despite the nerves, the fake name rolling off your tongue.
The guard raised his eyebrows and looked up, stepping to the side and gesturing to the door. “Ah, of course. Miss Jancovik.”
You smiled warmly. Your plan had worked. The real Daria Jancovik, a foreign informer who reported migrants to the GRC, leading to eventual deportation, was on… vacation. You had paid her an earlier visit, advising her to leave the country, to return home and visit her family instead of attending the gala. Bucky had advised you against this approach, claiming that it was too risky, that it would be better to just find a way to sneak in. But, you told him, it was better to enter where the GRC would least expect: the front door. And, it looked like the real Daria Jancovik took your advice-- she obviously wasn’t here.
“Thank you, sir.” You nodded slightly, leading Bucky behind you, hand still clutching his.
“Wait, Miss Jancovik.” The guard barred your entry with an outstretched arm. “The guest list doesn’t say anything about you having a plus one.”
Fuck. You tried not to let your brows furrow, tried to quash the electric feeling of panic that traveled down your spine. You bit your lip and broke into a shy simper, staring up at the guard through fluttering lashes.
“Oh, so sorry, sir,” you drawled slowly, voice dripping with apology. But, your voice shook, a slight tremor belying your confident tone and drawing a suspicious glare from both guards. You hadn’t planned for this. Your palms began sweating again, and your thoughts ran wild, searching for any plausible alibis that would explain your companion. But you couldn’t focus, thoughts erratic and shapeless. Your mouth dropped open, ready to babble some thoughtless, on-the-spot response, when Bucky cleared his throat next to you.
“Sir, I am what you may call a… generous donor.” He enunciated his last words carefully, adopting some strange, implacable and vaguely European accent. His words lilted and swirled lightly in his mouth, further elaborating his mysterious presence.
In spite of this, the guards weren’t convinced. “If you’re not on the list, I can’t let you in.”
Bucky simply stared back at him and squinted, deciding to try a more blunt angle. “I have a previous arrangement with this young woman. I… help her with personal causes. Of a financial nature. And, I was hoping to witness her fine employer in action tonight. I am… willing to spread my generosity to its cause, if I find it to be convincing.” You tried to conceal the awe that threatened to spill on your face at his quick save. And, you wanted to laugh at the insinuation that Bucky was your sugar daddy, some stuffy, lonely old man with heavy pockets brimming with cash. In reality, he struggled to pay rent and didn’t own a bed frame. It was comical, watching him trying to swallow his inner protests at the idea, managing his microexpressions with a steady, slightly uncomfortable stare.
You both paused, letting the guard’s mind wander. 
His eyes flickered to his partner briefly before settling back on you. 
The guard considered for a moment, and then simply nodded, avoiding further elaboration from you about your relationship. He stepped aside again. “Enjoy your night.”
You smiled sweetly at him before stepping past him and opening the door, tugging Bucky behind you.
“Wow,” you muttered as the door creaked shut behind you. A looming, dark passage stretching out before you, the dimly lit, bright red door at the end your final barrier to successfully infiltrating the gala. The thrumming pulse of music seemed to make the walls vibrate. You looked at Bucky, and he dropped your hand, flexing his fingers. “The plan actually worked.”
He laughed, and you both started walking toward the red door. “Only because my old man costume came in handy.”
“Well, like you said earlier,” you hissed. “You are an old man.”
He just shook his head slightly at your recall, and when you were both a foot away from the red door’s threshold, you paused. You did a mental check on your weapons, ticking them off on your mental checklist one by one. Handgun in thigh holster, check. Knife in ankle strap, check. Baggie of poison tablets in bra, check--
“You ready?” Bucky’s voice interrupted your last-minute internal review, and you turned to face him. His concerned expression ignited a whole new kind of nerves in your stomach, warm, fluttery electricity travelling down your limbs like lightning. It was a delicious feeling, and you longed to lean into it, to allow yourself to be cocooned by its enticing, buzzing embrace. To allow your tense muscles to relax, to press your body against his, melting into the muscled, statuesque contours and comforting stability of his body. 
You were most definitely distracted, but that’s because you hadn’t had a proper outlet for your pre-mission jitters. Sucking his cock, watching him devolve into a euphoric, aroused state, had only gotten you more worked up than you usually were before missions. You felt embarrassment bubble in your stomach, a deep red blush travelling up your neck at the thought that you couldn’t control yourself in this moment. Your judgement was clouded, all because you couldn’t fucking function around a man like Bucky Barnes.
Bucky grabbed your chin and tilted your face up to look at him. “What’s wrong?”
You felt bad, noticing the genuine concern behind his eyes, but figured it was best to tell him. You didn’t want to lie and endanger the rest of the mission with your preoccupied thoughts. “Umm-- this doesn’t usually happen, but… I’m a bit… distracted.”
“What’s on your mind?”
You huffed a laugh and bit your lip, trying to gain the courage to tell him the truth. “Uh-- I guess I’m still… still stuck on what happened earlier tonight. Before we left the apartment?” You said it like a question, sentence nervously trailing up in pitch at the end.
His expression was unreadable, the pressing dark of the hallway leaving his face in shadow. But then, his teeth flashed in a broad smile. “I remember what happened,” he said fondly, as if you two were reminiscing on a shared memory before entering battle together. “But what’s holding you up about it right now?”
You took a deep breath. Time to come clean. “I’m just still a bit worked up.”
He raised his brows slightly in surprise, then nodded, face settling into an expression of understanding. “That makes sense. You didn’t get your release.”
“Yeah.” Your voice broke around the single syllable, your blush now flooding your cheeks.
“Well,” he said, dropping his hand from your chin and tracing his fingertips lightly along the curve of your neck, trailing them down your spine until settling at your waist. He squeezed slightly, making you gasp. “How quickly could you cum? If I helped you right now?”
You blinked in disbelief, shocked by his vulgar words, but when he just continued to stare at you expectantly, waiting for a response, you realized that he was serious. You scoffed. “I-- I don’t know. Probably pretty quickly.”
“Good.” He pushed you back, your exposed skin meeting the cool cement of the wall, pounding beats and indistinguishable lyrics pulsing through you to your very core. He stared at you for a moment, drinking in your neediness and saving the image of your blown-out pupils and parted lips for later. And then, he bridged the gap between you, resting his forehead against yours before pressing his mouth lightly against yours.
The kiss was surprisingly soft, despite your admission to a desire so pressing, so consuming, that you couldn’t focus on your job. And then, his teeth grazed against your bottom lip, catching it in a faint, erotic bite. You couldn’t help but moan into his mouth, nipples peaking and wetness pooling in your underwear. You felt his lips curve upwards into a smug smile. You simply pulled him closer, sliding your hands up his chest and wrapping your arms around his neck. He took that as an invitation to push the kiss further, his tongue sliding against your swollen lips, softly prying your mouth open. He was sweet, so gentle and patient, but a sense of urgency drove his actions. He wanted to help you, so that you could release that burning tension coiled inside of you. You had treated him so nicely earlier that evening. He hoped to return the favor. Well, that and he also wanted to watch you cum. 
You shuddered another moan into his mouth and he pulled back a fraction, hands tracing down your sides. He grasped the slinky fabric of your dress, pulling the skirt up until it was bunched around your hips, exposing your thin underwear to the cool air and solid press of cement behind you. He let out a low whistle at the sight, the delicate black lace and your soft skin.
You grabbed his wrist, sudden doubt blaring in your brain. “W-wait. What about the mission?”
He simply met your gaze with his, maintaining eye contact while he slowly sunk to his knees in front of you. He twisted his wrist out from your grip, wrapping his hand around one of your ankles and lifting your leg, bringing it up to rest on his shoulder. Your heart pounded in your chest.
“Yeah? What about the mission?” 
You could feel his hot breath against your clothed pussy as he answered, his voice low and rumbly in his chest. You pressed your head into the wall behind you, trying to fight the urge to twine your hands through his hair and beckon him to where you needed him most. Despite your weak protests, you desperately hoped that he would continue his actions. “Shouldn’t we--”
Your words trailed off into a long, loud moan as he quickly moved your underwear to the side and licked a long, wet stripe up your aching slit. He pulled back slightly to look up at you, and he hummed, pleased at your desperation, your knotted brows rosy cheeks. 
“It’s alright, darling.” He scraped his fingernails teasingly up your other leg, chuckling as it buckled under you at the unexpected stimulation. And then, he settled that hand on your inner thigh, pressing his thumb against the soft skin and circling it lightly in a teasing massage. “We’ll make it quick.”
He waited for you to consent before continuing. You just nodded, not trusting yourself to form words, and he smiled wickedly before dragging his fingers against your wetness and plunging two digits into your center.
You gasped at the sudden intrusion, his thick fingers igniting a pleasant ache as they pushed inside of you, stroking your tight walls slowly until they relaxed around him. When he leaned forward, closing his mouth against your clit and flicking it with his tongue, you sighed. He lapped at your wetness eagerly, lips making an obscene smacking sound. You felt your muscles relax, that enticing, stirring warmth quickly travelling through your body as he teased you into a state of relaxed arousal.
He pulled back yet again to look at you, and you wanted to moan at the loss of his tongue, but he replaced it by circling the pad of his thumb against your sensitive nub. He noticed your hands, balled tightly at your sides, and he laughed. 
“You can grab my hair if you want, baby. I don’t mind if everyone in there sees that I have sex hair.” He jutted his chin towards the door as he increased the pace of his fingers thrusting inside of you.
That permission was all you needed. You reached forward and twined one hand through his hair, bringing his face closer to you and inviting him to continue his earlier ministrations. Your other hand remained rooted against the wall, a necessary point of balance as he made you fall apart at his command. He replaced his mouth at your center, making you shudder.
It was warm, it was rough, and it was everything you needed. You tried not to think about the risk of intrusion, of the guards outside letting in other guests and getting an eyeful of a private moment. Or, if someone opened the red door and wandered in, they would be right on top of you, close enough to smell the musk of your arousal and see the pebbled peaks of your nipples pressing through the satin of your dress. It would be humiliating. Bucky would never let you live it down, forever reminding you on future missions about the time when you were caught with your legs wrapped around his ears. But, if you were being honest with yourself, the thought of someone walking in and witnessing you, drenched and dirty and moaning all because of him, only served to turn you on even more. A loud moan erupted from your lips, wetness squelching as he curled his fingers inside of you and sucked lewdly. You pulled his hair tightly, urging him on as you came closer and closer to completion.
In response to the sharp tugging of your fingers, he moaned, echoing the shameless sounds that were tumbling from your lips. The faint vibrations, the low, gruff sound of him as he lost himself in the endeavor of giving you pleasure, made you clench around him. A glowing pool of warmth began to form in your stomach, tension building and building. You bit your lip. The feeling of his mouth, sliding and sucking against your clit, and the sensation of his fingers spreading you open and coaxing sweet, high-pitched moans from your lips. It was almost too much. You slapped the wall with your free hand, twitching with pleasure as a deep, burning tension began to build.When his curled fingers rubbed against the spongy, sensitive spot inside of you, that was it.
With a high, keening cry, you fell over the edge, your orgasm wracking your body. A copious gush of wetness flooded from your center, likely drenching his face, and your legs trembled, threatening to buckle beneath you. He sensed this, his free hand pressing your hips roughly against the wall, still thrusting his fingers inside of you and suckling your clit. He fucked you through your orgasm, wringing every last ounce of warm, dripping pleasure from your body, not slowing down or stopping until a dull, tired ache bloomed in your center and you had to pull him back by his hair. He grinned up at you, making eye contact with you through his lashes, a slick wetness clinging to his upper lip. He huffed a laugh at the reluctant sucking sound your pussy made when he slipped his fingers out.
You rolled your eyes and he guided your leg off of his shoulder, making sure it was planted firmly on the ground before moving your underwear neatly back into place. He rose from his kneeling position. As he grasped your waist, your skirt fell back down around you in a dramatic curtain, and he pulled you close, kissing you lightly. The taste of you on his lips was intoxicating.
He pulled back slightly, resting his forehead against yours, and stared at you with a half-lidded, deeply satisfied expression. He had liked making you come apart just as much as you had appreciated the release.
“Uh oh,” he whispered, grabbing your chin and examining your face. “Looks like we ruined your lipstick again.”
You laughed, a raspy, tired sound, and smacked his chest lightly, stepping back. “Well,” you sighed, smiling up at him. “I don’t mind. I’ll go straight to the bathroom to fix it. Brought an extra tube of lipstick in my purse for any… potential touch-ups.”
He raised his eyebrows, smoothing a hand over his mussed hair and straightening the cuffs of his sleeves. “Sounds like you planned for this to happen.”
You shook your head. “Only subconsciously.”
He grinned, and you both turned to face the red door. Despite the fact that just moments before, you were writhing around his fingers, wanton moans swallowed by the diffused thump of techno music, you felt serene, ready to jump into action. No more distracting thoughts clouded your mind.
“Ready?” He asked, reaching for the knob, waiting for your confirmation before continuing.
You nodded in affirmation and smiled, eyes crinkling. 
“Ready.”
He turned the knob and swung the door open. You walked through the doorway side by side, partners in crime, ready to meet whatever awaited you beyond its threshold.
325 notes · View notes
ack3rlady · 3 years
Text
The Universe Had His Back - Chapter 7
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Summer
Chapters: Six | Seven
Master List
Warnings: Fluff, Fluff and more Fluff
Word Count: ~2.74k
Inspiration: Don't Go - Exo
A/N: And with this chapter, I conclude this series. Thank you for all the love you all gave my baby project!
Tags: @sooibian, @queenofcurse, @red-n-tall, @badbitxhbuckybarnes , @sweet-assh0le
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‘Why am I nervous? We've done much more than just kiss. For fucks sake! I'm the mother of his child.’
You took a few deep breaths to calm yourself down before pushing the cart from behind your truck towards the large glass doors of the café. You had offered to take today’s batch of bread and pastries to Levi’s to snag a chance to see him, much to Mikasa’s annoyance.
“Oi, brat! You’re late.”, Levi remarked without looking up from his laptop when the bell above the door rang with your entrance, expecting her to have finally arrived.
“Levi, I’m so sorry! I made an impromptu decision to come here instead of Mikasa and -”, you emerged from behind the lofty stack of boxes.
Your hair was up in a messy bun, you were panting from hauling the weight and the resultant perspiration made you glow. Your continual rambling about why you were late, instantly gave him a feeling of Déjà vu, hurling him eight years back in time to the morning when he first laid his eyes on you.  Mirroring that day, he couldn’t focus on anything you were saying, gawking at you with unblinking eyes given how stupefied he was by the sight before his eyes and the sound of your voice.
“Levi? Are you listening?”, you waved your hand in front of his face, disrupting the mental movie playing in his head.
“Huh? Oh, y-yeah. Hi.” he shook his head vigorously and blinked a few times to bring himself back to the present.
Both a blushing mess, you stood by the entrance to the cafe, smiling at each other like two smitten high-schoolers.
“Are you finally back together?”, a shriek from the opposite end of the seating area made your ears ring.
The cacophony was loud enough that Erwin’s head immediately peaked out of his office; his face riddled with confusion. Both your necks snapped towards the source - Hange was running in your direction with the brightest grin on their face. Every head in the room was turned towards you. Eren and other new members of staff at the café, Armin, Jean, Sasha and Connie were slack jawed with their gaping eyes fixed on you after being subjected to this abrupt and unnecessary announcement. One look from Levi sent them scrambling back to work.
“Fucking four-eyes.” he mumbled as they came closer.
“I knew it! You lovebirds couldn’t stay apart for long!”, they squealed with joy enveloping you both in an spontaneous group hug, not giving Levi an opportunity to flinch away.
“Shhh! Calm down, Hange! We’re not back together. Yet.”, you tugged on their hands trying to free yourself from their clasp.
Levi's eyes met and stayed on yours when you uttered the last word, the way his heart fluttered at the sound of it clearly reflecting on his face.
Yet.
“But you were together last night. You have both put in way too much effort in your appearances today. And the color on Short-stack's cheeks can be spotted from Mars! What am I missing here?”, they observed, unaware of the heat rising within their two friends thinking about their final moments together at the Ackerman home yesterday.
Always the perceptive one, Hange. They weren’t entirely wrong. You did spend forty minutes in your closet hunting for the one floral lemon-yellow dress that Levi loved seeing you in; piling on deodorant while simultaneously cursing the hot summer. You picked your reflection in the mirror apart for way too long, fiddling with the necklace he bought you ages ago while rehearsing what you would say to him.
By the looks of it, he did too. He looked oh-so handsome today. Granted, he always did. But today was different. He wore your favorite navy-blue button-down shirt with slate grey slacks, sleeves folded to reveal his toned fore arms, and the top two buttons left open to aid with the sweltering heat; or was it because he knew that it made you weak in the knees when he wore his shirts that way? And his cheeks and ears were definitely a brighter shade of pink than the raspberry compote on the cheesecake you brought.
He stood pinching the bridge of his nose, his breathing starting to speed up. You figured it was his attempt at suppressing the strong urge to smack the grin right off Hange’s face.
“Hange, I promise, I’ll give you all the details later. But for now, Levi and I have things to discuss.”, you pulled him away before he could act on his impulse.
Taking a seat at the table by the large bay window, kissed by the morning sun, you watched the city slowly rise awake with your cheek resting on the palm of your hand. Levi, who was walking back from the kitchen with a cup of tea for himself and a caramel latte for you, stopped in his tracks to mentally frame this image. It was as if you were a different person than who he met over the last two days.
There were no signs of the anxious but adoring mother from yesterday nor the bewildered, pained ex-wife from the day before; you were the same clumsy, moody, garrulous, as well as kind, selfless and mesmerizing woman he fell madly in love with when you walked in through the doors of this very place eight years ago. How could one person flood his heart with a barrage of different emotions this way?
You acknowledged him with a soft ‘hi’ accompanied by a smile when he sat down on the chair opposite to you, nervous about the forthcoming conversation. You stole occasional glances at each other while sipping your beverages, hesitating to be the one to say the first word.
“Do you hate me?”, he asked out of the blue, his gaze locked on his cup.
“No! Why would you think that?”
“Uh- you obviously had a chance to think about what I said to you after going home last night. Why would you possibly want to still see me?”
“Well, I’m here, aren't I? I want to work on us if you’re willing to try as well, Levi. I want to see where this takes us.”, you smiled, placing your hand on his.
"Me too."
.
.
Four months later
The day of Suki and Furlan's wedding was finally here. The venue was set, guests had arrived and you were busy helping the bride get ready for her special day, having spent all morning with her, Isabel and the other bridesmaids in the bridal suite, chatting away in excitement and anticipation for the day ahead.
“Honestly speaking, Suki, I’d have a hard time keeping my hands off you if I were Furlan”, you teased while draping the veil into her hair, causing her to bury her face into her palms.
“You’re one to talk! Levi has been looking for reasons to see you all morning. I had to turn him away thrice already. I'm pretty sure he is going to murder me after the wedding is over.”, Isabel shot back with a smirk.
The last four months had been nothing short of a whirlwind. After that morning at the cafe, having breakfast with Levi turned into a routine. He brought Luna along on most days, and the three of you spent time chatting and admiring the toddler’s antics over tea and scones while sitting at your usual table by the bay window. Sometimes you’d have her accompany you to the patisserie to give Levi a much-deserved break.
Everyone there was enamored with the little firecracker. Her Uncle Miche had always been her favorite because the gentle giant ferried her around the large kitchen on his shoulders. Bertholdt and Reiner would happily comply to all the orders their mini boss belted out. Annie, although a little awkward around her, listened intently to her endless stories; Mikasa secretly pampered her with numerous treats even after several warnings from you, and Nanaba would fuss over her all the time and try to keep the little one all to herself, earning protests from the others.
The evenings varied between taking Luna to the park or the pier, or just spending time indoors at your place or his. You even celebrated her fourth birthday two weeks ago. All your friends and family, along with some little friends the birthday girl had made at the park were invited. You spent a beautiful evening in the backyard of your house around a bonfire, with a delectable meal and wonderful company.
Levi especially made sure you knew that you were being wooed by taking you out on date nights every now-and-then to the finest of restaurants, walks on the beach, to the drive-in theater a few miles outside your town, or star gazing from your favorite spot up the nearby hill. You both were working through your differences and had barely had any disagreements during the time spent together. Things were slowly falling in place; in fact, this newly re-built relationship with him felt much stronger than ever before.
The flashback ended when the wedding planner knocked on the door indicating it was time for the ceremony to begin. You, Isabel, and the other bridesmaids ushered Suki to her designated spot, making sure her dress, hair, make up and flowers looked perfect.
.
.
Standing at the altar by Furlan’s side as his best man, Levi was relieved that he would finally be seeing you soon after being apart all morning. Lately, the two of you spent most of your time together; and this sudden separation had him feeling restless.
On cue, the two harpists seated on either side of the rows began to play heavenly tune of ‘A Thousand Years’ by Christina Perry, a prompt for the bride’s party to start making their way towards the altar. He watched patiently as bridesmaids accompanied by groomsmen walked down the aisle, waiting for you to finally appear. He almost forgot to breathe when your form eventually entered the nave, walking a short distance behind Isabel and one of Furlan’s friends.
You wore the emerald gown from your encounter with him at the store four months ago, and looked a million times more beautiful this morning. Your usually open hair was tied into an elegant loose braid with some curly strands framing your face. The sun rays falling on your silhouette from the towering stained-glass windows of the church made you look like an angel descending solely upon him. He finally began breathing again when you smiled at him and mouthed “breathe”, after taking your position at the altar.
Levi only peeled his eyes away from you when Luna’s giggles reverberated off the stone walls as she waddled down the aisle, scattering petals of baby pink roses, about the same shade has her chubby cheeks, on the ivory carpet. You wiped a stray tear rolling down your face as you both proudly watched her play the part of a flower girl with utmost perfection. Upon making it to the end, she ran to you and buried her face in your gown, suddenly feeling shy from the cheers and applause she received from the smitten guests.
You instantly scooped her up and held her close, letting her nuzzle into the crook of your neck, cooing sweet words of encouragement into her ears. Levi was so taken by this divine scene before him that he failed to notice the bride's much awaited walk down the aisle; surprised to directly find Suki standing at the altar, facing Furlan with her lips curved into the widest smile before his attention found you and Luna again.
He lost track of how long he was marveling at his two perfect girls for, until he felt an elbow harshly crash into his ribs, knocking the wind out of his lungs.
“Is this revenge for your wedding?”, Furlan frowned.
Levi blankly stared at him, having no clue what he was talking about
“Ring, Levi!”, the fuming groom growled.
Oh, right. He pursed his lips in embarrassment melting under the scrutiny of the baffled guests while he handed over the ring that was in the safety of his blazer’s pocket. His eyes darted towards an alarmed Suki and silently apologized to her. Then his gaze moved back to you, an impish smirk on your face as you stared back at him, knowing exactly what was going on in his mind.
Fuck! Furlan was not going to let this go for a long time.
Luna had lost interest in the festivities midway through the nuptials and had fallen asleep in your arms. After the ceremony, when everyone began to make their way outside the chapel, Levi swiftly moved over to walk beside you and offered to carry the snoozing toddler. You groaned after her weight left your body, stretching your sore shoulders and aching back .
“Stop that. You have no idea how hard it is to control myself from jumping your bones, especially when you look this gorgeous.”, Levi whispered in your ear, snaking an arm around your waist.
You glanced around awkwardly making sure his words did not fall on any prying ears and gave him a quick smack on the shoulder, trying to suppress the heat creeping up your neck.
.
.
Time skip – Evening
The wedding reception was underway. You sat at a table sipping lemonade, watching the newlyweds grooving to the beats of music being played by DJ Zeke. Levi swapped his usual glass of Macallan for a cup of ginger lemon tea; His reason being that his throat was sore from carrying out best man duties. But you knew he was just being supportive of your goal to stay off alcohol.
Erwin and Hange sat by the bar, socializing with Furlan’s Boss, Mr. Pyxis while Luna was busy playing duck-duck-goose with some new toddler friends she made at the venue. Levi needed to be physically restrained from ambushing Isabel who he had discovered slow dancing with the same groomsman that walked alongside her at the ceremony. Miche and Nanaba were spotted in a rare public embrace, dancing leisurely to the slow music; and your army of helpers consisting of Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Jean, Sasha, Connie, Reiner, Bertholdt and Annie took the lead on setting up tables as yours and Levi’s patisserie and café were the official caterers for the evening.
The choice of DJ Zeke's next track brought a sparkle to your eyes. Your smile spread from ear to ear when ‘Fly me to the Moon' by Frank Sinatra emanated from the speakers. You sang along and began swaying cheerfully in your seat to the melody.
“Remember, Levi? This was the song we had our first dance to at our wedding.” you reminisced; a nostalgic smile spread across your face.
“How can I forget?”, he asked.
His eyes were unfocused, lost in memories of his own. He remembered how ethereal you looked in your white wedding dress. How your diamond jewelry shimmered under the spotlight, how you whispered honeyed words into his ears when he felt exceptionally uncomfortable dancing in public, how warm your hands felt wrapped around his body, how your breath tickled his neck. He’d give anything just to go back and relive that moment.
You gaze was still lost among people enjoying themselves on the dance floor when a stretched-out hand entered your line of vision. Your eyes followed it to land on Levi’s face. A quirk in your eyebrows wordlessly asked him what this action meant.
“Let's dance.”, he said.
“You, Levi Ackerman, are willingly asking me to dance? Did someone spike your tea?” You smirked, earning an eye roll from him.
“Oi, brat! Let’s go before I change my mind.”
“Only if you ask nicely.”
“May I have this dance with you, my love?”
You accepted and the pair of you headed towards the dance floor. He gently pulled you close to him and firmly held on to your hand. His other hand wrapped firmly around your waist and you rested yours on his shoulder. You both moved to the slow rhythm in perfect harmony, as you drowned in those gorgeous blue-grey eyes. It felt like the world around you had dissolved and it was just the two of you and the music.
“You look nice today. I see you bought the same gray suit you hated with a fiery passion.”, you teased.
“How could I not after you said you liked it?”
You looked over his shoulder to Suki and Furlan flashing you a wide grin from across the dance floor. And so did Hange, Miche and Nanaba from over that the bar. Erwin gently raised his drink in your direction. The heat from the from the sudden metaphorical spot light you stood under was cooled by the kiss Levi planted on your cheek.
“Did I tell you how lucky I feel to have you?”, he whispered into your ear as while brushing strands of hair off your face.
“I could stand to hear it more often.”, You hid your blush by resting your forehead on his shoulder, feeling too shy to keep his gaze.
“It's true. You’re the most beautiful woman is this room tonight, scratch that, you’ll be the most beautiful woman anywhere, any day; and I get the honor of calling you mine.” he cooed, drawing gentle circles on your back with his fingers.
“You’re awfully talkative today!”, you lifted your head again to reveal a contagious coy smile spread across your lips.
“Don’t be stupid. I’ve always been talkative.”,
“Come with me.”, he moved you off his chest and tugged at your hand.
“Where?”, you asked in utter confusion, and a bit of annoyance at the wonderful moment being ruined, just to receive silence in response.
Levi quickly glanced over to find Luna munching on garlic bread sticks with Erwin and Hange, as he guided you away from the venue and towards the lake nearby. The ripples in the water gleamed under the moonlight, resembling liquid silver. Warm yellow light from the lamps on either side of a wooden dock dimly illuminated the path that led to a gorgeous gazebo that stood at the end, its ceiling sprinkled with fairy lights that defined the intricate floral carvings in the wood. You stood in the center of the structure and slowly spun around, marveling at the work of whose ever brilliant hands built it.
“Levi, this is stunning!”, you said gazing in all directions, running your fingers over the sophisticated engravings.
“Yes, it is.”, Levi agreed, his eyes not on the architecture, but instead on the human embodiment of radiant sunny day that stood by his side.
Not remotely expecting anything to outshine the sight before you, your vision was captured by an extravagant display of red, green, and gold against the dark blanket of the night’s sky. You jumped when the sound of the first soaring explosion caught you off guard. An arm slid across your waist and a kiss was placed on your temple. You were enamored by the shattering sparks of the fireworks, eliciting frequent oohs and aahs, until a voice snapped you out of your reverie.
“Marry me.”
It took you a few seconds to fully register what you just heard. But when you did, overwhelming feelings of joy rendered you speechless; fingers absentmindedly running over the carved railing of the gazebo, stunned orbs darting between the brilliant sky and the love of your life.
This time Levi had to remind you to breathe.
Your eyes and lips both turned into wide Os, and you slapped your hands to cover your gaping mouth when he slowly lowered himself to kneel before you, opening a little black box containing the same gorgeous ruby ring from all those years ago, which he sneaked out of your nightstand during one of his visits.
“I know that you said you wanted to take this slow. But the last four months with you have been the most precious of my life, where I got a glimpse of what having a perfect family would be like. I learnt the hard way, what I lost when I lost you and you gave me a second chance at finding happiness when you decided to come back. I promise to love and protect you every single day for the rest of my life, and even after. You complete me, love, and you complete our family. So, will you do me the honor of being Mrs. Ackerman, again?”
“Levi...”, your trembling voice was barely audible.
“Yes.”, you breathed, letting the floodgates finally open when he slid the ring on your finger.
He got back on his feet and engulfed you into the tightest embrace as you wept joyous tears into his shoulders.
“I love you so much!”
“I love you too!”, moving to look into your eyes, he cupped your face with warm hands.
And finally, his lips found yours.
It felt... like home;
Like laying in a cozy bed after a long day of work, like the warm chocolate sauce on a cold scoop of ice-cream, like wearing a fuzzy sweater on a crisp autumn evening, like walking barefoot on the beach at sunset, like taking a cool shower on a blazing summer afternoon, like everything you ever needed.
After being torn apart from the one person who made your life perfect, you were finally back in the soothing confines of his strong arms, resting against his able chest, ready to fall apart; all while the fireworks in the sky mirrored the fireworks in your hearts.
“Mama! Papa!”
You were awoken from this surreal euphoria by the most beautiful squeal you had ever heard. Both your heads turned towards the source of it – a tiny figure running towards you with all her might while all your near and dear ones including the newlyweds watched from a distance, cheering merrily.
“They knew?”, you gasped, sobbing and sniffling from the joyous tears.
“Yeah, pretty much everyone but you knew.”
Luna flew into Levi’s open arms when he bent down to receive her. The three of you merged into one blob of a positively smothering family hug, only pulling away to pepper each other with more kisses. Levi held his two girls close. His sun and moon were now back together in the sky of his life. He looked into Luna’s crescent shaped eyes and whispered,
“Moon beam, Mama’s coming home.”
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peachsayshi · 3 years
Text
Chapter 2 - Bare
Gojo Satoru x Female Reader
Tags: Friends with Benefits, Smut, Vaginal Fingering, Nipple Play, Naked Female/Clothed Male, Foreplay on Kitchen Counter, Dirty Talk
Summary: Gojo is aware that you still aren't comfortable with the boundaries of your new arrangement but when you show up at his apartment wearing a skirt that he absolutely adores on you, the sorcerer finds it hard to resist his urges and does his best to persuade you into using him as much as he enjoys using you.
A/N: ~ in which Gojo is just a plain, old tease ~
- - - 
How can such a flimsy piece of fabric incapacitate the great sorcerer?
You showed up tonight wearing a black skirt that Gojo secretly adored on you. He loved the way it cinched around your waist and flared out delicately, cutting off just a few inches above your mid-thigh. He could not understand what it was about the skirt that turned him on so much but every time he saw you in this particular piece of clothing, the man found himself unable to stop his imagination from going. He had a hard time resisting his urges and usually would take care of himself on his own after seeing you. He would picture you on your knees, your skirt bunched up at the waist as he would thrust from behind…
Pay attention, he grumbled to himself.
He didn’t mean to ignore you but you’ve been a complete distraction since you walked through his door. He was trying his best to listen to you talk about your day as you sauntered around his kitchen but was busy staring at your hips swaying from side to side. Thankfully he was wearing his shades so you couldn’t tell that his mind was wandering.
Two weeks had passed since you came over to his place with your proposition but nothing went beyond heated make out sessions. Gojo knew you still weren’t quite used to this little arrangement. Which is why despite the two of you planning on seeing each other to "grab drinks", he would usually let you ramble about whatever was on your mind for thirty minutes before the two of you actually got down to any of the fun stuff.
“ Gojo , are  you listening to me? ”
Your question snapped him out of it. He angled his head down towards you, noticing that you were standing right in front of him.
“Of course I was listening!” he replied defensively.
You raised your brows, your face unamused by his response.
“Oh, really? Then what did I just ask you?”
He froze, realizing you caught him in his lie. Raising his arms up in defeat he scoffed before admitting, “okay, I wasn’t listening but it’s not my fault you talk so much.”
“ You are saying that I talk a lot? You ?”
“Yes I am”
“Well, I guess your bad habits are just rubbing off on me.”
“My bad habits?!”
“Seriously, that mouth of yours never stops running. You’re like a broken radio. The volume doesn’t work and no matter how hard you try, you can't switch over to another station to listen to something better,” you teased with a smile.
“Is that right?”
Gojo halted your little bantering session by abruptly reaching for your waist to pull you close to him. He spun you around so your back was pressed against his kitchen island before leaning down and bringing his lips to your ear.
“Is my voice really that annoying?” he whispered. “Because you didn’t seem to think so the other night when I was doing this…”
He sensed the shift in your body language, your heart skipping a beat at his question and the way you tensed up against his frame. He had to admit, he thoroughly enjoyed teasing you, this was different from the casual flirting he was used to because nothing is holding him back from having his way with you now.
He laughed against your ear, “not so chatty now are we?”
Picking you up by your legs, Gojo lifted you onto the countertop with ease.
“No blindfold today?” you asked, finally finding your words as your pretty eyes stared directly into his own while you both faced one another.
“These count,” he replied, referring to his sunglasses.
Gojo’s eyes trailed from your neck to naval until it reached the band of your skirt. His hands were gripping onto your waist, that hungry blue gaze filled with nothing but need. He noticed your stare fixated on his lips but he wasn’t going to give in by kissing you just yet, he wanted to continue figuring you out, surveying all the different places he could touch you just to hear you call out his name.
“Can I take this off?” he asked, his index finger tapping against your top.
You nodded your head politely and he smiled.
This side of you amused him. Despite your reservations, you’ve been quite bold about your needs and he couldn’t help but admire this newfound confidence you had, totally flattered that you were willing to show it off for him.
He tossed your top over his shoulder, his fingers trailing up your spine until it reached for the band of your bra.
“How about this?”
You bit your bottom lip, your hands dancing up his chest until it reached for the collar of his black tee.
“Maybe if you actually paid attention to what I was saying, I might be more willing…” You pushed him away, clearly having fun with him but inhaled when you felt his other hand move up across your stomach to cup your left breast.
“I didn’t invite you over to talk,” he answered calmly. “If that’s the case then we can reschedule this for another time...”
You pursed your lips, tempting him even further for a kiss but he saw that expression on your face that indicated you had no interest in stopping. You tugged at the clasp in front of your chest before telling him, “this is where the hook is.”
The smirk on his face spread into a wolfish grin as he eagerly unfastened your bra. He hummed with pleasure, dropping your undergarments to the side, tilting his head to get proper look at you and noticing the way he tightened against his pants soaking in the image before him.
“Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes!” he complimented. “Lay down for me...”
You lowered yourself on your forearms against the marble counter watching as Gojo adjusted his stance before hovering his long torso above yours.
“Get comfortable, I don’t plan on rushing anything.”
Your face was a little flushed and you hesitated underneath him, fully aware of him absorbing your half naked state. You allowed yourself to lay flat on your back against the countertop, lifting slightly when the cold surface touched your skin. Gojo planted a kiss on your neck, nipping at it before brushing down your collarbone. You shivered feeling his breath against you, his hands kneading your breasts as he placed another kiss between them. The pads of his thumbs began to rub your nipples, causing them to perk up at his touch. Your mouth parted with a sigh and you closed your eyes, finally allowing your body to relax. He lips replaced his thumb as he enclosed his mouth over your hardened nipple and he flicked his tongue earning a satisfied exhale in response.
Gojo’s senses worked differently as everything for him was heightened on another scale.The scent of your perfume intoxicated him, the sound of your heartbeat racing like music to his ears, the vibrations that ran up his arm every time he touched you was like a trigger to his system and you tasted so sweet . He truly appreciated his power for granting him the ability to experience the moment playing out before him.
“ Satoru…” you moaned, your back arching off the counter as you felt him gently bite your sensitive nub. Your hand reached for his hair, your fingers tangling themselves between his white locks.
He bit down a little harder a second time, alternating between his tongue and teeth and causing you to pant before finally releasing you from his mouth.
“Yes?” he purred, noticing the way your legs spread underneath him.
He guided himself to your mouth, finally satisfying your craving by kissing you softly.
Freeing his hair from your grasp, you trailed your fingers along his jaw as you parted your lips, allowing his tongue to slide into your mouth. Gojo continued roaming his hands along your body, gliding down your side before reaching for your leg. He stroked your inner thigh, caressing your soft skin before making his way up to your core, feeling the heat radiate off of you. He groaned into your mouth while palming your underwear with his hand, suddenly very conscious of just how wet you were for him.
Gojo broke free from your kiss, allowing you both to catch your breath for a second as he pressed his forehead against yours.
“Whatever time you wasted on small talk, I’m going to compensate for by getting you off so many times you’ll have no idea what to do with yourself when I’m through with you...”
You parted your lips to protest but whimpered instead as his fingers began working your wet cunt over the fabric of your underwear. He moved in slow circular motions, a light pressure at first but increasing with intensity as he gradually picked up the pace.
“ Fuck ,” you whined, catching your bottom lip between your teeth.
You were wriggling underneath him, your body rising and falling with every move he made. He returned to playfully suck on your nipples, pleasuring you with ease.
“ Touch me …” you begged, “ Please… ”
Your words were enough to convince him. The man tugged at the cotton fabric you were wearing before motioning his finger over your swollen clit. You were driving his patience with how wet you were getting but he was forcing himself to control his urges.
He dragged his middle finger along your slit before inserting it inside you. Naturally, your hips rolled with his movement and he slowly pulled out before pushing back in again with a little more force.
“ Ohhh , that feels good...”
Gojo couldn’t hide his own enjoyment. This was better than anything he had ever imagined about you. He was about to release years of pent up frustration on you. All those times you two spent alone together where he would draw his attention on your lips or think about what you were wearing underneath your clothes  and wonder how well you would take his dick if given the opportunity....
He had a revelation of how much he actually wanted you. His fantasies solely focused around you and regardless of who he was with, you were still the object of his desires.
The one person he was desperate to fuck.
Gojo pushed his finger all the way in, his thumb pressing down on your clit as he rubbed with speed. Your body shivered again, your moans growing louder as you clung onto his sleeve for support, feeling yourself coming undone beneath him. He felt you tense around him, your body contracting before finally releasing as the first wave of pleasure traveled through you.
He pulled his finger out, keeping your legs spread for him as he stood upright and watching you with approval. Your first orgasm illuminated your gorgeous face but he had no intention of giving you a break just yet. He proceeded to hook his fingers around your underwear, prompting you to lift your hips up as he stripped you of the fabric.
“That’s one…” he stated, ensuring you knew he was keeping his word.
He noticed you reach for the zipper of your skirt, ready to strip off the last article of clothing you had on.
He grabbed your wrists, pinning both your hands down by your sides before reaching for his glasses and dragging it down slightly along his nose so you only caught a glimpse of those blue eyes looking at you.
" The skirt stays on, ” he demanded before pushing back his frames and releasing you from his grip.
"As you wish...”
“Now then,” he continued, returning his attention onto your legs. He lifted your skirt higher until he granted himself a full view of your bare pussy. Licking his lips with anticipation, he lowered himself down before looking up at you with a teasing smile. “Let me show you exactly what this mouth of mine can do...”
- CHAPTER 3: CALL - 
113 notes · View notes
mushroom-gt · 2 years
Text
rest of your life
(otherwise known as rose’s terrible horrible no good very bad day. follows rest stop and restless, both of which should be read first! around 3K words. cw for the usual fungus and corpse-based grossness. this piece was sponsored by episode 32 of the magnus archives. You Know Why.)
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Rose’s eye snapped open.
The groggy remains of their brain shot into overdrive at the sudden influx of sensory information, burning away the haze of their dreams in light and sound. Too bright. Too green. Loud. Buzzing. Something in their back. Something in their face—away, get away, they swatted at the thing hovering too close to them, to knock whatever it was out of the air. Unfortunately it was too quick to actually hit, and instead darted back from their hand with all the grace of a housefly avoiding a newspaper.
Without a four-inch assailant in his personal space, the harsh spotlights and stereo sound dimmed, the colours congealed into comprehensible visuals, and he remembered where he was. The forest. The prince. His half-baked resurrection, the puppeteering tendrils, his impromptu nap. All of it came flooding back. And the very real pain in their back from the knot in the tree trunk they’d slept against indicated that, yes, as far as they could tell, this was not just a stomach-turning nightmare. A glance at their decaying arms further confirmed that they were exactly as dead as they remembered. Good to know. Great, actually. So much for resting in peace.
Their body ached as they took shuddering, unnecessary breaths. The world was still realigning in their eye, coming back into focus—or maybe they were the one coming back, back into their rotting physical flesh from wherever they’d gone in their sleep. The memory of it was dying by the second, but they had been… floating? Not floating, they hadn’t had a body, they were barely even there, and it was too empty, they’d been lost, alone, afraid—
“Finally. I was beginning to wonder if you’d somehow died again.”
Sebastian’s smug tone cleaved through his thoughts and turned them to dust and spores. He grit his teeth. Oh, he certainly hadn’t forgotten about the prince, but it was nice to pretend he wasn’t there while he could.
“How long were you waiting there?” they asked.
From the shade his hair turned—because of course a fungus pretending to be a fairy would blush through its disgusting mold-hair—Rose intuited that it had been a while. But the little creature puffed his chest and deigned not to answer, instead saying, “I’ve realized, corpse, that we failed to negotiate the terms of our little arrangement here. Thus our disagreements, leading to your… outbursts.”
Oh, this was going to be good. They slumped back into the tree and braced themself for what was sure to be an insufferable monologue. “Right. That’s why.”
“I suppose I’m to blame for that,” he went on. “You were unusually competent at following basic instructions. I barely had to move your legs once you began to walk. Most of my other reanimated servants couldn’t even stand on their own. Shame on me for thinking it a stroke of good fortune rather than an omen of rudimentary sentience.”
“Uh huh.”
“As such, I have drafted a pact that I believe we will both find agreeable. Neither of us are content with the current state of affairs; the sooner we strike a deal, the sooner we are rid of one another. I am not in the mood to repeat myself, so pay attention.”
“Sure,” they said, not paying attention. “Hey, what the fuck is that?”
It had somehow slipped their notice when they first awoke, but in their attempt to distract themself from Sebastian’s blathering they spotted the dead bird that had definitely not been there when they fell asleep. It was sprawled out on the ground in front of them, black feathers spattered with dried blood, fat, hairy flies circling it like vultures and covering it in their germs. Its neck looked like it had been snapped, and it stared vacantly at them.
“What—” The prince turned his head. “Oh. That. It was lunch,” he said, far too nonchalantly. “But I’ve had my fill. Help yourself if you like.”
Undeath apparently did not suppress the gag reflex. “Vegetarian, actually, but thank you for the generous offer. Get it away from me.”
“You have a perfectly functional pair of hands, for the time being.”
“I am not touching that thing with my bare—” They groped around themself, found a decently-sized branch, and used it to poke the decaying bird to a more acceptable distance. Even that was enough to make them want to hurl, not the least because its dead black eyes seemed to be looking directly into their soul. Watching them. Judging them. Eugh. “Did you…?”
“Kill it? Yes. Before it got the chance to strip the skin from your skull. You’re welcome. Now, are you ready to hear out my proposal, or would you prefer to stay locked in this frustrating tug of war for the rest of time?”
“You’re making it real tempting,” they muttered. “But whatever gets you to shut up faster.”
The prince landed in front of them, finally putting an end to the high-pitched drone of his wings. Only fitting, they supposed, that he managed to be loud and annoying even when he wasn’t talking. He cleared his throat like he expected them to sit up straight, and received a flat look and crossed arms for his troubles.
Sadly, this did little to discourage him. He merely shot them a glare before he began to speak. “You, human, will act as my mode of transportation throughout the yet-unclaimed territories of these woods. You will perform this role until such time as a sufficient replacement corpse is located, defined as the remains of a deceased creature with equal or superior physical strength to my present vessel—that is to say, you—which either lacks a mind of its own or agrees to assist me in my aims.”
Rose rolled his eye.
“Prior to the discovery of a sufficient replacement corpse, you will obey any commands given to you. You will not attempt to sabotage, obstruct, or otherwise slow the pursuit of a sufficient replacement corpse. This,”—he gestured towards them and the tree they had napped against—“will not happen again. In exchange for this service, upon the location of a sufficient replacement corpse, my present vessel—again, you—will be retired, as per your stated interest. You will return to death, and as the new lord of the Court of Scales I will personally see to it that your body is never again reanimated.”
They waited a moment for him to finish. He did not continue.
“… Is that it?” they asked.
“Is what it?”
“That’s—” They rubbed at their temples. Fucking hell. “That’s your deal. That’s the entire offer. I keep being your chauffeur, I carry you around this magic nightmare forest without arguing, and my grand reward at the end of it all is you kill me. Are you for real?”
For a brief flash, Sebastian looked genuinely taken aback. But then his face hardened, and he said, “In case you’ve forgotten, you are already dead, corpse. Did you not express a preference for quiet decomposition?”
“I mean, it’d be better, in the same way that fucking a cactus is better than fucking a woodchipper.” A bitter laugh escaped their lips. “Actually, no, that’s not even what you’re saying, is it? You’re trying to entice me into the woodchipper by promising me a chance with the cactus later. Fuck off.”
“Well,” he huffed. “Aren’t we confident in our choice?”
“Yeah, it’s pretty easy when you can’t offer anything better than ‘I’ll kill you once you stop being useful.’ What happens when I say no?”
… He shouldn’t have asked that.
The prince’s demeanour changed on a dime. Gone was the antagonism, the ire; in its place came an uncanny degree of glee that made Rose one hundred percent certain they’d just stepped in a conversational bear trap. His mouth curled into a too-wide smile, and he clapped his hands together. “I am so delighted you asked, my dear human!” he exclaimed, so upbeat he was nearly singing. “If you choose to reject my partnership, I leave you to your own devices. You will never see me again. I will disappear from your unlife… and I will take my ward with me.”
Oh, they hated this. He’d been waiting, he’d prepared for this precise opportunity, and they hated it. Hated knowing they were playing right into his hands, hated that they were giving him the satisfaction of following his script. Hated that they were going to ask for clarification, because he wouldn’t offer it on his own, because he wanted them to ask for themself. Wasn’t it enough to know that whatever he meant by his ‘ward,’ it was bad enough to be his trump card? Were the specifics worth their pride?
Yes. They were. “Your what?”
His laughter grated on their ears almost as much his buzzing as he lifted off to face them at eye level. “My ward, little corpse,” he said, the saccharine-sweetness of his words like cough syrup swirled with arsenic. “Certainly you didn’t think it was mere coincidence that you’re in such remarkable shape? Just a scant few fungal patches. Only one eye lost. Nothing like that poor carrion crow. Shall we take a look?”
“I’d really rather not—”
“No, no, I insist.” And with a strength disproportionate to his stature, roots shot from his gown, laced through the bird’s body, and dragged it back, so it was even closer than when they’d woken up. Instinct and germophobia forced them backwards, but they were already up against the tree, nowhere for them to go. All they could do was pull their legs to their chest as the rotting pile of feathers mouldered away in their personal space.
“It’s blooming quite nicely, don’t you think?” They’d been so repulsed by the crow they hadn’t noticed him fly up to their ear, and they flinched hard. “The blowflies came and went while you were asleep, I’m afraid, but they left plenty of eggs. Some are hatching even now, a million squirming maggots that will burrow their way into its breast. Not all will live, of course, and any that burst—well, they just become part of the buffet! And they’re not alone, no; other flies are coming, too, with larvae that specialize in exterminating early arrivals. They’ll go to war, just moments after birth!” He gave a fond little sigh, like he was recounting an old flame instead of a compost heap. “Creatures after my own heart…”
“Okay,” they breathed, trying not to choke on their own disgust. “Stop. I get the picture.”
“I really don’t think you do. That’s only the flies, after all. Why, you haven’t even seen the dermestids that will chew up its skin and feathers, the bursts of microbiota that will bloat it with putrid gases, or any of the lovely molds that will surely spring up! As we speak, their invisible spores are drifting through the air, landing on each and every surface, desperate for something dead enough to grow into. The ones covering your skin must be so disappointed.”
They knew what Sebastian was getting at. They weren’t stupid. But he just kept going, every rotten word turning their stomach, and if they weren’t too busy constricting their throat to keep the bile down they would have screamed at him to get it over with, to fucking say it already.
As if on cue, he giggled, and said, “Just think… without my ward, all of that could be you.”
There it was. He shuddered, pushed the thought out of his mind as much as he could. He still had a choice. The prince might have succeeded in nauseating him, but he was stubborn, and it’d take more than some gross-outs to change his mind.
“… So either I help you and I die,” he said carefully, “or I don’t help you and I die. This isn’t the slam dunk you thought it was.”
If they’d stepped in a bear trap earlier, then here was the bear itself. Peals of the fairy’s laughter rang out like awful, mocking church bells, and he nearly fell out of the air in his fit. “Oh, no, no, no, my dear, naive corpse,” he singsonged once he had caught enough breath to speak. “You misunderstand.” He dove towards their face like a dragonfly after a mosquito, hovering just before their eyes, wearing a ghastly, malicious smile.
“You don’t die if I remove my ward.”
No. “Get away from me.”
“You will feel every writhing grub that makes your flesh its home. Every scavenger and worm that strips away your skin, every bacterium that flourishes in your bloodless veins, every tendril of every spore that uses you as substrate. Any sleep you manage, you will awaken less whole, more infested, until your joints break down and you can no longer move or cry or scream.”
No, no, no. “I said get away from me.”
“You’ll be more than a host, sweet corpse. You’ll be a hive. Can you imagine it? Decomposers, parasites, feeding and breeding and multiplying, all within your body—for as long as it can meaningfully be called ‘yours,’ anyways, and not theirs. Their habitat, their haven, their environment. Oh, it’s a shame I won’t be around to see what nests within that empty eyesocket… It looks positively cozy.”
He was bluffing. He had to be. “I said get away.”
“And the best part? You’re the only case I’ve seen in which a reanimated body gets its mind back, too… Which means I don’t know when you’ll finally be released. Who knows? Maybe never! Maybe you’ll spend the rest of eternity in a hollow state of agony, long after your corpse is dust, kept forever from any sort of peace. Maybe your last sensation will be your skeleton crumbling into the dirt, but you’ll still be stuck, and you’ll go mad from lack of stimulation. Maybe you’ll reawaken spread far and wide in the digested bodies of everything that returned your cadaver to the soil, so thoroughly fractured you cannot even comprehend it. Which will it be? Do you want to find out?”
A tendril grazed their shoulder—
“Don’t FUCKING touch me!”
As quickly as it had arrived, Sebastian’s amicable affectation dropped, and his voice went cold. “I am not playing games, vessel,” he hissed, as they stared at him in horror. “I have a mission. You are lucky I haven’t already left you to rot alive for your disrespect. Make. Your. Choice.”
The only sounds in the clearing were the hum of his wings and Rose’s ragged, panicked breaths.
Later, he would regret letting fear make the choice for him. The pressure of the situation had been too much to think clearly. Grisly as the fairy’s threat was, he clearly needed Rose more than he cared to outright admit, and he could have leveraged that. He could have been more specific, negotiated more for himself, to make this nightmare more tolerable. And by the time he got the chance to think things over, it would be much too late to amend the contract.
But in the moment, he met the crow’s empty, glassy eyes, and found his voice before his reason.
“Two conditions,” he managed.
The prince clucked his tongue, but didn’t look away. “I’ll hear them.”
“One: I can’t keep roaming around forever. I need rest. At least once a day, at least a few hours.”
“Necromancy removes the need for sleep—”
“Maybe physically. But if you try to make me walk for a week straight without a break I’m going to snap and see how well you grow back from being peeled like a string cheese.”
“Always the brutality with you,” he said, as though he was in any position to judge. “Acceptable. Secondly?”
“You talk to me like I’m a fucking person. Okay? None of this ‘corpse’ or ‘vessel’ shit. My name is Rose.”
For a moment, Sebastian just blanked. Like they’d blindsided him. Was that… good?
Apparently not, because then he chuckled. Not with the manic schadenfreude from before, no, this was lower, darker. Disbelieving.
“… You really don’t know anything about the fey, do you?” The look on his face was almost pitying. “Handing your name over just like that.”
Wait. Shit. Shit shit shit that’s right you weren’t supposed to do that. They’d never cared for stories about the fey, but even they knew that was always like rule number one, fuck, they’d screwed themself over—
“You are remarkably fortunate that names cease holding power after death. Else, you would be serving as my transport and I would grant you a waking decay,” he tutted.
Oh. Okay. So… not immediately ruined. That was… about as much of a relief as they could hope for, all things considered. Not that that made them feel any less like a rabbit in a snare, especially when the prince had such a satisfied gleam in his eye.
He shrugged his shoulders. “I find these terms agreeable. Is that all?”
They kept their mouth shut. Not in the mood for their words to betray them again. Instead, they nodded, slow and deliberate, and Sebastian’s face lit up so quickly they immediately regretted it.
“Well then, Rose…”
Something shuddered in their veins as he spoke, old rotten blood standing alert at the call of a name, an echo of a force that could have once strung them along like a helpless marionette and still had the power to shake them to the bone and all at once they realized the scope of the mistake they had made.
“I believe we have a deal.”
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a-mellowtea · 3 years
Text
Let’s talk about character design.
Specifically, let’s discuss how an incongruous element of design, with the intention of it being incongruous, can lead to a problematic display of narrative decision-making.
As an anecdote, I’m a theatre undergrad with a focus on production, and costuming fascinates me. And, just as every element of costume design -- from fabric, to color, to era -- is a choice, character design is a choice, and one more often than not informed by the text in question. It falls on quite a few people to ensure these aspects work in tandem, and it is difficult and good work. However, if the text is -- for lack of a less melodramatic term -- spoilt at its core, then the design likely will be as well. In that vein, I find myself put off by both aspects of this particular choice -- the actual design itself, and the intention behind it.
If you hadn’t already guessed by who’s making this post and my as-recently typical subject matter, we’re going to be focusing on James Ironwood’s Volume 8 prosthetic.
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I ought to preface this by mentioning that the conclusions I come to here are my own opinion, and those of an able-bodied woman. I cannot speak for the dehumanizing experiences disabled people (or persons with disabilities, if preferred) endure. I am mostly examining the design itself, but the intention and implication behind that are not things that can go unstated.
So, let’s begin with the design and that aforementioned incongruity; both with the character and the established look of technology in the show’s world. On its own, in a vacuum, it is a good one; I called it creative and unique when it was first, albeit accidentally, released to the public, and I stand by that. I’d expect no less from Alexander Juarez by now. However, that uniqueness is a double-edged sword in this instance, as this design is very distinct. To this point, replacement prosthetics in RWBY were uniformly shades of greys and blues (until and unless painted, see: Yang), noticeably complete and, even when purposefully visible, fit the designs of the characters themselves. Examples of this are Yang, Mercury, Maria, and even James’ own pre-Volume 8 prosthetics.
Oh. Yes, a moment on that. It’s worth mentioning that James does already have prosthetics, replacing or supporting the entire right side of his body, for which it is noted that the arm is a modified AK200 model.
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The Volume 8 addition, meanwhile, is remarkably incomplete, with exposed wiring that can be cleanly seen through. Its core colors are also black and grey, which clashes directly with the blues and whites of the rest of the character design, as the only other instance of those colors on him is his hair. It’s heavy and eye-catching, throwing off the balance of the design.
Moreover? It's visible, and this is where incongruity of character comes in. James' prosthetics have always been hidden, bar extenuating circumstances (see, Battle of Beacon), and that is implied through both design and narrative to be a character choice based on how he himself views those prosthetics. The one he is given in Volume 8, however, is fully displayed, yet there is nothing to indicate that this particular character aversion has changed.
What did change, then? With a pre-established source of reference for James’ prosthetics being the AK200, why was this design choice made? His new arm is meant to be noticed. It's meant to contrast with the rest of the design, be visible, and visibly incomplete. Why?
Remember: character design is a choice that is typically informed by the text.
I don't like making big claims about CRWBY's intentions with things, because I’m not involved in the industry or production, and it’s generally rude to assume beyond that. With this, though, I don't have to, because they said it themselves.
Kerry Shawcross: "And then of course Ironwood now losing another part of his humanity. [pause] Get it?" Paula Decanini: [chuckles]
If you wish to check the context, this is taken from the Volume 7 DVD director’s commentary on Chapter 11, “Gravity”, and is a comment on the moment James loses his arm. It would be uncomfortable enough on its own, but discomfort isn’t very well the point of noting this as much as it is the answer to that question.
The design choices of the prosthetic were made as a visible reminder of a loss of humanity and his new status as a villain in that light. It is, certainly no pun intended, a narrative shorthand, meant to carry implication and impossible to ignore when he is on screen.
Perhaps a little more distressing is the fact that it worked. Still visible in a thread on the r/RWBY subReddit and several threads on Twitter, when it was revealed, people immediately associated the prosthetic and extension of James’ disability to a loss of humanity, despite the character actively having prosthetics for the entirety of his tenure in the show and it only previously being raised in regards to his Tin Woodsman allusion.
You may ask, so what? Why is this problematic? James is a villain in Volume 8, what should it matter that his design echoes that?
All I have to say is that that’s unfortunate. It’s unfortunate that we aren’t at a point yet where this kind of shorthand isn’t something immediately frowned upon in media, and especially in how characters are designed. James could have been a villain without the creative team pointedly using his disability as a neon “Now A Bad Guy” sign. They could have designed it in a way that fell in line with the character and the aesthetic designs of the world, and still had the loss be acknowledged as a stressful circumstance that informed how he was behaving in a way that wasn’t a silent visual.
Disability being used as such a signifier for some sort of absence of humanity is not a good thing in media in general, whether RWBY or otherwise. I’m still hopeful we’ll get to a point where that isn’t the case -- RWBY itself did quite well with Yang, all things considered -- but its as-yet unquestioned acceptance when characters are anti-heroic/villainous or, god forbid, “deserve” it, both in the design process of media and the minds of audiences, is disheartening, to put it mildly.
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jj-babebank · 3 years
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Room 107 // chapter I // JJ Maybank (smut)
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I have started my first JJ story, which will consist of several chapters that I will constantly be updating. The story picks up where season 2 leaves us. TW: Contains mentions of drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, sex and violence. 
Chapter 1 can be found below.  Oh, and - please feel free to submit requests, I tend to write a lot ;) 
Enjoy xx
Chapter 1 - La Guardiana
Days had passed since the Pogues had last seen civilisation, maybe even weeks. The sun was hotter than ever, with close to no wind to mask the warmth. JJ was taking this particularly badly. 
“I’m so done with eating bananas, man,” he moaned, kicking a pebble as he trotted a little behind the rest of his friends, “Can’t we just stumble across an oasis or something and end up in, like, an actual city?”
As if on command, his friends stopped in their tracks, the girls awing and the guys smiling happily. 
“We just might, JJ,” said John B, looking at the city unfolding itself in front of them in the distance, “We just might.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I’m actually starving,” laughed Sarah, nudging John B’s arm, “Don’t tease!” “Hey, so am I,” he cooed, “First joint we find, we’re going in for food.” Kiara rolled her eyes, “As much as I would love to accept that offer, let me remind you that we have no money.” Sarah nodded, “Mhm, nothing at all.” “Nada,” John B looked at the two girls sternly, “And when has that ever stopped us exactly?” Kiara rolled her eyes once again, smirking at her friend, “Alright, I suppose a good meal would give me the energy I’d need to run a marathon after getting caught not paying.”
The group continued walking down a not too busy street, studying the buildings, looking for a restaurant, cafe, diner - anything, really. They hadn’t had a proper meal in God knows how long and they were famished. They couldn’t help but notice how all the buildings on the street were of the same height - no more than four storeys each, all painted in different colours. If they hadn’t known any better, they’d have thought that they had left the United States of America altogether, although one thing was certain - they were definitely not in the Outer Banks anymore. 
The street wasn’t crowded at all, there were hardly any cars or people lurking about. JJ concluded that this was probably an unpopular area of whichever city they were in. This would also explain the lack of supermarkets and restaurants. He really wanted to ask his friends to stop for a little break - his throat was so dry and his legs could barely hold him up anymore, but he knew better. The longer they walk, the faster they’ll find what they are looking for. Having no indicator of the time on them wasn’t helping either, hell, they could have been walking for 12 hours for all he knew, and with no result. 
“Maybe we should just ask someone,” Pope suggested, “Neither of us is a wanted criminal anymore, I’d say we have nothing to worry about.” John B smirked at his friend’s remark, but ultimately agreed to ask the first person they ran into where the nearest food joint was. Turns out, they were standing right in front of it. 
“La Cubanita Hotel and Restaurant” it spelled out in bold, red letters. The building was narrow and a light shade of blue, totally contrasting the obnoxiously coloured sign planted in front of it. Much like the rest of the buildings on the street, it had no more than four floors, each consisting of a row of Spanish windows with brightly coloured frames. The Pogues looked at each other with a hint of uncertainty before John B lead the way into the building. 
On the inside it looked like a typical diner - tiled floor, red and blue booths, a long bar accompanied by bar stools and, cheesily enough, a boombox. JJ guessed that the way to the hotel was through the back, but he didn’t put too much thought into it. The place seemed dead, with only one of the booths being busy. It was either an off-peak hour or this city was actually a ghost town. 
The group sat at one of the booths on the other side of where the other people were and JJ took a second to observe them. A group of bikers, all wearing stereotypical biker outfits from leather jackets down to bandanas. They were in their mid 50s and were all smoking indoors, drinking what looked like whiskeys, despite of the blazing sun still very much being out. JJ had to give it to them though, they did look pretty darn cool if he did say so himself, and those cigarettes looked eerily appetising to him at this given moment. Oh, what he’d give to have a sip of whatever they were having and a long, much needed drag of one of their cigarettes. He was so lost in his daydream, he barely realised Kiara poking him in the arm. 
“JJ,” she urged, “Waitress is here!” In this moment JJ turned his attention to the new subject in question, their waitress. She was standing at the foot of their booth, wearing her uniform, black and red, holding a pen and a notepad, chewing a piece of gum, waiting for his order. Could this place get any more stereotypical? JJ thought to himself. “So what’s it gonna be, handsome?” She said, not even bothering to look in his direction. “Uh…” JJ fumbled with the menu, “I’ll just have whatever they’re having.” He said, pointing at the bikers in the booth across from theirs. The woman rolled her eyes, popping her bubblegum. She took the rest of the Pogues’ orders before disappearing somewhere behind the bar. JJ followed her with his eyes, blocking out the conversation his friends were currently having. The waitress came back out of what he assumed to be the kitchen and handed the paper with their orders to another girl behind the bar. JJ guessed she was the barmaid, and boy was she a bit of him. 
She was wearing the same uniform as her colleague, although JJ had to admit - it looked a whole lot better on her, at least from what he could see from above the bar. Her hair was long and brown, half of it tied up effortlessly, and slightly messily, although JJ didn’t mind one bit. He watched her as she took the paper from her colleague and went to fetch the drinks written on it. He couldn’t make out what exactly colour her eyes were, and quite frankly - he didn’t really care, she was gorgeous regardless of what her eyes looked like, and she looked around his age. Had the sun and heat gotten to his head, or was it just the fact that he hadn’t touched a female in so long, he didn’t know, but if there was one thing JJ Maybank was notorious for, it was his ability to pull any girl his heart desired effortlessly. This is why he excused himself from the table and, albeit his friends’ confused looks and comments, he made his way towards the bar, sliding into one of the stools directly across from the girl. 
She looked up at him, “Can I help you?” “Brown…” JJ mumbled to himself. “Excuse me?” She said, this time sounding slightly annoyed. Her eyes were brown, JJ thought, brown and sexy. He coughed, trying to compose himself and gave her his signature Maybank stare. It worked wonders back home, surely it would work wonders now again. “Name’s JJ,” he said suavely, “I’m not from around here-“ “Clearly,” she muttered, picking up a bottle of whiskey. JJ assumed it was for him, “Aren’t you a little young to be drinking, JJ?”
JJ smirked, “What can I say, I have the face of a boy but the body and mind of a man.” The girl snickered under her nose, “Sure. Well since you’re here, make yourself useful and bring your drinks over to your friends,” she gave him a fake smile, placing a tray with their orders on it in front of him, after which she turned her back to him and walked towards the back of the bar. JJ was too busy observing her behind to notice the other waitress standing next to him, her arms crossed in front of her chest. “Should I take that or will you?” She said, waking JJ up from his everlasting daydream. “Oh, uh, don’t sweat it…” he said, picking up the tray and carrying it over to his friends’ booth. “So much for customer service,” Sarah laughed. “And to think my dad says I’m hostile to our customers,” Kiara muttered out. JJ took his seat next to her, his eyes never leaving the bar. “La Guardiana,” Pope read out loud, “This place is called La Guardiana, and apparently we’re somewhere in Florida.” “Florida?” John B said, confusion dripping through his words. Pope nodded, pointing at some text on the bottom of the menu. 
La Cubanita Hotel & Restaurant **, 97 Diego’s Crescent, La Guardiana, FL 
“Holy shit, we’re in Florida!” John B whisper yelled. Sarah laughed at his reaction, “Calm down now, Sancho, let’s not draw any attention to us,” “Yeah, you might wanna tell Casanova here that,” teased Pope, nodding his head in JJ’s direction, “Was it really worth it to potentially blow our cover just to talk to that girl?” JJ snapped at Pope, “Hey, man, just ‘cuz you don’t have the nuts to go over there and talk to her yourself,” “Yeah, I really want to attract the staff’s attention, you know, even more than we already are, seeing as we’re the only other busy table at this place.” “Your food,” the waitress from earlier was back with some of the Pogues’ orders. They waited for her to be out of earshot and JJ spoke up, “Relax, P, I bet you I can charm the pants off that girl and we won’t even need to sneak out without paying!” Pope gave JJ a fake smile, “Mhm, I’m sure she’s gonna be so deep under your spell she won’t even notice us leaving without paying a cent." JJ rolled his eyes, picking up a toothpick from the table and placing it between his teeth. “Might even offer us a place to crash, you know, because she’ll be so captivated by you.” Pope continued to tease. “Yeah, chicks totally dig this whole I’m homeless and I haven’t properly showered in like 15 days look you're going for,” Sarah joined in on the teasing. Kiara laughed and added, “Yeah, and the bit that’s gonna fully seal the deal for her is that you have literally nothing to offer her, like 0 dollars.” Everyone was laughing while JJ just crossed his arms in front of his chest and turned to look out the window, “Talk all you want, guys, but once we get that gold back, you’ll see who’ll dig what.” “The rest of your order,” he recognised the girl’s voice. It was her bringing their food over this time. She placed John B’s plate in front of him and then made her way around the table, next to where JJ was sat. She handed him his plate and bent down slightly, so that her lips were on the same level as JJ’s ear, “Next time you decide to share your criminal plans, you might wanna talk a bit more quietly.” She whispered, setting his cutlery down for him, “Oh, and, you might be charming wherever you come from, but your friend’s right. That shit doesn’t work around here.” She said, patting him on the shoulder before walking away. JJ didn’t waste time sitting around to listen to his friends pass comments about what had just happened, he downed his whiskey and practically chased after the girl. “I’m guessing you’ll want another one?” She said, not even turning around. JJ wondered how she knew that he was there. When she turned to face him, the bottle of whiskey was in her hand. “Let’s see… Do I pour you another one and close my eyes about you planning to leave without paying, or do I do what anyone else in my position would do and call the police on you? Hmm…” she pretended to think, her eyes never leaving JJ’s now panicking ones. “Please don’t call the cops,” he blurted out, the whiskey hitting his brain and making him stress out more than he wanted to admit to, “Look, we - we were in a boat accident, we don’t even know how we got here, hell - we didn’t even know where we were up until 10 minutes ago! And we - we don’t have  any documents on us, we don’t have any sort of identification, what would you -“ “Relax, kid,” the girl smirked, picking up two glasses and pouring a generous amount of whiskey in both of them, “I won’t rat you out.” She said, handing JJ one of the glasses and raising hers for a toast. JJ clinked his glass with hers, a large smile growing on his face, his dimples becoming very prominent, “Thank you, really… That means a lot.” The girl took a moment to observe JJ, then to look at his friends having a heated conversation at their booth, all of them practically stuffing their faces with food in an almost animalistic sort of way. Could this boy really be telling the truth? Could these kids have been lost at sea with no place to go? She looked back at JJ who was also looking at her. Despite the smile plastered on his face, she could clearly see that he was extremely nervous still. “Hey,” she said, “I told you to relax, didn’t I. I won’t charge you for your food, in fact… I might even have a place for you to sleep and clean up tonight.” JJ’s eyes grew wider at her words, “You what?” She leaned in closer to him over the bar and lowered her voice so that he would be the only one to hear, “Hotel upstairs, my aunt owns it. She’s currently out of town with my cousin. Should be back next Thursday. I think I can fit you and your friends in. You just have to promise to be on your best behaviour.” She said, pulling away and taking another sip from her drink. JJ couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It was too good to be true. She was hot and she was willing to help? This must have been his lucky day. Sarah could suck it, and so could the others. Clearly this girl was into him. Why else would she be offering to help? “So, uh, what’s in it for me?” He asked, a hint of mischief in his voice. The girl opened her mouth, but before she could speak, the other waitress groaned from behind her. “Samara, how many times do I have to tell you?” Her croaky voice rang. The girl, who JJ had just learned was called Samara, rolled her eyes and repeated with her colleague, “No drinking on the job, yeah yeah, I know. But Heather’s gone and so is Conner, so who can tell me what to do, really?” She said, finishing what was left of her whiskey, “Besides, Georgia, as far as I’m concerned, since they’re both gone, that leaves me in charge, no? Now get back to work,” she said, making her colleague roll her eyes at her. Samara turned around to face JJ again, giving him a wink, before disappearing into the kitchen. JJ couldn’t believe his luck. He swung his arm over the bar and picked up the bottle of whiskey to pour himself one more drink before returning to his friends. “Guys-“ JJ tried getting their attention. “So what are we supposed to do now? We’re totally screwed!” “They’re gonna call the police on us, hell, they probably already have! The cops could be on their way!” “Guys!” JJ yelled, catching even the bikers’ attention. His friends looked up at him, worry filling all of their eyes. “You’ll never believe what I’m about to tell you, oh, and Sarah? You can eat your words.” He smirked before telling them what had just happened. “Hold on,” said Kiara, her face revealing her confusion, “So this random girl in this random place just randomly said that we can crash here until when?” “Next Thursday, or was it Tuesday? What day is it today?” JJ scratched his head. “JJ!” Kiara slapped his arm, “What if this is a trap? It sounds too good to be true doesn’t it? Like, what’s in it for her? We don’t even know her! What if she’s a murderer or something?” “She’s right, you know,” Cleo chimed in. “She is,” said John B, “But we have nothing to lose, literally.” Pope nodded, “I’d usually agree with Kie, but John B’s right. We have nothing to lose. And what if she calls the police? What could even happen then? We get put in jail for agreeing to sleep in a hotel for free? Come on, guys, I’m sure we can all agree that a bar of soap and a normal bathroom would do us good. I mean, we stink.” Everyone laughed at Pope’s remark before Kiara turned to JJ again, “So what’s the plan?” Realisation just struck JJ that he didn’t in fact know what the plan was. Samara had told him virtually nothing about how any of this would go down. Where were they supposed to meet? Was she going to take them to their rooms? Would they all be sharing one room? He was so busy thinking about how all of this would go down, he barely noticed Samara herself passing him a note. It was taken out of her colleague, who JJ now knew to be Georgia’s notepad. The note read in messy handwriting:
Bring your friends to the lobby. Straight down the hallway by the bathrooms. 
JJ turned the piece of paper towards his friends and they all got up, rushing towards the hallway by the bathrooms.
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