#over a cheap plastic horse

[cillianmesoftlyyy]

As You Wish Pt. 2 | Neil Lewis x fem!reader

Summary| Neil, still thinking about the other day, invites y/n to Gumshoe Video's movie night. The theme (besides vampires) is the 1960s and so she dresses for the part. And like any good vampire thriller- only the good stuff happens after dark...

Warnings| age gap- reader (19) Neil Lewis (27), cursing, kissing, groping, teasing, unprotected sex, penetration, no fore-play.

word count: 4261K

Midnight City- M83 🎶

Our Swords- Band of Horses 🎵

Shout out to the lovely reader who requested a part 2! This is for you!

Please read warnings and continue at your own discretion, thanks!

She can hear the chatter from outside as rain plasters the wide display windows. She stops outside Gumshoe Video and peeks her head inside, sparing her hairdo from the storm outside. Her hair was pinned into a half-beehive and curled up around her shoulders like a young Pattie Boyd. The guests inside turn when the bells above the door announce her presence. They cheer and raise their red plastic cups in greeting and she laughs back, her smile dragging widely across her face. And there he is: Neil Lewis. He’s standing beside the box tv set with a bottle of cheap beer in his hand. He’s wearing a powder blue dress shirt from the seventies and a dark blue suit. His longish hair is swept out of his face and he smiles at something someone has said. When he looks over, he sees her, and his mouth falls open. 

“Oh my God! Where did you get this?” A woman swoops in from the side and admires her dress. 

“It’s a replica mod dress from the 60s. I made it,” she answered with a polite smile and allowed the woman to inspect the stitching. As she raised her eyes, they met Neil’s. His eyes widened slightly as he dropped them down to her thighs before traveling back up to her face. Her dress was boxy, like that of a mod dancer, and so short that it was barely fingertip length (to use school-girl terminology). She was dressed up as a gogo dancer, red vinyl boots and all, for the showing of Gumshoe Video’s The Kiss of the Vampire. Neil bit his tongue as his eyes crawled down her body. Her dark red dress had a high modest neckline but was sleeveless and short. The fabric was a tautly starched linen that didn’t move much as she walked. It hugged her waist with a thick belt but fared out around her thighs in a fixed shape. Her makeup was a copy of one of Twiggy’s famous looks with the exaggerated eyelashes and dark eyeliner. Her eyelids were a bright blue that clashed with her red clothing, a mixing of primary colors. When the woman stepped away, she advanced shyly, resisting the urge to bite her lip and ruin her lipstick. Neil cleared his throat and nodded quickly at Lucien whom he was talking to when she had come in. His eyes darted back and forth, between her and Lucien’s prop pipe. His long eyelashes fluttered as he stole glances at her between pretending to listen to Lucien. 

“Hey! Nice of you to join, I’m Jonathan.” Jonathan appeared beside her and offered his hand not holding a beer. She shook it and smiled. 

“Y/N, I tried to dress for the theme.” She looked down at her costume and he nodded emphatically. 

“I did too. I was going for Ringo Starr.” Jonathan twirled, showing off his bright pink military costume like the one Ringo wore for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. She nodded and smiled. 

“I see the resemblance. Who is Neil supposed to be?” She jerked her head at Neil and Jonathan sighed. 

“He said that he was going as one of the Monkees but personally, I don’t see it.” 

“He must have run out of costumes,” she laughed and Jonathan shrugged dramatically. As she finished that sentence, Neil broke away from Lucien, slightly breathless and placed a hand on her back in greeting. She looked up at him, curling her toes inside her shoes. 

“You’re one of the Monkees?” She teased him lightly and Neil chuckled and shook his head. 

“I did have a hat on, it made more sense when I was wearing the hat.”

“So you were Micheal?” She asked and he gestured wildly at her for Jonathan, “See I told you someone would get it.” 

“That’s only because you both have weird niche knowledge,” Jonathan wrinkled his nose. “Uh oh, Lucien is talking to two strange women. I’m going to swoop in before he says something weird,” he hurried over to Lucien and patted him playfully on the head. Neil immediately looked down at her, his cool resolve slipping slightly. He was flustered. 

“Wow,” he gestured with both hands at her costume and she blushed self-consciously. He stuttered as he tried to say something coherent. “I’m uh, just uh… wow.” He scratched the back of his head and shoved his hands into his pockets, glancing around quickly before leaning in close to her ear. “Jesus Christ you smell good too.” He shook his head, forgetting what he was originally going to say. She smiled giddily. 

“Thank you,” she whispered. 

“Do you want to see my office?” Neil cleared his throat as he looked around, trying to look natural to everyone else in the store. His slumped posture and darting eyes would betray him if anyone cared to look at him long enough. He replaced his hand on the small of her back and swirled a finger across the fabric. She played with the hem of his blazer, blushing hard. 

“Hey, Neil!” A couple stopped in front of them and Neil jumped back to attention, his arm flying back behind his head and off of her body. He coughed briefly and cleared his throat. 

“Hey- hey! How’s it going?” He smiled distractedly and greeted his friends. They waited expectantly to be introduced to the girl and Neil gasped slightly, remembering. “Oh sorry, this is Y/N and Y/N, this is Buddy and Marcia.” He waved between them and they all nodded at each other politely, exchanging handshakes and smiles. “Enjoy the movie!” Neil said a little over enthusiastically and Buddy furrowed his brow, slightly concerned as they walked away. Jonathan found them at the makeshift bar and chuckled. 

“That’s the new girl,” he gestured with his cup and Marsha pursed her lip approvingly. 

On the other side of the room, Neil turned back to her and licked his lips. “So… my office?” He raised his eyebrows and jerked his thumbs at the separate office space in the back of the store. She giggled as she dug her toe into the ground and swayed slightly against him. Neil’s smile grew as he led her from the main store area and back into the office. When she passed through the door after him, Neil closed it and lowered himself slightly, his arms going out wide as he looked her up and down again mouthing, “oh my god.”

“So you like it?” She ran her hands down the front of her dress and shifted the weight on her feet proudly. 

“I mean, just look at you!” He ran his hand over his mouth and stepped in closer. The desk knocked softly into her tailbone as she retreated. “I love it,” he emphasized and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She was leaning back against the desk, her legs spread and her weight evenly distributed. Neil stepped closer, his body firmly between her legs. She worked up the courage to touch him, sliding her palms around his waist beneath his blazer. 

“Your fucking thighs,” Neil whispered breathlessly as his index fingers traced around the small hairs on her upper thighs. “God…” he gasped softly, already feeling himself get hot under the collar. She rubbed her nose against his and gave him a soft peck on the mouth. 

“Is that all I get?” He whispered with a furrowed brow. He ran his knuckles down her neck and tried not to gasp when he found her breasts. She kissed him again, pulling herself up higher by his shoulders. Her fingers dug into the plush fabric of his jacket’s shoulder pads. He responded immediately, shoving his tongue into her mouth. Neil pawed desperately at her, his hands grabbing at her thighs, her breasts, and her head. He pushed her up onto the desk and she whined in protest as he now towered above her. He chuckled breathlessly and dragged his hands up the inside of her thighs. 

“Shh,” he smiled when she glowered, wanting to cling to him as she kissed him. When she stopped wiggling, he leaned down and kissed her slowly. She held onto his hips by hooking her fingers in his belt loops. His hands prodded further, stroking the elastic band of her underwear around her pelvis. She was wearing cotton underwear and Neil could feel the wetness pooling at her opening through the fabric. He started to fall apart as he stroked her clothed cunt with his long fingers. She squirmed on the desk in front of her and the heels of her gogo boots knocked against the desk, her back arched into him. She moved his hands beneath her skirt, looking up at him with wide suggestive eyes. 

“Here? Now?” Neil whispered, slightly shocked at the girl’s suggestion. “Are you insane?” He whispered beside her ear, his voice laced with perverted desire though he tried to shake it from his voice, still wanting to be the voice of reason. 

“Neil…” she muttered at him and petted his crotch with slow, heavy moves. 

“What?” He whispered, an edge in his voice. His forehead was still creased and he tried to even out his breath as his cock pushed against every touch of her hand. 

“You’re supposed to say, As. You. Wish.” She squeezed her thighs around his legs, just below his hips and wrapped her hands around his hips. Neil raised an eyebrow and laughed lightly. He watched her as she bore into his eyes, thick with desire. He looked her up and down and reached both hands beneath her skirt again, pulling her underwear down over her butt. She had to lean back slightly as he dragged the cotton wad down over her gogo boots. He looked down at the underwear in his palm and trilled his lips lowly. 

“This is a bit more involved than I was expecting but I’m all for it,” he shrugged with a loose smirk and put the underwear on the desk beside them. She smiled and pulled on his dress shirt, prompting him to give her a satisfying kiss. 

“You were the one who suggested that I see your office,” she giggled quietly. 

“I needed a sense of adventure.” He muttered against her lips, his eyes closed. 

“Neil… Adventure?” She smiled lazily and stroked his jaw, her short nails running dully down his neck. 

“I like the sound of that,” he continued to kiss her, his nose crushing against her cheek. A knock at the door made them both jump and Neil turned around quickly, shielding her from the view of whomever was at the door. 

“Neil! We’re starting the movie now and Jonathan doesn’t know how to work the player. You gotta fix it.” Lucien yelled through the door. His silhouette showed through the frosted glass. 

“Fuuuuuck,” he groaned quietly and rubbed his face. His erection fell slightly at the interruption and he sighed. “Ok, Lucien. I’m coming!” He smiled falsely as he yelled back his response.   

“Oh, I’m sure you are,” Lucien mumbled beneath his breath and hurried back into the store area. 

“I’ll see you out there,” Neil cringed and fixed his suit as much as he could. 

“Break a leg,” she smiled and hopped off of the desk, her underwear still sitting on the desk. She pulled them back on over her gogo boots and followed him out. Neil walked around to the back of the tv and checked the cables. She watched from the back of the room, a deep blush spreading across her face as she noticed the places where her red lipstick had left smudges around his mouth. She smiled down at her boots and bit her lip, trying to compose herself. Neil stepped back in front of the tv with Jonathan and announced the movie, lipstick still smudged around his wide lips. 

“And now, Gumshoe Video presents the 1963 The Kiss of the Vampire,” he extended his hands to the small square tv and waggled his fingers. The audience laughed and hooted. Some glanced over at her and smiled, she blushed deeper. 

“Nice touch,” one guy called from the couches and Neil stared at him blankly, his eyes then slowly drifting to her. She pointed at her mouth and rested her chin on her fist. Neil laughed it off and winked as he stepped aside and the movie started. She sat down on the couch in the back and scooted to the side as Neil joined her, collapsing with an anxious exhale. 

“Kissed by a vampire,” he shook his head, “why didn’t I think of that? That would have been a perfect costume.” He spoke with his hands, and shrugged his shoulders. She hid her face in her hands to hide her smile. “Was it really that noticeable?” He whispered and she nodded, embarrassed. 

“Sorry,” she giggled quietly and wiped the lipstick smudges from his face with her thumb. Jonathan moved around the spread of couches and perched on the edge of the couch beside them. 

“Nice touch, Neil. I think it makes the viewing experience more realistic.” Jonathan snarked and Neil rolled his eyes. 

“Shut up, Jonathan.” Neil sighed and massaged his face, pulling down on the skin. Jonathan winked at her and she smiled. Jonathan drifted off as the movie started and the title card appeared. As Neil relaxed into the couch, his hand found her thigh and rubbed his knuckles across her thigh. She leaned against him, her head resting against the wing of his shoulder as he moved his arm around her. 

…

“What’d you think of the movie?” Neil shoved his hands into his pockets as they locked up Gumshoe Video, the store now completely dark. 

“It’s a classic vampire movie,” she shrugged and smiled, “no notes,” she added. 

It had stopped raining but the sidewalks were littered with shallow puddles of dark water. Neil chuckled and placed one hand on the small of her back as they turned away from the store. 

“I thought you’d like it,” Neil smirked and she raised her eyebrow. 

“Why?”

“You would 100% be the kind of girl to get abducted by an insanely attractive vampire and fall in love with him.” 

“Well would he suck my blood at the end and kill me?” She pretended to consider the universe that Neil was suggesting. 

“Oh of course,” Neil shrugged his shoulders up to his ears and furrowed his brows playfully. 

“I can’t see it,” she shook her head and clasped her hands behind her back as they walked. She looked down at her shoes and smiled. Neil fell silent for a moment, his eyes once again trailing her up and down. 

“Have I told you how amazing you look?” Neil cleared his throat. 

“Yes, but I wouldn’t mind hearing it again,” she blushed and cocked her head to the side, looking into his eyes as they walked. Neil wet his lips and stopped, looking her up and down once again. 

“You look amazing.” He said seriously and she looked away, self-conscious. They were stopped in front of Neil’s house, a two-story craftsman in a dark green color that looked dark blue in the darkness. She looked from the house to Neil’s face, the front porch light reflecting in his bright blue eyes. Neil laughed awkwardly when he realized that they had stopped at his house. 

“Will you come inside?” He twisted his hips casually, jerking his head once at the front door. The girl exhaled shakily and nodded. 

“Yeah.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” She answered with a nervous smile. 

Neil broke into a large smile, the lines of his cheekbones stretching down to the edge of his jaw beside his pink lips. They climbed the stairs to the house and Neil let her inside, his eyes traveling up the length of her body as she stepped into the house in front of him. Neil closed the door behind him, exhaling slowly. She met his eyes when she turned back and smiled shyly when she noticed how he stared at her. 

“Do you want to kiss me?” She asked him quietly. Neil nodded emphatically, his hand still on the doorknob behind him. 

“Then come here and kiss me,” she whispered and turned fully to face him. She felt her cunt grow hot and heat billowed down her thighs. Neil clenched his jaw and swallowed, his eyes now fixed on the girl’s mouth. He pushed himself off of the door and approached her, his hips swaying slightly as he walked. She kept her arms by her side as Neil wrapped gentle fingers around her upper arms, right above her elbows, and held his lips within inches of hers. She savored the way he smelled, like laundry detergent and mouthwash. He smelled like what she imagined domestic masculinity would smell like if it could be bottled. She sighed softly before he kissed her, his lips drawing hers between his. He held her in place, not aggressively, and kissed her, moving his head occasionally to taste her from different angles. 

When he broke away she took a step back and clasped her hands behind her back girlishly. Neil laughed like a schoolboy, shocked by the surge of desire and energy he felt just from the kiss. 

“Can I take you upstairs?” He leaned his arm against the wall and pointed to the staircase in front of them. She bit her lip, trying to stop from laughing hysterically from nerves. She took a step backwards and stepped onto the bottom step, facing Neil. 

“Ask me again,” she teased and bit her lip harder. Neil exhaled sharply as he felt his cock twitch aggressively in his pants. The dark room threw her body into shadow and the windows above the stairs illuminated her silhouette. He wet his lips and asked again. 

“Can I take you upstairs?” 

She could still make out his blue eyes in the dark as the windows provided enough light to catch their color. She took a few more steps up, still facing him. 

“As you wish,” she whispered. Neil laughed, thrilled by her little game. He hurried up the stairs but she kept a few steps between them at all times until she reached the top of the stairs. She backed up into the wall beside the window and allowed Neil to close in on her. Neil held her hips in his large hands and kissed her again, this time snaking his tongue into her mouth, testing the waters. They stumbled away from the stairs and rushed into a doorway, Neil catching himself on the doorframe with both arms so that he could turn her around. He twisted her around so that her back was to his bed. 

Neil’s room was exactly as one would expect. His walls were decorated with movie posters with the addition of a few select female movie stars that he had the hots for. He helped the girl back onto the bed and leaned over her on the bed. She weaved her fingers through the hair on the back of his neck and traced his jaw with her palms. He worked quickly to pull off her gogo boots and slipped off his suit jacket. She moved onto her knees on the edge of the mattress and slid each button out of its eyelet on his power blue shirt. Neil shrugged it off and pulled each sleeve over his wrists, dropping it to the floor. She pressed her hands against his chest and placed a few shaky kisses against his warm skin. Neil sighed pleasurably and swept her hair over her shoulders to lie flat down her back. Looking up at him, she moved her hand down to the zipper at his crotch. Neil’s eye widened as she unzipped his fly and slid her hand down into the front of his hands, beneath his underwear. She cupped his erection in her hand and rubbed her hand down the hot and trembling length. Neil sputtered as she stroked him, his hands returned to the bed on either side of her body. She leaned down so that she could kiss the side of his neck while she jerked him off. Precum coated his cock so her hand slid easily over him and she shivered when she heard Neil gasp softly beside her ear. 

“Fuck, you’re full of fucking suprises,” he panted and squeezed his eyes shut. She exhaled against his neck and left a fresh hickey before responding. 

“This isn’t a movie, Neil. You can’t predict the ending.” 

She pulled her hand out of his pants and kissed his briefly as she scooted farther into the bed. Neil watched her breathlessly, his face hot. He watched her as she unzipped the side of her dress and pulled it over her head. Her bare breasts confronted the cold air by hardening. Neil’s jaw nearly fell open when he saw her, exposed like that. All that remained on her body was the cotton underwear which he allowed his gaze to linger on, camouflage by her thighs. She laid back on the bed and propped herself up on her elbows, her stomach trembling with nerves and desire. Neil’s erection pushed noticeably against his boxers. With his eyes still trained on the girl, he pushed down his pants and crawled onto the bed, stopping over her. He lowered his mouth to her neck and kissed the soft flesh there, savoring how warm she was against his mouth. She worked her underwear down and he could feel her hips shift on the mattress which thrilled him. He sat back to look at her, fully nude now. He raised her leg into the air and kissed down her calf, stopping at the underside of her knee. 

“I want to fuck you,” Neil saidbreathlessly as he moved his fingers down her thigh. She smiled darkly, her bow mouth drawn up into a smirk. His cock throbbed in his underwear and hovered above her navel.

“Say it again,” she whispered. Neil raised an eyebrow and exhaled anxiously.

“I want to fuck you.” 

“Again.”

“I want,” he leaned down to her ear and shoved a finger inside her gently, “to fuck you.” She whimpered and bit her lip. 

“Again,” she struggled to say the words, her cheeks flushed. 

“No, honey. You’re supposed to say, as you wish.” Neil whispered against her skin, his finger curling inside her. He smiled when she squirmed and moaned. 

“Ah, fuck- fuck me,” she gasped before Neil crushed his mouth against hers. He pulled down his boxers just enough to free his erection and centered himself at her cunt which was throbbing as much as he was. 

“As you wish,” he chuckled and removed his finger, swapping it out for his cock. He pushed in gently, working his tip inside her slowly as she squirmed needily beneath him. She was tight from nerves and inexperience and he whined despite himself as he went deeper. Her hands found his back and gripped into his flesh. He watched as his cock struggled to fit all the way inside her and moaned loudly when he saw her mouth held open in pleasurable shock. 

“Is it ok?” He groaned and stroked her flushed cheek. Her red lipstick was smudged again on her chin and he swiped his thumb across it. 

“Mmhm, yes.” She nodded and bit her lip as he thrusted in farther. Once her body got used to his length, he was able to pull out and thrust back in. It took only seconds but the sensations felt as though they were happening over hours. He fucked her gently but fast, his hips rocking against hers and shaking the mattress. She pushed her heels into the mattress and arched her hips up into his pelvis. Neil found it delightfully needy and thrusted deeper, eliciting a loud gasp from the girl.  

“Do you like that?” Neil smiled and cupped her chin with his hand. 

“Uh huh, yeah.” She panted as her eyes rolled back into her head. 

“You’re being such a good girl,” Neil praised her and cussed beneath his breath as he felt her walls tighten around him. His hips bucked aggressively into her over and over again and she yelled and gasped in pleasure. He looked down at his cock, slick with her precum, sliding in and out of her. He held her thighs and coaxed her deeper onto his cock, she gasped and bit her lip, her breasts bouncing against her chest. Neil groaned at the sight and fucked her messily, lossing control as he felt how wet she and tight she was getting as she neared her orgasm. 

“Good girl! I’m so close.” He panted quietly and she wrapped her fingers loosely around the nape of his neck. 

“Cum inside me,” she pleaded. 

“What?”

“Cum inside me,” she repeated, more delirious with pleasure.

“Say it again,” he smirked, playing her at her own game.

“Cum. in. me.” Her words tumbled out in a jumbled mess as she started to climax. Her thighs were tightening and her muscles flexed. He groaned helplessly as she came around him.

“As you wish,” he managed to answer as he buckled his hips against her and prompted himself to finish inside, spilling cum into her. He thrusted as he finished and exhaled when he finally pulled out. She worked to catch her breath as he collapsed beside her on the bed. 

“Fuck.” He sighed and rubbed his face. 

“Yeah.” She laughed lightly and cupped her cunt, still riding out the lasting waves of climax. 

#cillian murphy #fanfiction #cillian x reader #cillian x fem!reader #neil lewis x fem!reader #neil lewis x y/n #neil lewis smut #neil lewis x reader #neil lewis #watching the detectives #young cillian murphy #fem!reader #y/n

[cyberpunkgyu]

I Fell For You (Literally!) — C. Beomgyu

❥ pairing: beomgyu x reader

❥ genre: a short cute story, romance, fluff, one shot!

❥ warnings: cursing, a bit cringe at the end? other than that, none. 

☆…━━━━━·:*☆…━━━━━·:*☆…━━━━━·:*☆

“ah! what the hell.”

a pouty beomgyu was now on the cold cement floor, pretty sure a few bruises forming on his legs through his jeans, after he had fell down from his damn bike. he’s really about to sell this bike (as he have fell from it before a thousands of times already).

well, why did he fell?

you see, he was just on his way back home, coming from the local convenient store. he was hungry, so he needed something to fill his tummy, something yummy but cheap, as a college student, he needed to save as much money as he could. he did have a part time job, though he have spent almost all his recent pay check on a new pc that he’s been wanting to buy. a good spend, he said.

back to the story. he was just riding his bike home, on his usual path. then he saw an angel that he believed fell from the skies, walking past him. you.

he couldn’t help but stare, his lips parting. it was like in the movies, where he felt everything suddenly became in slo-motion. but suddenly that was cut off when he felt his bike slip on something, a rock, making him fall down. why was there a random rock in the middle of the walkway?

the plastic bag filled with his goodies had flew out, now all over the ground. great.

“oh my god, are you okay? let me help you.”

he looked up, seeing you crouched down in front of him, a very concerned expression on your face. oh my god, you are so beautiful, he thought.

is this what love at first sight feels like?

a smile unknowingly appears on his lips, his mind suddenly going blank. he doesn’t seem hurt as someone who just fell down hard on the ground.

you gently wrapped your arms around his chest, helping him up. although you were just helping him up, beomgyu can’t help but blush, your sweet scent filling his nose, smiling shyly.

he clung onto you as you guided him to a nearby bench, helping him sit down. you could see a scratch on his cheek and chin, as well on his legs, making you frown.

the guy in front of you just stared, though you didn’t even notice as you were too busy scramming into your purse. finally finding your small first aid kit, you took a piece of wipe before you started to pat on his cheek. he didn’t even flinch or wince as he was observing you.

he basically had heart eyes for you.

you now have cleaned up his cheek and chin, which he had some minor cuts, before placing two bandaids (specifically cinnamoroll designed bandaids), one on each cut.

“those are some bad cuts.” you looked down at his legs, wincing at the sight. crouching down, you began to treat the cuts and scratches on his legs.

he can’t help but suddenly feel shy as this was the first time a girl has ever touched him. okay beomgyu, calm down your horses.

luckily the fall wasn’t the worse he had, only having a few wounds.

“are you hurt elsewhere?” you asked after you finished, standing back up, looking down at him worriedly.

slowly he held his hand up to you, biting his bottom lip. “my hand hurt, can you hold it- i mean treat it?” nice save, beomgyu.

nodding (not even noticing what he just said) you gently took his wrist, looking down at the hand he fell on, a huge scratch displayed on the back of his hand.

you touched him so delicately, and he felt so giddy, biting his lip to prevent himself from screeching. the way you were taking care of him made his heart melt.

he wouldn’t mind falling on his face again if you’re the one to treat and take care of his wounds.

“there, all done.” you sighed softly and looked at the boy who kept staring at you, finally looking away for a moment when you caught him. you then looked around your surroundings, noticing packaged foods on the ground, knowing he got it from convenient store as you could recognized the plastic bag that was also on the floor.

“oh no, your food…” you started, turning to look back at the boy, feeling bad. “why don’t i buy you something?” you offered, smiling down at him.

“huh? no it’s okay-” he was about to respond before his stomach beat him to it, growling very loudly, making you laugh lightly. wow, even your laugh is beautiful.

“no worries, i’ll be back! don’t go anywhere.” you playfully threatened him before you turned around, walking quickly to the nearby convenient store, which was only two blocks away.

“fuck, that was embarrassing.” beomgyu groaned to himself, placing his face on his palms before hissing, remembering the cuts he had.

he then slowly smiled as he looked down at the cute bandaids you placed on him. he began swinging his feet as he thought of you, a big smile on his face. he waited for a while, singing funnily to himself, giggling a bit. if someone saw him they’d probably think he’s a lunatic, but he didn’t care.

he stopped as he soon watched you walk back to him from a far, his heart starting to beat faster again.

“i actually bought from the store next to it, and they have fried chicken and fries, hopefully that’s okay?” you finally sat down next to him, placing down the plastic bag between the two of you, opening the container for him. “they also gave me a free strawberry milk.”

you pushed the container closer to him, watching as he took the plastic glove that came with it (which is fortunate as he was pretty sure his hands are full of germs from the fall), digging in.

“woah! this is so good.” he ate happily while you watched the boy, feeling yourself smile.

it was just now that you notice how pretty he is. his lashes were so long, making him look like a doll. his thick and nicely shaped brows, his very cute nose, and his soft pink lips. he kinda resembles a teddy bear.

he slowly looked up at you, pushing the container towards you. “eat with me, it feels a bit lonely to eat alone.” he said softly, smiling cutely.

a smile appeared on your face, “alright, if you say so.” you breathed out, grabbing a glove before you started eating with him.

“do you often do that?” you asked, though he was confused on what you were asking, “you have been smiling since i first saw you… even after you fell.” you laughed a bit at the thought.

he hummed for a bit, chewing on his mouthful of fries. he is that hungry, huh?

you waited for him to finish it, munching on some fries as well,

“i only smile when i see pretty girls like you.”

you halted from your chewing, just staring at the guy, your cheeks warming.

“do you say that to every girls you see?” you joked, laughing softly.

beomgyu is someone who isn’t afraid to what he actually thinks. he does live stream for fun, and he isn’t afraid to tell his opinions or thoughts. he even scolds those haters that would go in his live, not caring what they think.

“you’re the only pretty girl i have seen in my life.” he smiled shyly, blinking up at you. “you know, i actually fell because of you. you were just so pretty that… i couldn’t help but look.”

your heart melts at the confession, definitely not expecting it. you didn’t even know what to say, only smiling at him. he sounded so genuine, your heart fluttering.

the two of you soon finished the food, satisfied with it. you gave him the strawberry milk, insisting he could have it.

“are you sure you can go home by yourself?” you asked after you cleaned up everything, as well as the food that fell on the ground earlier. you have also helped him pull up his bike.

you were still worried about the guy, wanting to make sure he is in the right condition. but he reassured you that he was fine, that it was just a few cuts.

“why don’t i give you my number? so you can text me once you get home.” you suggested, watching his eyes brighten, which before he was a bit pouty, not knowing if he’ll ever see you again.

he quickly nodded, grabbing his phone from his back pocket, handing it to you.

quickly typing your number, then typing out your name, you realized you both haven’t even introduced yourselves properly. you didn’t even know his name!

‘yn :)’

“what’s your name?” you asked as you handed his phone back, beomgyu looking down to read your name, mumbling it to himself.

“that’s a secret for now.” he grinned, his cute little dimple popping out.

“what? that’s not fair! i told you mine.”

“i can tell you once we see each other again.” he giggled, hopping on his bike, a cheeky smile on his face. “so i shall see you soon then!”

he waved at you before he began to ride his bike, watching as he became smaller and smaller from your view. laughing softly to yourself, as you were about to grab your purse, you notice a small sticky note on the bench.

it was a small drawing of you, with angel wings. it was a very cute drawing. you looked at it with an amusing expression, your lips parting.

i will definitely see you soon, bike boy.

-

bonus:

loser_lover: nice bandaids gyu

“it’s cinnamon roll.” he grinned at the camera, leaning closer to show them up close, pointing on them. he had changed into his pjs and washed up before placing his new bandaids.

he is currently talking to his viewers, taking a break from his guitar session.

bluehoursupremacyy: did he fell off his bike again lmao 😭

kuromiluvr: play farewell neverland by txt! 🫶🏼

yawnzzn: it’s cinamoroll not cinnamon roll dumb ass 🙄

ding!

he looked down at his phone, a smile immediately painted on his face.

beomgyu’s smile never left, looking up from his phone.

“okay, it’s time for me to sleep guys. see you again soon! thanks for watching.” he waved, looking at the comments one of time, saying goodbye to as much people as he could.

kai_huening: bro who got you smiling like that 🫢

heedeungie: bro is IN LOVE

kuromiluvr: bye gyu!

wonie2004: BYEEE

yawnzzn: holy shit do you have a gf now

“maybe i do.” he stuck his tongue out before waving once again. “okay, i’m ending in 3…2…1!”

#beomgyu x reader #beomgyu fluff #beomgyu imagines #beomgyu scenarios #choi beomgyu #txt fluff #txt scenarios #txt imagines #txt beomgyu

[erisnoxauthor]

Unholy Halloween Night

Summary: Billy takes his girl to a Halloween party and things get a little hot...

Warnings: Mature Themes 18+ *minors do not interact* fem reader (OC), p in v, alcohol and drug use, hints of abuse, fingering, overstimulation, sir kink, hair pulling [I think I covered everything, if I didn't please let me know!]

Celine is my OC, I don't own Billy Hargrove (although I wish I did ;} )

This is my first published piece anywhere! Let me know what you think!! xoxo Eris <3

Billy pulled the Camaro to a stop of in front of a house Celine hadn't seen before. "Do you know these people?" She asked, looking over to her boyfriend as he lit a cigarette in the dark of the car. He shrugged his leather clad shoulders. "Party is a party babe." Celine rolled her eyes, tugging on the pleather of her sexy nurse costume. Billy stepped out of the car, skirting the hood and coming to open her door. She stood from her seat, pressing her hands to his exposed chest, that red button up always undone way to low.

Billy's lips pulled into a smirk, pressing them roughly to hers. "Damn you taste good." He mumbles against her mouth. Celine fisted her hands into his jacket, pulling herself closer to him. She had been aching for him all day.

"You want to skip the party?" Celine asked, sliding her hand down his toned abs. Billy grabbed her wrist , stopping her path to his semi-hard dick, his eyes dark with lust. "I want to be drunk right now. Last night was fucking shit and today wasn't much better." Celine nodded, a look of concern on her face, stepping aside so he could close the door. Billy tossed the cigarette, pushing the door of the car closed.

She laced her hand in his, following him up the sidewalk to the house. The door was open and music poured into the front yard. Bodies lingered everywhere, drinks in almost every hand. She stayed behind Billy as he made a way through the crowd, the throng of people parting like the red sea when they saw him. Nobody messed with Billy Hargrove. Nobody.

He let her hand go when they made it to the kitchen, grabbing a cup for them both and handing one to her. Celine took a small sip of the cheap beer, wrinkling her nose at the taste. She liked fruity stuff a whole lot more than horse piss.

Billy tossed back what was in the cup, licking his lips as he sat it down on the table and surveyed the scene. Almost everyone was dressed in some kind of stupid costume. He turned his gaze back to his girlfriend. Celine currently wore a sexy nurse outfit, barley covering the tops of her thighs. The zipper looked ready to pop between her breast. Fuck it was going to be a long night.

They had been there a little over an hour, socializing with friends and dancing in the living room. Celine slid her ass across Billy's crotch, earing a look as he roughly gripped her hips. "I said drinking first." Celine laughed, turning her body and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I need you though." He pressed his lips to hers, his tongue darting out to lick her mouth. Celine obliged, opening her mouth to him. Their tongues intertwined, fighting one another for dominance. Celine groaned, threading her fingers into Billy's curls. She pulled slightly, earning her ass a rough squeeze. He pulled back, a breath away from her lips. "Are you going to make me fuck you right in front of everyone?"

Celine bit her lip, sliding her hand down his shoulder and his broad chest. "If that's what it takes." Billy grabbed her elbow, towing her toward the kitchen. He grabbed another cup and poured a hefty shot of liquor into the red plastic.

He took a drink, his ocean eyes never leaving hers. She swallowed, lost in the arousal forming between her legs. He pulled the cup from his lips, sitting in on the counter. "You're in for it baby girl." She looked down, a blush forming over her cheeks.

Billy caught her attention when he groaned, grabbing another cup from the table and swallowing half of it.

Celine followed Billy's line of sight to Tommy H and Carol pushing their way through the crowd. Tommy thought he and Billy were best friends but truthfully, Billy hated him. "Hey man!" Tommy shouted over the music. Billy nodded his head, fishing his cigarettes and lighter from the pocket of his leather jacket. He already looked irritated as hell.

"Well look at you Miss Nurse lady, maybe I'll get hurt later." Billy snapped his head toward Tommy, the other boy taking several steps back, his hands in the air. "Just a joke man." Tommy cleared his throat. "Hey, they have a keg out back. You want to reclaim your title?"

Billy shrugged, blowing smoke into the air. "I didn't know I had lost it." Tommy scratched the back of his head. "Well you didn't but.."

Billy tightened his arm around Celine. "Let's get outside babe." Celine followed him, wafting away the smell of pot hanging thickly in the air. She watched as Billy let her go, walking over to the keg in the midst of "Keg King! Keg King! Keg King!"

Two boys Celine recognized from the basketball team lifted him up by his legs as he held the nozzle, swallowing as much as he could. Billy wasn't always the best to be around when he was drunk but sometimes Celine understood. That was his one escape from his shit hole father. He couldn't think so he couldn't remember.

When the boys let Billy down, Celine snapped out of her thoughts. "Almost a whole fucking minute Hargrove! Fifty three seconds!" Billy stumbled against one of the players that had been holding him, reclaiming his cigarette. He slid the butt into his mouth and held both hands up triumphantly. The chants began again.

"Keg King! Keg King! Keg King!" Billy swayed over to Celine, tossing the cigarette into someone's mother's flower garden. He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her roughly against his body. "Let's find somewhere a little more private."

Celine followed Billy up the stairs into the first room they came to, a bathroom. He closed and locked the door, turning toward her. His eyes were glassy from the alcohol and his cigarette smoke and the mint gum currently in his mouth filled the bathroom.

Celine gasped when he pushed her back against the sink, slotting his thigh in between her legs. "Billy," Billy continued sucking on her neck, marking her as his. There would definitely be little bruises in his wake.

Billy slid his hand down to her breast, palming the heavy globe through the fabric of her outfit. She covered her hand with his. "Fuck me," Celine whispered into the small room. "I need you." Billy pulled back from her throat, slowly unzipping the front of her sexy nurses outfit. Her breast spilled free, nipples hard. Billy pushed the fabric back and bent his head, taking one into his mouth.

Celine tossed her head back, her hands gripping his hair as he sucked her breast. "Yes," He moved to the other one, giving it equal attention. Billy slid his hand up her skirt, his fingers brushing the thin fabric covering her pussy. He groaned, feeling the heat coming from her, the wet spot already formed on her panties. He slid the fabric aside, sliding the tip of his finger through her wet folds. God she was wet.

"Are you ready for me baby?" Celine nodded, pushing her breast out as she pulled at her nipple. Billy raised an eyebrow. "I didn't hear you." "Yes sir," She spoke quietly, pushing her soaked pussy toward his hand. "Please touch me." He slid two fingers into her, curling his fingers.

"You have to help me first babe." Celine looked down, his eyes widening at the bulge forming in his pants. She made quick work of his belt and undid the last few buttons on his shirt, pushing it back. She unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans, pulling them down with his boxers. His thick cock sprang free, slapping against his belly. A bead of precum already forming on the head.

Celine reached down, circling his cock with one hand. she swiped her thumb across the head, gathering the cum and bringing it to her mouth. She stared into Billy's eyes, his breath coming unevenly. Her tongue darted out, licking it off the pad of her thumb.

Billy smirked, he loved what a slut she could be. Just for him. But he was just as desperate as she was at this point and there was no time for play. He pulled her fingers from her pussy, sticking them into his mouth and licking off her arousal. Billy winked and Celine, her pupils blow at the small touch. He helped her off the sink, jerking her panties down her legs and pushing her skirt up. Billy put his hand in the center of her back, pushing her forward. The globes of her ass were on display to him and he could see her glistening arousal in the light.

Billy pulled his wallet from his back pocket, pulling the condom he kept for times just like these out. He tossed the wallet onto the sink beside her head and tore open the foil packet with his teeth. Billy rolled the condom down his hard length. No more little Hargrove's. That shit hole blood line stopped with him.

He gripped her hips, lining himself up, he pushed into her. Celine gasped. No matter how many times they fucked, she couldn't get past how big he was. He seated himself all the way, giving her time to adjust, massaging her hip.

Celine pushed back against him, signaling she was ready. Billy slowly withdrew before slamming back into her. He picked a rough pace. His balls slapping her clit with each thrust. Celine bit into her fist to keep from screaming, her small gasps still escaping. She looked in the mirror, meeting Billy's eyes as he fucked into her.

He winked, leaning forward to change the angle. Celine cried out as the head of his dick pounded against her sweet spot over and over. "Be my good girl, cum for me." He reached around, circling her clit with his left hand. Billy held eye contact with her in the mirror. Neither of them would last long.

He pussy clinched around his cock. The coil in her stomach felt like it is going to burst. Her orgasm took her by surprise, causing her to cry out. Billy covered her mouth with his free hand, helping her ride out her high. He continued to play with her clit in slow, lazy circles.

Tears streamed down her face at the overstimulation. She made eye contact with Billy in the mirror, her hands braced on the edge of the skin as he continued to roughly thrust into her. "Can you be a good girl and not yell?" She nodded her head, his hand still over her mouth. "Promise?" He grunted, his fingers digging into her hips. She squeezed her eyes shut, nodding furiously. He removed his hand, gripping her hips with both, chasing his own high.

Billy's thrust became erratic, his breathing ragged. His hips stilled as he came, spilling inside of her. Celine closed her eyes, her pussy clenching at the feeling. He let out a groan, his eyes closed and head thrown back. His Adam's apple bobbed in his throat. His necklace stuck to his sweaty chest.

He stayed like that, soaking in the feel of her hot core around him. He could feel his cock softening, party from the alcohol, partly from the amazing orgasm he had just had.

Billy hissed as he pulled his cock from her. She stood, feeling her arousal sticky between her thighs. She turned into her boyfriend's arms, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in his throat. He bent his head to kiss her temple. "My girl," Celine smiled against his skin. "Always,"

She untangled herself, stepping back and grabbed some toilet tissue to clean herself up. She slid her panties back up her legs, pulling her skirt back into place and fluffing her hair. Billy tossed the used condom into the trash, stuffing himself back into his jeans and fastening his belt. He rebuttoned his shirt and tucked it back into his jeans. Celine turned, resting her hip on the sink. She watched quietly as Billy pulled his cigarette back from his jacket, putting one between his lips and lighting it.

He tilted his head back, blowing the smoke toward the ceiling. She stepped toward him, pressing her cheek to his chest, listening to his heart beat. He wrapped his free arm around her, squeezing her ass. making Celine laugh. "Never enough for you is it?" He watched as she took his cigarette from his lips, placing it between her own and taking a long drag. "Not when it's from the most amazing girl in the world." He paused, taking back his cigarette. "Not from my girl."

Celine stood on her tip toes, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "Come on baby, I need a beer."

Billy laughed, opening the door for her. "There's my girl."

#billy hargrove #billy hargove smut #billy hargove imagine #billy imagine #billy #stranger things #request an imagine #multi fandom imagines #billy hargrove x oc #stranger things fanfiction #dacre montgomery #billy hargrove one shot #billy hargrove fic #billy hargrove fanfic #billy hargrove x reader #billy hargrove angst #Spotify

[rjalker]

Martha Wells really didn't think anything through for her version of The Imperial Radch. (Aka The Murderbot Diaries)

Ancillaries from The Imperial Radch are all different looking because they literally used to be real people who were kidnapped, murdered, and their brains taken over.

Martha Wells tells us that Constructs (anthroids, but she wanted to be special and make up new terms to confuse everyone) are made from cloned human tissue, but then...it's never brought up that they'd all be exactly identical to eachother because they're all clones from the original source? It's implied that they all look different, even though they also apparently all have the exact same proportions.

If they didn't all look different, then we would have gotten comments from characters about confusing Murderbot for another construct, or thinking it has a twin.

So, we're supposed to casually accept that all constructs are physically unique except for their proportions, which are all exactly the same.

And yes that's already extremely contradictory for no good reason. Gawaine giving away the horse and finding it dead five seconds later, yada yada yada. It's a game of telephone but for writing.

But even if we accept this contradictory statement as true, that each individual construct was cloned from a different source that's...not how capitalism works.

Modern day capitalism doesn't' care about genetic diversity even when it's crucial for species we eat not going extinct.

There's absolutely no way capitalists would suddenly care about preserving "genetic diversity" when it's literally not needed in any way. Constructs don't reproduce. Genetic diversity is not even remotely a consideration.

There is no in-universe justification we’re ever given, and considering Martha Wells’ loathing for doing world building for this series, we’re just never gonna get one.

They all look different because, despite the fact that she’s never bothered to describe it, Murderbot has to be Unique and Special™.

Even though it makes no fucking sense. The point of cloning en masse is that it’s supposed to be cheap and easy and can be done over and over and over again without end.

No capitalist is going to go out of their way to collect so many samples of genetic material to create a supposedly unlimited supply of completely unique anthroids who don’t even reproduce.

It’s a small detail, yes, but it’s just another inconsistancy upon piles of inconsistancies, born out of her insistance that her protagonists must be the most special characters ever to exist, while also trying to mimic better writing that...doesn’t prioritize creating Mary Sues.

She wants the cool vibe of The Imperial Radch, but doesn’t want any of the nuance or actual depth for characters and backstories and worldbuilding.

Murderbot is simultaneously super expensive and worth investing constant repairs in, but also cheap and easy to replace and not worth repairing. And you’re just supposed to believe both of these things at once, and who cares if they’re completely contradictory.

Murderbot is a disposable plastic cup, because Ancillaries are disposable and Martha Wells wants Murderbot to be as cool as them.

Murderbot is expensive and worth investing endless repairs in, because Martha Wells is ableist and lazy and would rather die than write a character who becomes physically disabled over the course of the story, even though Murderbot’s literally based on a character who -- *gasp* -- became physically disabled over the course of her story! Multiple times! And none of them were ever magically healed like they never happened!

Murderbot is made of cloned human material, because that sounds cool and scifi-y, but isn’t actually a direct clone of anyone, or one clone among many, because Martha Wells’ protags have to be the most unique and special and best characters in the setting ever, and she thinks that specializes would be diminished if Murderbot had a few thousand clone-siblings running around.

So we just end up with another completely contradictory set of ideas on top of the rest that we’re already supposed to accept in the series.

#Rjalker reads The Murderbot Diaries #The Murderbot Diaries #inconsistant worldbuilding #worldbuilding #Martha Wells critical #The Murderbot Diaries critical #TMBD #Constructs #lazy writing #mary sues

[electropneumatic]

I've been sick for over a month. Coughing, weezing, etc. For about a week, each night I'd either

A. Have stress dreams about material science & physics and get terrible sleep

B. Have a great night's sleep and feel pretty great in the morning. Until I blow my nose and my mucus is now blood. Hiding bloody tissues from my roommate like some Victorian discretely dying of Tuberculosis. Somewhat concerning. Still the better of the two options I believe.

Anyways, around the start of this illness I received a free reusable water bottle. It's very cheap, made in china, smells of chemicals, says to wash before using. Of lower quality than most free water bottles, even. My friend promptly filled it with Titos (before washing out the water bottle!) creating what I refer to as "microplasics vodka." It's been in there for quite a while now, almost the length of my "disease" (? Idk medical terminology). Each day, I'm sure that the vodka dissolves more plastics into it. However, I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Every once in a while I'll flip up the straw and take a nice sip. I love vodka. Definitely not the worst birthday present I've ever received. One time I got a box of cheese its but I didn't complain about that either. Anyways I think that there is a connection between the two things (disease and microplasics vodka). Not physical. The vodka is not causing the illness. Think deeper. Think beyond. Metaphysical. The vodka represents the illness, and when it finishes, I will not be sick. It's like the xp bar video game bosses have. When vodka is 0 disease dies. Its almost like a potion of sorts. One day I will be free. This is something I believe in my heart. Amen 🙏

I love my microplastics vodka. 😄 genuine

#Spotify

[get-your-fics]

Untouchable

Summary: Selina's a good friend. She's just a little overprotective sometimes, that's all.

Pairing: Dark!Selina Kyle x fem!reader

Word count: 16k (it's a monster lol)

Warnings: Dub-con/non-con, scissoring, sex toys, squirting, stalking, violence, blood, implied drugging, possessive behavior, overstimulation, use of the d slur

Note: this is a part of me and @bamposworld's pride month collab! 🌈 i did not expect for it to get this out of hand so i hope the build up was worth it :)

You stared at yourself in the mirror and didn’t recognize the woman staring back at you.

Your face was caked in so many layers of foundation, it looked waxy. You’d put on so much mascara to the point where your lashes were clumping together. You’d painted your lips a fire truck red and bought a cheap wig, framing your face with stiff, plastic curls.

Normally, you wouldn’t go this overboard, but your new employer had told you the men who go to the Iceberg Lounge weren’t interested in natural women.

“If that was the case, they’d stay at home with their wives,” Penguin had roared, lighting the end of the cigar stuck in his mouth.

Tonight was your first shift, eight long hours from nine pm to five am without breaks. This job wasn’t your first choice (though you doubted it was any of the girls’ in the dressing room with you either), but it was the only one you had. Finding honest work in a crime ridden city like Gotham was like finding a needle in a haystack.

But you were in desperate need of money. Making enough just to have a roof over your head and food in your belly was a hard task already, but add saving up to leave Gotham and go to school into the equation, and that made for an even harder feat. You’d have to get off your high horse and debase yourself by working in one of Gotham’s seediest establishments if you wanted a chance of succeeding.

For the first time, you were glad your mother didn’t live to see you now. Lord knows she was probably rolling in her grave as it was.

The door to the dressing room slammed open, and a cloud of cheap perfume wafted in as a group of girls entered. The incessant thumping bass of the music in the club grew louder for a second until the door swung closed behind them, muffling the noise again to a dull murmur. Their tittering ceased when they spotted you, and they stopped in their tracks.

“New girl, if Penguin sees you hiding in the dressing room, he’ll throw you out before you can even put your heels on,” one of them snapped in a nasally voice.

“Yeah, your shift started ten minutes ago!” another piled on.

“Oh, sorry.” You stood up, flustered.

The first girl who spoke grimaced at you. “Is that what you’re wearing?”

You looked down at your frumpy dress and shrugged sheepishly. “It was all I had.” It wasn’t like you could just go out and buy a new dress for work.

She wrinkled her nose. “Nevermind, take as much time as you need.” Her friends snickered behind you.

You watched them strut past you in the mirror, nearly smacking you in the face as they flipped their hair over their shoulders. “Why did Penguin even hire her?” you heard one hiss. They congregated in the corner by the clothing racks, whispering behind their hands and glaring in your direction every now and then.

Your breathing started to quicken, the first sign of an oncoming panic attack. You reached for something, anything, you could use to distract yourself and grabbed the first thing your hand made contact with: a tube of lipstick. You uncapped it and pursed your lips, overlining them to make them look bigger, plumper, more appetizing—

“Overdoing it a little, are we?”

You looked up from your reflection to see someone standing behind you. You hadn’t even noticed her sneaking up on you, and judging by how slim and lean she was, you could see why. She must be light on her feet, silent even in her high heels.

Your eyes met her smoky, brown ones in the mirror. She had fine features like a cat, her cheekbones so pronounced they could probably cut diamonds. She had on a bright pink China doll wig, which you were sure would look ridiculous on anyone else, but she rocked it like a cutting edge fashion model, the blunt ends making her jaw look even that much sharper.

If this was the caliber of beauty Penguin expected from his girls, you might as well just quit while you were ahead.

You twisted around in your chair to face her. “Isn’t that a good thing?”

She quirked a brow at you. “Not if you plan on making money tonight.”

Your face heated up in embarrassment. “Is it really that bad?”

“You look like if Ronald McDonald was a sex doll,” she deadpanned.

You blanched, and she burst into laughter. “Don’t worry, I’m sure some guy out there is into that.” She grabbed a makeup wipe from nearby. “Here.”

Without warning, she started swiping at your face. You just sat there, too stunned by her brazenness to move or tell her to stop.

“You’re the new girl, right?” Her gaze was intensely trained on her hand as it worked. “I’m Selina, by the way.”

You nodded and told her your name. You did your best to not move under her hand, practically holding your breath to stay still.

“Well, new girl, don’t pay those washed up hags in the corner any mind.” She jutted her head in the direction of the girls who’d passed you earlier. “They’re just jealous.”

You stopped yourself from gawking at her. “Jealous? Of me?”

She hummed in confirmation. “Close.”

It took you a second to realize she meant your eyes. You did as she said, and she started rubbing at your mascara. “Why?”

“Because they start shaking in their four-inch heels any time fresh meat enters this dressing room,” she said. “They’ve been here for years. It’s only a matter of time before customers get bored of them and Penguin kicks them to the curb.”

The pressure on your eyes disappeared as she pulled her hand away. “Is this makeup yours?”

Your eyes fluttered open, and you looked at the makeup on the counter she was pointing to. You nodded, and she started rifling through it, finding what she needed before redoing what she had removed.

You glanced at the girls she was talking about out of the corner of your eye. You noticed crow’s feet by their eyes and smoker lines around their lips upon closer inspection. You tried not to wince. You hoped you weren’t looking at your future, pushing forty and working at a place where beauty and youth were commodities to make ends meet.

Selina pulled back and set the mascara down. “Okay. I worked my magic the best I could.” She leaned over you, hands resting on the arms of your chair. “You ready for the big reveal?”

You nodded. She whirled you around to face the mirror, and your brows shot up your forehead when you came face to face with your reflection. You didn’t recognize yourself for the second time that day, but this time it was because you were surprised you didn’t look like the hot mess you were expecting to see staring back at you.

She’d put just enough makeup to accentuate your features without making you look like a melting figurine. Your lashes were long and thick, but not clumpy. There was a slight shimmer to your skin, like you were glowing. Your lips were a softer shade of red, and she’d stayed within the lines when drawing them on.

You must’ve been silent while gawking at your reflection for too long, because Selina prompted you. “So?” She hovered over you in the mirror, raising a brow. “What do you think?”

“It’s… wow.” You were quite literally at a loss for words. “You did a great job.” You wondered why she was working here when she should be making a living as a makeup artist.

“Well, it was easy, considering I had a flawless base to work with,” she teased with a bright smile.

You ducked your head shyly. Of course, you still were nowhere near as jaw-droppingly gorgeous as she was, but you figured that was out of the realm of possibility.

“Thank you, Selina. For all of this, I mean.” You gestured vaguely to your face. “It was really nice of you.”

“Well, despite what those bitches from earlier made you think, it’s really not that bad around here. You just have to find the right ones to trust.” She smiled at you through the mirror.

You returned it. Your mother had instilled in you that the only kind of people who worked in a place like this were drug addicts and thieves. But you had a hard time envisioning Selina as either.

She tapped her finger against her chin. “But, I can think of a way you could return the favor.”

Your smile dropped, and she grabbed your shoulders, rattling you in your chair. “Oh, don’t look at me like that! It’s nothing bad, I promise.” She laughed. “I was just gonna ask if you wanted to stick with me tonight, and we could split the tips at the end.”

Your jaw nearly dropped to the floor. That didn’t sound like you were doing her a favor at all. If anything, it was the other way around. “I don’t know. That’s really generous of you.”

“Come on! It’s your first night on the job. You need someone to show you the ropes, and lord knows those has-beens aren’t gonna do it.” She rolled her eyes. She leaned down so you were cheek to cheek in the mirror, sticking her bottom lip out and batting her lashes. “Please? Don’t make me beg.”

You tried to bite back a smile, but the corners of your lips still lifted. “Okay,” you gave in.

She squealed and did a little happy dance in place that made you giggle. She stopped and clapped her hands together. “But if you’re going to be seen with me, we need to get you out of that dress. You can borrow one of mine.” She picked up one of the curls of your wig, and it hung limp between her fingers. She let go, and it fell back into place. She scrunched her nose. “We may have to get you a different wig too.”

She gripped the back of your chair, and your fingers dug into the fake leather cushion beneath you as she spun you to face her. She stood straight in front of you, settling her hands on her hips with a sharp exhale. “I have my work cut out for me, so let’s get started before Penguin comes in and finds out we’re not out there yet.”

At the end of the night, Selina handed you your cut of the tips, and you didn’t think you’d ever held more money in your hands in your entire life.

It was a wholly unfair and imbalanced split on Selina’s end, though. She strutted through the club like she owned the place, chatting up regulars like she’d known them for years. You mainly followed in her stead like her shadow, standing behind her as quiet as a dormouse while she carried the conversation.

You held the stacks of cash in your hand out to her. “I can’t accept this.”

She furrowed her brow. “What are you talking about? You earned it.”

You shook your head. “No, I didn’t. You did all the work.”

She huffed. “You’re new. You haven’t learned how to work them over yet.” She placed her hand over yours, curling your fingers around the wads of cash and pushing your fist into your chest. “So cut yourself some slack and take the damn money.”

She let go of your hand, and you looked down at your fist. You tucked the cash into your purse slung over your shoulder. At this rate, you could meet your goal in a matter of months, not the years you’d been expecting.

“Thanks, Selina, really. You don’t know how much this means to me,” you murmured, your voice small. You blinked the tears welling in your eyes away before they could smear your mascara.

“Just promise that when I ask to pair up with you again in the future, you won’t fight me so hard next time?” She looked at you expectantly.

You laughed, swiping at a stray tear before it could fall. “I promise. You’d just guilt me into it again anyway.”

She smirked at you. “You’re a fast learner. You'll be pulling your weight in no time.” She winked at you. “When’s your next shift?”

From then on, you became fast friends. She took you under her wing, teaching you the ins and outs of the Iceberg Lounge, from who the big spenders were to who were wastes of your time. She taught you how to flirt, how to lure patrons in just enough to get them to open their wallets without putting you in danger. She even taught you how to pickpocket.

“You have to go after them when they’re distracted. That’s where you come in.” She patted you on the arm.

You resisted the urge to worry your lip and mess up your lipstick. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” You eyed the man she had picked out as a target.

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Please, I do this all the time. It’ll be even easier with a partner.”

You leaned closer to her, keeping your voice low so only she could hear you over the music blasting in the club. “But what if he notices money is missing?” you hissed.

She placed a hand on your shoulder and thumbed in the direction of the man slumped over in the booth. “That guy is so drunk off his ass, he won’t even remember how he made it home tomorrow.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Besides, all the guys who come here have more than their fill. They won’t notice if we skim a little off the top.”

Despite your initial uneasiness, all her attempts went off without a hitch, and you couldn’t complain about the growing number in your bank account. That was about as dangerous as the job got, besides the times Penguin had you deliver drops to patrons or there was an unruly customer or two.

You supposed your mother was half right. Selina did turn out to be a thief (but a petty one, at least).

You were just relieved to make a friend. That was the last thing you expected to happen in a place like the Iceberg Lounge. Where all the other girls had iced you out, Selina had welcomed you with open arms.

And sure, she could be a little overprotective sometimes, gripping you a little too tight and shooting looks at people who got too close to you. But after your prolonged solitary existence, maybe that’s just what friends were like.

She was your saving grace, your guardian angel, your mama bear. You were hardly in a position to complain about her behavior, bizarre or otherwise.

When you got to the dressing room to clock in for your shift, there was a girl you’d never seen before sitting in your usual spot.

You cautiously approached her. “Hey.” You stood behind her and timidly waved in the mirror. “Are you new here?”

She looked skittish, her eyes shifting from side to side. “Is it obvious?” She spoke with a thick Russian accent.

You shrugged sheepishly. “I just haven’t seen you before.” You introduced yourself.

“Annika,” she said back. “I just started today. I’m a little nervous.”

“Don’t be.” You flashed her a small smile. “I promise however bad you think it’s going to be, it’s nothing like that.”

She smiled back at you, relieved. Some of the tension eased from her muscles. Her eyes locked with her reflection, and she frowned, fidgeting with her lipstick. “Shit, this color’s all wrong,” she muttered under her breath.

You felt something akin to pride swell in your chest. You wondered if this was how Selina felt when she’d helped you that day. “Here,” you reached into your purse, “try mine.”

A hand suddenly landed on your elbow, stopping you. You looked up to see that Selina had snuck up on you. You wondered if you’d ever get used to her doing that or not.

“I wouldn’t do that,” she turned her close-lipped smile on Annika, “unless you have some Valtrex she can borrow in return.”

You blinked at her in shock. She tilted her head, her smile still fixed into place, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “You’re in my friend’s spot, newbie.” Her tone had a bite to it, her eyes narrowing to slits. “Shoo.”

Annika started scooping up her belongings. You tried to shoot her an apologetic look, but she didn’t meet your eye. Once she’d gathered her things, she skittered away quickly and quietly like a mouse.

Selina’s eyes followed her until she was out of sight, watching her like a hawk. You were used to seeing that kind of behavior from the other girls, not your warm, friendly, bubbly Selina.

“That was harsh,” you murmured. You weren’t used to standing up to her, or anyone for that matter. Usually she was the one defending you.

Her gaze snapped to meet yours, and her face softened. “That was me having your back,” she said. “Trust me, you don’t wanna get involved with girls like her.”

You furrowed your brow. “Why not?”

She glanced side to side to make sure no one one could hear what she was about to say. When she felt assured, she leaned closer to you. “I heard Penguin talking to Falcone in his office,” she whispered. “She’s going to the 44 Below.”

You swayed closer like gravity was pulling you towards her. “What’s the 44 Below?” you whispered back.

“It’s the club within the club, where Gotham’s best and brightest go to live it up without being seen.” She glanced at where Annika had been moments ago. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she was some Russian prostitute Falcone shipped here. She’d probably suck anyone off to get a green card.”

You bristled at her spiteful tone. Annika hadn’t seemed like that to you at all, and you were the one who’d actually exchanged words with the poor girl. She appeared how you imagined you were when you first started here: lonely and scared to death.

But you pushed those thoughts aside and gave voice to the one left instead. “Wait, Falcone? As in Carmine Falcone, the crime boss?”

She nodded. “If you think Penguin’s the boss of this operation, think again.” She spoke in low, hushed tones. “Falcone is the one running the show. Penguin’s just his lackey.”

You could only stare at her, your brain failing to put together a coherent response. Just when you thought you had this place figured out, the rug was pulled out from under you.

“But you don’t have to worry your pretty little head about all that.” She swatted your elbow lightheartedly. “What you do have to worry about, though, is getting out there. Some of the guys are wondering where you are.”

You left the dressing room with Selina at your side. The second you stepped foot in the club, you put an extra sway in your hips and lifted your chin, looking down the bridge of your nose at the men ogling you as you passed. Selina was the one you had to thank for that. She taught you how to hold your head high (and walk in heels without tripping and falling flat on your face).

You both sauntered over to the bar, feeling eyes on you the whole way. Selina seemed to bask in the attention, her spine lengthening to stand a little taller despite her short stature. She moved graceful and elegant like a panther slinking through the jungle. You, on the other hand, found it hard not to wither under the pressure of all the stares.

When you got to the bar, you each grabbed a silver tray of drinks that were waiting for you. “Catch you on the flip side!” Selina shouted over the music, lighting bumping her hip into yours.

“See you at break!” you yelled back, and then you both went your separate ways.

Your shift went by in a blur of neon lights and booming music, blinding smiles and light touches and dollars slid to you under tables. It was a whirlwind of color and noise, the stench of smoke and cologne permeating the air from how many bodies were crammed wall to wall in the club.

By break time, you were sweating and dead on your feet. You limped through the club in your heels, panting. The door bearing the ‘Employees Only’ sign was like the light at the end of the tunnel, but just before you could seek shelter inside, you felt a sharp pinch on your ass that made you yelp.

You went stiff, muscles locking into place. You glanced over your shoulder to see a group of guys sitting at the bar, leering at you with glazed over eyes and wicked smirks. You’d never seen them before, but they looked like the usual club goers: rich, entitled pricks who lived off of daddy’s money and never worked hard a day in their lives.

“Where you rushing off to, sweetheart?” one of them hollered at you.

“Is it your break?” another one crowed. “‘Cause I know how to make the most of your time!” They all burst into cackles.

You suppressed an eye roll and turned away from them. It wasn’t the first time you’d been harassed by a customer, and you doubted it’d be the last. You continued on your way to the dressing room, mentally noting to let security know about the guys getting rowdy at the bar.

Over the din of the club, you heard the screech of stool legs against the floor and footsteps echoing the click of your heels. “Aw, don’t run away!” a chorus of voices shouted over each other, drawing closer to you. “Come back here!”

Alarm bells went off in your head. You sped up your pace, your heart beating a little faster in your chest. Hands reached out and grabbed at you, pulling you back.

The world spun before you collided into a hard chest, the smell of aftershave flooding your senses. You looked up and met the face of one of the guys at the bar. He had on a sharp suit and a buzzcut. “I don’t like being ignored, sweetie.”

You pushed him away from you, but when you turned, there was another one blocking your path. “Where do you think you’re going?”

You swiveled your head, but everywhere you looked, they seemed to appear out of nowhere. They slowly started to close in on you. “Get away from me.” You tried to sound intimidating, but your voice came out weak and pitiful even to your own ears. “Leave me alone.”

“Don’t be like that, sweetcheeks. We just want to have some fun.” You couldn’t tell who the sleazy, grimy voice came from; it seemed to surround you at this point. “Isn’t that what you’re here for?”

They looked like a pack of wild animals salivating over the prey they had trapped. Their pupils were large and blown out, whether from drinking or something else you wouldn’t put past them. Fear settled like a stone in your gut. You opened your mouth to scream, to hopefully alert someone to come to your rescue before something bad happened.

Before you could utter a squeak, there was a loud crash. You all turned to see a glass bottle splinter into shards upon impact with one of your assaulter’s heads. His eyes rolled back into his skull before he dropped to the floor unconscious, revealing Selina standing behind him, what was left of the bottle gripped in her hand.

She dropped the neck of the bottle to the floor. “Next one who lays a finger on her gets it worse,” she said, crouching into a defensive position that looked all too practiced and natural for her.

The men looked just as shocked as you were, outright gawking at her. Buzzcut recovered enough to chuckle. “I think it’d be an unfair fight, sweetie.”

She wasn’t fazed at all. “You’re right.” She smirked. “You assholes are no match for me.”

Her comment succeeded in agitating them to the point where you hardly registered on their radar anymore. They crowded around her, cracking their necks and knuckles with loud, threatening pops. “If that’s how you want to play it, then fine, we’ll play.”

She merely shrugged, unbothered. “Don’t say I didn’t tell you so.”

One of them lunged at her from the side. Your eyes went wide, your heat lurching in your chest. “Selina!” you cried out.

She turned, and the man’s face collided with her fist, bones crunching as her knuckles made contact with his nose. He stumbled back, clutching his mangled nose as blood gushed between his fingers. She leapt effortlessly into the air and landed a double kick to his chest before landing gracefully on her feet.

If you weren’t stunned before, you absolutely were now.

They all charged her at once, but she wove between them with ease. She was like a tornado, a flurry of hands and fists landing blows before anyone could even see them coming. The men were lumbering oafs in comparison, like they were moving in slow motion while she was on fast forward.

You watched the scene before you with wide eyes and an open mouth. You wanted to do something to help her, but your feet were like cinder blocks rooting you to the spot. Though, it wasn’t like there was much you could do. She seemed to have it under control. The men didn’t even graze her while she landed hit after hit, all in heels nonetheless.

Buzzcut threw a punch her way, but she easily ducked under his swing. She hissed and retaliated by scratching at his face. Her long, sharp nails caught on his cheek and sunk into his flesh. She dragged them down to his jaw, leaving skin dangling from five deep claw marks that immediately started oozing deep red blood like ink.

You winced at the damage. He was for sure going to need stitches and be left with a scar as a reminder of this night (though you supposed that was better than missing half a face).

She jumped up onto the bar, using it as leverage to soar through the air before wrapping her legs around his neck. She swung her torso low, flipping the man over her head. She took him down and landed on all fours, her head snapping up to lock eyes with the only man left standing.

He was at least a whole head taller than her and twice her size. He was panting through gritted teeth, his shoulders heaving with the movement. He cried out before launching himself at Selina like a bull seeing red.

She swiped her leg at his ankles, knocking his feet out from under him. He hit the ground with a hard, booming thud. She sprang to her feet, looming over him. She reached down and grabbed his wrist, wrenching his arm behind his back.

You didn’t recognize the menacing look on her face as she twisted. There was a loud pop, and then the man let out a blood curdling scream.

“What the hell?” You and Selina both turned to see a flustered Penguin flanked by security guards pushing through the people gathered around to witness the commotion. “What’s going on here?”

Selina let go of the man’s arm, and it dropped, hanging limp from his shoulder at an odd angle. “Well, look who finally decided to show up!” She stepped over the fallen bodies to get to him. “Party’s over, boys! You fellas sure know how to show a girl a good time.”

Penguin leveled his hard glare at her. “What happened here, Selina?”

She cocked a hip and thumbed at the men behind her. “These shitheads thought it’d be funny to harass my girl here.” She looped her arm through yours and tugged you to stand next to her. “So I showed them that when you mess with her, you mess with both of us.”

He didn’t look nearly as surprised by Selina’s confession as you thought he would. You wondered just how many times before he’d found Selina standing unharmed amongst a group of injured men that the sight lost its edge.

Penguin shouldered his way between you and Selina, forcing you to unlink. He walked over to the men who were grumbling and groaning as they collected themselves off the floor, slowly putting themselves back together as they wavered on their feet.

“Sorry, boys, but I’m gonna have to ask you to leave.” Penguin clapped his large hands together. “We have a zero tolerance policy on violence towards our staff.”

“That’s bullshit!” Buzzcut seethed. “We were just joking around!” He jabbed a finger at Selina. “She’s the one who decided to go all Kill Bill on us!”

Penguin shrugged. “Sorry, but we don’t lose out on any money if one of you gets busted.” He gestured towards you and Selina. “The merchandise, on the other hand, has to be in tip top shape.”

He scoffed. “Oh, yeah? We’ll see about that when you hear from my lawyer.”

Selina snorted. “Have fun telling your daddy’s law firm you got your ass handed to you by a girl.”

His head snapped to look at her. He took a step in her direction, and both of Penguin’s security guards perked up like dogs sensing an oncoming threat.

His friend clapped a hand on his shoulder, holding him back. “Forget about it, Sean. This place blows anyway.” He rolled his eyes.

Buzzcut stepped down. “You’re right. Let’s get out of here.” He turned back to you and Selina, a tick in his jaw. “You and your little girlfriend better watch your backs,” he sneered. “You’re gonna regret this, dyke.”

He spun on his heel and joined his friends hobbling towards the exit escorted by security. One of them clutched his dislocated shoulder. The other was shaking glass shards from his hair. You watched them go until they dissolved into the crowd.

Selina rolled her eyes next to you. “Could they be any sorer losers?”

You didn’t reply. You were worried if you opened your mouth, you’d never be able to close it again. You didn’t understand how she could be so casual about beating up five men without even breaking a sweat.

Penguin turned on you and Selina. “Tell them to come back when they want to get their asses kicked again,” Selina remarked.

“You tell them yourselves, ‘cause you’re joining them,” he said.

Selina gaped at him, while the blood drained from your face. “What?” she snapped.

“I can’t have you girls disturbing the mood of the club,” he reasoned. “You’re upsetting the customers.”

“Well, I wouldn’t have to if you did your job.” She poked him in the chest. You were pretty sure she was the only one who could do that to him and still keep her finger. “My girl was two seconds away from getting gang-raped in the middle of your club if I hadn’t stepped in.”

When she put it like that, your head felt woozy all over again.

“Look, you can come back tomorrow, but you’re taking the rest of the night off, alright?” He leaned closer to Selina. “And I’ll do you a favor by not mentioning your involvement in this little mishap to the man upstairs, huh?”

You side-eyed Selina, but her expression was stoney and unreadable. You wondered just how deep her ties in the club truly ran.

She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m guessing you’re not gonna pay us for our time off, now are you?”

Penguin didn’t respond, pressing his thin lips together.

“Didn’t think so.” She shot him a scalding look before spinning on her heel, flipping her hair over her shoulder. She looped her arm through yours again and led you away from him.

When you got to the dressing room, it was empty. You must’ve spent your whole break dealing with those guys at the bar. The second the door slammed closed, Selina was on you, grabbing you by the arms.

“Are you okay?” Her eyes scanned over every inch of your body. “They didn’t hurt you, did they?”

You blinked at her, baffled. You didn’t know how she could be so concerned for your well-being when she was the one in the middle of a brawl with five guys double her height. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”

Her brow creased in confusion like she didn’t have a clue what you could be talking about. “What?”

“Selina, what were you thinking?” You didn’t mean to sound so scolding, but you couldn’t help it. “You could’ve gotten seriously hurt!”

She let go of her grip on your arms. “Well, it was either you or me, and I was willing to take my chances. Those guys have never fought a day in their lives. I could take them all with my eyes closed.”

You took your bottom lip between your teeth. “Where did you learn to fight like that?”

She raised a brow. “Hello? We live in Gotham, the city with the highest crime rate in the country.” She reached up and removed her wig, revealing her dark, pixie-like cropped hair underneath. “Any creep who pegs me as an easy target is in for a nasty surprise.”

You couldn’t help but laugh at that. She always had a way of making you feel better, even in the most dire of circumstances. “Is this a thing that happens a lot? Should I expect you to get in more bar fights in the future?”

She shrugged. “Only if the dude is asking for it.”

You both changed out of your clothes. You felt like a slob in your hoodie and jeans compared to her leather catsuit. You didn’t know what she was doing in the dressing room of a seedy club with you. Her face should be plastered on billboards all over the city advertising some overpriced perfume you’d never have the disposable income for by now.

“You are okay though, right?” She stared at you with genuine concern, like she could discern how you were feeling if she just looked long enough.

“I’m fine. Just a little shaken up.” You rubbed your arm. It was the truth, though you’d probably have a hard time sleeping tonight. The events at the club would play over and over in your mind like a tape on repeat.

“Where’s your car parked?” she asked, pulling the zipper on her suit all the way up. “I’ll walk you there.”

You shook your head. “Don’t have one. I’ll hail a cab.”

Her jaw dropped open. “What? I can't let you call a car, not after the night we’ve had.”

“I do it every night.” You shrugged. “What makes this one so different?”

“What’s different is now that I know, I don’t want to be called into the police station tomorrow if your body turns up in a ditch.” She grabbed her keys off of the counter, and they jingled in her hand. “I’m giving you a ride.”

There was no room for refutation in her tone, so you didn’t try to talk her out of it. You knew Selina could argue circles around you if she really wanted. It was easier just to tell her your address than waste your energy fighting with her (and you didn’t have much left after the eventful night you’d had anyway).

You followed her out the back. You couldn’t go through the front in your street clothes for fear of “breaking the illusion” for the customers. You walked down the narrow stairwell lit by dim green lights before a door spat you out into a back alley. You almost expected the guys from earlier to be there, waiting for you to finish what they started, but it was deserted, not a living soul in sight.

The click of heels against concrete echoed off the tall walls you were sandwiched between as you meandered past the stench of rotting fish emanating from dumpsters. When you stepped out onto the sidewalk, you took a breath of fresh air (or as fresh as air could get in polluted, smoggy Gotham City). You stood under the warm, yellow glow of a street lamp as you scanned the line of cars parked down the block, wondering which could be hers.

“Here she is.” Selina walked over to the only motorcycle in the lineup and patted the seat.

For the fourth time that night, you were taken aback. The leather catsuit suddenly made a lot more sense.

“Oh, no.” You backed away from her. “No, no, no. I’m not getting on that death trap.”

Selina huffed. “Come on. Don’t be so dramatic.” She swung her leg over the seat and jerked her head behind her. “Hop on.”

You worried your bottom lip with your teeth. “Shouldn’t I wear a helmet or something?”

As soon as the words left your lips, she produced a helmet with a large grin on her face. “You can wear mine.”

You lifted a brow. “So you can dash your brains out when we crash instead?”

She laughed. “You better not distract me then.” She held the helmet out to you.

You looked down at the helmet like it would bite you. “You have your license to drive this thing, right?”

“Yes, but I’m pretty sure you don’t have a license to drive me crazy.” She shook the helmet at you. “Hurry up. I don’t have all night.“

You glared at her before reluctantly snatching the helmet from her. You put it on, and the noise of the city became muffled like you were underwater. You looked out of the tinted visor, waiting for your eyes to adjust. How did she manage to see in this thing?

You awkwardly climbed onto the motorcycle behind her, making a passing comment about how you’d be safer in a taxi that Selina ignored. You looped your arms around her middle, scooting closer to her on the seat. She revved the engine, the motorcycle rumbling to life under you. You jolted, eliciting a squeak.

Selina laughed, glancing at you over her shoulder. “You alright back there?”

Heat rose to your face in embarrassment. “Now we both get to end up dead in a ditch,” you mumbled.

Somehow, she managed to hear you over the roar of the engine. “I’ll take that as a yes.” She hunkered down over the handlebar. “Hold on tight!”

Her foot slammed down on the pedal, and you weren’t prepared as the motorcycle peeled onto the road, speeding down the street.

Your grip on Selina’s waist reflexively tightened into a death lock. You pressed your chest flush against her back, holding her as close to you as you could, though for stability or comfort, you couldn't make heads or tails of. The wind whipped around you, and your harsh, ragged breaths filled your ears in the helmet.

The streets passed by so fast in a blur of neon lights, you didn’t realize how close you were to your apartment building until you were already there. The motorcycle slowed as Selina pulled up to the curb, her legs shooting out to stop it.

The second you were no longer moving, you unwinded your arms from Selina and slid off the seat, nearly tipping over in the process. You fumbled getting the helmet off before hunching over with your hands on your knees, your head still spinning. You didn’t know if you were going to faint or throw up.

A warm hand settled on your back, and Selina appeared in your field of vision. “You okay?”

You looked up at her, locking eyes. “I’m never riding home with you again.”

Her head tipped back in laughter. “You should know to never say never.” She stood up straight, her hands settling on her hips. “Now let me walk you to your door so I know you made it and didn’t pass out in a pool of your own vomit.”

You trudged over to your building and entered the code in the keypad, the front door unlocking with a click. Selina seemed to be watching you closely, though you figured she was just making sure you didn’t hit the ground before she caught you. Once inside, she scrutinized every inch of the building like she was looking for something. What though, you weren’t sure, and you didn’t know if she found it either.

The elevator was out of service as usual, so you climbed the five flights of stairs to your floor. You were embarrassed with how much you were panting while Selina remained chipper as ever. Though you supposed if she could take down a group of guys without so much as getting winded, some measly stairs were nothing in comparison.

You stopped in front of your door and rooted through your purse for your keys. They turned in the lock, and you pushed the door open a crack. You turned to face Selina, leaning against the doorframe.

“I’d invite you in, but it’s a mess in there,” you admitted sheepishly, scratching the back of your neck.

“That’s okay. I should be on my way anyway.” She pointed a stern finger at you, raising her brows. “Get some rest. I mean it.”

You mock saluted her. “Understood.”

She rolled her eyes at your antics. “Good night.” She started down the hall back the way you’d come.

Before she could disappear out of sight, you called out to her. “Selina?”

She stopped in her tracks and whirled around, looking at you expectantly.

Your hand lingered on the doorknob. “Thanks for saving me. Who knows what would’ve happened if you hadn’t gotten there?”

Her gaze softened. “Hey, don’t mention it.” Her lips curled into a smirk. “I’ll even teach you a few moves of your own so next time, it won’t matter if I’m there or not.”

You scoffed. “You say that like it’s easy.”

“Being able to defend yourself is important, especially in a city like Gotham.” There was a glint in her eye you couldn’t decipher. “You never know what’s around the corner.”

Selina dropped into the chair next to you with a huff. “We better make some good cash tonight.” She slumped in her chair. “I did not want to come into work today.”

You agreed wholeheartedly, though not for the same reasons. You were too lost in your thoughts to reply, staring blankly at your reflection while you dusted your face absently with a brush.

A crease formed between her brows, the way it usually did when she was worried. “Is everything okay?” She twisted in her seat to face you fully. “That’s the third time this week you’ve used blush instead of face powder.”

You looked down to see that you were, in fact, holding the brush you used to apply blush. You looked in the mirror, your complexion redder than normal. The brush slipped between your fingers, clattering on the counter.

Selina leaned closer to you. “What’s wrong, baby?” She whispered so the girls flitting in and out of the dressing room couldn’t eavesdrop. “And don’t tell me you’re fine, ‘cause neither of us are gonna buy that.”

You let out a long, heavy sigh, your gaze glued to the counter. “I feel like someone’s following me.”

She cocked her head to the side. “What makes you think that?”

“I come home to find windows open and lights on that weren’t before, and when I wake up, my door’s open when I know I closed it before going to sleep.” You bit at your lips, a bad habit when you were stressed. “And sometimes I see this figure out of the corner of my eye, but when I turn, it’s not there anymore.”

Saying it out loud made you realize how absurd it all sounded. You leaned forward with your elbows on the counter, your face in your hands. “Maybe I’m just going crazy.”

“Hey, don’t talk about my best friend like that.” She ducked her head, trying to catch your eye. “If you think it’s happening, then I have no doubt that it is.”

You glanced up at her and offered her the best watery smile you could muster. You wished you had as much unwavering faith in yourself as she had in you. “I just don’t know who’d wanna waste their time following me around.”

Her features drew into a pensive, thoughtful expression. “You don’t think it’s those guys from a couple weeks ago, do you?”

You perked up. You hadn’t thought about it before, but it made the most sense. The words that man — Sean — had spoken echoed in your ears: “You’re gonna regret this.”

Your face screwed up in confusion. “But if they wanted to hurt me, don’t you think they would’ve by now?”

She pursed her lips and shrugged. “Who knows why those guys do what they do?”

You nodded, taking a moment to let it all sink in. “What do I do?” You didn’t even know where to start. “Should I go to the police?”

She shook her head. “Cops are not your friends. Those guys are so loaded, they’d just pay them to look the other way.” Her face hardened. “Besides, it’s your word against theirs, and once they hear where you work, they’ll laugh in your face.”

You pressed your lips together in a taut line. You hated to hear the truth delivered to you so bluntly, but you knew she was right. Tears welled in your eyes, and your chin started to wobble.

Selina must’ve been able to tell you were close to bursting into tears, because she placed a gentle hand on your back. “Hey, why don’t you come stay with me for a while, baby? At least until things cool down.”

You shook your head, sending the locks of your wig flying. “I couldn’t ask that of you.”

“Don’t be silly.” She rubbed soothing circles on your back. “It’d make me feel better knowing you're safe.”

You hiccuped, trying to keep the sobs in. “I’ll keep it in mind, but I’m okay, seriously.” You sucked in a sharp breath, trying to pull yourself together. “I’m probably overreacting, honestly.”

She frowned, narrowing her eyes at you, but didn’t push any further. “If this keeps happening, you’ll let me know, right?”

You nodded. “Of course.” And you meant it.

“Good.” She picked up her mascara and started swiping at her lashes. “If they keep freaking you out, I swear I’ll start stalking you myself.”

You laughed, and your chest felt a little lighter. She always managed to find some way to cheer you up, even in the worst of situations. What would you do without her for a friend?

The door to the dressing room slammed open, and Penguin barged in. It wasn’t rare that he burst into the dressing room unannounced, but what was strange was how frazzled he seemed. He didn’t even spare the half-naked girls a glance (or at least not a second one).

He called your name, and you sat up straighter in your chair. His gaze landed on you. “Falcone wants to see you in his office.”

Your blood ran cold through your veins. You exchanged a disbelieving look with Selina. What could he possibly want with you?

Whatever it was, you didn’t think it was good.

“Today, preferably.” Penguin started snapping. “Show some hustle.”

You shot up from your chair. As you turned to push it in, you locked eyes with Selina. “I’ll wait here till you get back,” she whispered.

You wanted to tell her that wasn’t necessary, that you didn’t know how long you’d be (or if you’d even come back, for that matter) and the last thing you wanted was to make her late and give Penguin yet another reason to curse her out. But instead, all you did was give her a subtle nod of your chin before turning on your heel and following Penguin out of the room.

The tension as you both stood silent in the elevator was practically palpable in the air. Your whole body felt like a bundle of nerves, like a string pulled tight threatening to snap at any moment.

You thought it would go away when the elevator doors slid open, but instead you were only daunted by the sight before you.

You’d never been to Falcone’s office before. You’d been in Penguin’s plenty of times, mainly to deliver drops concealed under platters of drinks to paying customers. But you’d never had a reason to visit Falcone’s before.

Until now.

His office was huge and probably the cleanest space in the whole building. There was a pool table in the middle and a grand desk in front of a giant window overlooking a view of the Gotham City skyline that was probably worth millions on its own. Dim lights cast a warm yellow glow from overhead, and the incessant thumping bass of club music sounded distant, like it came from a whole other world entirely.

Penguin cleared his throat, and you snapped your head to look at him, on high alert. He jutted his chin in the direction of the office, motioning for you to get out of the elevator.

You blinked, regaining control over your body, and did as he said. You noticed the armed guards lurking in the shadows of the room, standing watch in case you tried anything (though you didn’t see how they could view you as much of a threat. Maybe they were just there to remind you who you were dealing with).

“There she is!” Your head whipped straight forward to see a man standing behind the desk, his back to you. “Just the girl I wanted to see.”

He turned around, and you got a good look at Falcone for the first time. You’d heard plenty about him, from newspaper articles to whispers around the club. But you’d never caught a glimpse of him until now.

He had salt and pepper hair and olive skin, sunglasses covering his eyes. He wasn’t physically intimidating the way Penguin was, but he gave off a sort of Godfather vibe that was threatening nonetheless.

“Please, have a seat.” He gestured to the chair across the desk from him.

You slowly crept forward, like you’d be shot on sight for even the tiniest movement. The handles of the guns tucked into the guards’ waistbands glinted in the low light. You sank into the chair, your body rigid.

He pressed his palms flat against the desk, leaning closer to you. “Do you know why you’re here?” Even with the shades hiding his eyes, you could feel the heat of his gaze bearing down on you.

You swallowed hard. You wondered if he’d finally caught wind of Selina’s tussle with those guys in the club a couple weeks ago. You doubt it mattered if you were innocent or not; to him, you were the cause of the disruption. “Am I in trouble?”

He raised a bushy brow. “Is there a reason you would be?”

You blinked at him. “None that I can recall, sir.”

He laughed, the sudden noise piercing the heavy silence that had settled over the room, and you flinched. “It’s too easy. All you girls act like I’m the devil himself, I swear.” He shook his head. “You’re here for quite the opposite, actually. You’re being promoted.”

Instead of the relief you were supposed to feel, you were left even more confused. “What?”

“You’re going to work in my exclusive underground club where all my highest paying clientele go,” he rounded the front of the desk, “the 44 Below.”

Your stomach dropped the second the name left his lips. Everything Selina had told you about the dreaded place swirled in your head.

“Of course, because it’s a little more pricey, my clients expect a little more bang for their buck.” He perched on the corner of the desk. “But I’m sure a generous pay raise will get rid of any hesitations you have, correct?”

You stared up at him, opening and closing your mouth like a fish. It was all happening so suddenly, it was hard to take in.

He raised a brow at you expectantly. “Is there a problem?“

You knew the raise wasn’t the only reason you had to take the job. There was no doubt in your mind that if you refused, he wouldn’t hesitate to fire you, or worse. You glanced around at the men with their hands resting on the handles of their guns.

They could dump your body in the Gotham Harbor, and nobody would even know to look for you.

You shook your head, trying to conceal the tremor running through you. “No, sir.”

His lips slanted into a hint of a smug smirk. “Good. I didn’t think so.” He pushed off the desk and turned his back to you. “You start this weekend.” He waved you away like you were nothing more than a fly buzzing around him. “You’re dismissed.”

You followed Penguin back downstairs, a knot in your gut the whole time. When you returned to the dressing room, it was empty save for Selina. A sense of relief washed over you when you saw her, and you were silently thankful that she’d chosen to stay and wait for you.

She shot up out of her chair when you walked in. “What did he want?”

You couldn’t look at her as you answered. “He’s sending me to the 44 Below.”

The news hit her like a ton of bricks. She even stumbled back a step, looking as distressed as you felt. “No. He can’t.”

“He can and he did.” Your shoulders slumped, defeated.

She rushed towards you. “You can’t accept it.”

“What choice do I have?” Your voice was thin, on the verge of cracking with emotion. “If I don’t, he’ll fire me, or worse,” you murmured the last part.

“Baby, the men who go to the 44 Below aren’t only the richest, but the most dangerous, too,” she hissed. “I’m talking mafia, hit men, drug pushers. The type of men you don’t want to get involved with.”

“And Falcone is worse then all of them put together,” you fired back. “You know that.”

She exhaled sharply through her nose. “I’ll talk to him.”

You huffed, exasperated. You didn’t mean to snap at her so harshly, but she was an easy target to direct your frustration toward. “What makes you think he would listen to you?”

“Because I’m his daughter!” she shouted. The words seemed to echo even in the small dressing room.

A long silence endured afterwards. You both stared at each other. She looked just as shocked as you did that those words had left her mouth.

“What?” you uttered, impossibly loud in the silence.

The fire in her eyes diminished to the flicker of a candle flame. “My mother used to work at the 44 Below. She told me Falcone was my father.” She sucked in a deep breath, like whatever she was about to say next was harder to admit than what she had already. “She was killed. Strangled, by some guy in the club most likely.” She scoffed. “He didn’t say a word. I ended up stuck in a group home.”

Your heart fractured in your chest at her confession. “Selina, I’m so sorry.”

She shrugged. “It is what it is.” The raging fire in her eyes returned. “But he owes me. I know firsthand how dangerous the men at the 44 Below can be.” She grabbed your hands, gripping them so tight they changed color. She stared up into your eyes, desperate. “Please just wait until I have a word with him. I’ll get him to reconsider, I promise.”

You let out a sigh. You wanted to give her what she wanted, after everything she’d done for you. “You have until the weekend.” That was the most you could afford.

You walked up the front steps of your apartment building, arms heavy with grocery bags. You were so preoccupied with your thoughts that you nearly didn’t notice the way the hairs on the back of your neck rose on end, like someone was watching you.

You stopped on the top step and glanced behind you. There was no one there, just empty space. You huffed and continued into the building. You didn’t know why you expected anything different.

You figured now was the worst time to live in a low security apartment building in a sketchy part of the city. You’d never given it much thought before, but now you felt reminded of how vulnerable you were going anywhere alone. When you were with Selina, you felt a little safer, but it wasn’t like she could follow you everywhere (though she’d probably drop everything for you to do so if you asked).

You reminded yourself in a couple more weeks, you’d have enough money to leave the city and start somewhere fresh, somewhere people didn’t know your name or your past. You’d finally be able to breathe easy, and life for you could truly begin.

As if you didn’t have enough to worry about already with a potential stalker on your trail, Selina had made arrangements to meet with Falcone today, and you hadn’t heard back from her yet. It made you jittery and your skin itch knowing that your future hung in the balance.

You came to an abrupt halt in front of your door. It was wide open, and the lock was broken, like someone had forced their way through. You blinked. You wondered how long it’d been like this. The hallway was barren, and you hadn’t noticed anyone shady outside.

You knew the smart thing to do would be to call the police and wait till they arrived, but Selina’s words echoed in your head: "Cops are not your friends."

Your feet carried you inside of their own volition, and the grocery bags slipped from your hands, no doubt cracking every egg in the carton, when you took in the sight before you.

All of your stuff was destroyed: your furniture was gutted and turned over; the TV screen was shattered in a million pieces like someone had taken a sledgehammer to it; your belongings were strewn about everywhere like garbage.

It was the same thing in your bedroom. The mattress was torn apart, the sheets in tatters, and down feathers from your pillows were scattered across the room. The drawers had been ripped out of your dresser, and your face grew hot when you saw your panties and bras littered across the floor.

There was no doubt in your mind who had done this. It was clear they were trying to send a message, or more likely a warning. Your throat burned with bile at the thought of what would’ve happened if you’d been here in the apartment when they decided to break in and not out shopping.

You made it back to the living room before your legs turned to Jell-O underneath you. You crumpled into a heap by the discarded groceries, the puddle of milk spilled from the carton spreading to where you were collapsed.

Before you even knew it, you were dialing Selina’s number with shaking fingers. You couldn’t even see the screen through your blurry gaze before you held it to your ear, the dial tone chipping away at your skull like an ice pick.

She picked up on the second ring. “Hello?”

You opened your mouth, but the only noise you managed to make was a pitiful squeak. All the words you wanted to say felt like they were lodged in the back of your throat.

“Baby, you there?” Judging by the concern in her tone, she could tell something was off. “What’s wrong?”

“They… they…” You tried to force the words out despite your unstable voice, but you wondered if she could even understand you with how many times you stopped and started. “Broke in… ruined… my stuff…”

“What?” she exclaimed, making you wince. “Are you okay?”

“Se… Selina…” It was taking everything in you not to burst into sobs. “I’m… scared…”

“I know, baby. Stay put.” You heard rushing wind on the other end of the call. “I’ll be there soon.”

There was a click as the line went dead.

It took her shorter than you thought it would for her to get there. You hated the idea that she’d put herself in danger driving recklessly through the jammed city streets just for you.

By the time she got there, she found you curled up in a ball on the floor, rocking back and forth and hugging your knees to your chest. Your chest was racked with sobs, and you struggled to gasp for breath to the point where you were hyperventilating.

“Baby!” she called out to you, rushing to you and kneeling by your side. She hardly even glanced at the wreckage that used to be your things, entirely focused on you. “Baby, what happened?”

“I… came home…” You sniffled, tear tracks staining your cheeks. “And it was… was like this when… I got here.”

She seemed to remember her surroundings and finally looked around. “Oh, shit.” Her gaze returned to you, scanning over you for injuries. “You’re okay though?”

You nodded, clutching your legs tighter.

She clenched her jaw. “Those fuckers,” she hissed. She grinded her teeth, a contemplative look on her face. Then, it shifted to something fierce, like determination. “That’s it. You’re coming with me.”

She shot up from the floor and grabbed you under your arms, helping you to stand. “But…” you stuttered trying to come up with an excuse, “but—”

“But nothing.” She draped your arm over her shoulders and practically carried you out of the apartment. “I’m not letting you stay in a ransacked apartment when those guys could come back any minute.”

You allowed her to carry you, your limp feet dragging against the uneven wood planks. You didn’t know why you were surprised by her strength. You already knew her looks were deceiving.

Your eyelids started to droop. Now that she was here, you felt like you could finally relax, and exhaustion was setting in. “You didn’t bring the motorcycle, did you?”

She wheezed a chuckle, and it made your chest feel a little lighter. “I told you to never say never.”

You’d quickly accepted a glass of wine when Selina had offered you one. You needed something to steady your nerves, and you didn’t think you’d be able to sleep without it. Selina returned from the kitchen with your third glass of wine and one for yourself. She handed it to you while she plopped down on the couch next to you.

Your hand shook as you lifted it to your lips, staring absently at Selina’s apartment. It was much like yours: a simple living room, bathroom, and bedroom. Nothing to brag about, but still a luxury compared to many places in Gotham. The only difference was the multitude of stray cats milling about like it was a back alley. Well, that, and your apartment was currently trashed right now.

“Did you talk to Falcone?” you asked her. Even that was better than thinking about what had just happened right now.

She swallowed her sip of wine and nodded, not making eye contact with you.

You had your wits about you enough now to pick up on her hesitation to break the news. “So?” you prodded her. “What did he say?”

She set her glass down on the coffee table and gnawed on her lip. “He said he’d think about it.”

You shot her a look. “Selina—”

“Just give it some time, baby,” she cut you off. “He’s a businessman first and foremost, even with his own daughter. It’s gonna take a second to sell him on the pitch.”

You opened your mouth to argue further, but stopped yourself, clamping your lips together. The last thing you wanted to do was fight with her right now. It could wait for another day.

“Are you sure it’s okay that I stay here?” You curled up into a ball in the corner of the couch. “What if those guys followed me here?”

“Then they’ll get their asses beat a second time.” She grinned at you, no falter in her confidence.

“Selina,” you chided, “I don’t want to put you in harm’s way.”

“And I already offered you a place to stay before, the only difference now is that you have no choice.” She gave you a look. “I knew what I signed up for taking you home, baby.”

You tugged on the skirt of the nightgown she’d loaned you. It was small on you, and although that was alright when you’d share dresses in the club, one wrong move, and you would accidentally flash her. “I���m sorry for doubting you.” You raked your fingers through your hair. “I’m just worried.”

“Hey, you’re with me now.” She scooted closer to you, placing her hands on your knees. “Tomorrow, I’ll go get your stuff, and you can stay with me until you find somewhere else to live.”

You pursed your lips. “I’m not sure there’ll be much to get,” you mumbled.

She laughed and leaned back against the couch. She stared at you, her eyes lingering on yours. “I’m happy you called me.”

“Oh, yeah, ‘cause I was so spoiled for choice.” You rolled your eyes.

“Hey, you know what I mean.” She playfully swatted your knee.

You returned her smile. “Thank you so much for doing all this for me. You really didn’t have to.”

“That’s what friends are for, right?” She flashed you a smile. “Besides, I’m just glad you’re all right. I don’t know what I’d do if you’d gotten hurt, if you ended up like…” she trailed off, choking up.

You reached out and threaded your fingers through hers. “Like your mom?” you hesitantly finished.

All she could do was nod. You’d never seen her this vulnerable before, her eyes glistening with tears and the slightest wobble in her chin.

“But I didn’t,” you assured her. “I’m here, with you.” You squeezed her hand in yours, like a physical reminder that you were present and unharmed.

“I know.” She rubbed circles over the back of your hand with her thumb. “And I’ll keep you safe.”

“I trust you.” Your voice was barely louder than a whisper.

She reached up with her free hand and tucked an errant strand of hair behind your ear. Her hand lingered there, resting on the side of your face. Your eyes locked, and hers lowered to your lips before she dove in.

It took a second for the feel of her lips touching yours to register. You froze against her, unsure of what to do. Should you push her away? Tell her to stop? You were just friends, weren’t you?

But you thought about all the things she did for you, all the possessive handholds and flirtatious glances. Hell, she called you ‘baby’ for crying out loud. Was Selina interested in you this entire time, and you just hadn’t noticed?

But the more important question: were you interested in her? You thought you’d have an easy answer, but as her lips moved against yours, and her fingers wove through your hair, you realized you didn’t. You’d never really given a thought to having a relationship with a woman, but then again, it wasn’t like you were jumping at the chance to get with a man either.

But what would happen if you refused? Would she kick you to the curb? You wouldn’t expect that from Selina, but at the same time, you were afraid of finding out.

It didn’t matter as she slipped her tongue into your mouth with a moan and tangled it with yours. She tasted like the wine you’d both been drinking, tangy with a bitter edge. She raked her nails against your scalp, sending shivers of pleasure all the way down your spine.

She pressed wet kisses along your jaw and down your neck. She stopped when she reached your sweet spot and sucked the skin of your throat into her mouth. She lightly grazed your skin with her teeth, panic rising within you before she bit down.

You cried out, arching up into her. She laved the bite mark with her tongue as if to soothe it. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted this for,” she whispered against your skin as her hands ran up your thighs, “to have you all to myself.”

You weren’t sure if it was the alcohol or her affections, but your head started to spin. She pushed you back so you were laying against the armrest. Your limbs were heavy like they were made of lead. You felt as if you were sinking into the cushions beneath you like quicksand.

Selina pushed up the nightgown you were wearing to expose your lacy thong underneath. “Look at you, baby.” She was practically drooling over you now. “You were hoping this would happen, weren’t you?”

You wanted to tell you that you weren’t, that this was all you had after those guys had ransacked your apartment. But you couldn’t even muster the strength to shake your head.

She hooked her fingers under your thong and dragged the flimsy piece of fabric down your legs. Your mind screamed at you to tell her to stop. Certainly this was going too far, right? You’d both been drinking, and even though you’d been friends for months, you still weren’t even sure how to feel about kissing her.

But any resistance you had died on your tongue as she flung your underwear across the room. She reached under her dress and pulled off her own next, and it joined yours on the other side of the room.

“Let’s see what we’re working with.” She grabbed your legs and spread them wide, pushing them up by your shoulders and exposing all of you to her. Heat rose to your cheeks at the embarrassing position.

She stared down at you through hooded eyes heavy with desire. “Such a pretty pussy.” She let go of one of your legs and ran a finger up the length of your slit. You jerked under her. “So little and pink.”

You were ashamed at the whine that left you when she found your clit, rubbing agonizingly slow circles over the bundle of nerves, though it might have only added to the arousal pooling low in your gut.

Sure enough, she lifted her hand to show you the gossamer shining on the pad of her finger. “You’re so wet for me already.”

She maneuvered your limp, pliable body like a ragdoll under her. She hooked her leg around yours, hovering over you. She aligned herself with you so when she sat down, her clit pressed flush against yours.

She rocked against you, slow and deliberate. Pleasure sparked through you, setting your nerve endings on fire. You watched the thick cords of muscle in her thighs as she grinded against you over and over.

“Fuck,” she breathed, throwing her head back. Her skin glistened with a thin sheen of sweat in the low light. “You feel so good, baby,” she rasped, her voice low and husky.

She humped you faster, flicking your clit over and over until you felt that coil you hadn’t felt in a long time twist in your gut. The couch shook underneath you with a high-pitched creak. Your head lolled to the side, your body jolting with each glide of her hips.

She leaned over you, sandwiching your leg between her chest and yours. “Look at me, baby.” She looped her arm around your leg, digging her nails into your thigh. “I want you to know who’s making you feel this good.”

You blinked, trying to clear the bleariness from your gaze. Her figure came into focus, her eyes boring into yours. She looked hungry, like she wanted to chew you up and swallow you. You’d never seen such intensity in her eyes.

“That’s right, baby.” The hand that wasn’t gripping your thigh grabbed your chin, squishing your cheeks and lips. “I’m fucking close. I want you to come with me, okay?” When you didn’t answer right away, she tapped your cheek. “Okay?”

You nodded up at her. You could feel the coil tightening further and further, ready to snap at any moment. Your fingers curled as you tried to keep the sensation at bay, your nails clawing at the cushions.

“Fuck!” she cried out. “Come with me, baby! Come now!”

You let go, and it was like a dam broke. You made a noise you’d never heard leave your body before as pleasure washed over you from head to toe. Dots formed over your vision, and your thighs quivered around her.

Her hold on you slipped as she jerked on top of you, twitching. A breathy moan floated from her lips before she collapsed on top of you. Your nightgown was drenched through with sweat where your chests met, and she tucked her head under your chin.

You stared up at the ceiling, the afterglow spreading through your limbs tingling warm and fuzzy. She felt heavy and solid on your chest, weighing you down. Your combined juices were sticky on your thighs.

Your eyelids suddenly felt heavy, slowly sliding closed. You weren’t sure if it was the alcohol or the orgasm or the events of the day or some mixture of all of the above, but you were weary in your bones, and in that moment, you wanted nothing more than to fall asleep.

You felt a hand stroke the side of your face, and through your barely open eyes, you saw Selina with her chin propped up on your collarbone. “Rest,” she cooed, shushing you. “You’re with me now. I’ll take care of you.”

The last thing you saw was Selina smirking up at you before the blackness at the corners of your vision took over, plunging you into darkness.

You woke up to a shrill ring piercing your ears.

You clutched your pounding head with a groan. You cracked your eyes open, but even the slightest amount of light seemed to sear them. You didn’t remember drinking enough to feel this awful the next day.

You didn’t remember falling asleep in Selina’s bed either. You slowly sat up. She was nowhere to be found. She probably opted for the couch, being the generous host that she was. Then, blurry images of what she’d done to you on that couch last night came back to you, and your stomach curdled like it was full of expired milk.

The ringing stopped, and you looked over at your phone on the bedside table. You picked it up and clicked it on, the blue light emanating from the screen blinding you for a second. When your vision adjusted, you noticed two things: the first being that it was eleven o’clock at night, meaning you’d slept through a whole day (looking out the window to see that it was pitch black further confirmed this); and the second, you had multiple missed calls from your boss.

You went through them one by one, listening to Penguin’s voice on the other end grow more and more hectic with each call. “Where are you?” he practically hissed into his phone in the most recent voicemail he’d left. “Are you a fucking idiot, girl? I don’t know who you think you are or who you’re dealing with, but if you don’t show up here in the next thirty minutes, Falcone is gonna make an example out of you.”

Your blood felt solid like ice through your veins. It seemed like Falcone had thought it over and come to a decision. You glanced at the time again. If you hurried now, you could still make it before he ordered your head on a platter.

You threw the covers back and hopped out of bed. Your sore muscles cried out at you to slow down, but you ignored them and continued to rush around as fast as your achy limbs allowed you. You wrenched open the first door your eyes landed on and found that it led to Selina’s closet. You rifled through the dresses hanging on the rack inside. You and Selina shared dresses all the time, and you hoped she wouldn’t mind that you were borrowing one now without asking.

You found one that looked like it’d fit decently enough and stripped off your nightgown. You froze for a second when you realized you weren’t wearing any underwear because they were currently on the floor of Selina’s living room. You blinked, breaking yourself from your thoughts, and continued to dress. You were in the middle of putting on the garment when a voice from behind you stopped you in your tracks.

“Where are you going?”

You glanced over your shoulder to see Selina standing in the doorway to the closet. She was wearing her black catsuit. You figured she must’ve just gotten back from going somewhere.

You slowly turned to face her. “To work.”

The look on her face was oddly grave. “You’re not called tonight.”

You opened and closed your mouth like a fish out of water, at a loss for words. Any excuse you tried to come up with, she would easily be able to see through.

“You’re going to the 44 Below,” she stated, not even the slightest hint of doubt in her tone.

You knew there was no denying it. “I have to, Selina,” you pleaded. “Best case scenario, I’m out of a job. Worst case scenario, he’ll have me hunted down and put my head on a spike.”

“I promised to protect you, remember?” she snapped.

“These aren’t just a bunch of drunk guys at the Iceberg Lounge, Selina,” you fired back. “These are Falcone’s men. They’re trained, and more importantly, armed.”

“Don’t you think I know that?”

“Then you should know who you’re up against,” you pointed out.

She looked hurt, like you’d just slapped her across the face. “I thought you trusted me.”

“Selina, I’m trying to go the path of least resistance,” you huffed.

“And I don’t want anyone else I care about to get hurt. Not again.” Her lashes fluttered, and you noticed that her eyes were shiny. “He’s taken everything from me. I won’t let him take you too.”

She looked close to bursting into tears, the way she had last night when she’d talked about her mother. You opened your mouth, but nothing came out, unsure of what to say. You didn’t know if you wanted to comfort her or tell her that she couldn’t control your life, despite her good intentions.

She blinked the tears away and sucked in a shaky breath, regaining her composure. “Look, we’ll find you another job, okay? But I’m not letting you go back there.”

“That’s not your call to make, Selina!” You were at the end of your rope. “And good luck finding a job that pays half as well as this one. I’m a couple weeks away from being able to leave the city.”

She stopped, stunned. “What?”

“I want to go to school and make something of my life, get as far away as I can from this dumpster fire of a city,” you sneered. “I don’t want to be stuck here for the rest of my life.”

“Like me,” she murmured.

It was your turn to be confused. “What?”

“Like me is what you meant to say,” she repeated, this time loud enough to hear.

Your brows furrowed. “What? No. That’s not what I meant at all, Selina.”

“So, what?” She curled her upper lip into a snarl. “You were just gonna up and leave without telling me?”

“No.” You shook your head. “I was going to tell you eventually–”

“Once you had the means to fund your little getaway, right?” she cut you off. She looked betrayed. “Did you even think what it would do to me if you left? Do I really mean that little to you?”

You gaped at her. “Of course not! Selina, you’re being ridiculous.”

“I’m being ridiculous?” she hissed like a boiling pot about to overflow. “I spent all day getting your stuff from your apartment while the entire time you were planning on leaving me.”

You wanted to tell her she had it all wrong, but you hardly managed to even get a word in edgewise. “Selina, I think you’re overreacting–”

“Well, you may be desperate to get away from this ‘dumpster fire of a city,’” she parroted your words back to you, “but it’s all I have. All my hopes and dreams were stolen from me, ever since I was a little girl.” She looked pitiful, like her heart was breaking in her chest. “But then you came along, and for the briefest moment, I started to hope again.”

You shifted your weight from foot to foot, nervous. Your thoughts drifted back to last night and the words she’d whispered against your skin that were burned into your mind: "You have no idea how long I’ve wanted this for, to have you all to myself."

You shook the thoughts away and quickly changed the subject. You didn’t even want to breach that topic of discussion anytime soon. “Selina, it’s not safe for me here anymore. You know that,” you tried to reason with her. “If I got away, maybe those guys wouldn’t be able to find me–”

“Oh, my God!” She laughed. “They’re not after you!”

You stared at her, waiting to see if she was joking or not. “What?” Your brows drew together. “But you said–”

“I know what I said.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s me. I’m the one who’s been following you around.”

You stared at her in disbelief. It took a second for her words to sink in, but when they did, it was like all the pieces clicked into place. “Oh, my God,” you muttered to yourself. You looked up at her. “It was you the whole time?”

“Of course it was.” She smirked at you. “I had to find some way to get you back here so we could grow closer, and it worked like a charm.” She scoffed. “You really bought that those jerk offs had nothing better to do than terrorize some poor girl who wouldn’t sleep with them. They probably forgot about you the second they stepped out of the Iceberg Lounge.”

You wavered on your feet. You weren’t sure if you were going to be sick or faint or break down crying. “You broke into my apartment… You destroyed my stuff…”

“I did it because I love you,” she justified.

“That’s not love, Selina! That’s fucking insanity!” you shouted at her, bewildered.

She clenched her jaw. “See, this is why I didn’t want to tell you. But you forced my hand.”

The look in her eyes was intense, and you were reminded of what she was capable of, images of shredded skin and blood under her nails flashing in your mind unbidden. You’d always feared for her, even when she’d taken down those guys at the club like they were nothing. But for the first time since meeting her, you were afraid of her now.

“Selina,” you started slowly, like she was a wild animal that might pounce at any moment, “just let me go, okay? I’m leaving now.”

There was no making a quick escape. She was blocking the only exit. If you wanted to get out, you’d have to go by her first.

You took your chances and stepped forward.

Her hand immediately shot out for something on the wall near her. There was a loud crack like thunder, and before you could go any further, something wrapped around your wrists so tight it stung. The dress you’d been clutching to your form pooled at your feet, leaving you bare before her.

You looked down to see leather curled around your wrists. When you lifted your head, you saw Selina holding the handle of the whip, smirking at you. “Baby,” she purred, “you can’t go anywhere dressed like that.”

She tugged on the other end of the whip, and you were yanked towards her. She caught you as you collided with her, your face inches from hers. She uncoiled the whip from your wrists, holding you tight against her with her arm looped around your waist.

“You’re going to do what I ask,” she raised the whip high in the air, “and if you don’t, this is what you’re going to get.”

She brought it down lightning fast before you could even beg her not to. An inhuman shriek was ripped from your throat as the whip made contact with your back. You arched into her, and if it weren’t for her hold on you, you were sure the excruciating pain would be enough to knock you to your knees.

She grabbed your chin in a tight grip and twisted your head so you could see the mirror on the wall behind you. You gasped at the sight of a bright red mark running down the length of your spine, all the way to your ass cheek. The sting still hadn’t diminished, not even minutes after she’d delivered the lashing.

She turned your head back to face her. A broken whimper left your lips as you crumpled in her arms. Your knees buckled, and you clung to her shoulders for dear life.

She shushed you. “It’s okay, baby. That’ll be the only one you get as long as you’re good, alright?” She brushed away the tears that fell down your cheeks with her thumb. “I’ll even do all the hard work for you.”

In the blink of an eye, she scooped you up, lifting you with ease. You could only imagine how ridiculous you looked, like a greyhound getting carried by a chihuahua, but you couldn’t find it in you to care.

You were limp in her arms as she carried you bridal style to the bed. She laid you down in the body-shaped indent you’d left in the mattress. She climbed onto the bed beside you and swung her leg over your hips, straddling you.

“Just to make sure you don’t try to go anywhere…” She held your hands up to the headboard and looped the whip around your wrists. She leaned over you as she wedged the handle between the wrought iron bars. She tugged on your wrists to make sure it was secure, and when she was satisfied you couldn’t escape, she sat back on her heels.

“There you go, baby.” She sighed. She slid down your body before settling on top of you. Her skin was warm and smooth against yours, and she ran her hands up and down your body, feeling you up.

“Selina…” You sniffled. “Please don’t.”

“Come on, baby. Don’t be like that,” she cooed, fondling your breasts. “Aren’t we past this already?”

She leaned up enough to press her lips against yours. You didn’t bother reciprocating the kiss, though you doubt she really cared if you did or not. You stiffened against her when you felt her thigh slide in between yours, pressing against your exposed core.

She pulled away from your lips and rested her forehead against yours. “Besides, from what I remember, you weren’t complaining last night.” A smirk toyed at the corners of her lips. “And I’m pretty sure my memory is better than yours.”

You wanted to ask her what she meant by that, but the question died on your tongue as she grinded her thigh against you. A soft moan came out instead, the rough texture of her leather-clad thigh and the pressure on your clit stoking the smoldering embers in your core.

She stared down at you as her fingers curled around the wrought iron bars above you. The bed squeaked under you each time she rocked into you, the headboard slamming back against the wall in time with her rhythm. You hoped it’d wake up the neighbors and alert them to your distress. You wanted to scream, but any time you tried, it came out weak and breathy and wracked with lust.

Just as your orgasm started to build, she stopped and pulled away from you. You managed to catch the groan of frustration making its way up your throat before it could come out. You despised the way your body craved her touch.

You looked down to see a trail of slick shining on the leather of her catsuit. She noticed it too, because she smirked at you, pleased. “Now that you’re ready, we can have some real fun.”

She leaned over the side of the bed and rooted around for something out of your line of sight. “I found something interesting when I was going through your things.” She sat up straight, and you blanched when you saw what she was holding.

It was a vibrator. More specifically, your vibrator, made of hot pink silicone vaguely resembling the shape of a dick. She waved it in front of you like she was taunting you. “How many times have you used this, huh?”

Your face flushed with heat. She clicked it on, and it started to vibrate aggressively, the violent buzz filling the air. Her eyes widened before peering down at you in delight. “I wonder what you thought about when you made yourself come with this.”

You didn’t think you’d ever been more embarrassed in your life. You watched as she took the vibrator into her mouth, hollowing her cheeks as she pushed it as far as it would go. It must’ve hit the back of her throat, but she didn’t gag or retch at all. When she pulled it out, it glistened with saliva all the way down to the base.

She pressed the toy against your core, and you jerked like your entire being vibrated. You’d never tried it on this hardcore of a setting before, and now you knew why as she ran the tip of the vibrator between your folds. You writhed and squirmed on the mattress, walking the thin line between pain and pleasure. You jolted each time the tip ran over your clit, biting your lips to keep your noises in so hard you thought they’d bleed.

She circled your entrance with the tip of the vibrator, mesmerized. “I can’t wait to stretch you open with this.”

You went tense at her words. “Wait, Selina!” you croaked. “Don’t—”

You were cut off as she sank the vibrator into your tight heat with a wet squelch. You’d only tried to fit this toy inside you once, and even then, it was so big, you’d only managed to get the tip inside before you couldn’t go any further. But you were equal parts surprised and mortified as she pushed the vibrator in you to the hilt.

She held it there, and her head snapped up, her eyes flickering over your face and observing your reaction. You felt yourself clamp down around the toy snug between your walls, the harsh vibrations shocking you from the inside out.

She pulled the toy out before thrusting it back in, hard and slow. You cried out, arching on the mattress. The leather around your wrists chafed your skin. “Selina…” you choked out. “Too… much…”

“You can take it, baby.” Her pace was relentless, driving the toy into you over and over. “I know you can.”

You bent your knees and spread your legs wider to alleviate some of the pressure, but all that did was heighten the sensation. She fucked you with the vibrator faster, twisting her wrist a little more each time. She plunged deeper into you until the tip brushed against a spongy spot that made your vision go blurry.

Your toes curled, and a high-pitched squeal escaped you. “There it is.” She grinned up at you from ear to ear like the cat that got the cream. “I want you to squirt for me, baby. Do you think you can do that?“

You were too far gone to answer her coherently. Unintelligible strings of curses interspersed with moans fell from your lips in a jumbled mess. She leaned down and wrapped her lips around your clit, sucking it into her mouth. You were pretty sure your eyes literally rolled back into your head.

It was all too overwhelming: her wet mouth and skilled tongue licking and sucking your clit; the toy rubbing against your g-spot over and over; the vibrations pulverizing your sensitive walls. Your moans rose in pitch as the pressure built and built inside you until it was unbearable.

“Fuck! Se—” your voice broke each time you tried to say her name, though you weren’t sure why you were trying in the first place. Maybe to tell her to stop. Or maybe you were trying to warn her. “Se—” You couldn’t hold back anymore and let yourself fall over the precipice.

You threw your head back as you came all over the toy and her face. A loud wail left you as your vision went white, your walls squeezing down on the toy. She held it still inside you as deep as it could go while you rode out your high. You rocked your hips and fucked yourself on the vibrator, your eyes glazed over as you subconsciously chased the last remnants of your orgasm.

Your legs dropped flat against the mattress, your chest heaving as you panted. Your body twitched from the aftershocks of your orgasm. As the haze of pleasure slowly started to dredge away, you stared up at the ceiling as the reality of what had just happened hit you like a brick.

Selina pulled the vibrator out of you and stared entranced at the slick drenching the silicone. Her pink tongue darted out from between her lips to taste your juices, licking long, slow strokes up the length of the toy. She hummed and smacked her lips together, pleased.

She stared down at the mess between your legs. You swore this was the wettest you’d ever been in your life, and it was all at the hands of this twisted woman on top of you.

“That was so fucking hot.” She held up the toy, still vibrating strong. Then, her head snapped to look at you. “I want to watch you squirt again.”

Your eyes went wide with fear as she lowered the toy between your legs again.

You came so many times you lost count. Somewhere in the middle of it all, your head was so scrambled and pleasure-ridden, you couldn’t recall your own name. The only thing you could focus on as you mewled from oversensitivity was the voice in your ear, whispering, “You’re doing so well for me, baby. Who makes you come this hard, huh? Who fucks you this good? Only me.”

Eventually, it stopped feeling good and more like torture as she made you scream over and over.

She stopped when the sun started to rise and the vibrator died, the juice drained from the batteries. She tossed the toy aside and undid the restraints on your hands. They fell dejected on either side of your head. The blood had long drained from your hands, leaving them numb and prickly.

She leaned over you, peppering your face with kisses. “You were such a good girl for me, baby.” She pushed sweaty locks of hair out of your face. “You’re all mine now.”

You stared up at her through half-lidded eyes, exhaustion setting in after you’d been wrung dry. A tear leaked out of the corner of your eye and dampened the pillow under you. Your mother had warned you about the kinds of guys who visited the Iceberg Lounge, the ones with sharp-toothed smiles and silver-tongued words. But she couldn't have warned you about this.

You didn't have a clue who Selina was anymore, but whoever she was, she was far worse.

#dark!fic #dark!selina kyle #dark!selina kyle x reader #dark!selina kyle x you #dark!selina kyle x y/n #selina kyle #selina kyle x you #selina kyle x reader #selina kyle x y/n #dc #the batman #fanfiction #one shot

[short-horse]

Tonight I spent some time making a simple (abnormally colored) horse tail! I used braiding extensions I found super cheap in the Halloween section at the local Walmart. This kind of faux hair also isn't too hard to find online, though. Amazon, Ebay, ect. It also comes in lots of colors both natural and bright. I also assume it can be found at beauty stores that carry hair products, too.

Here's what it looks like in-package

My camera sucks and it says Hallowen Essentials and the price on it is $2.98. It comes loose in the package and you'll need to bundle it together. I used a zip tie because it's what I had that I knew would keep it secure. I assume you could use something else like a rubber band. As long as it's snug and the hair isn't loose enough to fall out easily. I left a loop in the hair big enough for a clip.

I used one of these but I assume you can improvise. Especially since these tiny clips are a bit fiddly when feeding the hair into it. I also assume you could even use a much bigger clip of the same kind but I chose a small one since I'm not very tall and bigger clips add extra length. >>;

It should look something like this:

I also stitched a strip of felt (also found in the craft aisle at walmart) over the loop to hide the zip tie and also to prevent the hair from fraying once I'm wearing it. I sewed it down but I assume glue could work just as well. Something viscous like E600 and and not runny like super glue. You'll have to hold it in place and wait for it to dry, though, which can take a while. Just don't get glue on the spring clip or you won't be able to attatch it to your beltloop. I hesitate to suggest hot glue since I have no idea how heat resistant this faux hair is. It's cheap plastic not meant for styling so it wouldn't surprise me if it will melt.

Once you're done putting the tail together you'll need to give it a gentle brushing with a wide tooth comb. This makes it look less separated and more like a full tail. Don't pull hard at the tangles that will happen as you run the comb through, either.

#therian #therianthropy #therian gear #horse therian #horsekin #cosplay tutorial

[justkcn]

@astrapink said : " i got you this. now i can ask you for the time. " it's a watch with pastel bi flag strap.

"aw, yes," he's beaming from ear to ear, quick to snatch the fancy schmancy watch right out of her hands, "yes, yes, yes!" pausing for a beat, he eyes his collection of watches strapped to his wrists with furrowed brows.

well, one of them definitely has to go, because now he has the chance to wield dual power.

tossing a cheap, plastic, horse-adorned watch over his shoulder, ken is entirely giddy as he fastens his shiny new watch around his wrist. "m'lady," he gestures to her with a chivalrous bow, "m'dude," he gestures to a nearby ken, "i am now officially bisexual."

#✰ model 03 . // writing . #✰ model 04 . // verse: barbie land. #dyn: barbie & ken. #astrapink #this is sheer CRACK #tysm for this i'm in tears #he rlly thinks this watch makes him a proud member of the lgbts

[doeblossom]

Least favorite episode of the show?

ooooh,,, that's a hard pick

i found a lot of spike episodes lacking, like a lot of people did, since his character isn't awesome. i loved him at the beginning of the show, but the writers played into the "forgotten spike" bit in a way that makes him more embarrassing than the intended underdog. another character that had a lot of potential! (too bad i dont currently have any plans for spike. maybe he's a thestral? maybe hes still a dragon and i suck it up and figure out how mythical beasts would work? idk)

i really didn't like school episodes, as mentioned. not because they're BAD or anything, i just had less of a connection to the school six than i did the mane six

i can point out quite a few episodes i didnt really enjoy and why-

Season 1: The Ticket Master

as a first impression, it wasn't great. i understand the message the writers were trying to share, but a lot of actions taken by the characters felt off. yes, everyone can be selfish at times, but not everyone would resort to coercion

Season 1: Over a Barrel

The Apploosans never had any claim over the land. The fact that they're even settled there and generally undisturbed is generous. The lesson of "sharing" has been done before and in much less racist ways...

Season 2: (i have no complaints)

Season 3: Spike At Your Service

this is not because it's a spike episode! its because of twilight. the whole "being rude to spike" thing was a little funny at first, and made some sort of sense because twilight didnt know how to treat friends yet (not an excuse but a reason). i get she can be absorbed in her work. but this episode felt like the biggest takeoff of "useless and forgotten spike" and i dislike that characterization of him. i much preferred it, in later episodes, where he was almost treated like a third sibling. because he WAS a third sibling. and hes a baby dragon; cut him some slack

Season 4: Equestria Games

okok i know another spike episode. im just super sensitive to second-hand embarrassment and it's not enjoyable! i have to skip past the part where spike "sings" the cloudsdale anthem because it hurts so bad. otherwise good and relatable episode! acting on your instincts can feel like nothing since it was "effortless" even though you save a lot of lives! good for spike. he deserves it.

Season 5: Castle Sweet Castle

i hhhate the crystal castle i hate it i hate it

well i dont hate it. but i hate why its there. i like the table for lore reasons but the rest of the castle feels far too grandiose for twilight's reserved nature. the golden oak library was great! i loved that! and i would love it if the show gave twilight a massive library, but... crystal? right outside of ponyville? and OUTSIDE? wasnt the point of the library being near the center of town so it forced twilight to immerse herself in ponyville culture?

i hate capitalism and their love of easily manufactured cheap colorful plastic toys

Season 6: The Cart Before the Ponies

this one feels pretty ooc as well. i can see all of these events happening, but in more minor ways and subtle influences than completely taking over. i know the show needs to be blatant about their writing sometimes, which is totally fine, but it unfortunately sacrifices the writing of the featured characters.

Season 7: (i have no complaints)

Season 8: Horse Play

more second-hand embarrassment i can't stand. otherwise a pretty great episode! i love celestia episodes a lot because her character is pretty decently executed! im still not happy about them not addressing the whole alicorn thing, but as a ruler shes trying her best and thats what really counts. i also love seeing how hers and twilight's relationship developed.

Season 8: Non-Compete Clause

main example of appledash fighting and putting students in danger. this episode just rubs me the wrong way in a manner i can't find the words to describe

Season 8: Yakity Sax

i'm all for letting others enjoy what they enjoy! and i love that pinkie is given hobbies outside of baking and party planning and babysitting! but boundaries DO come first. the only issue i have with her playing is that it becomes visually physically painful due to the volume. sounding bad can be fixed and ignored, but volume is definitely something that needs to be discussed.

this is ALSO what feels like a tipping point for pinkie as well (at least in my memory) from a well-rounded fun character to the "loud funny comedic relief" with little dimension left

Season 9: She's All Yak

this one also makes me feel weird and rubs me the wrong way! the message is there and is executed fine but "teaching yona to be more pony-like" felt really really weird

Season 9: The Last Problem

i've talked more than enough about how i feel about the end of the series! it's... eeehhhh... lots of things i would change. and i am changing. i have a blog about this.

#doe's rambles #answered #reversal-mushroom #ask blog #ask doeblossom

[ambiguouspuzuma]

Pins & Needles

"I hate arriving late," Gemma said. "Especially meeting people for the first time. What kind of impression is this going to make?"

"Don't worry, they'll know it's not your fault," Ben told her. These were his friends, and he was more relaxed about her introduction to the group. If anything, he was excited to show her off. "They'll blame me. They're good at doing that."

If she noticed the way his tone darkened for a moment, like the brief shadow that falls when a cloud flits across the surface of the sun, she was too worried to say anything. Gemma had her own anxieties, without adding Ben's own baggage to the mix. They'd only been together for a month, or just shy of one, and things had been going wonderfully so far. She didn't want to do anything to spoil that.

"Remind me, what have I told you about the gang?"

Gemma tried to remember her previous briefings. "You know Chris, Mike and Yasmin from school. Eni is Chris's girlfriend."

"Fiancée, now," he said, but nodded. "She's a bit of a gossip, so don't worry if she starts badgering you for information. I'll try to stop her going full Guantanamo. What else?"

"Chris is training to be a teacher, Eni is training to be an accountant," she continued, thinking carefully. "Mike works down his dad's pub, which is the White Horse - or is it the Red Lion? - that you all used to go to growing up."

"It's the Red Horse, but I'll give you that one," Ben said. "They wanted to be different. You might find Mike a bit loud, by the way, but he means well. He just gets excited around people."

"You make him sound like a puppy."

"Well, he's not entirely not one. How about Yasmin?"

"She's finished a PhD at Exeter. Currently unemployed, but looking for something in her field."

"Right, but we don't mention that. Well, Eni probably will, but it's a sore subject, so we'll try to steer the conversation elsewhere." He paused. "They can be a bit much, for your first time, but I promise you'll be fine. I'll be right there beside you."

"Sure. It's just that whenever you go up to bowl, Eni will immediately start needling me for information whilst Mike barks and chases his own tail?"

"Eni's alright, she doesn't really have any boundaries, you know? I suppose she's an acquired taste - besides, once you've met her a few times she'll run out of questions to bombard you with."

Their train pulled into the station, and her briefing was complete. Mission-ready, they headed on into the bowling alley, swapped out their trainers for clown shoes, and walked them over to lane nine, where Ben's friends were already waiting in the cheap plastic seats.

"Sorry we're late," he said. "Bloody trains. This is Gemma. Gemma - meet Mike, Chris, Eni, Yasmin."

He pointed them out in order. Chris had his arm around Eni, who had been talking to the others across from them, a bottle of beer in his other hand. Yasmin looked up from her phone, whilst Mike was slurping on a blue slushy, which didn't bode well for either of their energy levels. They all greeted her in turn, although she felt weird being presented in front of them, like she was being appraised as well.

"It's lovely to meet you all," she said, trying on what she hoped was a winning smile. A good first impression would make everything easier. "Ben talks so much about you."

"All good things, I hope?" The question was usually rhetorical, but the look on Eni's face said otherwise. Her eyes had fixated on Gemma's face, as if with enough focus she could bore into her mind.

"Of course," Gemma smiled.

They went to get a drink whilst the others kicked off the game. Ben bought her a mixed fruits cider and got a beer for himself - the benefits of not driving. He put a protective arm around her as they headed back to the group, with Mike now selecting his ball from the rack.

"Sorry we made you wait," he said again. "You know, what with the train delays..."

"Strike!" Mike interrupted, racing back to his seat.

"Are you going to start driving again?" Eni asked, once the celebrations had subsided, but Chris gave her a look which Gemma almost missed.

"You know, once you're ready," he added.

They took their turns. Gemma got a respectable seven points from her first attempts, whilst Ben put both of his into the gutter. He seemed anxious, for some reason, even though he was the one who'd met these people before. Was he worried about how she would get on? That would be sweet, although it didn't help to settle her own nerves. She'd rather he was something sturdy to hold on to.

"So, how did you two meet?" Eni asked once they were both back in their seats.

"Online," Gemma said, a little sheepishly, although not really knowing why. "How about you and Chris?"

"Oh, we've been together since college. Coming up to ten years."

"That's amazing."

"Yes, it has been. How long have you two been together?"

"About a month, now," Ben said.

"Interesting." Eni nodded slowly, as if taking some time to digest the new information. "So how long was that after, you know, you and Sofia..."

"Split!" Mike collapsed back in his seat, prompting Gemma to get back up again.

Ben had been growing tense beside her, and Gemma couldn't blame him, but at least now the subject had been changed to some TV show he and Mike loved. Yasmin had been talking to Chris separately, but now they also joined in the wider conversation. Gemma could see how Mike could be a handful, like the bowling ball she was struggling to lift, but the group clearly benefitted from his enthusiasm.

They fell into a pattern. Eni would manoeuvre the conversation to them whenever she got the chance, but then Mike returned to move it back to a topic he was interested in. It was a balance the others seemed to go along with.

"I don't mind taking the train," she said. "When you work it out, parking and fuel are probably a little more expensive."

"Double!" Mike was on a roll.

"Do you not drive too?"

"I can, there's just nowhere to keep a car where I live. Supposedly we have on-road parking, but there's never a space."

"Spare!" None of the rest of them had a chance.

The problem was that Eni's questions were contagious. Despite her initial annoyance at the needling, Gemma found herself longing for answers of her own, curious about this story everybody seemed to know but her.

"So what happened with Ben and driving?" she asked, the next time he left to use the loo.

"He didn't tell you?" Yasmin seemed surprised. "He had an accident."

"Or so he said," Eni added, unable to resist deepening the mystery.

"And we believe him," Chris reminded her. "It could have happened to anyone."

"So why stop driving, if he didn't blame himself?"

"Sorry, but please can one of you just tell me what happened?"

"Right, sorry. They were driving home one night and... well, she felt the car hit something and screamed."

"Turkey!"

Ben returned as Mike did, and that was that for another round, and the rest of the game. Gemma was pleased not to come last, with Ben being a true gentleman and taking the fall for her, although Mike had easily twice her score. It was only later, when they were changing back their shoes, that Chris was able to get her alone.

"I'm sorry for all the questions," he said. "I promise next time won't be as bad. I'd be grateful if you didn't mention what we said about the accident, by the way. I know Ben is sensitive about it, and I'm sure he'd want to tell you in his own time."

"Or not at all", Gemma pointed out. "But from what you've said, it's kind of sweet that he's still so upset at hitting a bird. I didn't realise he was so sensitive."

"A bird?"

"Yeah, didn't someone say..."

"Oh, right, we never finished that conversation, did we?"

"You tell me!" This was maddening. "Please, can you just give me the full story. I promise I'll pretend I didn't know."

"He hit her dog. It didn't make it."

"Oh."

"A few weeks later she took her own life. There was nothing to say they were directly connected, but I think he did blame himself for a while. Or at least her family did."

"Wait, she died?" Gemma's mind was racing, trying to remember what she'd learnt a couple of ciders ago. "I thought they just broke up."

"Why? Did he tell you that?"

"No, I... he hasn't mentioned her at all." That sort of ex talk was something of a taboo, especially at this stage of a new relationship. "I was sure someone had brought it up here."

"I don't think so," Chris said. "I would have noticed. But remember, no mention of this to him, okay?"

"Okay," Gemma agreed, wondering how on earth she was going to keep her word.

#writing #short story #creative writing #original writing #original fiction

[the-firebird69]

There are several of these festivals they all have their different beer mug in the suds that's true when I know it came from was talk about it and it was back a long time ago in the Middle ages and they used to use it to clean things a little and it worked cuz it had alcohol and it was like soap says and it started a long time ago in England and someone said to clean off the stuff off the carriage and it was a horse and buggy I said why don't you go get some suds and they said oh yeah they won't care about that they came back and said I couldn't get any but I got this and it wiped the stuff and it came off he said it smells like beer get beer all over it and he said yeah is that okay so I got home and of course there's bugs and stuff and you washed it and that's what they call it suds and it was this guy's clan they're always screwing around with stuff like that. It's a story and I didn't make it out but it was like a rumor it went around again every so often they also used to use the clean blood up and it worked pretty good and that's what they're saying cuz they probably were saying it and it covered it up so we want to use the name it's kind of an aggressive thing and they're always saying it don't get lost in the suds don't let the suds get to you don't get suds all over you and drink too much to the suds and it said a lot you want to make a brewing company and get it going and he said to make a bunch of micro breweries let's start a bunch of them up our self and make suds and it will be like our generic company but it'll have a name and has meaning and it'll be potent and it won't have any small cans it's going to start out with the big can it's bigger than a tall the next one is going to be like a fosters then the other ones like a mini keg size has the same opening thing as the Heineken and it should be like that the suns are cheaper and there's another one you can make that's bigger and he's thinking of the plastic bottles again and to make it cheap and dump it and we do understand it it's a good idea there's a certain bottle that's great and there's a big mouth and it'll be suds and we have a different Brew and you have a suds big mouth it has like more alcohol and it's richer he says no it's like a full Amber but not not too rich and that's more alcohol now I know what he's saying it's like Budweiser if you like piss which is like saying suds but suds is like cheap but good it doesn't taste bad and it's not bad for you it's just a cheaper beer that you can drink a lot of that's what it implies so we are going to go ahead and start making this in garages and it's suds and we're going to put it in plastic bottles because it's microbrewery and there's a way to seal those bottles we just screw the cap on you screwed on real tight and there you have it and you test it

Thor Freya

I'm in love again I can't stand it he's doing okay but I think I'm a very proud of him for the dinner he made is going to have a big dinner tomorrow you want to invite me to it it doesn't see me around he doesn't understand why I can't get here when they're all stupid right now do you want to wants to know what I want for Christmas and I want him intact and he can do that so that's good he gets the big present to me LOL and it's good too it's not funny. So he thinks he might ask Thor and Freya to make me a pink Hard knock kicker 5150. And it's going to go ahead right now right now I'm going to do that and I'll get it to her character and she'll hear about it we get home alone the good sign is shortly after and the Jason is not there yet but The highwayman has to be so this is going to start happening it's happening because of the closure of Africa of the pseudo empire bases and the molar in them and they're Manning them and they're full of crap

Thor Freya

Olympus

Zues Hera

[dnjfrkgode]

월가행 다시보기 1화~40화 (완결) 중드 wolgahaeng

월가행 다시보기 1화~40화 (완결) 중드 wolgahaeng 링크<<

월가행 다시보기 1화~40화 (완결) 중드 wolgahaeng

월가행 다시보기 1화~40화 (완결) 중드 wolgahaeng

월가행 다시보기 1화~40화 (완결) 중드 wolgahaeng

월가행 다시보기 1화~40화 (완결) 중드 wolgahaeng

월가행 다시보기 1화~40화 (완결) 중드 wolgahaeng

In the early days of its appearance, the main purpose was to kill people and horses with explosions, but throughout the two world wars, it was used as a strategy to plant mines around trenches or bases for defense or to bury them in large quantities in an area and deny access. Therefore, since the killing power of mines did not need to be perfect, they were made cheap, light, and small to be undetectable like M14 ankle mines, and then M16 leaping mines with killing power came out. The scariest thing about landmines is that they are buried and camouflaged in the ground, so the person who planted them cannot know where they planted them, rather than their power [10]. Because landmine management is so difficult, according to the treaty, mines have an automatic explosion or automatic release function, and some plastic mines are intentionally put in some metal to make them detectable. Still, it's hard to trust auto-disarming 100%, and considering the existence of countries ignoring the treaty and the huge amount of obsolete mines already laid before that, it's still a headache.

Even more terrifying is the high probability of civilians stepping on mines when the war is over. Unless there is mutually assured destruction caused by nuclear weapons, war will surely end someday, and even during a war, if the war is prolonged, civilians will go out to search dangerous areas to find something in their difficult lives. Unlike the military, which may have known in advance, civilians are highly likely to walk through minefields without knowing they exist unless controlled. Whether during the war or after the war, only innocent civilians are dying.

The Republic of Korea also has considerably buried not only the DMZ but also the military bases in the rear, so even if the mines are removed, it is not 100% safe due to the nature of the mines (unless the entire amount is recovered as the number written in the log). However, there are not a few people who enter here for the purpose of hiking or gathering mushrooms and wild vegetables. To make matters worse, soldiers around them also bring and throw away things that are difficult to dispose of, such as refrigerators, sofas, TVs, and leftover ashes. There are sentries, and they may be discovered and arrested.

However, even if you do not enter only the areas marked as minefields, you cannot be relieved. Heavy rains during the rainy season or snow melted throughout the winter in early spring cause the ground to become soft and fall out of place along with the collapsing soil. Hundreds of landmines buried or stored near actual military bases sometimes disappear during this period, and over the years, these lost mines eventually wash up on mountain trails or along streams, crippling innocent people.

Lost mines can only reduce incidents caused by them through constant monitoring and collection, but cannot be completely eliminated. In particular, in the area along the river front, where the water source is on the North Korean side, even wooden box mines are washed up along with corpses, so if there is a wooden box in this area, it is best not to approach or touch it. The land mine problem is still a fire under the feet, such as mine clearing operations taking place in areas that have become civilian residences.

However, despite this danger, the easiest way to deny the enemy's advance in real-life situations is to bury/spray mines, so the defenders can't help but use it. In addition, in case mines are removed by a task force or vehicle, complex tricks using anti-personnel/anti-tank mine complex burial, triple booby traps, and trip wire can be mobilized. So, the method that came out is a way to completely dig up the ground in a certain area like MICLIC. In practice, the case of the daisy cutter used during the Gulf War is representative. However, when burying or distributing mines, they spray a lot in a very wide area, and due to the nature of mines, the misfire rate is high, so it is difficult to completely remove them in reality because of those who do not explode at the time of removal and then crash later, and only 'probabilistic' removal is possible do. Even though forest fires have broken out several times in the DMZ, one or two land mines explode every time a forest fire breaks out.

And in places where the political situation or security is unstable, such as in Africa or the Middle East, even after the war is over, the number of people without limbs steadily increases every year due to the laying of countless land mines throughout the period. In addition, it is said that there are children who get hit by landmines two or three times after getting into an accident once. There was also a case where children thought it was a toy and touched it and then exploded by attaching wings to plastic to be more widely spread and distinguished like PFM-1 when walking around and stepping on it or spraying it from an airplane or vehicle. . It was unintentional, but as a result, it is a very vicious weapon.

[peter-author]

Foot On The Gas

You know the feeling; you’re driving along on a wet slippery road and you wonder just how much pressure on the gas peddle you can get away with before you skid and crash. Now, if you add in other factors – autumn leaves, darkening light, that kid horsing around behind you, perhaps your spouse offering advice on where to turn, which car to pass, what’s that idiot doing in the fast lane? – all these factors play into your decision on how much you can depress that peddle, slower or faster, or when emergency braking might be needed. Driving is a matter of calculating thousands of factors, weighing up pros and cons, trying to make damn sure you get where you are going safely. And, let’s face it, over half of these second-to-second decisions you make them on every journey! Your computational skills, while driving, are demanding and you’re damn good at it, year after year.

The environmental worries are exactly the same. It is all complicated. It seriously requires computational skill just to begin to understand the factors.

Just how much foot on the gas for national growth can we get away with before we skid and crash? Are those environmental whiners like your spouse telling you different directions? Should you listen to them or just assume you know best? And what about the kids, should you be worried about their future? And that other country like China burning all that cheap coal (much of which comes from Australia), they’re going faster than you, should you keep up or drive safely? Do they know something you don’t? Or will they be that irresponsible car that endangers you all on the highway causing a pile-up? And those leaves on the wet road, they are like the warning signs of plastic islands on the oceans, the smog in Beijing, polluted rivers, chemical toxic dumps, and scientific study of CO2 levels across the planet.

Individually, each of those items seems like something we can fix, but there are now an awful lot of wet slippery leaves on our sustainable highway, the road is packed with polluting bad drivers, your car sanctuary cannot escape the constant verbal warnings issued in the media, and the kids are increasingly seriously aware they want out. And when you look around, the sky is getting darker, and take a careful look, that wet surface of the road is sending signals of danger.

Look, just like driving your car – something you are expert at! – you need to take steps to save the planet – ease your foot off the gas. Slow down, assess the real driving conditions, employ those considerable brain cells’ abilities to see what the real conditions are. It is not too late. The planet can be saved, just ease your foot off the gas, see what is not safe for driving safely, what needs to be fixed before it kills you and yours. After all, the object of living is exactly the same as driving: you want to get from here to there safely. Stop assuming your path to life on this planet is guaranteed or, worse, beyond your control. Your safety is, just like driving, up to you.

#Environment #climate #china