#hey. flirting may be fun and everything but. i want something serious and long-term | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

daverygalskisbff · 3 years

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could we get some allura & lance friendship prompts? i LOVED your other ones btw 💖💖💖💖

HI I'm sorry this took forever I have honestly no idea why bc I adore these two and I ADORE this prompt so my brain should not have shut down the way it did. anywayz to make up for the wait i tried to make this a bit longer than my usual posts :) I hope you like it!

(also, as usual, everything here I came up with myself, and if there's any similarity to someone elses post I apologise and promise it wasn't intentional)

now without further ado,

Lance and Allura!

similar to lance and pidge, the two are decidedly Not close in the beginning

i had an entire thing about how i imagine they became friends at first written out, but it was a tad too long and i didn't want to clog up the post with too much exposition. so instead, let's just skip forward and get into their dynamic after they become buddies :) (however, if anyone wants to see the backstory I would not be opposed)

although he no longer has a crush on her, lance makes it a point to hype her up as much as he possibly can

at first allura was confused, because she thought it was him trying to flirt with her still, but once she understood what was going on she was more than willing to join in

lance when allura completely destroys the training droid: WOWZA ladies and gentlemen of the jury may I present to you the icon the legend the moment herself her royal highness princess allura of altea!!!!! if you thought that was impressive just WAIT till she gets warmed up because this is just the beginning!!! she can even do it in heels-

shiro: lance, please focus, this is really important that we-

allura: no no, shiro, please. let him finish.

they both show their friendship in slightly different ways. lance's way is that he is physically incapable of not humouring the princess

allura when lance shows her his cartwheel: incredible!!!!!!! i have never been more impressed in my life!!! do you think you could do it in heels??

lance: uhhh. y'know princess I'm really loving the faith, but-

allura: :)?

lance:.... what if you don't have my size?

lance fractured his ankle. allura has yet to stop apologising.

allura's way is definitely safer, but it's also a lot more... cluttered. to say the least.

allura, returning from a recon mission with a tiny bag filled with what looks like tiny, glittery dinosaur figurines made of glass: lance! look at what i bought for you!

lance, taking one look at the contents of the bag: wow, 'lurra, this is… so nice of you

allura: lance, are you. are you crying?

lance (definitely crying): what? NO! of course not!! I'm just. allergic, to. uh. oxygen.

allura: what.

allura never had any siblings back on altea, but she always wanted them

this, paired with how much lance misses his own family, means that the two of them kind of gravitate towards each other in terms of siblinghood.

as a child allura would imagine what it would be like to have siblings, but especially a twin. she would fall asleep to dreams of secret handshakes, finishing each other's sentences, and swapping places to trick people

she doesn't realise the brother she has found in lance until a long time after they've become close (how would she recognise a dynamic she has never been privy to?)

this realisation happens on just a random day in the castleship lounge. she is talking to hunk, when suddenly lance, who she didn't even realise was listening to their conversation, butts in and finishes her sentence.

she's annoyed at being interrupted at first, but then what happened sinks in, and suddenly she's fighting off tears. lance doesn't know why she's crying, but he hugs her anyway.

the two of them match accessories a lot

with allura's love of pretty things (and the abundance of stuff in her closet) paired with lance's natural dramatics, nobody else on the team is entirely sure of whether this is intentional or not.

it started off as intentional. it is now second nature.

one decision, however, was completely planned and thought out for exactly twenty minutes, and then deeply regretted by both parties for the next 48 hours

allura pierced lance's ears

now before you get judgemental, you try making a smart decision at two am space-time while very giddy and slightly buzzing on some weird old alien candy that not even your resident alien is sure the ingredients of. then talk to me.

pidge: okay so you're gonna need a needle, ice, and… yeah I'm pretty sure that's it

lance: don't we need a potato too

pidge: … why the fuck would you need a potato

lance: I dunno!!! my sister pierced her friend's ears one time and she mentioned a potato!!! I'm just trying to make sure everything goes well, pidge!

allura: I love these earth customs you two are showing me!! when I got my ears pierced it was done with some kind of laser, but your way sounds much more fun :).

allura: also, what is a "potato" and where can we find one?

it goes about as well as you would expect

the excited buzz on lance lasts about three ticks into the process, and then the screaming starts

pidge (the genius who came up with the idea) gives him some altean taffy to chew on to stop him from making too much noise, and allura, the angel, is babbling right along with him

allura, with tears in her eyes: how was I supposed to know it was going to hurt mine didn't hurt well it was 10,000 years ago and I was very young altean children don't have very strong pain receptors you know, maybe that's why my parents had it done at that age, or maybe your people are just completely barbaric, who thought this would be a good idea?? pidge why did you suggest this poor lonce is in tears lonce I'm so sorry but if it's any consolation at all at least now your ears won't be nearly as hideous as before and you can borrow as many of my earrings as you want except for the sparkly green ones that dangle those are my favourite well they're actually my second favourite I'm wearing my favourite - you can't borrow those either, by the way, but you can have any of the others I promise

lance, also crying and still chewing the altean taffy: hhb, llura yub domf hoff do bologuys, ss long'ss yub sanstsd thu niddle frst

allura (who did not remember to sanitize the needle), now crying freely: I don't understand what you're saying

(pidge records the entire thing)

the next day lance wakes up with ears that are very sore and slightly green, and allura faints

they spend the entire morning avoiding shiro in case they get in trouble and trying to figure out how to get the healing pods to work

lance: what do you mean you don't know allura you literally lived in one of these

allura: I was asleep the whole time!!! don't put this on me!!

lance: don't put- you are the one that pierced my ears, allura, of course it's on you!

coran, who has been watching this entire interaction in silence: oh, I thought i noticed something different about you, number three!

lance and allura: [screaming]

coran helps them set up the healing pod

unfortunately lance has to take the earrings out, so the holes close back up, but fortunately coran just so happens to know how to pierce ears the correct way that they did on altea

lance, after half a day in the healing pod, watching coran advance upon him with a literal handheld flamethrower that shoots lasers: is it too late to go back to the ear infection

coran is surprisingly very adept at the skill of altean beautification (an activity that has a surprisingly long and rich backstory, which lance and allura get an in-depth lesson on for the hour that it takes to do lance's ears properly)

they're exhausted afterwards, but lance looks great, so they're in good moods regardless

they like to teach each other about things from their respective planets - both for fun, and because it helps them feel less homesick

whenever allura is particularly down about the loss of altea, lance will visit her in her room, and the two of them will just lie together on her bed.

they don't say much, most of the time, just link their pinkies together and stare at the ceiling

when they do talk, it's quiet, and always allura who starts it - she might share something she remembers about altea, and lance listens quietly and then responds with something he misses about cuba

it isn't always sad tho - sometimes they just talk about things they remember that pop into their heads, or explain things to each other that they wouldn't otherwise know

at the space mall, they make a game out of pointing things out to each other and trying to guess what it is (allura can only guess when they're in the earth shop, but it's okay because she more than makes up for it in enthusiasm)

lance, holding a my little pony collectible: okay princess. what is this.

allura, completely serious: a weapon

lance: ... close

allura, holding up a set of magnetic heart necklaces to the light: what does… "biffs" mean?

lance: it's "bffs," princess, it means "best friends forever"

allura: oh! you mean like me and you?

lance:

lance: 'lurra what did we say about making me cry in public, we've talked about this-

(they buy the necklaces. obviously.)

they mess with each other's hair a lot

once allura learns that lance's hair is naturally curly, and that he just straightens it all of the time, she makes it her god-given mission to convince him to wear it naturally more often

this mission includes plans such as stealing his hair straightener, "donating" a bunch of curly hair products to him because she "doesn't have the space", and getting keith to say he thinks curly hair is cool one day in the rec room

she still thinks it's the funniest thing ever that that actually worked

other than week-long sabotage plots, they both think it's fun to have lance braid allura's hair

he used to braid his sister's and niece's hairs all of the time, so he has a knack for it that allura did not expect at all but is obsessed with anyway

allura, coming to lance's room a few hours before another diplomatic party: hey..... how yall doin.....

lance, already prepared with a million different brushes and bands: oh my god just get in already

lance and allura have a lot in common

one of these things, they learn very early into their relationship, is that they are both disasters when it comes to pretty girls (and boys, but that's a lance-exclusive situation)

so they become each other's wingmen

they both tend to get… a little too into it

the team: [at a diplomatic ball]

lance, seeing a pretty alien girl looking allura's way and "politely" speedwalking over to her: alluralluraalluraalluraalluralluraalluraalluraalluralluraalluraallura pretty girl look over there eleven o'clock LOOK she's gonna walk away looklooklook

allura: lance darling thank you so much for your help but I am in the middle of talking to the president

and alternatively:

allura tries to set lance and keith up all the time. at first she was worried she would be overstepping boundaries, but after one particular sleepover where lance spent an entire hour lamenting his "bad luck" she decided to take things into her own hands

this includes, but is not limited to; sending them on supply missions alone together (often), mentioning particular things lance has done to his appearance to keith every time she can, and talking about specific paladin bonds more than she maybe should

lance hates it

keith, walking into the lounge: h-

allura, immediately: hello keith!! help settle an argument, will you :)?

keith: um… okay

allura: lovely! now, tell me, do you think lance looks cuter today than he did yesterday? we can't seem to agree on whether or by he's stunning or simply handsome. what do you think?

keith: uh-

allura: oh, and while I have you, have you noticed that his ears are pierced?

lance, beet red: allu-

allura: what :(?? can't i be proud of my handiwork??

lance, to keith: I am not associated with her

after a week of this keith literally sets up a system where if allura is in a room he walks into he just does a complete 180 and walks back out

one time, at a diplomatic meeting, an alien politician mistook them for a couple and they both choked on their drinks at the same time, and then got offended that the other one agreed that the concept was insane

allura: what happened to being the princess of your dreams, lance?? I thought I MEANT something to you. obviously! i was wrong!

lance: oh yeah?? then why did you GIGGLE, allura. what's so funny, huh?? my good looks??? my charming charisma?? how far out of your league I am???

allura:

lance: okay maybe that last one was a bit of a stretch

another thing lance and allura do is pronounce each other's names wrong

they call each other lonce and allora

it started as lance kind of making fun of allura's accent, but turned into just one of their Things

allura honestly didn't know it was a bit until the habit had been long constructed

#pippa.post #pippa.canon #vld lance #vld keith #vld allura #klance #vld pidge #pippa.ask #vld shiro #i added klance bc i know you like it gia i hope this was up to your standard <3 #vld coran #vld team

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colorseeingchick · 3 years

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Hey Can I ask for a self ship date pls ? I’m a 18yo girl who is 173 cm of chaos and my heart has been stolen by Kise Ryouta from KNB 😩.

We may be very different, he’s more of a warm and a social person while i’m cold in the clouds and ambiverted but his smile, his laugh and how he’s dedicated in basketball made me lose it. I find his whole personality interesting even the more cold and ugly parts of him and he has the pretty face for him too but i’m not the kind of person who can just fall for apparence. He have such a voice too 😳 He has that charming aura, playful but yet still lighthearted and funny. He being two-faced surprisingly don’t bother me that much somehow i understand from where hes coming from. I relate a lot to his overachiever and need to handle all things himself to the point of hurting. As a basketb fan i am also enamored w his way of playing, i gen think he is the best of gom he always do his best to the point of barely breathing and honestly i relate to this too when im into something i love. His quick learning abilities are hyper and i like how Kise try to be honest w himself. I like also the balance he have w masculine and feminine energy and don’t mind him being a dork. His relationship w others characters are gold too like w Aomine and i can see him showing me affection to my touch starved self and just general affection i lack in general even if i don’t say it. Also i can imagine a certain dynamic between us where no one is the lead of the couple but we’re on equal terms.

Now more about me i am an ENTP 8w7, I am independent, creative, honest, prideful and « generous » i don’t think that last one much but my close one describe me like this. I’m very curious, likes experimenting and new things. I am funny/sarcastic, playful and as it iam very memeable but surprisingly top student here who doesn’t behave like it at all both in class and just in general. My aesthetic is a weird mix of everything i love so i am both a tomboy, alt and a baddie somehow. I am into law and economics studies and can talk french, korean and spanish as i learn languages in my free time by myself. I do read, write, draw and listen to music, play all sort of games including sports, get on a walk from time to time, eat cuz food is delicious and just learn in general. I have kind of ✨trust issues ✨so i don’t have many friends. But you sure will have fun w me ! I don’t about chill i have some temper but sure im pretty cool and open minded ! In love i really am a mess, i’m easily flustered but act cool to hide it and because of that i look like someone confident and mysterious except i am not the first one and ugh im lowkey a tsundere so it’s difficult to assume my feelings. But i swear i try !

Thank you for reading me ! I hope i didn’t bother you much.

You didn't bother me at all hun! This was a lot of fun to write so I hope you enjoy :) I think I have a pretty fun date planned for you two if I do say so myself hehe.

Premise: Kise got to know you throughout high school, and saw you as different from his other fangirls. Even though it wasn’t basketball, you also stood out at the top of your class, making you noticeable to Kise. You were actually a good friend (a cute friend at that) and he decided that he wanted to take you on a date during your 3rd year (once the basketball season was over and he had time to make for you). Knowing how fun you are, he had the perfect plan.

As you look into the mirror to examine your outfit, your phone buzzes with the “I’m hereeee ;)” text. You’d decided to lean into your tomboy vibes, given that Kise told you to ‘get ready to do stuff,’ which was not very informative, but exciting nonetheless.

As you walk out, you’re greeted by the blonde man dressed handsome as ever, a dark long sleeve shirt with fitting jeans, his silver hoop shining as the sun starts to set.

“Ready Y/N-chi?” He asks you, smiling as he overdramatically offers his hand for you to grab.

“Ready as ever~” you say as you grab his hand. He pulls you close and winks, flustering you right from the start.

“If I remember correctly, you said something about this being the best date I ever go on?” You take your chance to poke fun at him as well.

“Oh honey, it will be.” You can see the way his eyes shine and his mischievous grin as he walks with a nice hop in his step, guiding you towards the train station.

The train ride was pleasant, his hands protectively on your shoulder and a mean glare on his pretty features when other men looked at you or got too close, but his face was calm as he comfortably bantered with you (you on the other hand were quite unbothered by it all). Once you finally arrived at your destination, you found yourself in the lively district of the city, flooded with restaurants and shops all open late night.

“I forgot how beautiful this area is at night!” You can’t help but say as you look at all the beautiful lights and architecture.

“I had to take a pretty girl to a pretty place, you know?” He squeezes your hand as he drags you along once again, until you end up at your destination.

“I think this’ll be a lot of fun,” he says to you as he pushes open the doors to the arcade, letting all the dark lights and glowing games illuminate your sight.

He buys the coins for you both to play (He’d asked prior if it’d be okay for him to pay for you this date, and you’d agreed), and you set off to play all sorts of games.

It was a lot of fun for the both of you. While the games were enjoyable, playing them with him made it all the better. He also never missed an opportunity to flirt with you, and playing games made it easy. Both of you being overachievers, with Kise being a quick learner and you being open to trying new things made the experience amazing.

“Here, stand like this and loosen your wrists up for a better shot.” you both were playing the basketball game, and to no surprise Kise had absolutely killed it. Now here he is, helping adjust your shot. Standing behind you, he lightly adjusts your waist, turning you a little bit to help your footing. His hands then move up to your shoulders, then down to your wrists, helping guide your form and placement on the ball. While you were learning from him, it was hard to focus with him this close to you. “Y/N-chi, you can focus on me later. You should focus on your shot for now.” He says lowly, teasingly, watching carefully as your face erupts into red. He really did love teasing you, the usually calm, collected, confident top student.

Admittedly, you feel like you got back at him when you watch him try the crane game (the ones filled with stuffed animals) and he couldn’t get it after 7 tries. The frustration was clear in his face, his impatience rising.

“This game is rigged, I know it!”

You ask to try and of course he complies. However, he’s not ready for you to get a cute little stuffed panda on your first try. Suddenly, he’s a lot more embarrassed than you were earlier.

“You definitely used magic or something.” His pout is both adorable and hilarious to you.

You laugh as you hand him the panda. “Here!”

Looking down at the panda and then looking back up at you, he asks, “for me? But you won it!”

“But I want you to have it. It’s cute like you, Kise-kun.”

A huge smile crosses his face as he pulls you into a hug, spinning you around. “Y/n-chi!!!! You’re so generous!! Giving me your stuffed panda~ I’ll take good care of it.”

You have a nice laugh as you watch Kise end the night out by playing Dance Dance Revolution, not afraid to be a bit flamboyant as he goes all out with the footwork and does really well at the game.

After collecting all your tickets, Kise takes you up to the rewards table, telling you that he knows exactly what he wants to get.

“And we have enough tickets for it! Great.”

You can’t help but smile when Kise points to the GIANT stuffed panda hanging on the wall.

“I thought you weren’t the type to return favors,” you recall what he said during a game with Seirin from a long while back.

He blushes, thinking about what he said. “I’m not, just one upping you,” he jokes, sticking his tongue out at you, letting you nudge him in return.

“Do you wanna get food, Y/N-chi?” He asks, his arm wrapped around your shoulder.

“Sure, from where?”

“You decide. I decided on the arcade, you can decide dinner.” He looks at you with a smile, thinking back on how fun the whole night had been. “But I get to decide dinner next time.”

“Next time?” You shoot back, eyebrows raised, a smile forming on your face. “Who said I’d go out with you a next time?”

At your comment, his smile falters as he stares at you for a good second. He gets all serious suddenly, pulling you close (with a giant panda pressed into your side) and making you look into his eyes. “Y/N-chi, would you please go out with me again? Tell me you will!”

Giggling, you smile up at him. “Of course, Kise-kun.”

He sighs out and hums in approval, before pressing a small kiss onto your cheek. “Call me Ryouta.”

Ahhh I hope you enjoyed it! I tried to incorporate as many elements as I could! Please do let me know what you think <3 this was so fun!!!!

#knb #knb matchup #kuroko no basquet #kuroko no basket #kise ryouta #kise fluff #CSC hits 200 #colorseeingchick milestone

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cohentm · 4 years

Text

✮ ∷ ╰ 𝖈𝖔𝖍𝖊𝖓 & 𝖈𝖗𝖊𝖜 :

a connection / plot masterlist .

oof hey babies! i’m making this post so y’all know exactly how i’m breaking down the plots i have so far. i jotted down fulfilled connections, followed by the people i know i’m still in the midst of plotting with ( labeled “tba,” will be updated once we’ve decided on a backstory ), & at the end i listed some wanted connection ideas! even if you see your character on this list, though, and you’re like miss bri.... i want to change / add to / alter / etc that paragraph u wrote... especially if u see a wanted connection and you’re like whew i kinda want that now.... puhlease lmk. i’m down for absolutely anything & everything. mwah. x

𝖋𝖚𝖑𝖋𝖎𝖑𝖑𝖊𝖉 𝖈𝖔𝖓𝖓𝖊𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖘.

parker , ride or die .

these two could be a tag team duo if they wanted to be--and practically are when it comes down to it. cohen isn’t scared to get into a fight just because parker’s already there. parker’s hotheadedness and cohen’s will to throw a punch have been melding since the earliest of days, when parker was getting into abrupt locker room fights with their own teammates, even. cohen, being the type who can’t avoid starting shit with those same teammates, never found himself pooling more blame into parker’s bucket. instead, cohen sympathizes the only way he knows how: by holding out his hand and letting parker know that cohen doesn’t need a rhyme or reason to have parker’s back. for cohen nowadays, it’s just on sight.

olivia , meeting in the middle / opposites attract .

the truth is, olivia should absolutely hate cohen, and cohen should absolutely hate olivia. she’s all warmth & sunlight and he’s all hasty reactions & tunnel vision. but for some reason, olivia has managed to penetrate his demeanor without even trying. he tries to be marginally “better” whenever he crosses her path. when they speak, he finds himself thinking things out a fraction deeper before he throws the whole idea / person / situation in the garbage like the pessimist / self-acclaimed “realist” he is. at parties, he’s the first to jump into a fight, but with olivia’s soft touch, he hesitates. he doesn’t know what it is about her, but she makes himself second guess himself ( often for the better ).

finn , chaotic neutral & neutral evil friendship .

if there’s one person cohen can stand for extended periods of time, it’s finn. finn’s chaotic neutral personality melds with cohen’s neutral evil personality seamlessly. oftentimes, finn and cohen are the duo at the party nodding at each other from across the room because a situation is escalating and cohen’s already rolling up his sleeves prepping to knock someone out for the hell of it. no matter what, finn’s a non-team member cohen’s constantly catching himself leaning on a little. he doesn’t feel like he has to watch his mouth around finn, let alone feel guilty for something like a consistently dirty car ( LXFMDFG ), which is a refreshing feeling cohen doesn’t often run into.

leo , harsh truth-tellers .

it isn’t uncommon for cohen to bump into leo, given his record for getting called off the field. coach tended to send him to the locker room with a physical therapist just to hide the fact that what cohen was actually getting called off for was excessive anger during a game. leo’s a hardass just like cohen, though, which makes speaking to her simultaneously easier and harder--since she’s bound to knock heads with him, but also give it back just the way he takes it. if there’s one thing cohen’s an expert at in their tedious relationship, though, it’s judging leo for all she’s worth. part of him loves the fact that she keeps herself so upright, after all, so when she’s simping hard and cohen feels she’s dwelling or losing track of herself just to appease people who treat her like shit, cohen’s never been afraid to let her know. this gives their relationship a rocky little twist, but cohen doesn’t shy from the truth.

summer , no strings flirtationship ( ft. mild to severe seemingly unrequited pining ) .

summer and cohen have always been oddly close in a way that cohen isn’t close with anyone else. in high school, in a dramatic effort to push summer away after too many a repeated fling, cohen invited summer to his chaotic home. however, poised as she was, she remained entirely unphased by his chaotic living situation & family. since then, cohen has felt more uncomfortably comfortable around summer than he has around anyone else. she continuously manages to seep into his life all on her own. they sleep together casually on occasion, often fight “playfully” in an effort to egg each other on, and tend to open up to each other entirely unprecedently.

clara , ex-girlfriend circa cohen’s sophomore year of college ( two years ago ) & family friends .

cohen and clara have been linked via their love for each other’s sibling since high school. clara was always best friends with his sister natalie, and he was always best friends with her brother cam. although clara was a consistent aspect in cohen’s life, they never got together until clara’s senior year of high school, which was subsequently cohen’s sophomore year of college. cohen was convinced he’d make it with her ( which is a rarity in & of itself ) much longer than they actually ended up making it, since cam died a year into their official relationship, sending both cohen and clara spiralling in entirely separate directions.

renee , PLOTTING ENSUING ! TBA .

tyler , PLOTTING ENSUING ! TBA .

rafael , PLOTTING ENSUING ! TBA .

devon , cousins .

georgia , PLOTTING ENSUING ! TBA .

𝖜𝖆𝖓𝖙𝖊𝖉 𝖈𝖔𝖓𝖓𝖊𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖘.

childhood best friends and/or cousins : someone cohen knows very deeply, and vice versa. maybe they lived in the same trailer park, maybe your muse’s rich family is related or connected, somehow to his poor cowboy redneck family ( maybe his construction worker dad was drunk on the job and now ur muse’s family thinks of his alcoholic messy parents as nuisances? maybe his parents think ur muse’s parents are too posh and hate their guts? ), maybe their families don’t get along.... maybe their families DO get along and ur muse is someone his parents ask after and talk about constantly! the possibilities are endless. regardless, though, this muse and cohen grew up playing together, smoking cigarettes ( or ur muse watching 12 y/o cohen smoke a cig MVLKFDG ), pretending to be grown because cohen FELT like he was grown by the time he could speak clear sentences, etc. cohen’s family’s a mess but they’re a family all the same. they may fight and drink constantly, but at the end of the day you can find them outside their trailers sitting in camping chairs drinking budweiser around a campfire and making fun of each other.

unrequited / secret / forbidden crush : maybe your muse secretly liked cohen and never said anything, maybe cohen secretly liked your muse and never said anything, etc. bonus points if your muse’s family knows cohen has a whole ass petty criminal record a la ryan from the o.c. and would absolutely throw a fit if they saw their kid even looking in cohen jetson’s general vicinity for too long. LKMDFK how they each deal with their crush today is totally up to us.

bail out : someone who vouches for cohen even when he’s getting into the worst kind of trouble. maybe they’ve caught him coming down from a high ( he used to take athletic stimulants for energy & performance, and is currently eight months into his most recent recovery / rehab attempt ) and have kept the fact that they saw him using on the dl in an effort to give him a chance to be better without getting kicked off the team. maybe they’ve given him a ride home from jail after getting picked up for fighting or public drunkenness and his parents weren’t picking up bc why would cohen’s parents ever.... LMDSFLKFG. maybe cohen bails ur muse out too and secretly helps them even when they should be left to suffer in the SAME way that cohen should be left to suffer. but they’re too close. it’s almost like they coddle each other. maybe it’s due to some romantic subplot or something like a sibling inkling. OOF maybe they’re exes. kill me now u know?

sponsor - esque relationship : basically someone who can cool cohen down when he’s craving a high, craving alcohol, when he’s getting irritable because he’s not performing well enough, when he’s going workout-crazy and needs someone to be like bitch.... can u sit down for like five seconds? LDMDFLKGKFG someone who doesn’t care when cohen cusses them out for no reason because they’ve got a tough shell and know he’s just getting irritable w them because he’s having a moment. someone patient w him. someone he has probably cried to before because he’s...... tired.

party friend : self-explanatory! maybe they’re infamous for ditching parties and heading straight to bars together. LDFMKD absolutely iconic of them. they’ve probably at least made out upwards of ten times because that’s.... cohen. SKDFJ unless ur a straight male, in which case, he politely flirts with u and that’s it. x basically this muse has seen him get into unwarranted bar fights just because he’s a bitch who will ALWAYS throw the first punch, this muse has walked home with him when they’re both way too drunk to drive, this muse probably goes back to cohen’s apartment PLASTERED with him after midnight and stays up to cook a meal and play a game of uno with him, etc, etc. we love nothin’ but warm-hearted fun in this house.

exes on bad terms / hateship / enemies that detest each other : oof someone cohen has screwed over multiple times? more likely than u think. which is very likely. LKDSMFLKDF maybe they were exes? maybe cohen cheated on your muse? maybe cohen cheated WITH your muse and your muse didn’t find out until the break-up? maybe cohen beat your muse’s brother’s/dad’s ass and now there’s bad blood? maybe cohen broke things off with your muse before things could ever get serious? maybe cohen’s general demeanor just pisses your muse off? we’ve all been there KDNFDLKGN. basically these two hate each other and don’t even TRY to hide it anymore.

#✮ ∷ ╰ 𝒸𝒶𝓃'𝓉 𝒶𝓁𝓌𝒶𝓎𝓈 𝓇𝓊𝓃. ∴ ゜wanted connection. ゜#✮ ∷ ╰ 𝒸𝒶𝓃'𝓉 𝒶𝓁𝓌𝒶𝓎𝓈 𝓇𝓊𝓃. ∴ ゜plot breakdown. ゜#sniffles this is finally here & i can breathe clearer now KFMLMF i feel organized...

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cchellacat · 5 years

Text

I’ll Bring You Flowers

Love all the Marvel Ships

Day Twenty Seven

Prompt: Seducing Each Other

“Jane, he flirts with everything that moves! He is such a man whore, I hate him.”

Jane shrugs, studying her notes intently.

“Hmmm.”

“I mean he goes through women like Kleenex, this is the 9th date this month, where the hell is he meeting these women?”

“I think Natasha’s been setting him up.”

Darcy stops her rant and stares at Jane. “What do you mean Nat’s been setting him up?”

Darcy crosses the lab, and spins Jane’s stool round. “Jane? Spill.”

The sudden motion has Jane throw her hands up in frustration.

“Son of a beach. Darcy… come on, this is ridiculous. Why don’t you just admit you like him?”

Darcy glares at her defiantly. “I do not like him. He’s annoying and irritating and he makes me want to scream.”

Shaking her head, Jane turned back to her work. Sometimes there was no talking to Darcy.

“Darcy… Fine, Nat said he was interested in someone, but she hadn’t shown any interest and he was moping, she thought setting him up on some dates would help him get over it.”

“Well, who the hell was he interested in?”

“Oh for the love of the Allfather. Darcy, Barnes has been interested in you since he got here, you’re the one he was interested in.”

Dacry stood, rooted to the spot. What the hell was Jane talking about? Barnes wasn’t interested in her, he hardly ever spoke to her and when he did it was to flirt… all those cheesy pick up lines, the way he smiled at her so cheekily…. The winking and the innuendo… and… Oh.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

The look Jane then threw at her made her stop and ask the question again… Well she may have done nothing but whine and rant anytime his name was brought up.

“Now will you admit you like him?”

Darcy wanted to pout. No, she did not want to admit she liked him. He was too good looking, too charming and altogether so far outside her comfort zone it made her feel a little nauseous. Why the hell had he been interested in her? All she had done was be sarcastic and mean half the time. She hadn’t thought he’d actually been interested, just that he was so used to getting his own way with women, with that smile and those eyes and that perfectly sculpted jaw line, that he didn’t know how to turn it off. Now what was she going to do? Not that she had to do anything…. Nope, she didn’t owe him anything… But she could admit he was kind of attractive, you know, in the way vampires were attractive, dangerous, sexy and capable of killing her. She just didn’t think a guy like him was the sort to do serious relationships and although she’d had plenty of fun in the past she was now at a point in her life where she was looking for something a little more long term.

“Fine, I like him, kind of. I mean it would be a lie to say he isn’t attractive, but even if he does like me, he was probably only seeing a challenge. Right? He was flirting so much because I didn’t just fall into his arms at the first smile?”

“Darcy, I don’t think any man spends six months trying to charm you just for a one night stand or a short fling. I also don’t think he’s the type to hook up with someone so close to home when it could end badly, not unless he was actually serious about you.”

Well when she put it like that, Darcy felt kind of stupid.

“Jane? What do I do?”

Jane just gave her the look. The one that said I know you’re being purposefully obtuse, you know exactly what to do. She sighed and sat down at her desk, flicking the little desk ornament, setting the swinging balls clacking back and forward. Did she want to go after him? Would it be worth it? She supposed it wouldn’t be terrible. But she wanted to get to know him first and that meant reeling him in enough to start talking.

“Darcy, don’t over think it, just be yourself.” Jane told her softly.

“Ha! Have you met me? I am a sarcastic mess most of the time.”

“I think that’s part of what he liked. You don’t let anyone walk all over you, you say what you think and you mean it. Seriously Darcy, just relax.

“How can I when he’s got a hot new date nearly every other night?”

She banged her head on the desk and then realised her mistake a second later as the ornament and the sociopathic little metal beads got tangle in her hair. Shit, typical.

“Well it’s not like he’s been staying out late, you could always just be in the kitchen when he gets back, you’re nearly always in there at odd times.”

Darcy hummed as she listened, turning the idea over in her head while picking the strands of her hair out of the nasty little thing. She could work with that. Make something nice to nibble on, offer him some, super soldiers were always hungry, and then… sit and chat for a while? Work up to flirting with him if she likes him. With the last curl pulled free, she knocked it off the desk and into the bin. How hard could it be to seduce him, right?

“I could totally seduce him if I wanted to…” she said out loud. Jane’s chair squeaked as she spun round to pin Darcy with a glare.

“Darcy no!”

Darcy pouted and narrowed her eyes, she could totally do it, she was cute, she had assets. What did Jane know anyway? It’s not like she had anymore experience than Darcy in that department.

“Darcy yes!”

The warm July evening had encouraged him to walk back to the Tower after his latest disaster of a date. The half-remembered habit of reaching for a smoke when he was annoyed had risen up in the last month. He shoved his hands into his pockets, he would have settled for a zippo to flick. It had been a bad idea to let Natalia set him up, he didn’t know what criterion she was picking from other than annoying as fuck. Jesus Christ.

This last one…? June or Judy or Jenny? Fucked if he could remember, she’d prattled on about some vapid reality show the whole time about who was going to get a rose… he knows she was coming on to him, that wasn’t in question but the way she went about it? Was this really what women had been conditioned to think a guy wanted? Constantly pulling her top down and leaning over, batting her eyes and laughing too hard, it wasn’t a turn on. He tugged at his tie and loosened the top button of his shirt, tonight had been a shit show, he couldn’t wait to get out of there. He’d had enough, Natalia could shove it where the sun don’t shine, he wasn’t going on any more dates.

To be honest though, he’d brought it on himself, being so obvious about how much he liked Darcy Lewis. Natalia had caught on to that and the big ball of nothin’ he’d made of any progress with the pretty dame. Insisted that he needed to get out more, meet other women. Well he’d tried, and now he was done.

He let himself back into the lobby and headed for the elevator. It was times like these he could really do with a drink, it’s a shame that was off the table what with the effects of the serum and all. He missed being about to get drunk, just drink away the crap of the day and have a fresh start tomorrow. When he stepped off the elevator on the common floor, he could hear the sound of some fast beat song playing in the kitchen. The smell of rhubarb pie drifted to his nose.

From the music and the smell of pie, he could easily guess who was in the kitchen. It was for the use of everyone who lived there but they all knew the kitchen was Darcy’s domain. Stark even had a neon sign up on the wall proudly proclaiming the place ‘Darcy’s Diner’.

The internal struggle of whether to go in or just walk past and go to his room right off, played out in his mind. He liked her, more than liked her. She was gorgeous, smart and could set a guy down with her tongue so hard he saw stars. He’s a bit of a masochist. Even though she wouldn’t give him the time of day he’d continued to flirt with her just to see what she’d say next, or so he tells himself. But he’s got the message, now, she’d not interested. He respected that, so he’s lay off the teasing and the flirting and just let it be. But damn it, he’d had a rotten night, if he couldn’t smoke or drink, he could at least have pie.

She looks pretty pleased with herself when he catches sight of her from the door. He hangs back a minute, just to enjoy looking at her this way. Whenever he gets too close, she clams up tight, all those little walls goin’ up, closing herself off. Not for the first time he wonders what it was had her shutting down like that.

Her hair’s been pulled up, there’s a pair of chopsticks jammed into the curly mass, she must have had it down before she started cooking. He likes the dress she’s wearing, although it’s not her usual choice of attire, he briefly wonders if she’d had a date herself tonight, she looked good. Discarded in the corner of kitchen, were a pair of red strappy heels, she must have been tired of standing in them. He wants to grin at the thought of her wearing them, he can just see it in his mind, it’s not often she’d wear anything that high, but when she did, her legs looked like they went on for miles.

He waits till she lifts the pie from the oven and places it on the counter before he coughs a little, making noise so she knows he’s there. She’d complained enough that he needed a bell, he didn’t need to be scaring her right off the bat.

She looks up and smiles at him. He almost misses a step, he can’t remember her ever looking at him like that before.

“Hi.”

She can’t get much more than that past her lips when she looks at him and smiles because the smile he gives her back if soft and warm and grateful. Oh shit, she’s in over her head already. Be yourself Darcy, flirt a little, you can totally mange this. Then she remembers her hair, which took her hours to fix, had ended up getting thrust up into a sloppy twist for cooking and that she’s taken the killer heels off earlier, so she’d ruined whatever effect she was going for. Jane was right, she was terrible at this and she’d not even started.

“Hey Doll, any of that pie going free?”

He sounds tired, she thinks, as he makes his way over, pulling up a stool at the counter. There’s none of he usual flirtation in his tone, in a way it makes it easier to say something then. He looks at her hopefully and she lets her guard down a little.

“Sure, you want some cream with it?”

“Nah, I like it just the way it is, your pie doesn’t need anything else to make it better.”

She smiles happily at the compliment and cuts two slices, sliding one over to him and passing a fork.

“You want a beer Barnes?” She asks him, heading over the fridge. He nods in answer, smiling round the mouthful of pie and she lets out a laugh, shaking her head.

“I thought you had dinner out tonight, are you really that hungry?”

“I left before desert, wasn’t worth the time.” He told her as she passed him the bottle, he grasps the bottle from the bottom, not taking the chance to brush fingers with her. “’sides, no one makes better pie then you, Doll.”

Crap, now she knows he’s being serious about the compliments she feels the blush rising in her cheeks.

He watches her from the corner of his eye. There’s something different about her, something off. He’s trying to pin it down, when he see’s the sudden blush rising in her face from his compliment, something he’d given her a dozen times before with nothing more than a flinch of acknowledgement. Bucky chews thoughtfully, adding up the shoes, the hair, the dress and then the sudden need to bake pie on a Friday night, coupled with the honest smiles and the blush. He really hopes he’s not adding two and two and getting five. But if she’s finally coming round to him… but then he doesn’t want to scare her off either.

She sits opposite him and they share a companionable silence for a short while a they eat before she gathers up the courage to ask another question.

“So, how was the date?”

Darcy is trying hard to make the sound as innocent as possible.

Bucky holds back the satisfied grin at being right.

“I now know more about The Batchelor than I knew I needed to.”

Darcy snorts.

“Not a fan?” she asks him, her smile down right satisfied at the thought.

“I haven’t even seen an episode and I know I’ll hate it. The whole Rose things? pfft.”

“What, have you got something against giving flowers?”

The genuine question gave him an opening he could use.

“It’s not that, I just think it’s boring giving a rose. Everyone gets roses now, and that’s fine, if you want to be lazy. But flowers have meanings, my Ma was a florist, she thought it was something worth knowing. ‘Sides, if you don’t know your girl’s favourite flowers you’re not paying attention.”

“I guess that’s true, like it looses it’s meaning since people use it so often.”

“Exactly. Red roses mean passionate love, they’re good for giving to someone your already in a relationship with but not when you’re just getting to know someone.”

Darcy felt a little enchanted at the thought, who would have guessed the Winter Soldier knew how to talk with flowers.

“What if you wanted to say you’d like to get to know someone better?” she asked quietly, shifting in her seat a little, wondering what possessed her to speak that out loud.

“Well, I guess I’d start with Daffodils, and Chrysanthemums, to show I hoped we could have a fresh start, to get to know them.”

His voice is low and the way he says it, she knows he means it’s the flowers he would give to her. She look up and gets lost in his eyes for a moment, as she takes a calming breath, butterflies in her stomach, there is a combination of hope and promise in their blue depths. Well, it looked like it was official, it was him doing the seducing right now, not her. She places one hand on the counter, reaching out to him just a smidge.

“it doesn’t sound like that would be very romantic.”

Bucky smiles at her, his hand creeping closer across the table.

“Well, if she liked them, the next time I’d bring Amaryllis.” Their fingers are almost touching.

“What do they mean?”

“I’d be telling her I think she’s beautiful beyond compare and that I thought she was more than just a pretty face.”

He watches closely as she bites that plump bottom lip, eyes lowered again, not wanting to give too much away. He means every word, she’s the most beautiful woman he’s ever met, inside and out.

“And if she accepted them,” he continued with a faintly teasing tone, “ I’d bring white and pink camelias, telling her I longed for and adored her.”

He covered her hand with his, tracing over the back of her fingers with his, sliding up till he could take her wrist, turn her hand over and hold it properly, his thumb tracing the fluttering pulse in the hollow of her wrist.

“Oh…” she manages to breath out weakly, the glide of his fingertips over hers had her breathless and shaky, she’s not sure she could stand right now from the words and the way he said them, dark and promising, filling her with a longing of her own, and not for flowers, although she wouldn’t rule them out.

Bucky keeps a hold of her hand as he stands and moves around to her side of the table. At this point she’d flushed all over, he’s pretty sure, and a curl of male smugness swirls in his gut. He’s not about to question what brought on the change in Darcy, but she’d not pulling away and her eyes are wide and dark, pupils dilated with desire. She turns as he comes closer, the stool moving her to face him, she tugs his hand a tiny smile spearing on her lips as he takes the invitation and stands between her legs.

She widens her legs a little, letting him come close and tries not to feel faint, which is pointless because she can feel the warmth radiating off him this close, can reach out and touch his chest if she wanted to.

“When I was sure you liked the flowers and accepted them I’d bring red carnations and mistletoe. So you’d know I ache to kiss you.”

She licks her lips and can’t resist smiling, reaching out and grabbing his tie, pulling him down till she could meet his eyes properly. Oh lord they were so blue and pretty and his lips were so soft..

“I’d definitely accept them”

He lets her go of her hand for a second and lifts her onto the counter top, his hands coming to rest on her hips. It happens so fast she doesn’t have time to do more than laugh, finding them at a better height, allowing him to move even closer, her dress sliding up her thighs, another inch and the little surprise she was wearing would be ruined.

“I’d really like to kiss you Darcy.”

“If you don’t, I’m going to be really disappointed Barnes.”

His face lights up just before he swoops in and catches her mouth in his, Darcy sinking against him and moaning. He kisses her hard at first, like he can’t believe she’s letting him, afraid to miss the chance, but he gentles it quickly, nipping and teasing at her lips with his own. When she opens her mouth a little, trying to breath, he deepens the kiss until her blood feels like liquid fire through her veins, burning hotly, her skin needing his touch badly.

Her hands move into his hair instinctively and she tugs on the ends, making him pull her flush against him.

She doesn’t mean to cry out like that, but oh god, he feels so good, pressing between her legs. She finds his hand with hers and pulls it down to rest against her thigh, urging him to push her skirt up higher.

When his hand meets her leg, he finds the tell tail feel of silk, sliding his hand under her skirt he traces the edge of a stocking, till he finds garter straps and the bare skin of her inner leg.

He breaks off the kiss at the discovery, fully enjoying the wicked and knowing smile his girl was giving him as he tugged gently on the strap, letting it snap lightly back into place.

“Darcy Elizabeth Lewis, were you planning to seduce me tonight?”

“Well, there was about 12 percent of a plan and then you kinda beat me to it. I didn’t know flowers could be so sexy.” She tells him breathlessly, far less nervous now she knew they were both on the same page.

He grins down at her, still running a finger under the garter strap, enjoying the way she jumped each time he snapped it.

“What changed?” he asks her, still not able to believe his luck.

“I thought you were just playing with me before, someone pointed out I was being an idiot.”

“And your first thought was seduce the Winter Soldier.”

Darcy nods, yes, she can see how that would seem odd.

“Well, I’ve always been a fan of go big or go home.”

He can’t help but laugh at her cheeky bravado and he wheezes into her shoulder as she giggles underneath his hands.

“So which is it tonight, going big or going home?” he finally asks. He’s teasing, she knows that, just playing with her, flirting with her, but in that second she knows he’s really just as crazy about her as she is about him, even if it took her a while to admit it.

“I think we could probably manage both.” She whispers into his ear, sliding her foot up the back of his leg and hooking hers over his hip.

He looks at her with question for only a moment before he lifts her into his arms and she clings to him like a panda.

“Doll, I’m gonna buy you flowers every day for the rest of my life.”

Darcy kisses him softly. “I’m going to hold you to that, starting tomorrow.”

The next day a bunch of daffodils and camellias turn up on her desk and they never stop coming.

@randomlittleimp

@captain-rogers-beard

#Love All The Marvel Ships #love all the marvel ships challenge #wintershock #bucky/darcy #lime

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lovixcore · 5 years

Text

I guess that's how I feel about you. (Amedot Fic)

One-Shot

Summary: 3. I just told you I liked you but now I’m shy and say “never mind, forget it” and why are you looking at me like that? (Prompt)

Notes: So awhile ago a anon requested this on Tumblr (for a prompt game). This took awhile to rewrite, but here it is. This takes place after my other two fics ‘Comfort’ and ‘Swirling Emotions’. It takes inspiration from ‘Too Close’. Somethings are the same, somethings are def not considering it’s shorter. I hope this is enjoyable to read, and not a mess. Anyways, I rewrote this before Escpasim aired so.

Word Count: 1855 words

Ao3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15736308

They were sitting on the edge of the top of the hill where the lighthouse sat, the hill that overlooked the Crystal Temple. The sun was setting. It was just the two of them. No gems or humans in sight.

“Sooo, why did you take me here?” Peridot asked.

"I dunno. 'Guess I just wanted to show ya how pretty the view is up here, especially when the sun is setting," Amethyst answered.

“It is intriguing,” Peridot intoned.

"Then I was right to take ya up here," Amethyst grinned. "And buhsides, I like hanging out with you, and I know you totally have a thing for Earth's aesthetics."

Peridot looked over at Amethyst, sightly smiling, "Yeah."

"Sooo.. I never asked you about this.. but.. how were things without us? Y'know, when we were on Homeworld?" Amethyst asked, out of curiosity.

“Boring.”

"Oh really? I thought ya would've been hanging out with Ms. Buzz-er I mean Lapis," Amethyst pointed out.

"She took longer to regenerate then I did.., and when she came back, I guess I felt.. conflicted..," Peridot hesitated.

“Conflicted?” Amethyst questioned.

"Welll.. She was the reason I was depressed for a long time, and the reason why I hid in Steven's bathroom. She fled. After I was so emotionally honest with her! She took all my stuff into space, and then, she just left me! But I - .. really missed her," Peridot explained.

"Well.. Before she left, I ended up hurting myself just to make her happy. While yes, I was happy, and I thought I was happy, I literally had to 'walk on eggshells' to avoid upsetting her.., because I cared about her so much. She was the reason I felt so broken for such a long time. She was the reason why I moped and hid in Steven's bathroom. She fled. After I was so emotionally honest with her! She took everything that I ever had with her into space! Including my home! And then, she just left me! But - I - really missed her because she made me feel special.. I guess.. even though I had to bend over backwards for her.. and when she left, I felt lonely..," Peridot explained her thoughts.

"That's understandable.. I guess," Amethyst opined. Before, she didn't really like Lapis. She didn't like that she broke Peridot like that, and just didn't even care. Now, she was somewhat okay with her, just over protective of Peridot.

"So, how was being on Homeworld for the first time?" Peridot asked, genuinely curious. She knew that Amethyst was interested in learning about Homeworld.

“Crazy.”

“Crazy?”

"Dude. Garnet, Pearl, and I all got poofed at the 'Era 3' ball because Steven and Connie fused in front of everyone, so Garnet fused too to protect them, and Pearl and I did too. So yeah. Crazy. And it's also that, I've never been to Homeworld before. Everyone else hasn't, but I haven't. I guess it was just shocking.. there were so many gems, thousands, maybe even a million. I dunno. Heck, there were even era one Peridots! Buttt.. they weren't as cool as you are," Amethyst rambled. Peridot's cheeks turned a light shade of blue. "We even saw White Diamond! And her Pearl! Man. They were so creepy!"

“Yea.."

"Also, they made put on limb enhancers for the Era 3 ball."

"Oh really?" Peridot asked.

"Yep! They were so weird to wear.. I even fell down in them, heh. I don't know how you put up with that for so long," Amethyst said. "I would've brought them back for you, except, they were left at the ball and I was poofed, so.. yeah."

"Well, I appreciate that you thought of it," Peridot smiled. Amethyst smiled back.

“So, how’d you like your first wedding?” Amethyst asked.

"It was fun. Up until the diamonds crashed it. But, it was very beautiful. They really love each other, so much," Peridot gushed, now twiddling her fingers. "It.. amazes me.. the concept of love, and how earthlings celebrate it."

"Yeah. Ruby and Sapphire really do love each other."

"The concept of love.. really is.. interesting to me.. it's intriguing and beautiful," Peridot smiled. Her smile quickly faded, "..On Homeworld.. we were never taught what romance is, or even the concept of love in general."

"Of course ya weren't, Dot! Those guys hate happiness! And they hate love. And they hate romance. It doesn't even benefit them. So, why would they like it?"

After a long moment of silence, Peridot finally broke it by asking, "... So, have you ever loved anyone else before?"

"Well - of course I have. I love you guys. You guys are m'a family."

"No no. Amethyst - I meant a romantic attraction for someone else."

"Ohh. Well.. Um.. I've kissed others before. I've even kissed humans. I've done stuff. I've experimented. And I've even had relationships, buttt, they weren't exactly long term or serious," Amethyst admitted.

“You’ve.. kissed someone?” Peridot asked.

"Yep. Why? Ya wanna kiss me or somethin'? Or are ya jealous that someone else had the satisfaction of kissing me?" Amethyst asked, teasingly. Peridot's posture slumped, her lips clenched, and her cheeks turning blue. "Per.. relax, I was joking."

"Oh.. okay.."

Amethyst wrapped her arm around Peridot, "So tell me.. what's up?"

"Nothing really," Peridot answered. "So can you describe to me the feeling of having romantic feelings for someone else?"

"Well.. for me.. personally.. When I want someone, it's like my chest is pounding, or it's super tingly. And when I'm around the person who I have feelings for, it's hard for me to stop smiling, because they make me so happy, and I love being around them. And seeing them sad or upset, it makes me feel horrible too, because it hurts me when they are in pain. And when I see them, I just have this urge to pick them up, or hug them, or hold their hand, or kiss them, or do something to show them how much I like them," Amethyst gushed. Her eyes were sparkling, her cheeks were a deep purple, with her lips parted. "I guess.. that's how I feel about you.."

Peridot was speechless. She tried to speak, she tried. She tried to say something, but it felt physically impossible. Now she was finding herself trembling, blushing, speechless, and just staring at the pretty purple gem who just told her that she liked her. Amethyst. Amethyst, of all gems, likes me? But why? Why me? What is even so special about me?

Amethyst quickly jerked back, letting go of Peridot. Now she was getting shy, because Peridot wasn't saying anything. Now she was regretting confessing she had a crush on Peridot. Is she weirded out? Does she not like me like that back? Did I totally just screw up our friendship.. like I always screw things up? Was it too soon? "Urgh! I-just-nevermind.. Sorry.. I'm sorry. Forget it. Okay? Just.. forget that I ever said anything.. I'm sorry." She got up, now walking away, with her hair hiding her face. Peridot quickly got up too, now grabbing Amethyst's hand, and then just staring at her, with her eyes widened, sparkling, and her lips parted, with her cheeks very blue. "Per... Why are you looking at me like that? W-why are you even stopping me?"

“I like you too..,” Peridot gushed, weakly.

"Wait. Really? You do?" Amethyst asked, suprised, but also heavily smiling and gushing over her.

"Yeah! I thought it was totally obvious!" Peridot responded.

"Not obvious enough, ya dork," Amethyst flirted. Peridot giggled. "So in all seriousness though.. I thought that whenever I made you blush, it was just because that you were a) scandalized, b) flustered, or c) flattered. And I thought that whenever you trembled whenever we touched it was because 'Hey! She is probably uncomfortable with me touching her!' But.. now that you are saying that ya like me.. yeah, it was actually pretty obvious, I guess I was just oblivious."

"Yeah..," Peridot said. "But.. why would you feel that way about me though?"

"Because... why wouldn't I? You're funny, you're sassy, you're pretty, you're my best friend, you're smart, and I love being around you!" Amethyst explained. "But, why would you like me? I'm the quartz soldier who came out wrong!"

"Amethyst, you may not be well made. But I don't care. I like you for you. I love your personality, I love your appearance, and I love everything about you. Defective or not. You're amazing."

"Aww thanks. You're making me blush even more, and super mushy," Amethyst smiled, ignoring Peridot's comment about her not being well made.

"So you call the act where someone presses their lips on someone else's, kissing? Correct?" Peridot asked.

"Yep. Why?"

"Can I kiss you?" Peridot asked.

"Wait what?" Amethyst asked, suprised. "Listen - I know we just confessed our feelings and all but.. you don't have to kiss me if you don't want to.. like.. I don't want you to kiss me because ya feel pressured to. Okay?"

"I want to," Peridot assured.

"Are you sure?"

"Amethyst, for so long, eversince I was introduced to the concept of it, I've wanted to kiss you. Badly. I've just never had the courage to."

"Okay.. So first we gotta get closer," Amethyst grabbed Peridot's waist and pulled her closer to her body. "Okay." She noticed Peridot squriming a little bit. Amethyst then cupped Peridot's cheek gently, "Relax.."

"I'm sorry.. I'm just nervous.. I've never done this before, and I don't want to mess it up."

"It's ok Peridot," Amethyst said. She slowly leaned in. She noticed Peridot's cheeks turn blue, and her eyes were now half-lidded. She then gently and slowly placed her lips on hers. She could then feel Peridot embracing the kiss, and wrapping her arms around Amethyst. The kiss was held for at least a minute, and then they let go. All Amethyst saw was the green gem looking up at her, with stars in her eyes, sparkling, with her cheeks blue, and her lips shimmering and parted.

"Holy smokes..," Peridot stammered, wowed by her first kiss. She felt so many new strange feelings, she didn't know what they were. She could feel her chest tingling, and her stomach felt like butterflies were swirling. It wasn't a bad feeling. She wanted more, she wanted to do it again. She cupped Amethyst's cheek, and leaned in, and kissed her again. They both smiled at each other, and giggled.

Amethyst kissed Peridot's cheek, and then kissed her lips again. She then laid down on the grass, staring up at the sky. Peridot joined her too. Amethyst smiled, and then gently grabbed Peridot's hand, holding onto it. "Is this okay?"

"Yeah." Peridot held it. She couldn't believe how fast things happened today, she went from talking to Amethyst about Homeworld to getting poofed to romance to confessing her feelings, and now she was holding hands with her, and she had just shared her first kiss with her. She knew this was real, but it still felt like a dream. Then they just laid there, not questioning anything, but hand holding, and blushing, and smiling, staring at the sky.

#amedot #perithyst #fanfic #fanfiction #fic #evie writes

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ask-a-w · 7 years

Text

[OOC: Long ass recap of RE: Vendetta]

The more I drafted the post, the more my review became a recap with my own personal snarky comments. So here is my recap of Vendetta for those who can’t see the movie yet and want to spoil themselves lol. Spoilers will be under the cut.

Let’s talk about the characters.

Leon is no longer the person we know. He’s ten times more cynical and jaded, an alcoholic, and really doesn’t care any more. He has essentially lost the drive to keep fighting. It’s a stark change from his RE6 self. In fact, he asks Chris, “How long can we keep doing this?”

Poor guy needs a long break or at least retire. IMHO, he needs to see a psychiatrist. He has issues. There’s a very brief line about his childhood which is like, the first attempt in RE history to have one of the main characters talk about what they were as a kid.

I don’t like Leon in this movie so it is relieving that he doesn’t have a lot of screen time. Focus is more on Chris this time.

Chris may look and have a different VA but he’s still Chris in terms of personality. Boulder Redfield shines in one instance when it should have killed him lol. Oh and Chris utilises Leon’s suplex move for one of the action scenes. It’s fun to watch.

Rebecca is surprisingly the voice of reason and raises so many good points! Too bad she doesn’t get to fight much in this movie.

Unfortunately, the RE characters succumb to a dose of stupid by not killing an infected person ASAP and instead, hesitate for many seconds until said infected is already on them. I can forgive Rebecca as she transferred from field ops to science work so it’s been years since she’s been on the front line. But Leon and Chris need to be smacked in their heads for their slip up.

The villain Glenn Arias, has serious issues. He should be BFFs with Carla and Simmons, if they were alive. Oh and he would make a good sparring partner for Svetlana. The villains lately have gone to the school of martial arts. It’s written in his wanted profile that he’s a master in hand to hand combat.

Enough about the characters, let’s talk about something else. The animation and music are beautiful, as usual. I have a dislike for slow-mo in movies and thankfully it’s minimum here. The slow-mo scenes in the movie are cringe worthy.

It’s more violent this time with generous amounts of blood and disembodiment galore so it’s not suited for kids.

So yeah, flawed characters, a beautiful looking/sounding movie, and now let’s jump to spoilers ‘cos I want to talk about the story! It’s gonna be lengthy so grab a drink while you’re at it.

The beginning of the movie has Leon walking into a morgue. He has a internal monologue about how when he was a kid, he wondered what he would do when he grew up and did not expect his life to end up like this. I feel a little sad for him and I have no issues there.

Next is Chris and his team infiltrating a base/mansion that Glenn aka weapons merchant of death is holed up in. Glenn has also taken over Tricell and Neo-Umbrella. Chris is asked for advice by a soldier. Chris says “Be willing to kill friend or family when the choice comes down to it.”

He doesn’t give the advice of shooting the undead in the head and also killing the undead right away. So, it’s no surprise his team gets killed by a kid zombie because they made the dumb move of asking a shuffling human being if “he’s okay”. *sighs*

Yep, we finally see a kid zombie! But the kid is there because his mom from the BSAA went under cover in Glenn’s mansion. Why would you bring a kid along to a house that has a known merchant who deals with BOWs??!

Also the kid can talk/respond coherently while infected. He’s the only that does so throughout the movie and it’s never explained why.

Oh and everyone but Chris wears helmets. I don’t know why. Maybe Chris’s head isn’t squishy like the rest.

There’s a female zombie that is crawling with just her spine and the rest of her body is gone. That’s some Evil Within inspired shit right there.

Anyway, Chris is naturally the only one that survives the mission. Two of his soldiers run into a supposedly empty corridor but there are wires criss-crossing everywhere so they get cut into pieces. That’s kind of impossible IMO but they’re obviously paying homage to the first live action movie with the infamous laser corridor.

Chris fights Glenn outside the mansion and the villain gains the upper hand before boasting that his new virus is so good it can discern friend from foe. Glenn also relieves Chris of his handgun but instead of shooting Chris’s unprotected head, he shoots in the general direction of Chris’s armoured back but Chris somehow ends up with an injured leg. Eh, I swore Glenn was pointing straight into Chris’s back instead of pointing down.

Glenn gloats some more and walks away with his minions that includes a blonde leather clad femme fatale whom I shall henceforth call FF because I can’t remember her name and also a Nemesis-Ustanak monster who used to be a human named Diego. Glenn then instructs the zombies to kill Chris.

BSAA helicopter shows up to save the day and the pilot doesn’t die. That’s a plus! Explosions ensue whilst Chris holds the body of the BSAA undercover agent and screams “Nooo!”

There’s a flashback of Glenn’s wedding day and his bride’s facial features as well as silhouette eerily looks like Rebecca. A fighter plane comes by and drops a bomb on the garden party. Yikes. Scene ends with Glenn bloodied and holding his wife’s disembodied arm as he screams “Nooo!” Oh boy, if any more characters scream no, this could become a drinking game but thank goodness it does not repeat.

Scene transistions to Rebecca Chambers in a lab running test simulations on which vaccine combination works best on the new virus spreading throughout the US in the past four months. Yeah, four months have past since Chris’s failed mission at Glenn’s mansion. A post doc student that looks much older than her comes in with coffee for both of them, kinda flirts with her, and Rebecca uses her Professor status to ask him to go check on something. I should note that Rebecca is breaking lab safety by drinking her coffee in the lab. RULE NUMBER ONE OF LAB SAFETY, YOU DON’T CONSUME ANYTHING IN THE LAB!

Glenn’s FF from before proceeds to kill the post doc student, infects the campus with the mysterious new virus via the airborne route through the vents. Rebecca is infected but thank goodness her lab test simulation is complete and one of them contains the perfect formula for a vaccine which gets manufactured immediately in another room within the building! So she stumbles out of lab, goes into another lab and injects herself with it and is cured. Of course, all her colleagues and friends have turned into shambling zombies. She blungeons her zombified post doc student with a fire extinguisher and stabs another undead fella with a pair of scissors. I shall attest that we do keep scissors in the lab so plus one point for that lol.

Rebecca hides in her lab and is apparently so thirsty that she lunges for a water bottle and drinks it with so much gusto. I’ve never seen someone drink water with so much vigour. FF tries to kill her by causing an explosion that shatters the protective glass barrier between her and the rest of the zombies. But Chris and the BSAA swoop in just in time to save the day. Chris and Rebecca are reunited after a long time.

So, the outbreak is contained and in the aftermath, Rebecca asks Chris why she is casually sitting outside beside a BSAA van instead of being in quarantine since she had been infected. OMG this is the first time I’ve seen a character speak sense! Chris brushes it off and says he needs her expertise and since she cured herself, quarantine isn’t needed. *facepalm* Rebecca makes a joke later in the movie about Chris being the brawn and she being the brains.

Rebecca has been mapping out the outbreaks and knows which populations are infected. She also suspects that the virus is linked to the Plaga used by the Los Illuminados years ago since the undead can be somewhat controlled and know friend from foe. It is one of the reasons why FF targeted the campus because Rebecca is too darn smart and knew too much. So, they go on a field trip to "consult with an expert”.

It’s time to go back to Leon aka the expert where he is currently on vacation in a random tavern in the Rocky Mountains. Leon is obviously not happy that his vacation is interrupted by Chris and Rebecca. His personality is a complete 180 so he’s a rude asshole that doesn’t give a fuck any more. The reason for drowning his surrows is that he was leading a team in DC for an op regarding the recent outbreaks but someone from the inside ratted them out so the whole team except him died. So, Leon doesn’t want to help any more as he is tired of losing everything. Hey, looks like the writers are touching upon that aspect of his life which the fans have pointed out long ago! It only took them 6 games and 3 movies to get there…

Chris and Leon almost come close to duking it out but don’t. Chris merely grabs Leon’s bottle of alcohol and Leon responds by pulling out a hip flask from his belt. Okay, that was funny to me. Chris makes a comment about Leon spending the rest of his week drowning his sorrows while Leon says “He doesn’t plan that far ahead.” At this point, I feel a tiny bit sorry for Leon after his bout of rudeness.

In the end, Rebecca is tired of both their shit, gives them a sample of her blood and tells them to get their act together to save the lives of the citizens at risk across the various states in the US. Apparently this new virus is lying dormant inside of everyone and is waiting to be triggered. They’ll explain more later. She leaves in a huff and heads to the washroom to calm down but that’s where she gets kidnapped by FF. Oh yeah, did I mention Glenn managed to track them all the way to the Rocky Mountains and is spying on them?

Chris and Leon talk about Glenn. Our villain ended up on the US government’s hit list for a lot of shady shit so the government dropped a bomb on his wedding day. I was a little WTF at this revelation… Leon makes a point on why he should help Chris take out Glenn when the government was the one who killed Glenn’s family. Wow Leon, I don’t know either, why don’t you tell me since you’re a government agent?

Their conversation gets interrupted by a random man barging into the tavern and Leon goes ape shit upon seeing him. I shall christen this dude as RM 'cos I can’t remember his name either. There are too many minor characters in this movie. RM is the rat who sold out Leon’s team to none other than… Glenn Arias. RM begs Leon to save his family 'cos Glenn has held them hostage. Leon doesn’t give two shits about saving RM’s family but Chris attempts to persuade Leon to do so since RM has been inside Glenn’s operation so he knows some secrets.

Before anything else happens, Diego arrives with a minigun and a small team of armed soldiers. No prizes for guessing what’s next, they shoot up the place. RIP tavern waitress. RIP RM as well. Leon and Chris have plot armour so they survive without a scratch. Oh and Chris notices FF carrying Rebecca away during the shootout.

Where do they go next? According to Rebecca’s map, it’s New York so off they go~ It’s unclear if it’s NYC and I know New York is pretty big so I’m not gonna say it’s NYC. But wait, RM passed Leon his phone before the gunfight which contains a memory card full of information about Glenn Arias. His phone rings and Leon gets freaked out upon seeing the name on the phone. He answers the call and surprise, it’s RM’s wife on the other line asking her husband if he found the man that would help them. A little girl squeals on the line and asks to speak to daddy. Leon remains silent throughout the whole conversation and RM’s wife becomes really suspicious and demands to speak to her husband which makes Leon hang up. The phone call somehow makes Leon agree to help Chris. Leon’s weakness 101, helping women/family members in distress.

Rebecca wakes up handcuffed in a room, dressed in a wedding dress. The room’s walls have gardens and flowers projected on them. There are a few guest tables in front of Rebecca and all the chairs have coffins on them which are shaking/shambling within. Glenn walks in wearing the same outfit he wore at his wedding. He comments on Rebecca’s intelligence on figuring out the virus and how much she looks like his dead wife, Sarah. He uncuffs Rebecca and remarks that he managed to reanimate all his dead guests in the coffins but since his dead wife was blown to pieces, only the arm remains.

Rebecca is understandably weirded out and proclaims her friends will stop him. Super long virus explanation time! In short, the infection contains three components: a latent virus that was spread via drinking water which was why Rebecca was so eager to drink from the water bottle earlier, a trigger virus that will… trigger the latent virus via a gas, and a vaccine that will nullify the effects to make the undead calm and obedient. Essentially, Glenn can control everyone more effectively than Saddler, I guess?

If it’s not obvious yet, Glenn wants to destroy/control the whole world 'cos the government killed his loved ones. I told you he would be BFFs with Carla 'cos one event made them really pissed… And his fixation with Rebecca can also make him friends with Simmons. So there you have it folks, the vendetta-vengeance-revenge plot is finally revealed.

Glenn points out that Rebecca is wrong and thanks to her blood sample, he managed to make the “A virus” stronger… through the power of RE science. Believe me, I was befuddled upon listening to his words that I have to re-watch the movie again to make sense of what he’s saying. Anyway, we have gone down the ATCG DNA sequence in naming the viruses! How “clever”.

Glenn takes Sarah’s arm and pulls off the wedding ring, intending to marry Rebecca. Of course she resists and he slaps her, saying he will replace Rebecca’s arm with Sarah’s… This man seriously has issues which could have been healed via therapy. Oh and it is also revealed that his two friends at the wedding, Diego and his daughter, FF, were brought back to life by Glenn. Apparently being brought back to life either makes you a big hulking Nemesis-Ustanak or a super sexy femme fatale with superior fighting skills.

At the same time on a BSAA chopper heading to NY, Leon and Chris read through the info in RM’s memory card which reveals that Glenn has the airborne vaccine in gas canisters labelled with a green symbol. Said canisters are hidden in Glenn’s hideout duh. Only a select few have already been vaccinated. They have to find the canisters to save the rest of NY’s populace. Oh and everyone on the chopper has been vaccinated with Rebecca’s concoction which would keep them safe from infection. I like Chris’s new team, there’s a guy with a mohawk, a dude with sunglasses, and a badass lady sniper. They need to show more female SOAs in the games and movies.

The trigger virus have been hidden in disguised water trucks. Needless to say, the gas is deployed on the ground via the trucks and shit goes down really quickly. The BSAA have to destroy the water trucks as well and they can conveniently be wrecked via explosives… I don’t know how an explosion won’t make the gas disperse quicker but it’s RE science at work once again. So, the BSAA has four objectives: Destroy the trigger virus trucks, find the vaccine, find Rebecca, and nab Glenn if possible.

The BSAA chopper finally touches down where Leon, Chris, and I think mohawk guy disembark. Sunglasses dude and lady sniper remain on the chopper to provide aerial support. The BSAA kindly loans out a Ducati motorcycle and a jeep. Leon calls dibs on the bike 'cos it’s the only vehicle in the franchise that he has not destroyed so far lol cool-looking. And surprisingly, he does not crash the motorbike at all for the rest of the movie. xD

It’s a long sequence of them destroying trucks and zombies. There is one moment where I want to smack Leon and Chris in the head. They find a van that shakes and growls. Who do they send to open up the back of the van? Mohawk guy. Who dies? Mohawk guy. What’s in the van? Two undead dogs that Leon and Chris can’t even land a hit on. Seriously, why would you open a growling van?! Why do you send an inexperienced person to open the doors?! That’s a death wish right there.

Leon decides to let the dogs chase him while Chris continues to fulfil the other objectives… If you’ve seen the teaser video of Leon on the highway, Leon does let two innocent drivers die when he shoots down one of the dogs. Those are NOT Glenn’s men at all. I guess it’s all part of the collateral damage.

Chris makes it to Glenn’s NY hideout and is joined by Leon on a motorbike. Apparently Leon rode up the stairs with the bike. Err… okay then. Again, if you’ve seen the teaser video of the corridor fight, that’s what you get along with a few more minutes of extra action of them shooting zombies in many stylish ways possible. That’s where Chris suplexes a zombie.

Both men eventually split up so Chris goes to find Rebecca while Leon goes on a zombie killing spree. Instead of getting her arm replaced, Rebecca has been injected with the new virus and only has twenty minutes before she turns/dies. I guess Glenn had a change of heart…?

Chris finds her with minutes to spare, they go up to the rooftop office where Glenn is keeping the vaccine. Of course, Glenn doesn’t let them pass. It’s a re-match between Chris and Glenn. Both end up in a stalemate and land on a glass fixture where Glenn proceeds to smash Chris’s head against it approximately three times, causing the glass to shatter. This should have made Chris’s head crack open like a nut but this is Boulder Redfield who didn’t need a helmet when we first saw him. Chris throws Glenn through the opening in the glass where he falls down many floors and lands on the ground with a splat.

Thinking that all is over, Chris supports Rebecca and leads her to the office but villains don’t die easily as per rule number one of Capcom lore. Diego finds Glenn’s broken body and Diego activates his final form which are plaga-like appendages on its back. It is implied that Diego and Glenn merged to become that hideous monster that screams “Redfield!” in the trailer. I shall call this monster Glego.

Chris attempts to face off with Glego and looks like he’s about to lose when Leon comes charging in on his motorbike. Glego turns his attention to Leon and Leon keeps forgetting to aim for the big pulsing red heart that is conveniently located on all tyrant-like creatures. It is a pain watching Leon waste his bullets as he gets tossed around like a rag doll. Glego is about to land a final blow on Leon with his extendable finger-claws when he gets saved by Chris’s aerial support. In the mean time, Chris has found the vaccine canisters and more weapons… Oh goodie.

Badass sniper lady uses a brand new laser-ish weapon that punches a hole through Grego and five buildings. I’m not kidding about the five buildings. Who builds this kind of weapon?! Do you not care about civilians any more? Glego jumps and lands on the chopper, punches a hole through the chopper with said finger-claws and nicks sniper lady’s shoulder. Chopper starts losing altitude (as always), Leon revs up his motorbike and sends it off the rooftop into Glego. He shoots the gas tank in a big fiery explosion but Glego still lives. Pfft, you should know that fire and tyrants don’t mix.

Chris shows up with what I think is a grenade launcher which finally finishes off Glego. The chopper and its two occupants miraculously survive. They have broken the helicopter pilot curse! Rebecca inhales the vaccine and with seconds to spare, is cured.

The BSAA load up the vaccine canisters into the chopper and spray it all over the city. And for the very first time in RE history, the infected are cured and are turned back to normal. Well, they weren’t killed in the first place since they turned upon inhaling the trigger virus so I guess the vaccine reversed the effects. I’m not sure about the dead though. It’s never explained…

All of our heroes get on the chopper and fly off. Leon asks Chris how long they can keep doing this to which Chris replies with “I don’t plan that far ahead”. Haha, very funny. So err, I guess Leon renewed his drive to keep fighting? It’s really unclear. It’s not even said if he’s gonna save RM’s family anyway! Jeez.

You know, we are forgetting someone. We see FF finding her father’s mask on the floor. She looks into the camera and the movie ends right there. Great, I guess it’s a no brainer who is taking over Tricell & Neo-Umbrella.

There are no post-credits scenes and the credits aren’t as catchy as Damnation’s.

And there you have it, what I remember of Vendetta. If I left out some scenes, I found them either mundane or I really forgot them.

Are there a lot of plot holes in the movie? Oh yeah. Should they end the series and let the characters retire? OF COURSE. Can’t you see how messed up and tortured Leon is? Is it mindlessly amusing and entertaining? It’s Resident Evil, when is it never cheesy and stupidly entertaining?

I still prefer Damnation and Degeneration over Vendetta though. 6/10 for me if you want me to rate it.

And boo ‘cos there’s no Jill, Barry, any of the characters from Revelations, Ada, Hunnigan, or any one from the DSO.

#crossbow down #resident evil #resident evil: vendetta #Leon Kennedy #Chris Redfield #Rebecca Chambers #resident evil vendetta

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ltleflrt · 7 years

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Here’s that fic I wrote that I don’t like. It’s untitled, but it’s inspired by the song Unanswered Prayers by Garth Brooks.

Even though the sun hasn't quite reached halfway to its zenith, the day is already hot enough that Dean is eyeing the pond on the far side of the park with serious consideration. The fact that it's brown and muddy, and the surrounding land is torn up by ducks and geese and stinks of bird shit is only slightly off putting. Which means he's either suffering from heat stroke, because gross, or it's time to head over to the lemonade stand for some cold liquid refreshment.

“Hey, babe?” He calls over his shoulder.

“Hm?”

“I'm going to get a lemonade. Want one?”

“Get me one with raspberries?”

Dean smiles. “You bet. Back in a few.”

Before he leaves the shade under the awning, he presses a kiss to a warm cheek. He gets a distracted smile in response, but doesn't stick around for more. He's caught in the siren song coming from the stand at the other end of the Farmer's Market that sells fresh squeezed lemonade. His mouth is already watering at the thought.

It's even hotter outside the shade, and he can feel the sun's heat sinking into his shoulders and arms, making him glad he remembered sunscreen this week. He'll probably still end up with a slew of new freckles, though. At least there's a slight breeze cooling his skin where it's bared by his shorts and tank top. He plucks at his shirt, encouraging a little air circulation under the sweat-damp material.

The line at the lemonade stand isn't too long, at least. He steps up behind the others waiting their turn, and hums under his breath, letting his mind wander over the latest notes he'd received from his editor. It's a little frustrating that he's going to have to cut a scene he'd been planning for so long, but also a relief that Charlie agrees with his decision. As usual he'd gotten caught up in writer's block due to being stubborn about the direction of the story, but after talking it out with her, his mind is already racing ahead to the next five scenes.

He's almost to the front of the line when a voice he hasn't heard in years breaks him from his musings.

“Dean?”

“Lisa?” Dean grins as he turns to greet her. “Holy shit, hi!”

It's as natural as breathing to accept the hug she offers him with outstretched arms. Although there's the slightest twinge of oddness when he realizes she's not quite as tiny as he remembers her to be.

The hug is tight, but short and she steps back to look up at him, her dark eyes alight with happiness. “Wow. Dean Winchester. I wasn't sure sure it was you at first. How long has it been?”

He purses his lips as he digs through old memories. The last one he can vaguely recall is a lazy Sunday spent fishing on a summer day just like this one. “Man… I think it was the summer after graduation? So seventeen… eighteen years?”

Lisa rolls her eyes with a groan. “Oh god, has it really been that long? Now I feel old.”

He chuckles at her distress. “Well if it makes you feel better, you look great.”

And she does. A quick glance reveals that she's still fit and trim. Her hair is still glossy and thick, and her skin smooth. Only the faint laugh lines around her eyes and the sharper edge of her cheekbones show her age at all. When he was a kid, his eyes would have lingered on her body or her mouth, but while he still finds her beautiful, she no longer makes his heart race the way it did when he was in high school.

Her cheeks flush under the compliment. “Well thank you. You're looking good too.” She circles her fingers in the direction of his eyes. “The glasses are cute.”

Striking a dignified pose, he reaches up and pushes them up higher on the bridge of his nose. “I've been told they make me look distinguished.”

Lisa laughs, light and melodious. “I guess that's better than ‘nerdy’.”

He waves a dismissive hand. “I'd take that as a compliment these days.”

She blinks at him, and he can tell she's surprised. But before she can respond, the last person in line ahead of him leaves with their lemonade, and the young man running the stand calls for the next customer.

“You want something?” Dean asks Lisa, hooking a thumb towards the menu hanging next to the stall. She nods, then immediately tries to talk him out of paying, but he won't hear it. “It's just a lemonade, Lis’.” The old nickname rolls of his tongue. “It's not like I'm buying a fancy dinner.”

After a moment she relents, and Dean orders two large lemonades and a large raspberry lemonade. When Lisa lifts a questioning brow at the third order, he grins. “That one is for the ol’ ball and chain.”

Her eyebrows go up. “You're married?”

“Yeah, going on ten years now.” He accepts the first drink from the kid making them, and passes it over to Lisa. She looks so flabbergasted that he laughs. “What? Didn't think anyone would want me?”

She accepts the cup, but gives him a stern look. “It's not that. I'm just surprised you finally settled down.”

With a wince and a nod, he accepts her explanation. “Fair point.” He accepts the other two drinks, and steps away from the stand to give the next customer room to order. “Want to meet ‘em? We have a booth over that way-” he gestures with his own drink, “-selling honey.”

She smiles brightly. “I'd love to.”

He tilts his head in a motion to follow him and sets off across the market, weaving through the empty spots in the crowds. Despite the heat, he’s not in a hurry. The ice in his lemonade chills it enough that he’s worried about brain freeze if he sucks it down too fast, and now he’s able to actually enjoy the day. As well as the company.

“So you sell honey now?” Lisa asks in between sips of her own drink.

“Yeah, we have a bunch of hives. Although that’s just fun money. I pay the bills with my books.”

Lisa almost misses a step, and she looks up at him with wide eyes. “Your books? Are you saying you’re a writer?”

“Published and everything.” Okay, so he may be bragging a little bit, but he is kinda famous now.

“What do you write?”

“Horror mostly.” He grins down at her. “It’s cathartic to turn all the noise in my head into bloody death and destruction on the pages.”

She pales slightly. “Really?”

“Most of my stories have a happy ending.” Not his first few books. It took finding his his own happy ending - and beyond - to learn how to write them for his characters.

“Huh. Maybe I’ll have to check them out.”

He can tell from her tone that she’s not really interested. It’s a little bit of a bummer, but he knows the horror genre isn’t for everyone. Especially for someone as optimistic as Lisa. So he decides to change the subject. “What about you? What’s been going on in your life and what brings you back to Lawrence?”

She visibly brightens. “I’m moving back here to be closer to my family. Plus I’m opening a yoga studio.”

“Oh yeah? That’s pretty awesome.” The crowds part and he can see the honey stand not too far away. There’s a young couple sorting through the jars, pointing out different flavors to each other as they try to decide which one they want. Dean always suggests the blackberry. It’s his favorite.

“I’m excited for it,” she says. Then her voice turns shy. “I also… have a son.”

That grabs Dean’s attention, and he turns his head so he can focus on her again. “Wow, really? Tell me about him.”

“His name is Ben, and he’s thirteen.” Lisa goes on to tell him about how Ben is a little flirt with the girls, and loves classic rock. She laughs and points out how it’s funny that her son is turning out so much like the bad boy type that she’s always been into. “His dad’s not around,” she says with a shrug and a grin, “So apparently I’m the bad influence.”

Dean scoffs. “Sounds to me like you’re the best influence.”

She laughs. “Thanks, I guess.”

They’re stopped just outside the stand now, and the couple picking through the honey has made their decision and are walking away with their purchase. Dean leads Lisa into the empty space they leave behind. He meets curious blue eyes over the table still half full of honey jars. Ten years, and those eyes still make his pulse race as if he’s looking at his crush instead of his spouse. “Hey, babe, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

With a nod, Castiel stashes the money he just made in the cash box and gently closes the lid. As if it’s a delicate piece of crystal and not a clunky metal box. Dean’s eyes follow the movements of his long, delicate fingers before turning to Lisa to gauge her reaction to his husband.

She looks slightly confused, her smile not quite as full as it was before, and he bites his bottom lip to suppress a grin. It used to be hard to come out to people. But now, he enjoys the shock factor. It’s almost as good as hearing fans talk about how scared shitless they are when they read his books. And Lisa hadn’t been a part of his life for several years by the time he came to terms with his bisexuality, so she had no clue about the secret he’d been keeping from the world when they were in high school.

Castiel comes around the table and stands next to Dean. He accepts the raspberry lemonade Dean hands him with a grateful smile, and then turns his attention to Lisa. “Hello.”

“Lisa, this is my husband Castiel.” Dean snakes an arm around Castiel’s waist and pulls him close. The back of his shirt is even more damp than Dean’s despite the fact that he’s stayed in the shade the whole time they’ve been at the Market. “Cas, this is Lisa. We were a thing way back in highschool.”

Lisa looks back and forth between them for a moment, disbelief clear in her eyes. But it fades quickly when she realizes Dean is serious. “Hello, Cas. It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s good to meet you as well,” Castiel says, all formality, because heaven forbid he shed his private schooled, silver-spoon-in-the-mouth, upbringing. Not that Dean minds. He thinks it’s sexy. “Dean has talked about you, and I’m happy to put a face with the name.”

“Oh no!” Lisa laughs. “That doesn’t sound good.”

Castiel’s smile is gentle, but his eyes shine with good humor. “I’ve only heard good things, I promise.”

Lisa laughs again and expresses her disbelief, but Castiel is insistent. Eventually their conversation turns to the honey sold at the stand, and Dean stands back and watches them interact while sipping his lemonade.

It’s odd, seeing his past and his present standing side by side, talking about the pollination habits of bees. Lisa had been his everything when they were kids. Eighteen had seemed so grown up at the time, but looking back on it now from the comfort of his mid-thirties, he can only shake his head at how young they’d truly been. It’s no wonder their relationship hadn’t worked out. Despite wanting the apple pie dream of a marriage, kids, and little house with the white picket fence, Dean had the heart of a wanderer and hesitated to promise to plant roots. Not to mention the fact that he still had a lot of growing up to do, although he hadn’t realized it at the time. Lisa was ready to settle down, and kept turning Dean down when he asked her to hop in the car and go adventuring with him. When they both realized that things between them weren’t going to go past a promise ring, they’d drifted apart.

Dean had prayed every night for a long time that she’d change her mind. But when he came back to Lawrence after a year on the road, he’d learned that she’d moved away. With no way to find her he’d finally given up hope that they’d get back together and give life together a go. And he’d gone back out on the road, looking for the happiness he longed for.

Eight years, thousands more miles on the Impala, and a couple published books later, Dean met Castiel. He’d been out trolling for a one night stand, but he’d been hooked by Castiel’s dark messy hair, passionate blue eyes instead. And he discovered a man to love under the thick layer of sexy. One night turned into two, which turned into a week, and somehow it spread into the last ten years. And hopefully their whole lives to come.

They had the marriage part of Dean’s childhood dreams, but instead of a house in a nice neighborhood they had a little farmhouse with a small orchard on the edge of town Dean had grown up in. They weren’t sure yet if they wanted to expand their family past their siblings and nieces and nephews, but it wasn’t off the table yet. In the meantime Dean had his books, Castiel had his bees, and most of all, they had each other. Maybe it wasn’t “apple pie”, but since pecan is his favorite anyway, it worked out perfectly.

At eighteen he hadn’t known this kind of happiness could exist.

He wonders if he could have found it with Lisa. Perhaps. He’d definitely loved her. But with almost two decades between their time together and now, he certainly can’t imagine what his life would have been like if he’d gotten what he’d prayed for back then. He doesn’t even want to try.

“Well, I’d better get out of here,” Lisa says. “It’s almost time for me to pick Ben up from baseball practice.”

Dean shakes away his thoughts, and focuses on her. “You should bring him around some time. I’d love to meet him.”

“I’d like that.” And she looks like she genuinely means it. Which is great. Dean would love to rekindle their friendship.

Castiel and Lisa exchange goodbyes, and then Castiel leans into Dean’s side while they both watch her disappear into the crowd.

“She seems very nice,” Castiel murmurs.

“Yeah, she’s cool.”

He feels Castiel’s eyes on the side of his face. “Just cool? Wasn’t she the girl you prayed to God you’d get to keep forever?”

Dean chuckles and turns to meet Castiel’s eyes. His husband’s lips are just barely turned up at the corner, a sure tell that he’s teasing. “I can’t believe you remember that. We were both wasted when I told you about her.”

“You were wasted,” Castiel counters. “My tolerance for alcohol is higher than yours.”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t brag.” Dean leans in and presses a kiss to Castiel’s lips.

When they pull apart, Dean sighs. He’s not sure it’s possible for him to ever get tired of Castiel’s kisses.

“I’m pretty thankfully actually,” Dean murmurs. He traces shapes against Castiel’s chest through the soft fabric of his t-shirt. His finger brushes over the little golden cross hidden under the shirt’s collar. Castiel has rarely taken it off since Dean gave it to him on their five year anniversary. Dean’s firmly settled into being an atheist, but Castiel still has his faith, yet it’s not something that’s ever come between them. “For not getting an answer to that prayer.”

“Hmm... yes, I’m rather grateful to Him for that myself.” Castiel pecks him on the lips again, and then pulls away. His fingers curl in the hem of Dean’s shirt, and he pulls him around the table and back under the shade of their booth.

They don’t have more than a minute to sip at their drinks together before another customer comes up to the stand. Castiel sets his lemonade aside so that he can assist them, and Dean watches him fondly.

His relationship with God had always been tenuous, even before he decided he didn’t believe at all. But right then and there, he sends up a prayer of thanks for all the good things in his life. You know, just in case someone is listening. He may not have gotten what he asked for, not exactly. But he wouldn’t trade what he has now for anything else in the world.

#destiel #deancas #long post for ts #oops i ficced

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gethealthy18-blog · 5 years

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How To Tell If A Guy Likes You — 50 Signs He Is Smitten

New Post has been published on https://healingawerness.com/getting-healthy/getting-healthy-women/how-to-tell-if-a-guy-likes-you-50-signs-he-is-smitten/

How To Tell If A Guy Likes You — 50 Signs He Is Smitten

Harini Natarajan May 22, 2019

Every girl has wondered at least once in her life if a particular guy is interested in her. After all, it is so hard to tell! Guys get all awkward and jittery when they are around a girl they like, yet say nothing. It is kind of sweet, but mostly frustrating!

Maybe it’s that nerd in your class you have been eyeing for a while or that hunk in the gym helping you do stretches *wink*. It may even be a buddy you have been hanging out with for years without him saying anything! Don’t worry, we have your back. We know how you can go all Detective Pikachu on him and find out if he is having sleepless nights over you too! Here is a list of things a guy would do if he has a secret crush on you. Take your magnifying glass out (the metaphorical one, obviously) and let’s do this thing!

He smiles a lot when you are around, even when talking to other people. Not in a creepy way, of course. He is genuinely happy to see you, and that shows on his face.

He looks keenly at your face, and his eyes wander over your eyes and lips. He is secretly mesmerized by your beauty, and oh, it’s so obvious!

When sitting together, his body leans towards you, even without him knowing. This is true for anyone, actually. People who are interested in you will lean towards you, while others lean away from you.

He looks into your eyes and holds your gaze. He is trying to get to know the secrets of your soul, so beware! Just kidding. You can read a person by looking into their eyes, and he sure is trying to read you.

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He never turns his back to you, especially when you are talking to him. Friends don’t care, they walk away even when you are not done speaking. But, a guy who likes you will try to be the perfect gentleman.

He touches you every time he gets a chance. Not in a creepy way, of course, but in a sweet ‘touched your arm by mistake’ kind of way. Then, he gets nervous. If you like him too, touch him back and give him a mini heart attack!

He tries to flirt with his “girl”friends and then looks at you for your reaction. His friends are probably in on it and playing along. If he notices that it bothers you, he is going to grin the rest of the day. So much for all the drama!

He asks you about the things you like. Showing interest in your hobbies is a way of showing he cares about your likes and dislikes. He may even read up on them and try to casually throw in his thoughts about them to impress you.

Whenever you look at him, he looks away quickly. He was probably staring at you this whole time. This is a tell-tale sign that a guy likes you.

He may say things to irritate you and just get a reaction from you. He will monkey around, mimic you, or make fun of you. Yes, I know, guys are weird. If he only teases you and not other girls, you are special to him. He does those things to hide the fact that he has feelings for you.

He pinches you playfully, and when you protest, tries to “soothe” the pain. Of course, if you don’t like it, let him know that it hurt you. But if you want to flirt back, pinch him and run!

He asks you questions, starts conversations, and asks you out “as friends” to talk. He is interested in your opinion about everything and wants to get to know you better.

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He compliments you in a slightly boasty manner in front of other people. It could be something as simple as “She has great taste in music” to obvious boasting like “She won a medal in high school in a relay race!” It just means he is proud of your achievements and wants to show you off.

He notices your clothes, your hair, and your makeup. He notices your perfume. If he compliments you on any of these, girl, he is totally into you. Generally, boys don’t notice even the most basic things, so if he is eyeing you, it is a good sign.

He behaves weirdly when you are with other guy friends. He knows that they are just friends, and you are not interested in them romantically, but he cannot hide the fact that he wants you to himself. He considers other boys as competitors for your attention.

He is jealous of other guys who like you. Even though he doesn’t make a move himself, he thinks nobody is good enough to date you and criticizes all of them.

He stalks you online. He likes your Facebook posts, retweets your tweets, and comments on your Insta pics regularly. He also keeps track of the other guys reacting to your pictures.

He showers gifts on you. It may be little things like the candies you like, or stuff that he knows you have been mooning for for a long time. If the gift has sentimental value for you, it means he probably put in a lot of thought into it.

He makes plans to hang out with you, even though you know he has a project due. You come first.

He calls you for no apparent reason, just to ask, “Hey, wassup?” He says hearing your voice “makes him feel better.”

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He is nicer, kinder, and more polite when you are around. His friends keep making fun of his changed behavior.

He rarely says ‘no’ to you. Disappointing you is out of the question! He will do anything in his power to get you what you want, even if it is inconvenient for him.

God help the person who tries to hurt or insult you when he is around! He will fight for your honor and care more about it than you.

If he ever says he misses you when you are away, he definitely has feelings for you, girl.

He offers his shoulder to cry on if something bad happens to you – even if it is a breakup with another guy. Though he may be secretly glad, he puts his feelings on hold and focuses on taking care of you.

If you don’t show up, he goes all FBI on you by calling, texting, and pestering your friends about your whereabouts.

He makes an effort to dress better. Boys don’t care. And if they do, something is fishy.

He is not afraid to be seen with you. In fact, he likes that people think you two are a couple. He says things like, “How does it matter what people think about us?” But trust me, he is secretly glad.

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He may offhandedly comment about you being pretty. Very quickly. You may almost miss it.

He mothers you when you are unwell. He probably gets you soup, watches over you, and spends time with you instead of doing fun things with his friends.

He tries to take up extra tasks just to help you. When you are overwhelmed, he does everything possible to make things better for you.

He is there for all the important events in your life – birthdays, graduations, pet’s birthdays…

He grabs your hand while crossing the road.

He shares his secrets with you, things that he is afraid to tell others out of the fear of being judged. He bares his soul to you.

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He is protective of you. If he has rowdy friends, he is probably trying to avoid introducing them to you.

He is interested in things like your favorite TV shows, bands you are into, and movies you love.

He introduces you to the people who are important to him – his parents, siblings, and best friend.

He copies you! If you make a gesture and he immediately copies it, he probably likes you. Let him know you are interested too – copy him!

He always responds to your texts, calls, and voice notes. If he misses it, he calls or texts you back as soon as he can.

He notices when you get a haircut or something else not so prominent, even when others don’t! It doesn’t matter if he likes it or makes fun of it, the fact that he noticed it shows that he has feelings for you.

If you are meeting his friends for the first time, and they already know everything about you, girrrrrl, this guy has been talking their ears off about you all day. That only happens when he has a serious thing for you.

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He does not check his phone when you are doing things together. He is too preoccupied with you to care.

He cares about your family and friends. He is very respectful to your parents and tries hard to make a good impression. He also never flirts with your sisters/friends and treats them like kids or buddies.

He goes all alpha on you – he stands taller, squares his shoulders, and pulls in his stomach. He also tries to take up as much space as possible with his body when he is close to you.

He talks about his future plans. He wants to show you that he is an ambitious guy and sorted in life. He also possibly sees a future with you and wants you to be aware of what he is offering. He basically wants to impress you. Also, he is trying to show that he is in it for the long-term.

He shows up where you are. Okay, this is kind of low-key stalking, but when guys like you, they want you to see them. They are afraid that it’s ‘out of sight, out of mind’ for you, and you might fall for someone else. So, when you are out and about and have declared your plans on Facebook, him turning up at the same place means that he likes you.

He says something funny, then checks if you laughed. It is very important to him that you find him cute and funny and appreciate his sense of humor.

When you talk to other guys, he starts looking over, trying to assess the situation. A guy who is not into you won’t bother caring when you talk to other guys. The next time you speak to him, he will appear disgruntled or offended. Lol, he is jealous!

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He remembers little things about you. Guys are not really good at remembering the little things, so if he does, he probably likes you. It means he paid attention to you when you were telling him about it, which is a sign that you matter to him.

He uses classic lines like “I wish I get a girlfriend just like you” and “I want to be best friends with my girl – just the way we are.” This is his way of saying he approves of you as a person and wants you to be more than just a friend. If you are interested as well, just look into his eyes and say “me too.”

Watch out for these signs to get a clearer picture of his intentions. Sure, some guys are just into playing games, and once you give in, they lose interest. However, there are some great ones too who don’t play games to win someone’s affection.

Trust your instincts. If you have that funny, nervous feeling that a man likes you, he probably does. He is probably shy or afraid of getting hurt, so he may not say anything “incriminating.” If you think he is worth the wait, be patient. And, make sure you are subtly giving off signals too. That will give him the courage that he needs to make a move. All the best!

What do you think are some signs that a guy likes you? Comment below and share your thoughts.

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Source: https://www.stylecraze.com/articles/how-to-tell-if-a-guy-likes-you/

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gabrielcollignon · 6 years

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A Year Full of ‘No Way!?’ Moments for CCO Magazine

2017 will go down as the year contributors to the magazine repeatedly blew my mind.

Most editors like to think they have at least a modest (if not better) grasp of the industry they cover. After all, to be a good editor you must be able to tease out the ideas that will educate or delight your readers most – and identifying those requires a baseline of subject matter expertise.

This year was different. At least a half dozen CCO articles in 2017 inspired an exclamation I can only describe as “No sh*t?!,” but for the purposes of this article, I’ll refer to as “No way?!”

Read on to learn about all the amazing contributors and ideas of the past year that blew my mind or delighted me.

Virtual reality and a sit-down with author of The Martian (February 2017)

We started the year interviewing virtual-reality expert Sarah Hill, CEO and chief storyteller for StoryUP, the article titled Immersive Content. No longer the domain of ultra-early adopters and video gamers, virtual reality and augmented reality took off in 2017 … and Sarah was the perfect guide, helping us understand the possibilities and limitations of VR and AR. She also offered case studies from brands using VR, a welcome moment for those of us unable to visualize applications for VR outside of the gaming and consumer entertainment realm.

The world is no longer flat. The internet is fast becoming a place you step inside. @sarahmidmo #virtualreality Click To Tweet

Also in February, I was delighted to interview Andy Weir, author of The Martian. We talked in Las Vegas just before his touching keynote talk at the ICC conference. Andy spoke poignantly about the deep challenges of being a full-time creative, and the lessons marketers may learn from his own journey. Among other nuggets of wisdom, he explained that marketers focus too much on the sale and, in doing so, lose sight of the power of a well-told story.

Marketers focus too much on sale. They lose sight of power of well-told story, says @andyweirauthor. Click To Tweet

He explained, “Audiences are extremely aware of preachiness, especially in the modern era. Hollywood has decided that everything has to have some freaking political message, which drives me crazy. The Martian, by the way, had no political message. Dude didn’t want to die … that’s it. People quickly, even if they don’t do it consciously, identify the message, get mildly annoyed at it, and then start ignoring the parts of the movie that push that. That’s why I try to avoid it. Instead, find the interesting part of your story and then work towards the message, rather than desperately starting with the message and trying to work towards the interesting part.”

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: How Virtual Reality Could Change Content Marketing

Making sense of AI, plus ideas about hiring (April 2017)

Paul Roetzer’s article about the rise of AI-powered content marketing (Cognitive Content Marketing) lit up my brain with possibilities.

.@PaulRoetzer’s plain-English tour of AI in marketing lit up my brain, says @soloportfolio. Click To Tweet

Paul’s plain-English tour of the categories of AI in marketing, and possible on-ramps for timid marketers to consider, was one of my key “no way?!” moments of 2017. If it’s a topic that interests you, I also recommend watching his session from Content Marketing Word (Machine-Assisted Narrative: How to Transform and Scale Your B2B Content With Artificial Intelligence), which is available on demand. Paul did a fantastic job explaining AI in terms even non-technophiles can understand. He also gave us a tour of the most promising technologies in the field, and how marketers are using each.

Also in April, we heard from Sara Noble, a Boston-based search consultant who helps iconic brands hire elite content marketing executives (Are You Ready to Hire Quality?). She said among her first tasks when she speaks to a potential hiring company is to figure out if they are serious about content – and thus worth consideration by top-flight talent. If you’re ready to a hire a high-value content marketing leader, look through her list of questions to ensure that your team and company are truly in a position to benefit from a big investment in top talent.

Excellent #content creators do not come cheap, says Sara Noble via @soloportfolio. Click To Tweet

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: How to Speed Up the Process to Find and Hire Top Content Marketing Talent

How data influences story (June 2017)

Some people have been amazing resources to the magazine over the years – people who keep coming back with great ideas, stories, and people. (Cameron Conaway, Andy Vale, and Kirk Cheyfitz … I’m looking at you.)

In that spirit, Andy brought us a “no way?!” story (Data-Driven Creative). Andy interviewed Fred Graver, a four-time Emmy-winning television producer and former head of Twitter TV, who uses social data to influence his screenwriting. Yes, it sounds kind of dystopian, but using analytics to influence creative is an interesting premise and process. And it’s an idea that is here to stay, given our inevitable future of AI-enhanced human creativity.

TV audiences are vocal on @Twitter, allowing for substantial research & building creative, via @AndyVale. Click To Tweet

Also fun to read in the June issue – the interview with Jennifer Watson from The Weather Channel (How The Weather Channel Does Social Media). Most social media managers are hyper-aware of publishing accurate, appropriate social content online, but in Jennifer’s work accuracy can be a life-or-death situation. For a weather nerd like myself, it was a dream come true to speak to Jennifer and peer into her daily life.

.@weatherchannel has meteorologists on #socialmedia team to ensure accuracy, says @JWatson_Wx. Click To Tweet

Inspiration from the content maven at GE (August 2017)

GE’s social media personality has long been a favorite of mine. And my all-time favorite campaign from GE: its play on the Hey Girl meme for Valentine’s Day, but instead of Ryan Gosling, Thomas Edison is the flirt.

The company makes it look easy, but bringing that voice and personality to a brand as big and iconic as GE is a huge challenge (How GE Gives Recruiting Content a Personality Lift). Chief Marketing Officer Linda Boff said the key is in knowing what human values the brand stands for. She explained, “Our DNA is innovation, technology, research and manufacturing. It’s something we have all fallen in love with at GE. That’s our guiding light. We never try to pretend something we’re not.”

A lot of companies could name the same values as GE does, but what makes GE’s execution of those values special is the way it transforms them into a human personality. Boff said, “We often talk about showing up as a person would versus how a corporation would. How do you do that? With humor. A wink. A twist.”

Establish a brand voice that’s inherently human & relatable to your audience. @lindaboff #recruiting Click To Tweet

Also in August, an article from one of my favorite CCO contributors, Kirk Cheyfitz (How Advertising is Killing the WWW). Kirk has long railed against the overreaches of advertising and how poor behavior by advertisers will ruin online marketing for the rest of us. Kirk is such an elegant writer that the article is worth reading if only to see how a masterful creative unpacks a complex topic. Also keep an eye out for his Guide to Digital Decency and Success in the same piece.

Digital advertising’s many deadly sins have generated a plague of problems for everybody, says @KirkCheyfitz. Click To Tweet

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: 10 Tips to Pack More Personality into Your Content

A Voice Revolution Caps the Year (November 2017)

Finally, in November we published one of my all-time favorite articles of all time. (That sentence just triggered our blog editor.) (Note from editor: Yes, the sentence made me clutch my pearls, but I kept it just this once for writer authenticity.)

Britney Muller from Moz explained the “no way?!” effect of voice assistants on SEO. Of course, I heard rumblings of how voice search would transform SEO, but Britney patiently explained it in a way that all marketers could understand. It’s possibly my favorite article of the year simply because of how much I learned.

And, for giggles, read Andrew Davis’ column, in which he uttered the words, How to Manscape Your Butt (though to be fair, he was quoting someone else). Andrew and his guest columnist, Becky Montchal, call out Dollar Shave Club for excluding half of the world’s population in its shave-related content marketing.

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: Are You Ready for Content Marketing in 2018? 60+ Predictions

Make sure you don’t miss any of the no-way moments in 2018. Subscribe to the free print edition (yes, it will arrive in your mailbox) today.

Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute

The post A Year Full of ‘No Way!?’ Moments for CCO Magazine appeared first on Content Marketing Institute.

#Business

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lucyariablog · 6 years

Text

A Year Full of ‘No Way!?’ Moments for CCO Magazine

2017 will go down as the year contributors to the magazine repeatedly blew my mind.

Read on to learn about all the amazing contributors and ideas of the past year that blew my mind or delighted me.

Virtual reality and a sit-down with author of The Martian (February 2017)

The world is no longer flat. The internet is fast becoming a place you step inside. @sarahmidmo #virtualreality Click To Tweet

Marketers focus too much on sale. They lose sight of power of well-told story, says @andyweirauthor. Click To Tweet

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: How Virtual Reality Could Change Content Marketing

Making sense of AI, plus ideas about hiring (April 2017)

Paul Roetzer’s article about the rise of AI-powered content marketing (Cognitive Content Marketing) lit up my brain with possibilities.

.@PaulRoetzer’s plain-English tour of AI in marketing lit up my brain, says @soloportfolio. Click To Tweet

Excellent #content creators do not come cheap, says Sara Noble via @soloportfolio. Click To Tweet

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: How to Speed Up the Process to Find and Hire Top Content Marketing Talent

How data influences story (June 2017)

TV audiences are vocal on @Twitter, allowing for substantial research & building creative, via @AndyVale. Click To Tweet

.@weatherchannel has meteorologists on #socialmedia team to ensure accuracy, says @JWatson_Wx. Click To Tweet

Inspiration from the content maven at GE (August 2017)

Establish a brand voice that’s inherently human & relatable to your audience. @lindaboff #recruiting Click To Tweet

Digital advertising’s many deadly sins have generated a plague of problems for everybody, says @KirkCheyfitz. Click To Tweet

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: 10 Tips to Pack More Personality into Your Content

A Voice Revolution Caps the Year (November 2017)

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: Are You Ready for Content Marketing in 2018? 60+ Predictions

Make sure you don’t miss any of the no-way moments in 2018. Subscribe to the free print edition (yes, it will arrive in your mailbox) today.

Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute

The post A Year Full of ‘No Way!?’ Moments for CCO Magazine appeared first on Content Marketing Institute.

from http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2017/12/cco-magazine-year/

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hotspreadpage · 6 years

Text

A Year Full of ‘No Way!?’ Moments for CCO Magazine

2017 will go down as the year contributors to the magazine repeatedly blew my mind.

Read on to learn about all the amazing contributors and ideas of the past year that blew my mind or delighted me.

Virtual reality and a sit-down with author of The Martian (February 2017)

The world is no longer flat. The internet is fast becoming a place you step inside. @sarahmidmo #virtualreality Click To Tweet

Marketers focus too much on sale. They lose sight of power of well-told story, says @andyweirauthor. Click To Tweet

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: How Virtual Reality Could Change Content Marketing

Making sense of AI, plus ideas about hiring (April 2017)

Paul Roetzer’s article about the rise of AI-powered content marketing (Cognitive Content Marketing) lit up my brain with possibilities.

.@PaulRoetzer’s plain-English tour of AI in marketing lit up my brain, says @soloportfolio. Click To Tweet

Excellent #content creators do not come cheap, says Sara Noble via @soloportfolio. Click To Tweet

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: How to Speed Up the Process to Find and Hire Top Content Marketing Talent

How data influences story (June 2017)

TV audiences are vocal on @Twitter, allowing for substantial research & building creative, via @AndyVale. Click To Tweet

.@weatherchannel has meteorologists on #socialmedia team to ensure accuracy, says @JWatson_Wx. Click To Tweet

Inspiration from the content maven at GE (August 2017)

Establish a brand voice that’s inherently human & relatable to your audience. @lindaboff #recruiting Click To Tweet

Digital advertising’s many deadly sins have generated a plague of problems for everybody, says @KirkCheyfitz. Click To Tweet

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: 10 Tips to Pack More Personality into Your Content

A Voice Revolution Caps the Year (November 2017)

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: Are You Ready for Content Marketing in 2018? 60+ Predictions

Make sure you don’t miss any of the no-way moments in 2018. Subscribe to the free print edition (yes, it will arrive in your mailbox) today.

Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute

The post A Year Full of ‘No Way!?’ Moments for CCO Magazine appeared first on Content Marketing Institute.

A Year Full of ‘No Way!?’ Moments for CCO Magazine syndicated from http://ift.tt/2maPRjm

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anavoliselenu · 7 years

Text

Hiched chapter 16

“Was this your plan all along?” I scold him without any real force. “To get me out on a date with you in the middle of the workday?”

His innocent shrug is spoiled by the fact that he hasn’t stopped smiling. “Maybe.”

I pause for a long moment, pretending to think hard. “Well . . . I guess I can forgive you.”

Justin holds up a finger in protest. “Hey, you’re going off script. You’re supposed to be mad at me, and then I have to soften you up—”

“In front of the whole restaurant?”

His grin darkens into absolute sin. “Oh, Snowflake, you’ve got a dirty mind. All I had planned was a kiss. But I like the way you think, and I seem to remember you not being shy about fooling around in restaurants.”

“This is why I like you better when you don’t talk,” I retort with a smile. Especially when it’s because your mouth is otherwise occupied.

“So, what’s the verdict on my brilliant plan?”

“Hmm . . .” I pretend to ponder again. “I’ll take that kiss now. More later.”

“At the office?” he asks immediately.

Actually, that doesn’t sound so—

Wait, no, what am I thinking? He’s dragging me down a rabbit hole. We already crossed that line, and as exhilarating as it was, I don’t want to get caught in some scandal.

I give him a firm shake of my head. “At home. Where we can be as loud and take as long as we want.”

He heaves a purposely melodramatic sigh. “But that’s such a long wait, and you’re the one who brought up sex in the first place.” Before I can tease him for being a perpetual horndog, he adds, “I guess I can be good for a little longer, though. You’re worth waiting for.”

My cheeks turn pink even before he leans across the table and his lips brush against mine. I’m not sure how to respond. Sexy flirting is one thing, but that comment was almost too sweet. Too real.

Our lunch chooses that moment to arrive. We dig into the delicious sushi and let ourselves talk about anything but business. All too soon, we’ll have to get back to the office, but for now, we savor each other’s company. A precious hour alone together, away from the hustle and stress.

• • •

At least once a month, Camryn and I try to set aside some girl time to pamper ourselves and catch up with each other. Today is that most sacred of days. We’ve booked a luxury pedicure at our favorite salon. We sit side by side in adjacent spa chairs, our long-suffering feet freed from high heels and soaking in warm, lavender-scented whirlpool baths. Ahh . . .

“So, how’ve you been lately?” Camryn asks me as the attendant massages exfoliating salt scrub into her soles. “Do anything cool without me?”

“Actually, yeah.” My tone slips into a soft fondness. “Justin and I spent all of last weekend together. On Saturday we had brunch, went shopping at the farmer’s market—he bought me the peonies I always get, without even needing to ask—and then we went to the MOMA’s special Impressionist exhibit. On Sunday, we saw P.B. and Jay—”

“That new indie rom-com?” she asks, interrupting.

“Yeah. And then we ate dinner out and went dancing.”

Feigning shock, Camryn presses her free hand over her heart. “Hang on. I need a minute to process this. Justin Tate, buying flowers and watching chick flicks? And Selena Cane—”

“But you have no problem imagining Justin at an art museum?”

“At least the paintings probably had naked ladies in them. But Justin Tate, acting so cute and mushy? And Selena Cane, taking an entire weekend off? Unplanned? For fun? I think I might have a heart attack.”

I snort despite myself. “Oh, shut up. I’m not that boring.”

“Yes, you are. Tell me something—you sneakily answered work e-mails while he was in the bathroom, didn’t you?”

“For your information, I had my phone turned off the whole time we were out.”

Camryn’s mouth drops open and she twists to face me fully, her shock now genuine. “Holy shit. Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?”

I shrug sheepishly. “Justin convinced me that the office would survive two measly days without me. And I actually . . . believed him.”

Camryn says nothing. She just smirks at me like she knows something I don’t. My stomach stirs with nervous flutters.

“What?” I finally ask. I know full well I’m taking her bait, but I don’t care enough to let her keep up her smug staring.

“Oh, nothing,” she says in a singsong voice, her tone soaked with false innocence. “I guess he must be pretty convincing, is all.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I huff. “It’s just because I’ve been more confident about work lately. I feel like Tate & Cane is really starting to get back on track.”

“Sure, but business isn’t the only thing that’s going well. You practically glow when you talk about Justin. And it seems like his free-and-easy ways have rubbed off on you.”

The double entendre isn’t lost on me but I ignore it, determined to be the more mature woman in the room. “It was just one weekend off. Big deal.”

“Yeah, you guys are definitely in your honeymoon phase,” she concludes, ignoring me right back. She heaves a sigh of satisfaction that definitely didn’t need to be so theatrical. “I had my doubts at first, but it looks like the manwhore can step up and be romantic when he sees something he really wants.”

“What are you talking about? He’s wanted women before.” Justin practically treated chasing pussy like another full-time job, in fact.

Camryn shakes her head. “Not the same way he wants you. He seems really motivated to win you over. Like, for real. Not just for the company’s sake.”

My heart gives a little kick. I instinctively start to argue with her. “I’m sure he just . . .”

But then I stop because I realize that his efforts are sincere. To be honest, I always knew they were. And his romantic gestures didn’t slack off after we were married or after we slept together. So this can’t just be about the contract or the company’s public image, or even just about getting into my pants. From the beginning, Justin made no secret of being attracted to me, but lately the atmosphere between us seems like more than just sexual tension.

The attendant interrupts my stunned musings. “Would you ladies like me to apply any nail polish today?”

Wow, I must have been really spacing out. I didn’t even think of picking out a color.

“Pale pink,” I blurt, feeling playful. Very different from my usual palette of dark matte red, which feels professional and mature for the male-dominated office. Pastel pink, in a way, symbolizes my newly awakened soft side. I smile to myself, wondering what Justin will think.

“Can I see what new shades you have?” Camryn asks.

“I’ll bring you our color book,” the attendant says as she bustles out of the room.

I sink back into my thoughts. Can Justin actually have serious feelings for me? And if he does, what will I do with this information? How do I feel about Justin? I’m having fun now, but is he really long-term husband material?

As much as I’ve denied it just now, Camryn is right—Justin is changing my routine. Hell, he’s changing me. The old Selena never would have let her hair down like I did last weekend. And we’re so much more in sync at the office. Not too long ago, we struggled to mesh our management styles, but now we effortlessly work together to solve problems with the easy grace of a rehearsed dance. We’ve grown across the gap to meet each other halfway.

Almost without my noticing, Justin has become one of my guiding stars. Someone I look forward to seeing each and every day. His smile alone has the power to speed up or slow down my heart. I’ve been so much calmer and happier lately . . . although that might just be a side effect of having multiple screaming orgasms every night.

As if Camryn can read my mind, she asks in an undertone, “So, have you two done the deed yet?”

Caught off guard, I look away, stammering, “Um . . .”

“Oh my God, you did,” she says with a squeal. “I’m so proud.”

Even though I’m staring intently at the wall, I can still hear the gleeful grin in her voice. My face feels hot.

“You’re being weird,” I protest.

“Are you kidding? You’ve finally broken your dry spell. Now I’m not the only one holding up the ‘sexy gossip’ end of our friendship. I want to hear everything. Hurry up and spill before the attendant comes back.” When I stay tongue-tied, she eggs me on. “Is his dick as big as the rumors say?”

“You’re unbelievable,” I say, groaning in defeat. “Yes, okay? He’s huge. Are you happy now?”

“Not until you tell me what he’s like in bed.”

I may never remove my eyeballs from this wall ever again. “Um . . . let’s just say he knows what he’s doing.”

She gives me a look. “No, let’s not just say that. Come on, Liv, I need more details!”

“Well, he’s . . . assertive. Passionate, but sweet. Very attentive. Sometimes he likes to tease. He takes things slow—” I think my face might burst into flame. “Until he suddenly doesn’t.”

Camryn gives a little whoop. “Get it, girl!”

Mortified, I frantically wave my hands back and forth. “Jesus, Camryn, keep it down. Half the salon can probably hear us.”

But I’m laughing with her even as I try to shush her. It seems that nothing can put a dent in my sunny mood. My heart is filled to the brim with hope—both about work and about my relationship with Justin.

Camryn opens her mouth, probably to keep grilling me. But I’m saved from further interrogation when the attendant returns with a small binder.

“Sorry about the wait, honey, someone else was using it,” she chirps.

As Camryn mulls over the color swatches, I pull my phone out of my purse to text Justin.

Selena: Almost done at the spa. Going to pick up more condoms on the way home. Want me to get anything else?

On playful impulse, I add:

Selena: Like maybe some whipped cream or chocolate sauce?

Then I hit Send, grinning foolishly to myself. I’m bubbling over with a joyful, sexy energy I’ve never felt before. I feel like everything in my life is finally coming together.

A few minutes later, my phone dings with a new message.

Justin: Hell yes. You know how much I love dessert, Snowflake.

I stifle a giggle. God, I’m acting like a silly schoolgirl and I don’t even care. If these past few weeks with Justin are anything to go by, I have a lot more fun and games to look forward to.

Chapter Thirteen

Justin

All day I’ve been delving into Tate & Cane’s financial situation, poring over dense, dry records. But I’m home now, and at the cheery sight of Selena fresh from the spa, smiling at me as she stands in front of my chair, all my stress dissolves.

Well, almost all of it. Fred’s e-mail about the possibility of us having to either take out a loan to continue paying employee salaries or consider a mass layoff is still on my mind. Not to mention my promise to Selena that we’d find a way to wow our clients with an intimate party. And Fred’s news about his cancer resisting treatment. And the heir clause, looming over everything . . .

Fuck me running. I tuck the stacks of dreary bank statements into my leather portfolio and close it.

“What do you think?” Selena grins at me, wiggling her painted toes.

“Pink. I like it.” Then again, I’d probably like her in just about anything. I already know I love her in nothing at all.

She smiles at me. “I was feeling flirty.”

“Did you have fun?”

Blushing a little, she looks down at the plush carpeting. “Yes, except . . .”

“What is it?”

I rise and pull her chin up so she’ll meet my eyes. I hope she hasn’t seen our current financial picture yet. She’s got enough stress to juggle right now. I’ve tried to shield her from most of it, asking Fred and Peter to come directly to me with their reports and concerns.

“Camryn grilled me on us,” Selena says softly.

Oh. I’m relieved to hear it’s nothing related to work. But it’s crazy to think there’s actually an us. I didn’t know if we’d ever get to this point.

I shrug. “That’s not so bad, right? Things are good between us. Hopefully that’s what you told her.”

She looks up, her cheeks still hot. “I did. But she wanted to know specifics. Like how you were in bed.”

A slow smile uncurls on my lips. “And what did you tell her?”

She chews on her lip, looking unsure.

“The truth, Selena,” I say firmly. It’s unlikely that she said anything to hurt my reputation—she’s polite like that, and besides, I know I’m good. I just want her to tell me how I make her feel. I want to hear those words straight from her soft, full lips.

“That you have a big . . . b-boy parts,” she stutters, “and you’re . . . assertive, yet tender, and—”

I can’t wait another second to have her mouth on mine. I take her mouth hungrily, and her lips part, accepting me. Our tongues duel as I pull her close, chest to chest.

I’m not sure how or when it happened, but she’s become mine. She’s the first thing I think about when I wake, and the last on my mind before I drift off to sleep. And before I can contemplate the ramifications, I know that I’m going to do what needs to be done to protect my future with her.

Tonight. I need to do it tonight.

I lift Selena in my arms and carry her toward the bedroom, our mouths still moving eagerly together. Unable to even wait until we reach the bed, I stop in the hall, pinning her back against the wall with her legs wound around my hips.

She’s wearing a simple cotton sundress, and that means when I slide my hand along the outside of her thigh and under her ass cheek, I can reach all the way around to the damp center of her panties. Slipping my fingers under the elastic, I find her clit and rub in circles, pulling a moan from her lips that I quickly swallow with another kiss.

It’s insane to think that the man who once refused to let a conquest sleep in his bed now shares a home with his wife, and practically attacks her at the door after only a couple of hours apart. Damn, I’ve turned into a total mushy prick. But there’s something so addictive about this woman. The way she carries herself, her wit and intelligence, her insatiable appetite for me. It just feels right.

I’ve never even been in a serious relationship. According to Sterling, getting married—tied to one woman for all of eternity—should have scared me shitless. Instead, it’s made me loyal, faithful, loving. It’s brought me to life in all the best ways.

I only hope that doing what I need to do tonight doesn’t destroy everything.

“Yes,” Selena cries. She grips my shoulders and rocks her hips into my hand, already getting closer.

I love how she keeps herself bare for me. Running my fingers over her silky center, I ease one in slowly. But my careful pace isn’t to last, because when Selena groans and murmurs my name, I add a second finger and thrust in harder. I finger-fuck her against the wall, my cock so hard it aches. But getting off is the last thing on my mind. I’m content to kiss Selena and watch her fall apart right here in my arms.

“Justin . . .” She moans, pushing her hands into my hair. “I want you.”

“You have me, baby.” I kiss the side of her neck, inhaling her honeysuckle perfume as my fingers continue stroking. That familiar scent, so uniquely Selena, always gets me worked up and calms me at the same time.

“Inside me. I want you inside me when I come.”

Okay, then. That changes things. My baby wants the dick, then the dick she shall have.

Still supporting her weight with one arm around her hips, I reach between us and undo my jeans, shoving them down enough to free my cock. Then I line myself up, rubbing the head of my cock through her wet folds just to feel her shudder in my arms.

“How’s that feel?” I tease her again, dragging the length of myself through her heat, grinding against her oversensitive clit.

“Need you,” she moans brokenly.

It’s almost hard to believe this is the same woman who a mere month ago turned up her nose at the thought of sex. Thought it was some useless, vile affair that had no place in her busy life. I’m not an egomaniac, but I’d like to believe the reason is me. I alone bring out this side of her, make her crazy with desire, unleash her inner sex goddess. Which is fine, because she does the same to me. I crave her like I’ve never craved anything before.

“Come on.” Selena groans. “Fuck me, Justin.” She grips my biceps and watches me with a desperate expression. The need in her eyes is almost painful.

I press forward, the first few inches of me disappearing inside her.

“Wait . . .”

I pause. “What is it?”

“The condoms. They’re by the bathroom sink. In the drugstore bag.”

Fuck that. “It would feel so fucking good to have you bare.” I groan, pushing my hips up so she can feel my hard length between her legs. “My hard cock sliding into your warm, tight heat . . . Please, baby . . .”

“Justin.” She groans, her head dropping back. “Not until I’m on birth control.”

My stomach drops. Right. Like that’ll help.

“Hurry,” she murmurs with a final kiss to my lips before shimmying down my body until her feet touch the floor.

I inhale a deep breath and head for the bathroom. Stopping in the doorway with my cock jutting straight out in front of me, I catch my reflection in the mirror and don’t like what I see. There’s a haunted look in my eyes that wasn’t there before.

“Justin?” Selena calls from the bedroom.

“Just give me a minute.” Crushed by rising panic and guilt, I close the door behind me.

Fred’s ominous warnings ring in my head. I thought I’d be able to convince Selena by now, but I haven’t even managed to broach the subject with her yet, and we’re running out of time. My father’s legacy, Fred Cane’s dying wish, all of Tate & Cane’s employees . . . everything is at stake. I know I have to act, but how?

I grab one of the condoms from the counter. My erection, despite the stress swirling through my brain, hasn’t gotten the memo. I stare down at the little foil packet in my hands.

What in the fuck am I doing? I feel utterly lost and confused. I’m falling in love with Selena, more with every passing day . . . all while hiding the world’s biggest secret from her. Despite all our hard work, the company finances are so dismal, we’re still barely hanging on. A baby would solve so many problems. Tying up that last loose end of the contract would cement our inheritance and ensure that the board doesn’t sell our company out from under us, leaving us destitute—along with six thousand other people.

But Selena will never agree to that. Hell, she’ll probably flip out and call off our whole arrangement if I tell her the truth. I’ve been racking my brain for weeks, trying to find the perfect sales pitch that will save everything I care about, and I just keep hitting the same brick wall.

I’ve always been so good with words, and now they’ve deserted me. Even if I knew what the fuck to say, the right moment never seems to come. And I can’t fight off the creeping terror that maybe . . .

Maybe it never will.

Maybe this conversation—this entire situation—really is impossible. Maybe there is no solution.

The thought makes me go numb. Moving on their own, my hands rifle through the vanity’s drawers and cabinets. I don’t know what I’m looking for until my fingers brush against it. My mother’s sewing kit. The little silver case she gave me the year before she died, when she taught me how to sew a button back onto my favorite shirt.

I pull out a needle and look down at its glinting sharp point. I test the end on my finger and feel its bite. A tiny red droplet wells up, grows rounder, heavier, until it rolls down my finger, leaving a vivid trail, but I still don’t move. I just stare stupidly at the stained needle tip. Silver shining through a film of red.

I feel like I’m in a dream—one of those nightmares where you can’t run fast enough, like trying to wade through quicksand. My heart is slamming against my rib cage. What the fuck am I doing? Am I really . . . can I ever even think . . . ?

A gasp of shock pulls my focus to the door.

Selena stands naked on the threshold, her mouth hanging open. Her wide-eyed disbelief quickly plummets into horror. She stumbles back, bumping into the wall behind her, her hand pressed to her mouth like she’s about to be sick.

I look down at my hands—one holding a condom, and the other, a needle. With a spasm of disgust, I throw the condom and needle into the sink.

“Selena . . . w-wait, it’s not, I wasn’t . . . !” My voice is hollow, unconvincing even to me.

A sob of pain tumbles from her open mouth. When I look back up, my wife is running away, her lovely face twisted with betrayal.

Not knowing what else to do, I follow her, hoping it’s not already too late . . . and knowing that it is.

0in;tex�Ny

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