#realizing a lot of these were released in the last few years which I guess have been really formative years for my music taste... | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lavendertales · 2 months

Text

SEÑORITA: Chapter 9**

pairing: Javier Peña x Murphy!f!reader

summary: you get Javier to open up about his life in Colombia. meanwhile, when Steve invites the whole lot of you to brunch, it becomes tough to keep your relationship a secret, especially when Javier's confession burns on the tip of his tongue.

word count: 7k

series warnings: reluctant friends to lovers, lots of playful banter, mutual pining, slow burn, secret relationship, filthy smut; lots of flirting, love confessions, mirror sex, cunnilingus & fingering, some dry humping , cockwarming, lil bit of praise kink & gentle dom!Javi.

A/N: so hiiii yes I am not dead, I am just not really posting anymore but I will see this story through. idk if this is as good as I'd hoped, but I do hope you enjoy it nonetheless 💕

AGELESS/EMPTY BLOGS & MINORS WILL BE BLOCKED!

series masterlist | AO3

There’s loud screams all around him. Smoke, screams, and the unmistakable scent of death and despair, all around him.

Someone’s screaming for him. Saying his name on a loop. Javier, Javier, Javier. Followed by Javi. Then a toe-curling help me and please, and then—silence.

A silence so loud his ears are ringing and pouring blood.

Except when he looks around him, there’s blood everywhere.

Blood, mass destruction, and an impending sense of doom that no matter how far he runs, no matter what lies he tells, it never leaves him. It is then, in that very second as he’s looking down at the bloodied and bruised face of a woman he once thought he could be with and save, Javier realizes that sense of doom will never leave him. He will remain forever locked in its harsh and cold grip, forever followed by the inevitable shame and guilt, doomed to drown in them.

“I’m sorry,” he mutters. “’m sorry—I’m—I couldn’t—“

“Javi. Hey. It’s okay. Can you hear me? Javi. It’s me.”

His name on a loop, pronounced so carefully and sincerely, so rich with care and an almost soul-crushing sweetness, awakens him at long last. He’s disoriented as he looks around, his temples and forehead dripping with sweat. There’s a hand gently resting on his chest, steadying his heartbeat, and it’s then that Javier’s eyes come into focus and they see your face. And then slowly the realization that he’s no longer in Colombia, no longer surrounded by pain, comes into focus as well, and that he’s in his bed, next to the most wonderful woman he’s ever known.

“Are you alright?” you ask, gently rubbing his chest through the t-shirt.

“Yeah. I’m definitely better now.”

He cracks a reassuring smile and so do you.

“Nightmare?” you ask next.

Javier nods, rather hesitantly. “I was back in Colombia. In Bogota.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Upon noticing the hesitation on his face, you’re quick to add, “It’s okay if you don’t want to though. I don’t have to know everything about your past.”

Something about that feels oddly endearing; Javier hasn’t met anyone who has been as kind and understanding as you and for every genuine word you throw at him, for every gentle caress of his hand or his cheek, he feels his chest impossibly lighter, as if all the pain he has been carrying with him for the past few years is beginning to wear off at long last.

Though his tongue aches for verbal release, Javier isn’t certain that he wants to burden you with the horrors he had witnessed and done in Colombia. You are far too tame to handle such harsh realities, even if you clearly expect the truth and nothing but it.

“I did things I’m not proud of,” he lets out in a coarser than expected voice. “Terrible things. Either for information or out of… helplessness or desperation.”

You don’t say anything; you adjust your position so that you face him clearer, even in the darkness, and let him continue.

“I’m no saint, by no means. I guess sometimes I thought my actions were justified because the end result would be good. But it rarely ever was.”

And before he knows it, Javier is telling you the chapter of his life which he deemed closed some time ago, from start to finish: he tells you about him and Steve and how they worked together; he tells you about working with the most gruesome group in all of Colombia in order to get to Pablo Escobar; he tells you about Helena and how he cared about her and how he got her traumatized simply because he pushed her too much for information; he tells you of all the people he threatened, shot, of all the plans he made and failed, how he got the so-called promotion in Cali and how it meant that Steve was the one who ended Escobar eventually. By the end of it, it’s nearly morning and you’re cuddled at his chest, listening to him breathe and caressing his cheek.

“I appreciate you opening up about this,” you murmur. “I know it can’t possibly be easy.”

“It is. It feels easier with you.”

You smile, chastely kissing his lips. Javier’s chest rises and falls with each additional shaky breath he takes as he forces his mind to collaborate with his mouth in order to get out those pesky three words that have been pressing on his conscience for weeks now. Yet the way you kiss him tenderly and sweetly, as if to reassure him that he’s safe and sound from any harm in this world, it shuts him up real good.

His mother once told him that when he’ll meet someone special, he’ll know it and he’ll know just what to say and when. He was still a kid at the time and he dismissed his mother’s words, but now he feels them to be truer than ever.

“So if we were in Colombia,” you say suddenly as a smirk graces your lips, “would I be one of your girls?”

Javier turns to you, faintly amused. He cocks an eyebrow at you, his interest visibly peaked.

“What?”

“Would I be one of many girls that fall at Javier Peña’s feet? One of the lucky ones who get to go to bed with him?”

Something aches inside Javier as you pose that question. It’s a playful one and while you have no ill intentions behind it, it dawns on Javier that the idea repulses him on a certain level. The idea of you being just another pretty face to add to that seemingly endless list of conquests, another forgettable name on there… he doesn’t want that.

Especially not when the reality could not be more farther from the truth.

“No,” he responds, shifting closer to you and removing a strand of hair from your face. “No, absolutely not.”

You smile, somewhat confused. “Why not?”

“Because you’re—better. You’re—you’re everything, you—“

His heart starts pounding, his throat feels beyond dry and it feels as if there is a huge ball of fire in his chest, waiting to burst at the slightest movement.

“I—what?”

Tell her. Tell her now.

Tell her you fucking coward!

“We should get some rest,” Javier mutters, stroking your hair and coaxing you into his arms so that you fall asleep as soon as possible. Once you do, he finally exhales, still burdened and haunted, but much more secure in his decision to finally come clean to you tomorrow, no matter what.

Except that when tomorrow comes, Javier receives an unexpected invitation.

“You free in about two hours?” Steve’s voice asks through the phone, and Javier gulps out of instinct.

“Yeah, think so. Why?”

“How would you feel about having brunch with me and Connie?”

He falters, and it’s as if Steve can sense the hesitation on his part because he’s quick to add, “Hopefully my sister’s gonna be there too. Also Sylvie and her boyfriend Zack, they’re coming too. You know, my sister’s friends.”

“Right, yeah, I think she mentioned them at some point.”

“Yeah. I thought a nice friendly meal would do us all good. What do you say?”

Javier meets your face from the corner of his eye and notices the question written all over it. He shakes his head briefly, a little “I’ll handle this for us” sign, and resumes his conversation with Steve.

“Sounds nice, I’m in,” he tells Steve.

“Great. Just gotta call my sister now. Or hope to get in touch with her at least.”

“Just call her, I’m sure it’s gonna be fine.”

The moment he hangs up, he stares at you with the same guilty face he’s been having whenever Steve’s been around lately.

“You need to go to your apartment,” he tells you in a grim voice.

You frown. “Are you kicking me out?”

Javier makes a face. “No, of course not. But you need to go to your apartment because your brother’s gonna call you and you need to answer the phone.”

“I could be sleeping in. It’s Sunday, after all. I could’ve been out last night. Hell, I could’ve been with somebody. Maybe I was with Dean and we—“

“Okay, stop.”

You try not to smile seeing the bothered look on Javier’s face. Instead, you inch closer to him and wrap your arms around his neck.

“Aw, honey, are you jealous of Dean?” you peck his lips.

“I think we’ve already established that I was. But not anymore. I’ve got you, and he can go suck a lemon for all I care.”

You scoff, kissing him again, utterly enjoying the sensation of Javier simply melting into your arms, into the kiss you share.

“You really should stop with this because if you don’t, we’re gonna be stuck in here for the rest of the day, spent and sweaty,” Javier warns, to which you cock an eyebrow at him.

“Okay, so what did my brother want?”

“He invited us to brunch.”

“Us?”

“Well, me. And he should be calling you any moment, so if you could go to your apartment and answer the phone, I’d really appreciate that.”

“But I could be—“

“Please. For me?”

You roll your eyes, sighing. “Fine. You’re lucky I’m sweet on you.”

Javier presses a kiss to your cheek, stroking your hand.

“But we need to set up some ground rules for this brunch,” he tells you sternly.

“Rules? For what?”

“We said we’re not gonna tell Steve about us until we’re ready, and we’re not really there yet, so no sitting together, no touching, no looking at each other unless absolutely necessary.”

“Don’t you think that makes it more suspicious?”

“Hopefully not.”

You chuckle. “For someone who used to be a bad boy, you sure like setting down rules.”

“I’m just saying—okay, just—just go upstairs.”

“Ooh, yes, sir.”

He knows you’re joking; he knows you’re teasing him, especially in that falsely impressed and sultry tone of voice, and yet a part of him still twitches at the thought of you being so willing, so malleable and needy for him.

It’s a thought that will never leave his mind—or his body.

The little bistro Steve chose—aka claims, because everyone knows Connie is the one who actually picked it—for the brunch is quite cozy: floral arrangements adorn the outside windows, little lights hang from the walls on the inside, and plenty of people buzzing and chatting, completely immersed in their conversations.

If he were honest, Javier preferred if the two of you showed up at this brunch separately—although in hindsight, that would probably raise more questions instead of burying them for good. But he still has a knot in his throat even when you assure him that nobody’s going to bat an eyelash and that they will all think you coming together here was nothing more but an act of convenience.

“I’m telling you, it’s fine,” you sneakily squeeze Javier’s hand. “Could you at least try to look less constipated? Just—you know, for at least an hour or two.”

Javier frowns at you, taking a deep breath and taking one last, long look at you, as if he’s trying to memorize every single detail about you. You crack a smile.

“It’s going to be fine,” you reassure him. “You care far more about Steven’s opinion than I do. I don’t care if he finds out.”

“I kind of do.”

“I know you do. And it’s so sweet. But so what if he finds out? I mean… what’s he gonna uncover? That his little sister is in the healthiest and best relationship she’s ever had?”

“With his friend and partner whom he particularly asked not to fool around with his little sister.”

“Javi, we’re not just fooling around.” After a pause, you continue somewhat concerned. “Are we?”

“No, absolutely not.”

“Then you shouldn’t worry this much.”

It’s quite astounding how fast you’re capable of calming Javier down with minimal effort. But it works, and when the two of you enter the place and take your seats at the table, greeted by the rest of the party, Javier breathes a little easier. He avoids Steve’s eyes as he shakes hands with Zach and Sylvie, guilt weighing on his conscience like the heaviest boulder. He tries his best in remembering your words that this isn’t about Steve, it’s about the two of you and your newfound happiness, but alas, he remains just a little bit stiff throughout brunch as conversation starts flowing between all of you.

On the brighter side, Javier smiles to himself seeing you and Steve engaged in conversation, laughing with each other. You’re sitting side by side to your brother, which means Javier is right in front of you and gets to notice the two of you mending your relationship.

Then he thinks again of how hopelessly in love he feels with you, how he has been for the past several weeks, if not more, and how it’s all happening behind Steve’s back. Maybe you were right, though; maybe it wouldn’t be so bad for Steve to find out at last. He’d find out that his little sister is happy, and that his best friend is content, at peace.

Would that be so bad?

And then he feels your foot rubbing against his, sneaking its way up, just in the slightest; he inhales a sharp breath, giving you a death stare, and he gets his answer.

Maybe it would be so bad.

“I hear you finished writing your book?” Sylvie asks you, redirecting Javier’s attention to the subject matter.

“I did,” you proudly say. “I need to do the final editing, run it by someone, but I’m pretty confident it’ll be out by next year. At least that’s the hope.”

“That’s so damn cool,” Zach says in between mouthfuls.

“Truly amazing,” Connie adds.

“I’m so proud of you.”

Everyone turns to look at Steve, who’s got the brightest smile on his face and his glass raised up. They all follow suit with the gesture, toasting your accomplishment as you stare at your big brother.

“Really, I am,” Steve goes on. “I’ve always been. Always thought you’re amazing. Much cooler than me.”

“By miles.”

The table laughs.

“But it dawned on me that I never really told you this. So… I want you to know that I am very proud of you, every day. And I love you.”

“Thank you. And I love you too.”

“Here, here!”

The conversation begins to flow easily afterwards: Connie shares Olivia’s latest endeavors and how she started walking; Zach and Sylvie talk about their relationship and how it is to live together, to which you make a tasteful joke about her pretending to still live with you as well and how you and Zach basically share Sylvie; then Steve talks about work and how he enjoys it, being similar and yet different than what he used to do in Colombia. Javier remains silent during this portion, sipping on his black coffee and pretending not to feel your leg sliding up his.

“What about you, Javier?” Sylvie asks.

“What about me what?”

“How do you like it at the precinct?”

“It’s okay.”

You eye him briefly, affectionately rubbing your leg on his shin, concealing a smile as you see him squirm in his seat.

“Javi’s having a bit of a tough time adjusting,” Steve intervenes.

“It’s police work. It’s what I know, and it’s what I do.”

“It’s what gives you nightmares.”

Everyone at the table turns towards you, the same surprised look on all of their faces. You shrug, ignoring Javier’s deadly stare.

“And you know this how?” Steve asks reticently.

“By talking. By asking and by actually getting to know people, Steven.”

“Let’s move on, shall we?” Javier suggests.

“What do you mean?” Steve resumes, focusing solely on you. “I know people, I talk to them.”

You take a deep breath, maintaining a neutral tone even if your pulse increases rapidly.

“You refer to Javier as your best friend, but besides work, how much do you really talk to each other?”

“We talk.”

“Sometimes too much if you ask me,” Javier adds.

“Point is, he is my best friend.”

“Really? Did you know that he has night terrors? Not nightmares, terrors. And not every night, but he has ‘em. He mumbles and groans in his sleep, sometimes cries or even screams. He apologizes over and over to dead people, to you and to Connie.”

“Oh, Javi…” Connie mumbles.

“Do you know how I know this?”

There’s a lightbulb moment happening inside Steve’s head, and it is perfectly legible on his face as he stares at you, then at Javier, who gulps. Steve says your name, still processing, and it is only then that Javier stands up abruptly, his eyes shooting right at you.

“Can I talk to you for a minute? All the way over there?”

You raise your eyebrows, quite surprised, but nod and follow Javier all the way to the buffet table. You notice the little crease between his brows, the way he purses his lips and you can tell something’s making him uncomfortable. Suddenly the thought makes you feel guilty.

“Javi, I’m sorry if I crossed a line—“

“You thought at brunch would be a good idea to rub your leg against me? With your friends and brother right next to you?”

You furrow your brows, even more taken aback. “Okay, not where I thought this conversation was headed,” you confess.

“Tell me.”

As much as you’d like to deny it or pretend like it doesn’t affect you, Javier’s demeanor is getting through to you in ways you wouldn’t have thought possible; the way he’s being so adamant about his request, his voice low and husky—

“I thought it would be fun, yes,” you shamelessly admit.

“You gotta stop it because otherwise I might excuse us again and fuck you in that bathroom.”

Speechless, you stare at him, mouth ajar and heart pounding in your ears. You find yourself incapable of saying anything for the next few seconds, and even more shocking, you find yourself seriously debating Javier’s words.

“Don’t tell me you’re actually thinking about it,” he says.

“Don’t tell me you’re not,” you chuckle.

Javier huffs, frustrated to the point of taking his own words into consideration.

Except he is trying really hard not to be that kind of man and be more respectful and wary.

“Gotta be honest, I thought you were gonna be upset about me saying you have nightmares,” you mutter.

“No, I’m upset because you were rubbing up against me with your brother right next to you, and I can’t keep going like this. So either you tell him about us, or I do.”

You stare at him incredulously. “Wait, seriously? You wanna tell him?”

“I need a clear conscience. And I really need it so next time I fuck you, I won’t feel so guilty.”

You chuckle, stroking his arm. You’re fully aware that the gesture hasn’t gone unnoticed by the four people who are most likely still staring at you two, but all of a sudden, you no longer care. Javier is right; just as he doesn’t want to deny or hide it anymore, neither do you.

So when you return to the table, the perfect comeback is hatched from your brain.

“Sorry about that,” you smile, turning straight to Steven.

“What’s going on?”

“As I was saying, do you know how I know all of those things about Javier?”

“Don’t say it.”

“I’ve been spending the nights at his place. Every night for like three months now.”

Connie and Sylvie are the only ones smiling, except the latter is sipping from her cup of coffee with utmost interest.

“Three months?” Steven repeats. “So you chose to sleep with my best friend to what? To prove a point, to—to laugh in my face?”

“Neither. Actually, it did start as a way to get back at you. But as it turns out, he’s great in the sack.”

“As advertised,” Javier adds.

“And you wanted to skip brunch today,” Sylvie whispers to Zach, who’s watching the exchange as speechless as Connie.

“Don’t—“Steve shakes his head.

“Oh yeah, he’s fantastic. Knows his way around a woman’s body better than she knows it. I’m talking about waves and waves of endless pleasure.”

“I think I’m gonna throw up.”

“Actually, I think I might too. We haven’t really been careful, you know? It’s been a lot of sweaty, rough and yet so passionate—“

“Okay, stop! Why are you being like this? Both of you!”

You exchange a glare with Javier, both of you smiling at each other.

“Like what? Wild, unhinged?”

“Kind of, yes!”

“The way you’ve been treating me since I was 15? Which I haven’t been in years, by the way.”

“Please tell me you were using some form of birth control though.”

“Ew, shut up! Would you calm down already? We’re both responsible adults, we know what to do. Besides, we’re not just sleeping together. We’re going on dates and spending time together and… we like each other.”

“We’re not just fooling around,” Javier adds, unable to look away from you. “I’m in love with her.”

You stare back at him, ignoring Connie’s soft oh my God in your vicinity, even Sylvie’s I fuckin’ knew it towards Zach.

“Javi, it’s okay, you don’t have to—“

“I love her, Steve. And I did keep my promise to not fool around with her. What I can do is promise to keep her safe and treat her with respect and care.”

It dawns on you that this is the first time you’ve heard Javier say those words, and realizing he also hasn’t said them since his last real relationship. It’s a huge milestone in both your lives, and the fact that Javier chose this moment to confess makes you realize how much he must care about you.

“It’s true,” you add. “I—I love him too. I have for quite some time.”

“I fuckin’ told you,” Sylvie smiles. “I told you, and I knew sooner or later—“

“Not now, Syl.”

“Right, sorry. Continue.”

“Honey?” Connie presses her hand to Steve’s shoulder. “Don’t you wanna say something to them?”

“I’m really sorry, guys. I never wanted to… to treat you this way, to push you even further, sis. I guess I was just afraid that what Colombia did to me and Javier would be too much for you to handle. I know Connie got overwhelmed at some point. Rightfully so. But after all, I had her to come home to. Javier was… alone, and burying his problems in alcohol, cigarettes and random women. Relationships were out of question for him, and I saw what Colombia did to him overall, what all of that did to him. I didn’t want any of that for you. I obviously want you both to be happy, that’s all I’ve ever wanted. And I see you guys now being so happy with each other… it makes me happy.”

“We’re sorry we didn’t tell you earlier,” Javier says. “I guess we needed some time to figure things out ourselves.”

“Doesn’t matter now. Point is, I know my sister, she’s an amazing woman, and I—I missed the angle where that might be something good for Javier. Which it clearly is. And clearly he was full of shit when he said you’re not his type.”

“Just out of curiosity,” you intervene, “what exactly is Javier’s type?”

“The usual sexy, sultry woman.”

You raise your brows, to which Steve panics. “Not that you’re not! I mean, not that I think you as my sister are sexy… okay, this is weird, let’s move on.”

“Yeah, let’s.”

“I meant, you’re more the next door girl kind of woman, I suppose, and Javier usually went for the ‘right in your face sexy’ kind of a woman.”

“Relax, I know. I’m just teasing you.”

“Yeah, it’s what you do best.”

Everyone laughs, with Connie affectionately rubbing Steve’s arm.

“But listen, as glad as I am that we are talking about this and being open and mature about it, please do be safe, okay?” Steve says, and you make a face. “Also I know this goes without saying, probably—hopefully—but please don’t have a baby just to spite me.”

“Steven—“

“Please, I’ve learned my lesson, I swear. I promise I’ll be good! I’ll stay out of your relationship, just don’t—“

“Steven!”

“I’m not totally ready to be an uncle. I need to mentally prepare myself for a baby that’s half Murphy, half Peña.”

You roll your eyes. “Would you relax? We are not there yet. We may never be there. I don’t know. I don’t know what the future holds for us, but for now we’re good the way we are. Plus he’s teaching me Spanish too.”

“Oh, that’s nice.”

“But don’t worry, we only do it when I get a full sentence right.”

Seeing the scandalized look on Steve’s face, you burst into laughter, and the rest follow suit.

“I’m kidding! Oh my God, it’s so fun messing with you.”

“Something is seriously wrong with you.”

You can’t help but share the laughter with the rest of the company, never quite managing to capture Javier’s eyes in your direction, not even on the way home. It only hits you the weight of the words that had been hastily, yet calculatedly, been spilled at the brunch table among friends and family once you get the inside of his apartment. You look around, finally allowing the day’s events to hit you, and then you turn to look at Javier, a warm smile gracing your face.

He confessed to everyone present that he loved you, standing up to your overly protective older brother.

“What’s going on?” Javier asks.

It somehow still surprises you that he’s able to capture the concern on your face, even when it’s not there. You’re not concerned this time around. Quite the opposite; you’ve never felt more at ease and more impressed by a partner. Granted, not that you had many serious relationships in the past, but this right now with Javier, it has so much potential to be something grand that it astounds you.

“About what you said before,” you start, your heart thrumming in your ears. “At brunch.”

Then it hits Javier as well. He inhales deeply, steadying himself.

“Right. So here’s the thing,” he clears his throat. “I’ve only ever said those words once before, and as we know, it didn’t end very well. Okay, in all fairness, it wasn’t paradise city from the beginning, it was more of a masked—that’s not the point. Anyway—“

You conceal a chuckle, staring at him with anticipation and a warmth that exceeds any expectation.

“I’ve only said those words once,” he resumes, “and I did mean it at the time. But I wasn’t really… in love when I said them. It didn’t feel like it should. But now, I think for the first time in my life, I feel those words the way they should feel. I thought I’m the kind of guy who doesn’t do relationships because I suck at them and there was never any time back in Colombia but… I think I just needed to find my match.”

You take his hand into yours. “Javi…”

“I’m serious. I’ve never met anyone so witty and funny, so—so badass. Frankly you could probably kick my ass and I’d be hella turned on.”

You don’t stifle the hearty laugh that escapes your mouth this time, and it triggers the same reaction out of Javier.

“The point I’m trying to make is… I meant what I said. I didn’t just say it to shut Steve up. I—I do love you. The best that I can, which I don’t think is near enough to what you deserve, but… I’m trying to do better, to—“

You cup his cheeks, kissing him tenderly. Javier blinks surprised at you, and his flustered face with his big brown eyes is so sweet it weakens your knees.

“You’re doing just fine, Javi,” you reassure him. “Are you kidding me? You’re so attentive and sweet and—and I love you too.”

Javier blinks in surprise again. Somehow it slipped right by him that you could reciprocate his feelings, hence why he’s rendered speechless for several seconds.

“What uh—I mean… you do?” he finally asks.

“I do. I love you. I should’ve said it sooner, I think, after you turned my story into a book. That’s… kind of when I knew. I guess I chickened out.”

“You chickened out? Why?”

You sigh. “Because… I never said the words before.”

“Wait, you never said ‘I love you’ to someone?”

You shake your head, slightly shuddering. “Well, you know my dating history and patterns, so none of those boys stuck around long enough for me to actually develop real feelings. And there was never any real connection between us. All we really had—“

“Ah, okay, I can—I can visualize what you had.”

“Aw, honey, are you jealous?”

“No. Just… not really a fan of picturing you have sweaty sex with some douchebag.”

“How about if I have some sweaty sex with a very good man?”

Though his interest visibly peaked, Javier still gulps at the notion of being referred to as “a very good man”. It’s the lie he’s told himself countless times back in Medellin and Cali and Bogota, and the same lie he operated under with the hope of excusing his horrid choices. But to hear now as something factual, something that someone as wonderful as you actually believes in…

“You could,” he finally says, stepping closer to you.

His hands roam around your waist, teasing from the small of your back; shivers run down your spine, prickling your skin.

“Is this how you were with the women back then?” you dare ask.

“Why the sudden interest?”

You shrug. “Not sudden. I’m a writer. Everyone has the potential to be an interesting character. Besides, I find the Javier stories fascinating.”

“That so?”

“Mhm.”

“Well, that Javier isn’t really around. All he was good for was some fast and rough outlet for release and… not much more.”

“So I take it that dominant, needy Javier is gone?”

He raises his brows, chuckling at the way you’re sneakily handling him. A part of him still fears this power you hold over him, but a bigger part of him is thrilled even by the still of your hand, let alone the way you’re capable of handling him.

He’s never had that, he realizes; he’s never had a woman meet him right where he’s at, handle him like a pro and then some more, and he enjoys it far more than he would’ve expected.

“I meant gone as in… gone on a vacation, not dead.”

You smile, teasingly playing with the hem of his shirt.

“That what you need now?” Javier teases.

“I want whatever you’re comfortable with giving me.”

That’s what ultimately sets him off. So when he finally kisses you, it’s rugged, needy and asserting dominance, but there’s also something very tender in the way Javier is holding you, pulling you into his body. Javier’s sole focus right now is exposing more of you to him, feeling you as close as humanly possible; therefore, he doesn’t tell you just how affected he is by your choice of words. He doesn’t tell you that this is the weakest, yet strongest he’s ever felt. If someone were to ask him how he feels, he’d easily reply “disgustingly happy”, words which he never used before.

He doesn’t tell you any of this; he lets actions speak louder. Calloused fingers, accustomed to manhandling and roughhousing, caress and cup your ass. With each passing second, the kiss you share deepens further, his pulse quickens and his jeans become more and more constricted. Never mind that it’s the middle of the day, in broad daylight; Javier wants—needs—to marvel at every inch of you, exactly as it is.

“Whatever you want from me,” he tells you through a shuddering breath as he slowly undresses you, “it’s yours. Anything.”

Javier surprises himself at how malleable he finds himself to be, caught under your spell, but he does not care one bit. When you look into his eyes and see his blown out pupils, you know he means it. You feel his words to be true.

You smile as you close your eyes and pull him in for another hasty kiss, stumbling your way to the bed. Javier strips you slowly, stealing kisses down your body while a breath catches in your throat. The sun shines right through the big windows on this crisp fall day, so there’s nothing to hide. It’s only when Javier’s hands finally pull down your panties and expose you to him that you notice you’re facing the mirror hanging from the wall of his bedroom. You shiver and on cue, Javier’s hungry eyes look up to meet yours. He smirks—because of course he does, son of a bitch.

“It’s a great view, isn’t it?” he murmurs, tentatively licking a stripe up your pussy.

His eyes don’t leave you when you sneak another glance at the mirror: it’s not huge, but big enough to fit your naked body and Javier’s head right between your legs. No good words cross your mind, even if your mind is in overdrive, begging your mouth to release some form of verbal speech. Your knees buckle and your heart beats rapidly when Javier takes his first taste. It feels like the first time he’s ever done this, though it’s really old news by this point. Recently you thought Javier’s existence is limited to one place and one place alone, and that is in between your legs, based on how much he loves spending time down there—whether he’s snug inside you or eating you out.

“Watch how gorgeous you are when you come on my tongue,” you hear Javier’s voice, lustful and dark.

“Presumptuous, aren’t we?”

You laugh a little, but it quickly fades when you feel two digits moving slowly in and out of you, a tongue collecting the slick gathered in your most sensitive spot. His nose nudges your clit, his whole mouth is seemingly buried in your pussy, and all you can do is moan helplessly, let one of your hands grab a handful of his hair and keep your eyes locked on the way your body curves and aches at his mercy. God, he’s so needy, so eager to please you and to give you orgasms; almost like this is his purpose in this world.

“Does it feel good?” you hear his husky voice.

His fingers feel like they’re splitting you open while you nearly fall apart in his mouth, and at the same time it’s not enough. It drives you insane.

You nod frantically, locked in the same trance of watching yourself getting ate out by Javier.

“With words, señorita.”

Oh fuck. You hadn’t expected that, certainly not the reaction it triggers out of you.

“Yes,” you exhale. “It feels so, so good, Javi.”

“Good. Touch yourself.”

Though your mind is in a haze, you’re able to follow his instruction. Your hand bolts to your clit, rubbing in circling motions. That, paired with his fingers pumping in and out of you and his mouth like a hot furnace devouring your pussy, it doesn’t take that much longer to get you to where you desperately need. Seeing you like this, being able to make you feel this way, it’s all getting to Javier too; he’s gotten so hard by this point it’s borderline masochistic how much pain he’s voluntarily taking in, so he unconsciously starts to rub against the edge of the bed. The friction is so good, but nowhere near enough. It’ll have to do for now, he thinks. He needs to get you off first.

A moan is harshly ripped from the back of your throat, your legs jerk and nearly trap Javier between them as pleasure jolts throughout your body. It’s electric, overwhelming, and simply unmatched. It’s too much all at once, to look in the mirror and see how painfully needy you are for this man, how beautifully fucked out you look in at this very moment. You notice his hips, desperately humping the bed, unbeknownst even to himself.

Javier pulls out his fingers, only his tongue remaining on your overly sensitive area, the strokes of it now gentler. You tug on his hair to make him attentive, and when he looks up, you see his face contorted in a mixture of delight, pleasure and neediness. And just like that, your body aches again, only this time for something more.

“Ah fuck,” Javier groans in his fast attempt to dispose of his clothes. “Didn’t notice I was—“

He sighs right as you smile, taking in the sight of a naked Javier, all in broad daylight for you to savor. He’s so hard now it almost pains you, so when you make a motion to get to him and stroke him, Javier nearly swats your hand away.

“Why not?” you ask with a pout.

“Because it’s gonna be a fucking miracle if I last more than a few seconds and I wanna be inside you when we come.”

You raise your brows. “We?”

“What did I tell you in the beginning that you’ll always have from me?”

“At least two orgasms.”

“I live up to my words.”

He’s wrapped the condom around his cock, now crawling in between your legs, the place he has claimed as his own and by far the most incredible place he’s ever resided in. He’s done this plenty of times before now, it’s nothing new; and yet, this very moment which reeks of anticipation and desire, this single moment in time when his hand is curled around his cock, guiding himself to your already soaked entrance, Javier wishes he could freeze it, keep it to himself forever.

When he slides right at home, deep inside you, you both moan in tandem. And it is the most damnable, beguiling and intoxicating sensation he’s ever known.

Probably because you’re not just another girl passing through his life and his bed. You’re not another random face or a number to the list of women he’s been with.

You’re the woman he loves, the woman he’d take a bullet for if he had to, the woman he’d move mountains for.

“Javi?”

You have this ability to bring him back with his feet to the ground whenever he tends to wander off, and Javier is nothing if not grateful for it, particularly now.

“Can you move? Please?” you plead and it’s so sweet he could come just from that.

Javier chuckles, the sound resembling that of a madman—and he supposes he is one, in a sense.

“Keep lookin’,” he instructs, a little bit of his Texan roots slipping in his tone as he starts to roll his hips. “Want you to watch how good you take me. How—beautiful you are when you take me.”

The grip you have over his shoulders tightens as his hips pick up a moderate pace, pounding into you with a mixture of greed and love. The more he sinks into you, whispering sweet nothings and giving the occasional order, the more you feel pressure building inside your belly. You do as he says, watching your body writhing beneath his in the mirror, and you shudder. His back covers a lot of the frame, so you mostly notice him from behind, pounding into you, and your nearly limp body underneath, taking him as he is giving himself to you.

The sensation of having him atop of you is stellar, something almost like it was meant for you and you alone; Javier’s stealing the occasional kiss from you, his hips more erratic with each additional thrust and his mouth whispering that he’s so close, so fucking close.

“D’you see?” he manages to get out through a wicked smile. “See how—how fuckin’ good you look hmm?”

“Yes—yes, I see it—“

“Mhm—good girl. My good fuckin’ girl.”

Javier loses any train of thought, be it rational or not, and when his orgasm finally hits, it’s all too much and too sudden, and when he can’t stop cussing or thrusting furiously into you, you cup his cheeks and tell him a simple “I love you”.

And he lets go, almost violently.

He’s struggling to catch his breath when he feels you spasming around him, and there’s pride to be felt even when he’s dumbfounded that you came almost at the same time.

“I’m sorry,” he says, and you make a face at him trying to regulate his breaths. “I was kinda hoping… I’d last longer.”

You kiss him sweetly, gently, still feeling him ache inside of you. “It’s the sexiest thing,” you murmur.

“Having the endurance of a teenage boy?”

“No, the idea that someone needs you this desperately they can’t hold themselves in one piece. I love that. And I love you.”

Javier pecks your lips. “I don’t think I’ll get used to you saying that.”

“You should.”

“I love you too.”

You stay snugged up like that for who knows how long, while the sun rays beam down on your naked bodies. And then it starts to get dark, and you’re on Javier’s lap, slowly riding him and kissing him, aiming for nothing in particular but intimacy.

previous | next

tags: @pedrostories @psychedelic-ink @milkymoon2483 @ifall4dilfs @casa-boiardi @fallenkitten @jenispunk

157 notes · View notes

thebadboyfanclub · 1 year

Text

A Risk Taker (Daemon x Reader)

This is my first time writing something like this which was challenging but very entertaining, also I left a little detail that I really hope you enjoy, please let me know what you think by commenting. Enjoy!

“And right over here we have the iron throne, historians reported that it was created by hot steel and its rightful place was in what we now know as London, over here we have-“

(Y/n) stood dumbfounded at the sight of the throne in a result she tuned out what the woman was saying or explaining. She was in amazement at it, it was entirely made of swords, she came to wonder who came up with the idea of such a thing, who was the first to sit upon it, and who was the last. So many questions raced through her brain as she instinctively took a few steps to approach it.

(Y/n) was always interested in what historians call “the time of dragons” Some say it is just silly little stories or just tales of the church that wished to demonize the time before Christ.

“Miss you can’t touch that”

Before the security guard could stop her (y/n)s fingers grazed over the arm of the chair, goosebumps went over her entire body before she gripped it firmly and then everything went black.

“A witch! Protect the king! Disarm her”

“What?”

Before she could react or comprehend what was going on around her someone forced her hands behind her back earning a grunt from her.

“Ouch you asshole let me go”

“How dare you command anything you Bitch let go! I swear to god if I fucking bruise”

“Ser Criston, the lady is clearly in distress and pain, I believe it is best if you release her”

“Yeah that, manners much?”

Daemon had to refrain from laughing at her odd way of phrasing her thoughts. Everyone was on edge at someone that just simply appeared in front of the king and the iron throne just from thin air, her clothing was something no one had ever seen and her face was painted, Daemon carefully walked up the stairs who was rubbing her wrists to relieve herself from the discomfort.

“It is alright my lady, I am Prince Daemon of house Targaryen and you are?”

(Y/n) looked around the room, everyone was dressed in posh clothing that was decorating the museum hours ago and the man that was standing in front of her was the same person that she saw from the portrait when she walked in, also he resembled a lot the actor that played prince Philip at “the crown”.

“I… am (y/n) of house…. (Y/l/n) I guess”

“There is no such thing as house (y/l/n) she is lying, we must throw her in the dungeons”

“I fucking dare you”

“You will do no such thing Ser Criston, the lady isn’t dangerous, she is just as puzzled as we are, do you remember anything before this my lady?”

“I was visiting the Museum of Old England, I believe you guys call it Westeros”

“What was the year?”

“2023”

“So you mean to tell us all this just turns to…”

“History, books and movies”

“What are movies?”

“How do I explain, there is a machine that captures a scene like this for example and then it plays for an audience, like theatre but not really”

“The girl is in hysteria and probably lying, we cannot believe her words and prophecies stand true”

(Y/n) turned her head to eye the man that was talking, a man in his mid-40s she guessed that was dressed in all green and had a little pin with a golden hand, her eyes lit up at the realization of who this man was, and her mind could not comprehend what was going on yet she desperately wanted to prove herself she was being honest, probably because her life was at risk.

“Otto Hightower”

“How do you know my name?”

“Oh I know a lot about you, you served the king, and has the king already married your daughter Alicent? Or is Aemma still alive?”

Silence fell over everyone, and looks of concern were being exchanged amongst the people, the lady that spoke knew everything about everyone, there was no way she could create the clothing she was wearing or whatever was on her face, could it be that she was actually from the future?

Frantically (y/n) started to search in her pockets for anything until she thankfully found her phone, she held it up in triumph before she pressed the button to open her screen

“There, see! I have pictures of the stuff that you use! Here is a portrait of one of my favorites from your family, Rhaenyra”

“Me?”

(Y/n)s eyes laid upon the young Targaryen, god the casting of her movie did such a great job the actress looked like the girl that was standing in front of her. (Y/n) smiled brightly at the princess before she took an awkward bow to the princess making her stumble on her way up.

“Princess Rhaenyra, an Oh my gosh pleasure to meet you, huge fan by the way, have you married Laenor yet?”

“We are betrothed”

“Well that is surely something ummm, excuse my weird stance but I feel like I will piss on myself from anxiety”

“Mayhaps it would be best if the princess escorted the young lady to one of the chambers, and found something more appropriate for her to wear”

Daemon chimed in, to save the poor lady from embarrassing herself or worst passing out in front of them. (Y/n) who grew self-conscious of her looks rubbed the material of her jeans as she looked down at her outfit, it was pretty stylish for a museum who would have known to dress appropriately for teleporting?

“These are my nice jeans”

“Ladies wear this?”

“Yes Otto they do, ladies also have rights which is a concept you would surely hate”

(Y/n) could feel her heart beat fast at the realization that all eyes are on her, she was someone that no one could vouch for, a girl that just stood there with no background, no title, they could behead her before the sun goes down and then what? Is death the way to go back? Or would she just die and leave everything behind?

She turned to the king to approach him once again, she swallowed the lump in her throat whilst she kneeled in a sign of respect, the instinct of survival had started to make her entire body shake at the fear of the unknown, she must come out of this unharmed.

“King Viserys, I am as shocked as you are still I ask for just some time, I can show you that I speak in all transparency, I can help you, use my knowledge to your advantage until I find a way to go home”

(Y/n) had become King Visery's closest advisor they were a good handful of times that Viserys specifically summoned her, he was always infatuated with dreamers so to have a woman with such power was his biggest asset.

Otto was naturally displeased and somewhat furious at her demeanor, her entire personality was just baffling to him, (y/n) interrupted him whenever he tried to offer his piece of mind to the king, (y/n) had taken away the power he had worked tirelessly to create.

(Y/n) was now lady (y/n), alongside Rhaenyra had to earn a seat at the small council which of course Queen Alicent had as well, (y/n) would of course try to stir Viserys in the right direction however a dilemma stuck in her consciousness like a thorn, she was well aware of how this would go, the dance of dragons, the war that will kick off in a few years, the hatred that was brewing between the greens and blacks, the burden fell on her chest like a pile of bricks, if she were to twist the future would the entire world become something different? Or would she save a thousand lives?

They were times that (y/n) could not have foreseen an event, Rhaenyras tragic wedding feast for example did not quite describe the death of a man, even if it did (y/n) could not have prevented it from occurring mind the fact that she was rather busy, Daemon had asked to have a minute… alone with Lady (y/n).

Daemon was always intrigued by her presence, her sharp tongue, and her reluctance to step back when it comes to an argument, she had the fire of a dragon in her, to Daemon it was evidently clear specifically when she was bare, she had confidence, experience, shameless passion, her touch did not tremble nor did she question herself, she took the reigns from him and showed him how they do it in her time.

“Lady (y/n) can I ask you a question?”

“Of course my prince”

“Father says you know the future, will I get a dragon?”

(Y/n) froze, on the morrow of Laenas funeral what would be the odds for meek Aemond to ask such a question? Today is the grim day that Aemond would lose his eye in a squabble between him and his nephews.

All color drained from (y/n)s face although she desperately attempted to keep her composure in front of an impatient Aemond who was looking up at her with eyes full of hope, all he ever wanted was to fit in, to have what everyone else had, though the cost he must pay was a rather painful one. (Y/n) reached to caress the young prince’s soft cheek and create a circle with her thumb on his soft skin.

“You will, my prince, speaking of such how would you like for us to go for a walk later? I would love to speak to you about it”

“Thank you, lady (y/n), I will be waiting for you”

“Promise me you will wait before you go anywhere”

“I promise”

“Pinky swear?”

“What?”

“It’s a tradition from my childhood, just hook your pinky to mine, like so”

Aemonds pinky intertwined with (y/n)s who was smiling brightly at him, she could not let the poor boy lose his eye over a dumb argument between children, all of the families fought but when you add dragons into the mix it can get messy extremely quick.

“May I ask what is this odd choice of a handshake about?”

“Well Otto it is something from my home, know there is where women can show cleavage and their legs and fathers do not marry their daughters to men that are twice their age”

“Yes you have been rather descriptive of the shameful customs your people hold”

“I know, a woman having an orgasm must be such a baffling concept to you or is it the fact that some of us do not wish to have children and there are actually safe ways of protecting us from conceiving that disgusts you?”

“Hold your tongue in front of the prince”

“You do not command me and you do not scare me, Otto, so I suggest you back off and let me be”

“Lady (y/n), may I have a moment alone with you?”

Daemon interrupted the conversation that was getting quite heated, to be discussing with such temper in public was something that was out of character for Otto but there was just something about her that pushed him beyond himself, to vocally express the urge of sexual desires and taunt it so freely, Parading her flesh like a succubus, no Otto refused to give in.

“Of course, my prince, remember our promise sweetling”

She whispered to Aemond before she raffled his head and winked at him playfully, all of the playfulness was gone when she diverted her eyes to Otto, a frown swiftly appeared as she eyed him from head to toe with utter disgust.

“Asshole”

She hissed making Prince Daemon choke on his laugh from being taken by surprise by her choice of words. (Y/n) walked with Daemon side by side but in utter silence, she just silently followed him waiting for Daemon to let her know what he wished to say in private.

She did as such until they reached the shore, her patience had run thin and her shoes were filled with sand, she just plopped down and took off the shoes to properly feel the sand and enjoyed the sensation of direct contact with nature.

“What is it Daemon, spit it out”

“I thought you would be gone by now”

“So did I but I have yet to figure out the way to go home”

“Perhaps you are not supposed to go home”

“Daemon we have discussed this”

“I left because you send me away, even then I send for you, asked for you and you denied me”

“I had a reason and you were married”

“You send me away”

“Are we going to reminisce about what I did the night we fucked at Laenas funeral?”

Daemon came to a halt at her question. Nobody was more embarrassed by his neediness than him, Daemon was a good-looking man and a prince, he never had any trouble with a lady he yearned for, except (y/n).

After the exceptional time they had together he could still vividly describe how she patted him on the shoulder and told him that she should walk into the feast first so they don’t look suspicious, the coldness in her voice after such a steamy affair left him with countless questions.

Daemon sat next to her and just stared at the horizon, he wanted to hug her, tell her how much he missed her, confess to her exactly the amount of letters he had to send asking about her, (y/n) made him feel weak.

“I wanted to come, I often yearned to relive our moment but I cannot offer what you are craving. I could leave at any time just like a came”

“I have always been a risk taker”

“Your end goal is marriage Daemon, I understand that my age here means I am an old maid but where I grew up I am young, I do not wish to be wed nor have children and you do”

“I have children”

“And I am sure you love them and you love being a father because that is who you are, I am simply not”

“Isn’t this lovely, you have me all figured out”

Daemon spitted with sadness dripping at every word, he could not say that she did not have a point, still, at the end of the day he wanted her, he wanted to burn himself alive in her fire just to feel her warmth.

Daemon got up to leave when he was forced to stop by someone holding him by the wrist, once he looked back to find (y/n) on her feet and had latched her fingers on his wrist.

“Daemon don’t be like this”

“Well, what do you suggest then?”

(Y/n) did not know what to say for the first time in forever, she acted on instinct when she hugged him, her head went on his chest and his heartbeat was picking up at the beat that caused a smile to decorate her lips. Daemon hesitated though he gave in and pulled her tightly.

“This is not fair, you are playing dirty”

“I never had you for a man that is afraid to get in the mud”

They both giggled and (y/n) lifted her head to take a proper look at the prince who was smiling down at her. His index finger and thumb found their way to her chin, after all these years she had frozen in time, still as breathtaking and agitating as he left her.

Daemon was taking too long for her liking so she took initiative and collided her lips to his while being on her toes which did not last long since Daemon was always quick on his feet and pulled her up for her to wrap her legs around his torso, both of them moaned in each other's mouths from the anticipation, Daemon could feel the harsh licks of her fire surrounding him an experience that was so sweet yet deadly.

Daemon made the mistake of laying her on her back which only resorted in (y/n) putting her entire weight on her legs to flip him over in an instant, she never really liked allowing someone to lay on top of her.

Their movements were messy and rushed, and both of them could not contain themselves, they wanted to see one another naked, feel their skin bare as they caressed one another, her moans were animalistic, and the way she moved was like a conqueror that raced into a battle, Daemon was left defenseless and became a mere puppet to her game of sex, he did not complain of course this was what he loved about her, this was (y/n)s favorite part of sex, the feeling of it, the urge of it, the realization that you want someone’s body, that it’s yours for the taking.

Daemon gripped her hips so harshly that he left marks behind, secretly he thought that he was being greedy by being the only one to experience such a show, (y/n) at her natural habitat, what a foolish fantasy, to have an audience in their beddings, he shoved that idea at the very back of his head when it dawned on him that other men would see her naked, would listen to her moans, they would know her magic.

Daemon was utterly unaware that his fantasy was becoming reality at this very moment, both of them blinded by passion to the point that none of them looked around, they focused on each other's eyes, the eyes that whispered everything that was left unsaid between them.

Once their connection came to its very peak (y/n) left her body to lay on top of his as she desperately worked to catch her breath, it was then that a man dressed in green decided to leave the scenery, a man that had spied on them and had frozen to his spot at the sight that had unfolded in front of him had come out of his trance to scatter away before he gets discovered.

“Was it worth waiting all these years?”

“Definitely”

(Y/n) placed another kiss on Daemon's lips at his answer, his strong body was the best bed after such an intense workout, her legs had already started to shake and she imagined this is what it felt like riding a dragon for hours on end.

The world is funny because when (y/n) went to vocalize her thought she heard a dragon approaching, once she fixed her focus on the sky she could see the humungous dragon that was heading back to land, its size was frightening, she could not remember which one was it, it wasn’t syrax and not Vermax, who could be riding at the such hour?

“Someone claimed Vhagar”

“Oh no, oh shit, fuck no”

Requests are open!

623 notes · View notes

grimrester · 8 days

Text

purely speculative stuff about watcher's business behind the cut

cr1tikal/penguinz0 talked in his video about the watcher announcement about how he has staff and he doesn't believe they weren't pulling in enough to pay them, but i also don't know how much charlie knows about watcher's setup and team.

charlie's esports team has high salaries that he pays, sure. but watcher has many people with some pretty high-salary titles, and they're friends or family of the ryan/shane/steven. it is really hard to negotiate a low starting salary in that position.

on top of that, they operate in LA, pay for a pretty big set, and do generally more expensive content than charlie. charlie streams from his room and half of watcher content requires travel. it's entirely conceivable to me that their business expenses are really high for a youtube channel.

they also recently hired two more folks for some of steven's content.

the vimeo OTT platform is extraordinarily quick to set up. you can get started with their base package without even doing a demo. given that they dont have the app included in the bigger enterprise option, i'd guess they went this route. they first started teasing the announcement only FIVE days ago, which is a pretty short runway compared to other content creator announcements. (try guys is currently teasing something about a month away, by comparison.)

from the start, none of this has felt well thought out. even though they said they articulated their reasoning poorly in the announcement, the core message of the announcement and the apology is the same: "we can't afford to continue operating as we have, and don't want to scale back."

i think they just recently did some number crunching and realized they were in deep shit. as i've speculated in other posts, they didn't do market research and were way too optimistic about their conversion rate. they were also relying on their initial pitch of taking everything off youtube to push people on the platform. i do think they are genuinely scrambling.

the part of this that they're going to have to work on for the next few months to a year, though, is that they should have known their business was unsustainable WAY before now. this reeks of no one paying attention to the books. it should not have come to scrambling for a new way to bring in a lot of revenue, fast. this is the kind of thing you don't usually see until a company is about to release a death rattle. it's the same last-ditch move as collegehumor going under and dropout going fully paid as the only way to survive.

except dropout wasn't responsible for collegehumor's mismanagement, and they also told people they were going to die otherwise.

#watcher

25 notes · View notes

delimeful · 9 months

Text

July 2023 Patreon Previews

Here is the end of month summary for July! :D

give me mercy no more (1)

preview:

“You can’t do this.”

Janus paused for the briefest moment at the sound of his closest friend’s voice, before continuing to pack away rations.

“Can’t I?” he asked airily, not turning around to face Virgil.

He’d known this confrontation was inevitable since they’d come up with the only possible solution to their kingdom’s problem. He hadn’t realized how unprepared he’d feel even now, with the hour of tribute rapidly approaching.

est. release date: September 16, 2023

(link)

just a little rush (1)

preview:

Patton wiggled his shoulder through the bars and craned his neck, straining to get a good enough angle to see the other half of the clock across the room.

Enough of the clock’s face was visible that he could guess the time most of the day, except for the stretch of time in which both the hour and minute hands were out of sight. Patton wasn’t usually overly concerned about the loss; Normally, it didn’t really matter either way.

Now, when it had been what felt like ages since he’d last seen Remus, it mattered a lot more.

Of course Remus had chosen the most inconvenient timing possible to stage his latest escape attempt. Patton would smile if he wasn’t so worried.

est. release date: September 23, 2023

(link)

a little trust (goes a long way)

preview:

Fidget knew it was a bad idea from the very start.

He shouldn’t even have entertained such a ridiculous notion for a moment, and yet somehow he’d not only done so, but he’d also allowed it to roll around in his mind until it became an entire, fully-fledged plan.

A plan that was absolutely going to get him killed.

He was crouched in the shadows of one of the supply stacks sitting on the edge of the second level, meaning he had a perfect view of the containment yard and its current resident.

(link)

every good intention (4)

preview:

Roman had been thinking.

Contemplating, really. There were a surplus of mystifying elements to consider as of late, especially now that he’d found out about Logan and Anxiety’s secret tryst.

(He was fairly certain that platonic cuddling between a repressed nerd and an awkward emo didn’t actually qualify as a tryst, but it sounded much more dramatic that way.)

He was no Logic, but as a charming and exceptional denizen of Thomas’s mind, he naturally had wits aplenty of his own.

And so arrived his realization: When it came to the puzzle that was his interactions with Anxiety the past few weeks, there was a pattern.

est. release date: September 30, 2023

(link)

to know that song (and all it’s words) (10)

preview:

“You hurt him,” Patton said, and he barely even recognized the sound that came out of him as his own voice.

Whatever the leader alien was saying was lost to the distant buzzing in Patton’s head. Logan’s response made it through, just barely. His voice had dropped into that icy pitch that meant he was well and truly angry, an ominous tone that made something primal and hunted in the back of Patton’s mind shiver to life.

Be ready, it said. We’ll have to fight soon.

est. release date: October 7, 2023

(link)

the roots of something greener (1)

preview:

The first time the child found him, Janus was already in a foul mood.

The day had started out with a light drizzle, and as the hours crept by, it had slowly grown into a far more irritating downpour.

This wouldn’t have been anything near a problem for most fae, and certainly a meager handful of years ago, Janus would have hardly spared it a fleeting thought. Even if he didn’t care to waste any magic on a simple repelling spell, he could have simply slipped between realms, abandoning that particular stretch of human land until the storm passed.

Now that he was banished and bound, however, his options were far more limited.

est. release date: October 14, 2023

(link)

just a little rush (2)

preview:

Remus hated to admit it, but Pattycakes had been right.

He definitely should have waited a little longer before trying for his next escape attempt.

It was the woulda-coulda-shoulda sort of regret that he didn’t usually waste time on. He was well aware of how many of his plans were bonafide bad ideas, and he generally went through with them anyhow.

The alternative was letting the fire ants under his skin grow more and more intolerable until he ended up doing the dumb thing anyway, but even more recklessly. It wasn’t so much a ‘choice’ as it was a ‘delay of the inevitable’.

After all, he was the only one getting hurt in the end, right?

est. release date: October 21, 2023

(link)

WIBAR Intermission: Visiting Home (1/3)

preview:

Despite the tension buzzing at the back of his skull, Virgil found that being planetside again was surprisingly… nice.

He would have preferred that it was an uninhabited area— or at least, that it wasn’t one of the only places in the universe that had aliens he really, really couldn’t afford to terrify— but he couldn’t deny that feeling the ground under his feet and the sunlight on his skin was soothing, a balm he hadn’t known he’d needed.

It wasn’t the same as Earth, not really, but Patton’s home planet was close enough to familiar that he found tension seeping from his overwrought muscles despite himself.

He shook some of the dazed contentment off, flicking a glance over his shoulder and reminding himself that if any of the locals saw him, it could spell Capital-D Disaster.

est. release date: October 28, 2023

(link)

#previews #patreon previews #wibar #wibar intermission #jalr #trosg #tktsaaiw #egi #altgalw #gmmnm #acronyms. we got em #doubled my word count this month letsgooo #july 2023

41 notes · View notes

stormyjane7 · 5 months

Text

A Hope For Tomorrow: Ch 5 Loved By The Sun.

Summary: You and Astarion are on the tail end of the list of items to search for.

Pairing: Astarion x AFAB Reader,

Warnings: Sex. 18+ only readers

Word Count: 1632

Rating: If you are under 18, please do not read.

Read on Ao3

It had been about six months now since you were able to help fix Karlach’s heart. It was working wonderfully from what you were told. You were so happy for your friends' renewed chance at life.

It had also been about a year since the tadpole incident. You were no closer to finding a fix to your lover’s vampire problem. Out of the five items left. You were down to the last two. You weren’t ready to admit defeat just yet. The castle you were in was old and worn down. A relic from an old mage king. Your foot tapping as you were thinking, was echoing through the halls. The castle had a few more rooms for you both to search but it was starting to be daybreak. You looked around for a good spot to throw out your bedrolls for the day. The throne room was filled with too many windows so that wouldn’t do. Same with the old kitchen area. There was a spot under the staircase and you think you’ll just have to make that work.

“I can practically hear the gears in your brain turn, my love. You’re thinking too hard again.” Astarion smirks at you.

“Just a lot on my mind. Was just thinking where we could settle in for the day is all.” You walk away from him with the bedrolls and start setting them up. There was a nice corner under the staircase with walls on two sides. You doubted anyone would come in and mess with the two of you, but at least from here, there wasn’t many entrances to where you were going to lay down.

“There. That should do nicely.” You turn to Astarion. “I know you don’t need to sleep yet, but would you come lay with me for a bit?”

“I would like nothing better, my sweet.” Astarion saunters over to you and waits for you to lay down first. As you do, you lift your arms toward him welcoming him down into your arms. Once you both settle a bit you start combing through his hair with your fingers gently, sighing contently. Before you realize you have moved your hands to his ears and we’re rubbing them up and down from the bottom to pointy top and around the lobes. A low moan comes from him and you freeze.

“Oh Gods I’m sorry!” You pull back to look at his face. He puts his hands on yours.

“My dear it’s okay. I know we hadn’t talked about it yet, but I want you to feel freer to touch me. I will always let you know if I need to stop.” He gives you one of his cute smirks. “I’m not perfectly healed but I don’t want you to be afraid to love me either.” You give a small nod.

“Thank you for the gift, Astarion. I promise I won’t waste it.” You smile and press a kiss to his lips. You move your hands back up to his ears, which gains you another moan.

You start to kiss a line from his jaw down his neck. You bring your hands down to start lifting up his shirt. He sits up to help you with a smirk.

“I guess someone isn’t quite ready for sleep yet.” You only give him a smirk in return as you kiss down his chest. Hands find his waistband and laces. You untie them as he once again helps you undress him. Once he’s done you toss your shirt off and shimmy out of your own pants. You straddle his lower legs as you want to be able to lick and tease with your mouth before anything else. You lean forward and lick him from base to tip. He whines a bit at the sight of it all. His hand comes up and tangles itself in your hair. You lower your mouth over him as low as you can go.

You are entranced by the sounds you pull out of your lover as your move your head down and back up. The nicest of noises happen when you swirl your tongue over the tip of his cock. His hands always slightly tighten their grip on your hair when you do it. You can tell he’s getting close to release and put your hand around the underneath of the head of his cock to slow down his potential climax.

You purr as you say “Gods, you’re doing so good for me.”

He throws his head back at your words and tries to buck into your hand. You were already lifting yourself up to move forward on him. Using your hand, you help guide him into yourself as you slowly move down to fully sheath him in you. You move your hands to his chest to help balance yourself as you start rolling your hips on him. He moves his own hands to cup your breast. He gives your nipples a pinch and rolls them between his fingers. You pick up the pace which has him grabbing your hips in response.

“Fuck..darling.” He helps lift you up and forward on him so that he can take over slamming into you. He brings a hand between the two of you so that he can rub your clit which brings you over the edge. Your hips stutter against him as the waves of pleasure wash over you. With a moaning grunt, he follows you shortly after releasing himself in you.

After a few moments of catching your breath, you get up to clean the both of you, planting kisses on his chest as you do so. You both get dressed and snuggle back into each other’s arms so that you can finally go to sleep. He plants a kiss on your forehead. “I love you, you wild one.”

*******************

You walked further into the bigger room slowly. All the candles around the entire room lit up causing you to jump a bit backwards into Astarion. As you looked around, you realized what you previously thought was the throne room, couldn’t have been. What you stood in now was lined with gold symbols along the walls and floors. An actual throne sat at the end of the large room, unlike the other. And in it sat a long dead skeleton. A crown seemingly on the floor in front of it. The mage king sat before you both.

“Damn mages and their tricky lighting, eh darling?” Astarion smirked at you as he walked in front of you toward the throne. You followed carefully behind him. “I don’t detect any traps around so we should be cleared to make it to the throne with ease.”

As you approach the throne you start to notice the items that were left behind from the time the body sat here. Fragments of clothing, boots still in somewhat good condition, the crown that was on the floor was dusty but pristine, and there on his hand were a few rings. Upon looking at the skull of the one time king, you suddenly gasped loudly.

“What in the sweet hells? Are we getting attacked?” Astarion pulled out his daggers and looked around.

“No! Look at his teeth!” You laughed a bit at the absurdity of the moment and pointed toward the skull. Astarion leaned closer and his mouth dropped.

“Our mage king was a vampire?” He almost shouted with excitement. There on the top row of teeth, sat two perfectly intact fangs. Looking further around the body to see what could have caused the death, you finally notice bits of broken wood in the chest. A stake ended this life.

“He’s got a few rings on his hand. I’ll start to identify them if you want to keep looking around?”

“Sounds good darling. Fingers crossed for good luck.” Astarion smiled as he went to look around the rest of the room.

******************

There were five rings in total, so identifying each took quite a bit of time. Astarion had already finished looking through the room and came to sit next to you while you worked. The last scroll of identify was finished with a poof. You sighed deeply.

“No luck dear?”

You held up one of the rings. It shined with a yellow and red gem.

“It’s this one. We finally found it! The sun walkers ring!”

Astarion’s face dropped slightly in thought.

“Not going to lie pet. Now that it’s here, this is scary”

“There’s still light outside. Let’s give it a try? I got healing potions on the ready just in case.”

You both walk to the front door. Astarion slips the ring on his finger and takes a deep breath. You open the door for him. He slowly walks out the door with his eyes closed. He stands there for a few breaths before he opens his eyes again. You hear a low chuckle come from him. He slowly gets louder as he opens his arms and spins around.

“It worked!” He was smiling so big. You let go of a breath you didn’t know you were holding and walk out to hug your sun kissed vampire. He picks you to spin you around. He gently sets you back down and fiddles a bit with his hands. It seems like he’s nervous over something.

“Dearest Tav, you never gave up hope for this, for me. Once again you have given me a gift that I will never forget. I have but one more thing I need to ask of you.” He slowly gets down on one knee in front of you. “While I do not have a ring to provide right now, I hope you will still do me the greatest honor of becoming my wife?”

You fling yourself toward him yelling loudly “YES!”

#astarion #astarion x reader #baldur's gate 3 #bg3

18 notes · View notes

feminismisstillahatemovement · 1 year

Note

What are your thoughts on polyamory?

I was a firm believer in it when I was younger, and still think it can work for certain people with certain temperaments and certain beliefs about life. For myself, I've come to realize that even when I was involved with multiple people I was only truly in love with one person at one time, that the others were people I just liked an awful lot, and that I'm unable to accept the person I'm strongly commited to being with anyone else. So I guess I've drifted towards a more loosely monogamous position over time, after a lot of trial and error and heartbreak.

My hunch is that biology has a much larger part to play than any of the people in the polyamorous scene I've known are either aware of or willing to accept: when people are in their teens and twenties, their brains and conclusions about the world are still developing, and so it is to be expected that people often experiment with identities and play dress-up with labels at that time. This is why it's so common for teenage girls to proclaim themselves lesbians (or more recently, trans) for a few years, since their adult sexuality has not fully kicked in and their statistically-likely desire for children, along with their sexual peak, is still up to a decade away. At this point in their lives, sexuality is often a relatively abstract concept disconnected from the frenzied biological drive to reproduce, and so the idea of sex being just a simple, pleasant, non-threatening extension of friendship seems an appealing safe harbour to drop anchor in for awhile.

The hormones invisibly controlling our actions are also something I've never heard the people I personally know in polyamorous relationships directly acknowledge and address: when women go to bed with a man, their bodies release large amounts of oxytocin, which is a bonding hormone, presumably because, on a simple biological level, every time a woman has sex with a man a new life could result, which will change hers forever, so she is unconsciously driven to try make a strong bond between the two of them so she has someone to protect and provide for her and her potential child once pregnant and increasingly burdened and incapacitated. When a woman goes to bed with lots and lots of men, though, that hormonal process is continually thwarted and confused and stops functioning properly, so she often finds herself unable to fully commit or connect to any of them, and usually ends up deeply unhappy and lonely and unable to maintain any lasting relationship at all.

As for men, they don't tend to release much oxytocin when having a one-night stand, which evolutionarily makes a lot of sense, since their evolutionary job really is to go from woman to woman planting as many seeds as they can to increase their chances of reproduction. To put it at its simplest, on the level of human/mammalian cost, sperm is very cheap and eggs are very expensive.

When men are repeatedly with the same woman over a period of time, the bonding hormone they release is not oxytocin but vasopressin, the amount of which governs how much they jealously mate-guard: it's the hormone that can make men monogamous for life, but it's also the hormone that can make men murder their lovers for infidelity.

The reason I'm bringing all this up is that all of these are invisible forces guiding our actions that we have no control over, and indeed should be very wary of trying to assert control over, since they are survival mechanisms evolved over millions of years that have led us to even be alive today at all. Because of the heavy feminist (and hence social constructivist) influence in the polyamorous scene, there's a denial - or at least a glossing over - of biological differences between the sexes, and biological imperatives that fall outside the more politely communistic ideal of "share and share alike" are treated as secular sins; a solitary individual's personal failing to live up to an ideological group ideal. Once I began to see that clearly, I also began to have reservations about the whole conceptual framework of polyamory as some sort of identity and community.

But as I say, I still respect the people who try to make it work, and I do believe a small minority of people are of the right chemical composition to be able to make it work for them.

#polyamory

51 notes · View notes

eepybogboy · 10 months

Text

so i had heard that some of the newer releases of Monster High dolls were being made with a different type of hair fiber and that a lot of people were upset about this.

i did not, until last night, realize exactly how bad it is.

i had some of the original MH dolls as a kid, but i wasnt able to tap into the collecting hobby until i had become an adult, years after my old toys had already been donated (a tragedy, but not really the point) and before the new reboot was launched. so my doll collecting hobby really began with Rainbow High. i loved that they came with a second outfit, they had long, soft, styleable hair, and they had substance to their bodies! unlike barbie dolls, RH has curves and weight in your hand when you hold them. i thought that was awesome.

anyway. i knew that RH didnt use the saran hair that barbie often used, and that mattel used for MH back in the day and in the reboot. being new to the concept of different types of hair, it didnt matter much to me. i could see the pros and cons of both saran and the type of hair RH used.

now, recently, i tried to buy Skulltimate Secrets Draculaura for my roommate for their birthday, and amazon let me wait a whole month for them to ship it before saying, just kidding, we dont have it, heres your money back. RUDE AS HELL!

well fine. now the SS Fearidescent is out, so ill just get them that one instead. i see in the reviews that her hair type is different, they voice disappointment but ultimately shes still cute and theres not a lot that we, as consumers, can do about it except maybe complain.

and im thinking, whatever, im used to RH hair anyway, and yeah its more staticky but its still pretty soft, so how bad could it be?

well, she came in the mail yesterday, and we were pretty disappointed at just how bad it could be.

ive come to realize that RH hair is not made of polypropylene, the new material theyre giving MH as of this line (ive heard that theyve given g3 clawdeen this type of hair before, which is a whole other can of worms that isnt one of the points of this post), but for rainbow high they generally use Nylon (correct me if im wrong) which is still cheaper and less authentic to real hair than saran, but is still generally pretty soft.

ive never had a doll with pin straight hair (and almost no styling product) feel this BAD in my hands. its coarse, lightweight, and easy to frizz, just from a quick finger comb. i soaked her in hot water and conditioner, and shes only a little bit softer.

i had my partner, who, besides being supportive of my hobbies and listening to me talk about it, knows next to nothing about the differences between types of dolls, feel the difference between the first g3 Drac, RH Karma Nichols, and Fearidescent Drac. on a few quick comparative touches, they noted that saran feels the most like real hair, while RH nylon feels kinda soft but not quite as nice. then they touched new Drac, and all they said was, "ah. depression."

i didnt have my hopes up at all but my expectations were still shattered. i legitimately didnt realize it was this bad. the downgrade is Immense. ive seen people rag on RH hair, and this is WORSE. i seriously cant believe how much worse it is. i didn't think mattel would make a $30 Beloved Brand Name doll with all those accessories and give her DOLLAR STORE KNOCKOFF HAIR, but i guess thats on me for holding a corporation to any sort of production standard in 2023 🙃

anyway, all this is to say, hair fiber snobs, im so sorry and i get it now. this shit sucks.

#my only hope is that MAYBE mattel will see everyone complaining about it and realize they can't keep getting away with it #but people are obviously buying them anyway so who knows #if the monster ball line has poly hair im gonna be so fuckin mad legitimately #why would they do us like this #the SS drac i wanted originally has saran hair #but EVERYONE wants her so she's been at scalper prices on amazon CONSTANTLY and i cant find her at target at all #if this shit continues ima have to go back to my Discount at walmart. fuck.#im not shelling out $30 for a doll they cut corners on.#playing with their hair is half the reason i like having dolls #the other half is the clothes #but petting their hair is a sensory stim for me and they literally ruined it #the straight haired RH dolls are my favorites because theyre so silky #even if they do get staticky if i brush them too much. at least the fibers are smooth #i didnt realize id be so upset about this but i also didnt realize it would be this fucking bad #anyway.#monster high #rainbow high #dolls #mh #rh #monster high skulltimate secrets #monster high fearidescent #draculaura #monster high draculaura #doll collector #📝

15 notes · View notes

jellycrusher · 6 months

Text

Fangirl pt. 2

INITIALLY POSTED ON MY FORMER PAGE: bts-teaspoonff

Genre: Romance, Slow Burn, Idol A/U

Pairing: BTS OT7 x reader

Rating: PG

Summary: Y/N, being a huge fangirl, finally got her chance to work alongside her favorite idol group as a backup dancer. She gets to know each member personally and realizes that her feelings may be more than fangirl-idol attraction.

Word Count: 4K

Taglist: @nochujeonjk

PARTS: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | … masterlist

“Hey there, early bird! I missed you!” As I was patting off the dust from my backside, my slight irritation was gone as my brother rushed to give me a big hug. We barely see each other nowadays, now that I live alone. We used to live together but he moved in with his girlfriend around three months ago. We used to be two peas in a pod, never leaving each other’s side. Best friends. I don’t hate that he moved out, though. I actually learned to be a lot more independent due to that, and I gained a new friend which was his girlfriend. She’s older than us by two years so I guess I gained an older sister through him. “Did you eat breakfast? Or maybe brunch?” he peeked at his watch as he continues to hug me.

“Only a roll of kimbap from the aunty across my building. I don’t want to eat a lot when I’m nervous.” I giggled as I release him from my arms.

He exclaimed with his mouth agape. “Right. You tend to vomit when you’re really nervous.” He pats my shoulder and escorted me up the steps and through the doors. “Don’t worry, they’ll love you. Those guys are really nice, but I can’t say anything about your new teammates since they’re new as well. Let’s just pray they treat you well.” He pats my head in adoration. We arrived at the front desk and I proceeded to ask for Mina. She gave me a visitor’s ID and my brother broke my conversation with her when she offered to give me directions, telling that he’ll escort me on the floor where I’m needed instead.

We exited the elevator and he directed me to a hallway with huge glass door at the end. We turned and maneuvered our way to another hallway with two huge frosted glass. He pushed the door and I could see the whole floor until the other end of the building, with rows of cubicles and people with eyes glued to their screens. A beautiful, cozy and conducive workplace. Some were huddling and discussing, and a few of them were chatting and exchanging laughs. Jiyong pulled my hand and we increased our pace. “I want you to meet my team.”

I was greeted by somewhat familiar faces as I recognize them from my last video call with my brother. Three men and two women were chatting around a circular table in a small room. Some of them got up from their seats as my brother entered the room with me following him behind.

“Wow. Now that we see you in person, you both really look alike. That’s amazing.” One female rushed to my brother’s side, pushed him against me, and gazed at our faces. I stared at my brother and he also stared back. We both chortle as we both felt amused with his workmates. We grew up used to people amazed with us looking so similar to each other, being identical twins. I spent a few moments with my brother’s workmates and they congratulated me as they discover that I’ll work for the same company along them. They gave lots of advices, tips and whatnots to make work life here easier. My brother proceeded to excuse both of us out the room, across the huge office space and back to the elevator.

“I know you don’t want to eat but let me at least get you coffee or something small to bite. I don’t think you had coffee yet, and we both know how you function without it.” I actually forgot to make coffee for myself back at home or even dropped by my favorite coffee shop along the way. I was too nervous to actually remember. “Relax sis.” He giggled as he rubbed his hands on my shoulder, pushing me inside the elevator.

He escorted me to the cafeteria in the lobby. He offered to pay and I obliged. I ordered a really huge cup of Iced Americano and he ordered his coffee and snack. I missed spending quality time like this with my brother, though brief. I glanced at my watch and it was already 9:40 am. I gulped down my coffee within 5 minutes, almost choking with how swift I finished it. I pushed his arm to alert him to hurry as he was supposed to escort me to where the meeting is.

I arrived just outside of the room. I was staring at the frosted glass with my hand frozen inches away from the doorknob. Upon opening, I was met with turning heads and stares from girls sitting around on the floor of the dance practice room. I guess they’re the newly hired female backup dancers. Great, they all know each other already. Maybe they all belong in a dance crew? Why am I nervous?

“Nice to meet you everyone.” I bowed as I slowly trot towards them. “Are you here for the meeting as well?” A few of them stood up quickly and bowed back.

A fellow dancer that I didn’t notice at the far right side of the room bowed as well. We all exchanged introductions as they offered me to sit with them. They all seem nice and friendly. Ages were asked and it turns out I’m the maknae out of all the 15 dancers here inside the room. I also discovered that half of us were part of the same street dance crew, five were former backup dancers of other idols and I’m the only sole dancer without a crew.

Two men came inside the dance room and talked to us for around 2 hours. I’m guessing they’re the dance directors. They informed us that even though they accepted us as a part of the dance team already, they’ll be asking us to participate at a live evaluation later today with freestyle dance. I looked around the room and I was more nervous than ever. I felt slightly intimidated by the presence of all these seasoned dancers. Deep down in my mind, I think I’m out of my league here. I got myself into a situation where I’m the least experienced out of everyone.

As the main choreographers continue to talk, I couldn’t hold in my pee. I really need to go to the restroom right now but I’m too shy to excuse myself out. “Why did I have to gulp down a huge cup of coffee just before this meeting? This is so not helping with my nerves.” To my luck, they concluded the meeting and excused themselves out of the room to leave all of us to prepare for the live evaluation. I bolted out of the room in search for a restroom. I faintly recalled a sight of a restroom just across the hallway. I ran past a practice room, blasting to Fake Love and a few chatters and laugh. I unconsciously hummed to the song in my head, closing my eyes for a moment as I ran to the restroom.

I opened my eyes and didn’t grasp the second I bumped into someone in front of the restroom signs dividing the female and male rooms. My backside embraced the floor once more.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t see…” To my luck, the person I bumped into was…

“Yoongi hyung. Should we…?” Jimin quickly came out from the male restroom just behind Yoongi, whom I’ve bumped into. Yoongi was looking at me, examining my face and slowly recollecting the memory from this morning.

“You again? I thought I told you to watch where you’re going.” He just stood there as I rub my backside. He was about to bend down and reach his hand out but Jimin quickly offered to lift me up. I gladly obliged but shit, my butt really hurts. I forced a smile as I tried to hide my winces from the pain.

“Are you okay?” Jimin asked, hands still on my forearm and looking at my face. I felt bashful from his gesture. I realized that a BTS member just helped me up. His skin is so smooth that it looked like ceramic, and such adorable cheeks that I just want to pinch.

“Thank you so much.” I bowed as I respectfully removed my hand from Jimin. I could still feel Yoongi staring while my head was down.

“Are you… an employee here?” Yoongi asked with a tone different from how he spoke to me this morning just outside the building. I stood up straight and saw Jimin with a bright smile, also waiting for my response. He placed his arm on Yoongi’s shoulder.

“I’m new here, just today actually.” My eyes were glued to both of them, realizing that I was in front of two BTS members. An opportunity beyond my wildest dreams. I’m actually conversing with them and not just me talking into thin air to their posters and cut-outs. “Backup dancer.” Jimin’s face lit up with a grin split across his face.

“I didn’t know the evaluation will be today.” Jimin removed his arm from Yoongi and bowed down. “Looking forward to working with you.” I was surprised with Jimin’s enthusiasm. I bowed back a second after him. Standing up straight, I looked at Yoongi. He looked like he wants to say something, with his mouth slightly open.

“It’s such an honor to meet you both but I’m sorry, I really need to use the restroom.” I excused myself quickly to the restroom. I rushed inside and closed the door.

Jimin placed his arm back on Yoongi’s shoulder and they both walked back to the practice room where the other members are. “Feels like I want to watch the evaluation. Do you want to join me?”

“I still have to finish up my demo in the studio. Why not ask Hobi?”

“That’s a good idea actually.” Jimin giggled at the excitement. There’s also a thought inside his mind why he felt slight familiarity when he saw your face. He doesn’t recall where he saw you or if you have worked together before. He let the thought occupy him for a few moments before pushing it aside as he goes inside the practice room.

“Hey Jimin, look at this!” Taehyung beckoned Jimin to see the video playing on his mobile. J-hope was reaching for a cup of water from the dispenser at the side of the room while chatting with RM, who was trying to catch his breath. Jin and Jungkook were going through some of the steps in front of the mirror.

“Hobi-hyung. Today’s the evaluation for the new female backup dancers.” Jimin called as he was walking to Taehyung. Hobi was alerted to Jimin’s call. “Want to watch?”

“I’m sure our presence won’t help with the nerves of the dancers. Better to watch next time.” Hobi finished his cup of water and brushed his fingers through his hair as he discarded the cup. Jimin was intrigued once more by the thought of the familiarity from your face. He couldn’t put his finger where he saw you. He was sure that he must have at least saw your face once or twice.

“Hey, look at this.” Taehyung pouted and pulled on Jimin’s shirt to ask him to join him on the floor. Jimin followed.

…..

While I was waiting for my turn for the evaluation, my encounter with Jimin and Yoongi kept repeating in my mind. I get to meet BTS members twice in one day. Too bad that it both started with me slumped on the floor. Jimin’s ethereal blonde hair with his adorable grin and Yoongi with his cool demeanor. I never thought I’ll get to meet them on my first day here.

“Next, Y/N” Interrupting my daydream, I heard the female dance director call my name. I stood off the floor and walked to the middle of the room, facing the dance directors. The other dancers, who finished their evaluations, were silently cheering for me at the back. “We’ll let you dance to a hip-hop piece and an additional dance piece afterwards.” I curled my hand at my side and waited for the song to start. I could feel the stares of the dance directors, anticipating me to start as well.

The first beat started to blast across the room and I felt a smirk plastered across my face. I’m sure the dance directors saw it as well. I recognized the song and let the beat take over my body. I could feel my hair whipping around as I pop my body to each beat. I recall the times when I would enjoy dancing to random songs late at night with my fellow dance teachers at the dance studio. Dancing like this, I really felt like I’m in my own world. With every slow beat, I could feel my body rolling and with every strong beat, I let myself pop.

The song lasted a minute before the dance director asked to stop it. The other dancers were clapping their hands so loud that I was broken from my euphoria from dancing. I could feel that my cheeks were burning from their enthusiasm. I went back to my shy posture with both hands at my side, trying my best to catch my breath. I could see smiles from the dance directors as they exchanged words and looked at my folder. My eyes roamed the room when something caught my attention. Someone was watching from the door, both arms across his chest and with a grin that felt like sunshine.

“Hoseok? Are you here to watch?” One of the dance directors noticed J-hope standing at the door. Semi-silent gasps were heard from the other dancers as they take in the presence of the BTS member. J-hope just smiled with his cheeks high up while he walks towards the dance directors’ table. Jimin popped in soon after, skipping towards J-hope.

“We just finished our practice. Jimin thought it would be nice to pop in. Is it okay to observe for a while?” Hoseok pulled out a chair for him and Jimin. They both sat down and looked ahead. I froze in place. I can’t feel my hands. My gaze went to the other female dancers and I could see that they were really trying hard to hide their amazement that Jimin and J-hope appeared before us. I looked back to J-hope and Jimin. Usually, I would scream and jump from where I’m standing. I would cheer their names and maybe even take out a banner, but not today. I am standing in front of them, waiting for my turn to dance to whatever song the dance directors chose next. I cannot control my nerves as of the moment. It’s taking over me, hindering all movements I thought of. I can’t feel my fingers. This is it, this is the end of this chance. I won’t be hired as a backup dancer if I can’t move and handle this pressure. I thought all of this nonstop.

“Y/N, you may start.” I heard the female dance director and it horrified me as I begin to hear the music. Looks like the music has already started for some time now. The faces of the other dancers were of worry and confusion. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. This is my only chance. I should redeem myself. As I absorb the music, I was met by familiarity and bliss. I had already performed this song as a modern dance piece when I was a student along with my fellow students in the dance department.

Slowly, I let the music take over my body from my core until the tips of my fingers. Like a graceful swan, I flew across the room. I slid on the floor and stood up with an elegant smooth body roll. Jumps that took no effort and landing so sophisticated that it almost didn’t make any sound. I was eager to get this job and I gave everything. The room felt blacked out with just myself in the middle of it, being in the bright spotlight. The moment the song stopped, reality swiftly hit me. I was back in the practice room being evaluated by dance directors, observed by two BTS members and cheered on by other enthusiastic and supportive dancers.

Being the shy duckling I am, I stood straight like a soldier with both hands at the side. All the dance directors were still staring at me and both J-hope and Jimin were nodding in approval. Despite my horrible start, I’m so glad I redeemed myself. I could explode right now from the amount of emotions flooding through me. Now that I’ve finished the evaluation, I found myself staring at the two BTS members. Jimin with his dark grey loose shirt, black FILA track pants, Balenciaga bag swung across his chest, and cool dangling earpieces. J-hope in a peach flowy long-sleeve top with a green vest, brown baseball cap loosely hanging on top his head and brown shorts that shows his toned legs. They were both conversing when I felt Jimin’s long stares directed at me. He looks slightly intrigued but nevertheless, stares from this man could kill. I felt flushed and let my eyes wander elsewhere.

“Thank you Y/N. Next please.” I bowed and rushed towards the back of the room, joining the other dancers. I was met by praises from the other dancers. My heart felt warm from all the affirmation the others were giving me but I was still bothered by the stares from Jimin. I looked at him once more and he’s still staring at me. He studied my face and smiled when he saw me getting shy from his stares. I turned my head away and looked in front towards the next dancer.

Both of them stayed for a while before excusing themselves out of the room. Some of the dancers were whispering that they’re sad that two of the boys are now not in our presence. I admit that I’m a bit sad too but I can finally breath and relax. Despite being so nervous with them present during my evaluation, I was elated that they were here inside the room as me. I’m lying if I say that my heart wasn’t pounding furiously. I’m just trying to be professional here but I’m still a big fangirl at heart.

…..

“Are you okay? You’ve been too occupied by your thoughts since a while ago.” Hoseok asked Jimin as he sips from his juice. Jungkook and Taehyung who were sitting across the two boys, eating their post-practice snack, were intrigued by J-hope’s question. They noticed Jimin was staring away with his brows furrowed.

“I really think that I saw that backup dancer somewhere but I can’t put my finger on it. Her face looks too familiar.” Jimin sipped his juice through a straw.

“Which backup dancer? The first one?” Hoseok studied Jimin’s face. Jimin nods. “I haven’t seen someone dance like that in a long time. Her passion just captivates you and pulls you in. I can’t wait to work with her and all the other dancers.” Hoseok beamed with hope as he recalls your evaluation performance.

“Also, the modern dance piece that she did felt familiar as well. I could actually feel my body dancing with her but I couldn’t remember where or when I danced to that song.” Jimin admitted.

“Did you watch the whole evaluation?” Jungkook asked the two. Taehyung kept on scrolling through his social media.

“We only watched a few but they were good.” Jimin replied, getting a smile from Hoseok.

“Yeah, especially the one you’re trying so hard to remember. You were staring at her, did you know that? It’s a shocker that she did not melt from your stares.” Jimin turned to Hoseok, surprised by his hyung’s revelation.

“Really? Oh no hyung, I’m too embarrassed by myself. I really didn’t know.” Jimin covered his face with both his hands.

“What made you embarrassed?” Yoongi comes up behind them with an Iced Americano cupped in his hands.

“You remember the girl that bumped into you when went to the restroom? Hobi-hyung and I saw her evaluation and I didn’t realize that I was staring at her the whole time. He just pointed this out to me now.” Jimin, still with a hand covering half his face. “Hobi-hyung, you should’ve told me to stop or something. That’s too embarrassing.”

Yoongi sat down on a vacant chair beside Taehyung. “Actually, I need to apologize to her as well.” The four boys turned their heads to Yoongi looking all confused. Taehyung was about to ask him for the reason but he was soon cut off by Jimin.

“Was it because she bumped into you outside the restroom? And you didn’t help her up?” Yoongi’s face became a bit darker, frowning.

“We already bumped into each other the first time this morning. I was so pissed off about something that I just ignored her and walked away. The second time was with you, Jimin.” Yoongi sipped his coffee once more, contemplating on his actions. He admits that despite being so pissed at something, he should’ve at least shown decency and helped you up. Now that he knows he’s probably going to see you around and work with you, he felt awkward thinking back on how disrespectful he was towards you.

“Wow. You’ve met this woman today and she’s already bumped into you twice, Suga-hyung. She also made Jimin-hyung bothered and Hobi-hyung eager to work with her after seeing her dance. Now I’m interested in meeting her.” Jungkook jokingly teased his elder members as he chows down his sandwich.

…..

After the evaluation, we were told that they will be contacting us again after a few days and if deemed unworthy by the other dance directors from their opinions on our evaluation, we will be informed if we passed or not. Apparently, our positions on the dance team is not final. I still have to wait for a few days to know my fate. All the dance directors walked out the room and all of the other dancers started packing up their stuff. Some of them walked up to me and praised me for my performance. They also teased me that they were afraid that I was so caught up with my nerves when the two BTS members walked in during my evaluation. They said that if it was them, they would be so nervous as well and commended me for still giving a wonderful performance despite my obvious stumble when the music started.

One by one, the dancers head home. I glanced at my watch and was surprised with how fast time flies. It’s already 4 in the afternoon. I phoned my brother to check on him.

“You done with work? We just finished and everyone went home. Can we eat out? I need some company, I feel so drained. My treat.” I stayed in front of the door out the practice room as I swiftly typed in my message.

Thinking back, I haven’t had the time to process what a whirlwind this day was. It started on a bad first meeting with Suga (which was definitely my fault), a surprise evaluation from the dance team, bumping into Suga again (still my fault. By the way, I really need to be careful from now on) and meeting Jimin in the most unappealing places ever, impressed the dance directors but absolutely botched the second dance when Jimin and J-hope came in to watch, and finally, I’m still not sure if I’ll get this job or not because I still have to wait for their mail. I’m so proud of myself that I’m still standing up straight. Thinking about it just makes my knees buckle. I can barely hold myself straight due to my nerves before when I try to dance in front of other people or even when I met BTS once at a fan meet. I should give myself a pat on the back. Yup, I deserve that for getting out of my comfort zone and not making myself look like an idiot in front of everyone.

“Your treat? I’m about to finish. Wait for me.” My brother replied. I laughed so hard. Bribing each other with food is truly our signature move. Not that I’m complaining but you can never say no to free food.

“Korean Barbeque it is.”

Next part: 3

6 notes · View notes

tellthemeerkatsitsfine · 7 months

Note

what's the mark watson thing?

Well, it is Google-able, and I’ve kind of hesitated to actually spell it out on this blog, just because I feel gross writing about that kind of celebrity gossip (I realize I write things about famous comedians’ lives on this blog all the time, but something related to their actual love life feels like a new level of tawdry). But I guess it’s not really any better to vaguely refer to it, as I’ve done a few times, than it is to spell it out. So since you asked, I’ll do that.

I’ll try to tell the story according to his comedy material, because anything he’s put in a stand-up routine doesn’t count as tabloid-style gossip, it’s just reporting on comedy. Last year I listened to all his radio shows in chronological order (those radio shows being basically made up of chunks of his stand-up, so it’s the closest I can get to hearing his old stand-up shows aside from the DVDs he released in 2011 and 2014 and a couple of other recordings I’ve found, which also follow the same pattern), the story is: early radio shows from the late 00s involve him talking constantly about being really excited to have a (relatively recent) wife. Next few years of shows involve a whole lot of jokes about anxiety about having babies and what it’s like to fight with your wife a lot. Then moves into a lot of jokes about drinking too much, more severe fighting while trying to raise children, drinking wine in hotel rooms on tour to escape family. Then he stops referring to his marriage at all for a bit, then in the late 2010s starts doing some jokes about what separation and divorce are like. In 2022, does a show that’s a bit unusually aggressive for him (still not very aggressive, it’s Mark Watson), talking about depression and divorce and having a drinking problem that is a cause and effect of both those things, a brief story about how he’d lived in Adam Hills’ attic for six months as his marriage/life fell apart. His 2023 show took this even farther, with a couple of jokes about being frustrated that he has to pay so much alimony, and some of the struggles of co-parenting with an ex-wife.

Things I know even though I haven’t heard it in a comedy routine: after getting divorced around 2018, he was in a relationship with Lianne Coop, the comedy producer who runs the Inpatient Productions company with him and occasionally appears in No More Jockeys videos. A relationship that I’m fairly sure ended in mid-2023, because I heard him do some stand-up in February that said his son had Googled him and learned about his ex-wife and current girlfriend, but when he streamed the same stand-up show from Edinburgh in August, he said his son had Googled him and learned about his ex-wife as well as the woman who until recently was his girlfriend, a change that I think made the bit more convoluted and work less well. Almost as though comedians don’t plan their love lives around what will make a line in their show sound smoothest. After seeing that, I said that’s probably the theme for next year’s show sewn up, I guess he’s got a breakup show coming. Though I now think he may have bigger issues than that to discuss next year.

I give the background because it is relevant to why I care about the recent revelations, which are that it turns out the reason his marriage fell apart is he had a three-year affair, including while his wife was pregnant with their second child. If this were a comedian I find funny but their material weren’t all that personal, I’d find it easier to separate the art from the artist.

But in this case, Mark Watson has been talking about that part of his personal life for years. Not just in stand-up, either. He did nine episodes of Sofie Hagan’s podcast from 2017 to the end of 2020, in which he’d come on every 6-12 months and they’d have a long, involved conversation about their personal lives, their mental health, their recovery from difficult things, which in Mark’s case included divorce. He talked about coming back from suicidal thoughts, from self-hatred, a lot of serious stuff that he was able to discuss insightfully and interestingly and at times in a way I found really emotionally moving and resonant, because he’s intelligent and analytical. But I did notice, during all those podcast episodes and also all his stand-up material, that while he talked about the pain of a marriage ending, he never actually explained why or how it ended. I just figured he wanted to keep that private, which is absolutely fair enough. It was a contrast, being so open about many things and keeping that topic closed, but celebrities should be allowed to do that. To open up about deeply personal things without being expected to tell us everything.

But now that we know what he was avoiding telling us, it feels pretty fucking disingenuous to me. He didn’t have to tell us why his marriage ended, but if he wasn’t going to tell us that, I think he shouldn’t have spent all those years talking about it at all. Because talking about it without mentioning the fact that it was all his fault is pretty misleading. Obviously got him a fair bit of unearned sympathy. It’s a new piece of context that makes me look back at years of his comedy material, and stuff he’s staid on podcasts (on Sofie’s podcast, and a couple of others, he did a really good one on Susan Calman’s mental health podcast in I think 2018), in a new light.

So that’s my defense for caring, at least a bit, about a celebrity affair/breakup – it is related to his work. I’m a lot less disposed toward hearing him complain about the pain of divorce when I know it wasn’t a mutual no-fault process, but him facing the consequences of something horrible he did to his wife.

Also, a whole lot of the appeal of Mark Watson’s comedy is based on him being likeable. I’m thinking of John Mulaney’s latest show, which opens with him saying “likeability is a prison”, as his explanation for how it felt to be vilified when he failed to live up to the “likeable” image he’d created to his fans. And I saw his point, I really did. I think there is no defense for what the tabloids or fans did to John Mulaney when he got divorced, which is why I’ve filled this post with about 80 caveats so far to try to avoid doing the same thing to Mark Watson. Celebrities should be allowed to be flawed human beings without tabloids or the public on Twitter jumping all over them for being insufficiently likeable.

But also, I would say the same thing about Mark Watson that I said about John Mulaney’s “likeability is a prison” line, which is that “don’t cheat on your wife” isn’t that high a bar. I said something yesterday about how the lesson here should be to not put celebrities on pedestals, but I don’t think this is all that high a pedestal. I didn’t find out that Mark Watson was rude to a stranger after a bad day once, making him disappointingly imperfect. I found out he carried on an affair for three fucking years including while his wife was pregnant. I mean… fucking hell. Three years. That’s not one mistake, where things get out of hand and then you feel terrible and never do it again. Surely there’s a happy medium somewhere between “Mark Watson has to be perfect” and “Mark Watson can have a 3-year affair and that’s fine”. Some middle ground where celebrities can be flawed but we’re still allowed to get mad when they do something absolutely awful.

Also, I don’t think I had Mark Watson in that prison of likeability. I knew he had, as his friend Tim Minchin would say and for lack of a less dramatic term, a dark side. If you only know him from panel shows and stuff it seems like his persona is of a really really nice innocuous guy, and I do like the really really nice harmless Mark Watson from panel shows, but I think my favourite side of Mark Watson is the darker stuff that comes out in his stand-up sometimes, when he gets a bit aggressive, gets into rougher topics like depression and alcohol and anger and jealousy. I never expected Mark Watson to always be sweet and innocent. I just… didn’t expect this. This new context for all his old bits.

But even if I like aggressive and dark Mark Watson just as much I like sweet and nice Mark Watson, that’s still all based on him seeming like the kind of person I like, and therefore making me want to hear what a person like that has to say. His humour is tied more tightly to who he is than it would be if he were a less personal comedian. So yeah, learning new stuff about who he is changes how I can enjoy his work. Makes it harder to separate the art from the artist. If I don't like him personally anymore, then it's no longer as much fun to hear what he has to say.

I don’t think Mark Watson should be canceled. And I do think some people should be canceled. I think comedians or other famous people who do horrible things to innocent people in their personal lives should lose their fans and ability to make money off their public image. But that should apply to predators and things like that. This isn’t that, I don’t think there should be professional consequence for cheating on your wife. It is, when it comes down to it, his own business. But I can't help that it changes the way I feel about him.

There’s also the question of why he said this publicly now, after not saying it for so many years. And he did choose to say it, by the way. This wasn’t some tabloids uncovering it through dirty journalism. He talked about it in a recent interview of his own volition. And he did, to his credit, say he regrets it and he knows it was an awful thing to do and he’s sorry and he makes no excuses. Which I think would be a plausible defense… if it happened one time and then he felt awful enough to stop. But three fucking years… Jesus Christ, I don’t know how anyone could keep that up for so long.

I don’t know why he decided to talk about it now. The most horribly, horribly cynical guess would be that his autobiographical book is just coming out and he wanted something in the papers that’s interesting about his personal life to make it sell better. I want to believe that’s not what happened, but I have to say it’s crossed my mind. I pre-ordered his book months ago, paid extra for a signed and dedicated copy, and I rather regret that now. I haven’t received it, and when I do I’ll still read it. But it feels weird.

It is also possible that he just decided to talk publicly about it now because his other relationship has ended recently, maybe that changed how he looks at things. Or maybe he didn’t want to worry about it “coming out” anymore. There is some stuff in Sofie Hagan's latest show that may possibly suggest that what was showcased on their podcast conversations may not have been the beautifully deep healthy cross-gender friendship it appeared to be, because actually nothing good is real and you can't trust anything, and that could have made him worried that someone else is going to put his secrets out there so he'd rather get them out himself. Point being that I can think of several things besides the release of his book that happened this year and could have caused this, and I really hope one of them was the cause, rather than the incredibly cynical possibility that it was for book publicity.

All right, this has been the comedian gossip section of the blog. Likeability is a prison but also I'd prefer it if my favourite comedians would keep the extra-marital affairs to under three years. Surely it's not too parasocial to say that.

7 notes · View notes

phantomdoofer · 8 months

Text

Chapter 3: Rivelazione, Seconda Parte

"So," Peppino began, "Why?" One word with so much meaning.

Giuseppe sighed. "Ok, first of all, after they made you, I changed my name to Giuseppe to avoid confusion."

Peppino snorted. "Short walk for that one, wasn't it?"

Giuseppe snorted the exact same way. "Easy to remember. And in case you're wondering, Ma doesn't know. They took my DNA to make you when I was fifteen, flashed my memory the night they took me, and copied it into you. You remember when you were in the hospital a few days, unconscious, with a bad fever?" Peppino nodded. "That was when. That way there was a believable break, and could explain the muddled memories. They did it using old, old cloning tech, from before the Old War."

The Old War. Peppino remembered that from history class. Way back, maybe a couple thousand years ago, the world got blasted to hell. Took everyone centuries to catch back up. Rumor has it diggers would occasionally find old tech from those days, way past what people could do now. "Guess Pizzahead didn't invent that trick, huh?"

Giuseppe snorted again. "That sadistic dumbass came across a big cache of old tech. We'd been tracking him for years. Then that tower of his started teleporting. And it could hide from anyone who he didn't want to find it. Damned if we know how it worked. Then you did the job for us." He smiled. "Nice work, fratellino."

Peppino's head spun. "But... why? Why us?"

Giuseppe laughed. "For the same reason they picked you for football! We're tough, fast, and damn near impossible to stop when we're pissed! Beyond most people! They wanted me and my powers for a special ops unit, top secret. They wanted it extra quiet. I didn't get a choice in the matter." His face twisted into a frown. "What happened in the tower hasn't stayed quiet. Word's gotten out about the clones." Giuseppe pinched his nose. "And now the government bigwigs have decided to come clean about the whole thing. Clones, secret kidnappings, everything. People that are directly involved... people like you, it was decided we could tell before the official announcement. They did it as a favor to us. The ones they stole."

Peppino's eyes went wide. "But that's-a crazy! Everyone will be paranoid! It'll be a witch hunt!"

Giuseppe frowned. "We know. I said the same thing. But this bunch wants a clean conscience. So they're going to release the records. Everyone will know. And there's more people like you than I think even they realize. The world's still hurting pretty bad after the last war."

Good point. It was a lot of why his pizzeria struggled for so long, and why he had so few customers until just recently. "This... this will turn the world upside-a-down." Peppino couldn't believe they could be that naive. He felt bad for even thinking about how it might hurt his business.

Giuseppe nodded. "Part of why we're just one unit going around telling people that are clones what's happening. Get the shock out the way, so they don't get blindsided by their own neighbors, or hear it on TV."

Peppino sat quietly for several minutes, rubbing Mushroom's back. Giuseppe did the same for Sausage. His mind whirled, but it was the whirl of a pot of water being stirred, not the chaos of a firefight. How do I know this guy's telling the truth? Ma didn't know. He knows things only I know. I didn't know.

Peppino laughed at Giuseppe's suddenly panicked expression, which the other man quickly squashed. "Sì, that conversation is gonna be a lot harder than this one."

He looked at Giuseppe. "Mama's going to kill you."

That convinced him. Even if he's not telling the whole truth, only our Mama could probably make this guy react like that.

Peppino looked down at the Toppin in his lap. "Is there anyone else around here? Anyone I know?"

Giuseppe nodded. "Sì. Gustavo."

Peppino's heart stopped. Gustavo was a clone, too? What were the odds on that? To cover for his shock, Peppino responded flippantly. "So, what's-a Gustavo the First doing? Out toppling some government somewhere?"

Peppino regretted his words when Giuseppe's face went hard, and he started fooling with a small leather bracelet on his wrist. "He - he didn't make it. He died in the same fight I got this." He pointed at the horrible wound on his neck. "Some backwater nowhere, fighting some crazy Talpa cultists. One of the little bastardos went ballistic and cut my throat with one of those stupid helmet spikes of theirs. Then it turned Gustavo into a shishkabob."

Peppino nodded. He'd fought some Talpa in the war, himself, and they were exactly as crazy as he'd described. Always hated seeing the little mole bastardos show up.

Peppino noticed Giuseppe was shivering. His own heart was barely beating. Even if it wasn't the Gustavo he knew, his old friend, the thought of him dying so horribly almost brought him to tears. Judging by Giuseppe's demeanor, he was barely holding together himself.

Then Peppino realized what he was seeing. The expression, the shaking. The man was about to start spiraling.

Sausage looked up at Giuseppe and grumbled. Mushroom jumped off Peppino's lap and started rubbing against Giuseppe's leg, making that weird little warble it made when it was worried. Peppino stood up, feeling strange about trying to comfort... basically himself. Nonetheless, he walked over to Giuseppe and grabbed his shoulder. "Hey, hey, amico, it's OK. It's OK."

Suddenly the man broke. Tears started pouring down his face. The gravelly voice was choked with grief. "He died... died trying to... protect me. He died... reaching for me. My friend... my..." the man folded up on himself, while Peppino rubbed his back.

Guess this is what it's like for Gustavo when I start up, Peppino thought bemusedly.

He continued patting him on the back, until the wracking sobs quieted. Finally, still choked, Guiseppe spoke. "When I saw Gustavo... your Gustavo leaving earlier, I started remembering... but it wasn't him. Not really." He looked up. "Just like you're not me. You understand that, right?"

Peppino stood up. "That's why-a you called me fratellino. Little Brother. It's been, what, thirty years? Different lives."

Giuseppe sniffed. "Sì. Different paths."

Peppino hugged him. He smiled weakly. "Fratello. Haven't called anyone that since-a the war. They all died... too. Just... me and-a Gustavo were left. Did I tell you I almost-a died?"

Giuseppe wiped away tears. "I was told. They kept us informed about you guys. I wanted to come, but I couldn't."

"It was some god-a-forsaken hellhole, of course. Just before the big-a last battle. I was so tired, and wasn't paying attention. Then the shooting started..."

The two men, so alike and so different, sat for hours, telling each other about their lives after they diverged. All their near misses, Peppino's problems during the war, stories about both Gustavos, problems with the pizzeria, the tower. Most of Giuseppe's stories had to be vague, since most of them were still classified, but his anecdotes of his time with his squad were tall tales indeed.

They reminded Peppino of his time with his unit. He felt a warmth growing he hadn't felt since he'd lost his friends.

~~~~

Later, Peppino made them a pizza to share. The soldier hovered, watching Peppino work. "Ah, that brings back memories. I never had time to learn to get the shape and texture right. Where did you learn that?"

Peppino smiled. "After the war, after I-a pulled out of my depression, I studied under a pizzaiolo who knew Papa."

"Ah." Giuseppe said. "He still around?"

"Ah, no," Peppino sighed, "he passed away just a few years ago."

Giuseppe sighed as well. "A shame. I would have liked to have met him, if only to ask him about Papa."

The timer dinged. Both men jumped, then laughed nervously at each other's reaction. "Old habits die hard, I guess." Giuseppe said.

"Sì!" Peppino agreed. He carefully extracted the pizza, and set it to cool. After several minutes, he sliced it and offered a piece to Giuseppe.

Giuseppe ate it with a look of bliss. "Ah, just like Papa made. Better, even. Mio Dio, people just can't seem to get the sauce right!"

Peppino smiled. "I've-a still got Papa's recipe book."

Giuseppe smiled back, still in gustatory heaven. "Whatever you changed, I like it. You should spread the word more!"

Peppino looked down. It was nice to hear some compliments. "I never gave up Papa's dream. It's been hard. But I'm doing it."

Guiseppe gripped his shoulder. "I know. I've watched you for a long time, fratellino. I wanted to help. But you know why I couldn't. Governments and their secrets!" Finally, Giuseppe stood up. "Well, I have to leave for now. Tomorrow Ma will try to kill me, but hopefully not."

Peppino stood up. "Will I ever see you again?"

Giuseppe smiled. "Oh, I forgot to mention - I'm retiring soon. I planned to move here and settle down. If that's OK with you?"

Peppino stopped, momentarily stunned. "O- of course! We have a lot of catching up to do!"

Giuseppe suddenly frowned. "One thing: don't tell Gustavo yet. He's on the list, too. Better to let us tell him, so he doesn't get jumped. And keep everything I've told you secret for now. I probably shouldn't have told you all I did... but it's nice to have someone to open up to, you know?" He turned and walked up the stairs; Peppino followed and unlocked the door. As he walked away, he turned back. "I'll see you soon, fratellino."

As the shadows closed over his brother, Peppino said, "Presto, fratello. Presto."

Peppino sat and watched the sun rise.

This is going to be very interesting.

~~~~

As Giuseppe walked off with his squad, one of his subordinates walked up and asked, "You really plan on retiring to this place? It's kind of a dump."

Giuseppe clucked his tongue at her. Mio Dio, I miss the old squad. These kids are too much. "Young woman, that man just served me the best pizza I've had since my Papa passed away. Even if he wasn't family, I'd move here just for that. Now, did you find anything at the Tower ruins?"

She shook her head. "Looks like that Pizzahead character came back and took everything he could. That lab underground is a wreck. Even the Cheeseslimes said they couldn't find anything."

"Al diavolo tutto. Well, nothing for it. Make sure someone keeps an eye on my brother, and Gustavo, too." He choked up just a little, and touched the bracelet on his wrist. I miss you, mio amico. "And the others - the pepper, the slime, the weirdo and his lady, the pillar men, and the clones. I guarantee you, he's not done yet. I refuse to let him hurt my brother again."

<<Previous/Next>>

Side Stories>>

#pizzatower #pizza tower #pizza tower fanfic #my stuff #peppino spaghetti #peppino #giuseppe spaghetti #pizza tower au #tower town au

10 notes · View notes

nobedofroses · 2 years

Text

Day 27: Hate Sex

pairing: Din Djarin/Mando x fem!reader

warnings: bounty hunting, bondage, dirty talk, degradation, dom!reader, sub!din, p-in-v sex, unprotected sex

words: 1.8k

a/n: oops! all subby!din!

Last, Full List, Next

🎃🎃🎃

You were sick of this, you were sick of him. He had been doing this for years. Every time you got close to a bounty, just about ready to go in for the taking, the fucking mandalorian would capture them instead. It drove you up a wall.

But this time, you were so sure that that wasn’t going to happen. You hadn’t seen Mando, hadn’t even heard about him in months. Rumor was that he had taken in some foundling that came with a lot of problems. But while you hoped the best for the kid, whoever they were, you weren’t sorry to have free reign hunting for yourself. You had caught more bounties in the last four months than you had the year previous.

The one you were currently hunting down was staying in this little forest-y area a few miles outside of the nearest town. You had scouted it out the afternoon before and were on your way there now that it was dawn. The bounties habits had included sleeping well into the morning, so you knew they would be asleep when you got there. However, you still kept an eye out for any alarm systems they might have in place and made sure to stay quiet and stealthy as you went along.

When you were just 100 feet away from the shack, there was a big clattering inside. You drew your weapon and took a defensive stance, but it was all for nil as a minute later you saw fucking Mando emerging from the building with your bounty, unconscious or dead. Instantly, you were irate, huffing and storming over to him.

“Mando, how dare you! That is my bounty. You better not have killed them!” you yelled at him as you got closer.

He turned towards you and it was like you could see his telltale sigh. It only made you angrier. And then he kept walking, but you just followed faster.

Once you were in earshot for him not to have to yell, he called over his shoulder, “The bounty is not dead. But since I captured them, they’re mine.”

You could’ve growled. Maybe you did. Either way, you followed him back to his ship which had been hidden about a quarter of a mile away.

When it came into view, you watched him open the ramp, “You can’t just disappear from the game for months and then come back just to steal other people’s bounties!”

“According to the guild, I can,” was all his response as he dragged the bounty onto the ship.

You followed, all the way to the carbonite freezers, and kept up your rant the whole time, thinking maybe if you persevered he might listen. When the bounty was stored in carbonite, you wheeled on him, catching him by surprise enough to push him against the wall.

“Now listen, I guess you won’t listen to appeals of honor or respect or integrity. So I’m just going to tell you that I need the credits. Why don’t we split the reward, and I won’t report you to the guild?”

He had been silent and for a second you thought he was listening, but then he flipped you around and tripped you, pinning you to the ground in seconds. You grunted, frustrated that he had the advantage of all the beskar. But then his hold loosened for just a second, and you realized he might have thought it was a grunt of pain.

“Oh, ow, Mando, my head, did I hit my head? Ohhh,” you moaned, really laying it on thick, but if he was dumb enough to let down his guard for something like that, it wasn’t your fault.

And he did, he released your arms and shifted forward as if to look at the back of your head. You took the opportunity to flip him onto his back, pinning his arms down first with your hands, and then while he was still off balance, you secured them with the restraints you had on your belt for the bounties. Mando groaned in what you assumed was annoyance. He deserved it.

“There,” you said with a proud smile. “I’ll just take the bounty and turn them in on my own. I’ll send you a few credits for the cost of the carbonite.”

You sat back, more fully on top of him, wanting to gloat just a bit more that you had outmaneuvered a mandalorian. Even if it took a dumb trick like pretending to be in pain and appealing to his surprisingly sympathetic nature.

But when your ass hit his thighs, it hit something else. Your eyes widened. Before you realized what you were doing, you adjusted your hips. It was as if you were trying to make sure you felt what you thought you felt. And boy, did you.

Mando was hard below you. The idea surprised you. (Honestly you had never fully known whether he was a species that got hard.) But more surprising was that apparently, he was hard for you. Or at least what you had done. Maybe he liked the idea of being overpowered because he could usually do so easily with anyone he came across.

Hmm. Well, you could play along. It had been a little while since you had had sex, and you didn’t mind being in charge. Not at all. And it wasn’t as if the thought had never crossed your mind with Mando. The armor was practically eye candy.

“Oh what’s this, Mando? You like the feeling of someone having power over you?” you shifted your hips again, this time purposefully grinding your pussy over his cock. As it hardened fully, you worked to position yourself so your clit was right on top of his head.

Mando’s breath hitched and he tested the strength of his bonds for a moment. They flexed but didn’t break and you smiled.

“Looks like you’ll just have to sit here while I use your cock. Be a better use of your time, anyway, can’t fucking steal my bounties if you’re tied down,” your tone was still harsh, but it had a breathy quality as you felt your desire grow, wetness collecting between your thighs.

Underneath you, although he couldn’t move his arms, Mando wasn’t an inactive participant. He rocked his hips up toward you on each of your grinds and moaned at more than half the things you were saying.

“I bet you’ve got a nice cock. It sure feels big now, but I think it’ll feel even bigger in my pussy, what do you think?”

He didn’t answer right away, so you stopped moving your hips. When he realized why you had stopped, he rushed to say, “I-I don’t know. We can— I want you to try.”

You chuckled and moved backwards a few inches, and Mando called out “wait—” before realizing that your hands were heading for his pants' closure. The desperation briefly in his voice sent a thrill down your spine and you moved your hands faster.

“Let’s get this cock out so I can see if it’s worth my time,” you told him, pulling down the layers you came across until his hard, leaking cock was revealed to you. It was longer than your hand and thick and the head was flushed red and you couldn’t help but wet your lips in anticipation. Definitely worth your time.

Without touching him further, you stood up. First things first, you shut the ramp to the ship, sealing the two of you in there and preventing any untimely interruptions. Then you went back to Mando and set about taking off your boots, pants, and underwear. You didn’t bother with your top, deciding that Mando didn’t deserve the treat of getting to see your breasts as you bounced on his cock.

Obviously you couldn’t see Mando’s eyes with the helmet, but the t-shaped visor was trained on you this entire time, and you saw his cock twitching a little bit the more you got undressed. When you were ready, you straddled him again, this time raised up on your knees, and then reached down between you to take his cock in your hand.

“You better hope your cock makes me cum, or I-I’ll just leave you here and keep trying until it does,” you said to him, voice catching when you started sinking down on top of him.

Mando moaned near pornographically, and breathed out a, “yes” that you weren’t sure was because of what you said or how wet and warm your pussy was.

You slowly raised yourself, bracing your hands on his chest plate, the cold metal such a contrast from the warmth between your thighs. Once you had just his tip inside you, you dropped down quicker, pulling a gasp from both your mouth and Mando’s. You couldn’t help but make the next move faster, and the next drop harder, until you had a rough rhythm that made you moan and Mando pant.

“Fuck, maybe I’ll just keep you here anyway. You can become my fucking toy. Just a cock to make me feel good when I need to relieve some stress. It’d be more than you ever did for me before, oh shit,” you cut yourself off when Mando’s feet planted behind you, making you shift forward. The new angle had the base of his cock grinding against your clit, and with him thrusting up towards you as well, you could feel your orgasm fast approaching.

It was obvious that he had felt the need to move as well because he was so fucking turned on; his cock never stopped twitching and pulsing inside of you. He must not have been used to so much dirty talk, or maybe, you preened a little to yourself, you were just especially good at it.

“Yeah, you like that? You like hearing me talk about the dirty things I want from you? ‘Course you do, pent up in a suit of armor all the time. Bet you don’t get fucked like you need to. Don’t worry, honey, when you’re mine, I’ll use you everyday, because this cock is— oh- oh!”

Somehow, Mando had gotten free from his bonds, and the first thing he had done was move his hand down to your clit. Without any warning, you started cumming, and he followed immediately after, both of you moaning and writhing against each other as your twin highs shot through you.

A full minute of just trying to remember how to breathe later, you were able to open your eyes and examine the man underneath you. Both hands were free and resting on your thighs, like he wanted to keep you where you were. You could feel his thumbs rubbing over your skin lightly, maybe trying to soothe you through your orgasm which probably lasted longer than his.

You made to get up, at least off of his cock, but his hands on your thighs stopped you. Looking up to him curiously and a bit worried, you waited for what he was going to say.

“Maybe splitting the reward wouldn’t be so bad.”

🎃🎃🎃

#din djarin #din djarin x reader #the mandalorian #the mandalorian x reader #mando #mando x reader #spooky smut 22 #blurb #smut #nobedofroses

40 notes · View notes