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s-j-ace · 4 years

Text

The Same Question

Chapter Three

Characters: Shuichi Saihara, Ouma Kokichi

Words: 3360

Summary:

After Detective Shuichi Saihara encounters mysterious thief Kokichi Ouma for the first time, a game of cat and mouse ensues as both men ask themselves the same question. Why exactly does the elusive phantom thief do what he does?

This is Chapter Three, Here are Chapters One and Two

Read on AO3

[Log of Text Messages from Kaede Akamatsu’s Cellular Device]

From: Me

Hey Shuichi! How's it going? I haven't heard from you in a while. I keep forgetting I'm a human person and not a piano machine while I'm on this tour lol.

From: Shuichi! :D

Hi Kaede! I'm sorry! I forgot to check in on how your tour is going, probably because I've been kind of busy myself. How are you?

From: Me

No need to apologize silly

I'm doing ok

Just craving human interaction that isn't a graceful hand shake or an approving nod rn

Hey if you've been busy that means you're working another case, right?

From: Shuichi! :D

Haha yeah I guess.

Or at least I'm trying.

From: Me

👀

You wanna talk about it or is this one still top secret?

From: Shuichi! :D

Well

I guess there's no client or victim to protect with this one

And there's nothing really stopping me from talking about it

But it's not that interesting to be honest.

From: Me

You're talking to a girl who is on her phone rn to avoid playing hoity toity with a bunch of rich people who like dressing up fancy more than they actually appreciate music :///

Anything is an improvement tbh

From: Shuichi! :D

Haha ok

Well

So like I've been tracking some thieves for a while now.

From: Me

Oooh is this like the Novoselic case?

From: Shuichi! :D

No it's more like a series of robberies than one big robbery.

From: Me

The intrigue,,, 😲😲🤔🤔

From: Shuichi! :D

Anyway it's just a group of thieves

They just robbed this casino and it's a little frustrating

Because I looked at the security tapes and they just kind of…

Walked in…

And the thing about these guys is that they all dress up like clowns

So like it’s literally just eight clowns on the security tape coming in and picking things up and leaving and there’s other people in these videos but no one even looks at them twice????

From: Me

Ffff that’s pretty funny…

From: Shuichi! :D

Hmm.. I’d probably have found it more funny if the owner of the casino hadn’t been crying and shaking me while I watched it. They dropped one of the chandeliers on his car or something.

From: Me

What??? Chandeliers????

From: Shuichi! :D

Yeah, the boss clown dangled these chandeliers off the side of the roof to distract me while these rare videogames were being stolen. Then he broke them when he thought his crew could get away.

From: Me

How is that not interesting??? That’s super intense Shuichi!! It makes me want to play movement three of Moonlight Sonata...

From: Shuichi! :D

Is that the really fast one

From: Me

Yes!!! :DDD

I’ll make a melomaniac of you yet!

From: Shuichi! :D

Does this mean you’ll stop making fun of me for getting a C in music appreciation senior year

From: Me

Oh yeah the real reason we broke up lol

From Shuichi! :D

Haha yeah.

Uh, anyway. With the thieves.

I know they're going to land in Cairo in a few days but I don't know what they're stealing.

From: Me

Hey! Rantarou's going to Cairo tomorrow!

You want me to see if I can get you a ride on his jet?

From: Shuichi! :D

Oh no you don't have to do that

From: Me

Yeah, but I'm going to

Unless you really don't want me to but I think that you do so...

From: Shuichi! :D

I dunno

That would be very nice

I'm a little low on a travel budget and I'm in Reno Nevada right now

From: Me

Oh huh where's that

From: Shuichi! :D

In America, like eleven hours away from where you are

From: Me

So? Rantarou's a trust fund baby he could afford the detour

From: Shuichi! :D

Yeah but also like

I'm pretty sure he hates me?

From: Me

Whaaaaat

Rantarou doesn't hate you

Last time you saw him you literally helped him track down all twelve of his missing sisters

From: Shuichi! :D

Yeah but I just get the vibe that he doesn't like me

From: Me

Shuichi you have social anxiety

---

From: Me

Hey you don't hate my friend Shuichi do you

From: Avocado Hair

Hmmm…

I don’t want to be mean

From: Me

Yeah you don’t >:/

From: Avocado Hair

But I thought he was a little suspicious when I first met him…

Don’t get me wrong, Shuichi’s nice and seems reliable enough

But also he’s your ex and I don’t trust exes of my friends just on principle

From: Me

...

From: Avocado Hair

Listen obviously I think Shuichi is cool now

But also it was kind of sus when he was just creeping around your shows without introducing himself…

From: Me

I invited him to those! >>:0000

From: Avocado Hair

Yeah, I know that now

He’s a nice guy alright? Really, I do owe him one

Or twelve hah

From: Me

Great! You’re picking him up from Nevada tomorrow

From: Avocado Hair

I'm doing what now

From: Me

From: Avocado Hair

So Nevada, huh?

---

From: Shuichi! :D

Yeah but also sometimes I'm right when I think people hate me

Having social anxiety does not make that not true

From: Me

I set everything up :)) he says you're a cool guy and he'll call you when he lands in Reno

From: Shuichi! :D

That's very nice of him

From: Me

Shuichi Rantarou owes you like 12 life debts

From: Shuichi

Finding missing persons is my job, it’s hardly something to owe a life over

From: Me

Shuichi it was 12 missing persons

My mans Avocado lost track of twelve whole sisters and you found all of them and now you think he's capable of hate??? smh 😔

From: Shuichi! :D

I'm sorry okay?

From: Me

You don’t need to be!!!

---

Shuichi Saihara found himself, one week after the heist in Reno, on practically the other side of the world. He was blending in with the scattered crowd of tourists circling around the new exhibit at The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo, Egypt. As he looked into the wide-eyed, gilden face of a newly dug up sarcophagus, Shuichi struggled to convince himself that this wasn’t a complete waste of time. Interpol and the Boulaq Police Department certainly seemed to think it was...

Back in Paris, Interpol hadn’t ended up giving Shuichi access to DICE’s next encrypted letter of intent. Instead, after Shuichi gave his testimony to the Paris Police and the investigation was essentially wrapped up, it seemed like Agent Kiyotaka Ishimaru decided to make an appearance just to have the pleasure of yelling at Shuichi about how many protocols he would've just broken if he were actually beholden to the employment of any law enforcement agency.

… okay that wasn't a fair characterization of Agent Ishimaru. He was a nice enough guy. He just wasn't as disillusioned with the authoritarian reality of national militias given power by systems of government forged when people still thought eating your own vomit cured smallpox. One time he gave Shuichi a juice box, and some cookies his husband made, before chewing him out, so that was pretty nice. Although maybe that was only because Shuichi had just gotten lightly stabbed by an internationally wanted drug dealer…

Regardless, Agent Ishimaru was far from pleased that Shuichi was “performing acts of covert vigilantism again,” despite the fact that Shuichi had absolutely no idea DICE was even on the flight and therefore his reactionary investigation didn’t include anything illegal, such as stalking, that would be classified as unlawful vigilantism without the backing of the appropriate law enforcement agencies.

When Agent Ishimaru was done giving a speech about Shuichi’s naivete, he ordered him to get off the case. Luckily for Shuichi the Paris Police thought he was with interpol because of this exchange, and they let him look at security tapes and flight records from the two closest airports. He’d been able to deduce their arrival at Reno, but wasn’t able to figure out what DICE’s mark would be until the heist was already under way. He’d just barely been able to stop them from stealing every single vintage game console from the Silver Legacy Resort.

After looking at tapes from the Reno-Tahoe International airport too, Shuichi had been able to deduce DICE’s next destination was Egypt, but Egypt was a country and had a lot more national landmarks than Nevada did and honestly Shuichi didn’t even know where to start looking for possible burgleables. Rantarou, a friend of Kaede's who was nice enough to give Shuichi a ride to Cairo, had asked him to check out the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities first.

Apparently Rantarou's family could trace parts of their bloodline back to old money European families which had partaken in the awful rich people trend of the 16th century where they would just rob graves in Egypt and eat parts of mummies. As a result, they had a bunch of artifacts that didn't belong to them, so Rantarou often made trips to Egypt to return as many as he could. Right now a lot of those artifacts were getting packaged to be shipped to the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, because the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities was due to be superseded by it next year. He was off somewhere mixing with Museum staff while Shuichi took stock of all the possible entrances around the exhibit.

The museum was rather crowded, and as a couple walked up behind him, Shuichi suddenly felt that he was very obviously blocking the view of the sarcophagus display he was in front of. He muttered an apology and moved away, turning around to look at a vase closer to the corner rather than the center of the room. Like most of the artifacts on display it was in a glass case, which Shuichi had noticed seemed to be of the make and model of the kind rigged up to a silent alarm system of some sort. If the cases were opened, the guards in the security booth near the front of the museum would most likely be notified. Although, the exhibit pieces in the cases themselves didn’t seem of much note to Shuichi. There were, of course, priceless artifacts held up on stands or splayed out on ornately embroidered mini-rugs inside the cases, but none of it quite seemed to fit DICE’s MO. Maybe he could look into the other exhi...bits….

Shuichi’s train of thought trailed off as he noticed that on the other side of the vase he was looking at stood a young woman in a headscarf who he could tell was giving him a weird look.

Shuichi’s inner voice made a noise that would have sounded like, “Hghhhhhh” if he were speaking out loud.

Was he in front of something again? Did he have something on his face?

Okay maybe she wasn’t looking at him and he was just being weird.

His gaze flitted up to momentarily take in the heavily makeuped face and he instantly found himself locking eyes with the very familiar dark purple irises of a complete stranger.

Shuichi did a double take as he realized that this was not, in fact, a young woman.

Wait, did he really know that? Maybe he had just assumed the thief was a guy. Shuichi squinted. How do you ask an internationally wanted thief their pronouns?

“What pronouns do you use?” Ah okay, like that. Thanks for nothing internal filter.

“His majesty/His imperial highness,” The thief replied automatically as if he already knew what Shuichi was going to ask them and had remarks prepared. “Rat/rat bastard are also acceptable.”

Shuichi took that to mean that the thief wouldn’t be offended if he referred to him with masculine terms. Ugh, wait what where was his head at right now?

Shuichi began to maneuver around the vase to apprehend him, but as he moved the thief moved at the same time, so it ended up looking like they were playing ring around the rosey with the vase display.

Shuichi stopped. The thief stopped too.

He started going around the other direction. So did he.

They stopped again.

While maintaining eye contact, Shuichi attempted to discreetly move his hand into his pocket so that he could text Rantarou that a robbery was definitely happening right now. He had gotten pretty good at typing on his phone without looking, but as he slipped his hands in his pocket the thief’s eyes followed.

If he considered that Shuichi might have been reaching for a weapon, he sure didn’t look it. The man’s posture was relaxed and as he watched the grin on his face widened impossibly.

“Is that a phone in your pocket that you’re using to discreetly notify the authorities of my presence, or are you just happy to see me?”

Uh.

Shuichi sent the text -- he had managed to type out a simple “HELP” to his most recent contact, which was probably Rantarou -- and quickly pulled his hands out of his pocket. He maneuvered them instead into a placating gesture, glancing around at the trickle of visitors wandering through the exhibits around them.

“I… Don’t want to cause any unnecessary alarm…” Shuichi started to say as he tried to think of any way to de-escalate this conversation.

“Oh, trust me,” The thief began in an earnest tone that Shuichi definitely knew not to trust. “Neither do I.”

Suddenly, the glass case lifted up and Shuichi realized the thief had somehow managed to pick the display case lock during their impromptu round of ring around the rosey. Which hopefully set off an alarm of some sort?

Yet as Shuichi glanced around he couldn’t spot any form of security in between tourists, none of whom seemed to see what was happening. Or maybe it didn’t register as suspicious to them?

It certainly registered suspicious to Shuichi, who was now looking directly at the thief’s heavily makeuped face. He didn’t look anything like the first time Shuichi saw him, except for the facial expression that seemed to indicate he could just decide to pull out a knife or jump off an airplane at any moment. Shuichi had only a moment to connect this expression to that of the black and white cat that kept knocking over the potted plants on Kaito and Maki’s balcony before the thief’s hand was raised and already coming down on the ancient vase. The priceless artifact took a nosedive off its display pedestal, and Shuichi dove to catch it.

Thankfully, Shuichi managed to grab the vase out of the air in the nick of time, just careful enough to prevent it from shattering into a million pieces on the floor. Not so thankfully, Shuichi was the one who fell on the floor instead. He hit the ground, but hey! At least the vase was fine! Then again the natural oils on his hands probably weren’t especially helpful in the grand scheme of the artifact’s preservation…

Shuichi moved to stand up, but froze as he realized that every eye on the room was on him.

Uh. Okay. Time to. Not. Freak out about that. Yep.

Oh shit oh shit oh shit they were all looking at him what if they thought he was-

Wait. Where did DICE go?

Shuichi heard a loud, sharp sound, and turned instinctively. He found that the thief had stepped behind him at some point, and had backed up to blend in with the rest of the crowd. As the sharp sound repeated, Shuichi came to the realization that the thief masquerading as a young girl had clapped. And now the man behind him was clapping to, and the woman behind him, and the lady behind her and almost instantaneously Shuichi came to the realization that the whole room was clapping, and that it was a distraction. As the clapping continued, the thief stood still as curious museumgoers pushed forward in the crowd to figure out what was going on in this corner of the display.

The thief was disappearing from view. Now was his chance.

In the brief instant Shuichi and the thief locked eyes, the detective saw his challenge. That it was not only a challenge, but a question.

Will you drop everything to chase after me?

He had to make the decision now.

Shuichi chose to stand up to his full height and turned to place the vase safely back into the display case, closing it back up.

He wouldn’t make the same mistake he made in Reno, chasing after the man whose face he knew rather than keeping in mind the nine other just as capable operatives. He was starting to learn that DICE always seemed to take two steps ahead, and that if Shuichi wanted to do something it was most likely something that would benefit their plans. So he resisted the single-minded urge to chase the thief in to instead take the preventative measure of scanning the nearby displays for anyone trying to take advantage of the distracted crowd.

He didn’t even watch as the thief disappeared into the crowd, and instead pulled out his phone.

Rantarou had replied very helpfully to his “HELP” text with a carefully chosen one word reply.

---

[Log of Text Messages from Shuichi Saihara’s Cellular Device]

From: Rantarou Amami

What

From: Me

Sorry

Don’t panic

But I am fairly certain that this museum has just been robbed

From: Rantarou Amami

...

what

From: Me

It’s a lot to explain

From: Rantarou Amami

Just call me

You were in a call with Rantarou Amami that lasted 38:56.04

From: Rantarou Amami

Hey is that interpol guy done yelling at you yet

From: Me

Oh geez

Did you hear all that?

From: Rantarou Amami

I mean like

I got the gist of it

And the gist of it seemed to be

“Shuichi! Stop being such a good detective! You’re making me look bad!”

From: Me

Oh haha

I guess that was something along the general theme

I’m not really a better detective than him though

He’s just the kind of guy whose like

RULES NEED TO BE FOLLOWED BECAUSE I DO NOT QUESTION AUTHORITY

But also I think his husband is like in a biker gang or something

From: Rantarou Amami

Come on Shuichi give yourself some more credit there

If you’re not a good detective that means that at best I’m an awful one

You found twelve missing people in one week who I had been searching for for five years

Also you literally just stopped a museum robbery

From: Me

Oh, sorry I don’t mean to be like weirdly self deprecating

But also I would contest the fact that I stopped a museum robbery with the evidence of the fact that the museum definitely still got robbed

From: Rantarou Amami

Yeah but like

The only part of the museum that didn’t get the carpets stolen from it was the room you were in

Which literally had the most valuable rug in the whole building in it

Like seriously even the carpet built into the floor of the gift shop was stolen

Also you saved that vase

One of the anthropologists here almost cried when he saw that girl push it over in the tape

From: Me

That is weird isn’t it

I think the rug being an actual exhibit might’ve been why DICE didn’t go for it

That’s not their typical MO

From: Rantarou Amami

Wow… that compliment dodge tho��

From: Me

Sorry

From: Rantarou Amami

You’re good man

Hey do you need a ride back to the hotel

Shuichi?

Hello?

…

From: Me

Oh sorry, I was doing some research

I can get back to the hotel on my own

From: Rantarou Amami

Ok, cool

From: Rantarou Amami

Hey just checking in again, did you get back to your room okay?

From: Me

Oh, yes I’m here

Actually I was just about to text you too

I’m sorry to ask so much of you Amami

But could you possibly drop me off in Taipei on your way home tomorrow?

#shuichi x kokichi #shuichi saihara #shuichi danganronpa #kokichi ouma #kokichi danganronpa #oumasai #saiouma #fanfiction #Phantom Thief AU #danganronpa v3 #drv3 #danganronpa #writing #This is later than I said I would post it but I know most people read these at 2 am anyway

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artificialqueens · 5 years

Text

You're beautiful, no matter what I used to say - (Nina/Brooke) - multifandomgeek

Summary: To Brooke, beauty is everything. So when she starts getting feelings for a girl completely outside her type, she just tries to ignore it.

A lesbian, college AU

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20606846

–

Brooke lived for beauty. She loved every aspect of it, and it was part of all of her favorite subjects: makeup, fashion, design. She had a good eye for it too, be it in art or in people, and she was proud of that. In her first year of college, she already knew it would be an important aspect of her life, no matter if she decided to design clothes or graphic material (she was still thinking about it).

To her, It was extremely important to look her best at all times. It only made sense, and she would rather spend less on food than go without her trusted brands of makeup, even if with her clothes she could be a little more creative to fit her budget.

Beauty was everything, and when she found herself attracted to someone, appearance was always on the top of the list. Some people might call it shallow, but for her it was just a clear sign that that girl had something in common with her. Even when she was a young teen, it had seemed so obvious that she would be a lesbian because women were just the most beautiful creatures on earth. It was simple.

She liked girls with softly smoked eyes paired with red lips, or colorfully blended eyeshadow with a bold personality. She liked voluptuous hair that she could tell was fancy just from looking at it, or maybe short, well-kept styles that exposed a long neck and big, stylish earrings. But most of all, she liked girls’ curves. A lean body, round just in the right places, that she would pull closer to her with a hand strategically placed on their lower backs.

She could never see herself with a less than perfect girl. It was just who she was. Some people valued romance, others valued loyalty, and Brooke valued beauty. To each their own.

“Why are we doing this again?” Brooke asked Detox, her best friend, who had dragged her to a LGBTQ event one afternoon.

“Because we’re queer, and we should give back to the community,” said Detox, fixing her lipstick in a small mirror while they waited for the thing to begin. It was supposed to be an auction, or was it a bingo? Brooke didn’t really care.

“Give back for what?” mumbled Brooke, looking around as they sat down, seeing if she could at least score a good lay from this, but everybody seemed a little… weird.

Detox elbowed her. “Aren’t you out, you ungrateful cunt? Don’t take that for granted.”

Brooke rolled her eyes, but didn’t say anything else. She looked at her nails and accepted her fate, if only for Detox’s sake. She knew her friend had another relationship entirely with being gay, and even if Brooke didn’t get it, she wasn’t that big of an asshole to not be able to stand a few hours in a boring lecture (what even was this event?) to support her best friend.

The room they were in was relatively small, with a few rows of plastic chairs pointing to a raised platform on one of its extremities, where a podium with a microphone was set. It reminded Brooke of the church her mother used to go to when she was little, if with a lower ceiling. The chairs were about half full, and she supposed this kind of thing wasn’t very popular. It wasn’t difficult to understand why, considering Brooke herself didn’t want to come in the first place.

She and Detox were sitting at one of the last rows. They usually found themselves in that position, often because they wanted the option to leave in the middle of things, but maybe it was just a habit that came from being popular and not caring much about school. There were all kinds of people scattered around, a lot of them clearly alone, and Brooke couldn’t help but pity them. Maybe this organization (was it a club?) was important for some people after all.

“Okay, guys, sorry for the delay,” said a girl taking the podium with a hurried demeanor and a giant smile. She didn’t talk on the mic, but her presence was enough to make the low chatter that had filled the room stop all at once. “We’ll begin in a minute, but while we don’t, Josh will pass a list for you to fill in with your contact info. It’s completely optional, and we’ll use it to keep you updated with our activities.”

A guy with bright blue hair waved two clipboards with pens tied to them, so everybody could see, before handing them to people sitting on opposite sides of the room. Brooke dismissed it completely, turning her gaze back to the girl at the podium, who was now going through a stack of papers with an air of confident professionalism, a soft smile still playing on her lips.

She was a big girl, probably as tall as Brooke and who knows how much heavier. She had her dark blonde hair brushed back and kept in place by a headband, with a few strands dyed pink, almost randomly and already quite faded. She was wearing jeans and a t-shirt with a logo that was probably that of the LGBTQ association. There was no makeup on her face apart for a nude lipstick. Maybe a little concealer, if that, not that Brooke could notice at that distance. She caught herself thinking she could be sort of pretty, if she put some effort into it.

“Is this working?” said the girl, grabbing the mic, that was, indeed, working. “Okay, it is, haha,” she laughed, and Brooke smiled with her. What? “Hello everyone, and welcome. My name is Nina West, I’m the head of our LGBTQIA+ Association. I want to thank everyone for coming, it means a lot for us, and know that you’re always welcome here, no matter what.” Nina’s smile was so genuine Brooke couldn’t help but believe her, even though it was probably a speech she had delivered a hundred times.

Nina went on to list the weekly activities held by the association, that included game and movie nights, soccer practice, singing lessons, support groups, activism meetings, and so many other things that Brooke was genuinely surprised. The clipboard for the contact info reached her and she almost filled it in before remembering she didn’t actually want to be there. She passed it over to Detox, not looking if she was filling it herself in favor of keeping watching Nina. “We’ve had sewing and fashion design workshops for the last few months, and everyone was so good we decided it would be fun to show it off!” said Nina excitedly. “Tonight, our models are all LGBTQIA students who attended the workshops and made or embellished the clothes they’re wearing. So please give it up for our first artist, Trevor!”

Brooke was smiling and clapping with the crowd before she could think about it. A lanky boy wearing a short sequined dress appeared from behind her to parade through the center of the room, between the rows of chairs. The dress was not very remarkable, but Trevor was smiling so much, strutting like he truly believed he was on a runway, that it seemed more beautiful than it actually was. He went up to the stage and made a few poses while people cheered and clapped.

Nina walked to him, smiling so proudly you’d think she was his mom. “Hi Trevor, how are you?” she pointed the mic to him so he could answer.

“I’m fabulous!” said Trevor.

Nina laughed wholeheartedly and Brooke’s heart did something weird. “You are!” said Nina. “Did you make this from scratch?”

“Yes,” said Trevor, a little more shyly. “Sasha helped a lot, but yeah.”

“It’s amazing!” said Nina. “Isn’t it, you guys?” she turned to the small audience, who whistled and cheered. “You’re incredible, Trev! And fabulous.” She pointed at him, while kindly leading him to stand on the corner while she announced the next model, this time a girl in a big puffy jacket.

The fashion show went on, and while some of the garments were… well, questionable, a couple were really well made and tasteful. The last person to walk the make-shift runway was Sasha, the person who most people mentioned as their mentor. Brooke couldn’t really tell if they were a boy or a girl, and it was fascinating. They were absolutely beautiful, despite the bald head, which was so bizarre in Brooke’s mind. Sasha was wearing a long red gown that was so gorgeous it should be on a red carpet. Brooke wanted to meet them.

In fact, now that she thought about it, a workshop might be just what she needed to decide on what major she should pursue. She could have a taste of the real thing and see if it seemed like something she wanted to do for the rest of her life, then go for the fashion career. If not, then graphic design could be the right choice after all. It was at least worth a try.

She explained it to Detox once the event was over. To say she looked surprised was an understatement, the other girl surely expecting Brooke to want to leave as soon as possible. People were talking and mingling around the room. Brooke noticed nobody was alone anymore, and it gave her a weirdly nice feeling. She felt nervous as she approached Nina, which was even weirder. She never had problems talking to people before, but this girl was something else.

“Hi,” said Brooke once Nina was free from a conversation with one of the students who had modeled.

“Hi!” said Nina with a gentle smile. She was just as tall as Brooke, and her eyes were so pretty.

“I’m Brooke,” she said, extending her hand.

“I’m Nina, nice to meet you.” Nina’s handshake was firm yet comforting.

She must give the best hugs, Brooke thought. What was going on with her today? “I was wondering if those sewing workshops are still going on?”

“Yes, of course!” said Nina, letting go of Brooke’s hand, that suddenly felt cold. “It happens on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. Did you put your email on the contact sheet?”

“Oh. No, I, hm…” Brooke trailed off, not knowing what she could say.

“It’s fine,” said Nina without missing a beat. “Just show up a few minutes earlier and we’ll set you up.” She touched Brooke’s arm, smiling.

Brooke just wanted to be her friend so bad. “Okay, then. I will. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” said Nina. “See you then.”

Brooke made her way back to Detox, who was watching her with a weird smile on her face.

“I think you have a crush on pink girl,” said Detox.

“What? Of course not, she’s-” Fat, Brooke wanted to say, but refrained. Detox just chuckled and shook her head, not looking like she believed Brooke at all. Brooke looked back at Nina, who was now talking to Sasha. One of the pink strands of her hair had fallen down her face, brushing her cheek, and Brooke wanted to pull it back for her. “She’s so nice, though.”

–

When Wednesday came around, Brooke found her way back to the Association room all by herself. She was very excited, the prospect of doing something passion-oriented so refreshing after so many weeks of exhausting classes. She had dressed sensibly professional, changing after her classes just to feel more confident going in. She had even applied a new nail-polish just the day before, predicting she would get there barely knowing how to thread a needle and wanting to be at the top of her game to cope with her anxiety.

She was 15 minutes early. The chairs were all piled in one corner, making space for a few long tables that were scattered in the center of the room. Sasha was there, taking pieces of fabric out of a suitcase and organizing them on the tables. Near the door, there was a desk where another girl sat, working on a laptop. She looked up when Brooke approached.

“Can I help you?” she asked. She wasn’t rude, but Brooke was expecting Nina. Of course, Nina couldn’t be there all the time, and the disappointment pooling in Brooke’s stomach made absolutely no sense. She didn’t come here for the other girl, she came for the sewing. Right?

“Hi, I came for the sewing workshop? Nina told me to come early because I’m new.”

“Oh, welcome,” the girl smiled. She had curly brown hair and warm eyes, but it just didn’t hit quite as good. “I’m Meatball.”

“I’m- what?”

The girl laughed, pleased at Brooke’s reaction. “Meatball. It’s not my real name, don’t worry, my parents weren’t that mean,” she said, opening a drawer and rummaging in it for a moment before finding a piece of paper that she handled to Brooke. “Fill this out and you’re good to go.”

It was a form for Brooke’s basic information, with a few unusual boxes like “pronouns” and a line saying you could use whatever name you’d like, it didn’t have to be your official one. For a split second, Brooke thought about how unnecessary that seemed, but then it hit her where she was, and she wondered how much of a difference a detail like that made in making people feel welcome there. A lot, she supposed.

“HI, DIVA,” Meatball suddenly shouted, startling Brooke, who looked up to see Nina at the door. Her heart started beating faster, inexplicably.

“HI, DIVA,” Nina yelled back, leaning over the desk to… wiggle her tongue at Meatball? It was like they were having an open-mouthed, exaggerated kiss, but without actually touching. It was ridiculous, kind of disgusting, and Brooke wanted Nina to do it to her too.

Nina turned to Brooke. “You came!” she said, and Brooke didn’t even know when she started smiling.

“Hi,” she said. Nina had her hair up in a ponytail today, and was wearing a more delicate top than the t-shirt that Brooke saw her in last time. It had a nicely cut cleavage, and wow, those were nice tits. Brooke snapped out of it before she ogled for too long, swiftly finishing her form and handling it to Meatball.

“Have you met Sasha yet?” asked Nina, placing a hand on Brooke’s back.

“Not really, no,” said Brooke, being guided to the tables, not taking her eyes off Nina.

“Hey, beauties,” said Sasha as they approached, and their voice was just enthralling.

“Hi, gorgeous,” said Nina, kissing Sasha’s cheek. “I have a new student for you, this is- oh, I’m so sorry, I forgot your name,” said Nina apologetically.

“Brooke,” she said, extending her hand to Sasha, who shook it. “Nice to meet you.” Nina forgot her name. That was cool, it was fine. They had talked for what, 10 seconds? At least she remembered her. Brooke was not at all saddened by it, that would be ridiculous.

Sasha asked Brooke what did she expect from the workshop and they started talking about the Fashion Design program, Sasha being a junior and a great source of information on the matter. Brooke should be more interested, really, and not fighting to pay attention as Nina slipped out of the conversation to talk to Meatball again.

But Sasha was their own kind of creature, and Brooke was genuinely mesmerized by them, even if her mind was playing tricks on her. Soon, she found herself hanging on every word as Sasha talked about beauty, in a completely different way than Brooke ever heard someone talk about the subject before. Soon, a few more people arrived, and Sasha had to cut the conversation short to start the class, leaving Brooke wanting more and at the same time with too much to think about.

There were about a dozen people in the room, and they were separated accordingly to what they wanted to learn. A few people were making clothes from scratch while others were decorating. Brooke was placed at a corner with a boy who taught her how to turn on the only sewing machine they had and how to make it work. It took a moment, but she got the hang of it, feeling immensely proud when she finally got the thing to whirl into motion, threading a line on a small piece of fabric, just for practice.

Once Brooke learned how to do the bare minimum on the machine, Sasha asked Nina to show her how to thread a needle and stitch something by hand, while someone else used the machine. Brooke was so happy to have an opportunity to talk to Nina again that she didn’t even feel when the needle punctured her finger as she tried to put a thread through its impossibly small hole.

“I didn’t think you were going to be in the class,” said Brooke, putting her finger in her mouth and sucking on it. Nina’s gaze zeroed on her lips for a moment and Brooke felt like smirking.

“Oh, I love it,” said Nina, quickly finding something to do on the table. “I’m not very good at it, but Sasha is such a great teacher, I can’t help but keep coming back.” She was avoiding looking at Brooke’s face; it was adorable and made something sparkle in Brooke’s chest.

“I think I want to be a fashion designer too,” said Brooke, going back to trying to thread the needle.

“That’s great! I’m a theater major, so it’s really useful for costumes and such, but I could never create things like you guys,” said Nina, relaxing a bit once she noticed Brooke’s finger wasn’t in her mouth anymore.

“This is frustrating. I might as well just give up on that dream,” said Brooke, lowering the needle with a huff.

Nina laughed. “You can practice that later. Here, have mine.”

Brooke was still hung up on the fact that she made Nina laugh, taking the needle with a thread already in it from her hand. Nina showed her how to make a simple stitch, and let her practice while she worked on her own project, a hoodie with a small hole in the seam that she was trying to fix.

They kept talking while doing it, and Brooke found out Nina was two years her senior, but had been in the queer association since day one, and for her, it was the most important part of her college life. She told Brooke a few stories about students that found there a true beacon of hope, and how she was so very proud of helping to build a safe space for the community in campus, even if that proved risky sometimes.

“What do you mean, risky?” asked Brooke.

“Oh, you know, just your regular bigot professor, sometimes a group of students who think they can just throw slurs at us and we’ll stay quiet. Oh, and of course, every time there are some cost issues, we are the first thing to pop up on the administration’s mind. It’s been fine nowadays, I just have to pay attention, it’s not like when-” She interrupted herself, looking away before she looked at Brooke again. “Hey, you’re almost finished. I have to show you how to tie a knot in the end now.”

“I want to help,” said Brooke all of a sudden. She didn’t know where that came from, this was supposed to be something she was doing for her own sake, selfish in every sense of the word. Brooke was not the kind of person who volunteered, and she was certainly not the kind of person who did things impulsively just to impress some pretty girl.

Wait, what?

“I’d really appreciate that, Brooke,” said Nina, looking into Brooke’s eyes.

Oh, what the hell.

“I have to look at my schedule, but I can free some time for you- for the association, I mean. I’m pretty good with time-management, I can help with whatever you need.” Her heart was pounding. She wondered if she could become familiar enough to have Nina kiss her cheek when she said hello to her too.

“Thank you,” said Nina, smiling in a way that felt like a reward in itself. She quickly walked to Meatball’s desk and took a slip of paper from the drawer, coming back to give it to Brooke. “Send me an email, we always need more people.”

It wasn’t like getting her number, but it was something. Not that Brooke liked her that way.

“I will.”

–

Volunteering, as it turned out, was work. A lot of work, especially if you just couldn’t find the heart to say no to the person in charge, even if there was an exam coming up or an essay due.

“You know, if you just boned her your life would be so much easier,” said Detox one day, roughly two months after Brooke started volunteering at the association. She was sitting at Brooke’s bed, watching the blonde apply concealer under her eyes to hide the signs of her tiredness.

“Fuck off,” said Brooke, focusing on her makeup and trying not to think about just how much she wished she could take that advice.

Becoming friends with Nina was easy. She was a very friendly person. In fact, she had a lot of friends, and Brooke was absolutely not jealous of any of them, nuh-uh, especially not the gay boys who kissed her on the mouth to say hello. Not at all.

Being friends with her was even easier, Nina was kind, sensitive, a great listener, but perhaps her greatest quality was her sense of humor. It just matched Brooke’s, in a way that sometimes left both of them with tears in their eyes. She just liked being with her, everything seemed so much better when Nina was around. Brooke smiled more, did more things that she was proud of, Nina just made her a point-blank better person, and happier too.

Brooke was so in love with her it was dizzying.

“Why haven’t you made a move yet?” said Detox. “Didn’t you say you could have, and I quote, ‘any fucking girl you wanted’?”

“Did I actually say that? God, I’m obnoxious,” said Brooke, scrunching her face at herself.

Detox laughed. “That’s not the point. What’s the deal with this girl?”

“I’m ready,” said Brooke, finishing touching up her lipstick and capping it, completely ignoring the question. “Come on, let’s go.”

Detox rolled her eyes, following Brooke outside so they could walk to class together.

–

Later that week, Brooke found herself at Nina’s place, together with half a dozen people as they did a task force to organize a bunch of paper-related tasks, including cutting up hundreds of flyers for upcoming events, which was what Brooke was doing. Her thumb was sore already, and so were her cheeks from all the laughing.

“Look at this bitch,” said Meatball with her phone pointing at Brooke’s face, probably filming an Instagram story. “Who puts on that much makeup to get paper cuts?”

“That reminds me, I got something for you,” said Brooke, reaching in her jeans pocket and bringing out her middle finger.

Meatball laughed, putting her phone down. “She’s growing on me,” she said to Nina, who was behind a laptop, trying to fix some finance sheets with Josh. Nina looked at her fondly. Brooke had been trying to stare less at her, but sometimes it was just impossible.

They kept working, the conversation switching back an forth between the most stupid things and important matters regarding the association. As the night progressed, people started to leave, but Brooke stayed put. There were still too many flyers to cut up, and besides, she had nowhere else she’d rather be.

“Look at this,” said Nina at some point, sitting beside her on the couch to show a video on her phone. It was of a couple dancing at their wedding. The camera only focused on the couple for one second, however, before zooming in on a little girl standing with the crowd wearing a hulk mask and a cute, flowery dress. It was so funny, and they watched it too many times.

“Every time I come to your house I have to put on waterproof mascara,” said Brooke, dabbing at the corner of her eyes.

Nina chuckled. “You could not put mascara at all, you know.” Brooke gasped, overdramatically, making Nina laugh even harder. “I don’t get it, honestly. You’re so pretty, why do you do all that?”

“You think I’m all that pretty precisely because I do all that,” said Brooke, trying to play down how flustered the comment actually made her. She noticed they were alone in the apartment now, not knowing how she could’ve missed it. Her heart went crazy.

“Yeah, right,” said Nina, leaning her elbow on the back of the couch. “I’m sure you’re just a monster without lipstick on.”

Brooke shook her head, not knowing what to say. She liked wearing makeup, but lately she had been thinking maybe she relied too heavily on it. It was a work in progress. In any case, she couldn’t just not try to look her best whenever she was seeing Nina. Because if she wasn’t beautiful, then what was she?

“Beauty is all I have,” said Brooke, focused on the paper she was working on.

“What are you talking about?” said Nina. “Brooke you’re not just beautiful, you’re so much more than that.”

“I know.” Brooke smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Thanks,” she completed, hoping that would be the end of it.

“Hey,” said Nina softly, taking the scissors and paper from Brooke’s hand and putting it away. “Talk to me.”

There were tears in the corner of Brooke’s eyes. Fuck. “It’s nothing, I’m fine. I just used to be so obsessed with standards, you know? Thought it was so important, and it’s not. But it’s what I am, right?” she shrugged. “I’m pretty. I’m not particularly smart, or kind, or-” Nina looked so beautiful today, her hair let down and her pink strands recently retouched. Her eyes were searching Brooke’s so kindly it was overwhelming.

“Who let you believe that? That’s not true, Brooke. You’re all of those things.”

It was so hard not to believe Nina. “I sort of like this girl, and I’ve never felt like this before. It’s like I didn’t know my heart was frozen until she took it in her hands and warmed it up, and now I’m so much better because of her.” Brooke sighed. She didn’t know what she was doing, but now she was talking and she couldn’t stop. “But she’s so amazing, she just deserves better than me. Way better.”

“Brooke,” said Nina, kindly, taking her hand. God, Brooke liked her so much. “Don’t tell me you don’t know the effect you have on people, I’m sure whoever this girl is she’d be so lucky to have you.”

“No, you don’t get it,” said Brooke, getting up, suddenly frustrated. “It’s not just about sex, okay? Yeah, I want her, but it’s not just that.”

“That’s good, it’s great! So tell her! Wait, is she straight?”

“No,” Brooke chuckled at the absurdity of it.

“Oh, good. So tell her! Brooke, you’re an amazing person, you deserve love.”

Brooke looked at her. She was up now too, looking like it didn’t even cross her mind that this girl could be herself. If it did, maybe she wouldn’t be saying these things.

“Yeah, maybe I will,” lied Brooke. “Thanks, Nina.”

Nina hugged her. Brooke closed her eyes, resisting the urge to bury her nose in her neck.

“Who is it?” asked Nina, pulling back. “Do I know her?”

Brooke shook her head, panicking.

“If we ever cross by her you have to tell me!” she was holding both of Brooke’s hands now, smiling at her. “Who could’ve gotten you so hard? I’m so curious!”

She looked so happy for her, so excited that Brooke had told her this. She probably wouldn’t let this go, would keep encouraging Brooke and being the wonderful friend she usually was. How painful would that be, watch Nina give her pep talk after pep talk while Brooke kept lying to her? Brooke didn’t think she could stand it.

“It’s you,” Brooke blurted out, watching as Nina’s smile faltered. She pulled her hands back, regretting it, regretting it so much.

“Huh? Oh, you’re just messing with me,” said Nina with a weird half-smile, swatting at Brooke’s arm.

Brooke smiled weakly. “I wish.” She looked away, trying to locate her bag. “Maybe it’s better if I just leave. Yeah, I can take some of these flyers and finish them at home,” she was already in motion to pick things up when Nina’s arm on hers stopped her.

“I don’t get it. You’re serious?” Nina sounded so confused. Brooke couldn’t look at her.

“Yes,” she said it looking down, daring to turn back to Nina only after a beat, meeting her frown and her beautiful eyes with a curtain of doubt in front of them.

“But I’m-” she didn’t finish, but Brooke could see the insecurities in her expression. She was confused, wary, and thinking things that did not belong in her head.

“You’re beautiful. So beautiful. And I don’t mean just on the inside.” Brooke took a step closer, against her better judgment. Nina was the same height as her, but suddenly it felt like she was shorter, smaller. “The way I feel about you, it’s-” she took a deep breath, lost for a moment in Nina’s eyes.

“Don’t play with me. This isn’t funny.”

“You don’t have to like me back, Nina, it’s okay. Really, I promise you. But please, don’t doubt that I do.” Brooke’s emotions were all over the place. She kind of wanted to hide, but at the same time, she couldn’t move.

“Have you been listening to me?” Nina’s voice was low, and she took a step closer, making Brooke’s breath hitch in her throat. Her hand went up to touch Brooke’s jaw, shakingly. Brooke’s eyes closed in their own accord, and she could feel Nina getting even closer. “Look at me.”

Brooke did, and she was so close. She almost couldn’t believe this was happening. Nina’s eyes focused down on her lips and suddenly Brooke’s mind was too cloudy to think anymore. She just reached up, framing Nina’s face before she closed the gap and brought their lips together.

Nina immediately pulled her closer, pressing their bodies against each other’s, and Brooke felt a shiver run down her spine. She heard a faint moan escaping her throat as her hands slid down Nina’s face to reach her neck, the kiss deepening as their tongues found one another’s, Nina’s hand moving to tangle in Brooke’s hair, her blunt nails raking her scalp deliciously.

Brooke arched against her, wanting to get closer, closer, so much so that Nina stepped back. It made their bodies be too far apart, and Brooke stepped closer again. They were so lost in it that they didn’t realize they were right next to the couch, and as Nina tried to walk back one more time, this time keeping a hand firm on Brooke’s back, her leg hit the couch and she stumbled down, taking Brooke with her.

They fell gracelessly on the cushions, Brooke on top of Nina, her face so close to her breasts that she felt dizzy. Nina started to laugh, her hand still in Brooke’s hair. Brooke laughed too, sitting up and taking in Nina’s swollen lips, faintly stained by Brooke’s lipstick. She couldn’t even fathom how she could have ever thought that Nina was less than gorgeous.

Brooke probably wasn’t smiling anymore, too entranced, and Nina sat up straight too. She looked insecure again, but Brooke didn’t even want to entertain it, and just leaned in to kiss her again. It was softer this time, and Nina sighed into it. Brooke moved to kiss her neck, sucking lightly at the skin and relishing in her smell. God, she’d pictured this so many times.

Nina’s hand was in her hair again, and Brooke was getting too hot. But this wasn’t how it was supposed to go. “I want to take you on a date,” said Brooke, leaning back to look at her face, not without some effort.

Nina smiled. “Yeah,” she nodded, capturing Brooke’s lips again. Her hand slid down Brooke’s side, slipping into Brooke’s shirt to grip her waist. Brooke thought she was going to combust.

“Wait,” said Brooke, breathless. “I don’t wanna rush into anything, I was serious when I said this wasn’t just about sex, Nina, I want to do this right.”

She was interrupted by Nina’s chuckle. “I’m sorry,” said Nina, covering her mouth. “You’re just so cute, protecting my honor.” She caressed Brooke’s cheek. She called Brooke cute. No big deal. “Let’s go slow then. But just to be clear, it’s not on my account.”

Nina wanted her. Brooke’s vagina was screaming at her right now, begging her to listen to reason. “So, if we, hm… You wouldn’t think I was using you?”

Nina looked a little taken aback. “This is fucking surreal,” she mumbled. “No, of course not.”

“Alright then.” Brooke was back on Nina’s neck in an instant, drawing a half-laughter, half-moan from her. Brooke could feel her clit practically setting off fireworks. She let her hands wander to cup Nina’s breasts over her clothes and God, she was so gay.

“Bed,” breathed Nina, and they scrambled to get up.

Nina pressed Brooke against a wall for a few minutes before they could reach her bedroom, kissing her silly while groping her ass, and Brooke couldn’t do anything but hold on.

–

Brooke loved curves, and Nina’s were the best she ever saw, let alone touch. Her breasts were a heavenly gift, and Brooke was sure she would never get tired of putting her mouth on them, nuzzling them, making them home. But Nina was soon squirming too much, and she moved on, kissing down her soft stomach, letting her hands trails down the curve of her waist and hips, massaging her thighs as her tongue worked past her belly button.

She groped Nina’s inner thighs, and the girl opened her legs for her. Brooke looked up as she let her thumbs graze the juncture between Nina’s thighs and her crotch, watching her breath hitch and her hands grip the sheets. Brooke stroked Nina’s folds teasingly, letting her eyes roam over her body as she did so. She dipped her fingers between them, finding wetness and heat, and kept stroking as she watched Nina’s hooded eyes close and her heavy breathing become tiny moans as her body waved against Brooke’s hand.

Brooke surged up to kiss her, straddling her thigh as her hand kept going, now drawing wide circles around her clit. Nina pulled her close, trying to kiss back and grope Brooke but getting sided-tracked by her own pleasure, letting out huffs of breath and stopping her hands mid-movement as she just felt.

Brooke was rutting against her leg, holding back her own moans as her fingers worked with increased precision on Nina’s clit. It was getting harder and harder for Nina to keep from making any noise, and Brooke never felt prouder of herself. She moved to suck on Nina’s neck, her own rutting growing more intense.

“Don’t stop,” whispered Nina with a sinful, delicious moan, tugging on Brooke’s hair. It was so hot Brooke thought she would end up coming first, but Nina kept moaning and with a few more strokes she came, arching out of the bed and opening her mouth in a perfect “o,” a guttural sound escaping her throat.

Brooke touched her through it, keeping it firm and slow, watching her face as she rode her orgasm. Once Nina opened her eyes again, Brooke retrieved her hand and kissed her, feeling Nina’s hand snake down her body to slot in between her legs, stroking Brooke hard and fast while they kissed. It didn’t take long at all for Brooke to come too, biting Nina’s lip and convulsing over her body, one hand holding Nina’s juicy tit in a deadly grip.

Brooke collapsed down on the bed, a smile planted on her lips that she was sure was never going away. Nina snuggled against her, resting her head on her chest and throwing an arm over her waist. Brooke started combing through her hair, sleep creeping up on her. Nina’s smell was intoxicating, and she closed her eyes, dozing off while thinking that she definitely could get used to this.

–

“HI, DIVA.”

Brooke was already working on the sewing machine when Nina arrived for the workshop. She stopped pressing down the pedal to watch her and Meatball doing their tongue thing, that Brooke still didn’t get, but chuckled at every time. Then, Nina went to Sasha, kissing their cheek and exchanging a few words with them before finally walking towards Brooke.

“Hey, baby,” said Nina, giving Brooke a peck.

“Hi,” said Brooke, smiling. That’s right, she’s my girlfriend, she felt like stating, even though it was just their friends in the room with them. It had been a month, and Brooke still wasn’t over it.

Meatball made a puking sound in the background, and Nina giggled.

“Jealous much?” said Brooke, turning back to her sewing.

“Suck my dick,” said Meatball, not even bothering to look away from her computer.

“Don’t mind if I do,” said Detox, coming in the room at exactly the right time, surprising Brooke into laughter and making Meatball flush red.

#rpdr fanfiction #nina west #brooke lynn hytes #brooke x nina #lesbian au #college au #fluff #smut #youre beautiful no matter what I used to say #multifandomgeek #s11 #tw body shaming

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shauni-will-never-write · 5 years

Note

Lovelyflierflorina sent me here saying you probably know more about Fates than her, so I want to know. Why do people like Camilla's character besides from fan service? I actually want to learn the reasons behind people's loyalty to her despite all the hate she gets.

Welcome! I don’t have a character analysis of Camilla ready, so I’m gonna try and write a half-decent one for you :’) I apologize if hours have passed by the time I actually publish this…

*cracks knuckles*

First of all, I should say that Camilla is not a *good* character, as in she’s not your conventional good/nice girl, as you must be well aware of. She’s not even a well-written character. That’s the main thing I’m bitter about with Camilla, and I know it’s nothing new since I’ve seen many players complain about the same thing: Camilla is a character who had a lot of potential, but the focus on her fanservice aspect really harmed said potential. I LOVE her concept: motherly/family-oriented warrior goddess femme fatale. How awesome is that?

From the get go, I was really interested because the “motherly” aspect seemed to contradict the “femme fatale” side of her personality. Ever heard of The Three Faces of Eve? In short, it’s when you have a trio of female characters: one is calm, capable and sometimes motherly (the wife/mother), one is sexy and seductive (the seductress) and the last one is innocent and kind (the child). Even before Fates was released outside of Japan, I was intrigued because Camilla seems to be a mix of the wife/mother and the seductress… which seemed really odd to me. What was even more odd was that she somehow absolutely makes it work. She has the appearance and attitude of the Seductress, but the overall personality and interests of the Wife/Mother… and she’s got brawn on top of that! I know it’s probably nothing, but I found the concept really original and was amazed how well it suited Camilla. I had never seen a character like this before (or at least, not one who rocked it like that).

To me, she’s also a good example of a mentally unbalanced character, not a villain by any means but definitely not a saint either, capable of the worst if you push her too much, a woman who overcompensates for the lack of love she received as a child from her mother by doing her best to be a mother figure, warm and protective, to her younger siblings. Camilla is a lot of things, but after reading her supports with Zero, we can assume she will never be the mother her own mom was to her. I think it’s a decent explanation as to why she is such a doting mother hen (to an unhealthy level, even) to the Avatar, Leo and Elise: she wants to give them motherly love so they don’t suffer from the lack of it like she did, probably sort of compensates for her own lack this way, but also has no real idea of what healthy motherly love is. How could she? She never got any, she can’t rely on any role model. As a result, she overdoes it and doesn’t realize it. I believe her intentions are good and genuine, but in the facts she can easily come off as possessive and creepy. When she snaps in Birthright, it’s because she perceived Kamui leaving as a rejection of her love and efforts, a rejection of their family she cares so much about… From what we know from Leo and Elise (that she doesn’t leave her room, that she’s confused and tired, etc.), it’s clear that Kamui leaving made her very depressed… All she cares about is her family and it’s all breaking apart and none of her loved ones are safe. Camilla’s love for her family is unconditional: when she’s with you, she is with you, she will kill and bleed and die for you… and then you decide to side with Hoshido and, by the end of it, Camilla loses three siblings out of four. The concubine wars are over, she thought she wouldn’t have to lose anyone else, that she was strong enough to protect everyone– and then you go and do this to her.

Wow, don’t you feel like a monster now.

While it’s a more superficial matter, I also really like her chara-design, despite her outfit. Yeah, it’s very fanservicey, but idk, I find it aesthetically appealing. The black and gold colors, her pretty shawl, her tiara both elegant (the fleur de lys) and threatening (the horns)… I also LOVE her hair and her cute cheeks. And recently, I’ve been appreciating her Fates art even more because, compared to how she is drawn in Heroes, her chest seems… average now. Camilla’s DESIGN is fanservicey, which is fine imo because it suits her character (if Setsuna had a fanservicey outfit, that would make no sense whatsoever), but her Birthright cutscene, which is pretty much all boobs, crotch and butt shots, OVERSEXUALIZED her. By that, I mean Camilla herself can not and should not be blamed for this cutscene: the way the camera treated her should be blamed. And you know what? Camilla being a sex-icon because sexyness sells is fine in itself, that’s nothing new in any media whatsoever… BUT where I have a problem is that it comes at the expense of her character. She is family-oriented, bloodthirsty, has severe attachment issues and was involved in the infamous concubine wars (see her supports with Zero), so she DEFINITELY had the POTENTIAL to be one of the most tragic, most grim and most interesting characters in the game… and yet this potential is never exploited. Unless you unlock her supports with Zero, the surface is not even scratched. Of course, I still love Camilla, I don’t blame her for this; I blame the game. I blame the game for not living up to Camilla’s potential, just like I blame it for the holes in its plot, for not giving the Avatar’s personality justice in the game narrative compared to their supports…

I think that’s pretty much all I had to say. Camilla’s character, or rather the way the game restricted her character and did not allow her to bloom (like every single other character haha…), is very much flawed, but I’m still all over her raw potential and the working contrast her personality offers, and how she has the traumatic past to back up her unhealthy attitude. If you consider her past is no excuse for her yandere-like behavior, you are most definitely right. Her reasons are not excuses, but explanations; and I think these explanations make sense.

Now, if you still don’t get why people like Camilla outside of her fanservice aspect, I can’t blame you ^^ There is more to her than a boob strap, battle panties and tasteless cutscenes, and her character has a lot of hidden potential, but in the end there is unfortunately not much to her when it comes to the actual game… There are definitely people who love her because she’s a beautiful half-naked woman with an axe, but there are also people like me who love her because, if you look a little closer, she is DAMN INTERESTING and could have been SUCH A WELL-WRITTEN CHARACTER.

Thank you for reading! I hope it wasn’t super boring ^^’

#i'm sorry it's a pretty rough and rushed analysis #but i did my best #shauni answers #fire emblem fates #my analyses #camilla

44 notes · View notes

eorzeasntm · 5 years

Photo

ENTM Tumblr Cycle 11

Round 3 Results

Hi everyone! Last week I challenged our models to go out into a dungeon and find a Boss Monster, inspired by one of my favorite card games. While all of the models fought their monsters valiently (or ran away screaming as is the case with our winner), the best shot this week belonged to

Ni’ko Shae

The votes were actually quite close this week but the community tipped it in Ni’ko’s favor. The judges loved the unusual choice of the filter as well as the unconventional pose, since for once “visibly engaged with the monster” was not a battle requirement.

Our guest judge this week was Misia, the new host of ENTM Instagram Cycle 2. If you are interested in auditioning for IG cycle, please hit up our Discord channel and join in the fun! IG Cycle 2 auditions will end on March 24th.

For all the models, we have judges feedback below the fold.

Judge Terrini

Adam: I quite like the framing and elements of this shot. The effects aren't obscuring anything important and the boss' pose definitely looks like it's responding to your blow, so it works well. Your glamor however doesn't pop all that much and while all the elements work well together, I'm not getting a lot of excitement from the shot. A closer zoom would have given more drama here I think.

Bria: WATCH OUT! Haha I love how it looks like you avoided the dragon's breath weapon by jumping on it's nose and the filter giving the pink tinge is actually really cool! You've framed the boss really well and being in full dragoon armor says explicitly that this is your job and it's all in a days work. I have no complaints but only a few nitpicks. While I love the more classic dragoon coloring and you do stand out in some ways, it might be nice to use spotlights to give you a bit more outline.

Haila: The effects of this shot are fantastic! They make this fight look very epic and I love your style and flare for this satisfying image. I do think that the portrait view gives a nice frame of the effects but it does feel a bit cramped horizontally and too tall with empty space at the top of the picture. I know how these things can be hard to capture just right though and how hard it is to get the enemy posed just right with the right animation fram and the right angle. Still great work!

Kota: I love this shot... you have this perfect framing with blocking that darn jester from stepping on you and him being just ever so slightly out of focus but still up close and personal is a really nice effect. The only thing that might be nicer is if your outfit popped a bit mor, particularly the bust area seems a bit lacking in shades of brown and it would be nice to see the light coloring and white continuing there to contrast with your opponent.

Luma: I am a bit underwhelmed by this shot. It's a lovely framing of the boss, but your hair is blending into the background and your framing is weak. You are not in a strong action pose so I'm not getting much of a sense of interaction between the two of you besides that you're a bit wary of this great big ape... and for a scenic shot, being perfectly centered is not getting the most out of the background (I would recommend shifting the camera to the left to monopolize a bit more of that nice sunset peaking behind that cabin and cut out the boss gate barrier).

Ni'ko: Oh wow, I'm quite impressed by this composition and I can draw a lot of emotion from your posing and effects, it's like you're fighting off the demons in your head. I actually really love this shot a lot. My main nitpick is the filter makes the actual boss monster particularly undefined and it's a big risk in a round meant to highlight him, but I think you managed to pull it off with artistic integrity in having it tell a story.

Peaceful: Your skill is really nicely framed and I love the effect of the bright light arcs from the arrows streaking towards the boss. Your pose is dynamic and expressive which is really satisfying as well. The weakest part of the shot, in my opinion is that you've managed to mostly obscure the boss monster in effects, so in a round called "Boss Monster" this is risky as we are expecting to see both of you as features to the shot. It's not an automatic bad thing, sometimes the risk pays off, but since this is a smaller boss at a distance from you and obscured by effects, the result leaves me wanting.

Yojimbo: I'm not completely sure what you are trying to accomplish with this shot. The limb darkening and ability both blur and obscure most of the interesting features of the background so it's not much of a scenic, and what we can see clearly is rather uninspiring and empty. The action of the shot is also pretty tame and even as a glamour shot you're also rather out of focus. Being up close does make you really stand out overall and I actually quite love your glamour, the red in the clothes matching the stripe on your face is an awesome combo and I think the pose is great.

Yomu: This is a very strong shot, like an exchange of blows and waiting to see who came out on top. I like the theme of being a dark knight versus the angelic statue, and the high contrasts of the angel's darkened bone white, reds of abilities, blacks on you and with the blues and greens in the the background is an interesting effect. I know quite well the trouble of framing, but I would have like to perhaps have been a bit more up close on you, looking up from a little below and getting more of a sense of the angel looming above you.

Judge Wulf (Kusuh)

ADAM I have some serious stressful memories from this dungeon, so it’s pretty satisfying to see Siren being taken down a few pegs, honestly. My favorite part of this is the red line created by the DRK skill, it creates a nice line to follow, crossing through Siren and passing the tip of your sword. The way you’ve captured siren leaning back also adds an amazing sense of action to the shot as well! My note for you this week has to do with zoom and framing. It’s small, but I think this shot would do well to be just a bit more zoomed in. There is quite a bit of empty space behind you and behind Siren, and I feel like that is what makes everything seem smaller, and therefore less impactful. I feel like just raising up the camera a tad and zooming in juuuust a little bit would alleviate this problem! With all that said though, I am very much loving this shot, keep it up!

HAILA This is 100% my favorite Machinist skill! I’ve always wanted to get a a good shot with it, and I’m glad you were able to make the opportunity! Going vertical for this shot was really a stand-out unique choice for this shot, and it’s not an unwelcome one. The way the lights are flashing out from the monster really creates a sense of impact and the roaring makes it seem like the hit hurt! A note for this picture, and it’s a small one: The way you’re angled plus the direction you’re looking really hides your face and from what I can tell, you’re eyes are open and staring downward. I feel like the image could be made a but stronger with you looking directly at the boss’s face/neck area. Keep in mind, though, that’s just a small suggestion, this is a wonderful shot overall!

YOMU Please allow me to get a little bit silliness out the way really quick, The frown on the boss is an absolute MOOD and I would use it for reaction images forever. With that out of the way, I’m gonna come right out and say that this is easily one of my favorite shots this week! One of my favorite things is to follow the lines that effects create in battle shots, and you’ve made excellent use of the DRK effects to make my eye follow across you and right through the boss. The way that line cuts through the center of the picture is an excellent use of framing as well! It gives a very nice “split screen” effect that divides you and the boss, therefore creating conflict. If I had to give a note for this week (and I always try to!), I’d say that if you moved the camera up just a smidgen, then the boss’s head wouldn’t be caught off just at the tip. That’s it though! Amazing job on this shot.

KOTA The first thing that sticks out to me about this shot is how I can feel the impact of the foot crashing down onto the shield, and the very nice sense of action this creates. There’s a lot of discussion in the ENTM community when it comes to the use of a dutch angle, but I think it works for this type of shot. Also, I enjoy how your outfit fits together with your weapon choice as well as with how it contrasts with the boss’s dark coloration! Here’s my note for you this week: I feel like some of the impact is lost with the boss being blurry due to the DoF effect. Try messing around with the DoF settings, or try a similar shot with it off all together, I think having the boss in full focus would have a greater impact. I can’t wait to see what you have next week, and every shot has shown excellent improvement!

Judge Ona

Adam: While I am personally partial to Siren, I am a little disappointed that this image doesn’t let me see her face and that magnificent hair of hers. The image is not as strong as others you have submitted in this cycle to date. Your face is hidden in the shadows and obscured by your hair. The main light source is directed onto Siren’s chest and not the action below. You are not looking at the enemy, however it could be the follow through to the massive sword swipe. The colors in the image are also very similar and tend to blend across elements.

I do love the angle of the image. The Dutch angle you used here is a great way to draw the eye upward to the enemy. I love the background as well. It is a beautiful space and backdrop for this fight scene. The colors, although tending to cause elements to blend together, are fitting to this scene. I also love the elements from the bottoms of the pillars casting a hint of light upward.

Don’t forget about you light source next week Adam, and take notice to let the viewer see your face, and more of Garuda’s as well.

Luma: While you have definitely added a light source to this image, I think you over-implemented it. You can definitely see the ape’s face and your glamour, this strong of a direct light source now casts a shadow too hard on the rest of the image. Ape-man’s arm has now become the mountainside.

I think this is an interesting location for this image, the background of tropical huts adds a jungle flair, and the banana tree is perfect for a battle with a giant ape. The use of the pencil filter creates a unique texture to the buildings. The unfortunate thing with pencil, is that when it is applied to overly pixelized graphics it can create a more noticeable distortion to them. I also want to point out that the sky in this image is gorgeous. Those colors are beautiful!

I love how you are engaged in this battle with the ape, but I can’t see your face. Change the angle of the camera and essentially reverse the image so that your face shows and the viewer can see your expression. I can see the boss’ expression, but not yours, and no offense, I am sure your Cat-boi face is prettier than that hair ape. I am looking forward to seeing your image next week!

Peaceful: I love your expression! You find pure joy in destroying that monster and landing the final blow! It is without question that no one wants to find themselves on the other side of your bow! I love the juxtaposition of you to the monster, causing you to be the largest thing in the image, without overtaking all the elements. The battle effect is interesting in this filter.

I struggled to see which boss or enemy this is on first look, needing to really zoom in the see the Gobby feet and armor. I also wish you could have somehow angled him, or had placement of him that obscured the purple battle zone line. It is interesting that it remained so bright of a purple with the rest of the elements of the image all becoming a sepia type tone. Try to capture enemies with less of a battle effect so that they are more identifiable in future rounds.

Your glamour is a perfect fit for fighting an armor encased enemy. Steam punk outfit and bow work well in this arena too, I just wish I could see your entire foot at the bottom tip of the bow. The lighting along the walls fills the room and leaves little dead space for the eye to find. I look forward to seeing what future images you bring to the table!

Yojimbo: Red ninja mask, rhinoceros enemy, green oozy glow… Please tell me this was a TMNT cosplay! If not, it is definitely something you can just pretend you tried to do!

I love the red in your glamour! The mask and the red on your arms is enough to make you stand out without distracting from the entire image. With the green glow throughout the image, the red draws the eye to your character and makes you the focus of the image. The slight blur to the image slightly causes the image to lose some clarity, but I would assume that the intent was that this would be like looking through the smoky haze. It is initially difficult to discern the enemy upon first glance, however, because of that same blur. I do like the intent here, however, and applaud you for your creativity in using this effect.

I like how the background is non-descript allowing for the focus to be on the battle, and it may have done some benefit to the image if you were slightly closer to the rhino. Another suggestion may have been to throw a small light source to the right of the rhino, putting some definition on it, without taking away from the overall feel of the image. I look forward to next week’s submission!

Kota: This shot feels very neon. Very vivid, while still being void of being bright. The color palette reads heavy and aggressive, but is still attractive to the eye. I love the edges and how they seem to glow throughout the image.

I would have liked to see a different hairstyle on you so that your face was not obscured by it. The angle of your body position in the image seems a bit out of proportion as well. From this angle your foot looks to be the same size as the boss. Obviously this is not the case, however, it is something you should keep in mind when having such extreme angles.

I absolutely love how the boss is slightly blurred, and you are the main focus of the image. You utilized the rule of three here perfectly, and balanced the image out well to include minimal dead space in the background. Your glamour definitely suits your tank in this image as well! Don’t forget to add a small light source to your face in your images as well. Even with the hair across your face, a small light may have helped to highlight and provide definition to your expression. I really enjoyed this image from you!

Judge Nadede

Bria: I do have to say that this week’s image from you is your strongest one so far. With that said, it was not easy trying to spot you in this shot because you blend in with the surrounding colors. It might have helped you if you had zoomed in on yourself a bit more so than having the dragon in its entirety being seen. YOU should be the main focal point, not the dragon. Other things that might have helped would be getting lights on you a bit more and maybe wearing something that had colors that are complementary to what is around you. In your case, something along the lines of yellows and oranges (complimentary colors are opposite of each other on the color wheel). I also feel that you should be facing the dragon instead of away, especially with the spear end of your lance is pointing downward as if meaning to attack. I will say that this boss does present a challenge when working with lighting and finding ways to stand out. I say that as I used him during a theme we had last cycle. Keep on improving and can’t wait to see what you come up with for the next round.

Haila: Not too bad of a shot this week. It is somewhat growing on me after seeing it zoomed out to see the whole image at once instead of scrolling up and down (that is on the site hosting the images, not you). With that, it still feels like there is still a bit of space above and below you and the Zu. I wonder if either having the shot horizontal or even zoomed in more would have given your shot even more tension than what is already there. You also blend in a little bit with the background of your image. Some back lighting and lighting on your face would have helped that as well as maybe wearing something that has colors complimentary to the background (like the orange seen through the ceiling windows). Keep up the good work and can’t wait to see what you bring to the next round

Ni’ko: First off, thank you for the laugh. It was really needed *hugs* It is one of those “What do I do, what do I do??!” moments when seeing all those mobs coming right after you. The diagonals radiating from the main boss helps move the viewers eyes from the center of the shot outwards and back again. All the angles that are being used within your image (including the direction the eyes and faces of everyone is facing) gives the scene a much sense of action being taken place. The only thing that I’m finding distracting is the color filter you used within the image. I appreciate the old comic book feel your image has (dunno if that is what you were going for) but I wonder how the image would have turned out using a different filter. Overall good job this week, and again, thank you for the laugh.

Yojimbo: Yojimbo, sadly this is my least favorite of the images you have taken so far. Your mount one from last week is my favorite so far. One thing that I have noticed amongst all of your images thus far is needing to work on your lighting. You have some interesting ideas in your shots that would be further enhanced. Play around with the light settings from up close to far away along with playing with the light intensities and color sliders. I would even urge you to ask for advice from Katarh or other former models/judges with your images as a second set of eyes never hurts. I know you can do an awesome job and waiting to see what you will bring to the table next week.

Judge Misia

Peaceful Ursa: I just love the sepia tone you picked for this shot, especially with all the lights you have that frame the picture. It’s easy to pick you out and know what is going on. Your Roe is the star and you are kicking major booty from afar! Only thing I would say is careful with the coloring. My eyes were drawn to the purple behind the enemy. Make sure if you have a color tone to keep it throughout the picture. Also the boss is very hard to make out so either you dismembered him or he just never existed. Otherwise, beautiful job!

Luma Lee: Your picture is a beautiful shot, and the colors pop out very well. I feel there were a lot of miss opportunities here though. My only thing with this picture though is there doesn’t seem to have very much going on within the picture. The gorilla seems to be the star and you are the co-star to the role without much of a face. This also might be a personal preference, but the purple dungeon blockage also takes away from the beautiful colors you have in the picture.

Yomu Kazul: I am so in love with this shot, it brings me back to the trailers for Shadowbringers! What I love about this shot is that I feel I am watching a battle scene, going toe to toe with an enemy twice your size (And you are already a huge character!) The effects don’t drown you out and the colors pop in so many ways, I want more and more from it .If I have to nitpick something, maybe nudge the camera up a bit to get rid of dead space and see more of the boss but that is me trying to find something. Keep it up! You did an amazing job!

Bria Rirsa: An epic battle against a dragon! How can you pull that off? You surely did! What I love is that you created a scene that shows us exactly what is going on. It even looks like you landed on his head, ready to give the next strike! Watch out dragon! One thing I would work on would be to be careful with colors. You almost blend in with all the purple and light blues. If you are a small part of a picture, make sure you are standing out more so you don’t get lost in all the action. Great job though!

Adam Evershot: A battle with the harpy herself and it looks like you got the upper hand here! I do like how you were going with this shot, especially when it looks like your knocking the snot of of her with your sword. I was a bit disappointed though that I couldn’t see you face very well and your glamour choice didn’t seem to fit the theme very well with what you were going with. You almost blend into the background and the villian seems to really steal more the spotlight. Try something more of a glam that contrasts from the brown so that you shine brighter as the star! Good job though!

Haila Wetyios: Interesting approach on this theme, I love how you are in the battle with the boss and obviously giving it more then it can handle. I feel there was many miss opportunities here. Though you picked portrait for your picture, I feel it cut off a lot of the action and created more dead space in your picture. I love the action and effects but they drown out the boss and your character in general. If you are creating a fight scene, bring more of that action by maybe zooming out from the fight, or showing more of the boss in the picture. In the end, you are the star, so don’t blind yourself out from the fight. Good job otherwise though!

Ni’ko Shae: Great job this week! This picture reminds me of my first time in dungeons when I had no idea what to expect! The face expressions were priceless and the monsters were so easy to make out. I will say that the filter threw me off though with how blended the colors were but they make sense in a almost comical scene you have here. Only thing Ill point out is the line you have going straight through your character. I believe that is one of the filters but it didn’t fit well with the theme you did. Beautiful job though!

Kota Tumet: Man! I would have you protect me any day for you are just a shining warrior in battle with a foe that might just kill us all. I love how you created something that shows what is exactly going on. The boss has thrown a mighty blow and you have blocked it with ease. Your face shows how in the moment you are and I feel I’m right there with you. One thing I will point out that I feel would have made this picture so much better is that you blurred half the boss. If you are in battle, make sure to fully commit to what you are fighting, you are the star, but make sure your co star isn't almost blended into the background. Otherwise, you did wonderful!

Yojimbo Kasai: This boss better watch out cause there is a ninja in town! I will be honest though, this picture was very hard to look at. The edges blurred out so much that not only were you captured in that blur but the boss as well. The dark edges were also not needed because it adds so much darkness to a already dark picture. I would next time take advantage of the environment and let the fog create the ambiance for you, no need to add to an already beautiful backdrop to an epic picture. You want to stand out and not blend in with your effects for they have stolen the show. You have so much potential, keep it up!!

#ffxiv #ffxiv screenshots #entm #entm tumblr cycle 11 #eorzea's neo talent management

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becausesebastianstan · 6 years

Text

Manhattan

A/N: Hey ya’ll I just got back from vacation so I wanted to post a little something! I know this is poorly written, I’m still trying to get a hold of the whole plot thing yknow. I’m still new at this after all haha. Anyways I only watched a few episodes of gossip girl so idrk anything about carter or if he actually has any sisters but yeah enjoy!

Pairing: Carter Baizen x Reader

Warnings: None! :))

Word Count: 2700+

City life. You lived and breathed city life. You were a part of something big and significant. Manhattan is what you’ve called home since you started school, your parents decided that going to an elite boarding school would be better than going to a good school district in the suburbs of Boston. However, being part of the elite was difficult at times, you always had to be your best self otherwise someone would push you down. You found your calling in the sports department, girls soccer to be more specific. Your school had a reputation to keep after winning tournament after tournament.

However that was then, and this is now. You had just recently graduated from NYU since you wanted to stay in the city. You just secured an apartment in the city, a costly one nonetheless, but your parents, who just wanted to buy your happiness and love, were more than willing to help out. You start your job as a lawyer for one of the top law firms in the city in a month, and your best friend in the whole world, Elle, was starting as an assistant to some photographer who works with famous models. Safe to say that you two were killing it for girls who were fresh out of law school and college.

After a week of living there, you finally met your neighbor, the only other person who lived on the top floor with you. He seemed slightly sketchy, and from what you’ve heard from the nice lady downstairs, is no good. He came from lots of money, like yourself and Penelope, and attended a nearby elite school a while back but never really finished with college or anything. The nice lady, Lisa, warned you and Elle about the boy, he was known to be a heartbreaker. He was just a year or so older than you as well. Anyways, as stated earlier, you met him after a week. Carter Baizen. You were just coming up from your morning run and the elevator doors opened to reveal a handsome stranger. You gasped but quickly recovered.

“Um sorry, you must be my neighbor, I’m Y/N.” You said sticking your hand out for him to shake.

“Ah... I’m Carter, welcome to Manhattan,” He replied shaking my hand. I mentally scoffed.

“This is actually close to my twentieth year living here, but thanks!” You said before scurrying off, not wanting him to catch a whiff of your sweat. You slammed the door only to be greeted by loud music.

“Elle!” You called, knowing she was probably in the kitchen because she absolutely adores baking, making it difficult to stay in shape.

“Y/N! Thank goodness you’re home! Our mysterious neighbor dropped by a minute ago and brought some cookies that he said his mom made but he doesn’t like!” She said rounding the corner to greet you.

“I just had a run in with him, I kinda left in a hurry though...” You trailed off grabbing your water bottle and scurrying toward the shower.

You hummed along to the music you had playing when you heard a knock on the door.

“What!?” You yelled out over the sound if running water

“Our neighbor is back! He said he was here to talk to you!” Elle’s voice sounded throughout the bathroom.

“Oh shit, I’ll be right out!” You respond shutting off the water and running to your room. You threw clothes on brushed your hair and almost as fast as you’d exited the showed, you exited your room. You awkwardly stumbled over your own feet into the TV room.

“Hey, sorry I was in the shower... Did I drop something?” You asked when you noticed him on the couch, most likely seeing the scene that happened a mere second ago.

“Oh... Uh, no but I just wanted to apologize...” He sighed running his hands up and down his thighs.

“Apologize? Why?” You asked quirking your eyebrow.

“Well I just assumed I knew everyone in Manhattan that was around my age, I was surprised to see someone so beautiful who I didn’t know,” He smirked, finally gaining that confidence.

“Oh well first, thank you. Second, No worries! I appreciate you saying that though!” You gushed, probably a little bit too enthusiastically.

“I always wanted to stay sorry for not stopping by sooner, I figured that whoever moved in would be a stuck up couple with lots of money, not a pretty girl such as yourself and her best friend,” he winked making my cheeks flare up.

“Oh please,” You giggled, deep in your head you could hear Lisa’s voice warning you, “I do here you don’t have the best reputation, so sorry if I’m not letting you jump in my pants right away,”

“Ah so Lisa has been warning all of the lovely ladies,” He tutted.

“So there are others,” You questioned

“There was... But now there’s only you.” He replied leaning in every so slightly.

“I don’t buy that act yet, Carter,” You scolded standing up.

“Maybe one day, babe,” he cooed walking through the hallway back toward the door.

“See you later, Elle!” He called out before opening and closing the door behind him.

I collapsed into a stool we had by the island of our kitchen, sighing and grabbing one of the cookies he had left earlier.

“What was that about?” Elle asked leaning against the counter.

“He apologized for something he said when we crossed paths earlier,” You mumbled, covering my mouth.

“That’s it?” She pushed, knowing fully well that I was leaving something out.

“Ok he kinda hit on me, but we both heard Lisa, he’s bad news!” You sighed

“So? Beat him at his own game!” She exclaimed

“Yeah? And how do you propose I would do that.” You asked

“Start bringing guys home more! Go out! Make him jealous! Harmlessly flirt with him instead of clamming up like you always do!” She suggested shrugging.

“That doesn’t sound too bad honestly, I’m going through a long dry spell right now after all,” You joked’

__________

That was six months ago. You ran into Carter a few times a week, exchanging a few words but never having a legitimate conversation. You have brought home way too many guys to count anymore, but you stopped, probably two weeks ago. You aren’t necessarily proud of it, but it was a good release from all of the stress at work, which you started a while ago. You feel like an independent woman, which is a great feeling.

You clumsily walk through the apartment to your room. You groan when someone turns on the light, adding to the already terrible headache you had.

“Oh my god sorry!” Nate, Elle’s boyfriend of three months, exclaimed shutting the light off again, “Elle and I thought someone broke in! She sent me to go check.”

“Oh sorry, just trying to get back to my room alive,” I joked a bit, rubbing my temple. He left me alone once again. Nate was a nice guy, he was very focused on work until he met Elle, they fit perfectly together. He cares so much about her. It’s almost sickening watching the two of them.

You blew your nose which must have been the fifteenth time that morning, finally deciding that work didn’t sound like a great option right now. You climbed back in bed calling your boss to let them know, which she immediately said ok after just hearing your voice. You stared blankly at the ceiling before choosing to get out up and try to eat some toast. You needed to have something in your stomach. When you left the comfort of your room you were greeted with silence. Nate and Elle must have gone out.

While you waited for your toast you scrolled through mindless social media until you heard the door open. You paid no attention to it, figuring the happy couple returned until you heard a voice. An all too familiar voice.

“Well hello there,”

“Jesus, don’t scare me like that,” You said as a leaned down to grab my phone that I dropped due to being startled.

“Sorry, Manhattan, I thought you knew Elle sent me,” He chuckled

“Manhattan? And no, no she didn’t,” You said as you moved closer to him and pulled yourself up on the counter to sit.

“Yes, Manhattan, because you’re the only person who’s from here who I didn’t know, and she knocked on my door saying that you were sick and asked me to check in on you,” He answered

“Hmm… Manhattan, I dig it,” You shrugged

“Anyways, Manhattan, What ever could I do to help you?” He asked in a mocking tone, bowing slightly.

“Wow what I gentlemen!” You gushed teasingly, “You can go back to your apartment if you want, I’m just going to watch tv probably,”

“I’ll join you if you don’t mind, can’t leave a lady in distress alone,” He joked

“Whatever tickles your fancy,” You sighed and slowly moved to the couch in the TV room.

The two of you sat watching TV for probably three hours before he broke the silence.

“So, what have you been up to, your nightly visitors haven’t been around as much,”

“What do ya mean?” You asked, not remembering people stopping by.

“Y’know, the men you bring home after a night out,” He trailed off

“Oh, yeah right, those visitors…”

“Yeah, those visitors, didn’t think you were that type of girl,”

“I can if I want to be,” You scoffed

“You mean you can go from shy and polite, to a slut and a brat?” He asked, “The last time you saw me you nodded your head at me and kept sucking face with some manwhore!”

“Manwhore, ha, you want to talk about manwhores?!” You yelled standing up, “Also a slut!? So what are those girls you bring home every night? Huh?”

“If you paid attention at all, you would’ve noticed that I stopped bringing home girls right after I talked to you that first time!” He yelled back, which made you pause for a moment, but only a moment, because that asshole called you a bitch.

“Get out.” You grumbled

“Excuse me? You're not going to respond to that? I changed myself for you!” He exclaimed, throwing his hands up.

“No, I don’t associate with people who call me degrading names!” You said pushing him toward the door.

“Please, Manhattan, don’t do this,” He begged, holding on to the door frame.

“I’m not doing anything, you did this,” I mumbled as I pried his fingers off the wall and slammed the door, locking it.

__________

About a month later and you hadn’t spoken a word to Carter, you avoided him like the plague. Maybe you were being childish, but your mother told you, the one time she decided to be a mother, that you should always respect yourself. Being with people who called you named to hurt you, wasn’t respecting yourself. You couldn’t help but notice how isolated Carter had become. He used to be a social person and incredibly well kept, but the last time you saw him he looked like hadn’t taken a shower in weeks. You couldn’t help but feel responsible. He may not have been the nicest to you, but that was once. You could give him another try. You hesitated as you stood in front of his door. You finally ended the mental battle with yourself and knocked on the door.

“Just a minute!” You heard, that voice wasn’t familiar, you thought. The door was whipped open, only to be greeted by a gorgeous woman.

“Hi, um, who are you?” The woman asked tilting her head

“Oh, uh, sorry… This isn’t my apartment,” You replied quickly, just getting ready to turn around. Why would you knock on the door of your own apartment?

“Manhattan?” You heard Carter’s voice, you looked at him for a brief second before turning on your heel and head back to your door.

You couldn’t believe you beat yourself up for so long, only for him to be lying! You felt like a complete and utter fool. You dragged yourself inside, only to look up and see Elle and Nate’s apologetic looks when you glanced up.

“Y/N, sweetie, what happened?” Elle whispered, rushing to your side to bring you over to the couch. You plopped down next to each other.

“He’s with someone, a girl,” You mumbled

“Who is?” Nate chimed in

“Carter, he has been flirting with Y/N nonstop, and then called her a bitch, and when she went to apologize he was with a girl,” Elle answered looking at you to make sure she got her story right, to which you weakly nodded.

“I thought he actually changed. I thought he actually meant it.” I sighed putting my head in my hands.

“You never know, maybe it’s a relative,” She said with a hint of hope, but you couldn’t take it and just shook your head. Elle rubbed circles on your back, exchanging glances with Nate.

When you returned from work you crossed paths with the mysterious lady again. You rushed into your apartment building when you saw that the elevator door was open.

__________

“Sorry about the other day, I was just a bit turned around,” You explained, trying to break the silence on your way up to your apartment.

“No you weren’t, nobody knocks their own door” She stated, “Carter told me who you were. You’re actually the reason I was there.”

“I was?” You questioned

“Yes, I’m his sister, he was trying to ask me what to do to apologize for calling you names. One thing you should know about my brother, he’s got a temper. A bad one, as I’m sure you’ve noticed. He’s got bad habits. Or had anyways, I’ve noticed that he’s significantly better now than he was six months ago.” She explained.

“Oh wow,” I trailed off, I didn’t really know what else to say.

“You’re a talkative one. Anyways, now I’m just dropping off this for him,” She motioned to the bag in her hand that looked like a present, “however, I do need to get back to my husband, would you mind giving this to him?”

“No, of course not!” You said and took the bag from her, stepping out of the elevator as she pushed the button to go back to the lobby.

You stood there for a moment debating whether or not you should just leave the bag in front of his door. But that probably wasn’t the best idea, and you needed to face him sooner or later, he was your neighbor after all.

“Manhattan?” Carter almost gasped, opening the door. He still looked incredibly tired, and his five o’clock shadow was nearly a beard.

“Um, hi Carter, I ran into your sister, she wanted me to give this to you,” You mumbled

“Wow, thank you, do you mind coming in for a second?” He asked stepping to the side, you shook your head and walked into his apartment, which was identical to yours, but with fewer decorations.

You stood awkwardly, waiting for him to say something, anything.

“So um, Manhattan, I wanted to apologize… I got caught up in what my sister explained as jealousy, which isn’t something I’m used to…”

“Actually, that day I was at your door I came to apologize to you, I felt bad for never talking to you after that day…” You trailed off

“I don’t blame you though, I blame myself. Anyways, I got this for you, as an apology, Y/N, I really want to get to know you. I’m not asking you to be my girlfriend, I just want you to be comfortable. I don’t want to push you into something you don’t want.” He finished handing me the bag you handed him seconds ago, the same one his sister gave you in the elevator.

You reached in the bag and felt a box, which you pulled out. You slowly took the cover off of the box to see a beautiful necklace that had the New York City skyline on it. You picked it up and felt something on the back. It was a date. You recognized the date too. The day you moved into your apartment.

“Carter… This is too much,” You whispered

“Nothing is ever too much for you, Manhattan. That day was one of the best days of my life and I didn't even know it. Just please, give me a chance and go on a date with me.” He asked hopefully

“Well, I’d be a dumb bitch not to,” I joked slightly nudging him with my shoulder.

This could be the start of something great for both of you.

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bi-stronomer · 6 years

Note

Hi I think this will make you happy (I’m lying lol). My dads recently decided the Earth is FLAT 😭 he keeps talking to me about it and I am not really great at physics I’m redoing my GCSEs and I don’t know how to counter him! One good thing has been that I’ve got more into physics recently but it’s exhausting haha 😅 he keeps sending me flat earth things and I send him space photos and he’s like “oh wow great photoshop!!!” At least it’s making me more interested in physics haha!!

Oh man, people like this drive me up the wall! I’m glad that it’s making you more interested in physics though! Sometimes spite/the desire to be right is a REALLY good motivator tbh. It’s the weird reason I have a Breitb*rt article about why girls leave STEM taped to my wall- it fuels my desire to keep going and prove them wrong out of spite.

If you want some things that might help convince your dad that the Earth is round, here are a few concepts/questions that actually don’t require any physics at all!

1) The ancient Greeks knew the world was spherical long before we were able to take pictures from space. They observed the shadows of sticks placed upright in the ground at the same time on the same day, but in different places. For some sticks, the sun was directly overhead and so there was no shadow, but for others, there was a shadow- meaning the ground was at an angle to the sunray, and therefore an angle to the stick with no shadow. This was shown by Eratothenes, and is fairly simple to prove (and even estimate the circumference of the Earth) with geometry! Here’s a really good Khan Academy article about it: https://www.khanacademy.org/partner-content/big-history-project/solar-system-and-earth/knowing-solar-system-earth/a/eratosthenes-of-cyrene

2) If the Earth is flat, how could the Southern Hemisphere have different constellations than the Northern one? They’d both be facing the same way.

3) We can clearly observe that other planets in the solar system are spherical- they rotate and show us different faces. Why would all the planets EXCEPT Earth be spherical? For that matter, why would all large bodies that we’ve discovered so far in the universe (stars, exoplanets, etc.) be spherical except Earth?

4) When a lunar eclipse happens, we can literally see the Earth’s shadow going across the moon, and it’s curved. This is true no matter which part of the planet is facing the moon, therefore all of it must be curved, i.e. a sphere

5) If the Earth was flat, either everywhere would have basically the same climate (because it would be the same distance from the sun) or (if tilted) it would be a gradient of cooler to warmer from one end to the other. Instead we have a warm middle and cold top and bottom, which means the middle has to bulge out closer to the sun, always (because the planet rotates). If the middle is always closer to the sun than the pole, then the planet has to be a sphere.

I’m not sure how old you are, but there’s this computer game called Odyssey that’s basically intro physics education. It’s a puzzle game, and geared towards a younger age range (maybe 12-15 year olds?), but I found it fun and informative when I played it last year, and really good for grasping fundamental concepts of physics (and how we figured them out) with demonstrations, models, and mini-experiments. Plus there’s a surprisingly good framing plot device of a girl and her family being trapped on a island, and you’re trying to piece together what happened. Part 1 is out now, with part 2 in development. If you’re having some trouble with physics, it might be a good thing to try out, or even just get a refresher on the basics. The trailer is here: https://youtu.be/E4d0hqEV0lw(And if you don’t want to spend money on it, there’s a bunch of playthroughs on YouTube, though I think just watching would be still helpful but slightly less effective)

Anyway, idk if you were looking for something to tell your dad or support for your interest in physics, but I hope I provided both!

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cutegirlmayra · 7 years

Note

Hello lovely person! I'm a big fan of your work and would like to know if you can continue that prompt where the Sonic Boom characters are just older versions of the video games? I really liked it! I would love to see more of the relationship between Sonic and Amy on that period. You did a great job with this prompt! (Like always) Anyway, I hope you have a wonderful day!

(x) Received Permission by Artist to use as ‘Preview Image’, please support her as well! (If you would like to offer your art, please message me and let me know the link you want me to use. I’d be more than thrilled to use your works for Preview images on my prompts!)

Based on this Prompt: (x)

Lovely person~ You are precious and I love you~

Prompt:

As the gang all seems to be having something interesting going on, Sonic is at a loss.

Bored, and laying with his body spread out on the beach, he continues to sigh…

His sighing gets louder…

Finally the whole village and even Eggman can hear his sighs.

Growing upset that Sonic’s obnoxious sighs are literally drowning out his ‘nappy time’ Eggman throws the covers off his sheets and tries to watch a sitcom. Laughing, he suddenly growls in annoyance and shoots straight up from his couch in his pink jumper-pajamas.

“That’s it! That annoying blue hedgehog had sighed his last goodbye!” He clenched his fist and started putting on a jacket, then shoes, “After all. Today’s suppose to be my time of rest! I mean really. I’m suppose to be mad at this ingrate; buffoon for an entire 11 minutes each week- and they expect me to put my clothes on.” He looks to the camera, as if so done with his existence.

Fully clothed, and walking along the beach, Eggman with Cubot and Orbot behind him walks head first, hands behind his back, glaring to Sonic.

“Is there something the matter..? Sonic?” Eggman tries to hold himself together, but he’s clearly enraged at Sonic.

“Might as well be civil and actually ‘ask’ you what’s wrong. And for once, it can’t possibly be me this time!” Eggman shrugs his arms up, happy about that before remembering he has no idea why Sonic’s so forlorn.

“So why the long face? Trying to match your nose? HAHAAHAH!!” Eggman slapped his knee and leaned his head back, clutching his bald-forehead and snickering as he says, “That was so good. Oh boy!”

Sonic turns his head towards him… slowly… and as if all life has been drained from him, making him weak.

SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGHHH~

He rolled his head over to the other side, letting his sigh carry as Eggman’s mustache twitched, his body tensed, and then leaped forward to try and strangle the hedgehog.

Cubot and Orbot held him back, pulling on his trail as the doctor’s fingers twitched for Sonic’s cold, lifeless body to be in it’s arms about now…

“I swear! They should hold you in contempt!”

“He really is being rather disagreeable though. Don’t you think, Cubot?” Orbot struggled to keep the Doctor from killing their lead protagonist out of sheer annoyance, but Cubot noticed something redish-pink laying on the ground near Sonic…

“Hey, isn’t that Amy’s headband?”

“WHAT?! NO!” Sonic suddenly jumped in spot, bouncing almost as his upper torso reached forward and grabbed the headband, holding it close and turning it away from the crowd.

“I-I-it just fell. And I noticed it fell. And I wanted to give it back to her. B-bu-but she’s busy! So I went to hang with Tails for a while. Who was also busy. T-th-then-then STICKS WAS BUSY! Like, whaaa?? Since when!? And Knuckles is pretending he has an aristocratic job he has to get to when really, he’s just making sandcastles over there….” Sonic grumbled, talking quickly as was his specialty before gesturing to Knuckles, a ways down the beach…

Putting a pink shell on the castle, matching it with a purple shell, he very ‘particularly’ lifted up his pinkie finger. “Ah, yes. That’s the correct location for a lilac orchard, seasoned, shell to reside! I’ll take my 20 shillings now!” he pretended to open his hand for reward, as he snickered putting green seaweed in his hand. “Hehehe~ Suckers! I totally just placed a lame shell on the sand! They don’t even know it’s not a real castle!” he gestured to his creation as Sonic shook his head, and Eggman put his hands to his hips.

“Someone needs to write him a better pastime…”

Sonic sighed and turned his body, his hand… strangely still gripping Amy’s headband.

Orbot rubbed his metallic chin and pulled Eggman’s attire to tug him down, whispering in his ear.

“I think he’s trying to distract himself from actually addressing Amy. I mean, since when has she ever been ‘too busy’ for Sonic?” He waved his shrugged hands out to prove a point, as Eggman also rubbed his chin… thinking…

“I don’t know.” his shoulders bounced, as if he didn’t care. “Maybe she’s found a NEW GUY.” he suddenly shouted out, as Sonic twitched and scrambled in the sand.

“WHA-WHAT? New guy? What new guy-I-I-I don’t even think there’s BEEN a new guy!? We’re on a tiny island with limited people that don’t do much. What could a new guy possibly contribute?!”

His odd spazz made Eggman smile, “Ahhh…” he winked to Orbot and then leaned up, pointing directly to Cubot.

“Cubot! I order you to steal Amy’s headband! Stat!” he rounded his hand to crook it and have it across his chest. Leaning down, he winked slyly to Cubot, who didn’t seem to get it.

“But why? Sonic’ll trash me if I even try to-”

Eggman growled, shaking his head before kicking Cubot after it, smirking as he saw Cubot rush over and grip it.

“I’ll be taking that!”

“What? Hey, let it go!”

“W-woah! Strong grip.. Ah!”

Sonic and him played a moment of tug-o-war as they fought over the headband, before Sonic kicked Cubot off after a moment of wrestling.

“Hey! This headband isn’t going anywhere but BACK on Amy’s head!” Sonic gruffed, getting up and huffing with puffs before he noticed the headband now had a tear in it.

“AH!” throwing his free hand to his head, he shifted on his feet, “What do I do? What do I do? What do I do!?”

“Calm down, old- best buddy- friend of mine- 5ever and above~” Eggman waltz over and put his hands on the panicky Sonic’s shoulders.. before flexing his hand out and looking away as if he knew something the blue hero didn’t know…

“I have a WONDERFUL uhh… tailor friend! Yes! Who would love to take a look at that and fix it up, tip-top shape. Haha..” he was clearly lying through his teeth.

“A tailor..? Hmm… Nah, maybe I should just tell Amy what happened.” Sonic looked over the headband.

“But… maybe she’ll despise you for ruining it?” Eggman leaned down, before seeing’s Sonic’s eyes widened.

“N-no. She wouldn’t do that. She’d believe me.”

“Oh, yeeeesss~ Believe that you were pulling some cruel joke on her by taking her headband and ‘accidentally’ ruining her favorite girlish accessory in the process~”

Eggman chimed out, rubbing his shoulders as Sonic suddenly looked more confused, shaking his head.

“Oh no, you’re right! She won’t believe me!”

“That’s exactly why you should come with me!” Eggman looped a firm grip on Sonic’s wrist and pulled him off towards his lair.

Orbot, disguised as a … womanly tailor… “Why a woman though? My model is clearly more fix for a man’s physique.” “Eggman says it’s in the script!” Cubot shrugged. “Ugh…” Orbot threw his upper body down with hanging arms… hovering out to greet Eggman and Sonic.

According to plan, they put a chip and ‘mind-controlling’ sync inside the headband, and patched it up.

“WHOHOHHO!” Eggman laughed as Sonic waited in the other room, making weird motions with his hands as if dancing or playing around in boredom at being patient.

“Lookie here! With this! She’ll be under my power and taking down Sonic in no time! And the best part? He can’t hurt someone he cares about! hahaahha!”

“How do you know he cares about her?” Cubot intervened. “Maybe he just has a taste for fashion wear?”

Orbot shook his head, and turned to Eggman, “This should do it.” he sowed it up and Eggman brought the repaired headband to Sonic, stitches and everything…

“Woah! Umm.. I guess it will have to do.” Sonic took it, “Thanks Eggman! You know, ever since you vacationed on this island, you’ve been really improving your tune.” he thumbs-up’d him.

Eggman, suddenly growing self-conscientious, shifted his eyes and sweated, not used to praise from Sonic.

“You’re a swell dude!” Sonic patted his back and was out of there real fast! As Eggman’s glasses lit up and he giggled like a school boy.

“Sonic thinks I’m… swell…” he started fantasizing about them being actual bros, and Sonic complimenting him time and time again-

Fishing, “You’re a swell dude, Egghead!” Eggman pushed his knees together as he hung off the side of a dock, blushing slightly in glee.

“You’re a swell dude, Eggman!” Now they were bungie-jumping together, bouncing up and laughing.

“You’re a swell dude, Eggface!” “I am, aren’t I?” They were now both relaxing with the twins massaging their backs.

“Swell dude!” “Swell guy!” “Swell!” “Sweeeeeellll~” “So swell!” “All the swell!” “Eggman’s SWEEEELLLL~”

“DOCTOR EGGMAN!”

Suddenly, Eggman snapped out of it.

“W-wha-wha-what, huh?” He looked down, seeing the controls, and taking them slowly.. almost softly, as if sorrow was creeping into his heart, within his hands…

Peering down at it… he tuned out Orbot… telling him that Amy was standing outside her house, desperately searching for her headband, which was why she told Sonic she was busy.

Presenting it back to her on the big screen’s in Eggman’s lair, Sonic stuck a toe up and leaned back, rubbing the back of his head with a nervous smile, as Amy was happy to find it; but… seemed confused on the repairs.

“She’s taking the bait! Now’s your chance!” Orbot urged, helping the Doctor to scoot closer to the monitor, still holding the controls to Amy’s headband.

“….No.” Eggman put the device down.

“Huh?”

“But Doctor-!” Cubot reached up but Eggman shook his head.

“I can’t! I won’t do it!” He slammed his hands into the control panel. “Sonic holds me in high regards now! You know how hard that is to come by? A little appreciation now and again from your mortal enemy? It’s hard stuff!”

On the screen, Amy giggled and shrugged off the poor repair job. “Aw, that’s alright. I’m just so glad you found it!”

“Oh yeah. I had to tussle with ol’Eggface to get it. Haha! He’s a terrible kleptomaniac when it comes down to it.”

Eggman’s face scrunched up into bitter anger.

He picked up the controller, his fingers firing off command codes onto it.

“He’s going down SO. HARD. Right now!” he clicked the button once she placed the headband on, and suddenly her body freaked out and the screen was now a fighter’s game data chart.

“Kick, kick left! No, right!” Cubot started backstreet driving, clinging on Eggman’s right shoulder as Orbot leaped in too.

“No, no! Go for the combo upper-cut! She’s good at the hammer throw dodge-bait!”

“WOULD YOU TWO QUIT IT!?” Eggman growled, as Sonic tried to dodge the attacks.

“What’s happening!?” Amy shouted out, her arms throwing her hammer around without her control. “I can’t stop it!”

“Huh? Hmm..” Sonic narrowed his eyes, “Eggman must have done something to the headband!” He jumped and curled, knocking into her hand taking the headband off.

Above her, he seemed a little frazzled, but she calmed down and looked up, also turning red on her muzzle…

The two leaped away, awkwardly laughing and commentating on what just happened..

“Haha… you spinned into my head and um… haha…”

“Y-yeah.. and got the headband but you fell over… and um… haha…”

“Haha… good times.” Amy took the headband and removed the stitches, pulling the chip out. “I could always sow it back up again…”

“…I could… um…” Sonic stepped forward, being a bit shy. “…I have some extra bucks? Wants to buy a new one?”

“Oh you would!?” Amy lifted a leg up behind her. “AHH~ Shopping spree!”

“W-wait, I didn’t say I was rich-! AHH!” he got roped along behind her as she whisked him off to the village.

“Great.” Eggman leaned back in his chair, sitting down. “Not only do I suck at combo reactions, but I also just got him a free date.” he threw the remote and rubbed his face, sulking it down.

“I hate that blue hedgehog… all this stress is furthering my wrinkles…”

“Oh, but look on the bright side!” Orbot brought out a hot drink for him and set it down in his hand. “At least now you can sleep without Sonic sighing all the-”

SIIIIIGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHH~

Eggman leaped up from his seat, “WHAT NOW?! it hasn’t even been five min-!” he shifted his spybot and saw Amy was the one sighing now, seeming bored with all the choices Sonic was picking.

“No, no. The green one. See? Matches my eyes~” she batted them and he looked frustrated, “THEY’RE ALL THE SAME COLOR!”

“Are you AND Knuckles colorblind?”

“Is that why the purple shell looked orange?”

She sighed again, and in the distance, the two could hear Eggman flipping a lid and shouting to the blue heavens his utter and complete rage quit.

The two took a picture of Amy’s new headband, and Amy hash-tagged it, “SO calling this a date!”

#sonamy boom #sonamy #sonic boom #sonic #sonamy prompt #sonic prompt #dr. eggman #eggman #boom!eggman #eggman boom

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aboysbestfriendishismum · 7 years

Text

Chapter 46 - Ariadne, the bet and the bathtub

In the previous chapter: Eddie and Jeff are watching a Chicago Bulls game when they get a call from Angie. Jeff doesn't understand a couple of her jokes about the infamous night he and the guys supposedly ditched her and Eddie, he suspects Eddie's got something to do with it and and has the singer tell him everything. He insists Eddie takes action and tells him to be more explicit. Eddie later leaves and, without telling Jeff, goes to Angie's place to help her with a spider in her bathroom, that's the reason she called in the first place. Meg's not at their apartment, she's out with Melanie, who confesses she tried to get back with Mike but he said no as he did with Meg and gave basically the same motivation. Meg goes back home late at night and checking out on her friend she sees her and Eddie in bed together. In the morning, Eddie leaves before Meg can meet him, she questions Angie and finds out they simply fell asleep watching tv and didn't do anything. They discuss the special friendship between Angie and Eddie and Meg suddenly has an epiphany: Eddie's secret crush is not a fake non-existing person, but it's actually Angie. She tries to convince Angie, but she doesn't believe it. Eddie dreams about kissing Angie before the show at the Off Ramp. After the concert the guys go out all together, but in the end it's just Angie and Eddie. He convinces her to go up the Space Needle, where he's planning to reveal his feelings and kiss her. Anyway, once they're on top, Eddie's fascinated by the view and the height and is intrigued by some lightbulbs and wants to climb outside the safety barrier to take one as a gift for Angie. She's terrified and discourages him. In the end Eddie doesn't tell her anything about his feelings and the two of them say goodbye, but hearing a Springsteen song as he drives back home gives him an idea...

“COME IN!” Meg's yells us to enter after we ring the doorbell of the girls' apartment. Grace and I exchange a perplexed look and a shrug before opening the door.

“Here we are!” I exclaim as I take off my coat while Grace closes the door behind our back.

“Help me, PLEASE” Angie asks in a loud but resigned voice, as she wasn't really expecting any real help from us.

“Hi girls! But where are you?” my friend asks after another exchange of questioning looks with me.

“Angie, don't move and stop complaining. Come here, we're in the living room!” that's where we are already instinctively going and we are met by a weird scene: Angie's laying down on the rug near the couch, looking up at the ceiling, or at Meg, who's towering over her, with one foot on the floor and the other one on the sofa, holding a pencil and a sketch pad in her hands.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I ask while Grace is doubled over laughing.

“Laura, please, call the cops, your friend here got crazy, she's been torturing me for half an hour” Angie turns towards me with pleading eyes, but soon after her roommate grabs her chin and forces her to look back up.

“If you stood still and quiet, we'd be done by now”

“Are you portraying her?” Grace prances around the two girls and from behind Meg looks first at the sketch book and then at the victim on the floor with an amused grin.

“More or less, I'm using her as a model”

“And this should be enough evidence that she's completely lost her mind”

“I'm working on a little pictorial study about how to portray the face of a woman laying down, I need it for a project of mine” Meg explains ignoring her remark.

“What project? I'm curious!” I ask her as I walk up to them too, from the opposite side, and steal a glance of her work as I lean on the back of the couch.

“I wanna paint a picture to put in the hallway, no I wanna paint three actually: a triptych!”

“Because one fuck face was not enough, let's make three” Angie grumbles.

“And what's the subject?”

“You, who are entering this place, lose all hope! That's why I'd rather put it outside the door instead of the hallway, to keep nuisance people away, what do you think Meg?”

“The subject is the myth of Ariadne”

“Ariadne? The one with the thread?” I ask curious.

“Exactly!” Meg confirms as she's rubbing out part of the outline of the lips.

“Exactly, Ariadne, the loser. And that partially excuses the choice of me as a model”

“Would you shut up? It's taking me an hour just to draw the mouth”

“Anyway, I wouldn't call her a loser, in the end she marries Dionysus” Grace points out alternatively looking at Angie on the floor and the sketch.

“Dionysus is hot”

“Dionysus is an alcoholic showoff dressed in leopard print with delusions of grandeur who's born from a thigh and spends his days in the forest having orgies with his groupies” Angie retorts with an extremely serious face.

“Hahaha pretty accurate description” I giggle just like the other girls.

“But I suppose that for the mentality of that period, getting married with someone like that was much more desirable than ending a spinster, ruined forever by that fucker called Theseus”

“And since my Ariadne apparently hates men, she'll be the only character in my project. Ariadne and Dionysus were portraied dozens of times in art history, the same goes for Ariadne and Theseus. There are far less paintings portraing Ariadne alone in comparison”

“And considering the position of the poor model, I assume you wanna portray the moment she wakes up in Naxos beach” I try to guess as I leave the couch to get closer to the radiator but I find it quite lukewarm. Meg warned me. Anyway, not repairing the heating system during this fucking cold winter is almost criminal.

“You're right, and in three different moments: as soon as she opens her eyes, when she looks for Theseus next to her and when she realizes she was left alone. You know, darling, you were abandoned! Can you please take that bitch look off your face for a minute and pretend to be desperate?”

“Do you really think it's hard for me to look desperate? I thought you knew me”

“So try and put some effort in it, come on! You betrayed your father and your people for this guy, you helped him killing your Minotaur half-brother because he was too stupid to come up with his own plan, you ran away with him and put out for a copious amount of sex, you fell asleep on the beach while you were talking about names for your future children, selling one of the ships to buy a house with a garden and a station wagon, you just woke up and found out the love of your life left with his gang without telling a word, abandoning you on an island you don't know because before that you had never even left your yard. Rage, agony, pain, shame, revenge, wanting to die: try to focus and give me all of that with one look”

“Ok...” I see Angie through Meg's legs, at first she looks down on her pink robe's sleeve and rolls it up, then lies back down and gives the artist what I think is a very credible sad look.

“Perfect! Just stay still like this” Meg exclaims before starting drawing like crazy on the sketch book.

“I told you I was good at being a loser”

“STAY STILL AND SHUT UP! I'M GONNA KILL YOU IF YOU MOVE”

“Ok ok, but don't shout”

“You're great Angie, you know could do it as a job” Grace suggests as she sits on the other couch.

“No... I don't think so” the model tentatively answers after a while, in a low voice, not a trace of her usual sarcasm.

“Yes, you could! You could make a few dollars by posing for the art students, a friend of mine does it”

“Good for her”

“You don't earn a lot, but surely it's not like working your ass off in a restaurant. I can give you her number if you want”

“NO!” Angie loudly retorts and startles the three of us, then goes on in a calmer voice “I'm not interested, Grace, thank you. Aren't we done yet, Meg?”

“I'm almost there, just relax. In exchange of this favor you're making me, I promise I'm gonna wash the dishes for a month, or two... Fuck, you're perfect!”

“And how is this supposed to keep me calm?” she asks, now ironic as always.

“DON'T MOVE!”

Meg quickly finishes her sketches, realizing she might have taken too much advantage of her friend's patience, and Angie can finally stand back up and grab the phone, asking us what kind of pizza we want before we go put on our pajamas. Two movies and many slices of pizza later, we're still here lounging in the living room between the two sofas.

“Do you want whipped cream, Angie?” Meg asks her friend and I don't know what she could put on her ice cream if she said yes, since she basically emptied the whole can on my bowl of chocolate ice cream.

“Oh my god, no, are you crazy? Just give it to me like that” she stretches out towards her friend and practically pries the ice cream out of Meg's hands.

“Bummer. And you? Do you want a bit of each flavor or...?” she turns to Grace, whose hand is resting over her stomach.

“No, thank you, Meg, no more ice cream for me, I couldn't make it”

“Bummer number two. Whatever, there's more for me!” she shrugs and then happily fills a big bowl with chocolate, strawberry, hazelnut and pistachio ice cream.

Meg has just covered it in a thick cloud of whipped cream and grabbed the spoon when the phone rings.

“Umph, who's it now?” I'm the closest one to the phone, so I take it but I don't answer it and just give it to Angie when I hear what they say.

“It must be the landlord asking for the rent” Angie says with a disgusted face.

“We're not fucking paying! Nothing works in this shitty apartment, every day there's a new problem, now it's the heating system. We won't pay until they repair it”

“He says it doesn't depend on him, it's a problem of the whole building” Angie explains and passes the phone to her fiercer friend.

“I don't give a fuck, he can take action and have this fucking problem solved. Hello? Heeeey, hi Jeff, it's so good to hear you! Haha no, really, I'm not fucking around. I've never been happier to hear your voice. Oh fuck you, we didn't smoke. It's that I thought it was the landlord. Yes. Ok, hold on, I'll put it on speakerphone. Say hi to Jeff” Meg jokes with my boyfriend on the phone and as soon as we all say hi we get a jumble of the loudest freakiest inhuman screams as a reply, which seems to come straight from one of Angie's movies that luckily we didn't watch tonight.

“Are you stupid?” I ask after a moment of confusion.

“Why? We just said hi” Jeff innocently answers.

“Thank god. What if you also added what's up?” Grace adds, giving way to the inevitable series of what's ups howled through the receiver.

“The tour is doing you no good, guys. You left three days ago and you're already like this?” I remark leaning slightly towards the coffee table Meg has placed the phone on.

“Stop being such goody-two-shoes, girls, I bet you're doing worse at your slumber party” Mikey retorts, making his band mates laugh.

“It's not a slumber party!” Meg angrily remarks.

“Oh isn't it?” asks Stone's voice.

“No!” we all yell along “It's a night at home with friends” Grace adds.

“Ah... you're not in your pajamas then?” he questions again.

“Yes, so what? It doesn't mean anything” I answer.

“And you're not having junk food, are you?” Dave chimes in for the first time.

“We're eating healthy ice cream with whipped cream” Meg's the one who talks this time, right as she's pouring Smarties on her ice cream bowl.

“And you didn't watch either St. Elmo's fire or Mystic Pizza, right?” Gossard goes on and we all look at each other weirded out. How the fuck does he know?

“No no!” Angie's our spokeperson now and she's not nearly convincing.

“Are you sure?” Stone insists.

“Oh well, fuck, I didn't choose those anyway! I picked Romancing the stone!” our friends confesses and betrays us “No pun intended here”

“And we're about to watch that too now! Anyway, what if we're having a slumber party? What's wrong with it? Why do you care? We're reappropriating our female-space of experience sharing, strengthening our relationships” Meg goes on between spoons of ice cream.

“That means you're talking shit about us” Stone prompts more laughter from his idiot friends.

“You might find it strange, but you're not the center of our thoughts, we've got more interesting things to talk about” Grace says and this time all the screams coming from the other side of the line are to make fun of Stoney.

“Ha, that was a great comeback” Mike snickers.

“Shut up”

“Anyway, what about you? What are you doing? Where are you?” Grace inquires holding back her laughter.

“I've suddenly become interesting, huh?” Stone probably smirks.

“We're in a rather questionable motel somewhere in Los Angeles” Dave gives us really vague information.

“We're in the room of Jeff and Eddie, who hasn't talked yet but is here. Say something, come on” Jeff reveals the singer's presence.

“Ehm hi girls”

“HI EDDIE!” we scream as a choir and are then imitated by the guys with high-pitched voices.

“You're all together then?” Angie asks.

“Yep, we're making a mess, strangely they haven't thrown us out yet” Eddie babbles a little.

“And are you eating junk food?” she goes on with a devilish grin.

“Hahaha no, well, yeah, also...”

“I think they're most likely drinking” Meg remarks.

“And smoking” Grace adds.

“Are you in your pajamas?” I add and we all burst out laughing.

“Baby, you know I'd rather have that kind of phone calls when we're alone” the adorable asshole replies.

“Anyway we're about to go out, we'll not spend the night pretending to be twelve years old” Stone keeps on making fun of us.

“Also because that's something you normally do” Grace points out.

“Why? Do they pretend?” the final blow is Angie's.

“Those were like... the greatest comebacks in the history of burns” Eddie laughs.

“See? We call them to do something nice and that's how they pay us back” McCready comments stiffling a laugh himself.

“Oh please, you probably called because you knew we were all here together so you could avoid making a couple of phone calls more and spare some money”

“Wow, she saw through the whole thing” Krusen confirms and I can almost see him, shaking his head as he talks to his band mates.

“I've always told you my girlfriend is a genius” Jeff tries to butter me up since he's now been caught.

“And we'd believe it, except she got with you, so... I don't know” Stone starts the usual little fight with Jeff.

“Fuck you, Gossard, you're getting a bit repetitive”

“Sorry man, it's just that each time I think about it, I'm always surprised as the first one”

“I'm surprised Grace can stand you, it must be because it's a new thing. Get away Gracie, run, you're still on time!”

“Wow, your jokes are pretty original, have you ever considered auditioning for Saturday Night Live?”

“Would you please stop? Did you call to talk to us or to let us hear you fighting?” Meg abruptly interrupts them.

“None of the two. Now that I think about it, why the hell did we even call them?” Stone wonders with a concerned voice.

“When are you playing then?” Grace looks at the phone with stars in her eyes. We lost her.

“The day after tomorrow, at Florentine Gardens” he explains.

“What a cute name, it must be a really cool place!”

“Actually no, it's got nothing to do with Florence, at least I don't think so, and there's no garden, it's a really average club, looks like a warehouse from the outside”

“Thank you for ruining it for us Mikey” I joke at the guitarist.

“They'll never see it, we could have made up something nicer, man” Jeff snorts.

“I'm sorry, I cannot lie”

“Oh well, now it's time to say goodbye, girls” Stone announces he's ending the conversation as we hear some kind of commotion in the background.

“Because of telephone charges?” Angie asks.

“Also. But most of all because Starr has just knocked on the door”

“In a bathrobe and cowboy boots” Jeff points out.

“And sunglasses” adds Eddie.

“And this means it's time to go out” Stone concludes.

“Uhm, wow, you're really trying to make us jealous... It's a pity we can't go out with you tonight, it must be... fun... yeah” Angie sarcastically remarks.

“Hey, you're offending me!” the voice of Alice in chains bassplayer whines in the distance “And it's a really nice bathrobe, you know”

“Hahaha we trust you, Mike” Meg says as she finishes her ice cream.

“And we don't wanna steal any more of your time in the share circle of lost sisterhood” Stone adds and from the noise I think he's just taken the phone.

“Bye Stone, bye guys, take care” I tell them, and the other girls do the same, and get the well known incoherent screaming as an answer.

Since this is not a slumber party and we're not in junior school anymore, two hours and another movie later we're here in the living room, playing our version of Truth or Dare, which basically it's only Truth, since sometime after twelve Dares start to become less funny, also because in the end you already did all that shit. Here's why Meg produces a deck of cards, we all pick one in turns and the one who's got the highest card asks a question the other three have to answer honestly.

“So, have you ever stolen anything?” I ask as I toss the Queen of spades back on the coffee table.

“Sure, eyeliner, nail polish, lipsticks... Who didn't do it? But I've never been caught” Meg admits.

“I never did, but when I worked at the electricity company help desk I took some office supplies after I knew they were firing me” Grace replies.

“Some?” asks a curious Angie.

“A highlighter, two permanent markers, a gold posca paint marker and a couple of stamps”

“A gold paint marker in an electricity company? What for?” I ask puzzled.

“Exactly! That's what I thought too, that's why I took it. I needed it more than them. What about you, Angie?”

“Uhm... I don't know, I think I've never stolen anything” Angie shakes her head and almost looks embarrassed for not being a thief.

“Come on, I can't believe it! Nothing really?” Grace asks and Angie's face looks like she's really digging hard in vain into her memories searching for a flaw.

“No, I mean, I don't think so, I don't remember. And if I had, I'm sure I'd remember... like I'd be still anxious about it today. I'm too paranoid to steal. Once I was in a cafe, in Bologna in Italy, with my cousin Sandra and some friends of hers and at some point they told me something like 'Be ready, when we say Three stand up and run', her boyfriend counted to three and they suddenly stood all up and ran away without paying, and I followed them. Well, after a couple of minutes I stopped, walked back there and paid the bill because guilt was killing me” she confesses and we all go aaaaaaaaaaw.

“And what did you say when you got back? Weren't you embarrassed?” Meg asks and it looks like she didn't know this story.

“I was so uncomfortable, but guilt was bigger than shame. I told him my friends pranked me and he pretended to buy it”

“Wow, such integrity, you almost moved me to tears! Ok, let's play one more” Meg fake cries as she takes our four cards and puts them back into the deck, then shuffles. She's the winner this time as she picked the King of diamonds.

“Come on, Meg, shoot!” Grace encourages her as she puts her blanket in place over her shoulders, something I do too instinctively.

“Oh it's my turn, finally, so we'll stop with this schoolgirl questions. Ok, so, of all our friends, who do you think is the hottest guy?” she asks rubbing her hands.

“And this is not supposed to be a schoolgirl question? This one comes straight from eighth grade” Angie snickers.

“Shut up and think about the answer. So, what do you say, Laura?”

“Jeff of course”

“Boyfriends don't count”

“Jeff is still the hottest, I thought he was way before he became my boyfriend”

“Umph ok. And apart from Jeff? Who's the second hottest one?” Meg insists as she's not satisfied with my reply.

“Mmm... I don't know... Jerry. Yeah, I'd say Jer Jer” I confirm and I can help noticing a small grimace by Angie when I say his name. He used to be all over her all the time, now they totally ignore each other, something must have happened between those two and I have an idea...

“Jerry's sexy” Grace nods and gives Angie a sidelook.

“Yeah, he's cute, I mean, not bad. So I guess that's your answer too” Meg cuts it short and she probably knows much more than us about Angie and Jerry.

“Uh no, Stone's the hottest”

“I've just said boyfriends don't count” Meg says and rolls her eyes.

“Stone's not my boyfriend, we've just started dating”

“But you're a thing”

“Yeah but...”

“He doesn't count then. Give us another name”

“Eddie,” she says after a long while “Eddie's really handsome”

“He's got amazing eyes” I add.

“Yes, of course Laura, eyes are surely the first thing you noticed!” Meg jokes and throws her card at me.

“I did, why? The face is the first thing I look at in a guy” I defend myself throwing the card back at her.

“And Eddie's got some really delicate features” Grace adds to this addressing Angie, who's keeping her mouth shut and we all surely notice that.

“And you Angie? Who's the hottest guy for you?”

“Chris” she says without even letting Meg finish her sentence.

“Chris?” her roommate asks in disbelief.

“Chris Cornell”

“Really?” Grace looks positively more confused than Meg.

“Yes, why? He's... he's really good looking, isn't he ok?” Angie looks at us as if we were idiots.

“No, sure, he's ok, of course he is! Chris is hot, but...” I look at the two girls searching for support in this.

“But what? He's tall, has a nice body, a pretty face and lustrous hair I envy a lot”

“Yes, no, actually, he's really hot. It's just... well... I think Laura meant that... we were expecting, you know, a different answer” Grace tries to explain, still looking at me and Meg alternatively.

“What do you mean? Do you think I don't like Chris? That I have something against him? Ok, sometimes I say I hate him because he calls me sweetie and has a really bad sense of humor, but it's just a joke” Angie still doesn't understands or pretends not to.

“No, sweetie, they mean they were expecting you to mention another person in particular, am I wrong?” Meg tries to make her understand but I think we need to be more explicit.

“Exactly” I nod.

“You're not wrong” says Grace.

“What did you tell them?” it's like a lightbulb lit up in Angie's mind, she turns towards her friend and growls at her.

“Me?! I didn't say anything, dear” Meg holds her hands up to defend herself, then puts them back under the blanket.

“Why? What did she have to tell us?” Grace leans on the armrest of the couch towards Angie.

“Nothing...”

“Look, I don't need to say anything really, wanna bet? So, when I say three...”

“We stand up and run?” Angie jokes, maybe trying to distract her friend.

“Hahaha no. When I say three, Grace and Laura will say the name they had in mind, and maybe you'll understand I'm not making things up”

“But-”

“One, two, THREE!”

“Eddie” “Vedder!” Grace and I say along and Angie throws her head back, while Meg gloats.

“Yesss! I won! And now please explain to this young woman why you thought about Mr California”

“Yeah, why would I say his name?” Angie says and looks nervous “And Grace had already mentioned him anyway”

“What do you mean, you could as well say the same name more than once” I pointlessly explain the rules of our game.

“I thought about him because, well, I thought that...”

“That?”

“Well, it looked... it looks like, well, you seem to like him... a little. Or not?”

“And why would you think that??” Angie reacts as if Meg had called her a car thief.

“Mmh well, you're often together”

“And there's some kind of chemistry between you and him, I mean, you understand each other without words sometimes” I add.

“And he calls you princess and sometimes you talk in your own secret code and make jokes nobody understands but you two” Grace goes on illustrating all the evidence with me.

“And he talks about you very often or mentions you and makes references to you even if he's discussing something else entirely”

“And it's also the way you look at each other”

“Jesus Christ, we don't look at each other in any way, we're just friends. And you're high on expired drugs apparently” Angie stands up from the couch, collects the cards from the coffee table and starts shuffling as she goes back to her place.

“Haha shut up! Our friends here simply told the truth. And they came to the same conclusion without knowing all the details”

“Meg!”

“So what? You're friends, aren't you? So there's nothing wrong if I tell them what you did? You've got nothing to hide, have you?” Meg begins telling us about Eddie and Angie going out two times and this just supports our common opinion, an opinion we didn't even know was common since each one of us just kept it to themselves.

“Oh my god, Angie, on the Space Needle! That's so romantic!” Grace basically melts.

“Uhm yep, very romantic,I was about to throw up in the elevator but I didn’t unfortunately, that would have been the pinnacle of romanticism”

“Why do you always have to belittle every single good thing that happens to you? What do you gain from always pretending you don't care?” Meg scolds her reaching out and messing up her hair.

“I'm not belittling anything, instead you're always making everything bigger than it is! That's Seattle's landmark, he wanted to go and asked me to follow him, that's all”

“Yeah, sure, just as he asked you to follow him to California. He had to go, he asked you to go too. That's all” Meg does a pretty good impression of Angie, so good that Angie laughs a little.

“WHAT?” Grace almost jumps on the sofa.

“Did he ask you to follow him on tour?” I don't jump, but I'm still curious.

“Not at all! He just suggested MEG and I could go to California at some point to see one of their shows, that's all” Angie points out Eddie's invitation wasn't only for her.

“Well, maybe he just mentioned Meg because he didn't want to expose himself too much” I explain sitting up on the couch, where I was almost sprawled out.

“Or because he knew you'd never go alone.” adds Meg “Although, well, you'd have to go alone this time, since I don't want to”

“Why not?” I ask her and Angie seems surprised too, as if she didn't even consider this possibility.

“You know, considering my situation with Mike I don't think that'd be a good idea. What should I go for? He wants to be alone, why would I bother him while he's on tour?”

“That's true.” Angie admits “Anyway, there's not just Mike, I mean, the others are there too and would be happy to see you”

“I know, but I don't really feel like. You gotta go though” Meg smiles again, whereas Angie pouts.

“Me? What for?”

“To pay visit to the guys” Grace replies in Meg's place.

“And to Eddie!” I add.

“But why me? They... well, they're friends, but they're more friends of yours rather than me... I'm more a friend by extension” she says, Meg gives her a nasty look and I decide to intervene to avoid an apocalypse.

“What are you talking about? Where does this come from? We've been knowing you for months now, Jeff adores you and Stone too, just like us and all the guys. Obviously you were Meg's new friend at first, but now you're part of the gang now”

“Ok... well... thank you, Laura... It's just... what will I do alone in San Diego? Hey, why don't you come with me?” Angie's a little embarrassed at first, then her face lights up when she thinks she's found the solution.

“I'd love to go, Angie, but I'll start my internship at the bank next week, I considered going to see Jeff, but it's not possible this time”

“What about you, Grace?”

“Well, I'd be glad to come with you but... if you go, then you won't be here, and Eddie won't be here of course... what if I leave too? Who would work at the mini mart with Hannigan? Ian can't work all shifts”

“Oh yeah, you're right... Well, why don't you go and surprise Stone?! I’ll cover your shifts”

“Hehe I don't know, that'd be nice, but we've been going out for such a short time, I don't want to badger the guy, I don't want him to think I'm clingy or something like that”

“And that means you gotta go by yourself, ok?” Meg takes the deck of cards from Angie's hands, takes one and gives it back to her.

“You gotta... as if it was an order” she mumbles picking her card and holding our the deck for Grace.

“IT IS!” we all exclaim.

“I hate you”

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

“That's not fucking fair though, you put pants on” Stone grumbles as he gives his money to the bassist.

“They're cargo shorts, they don't count” Starr retorts pointing the neck of his beer bottle at our guitarist.

“What the hell does it mean?” Gossard's grimace is priceless, but I doubt it'll make him get his money back.

“Anyway, we didn't talk about pants, the bet was I had to go out with cowboy boots, bathrobe and sunglasses, without a shirt. Pants were never mentioned” Mike insists and as soon as Stone drops the last note on the table, he collects his money and stick it in its pocket.

“That's what he needed pants for.” Layne giggles “Or he'd have had to put the money in his underwear”

“As if he didn't do it already” Jerry shrugs.

“I always do” the bass player nods.

“Instead, it was weird to see him using pockets” Kinney remarks as he lights up a cigarette.

“Probably it's the first time he does” Cantrell again.

“Probably he didn't even know he had them” Sean's turn again.

“Yeah, go on, make fun of me, they never found anything on me though, neither money or dope, thanks to my little old hiding place” he grabs his crotch extremely pleased with himself.

“And now I figured out who I'll stop buying weed from” Stone says disgusted, prompting a wave of laughter all around the table.

“Who knows what did the girls think?” McCready shakes his head and that puts an automatic silly smile on my face, thinking back at the previous phone call and the effect Angie's voice had on me when I heard it for the first time after a few days. It sounded even sweeter and sexier than usual... We couldn't speak that much for obvious reasons, but I'll make up for that. I wonder if she got my little present.

“Girls? Which girls?” it's easy to catch Jerry's attention, I'm not surprised.

“We called Seattle, to say hi to Meg and Angie, Laura and Grace were there too” Jeff says as he buries his hand in the bowl of peanuts.

“Uh ok” Cantrell hides the awkwardness behind a half smile and a sip of his drink.

“And we fucked around a little, of course” I go on as if I wanted to help him disguise his feelings, but that's not the case, is it?

“Nah, they know us by now, they saw and heard much worse before” Dave speaks too as soon as he comes back from the phone booth just outside the bar, from where I guess he called his girlfriend.

“And they'll see and hear much much worse when they come to see us during this tour” Jeff smiles at Stone, who smiles back, then they both turn towards McCready, who goes huff and rolls his eyes.

“I told you, they'll never come”

“Wanna bet?” Jeff and Stone say at the exact same time, a devilish sparkle in their eyes. Those two have a serious problem with gamble.

“Ha! I'll bet anything you want”

“Where should they come? Here in L.A.?” Sean is the only one who dares intervening in the conversation, while all the others just stare at the three musicians alternatively as they say yes and no.

“L.A. or San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento... to any of our tour dates” Stone calmly explains.

“They're not coming anyway!” Mikey repeats and I really hope he's wrong.

“Why not?” I ask and maybe I'm showing a little too much of my concern.

“Well, first of all Meg and I had, ehm, a disagreement lately, so I don't think she's looking forward to seeing me”

“It's not just you here though!” I retort and I think I can take that maybe away “I mean... it's all of us, she wouldn't have to spend the whole time with you”

“I know what I'm saying, I know her better than you, she won't show up I can assure you”

“Well, what about the other girls?” Layne glances a very quick look at Jerry sitting right in front of him.

“Angie doesn't go anywhere without Meg” Mike shakes his head then drinks the beer the waitress has just brought to the table.

“But Angie does travel alone, doesn't she? Didn't she even go to Europe alone?” Starr asks and I nod too as I look at our guitarist, who on the other hand destroys my hopes to see her soon.

“It's not the travel itself, she can go anywhere alone, but she wouldn't visit us alone on tour, she's shy, it's not something she'd do”

“People change, especially if they have motivation... right Eddie?” Jeff gently nudges me and I start considering strangling him in his sleep.

“Well, yeah... she seems less shy to me, I mean, I haven't known her for long, but it looks like she's coming out of her shell, isn't she?”

“Mike's right, it's something she'd never do, she'd feel uncomfortable” Jerry joins the No party and now I've just realized he's here too. Not literally, not here tonight, I realized he's on tour with us too and that could be a problem for Angie. She shouldn't worry anyway, because she wouldn't have to necessarily see him, but would she understand? I didn't consider this detail: Angie might not want to come to California because Jerry's here too. Shit.

“Bullshit, I think she'll come see us!” Jeff repeats apparently convinced “What do you think, Eddie? Wanna bet?”

“I think... well, she could. And she could travel with Laura instead of Meg”

“Mmm no, that's out of question, Laura has to work. She could come here with Grace though, what do you think, Stone?” I'm optimistic for a couple of seconds, but the moment is gone thanks to Jeff.

“Doesn't Grace works at the mini mart with Angie and Eddie? They can't all be on holiday at the same time” Krusen definitely kills all my hopes.

“I bet twenty bucks they won't give a fuck about us and won't come see us” Kinney declares out of the blue punching the table and making it tremble.

“Oh no, pfff twenty dollars, hold on, hold on! Let's be serious: who thinks no, none of the girls will come see us, raise your hand” Stone takes hold of the situation and the hands of Mike, Jerry, Sean and Dave are right up in the air.

“Ok, so who thinks at least one of the girls will come see us and make us happy?” Jeff asks as he puts his hand up, followed by me, Layne, Starr and Stone.

“Great, what do we bet on?” Starr covers himself better with the robe and crosses his arms on his chest.

“Ok, so, the losers will have to take care of loading and unloading instruments and setting up the stage with the crew, while the winners will just mind their own fucking business” Mikes comes up with this nice idea and Krusen and the others highfive him.

“That's funny, but what if nobody comes? We'll just find out at the end of the tour, when will the losers pay?” I point out at the flaws in McCready's plan.

“On the nex tour” he shrugs.

“But they won't be there on the next tour, we won't be touring with them forever” I explain as I point my index finger at the members of Alice in Chains.

“Well, they'll go on tour though, by themselves, right? The losers will have to do this for their own band, for a month starting from the first post-California show. That's if the girls won't come, if they do, losers will have to pay from the immediately following gig” Jeff goes on and everyone nods, except for Stone and I.

“Yeah, it can work, but it's not the same if the winners can't witness the humiliation of the losers all together at the same time. I wanna do something to have a laugh with, and at, everybody at once here, possibly before going back to Seattle” Gossard smirks and looks at me. He's too confident about this, what if he knows something I ignore? Fuck, I hope so.

“I got it” I immediately have all eyes on me.

“Ok... so?” Sean prompts me to talk, as I try and think about something better than the first stupid thing I've just come up with, but I can't.

“So... if the girls come see us or, if they don't, on our last night in California before going back home, we'll choose the worst dance club around and spend the night there. And the losers...”

“The losers...?” Layne gives me a puzzled look.

“The losers will have to come to the club... dressed as... Village People”

They blank stare at me and the whole table goes silent for a few endless seconds, until a collective and sudden laughter shakes them all.

“Hahahahaha holy shit, I'm in!” Layne accepts as he's holding his belly to calm down.

“I'm in too, I don't give a fuck, as you can see I got no problems with putting on weird clothes” Starr points at himself.

“I do have, can I retreat?” Sean complains.

“No, what's done is done, sorry. Anyway, I think you'd be a perfect biker” Stone jokes and throws a peanut at him.

“Nah, Starr will be the biker. You'd be a great cop though, you already have the fuck face” the drummer retorts as he catches it and ridiculously chews on it in Gossard's face.

“Hehe well, if we lose, remember I'll be the cowboy, apart from that you can be whatever the fuck you want” Jerry stands up from his chair and points at the others who voted No before walking away somewhere.

And what about me? What will I be: the native or the soldier?

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“It's Wednesday!” I almost weep when, after I open my eyes because of my hated alarm clock and sit on the bed, careful to keep my arms and shoulders under the duvet, I realize what day it is and that I don't have to go to work or class. I curse a little againt the alarm clock and against myself for not turning it off last night. Well, whatever, I lay back down onthe bed, pull the duvet to cover me up to my nose and fall asleep again in a couple of seconds. I open my eyes as soon as I feel the bed moving, not really left and right, not exactly back and forth, but not even up and down. I'd say it kind of sways all around. I'm in the daylight, the sun is shining pretty hard and it's fucking hot. And I'm in the middle of the sea, with my whole bed that's become my boat. Actually I'm in a lake, because I look around and I see land all around, but in my mind that's the sea. I'm apparently ok with all this and I'm not weirded out when I look down and I notice I'm wearing a one piece bathing suit. On the nightstand, yeah, because the nightstand is cruising together with the bed, I see a long and narrow glass, filled with an orange liquid that must be juice, with a straw and a red tiny drink umbrella. I don't hesitate, since it's really fucking hot and I'm thirsty, I take the glass, throw the baby umbrella in the water, take the straw between my lips and try to drink, but nothing, not a single drop of juice comes out of that. I try and try again and I don't know why I don't just throw away the straw too and drink directly from the glass, no, I can't, in my dream this is the only possible way to drink, through this fucking broken straw. I'm still trying when I feel something strange in my mouth, like a foreign object moving inside. This strangely doesn't make me want to puke and I don't even panic, I just use two fingers to rub the walls and roof of my mouth a little until I find what I'm looking for and pull it out: it's a pretty thick thread, which goes through the straw into the glass and then comes out from that and disappears into the sea water. I pull out a little bit from my mouth, maybe a couple of inches, but soon after that I can see yards and yards of thread rolled up on the bed. I forget I'm thirsty, I throw away the glass and stretch out to grab the small cord right where it comes out from the water and start pulling it towards me, and by doing this the bed-boad starts to move in a definite direction that I ignore. In a matter of seconds I find myself almost near the land, right in front of a high riff that used to be a sandy beach moments ago, and I keep on tugging at the thread even though it looks like I'm gonna crash against the rocks. But that doesn't happen because right when I'm almost splatting, I see a little opening in the riff and the thread leads right there and I end up in a pitch dark cave. I sail for an undefinite amount of time, I can't see shit and I only hear water flowing and the sound of the rope rubbing against the edge of the bed. Suddenly I hear something else, another noise, the sound of a switch, and I immediately see who turned it on because it's a light switch: Eddie turned the lights on in the kitchen. It doesn't look like the one in his apartment, it's an unknown kitchen I've never seen, a kitchen with a dock. And right against the dock my bed stops and I keep on pulling on the now loose thread.

“Hi Angie! You don't need to pull it all out, I'm here now” Eddie recommends, and he's wearing my pajamas with hedgehogs, as he pours himself a glass of water from the tap “You're thirsty, right?” he asks then heads towards the dock, walks the whole platform and hands the glass to me.

“Yes, I am! Thank you” I reach for the glass but then I suddenly remember I'm only wearing a bathing suit, so I quickly cover myself with the sheets after removing the roll of rope from the bed, but when I look up he's already gone and I see him standing in front of the fridge in the kitchen “Sorry” I say without a reason.

“Don't worry, you'll just have to wait for the next turn, ok?” he reassures me with a smile, then turns his back to me, takes a couple of carrots, a tomato and an orange from the fridge, then picks up a knife from a drawer and starts peeling and cutting fruit and vegetables.

“Thank you”

“What about cucumber? Should I put it too?”

“It depends on what you're doing...”

“A centrifuged juice, for you” he turns around and winks at me, then goes back to his work.

“Ok so, yes, you can put it in. Oh and celery would be great too” I add absentmindedly as I'm still rummaging through the sheets and under the pillow looking for my pajamas, that of course I can't find since Eddie has it on.

“I don't have selery...” Eddie turns around me with the saddest pout and barely makes eye contact with me.

“Oh well, it's ok, no selery then, it'll be good all the same” I try and reassure him, but he throws the knife down on the floor dramatically, then takes his face between his hands, leaning against the kitchen counter and shaking his head, slowly at first, then faster and faster, like a madman.

“No no no NO!”

“Eddie, come on, calm down, what's wrong?” he takes his hands off his face, uncovering red weeping eyes that still won't look at me.

“I can't stay here” he sighs as he walks to the dock.

“Why not? What's wrong, where are you going?” I ask worried.

“Hold on to that fucking thread” he whispers, finally looking and half smiling at me. A second later he dives into the water, immediately disappearing.

“EDDIE!” I scream my lungs out and without taking a breath I jump in the water to follow him, regardless of everything, also of the fact I can't swim. But it doesn't matter because the very moment I touch the water I wake up abruptly.

“What the fuck?” I grunt to myself and hope I didn't yell Eddie's name in my sleep, those three don't need one more pretext to make fun of me. I'll never know if I did, because when I get up I find a note by the girls in the kitchen saying they went out for breakfast, that they tried to wake me up but it was impossible and maybe they'll bring me some sweets. Sweets? Again? After all we had to eat yesterday? I really hope they won't. I mean, I'd stuff my face with sweets right now, but since I've been working my ass off to lose these, I don't know, 7 or 8 ounces of weight, I don't wanna fuck up for one weak moment. I make myself a cup of hot steamy coffee, also because the apartment is still freezing, and I drink it without sugar, sitting at the window, as I gaze upon the damp covering the streets and the cars parked just outside this building. Who knows what's the weather like in California right now? Of course it's not as cold as here, but I don't think it's really hot in this time of the year, I mean, it's not summer yet. We could have asked the guys yesterday, we managed to spend like fifteen minutes on the phone talking about absolutely nothing, zero. And Eddie barely spoke. I sigh, wash the cup and head for the bathroom and while I wash my teeth I have an idea. Since I've got nothing to do this morning, instead of a rushed shower, I'll have a nice and warm relaxing bath. If I have hot water of course. I make sure the boiler's working and start filling the tub, then I go to Meg's room to borrow her portable radio. As I'm walking back to the bathroom I hear the phone ringing, so I take a turn towards the living room and pick it up from the coffee table, where we left it last night.

“Hello?”

“Hey, hi Angie! I didn't wake you up, did I?” says a voice I haven't heard for a while.

“Hi Dave, no, don't worry, I've been awake for a while. What's up?”

“It's ok, everything's as usual, you know, I still don't know if I'm in the band or not, anyway it's alright” he goes on with the same joke, I think he'll keep telling it for the next ten years of career.

“Hahaha of course you're in the band, you idiot” I laugh as I go back to the bathroom, taking the phone and the radio with me.

“Anyway, we have to finish recording the album and I heard we'll go to Los Angeles at some time in the future to complete it with the producer. As far as I know, they already did like half of it, but there are new songs we wrote in the meantime, I mean, that Kurt wrote, so we must record a demo of this new stuff first and send it to him so he knows what we're up to. But I'm already talking too much, what the fuck, been on the phone two seconds and I'm already talking your head off! What about you? Tell me something”

“Haha I don't have much to tell, surely nothing as interesting as the new Nirvana record” it's not out yet, I mean it's yet to be done apparently, and everybody's already talking about it.

“Bullshit. What about your exams?”

“Pretty terrible, but I passed” I stick one hand into the water to check the temperature.

“Great! Did you celebrate?”

“Hehe not really... but yeah, last night with a small group of friends”

“If you're already awake this time, it means you didn't celebrate the right way. Talking about celebrations, I didn't thank you for the present you sent me for my birthday”

“Yes, you did” I retort as I turn off the water and sit on the edge of the bathtub.

“Yes, but with a fucking message on the answer machine, I'm a douche”

“The message was ok”

“Thank you Angie, I'm gonna treasure those drum sticks and use them for the final recordings of the album”

“Wow, so in a certain sense I'll be on that record too! Don't tell Kurt or he'll get sick” I smirk thinking about Cobain reading Idaho among Dave's special thanks written on the record and throwing him out of the band. In that case, no, he wouldn't have passed his audition.

“Hahaha deep down I think he admires you”

“Really? And for what? For my sense of humor? Since his sucks”

“You're much more alike than you think, you know?”

“Another thing you shouldn't tell him if you want to pass the audition”

“Didn't I pass already?”

“And apart from the band? How are you doing in your new apartment?” I ask as I see the steam rising from the tub and slowly condensing on the mirror.

“It's a nice place, I expected much worse. There are no rats either”

“Really? Cool, it's a luxury place then!”

“It is! I could even take girls home, if only my room mate didn't fart that much. That is, if I had girls to bring home obviously.

“Hahaha did he try charcoal?”

“Actually, there is one...”

“One what?”

“One girl”

“Hahaha I had no doubts about it, what's her name?” I can't really see Dave alone, he's like Jerry. Well, he's the nicer and honest version of Jerry Cantrell.

“Jennifer... but I've just met her, I mean, I only met her once. Twice actually, but the first time was at my birthday party and we basically didn't talk, apart from a couple of words to introduce ourselves. I saw her again in a club and we had a pretty interesting exchange. Exchange of words, not fluids. Not yet at least. And I'm not telling you to make you jealous or something, even though... well, I wouldn't mind if you were a little bit jealous, I must admit I'd like it...”

“I'm not jealous, Dave, I'm actually very happy for you” I tell him honestly. Considering that I felt kinda guilty for rejecting him, now it's good to know he's got a new girl, it makes me fell relieved.

“I should have known. Anyway, she's gonna go back to Cali soon and I don't know if and when I'll see her again”

“California? Isn't she from Seattle?”

“No, she's here to record with her band”

“Ah she's a musician!”

“Bass player”

“Girls who play bass are always sexy, she must be really cute”

“Are you sure that... not a trace? Not even a small crumb of jealousy in your system? Nothing?” Dave goes on and it's really difficult to understand if he's kidding or not, but my answer is the same in both cases.

“Hehe nothing, Dave, I'm very sure”

“Mmm ok, I just wanted to make sure”

“Anyway, don't you have her number?”

“Yes” he reluctantly answers.

“Ask her out then? I mean, even if she says no or things turn shit in the end, she's leaving anyway. You're in a man's ideal position”

“Oh fuck... you're right! You're a genius. I think I'll call her”

“Good boy! I gotta go now” I tell him looking at the small clock beside the mirror.

“Gotta go cry in your room and eat chocolate because of jealousy?”

“No, actually I'm gonna go wash myself because I stink. Bye Dave”

“Bye Angie, see ya! And thanks again for the present”

“You're welcome. Have a nice day!”

I put the phone on the floor next to the radio, I put it on KISW, add some more hot water since it got a little cold in the tub, then I take off my pajamas and enter, holding my nose and sinking completely underwater. The telephone rings sounds amplified through the water and it surprises me so much that I almost slip in the tub. I resurface coughing and sitting up in the bathtub as gracefully as a hippo, then reach for the phone. What did Dave forget to tell me?

“Hello?” I ask and clear my trhoat.

“Hello, Angie. Isn't it a good time?”

“EDDIE!” I yell maybe a little too loud for someone who was drowning a minute ago and that's why I keep coughing.

“Hi. I hear you're still sick. It looked like you were feeling better when we went out all together”

“Yeah yeah *cough* I'm fine *cough cough* it's just... err, I just kinda choked on some water I was drinking when the phone rang” I reply trying to breathe normally.

“Oh fuck, I'm sorry” he apologizes the same way he did in my dream for not having celery and I can't help bursting into laughing, something smart to do when you're suffocating.

“Haha sorry for what? It's not your fault”

“Maybe I called too early, you must have gone to bed late last night”

“No, don't worry, I've been awake for a long while. How are you doin'?”

“I'm alright, I'm the one who kept early hours hanging out in Los Angeles with the guys, I basically came back one hour ago”

“Hehe I can imagine, are you in your room now?”

“Yes, I'm in bed” four simple words an a half that give me a weird feeling, I don't know why.

“Wait, I'm gonna go grab a magazine and read something to you” I look at the magazine rack next to the toilet and I'm about to get out of the tub when Eddie stops me.

“Oh no no, I don't need to sleep! I mean, well, I should, but I didn't call you for that”

“Are you sure?” so why did he call? They called last night.

“Yes, I'm sure. But what's this noise? Sounds like water” he asks while I'm sitting back in the tub, so I freeze halfway and start moving really slow.

“Water? Oh yeah, uhm, it sounds like water because... because it is, it's water, I'm... I'm in the kitchen and I'm washing the big mess of dishes, glasses and bowls we used yesterday”

“Ah I see! Poor you”

“Actually, do you mind if I get you on speakerphone? So I can go on, you know...”

“I can call you later if you want, maybe I'm bothering you right now...” he suggests and I just scream at him, telling him there's no problem.

“NO! Err no problem, really, you're not bothering me, I'm glad to hear you”

“Ok... well, what's up? We didn't have the chance to talk much last night” I put the speaker on and Eddie's deep voice echoes between the bathroom walls.

“I'm fine thank you, and you? Oh in the end I didn't reject the grade, you know? I thought a lot about what you said and of course you were right so there was really no need to think about it that much in the end” I babble as I lay back down in the tub, raising my voice a little and be careful not to make too much noise with the water.

“Well done, I'm happy about that. Listen... I wanted to ask you two things...” he anticipates and from the sound of his voice I've got the feeling he's smiling.

“Ok, ask me”

“First, I wanna know if you got something these days”

“Something? Like what?”

“Like a little package, in the mail...”

“No, why? What package?”

“Uhm no, nothing. The second-”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN NOTHING?? YOU CAN'T TELL ME SOMETHING LIKE THAT AND THEN LEAVE ME WITHOUT AN EXPLANATION!” I yell as an insane person as I grab onto the edge of the tub and emerge from the water like the Kraken.

“Hahaha be careful! You're gonna break some glass”

“Glass? Did you send me a glass?” strange kind of present, I was thinking about maybe a magnet from California.

“Hahaha no, I meant, breaking something by washing the dishes”

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah yes, sure! I get it now, sorry. Hehe no, don't worry, I won't break anything” I laugh internally cursing myself for my chronic self-counsciousness. Couldn't I just tell him I was in the bathroom and ask him a minute to come out of here?

“Anyway, it's a little gift, for you, I sent it before I left and it looks like I overestimated the speed of postal service in Seattle”

“A gift? For what?” he sent me something from Seattle?

“For you, I told you. Can I ask the second question?”

“Yes...” I reply, still perplexed because of this gift thing.

“B-52s?” he asks and this time it's pretty clear he's smiling.

“Hahaha I love them! Don't you like them?”

“It's not really my thing, but yeah, that's a nice song”

“And it's perfect for travelling”

“I gotta admit I was kinda surprised”

“You just heard the first one?”

“Please, I heard the whole tape during the first hour in the van, a C60 mixtape, perfect”

“And what do you think about it?”

“I really liked it but it's not just that. I repeat, some things really surprised me”

“For example?”

“For example, I didn't know you liked U2”

“Oh yes, I liked them, The Joshua Tree is one of my favorite records, and I think that is one of the best record intro songs of all time”

“And it was about travelling as well”

“Sure, what did you think? That I did things just randomly? I'm a professional”

“I noticed that. I thought you would simply put songs you liked together, instead you inserted specific songs relating to travelling and discovering places or you chose tunes that are great to listen to when you're driving. And in general, all the sequence of songs is perfect, there are very different sounds but each song links perfectly to the one who comes first and after”

“I'm still waiting for the moment you're gonna tell me what you hated of that tape”

“Hahaha nothing, absolutely”

“So you were surprised... positively”

“Very positively, really. And I didn't think it was possible to put Black Sabbath next to The Smiths in a plausible way, but you did and they sound great together.

“Hahaha yeah, the great ending”

“That's why I forgive you for trying to corrupt me by choosing easy ones like The Beatles and The Doors”

“And also The Clash”

“Yeah, but you picked up a slightly less mainstream song”

“Mmm I'm not sure... So did I pass this exam?”

“You did, with the highest grades”

“Thank you, prof. Vedder!”

“And then, you're there, it's you inside that tape, it reflects you in everything, so it's perfect”

“You said you wanted to know the music that meant home for me. Of course that's just a part of it, a C60 cassette is too small to stuff everything in it...”

“I expect you to make me some more then, even some C90 maybe, what about that?”

“Hehe ok, deal! At this point though, you should make me one in return. I mean, I'm curious to know your house too”

“Uhm I'll see what I can do” he answers and the smile in his voice is so big that I can almost see his dimples imprinting on the foggy mirror and that's when I understand everything: his gift is a cassette. He must have decided to reciprocate my present by making his own mixtape and sent me before leaving, because he's just like that and he's capable of such sweet gestures.

“I count on that. Listen, you're playing tomorrow, right?” I ask him, but for a moment I think he fell asleep because he doesn't talk and I just hear him breathing deeply “Eddie? Are you still there? Are you awake?”

“HUH?! Yeah yeah, sorry, I got distracted...”

“Were you falling asleep? Maybe you should rest a little”

“Nah, don't worry, I'm not tired, I'll sleep when I'm dead”

“Hehe just like Warren Zevon says”

“You know him too? You keep on surprising me”

“Everybody knows him and that song... although I didn't put him in my tape”

“Non really everybody”

“Anyway, I was asking you about tomorrow's gig. Are you ready?”

“I'm ready, I can't wait”

“Well, time goes faster if you sleep”

“I don't wanna sleep, you know what, after I hang up with you I'm gonna go catch some waves, there's a really cool beach here”

“But do people surf now? Isn't it cold?”

“Uhm no, the temperature is ok. It's the water that's pretty cold”

“How do you do it then?”

“Oh you just put a wetsuit on and you can go anywhere”

“Aaaah you go with wetsuits!”

“Hehehe of course, if you don't want to freeze to death”

“Sorry for my ignorance. But what about the parts that are not covered by the wetsuit? Don't they freeze all the same? I always wondered, your head for example”

“My head is empty, nothing to freeze in there, so I never had problems”

“Haha this joke was too easy, I expect something better from you”

“Your right, princess, will you ever forgive this slip-up into low-grade comedy?” Eddie giggles and I do too, at least until I casually look down and see my hand is on one of my boobs and I've been unintentionally tickling my nipple for who knows how long while talking to Eddie without even noticing.

“OUCH! FUCK” I exclaim when, deeply ashamed, I take my hand off my breast so fast that I accidentally hit it against the wall on the right.

“What's wrong? Are you ok?” he asks worried.

“Yeah... yes, sorry, I was just... I dish slipped out of my hands! I saved him inches from the floor hehe”

“Maybe I'm too distracting” you are Eddie, you have no idea.

“Oh no, you're not! Anyway, I can let you go surfing if you want”

“I've got all day to surf, I can go wherever I want. Now I'd rather talk to you some more, if you want”

“Sure I want to” I answer as I examine my red knuckles and my fingers that are starting to wrinkle for the time spent soaked in water. I'd spend hours on the phone with you, but first I gotta find a way to disrupt the very laws of physics, counteract Archimedes' upthrusts and avoiding to displace any liquid as I remove the body I had previously immersed in it. A body that is mine and apparently also started to take initiative out of my control.

“Great. So, let's talk about Violent Femmes...”

#pearl jam fanfiction #grunge fanfiction #pearl jam #jeff ament #stone gossard #mike mccready #dave krusen #eddie vedder #alice in chains #mike starr #sean kinney #layne staley #jerry cantrell #chapters

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hrina · 7 years

Text

Model Material {Harry Styles Smut}

PAIRING: Harry/Y/N RATING: R WORD COUNT: 4500+ REQUESTED: nooo haha i’ve just been wanting to dabble in writing abt harry!

okayyyy so i’m super nervous abt posting this bc i used to write abt harry a long time ago and now i rly wanna get back into it!!! i rly truly hope u guys like it. if u do, feedback is definitely welcome! it only takes a second and it means a lot to me 💖

~*~

“Just let me see them now!”

“Nope.”

“Please? I’ll give you a week’s worth of blowjobs.”

“As tempting as that sounds, I’m gonna hold out on this one, love.”

“Harold!”

“Ooh, ‘Harold’; we’re goin’ by full names now, yeah? Am I in trouble?”

“You’re about to be,” you pouted, rolling onto your back and staring pointedly up at the ceiling. Harry chuckled softly, scooting closer to you on the bed. He reached out, his long fingers brushing against your left cheek in a pathetic attempt to sway you. You made an indignant noise of protest, twisting your head to the side and squeezing your eyes shut.

“Don’t be like that,” Harry said, his shoulders slumping; his right arm fell limply against your chest. You gasped when his palm landed squarely on your left breast, and he grinned mischievously.

Fine. You could play dirty too.

“Please?” you tried one last time, rolling over again and cuddling up to him. You burrowed your head into the crook of his neck, trailing the tip of your nose along one of the prominent veins that ran up his throat. Harry’s jugular jumped as he swallowed heavily, and you smiled to yourself.

“Please, Daddy?”

He stiffened.

“You fuckin’—,” he was on top of you in a matter of seconds. You laughed, staring up at him. His jaw was tense, lips set into a firm line, nostrils flaring and muscles rigid as he pinned your wrists above your head. His true emotions were only revealed through his eyes—weak, pleading, desperate for you to stop before he cracked.

“’S not fair, love,” your boyfriend croaked, his voice hoarse. Your eyes widened innocently.

“What’s not fair, Daddy?”

Harry shook his head, inhaling deeply. “I’m done. Goodnight.”

“What?” you broke character, watching incredulously as he rolled off of you. Your chest was heaving in anticipation, ready for him to take control, but he just shook his head once more before settling down onto the other side of the bed, as far away from you as possible. You watched his back muscles ripple beneath the light blue fabric of his shirt, your lips parting in surprise.

“We’re not doing this.” His voice was muffled as he spoke into his pillow, still facing away from you, “You’re not gonna just whip that out and convince me.”

“Harry,” you were begging now, but Harry made a warning noise low in his throat, and you clamped your mouth shut. You let out a heavy sigh, hoping to convey how disappointed you were, but your boyfriend didn’t respond. After that, you gave up for the night, turning around and hugging your pillow close to your chest. A long moment of silence followed.

“I love you,” Harry said. You rolled your eyes.

“If you love me so much, why aren’t you over here spooning me?”

“I’m not stupid, little girl. I know that ‘spooning’ isn’t all we’d be doing.”

You groaned defeatedly, shifting slightly so that your cold feet rubbed up against the burning skin of your boyfriend’s calf; Harry yelped. You smiled smugly and clutched the pillow a bit tighter against your torso, settling into a comfortable position for the night (as comfortable as you could be without Harry’s arms wrapped around you). You released a fleeting sigh.

“I love you too, I guess.”

Harry’s faint chuckles reached your ears. “Know you do.”

~*~

You set your toothbrush down, spitting into the sink one last time and turning the tap. Immediately, the rush of water ceased, and everything was silent. You padded out of your bathroom, your brow creasing when you saw that your boyfriend was missing from the queen-sized bed in the middle of your bedroom. You scanned the room, but Harry was nowhere to be found.

“Harry?” you called out, your eyebrows knitting together.

There was no reply, so you tried again, a little louder. “Harry?”

A muffled reply floated through the air, and you turned towards the open door of your bedroom. Tilting your head to the side in confusion, you padded across the room and entered the hallway, walking towards the flight of stairs—the sound of shuffling and other voices became more pronounced.

The television was on, though the volume was extremely low. You bit your lip once you descended the last step. You peered into the living room, your eyes landing on the back of Harry’s head, a dark silhouette against the screen. All the lights were closed, and the room was bathed in a green glow as he watched the baseball game, seemingly completely enraptured.

“Aren’t you coming to bed?” you asked softly. Harry shook his head.

“What’s going on?” you said, your lips turning down into a slight frown.

“’M sleeping on the couch tonight,” Harry replied, his voice low and scratchy. You balked, mouth popping open in surprise.

“I—what?” you said, keeping your voice low, “Why? Did I do something?”

At that, Harry turned around, his eyes wide. When he saw your face, he let out a small sigh, running his right hand through his short hair and motioning for you to come closer. You obeyed, circling around the couch so that you could face each other. Harry held out his hand to you, and you took it hesitantly. In an instant, he had you pulled down and planted in his lap, a shocked sound bubbling up from your throat.

“What are you doing?” you asked, peering up at him from under your eyelashes. Harry smiled softly, one of his abnormally large hands coming up to cup the back of your neck. You shivered when you felt the cool metal of his rings against your skin. He leaned in, pressing a hard, bruising kiss to your lips; you gasped at the contact.

“I’m sorry it’s come to this, pet,” he murmured, pulling back and pressing your foreheads together. You shuddered—he only ever used that term when he was especially endeared, or irreparably angry. You had no idea which circumstance this fell under, and it made you uneasy.

“Did I do something?” you repeated your earlier question, breathless from the kiss.

Harry chuckled, shaking his head. “No. But I might.”

“Harry, what the hell—?” you began, but he leaned in, kissing you again. A reedy whimper echoed in your throat, and your hands flew up to his chest, gripping the collar of his shirt in tight fistfuls. Harry seemed to be pouring every ounce of himself into the kiss, his jaw moving as he coaxed your mouth open, sliding his tongue inside.

“Wait,” you gasped, pulling back and setting a firm palm on his chest to keep him from chasing after you. “What? I’m so—what the fuck?”

Harry laughed, covering his mouth with his hand to keep from disturbing the quiet atmosphere. Your forehead creased as you stared at him, utterly lost. If you hadn’t done anything, then what was he talking about? What the hell was happening?

“Every night for the past week,” Harry began, his voice low, “You’ve tried to get me to show you the pictures. ‘M gonna crack sooner or later, so I’m just…trying to avoid it, that’s all.”

You blinked.

And then you smacked his arm. Hard.

“Ow!” Harry yelped, and the tranquility of the moment was gone.

“What the damn hell?” you said loudly, scowling. “You had me really worried for a second!”

“This is a worrisome situation!” Harry protested, but you could hear the laugh in his voice. You narrowed your eyes at him, balling your hands up into fists and crossing your arms over your chest. Harry tried to mirror your expression but eventually, the humour of the affair overtook him, and he grinned teasingly at you. Your frown only deepened, and he made a cooing sound, his right hand cupping your cheek and rubbing at the corner of your lips.

“Don’t be like that,” he said, “Smile for me, pet.”

You had to repress a shiver. His voice was low and scratchy, the kind of tone he only ever used when he had your body underneath him, your legs crammed up against your chest and your hands clawing pathetically at his back.

“No,” you grumbled, looking away. “So, you’re refusing to sleep with me because you’re afraid I’m going to pester you? That’s what this is all about?”

“What kind of ‘sleep with’ are you referring to here? ‘Cause, I mean—I’m more than willing to fu—”

“Actual sleeping, Harry,” you snapped, and Harry finally seemed to realize that you were annoyed. The smile melted from his face, and his bright eyes clouded over with concern. He stroked along your cheek, his left hand rubbing up and down your thigh comfortingly. You swallowed, avoiding his gaze.

“Why are you so upset over this?” he asked softly. You stared down at his chest, your fingers tapping out an irregular sequence on his strong pectorals. Under different circumstances, he would’ve teased you for the lack of rhythm, but he seemed to know better than to do so right now.

“Is it annoying?” you mumbled. “When I ask?”

Harry absorbed your words, and then he cocked his head to the side. “What? No, ‘course not, pet. It’s…really fuckin’ nice, if I’m being honest. I’m glad that you’re so eager.”

He chuckled, and despite your insecurities, you smiled softly. You exhaled, uncrossing your arms and running your left hand through your hair. Harry angled his body forward, puckering his lips and pressing a tender kiss to the tip of your nose. He sighed, burying his face into the crook of your neck and biting gently. You tapped his chest, a sharp gasp leaving your lips, and he smirked.

“How am I—?” you broke off, “How am I going to sleep without you spooning me?”

Your boyfriend chuckled, his tongue poking out a licking a fat stripe up the column of your neck. You yelped, recoiling and wiping at the wet spot on your skin. Fuelled by this distraction, Harry’s left hand abandoned your thigh, moving inward and cupping skillfully over the crotch of your nightwear.

Immediately, your protests died on your tongue. Harry snickered, leaning in and pressing a hot, lingering kiss to the right side of your jaw.

“How ’bout you ride my thigh? That should make you real sleepy, yeah?”

“I don’t think—,” you tried, but even you knew that your protests had no real sincerity behind them. Harry smiled, taking your earlobe between his straight, pearly teeth, and biting gently. You closed your eyes, tipping your head back and providing him with more space to torture you and leave you breathless.

“You wanna cum, love? Wanna show me how you would ride my cock?”

“Yes,” you squeaked out—he’d started rubbing against you methodically, his thumb scoping around for your clit, eager for provocation. You could feel his grin as he pressed his lips to your cheek.

“Go on then. Use my thigh. Tire yourself out for me, pet.”

~*~

“Harry!” you cried as you flew down the staircase. You held onto the banister tightly with your right hand, your left clutching a rolled-up booklet and holding it close to your chest. From the kitchen, you could hear Harry’s laughter, a sure sign that you were meant to discover the magazine underneath your pillow.

“Found it, did you?” His words were laced with humour, and he pushed himself off from where he was leaning against the counter. He turned, only to let out a startled groan when you catapulted yourself into his arms, wrapping your legs around his waist and clinging unforgivingly to his torso.

“And you liked it too, I guess,” he chuckled, his hands flying down to grip your ass. You peppered kisses along the column of his neck as he set you down onto the marble countertop; you squeaked when the cold surface met the underside of your thighs. Harry grinned, playing with the hem of your shorts and pulling away, despite your whiny protests.

“What do you think?” he asked, looking at you with inquisitive eyes. It seemed like he wanted a real answer, a comment on the camera angle, or the outfits, or the posing. You felt bad that you were unable to offer such an eloquent response just yet.

“You look so good,” you whimpered, grabbing fistfuls of his white t-shirt and searching for something else to say. “So…so…”

“Good?” Harry supplied, smirking. You didn’t bother reprimanding him, settling only for another helpless whimper and a vigorous nod. You tightened your hold on the material of his shirt, glancing at the magazine laying forgotten on the counter. He just looked so good.

“You’ve said that already, love,” Harry snickered, and you realized that you’d voiced your thoughts. You bit your lip, winding your legs around his hips loosely and pulling him closer to you. His smile faltered, eyelids drooping slightly as he recognized the look on your face—your parted lips, dilated pupils, flared nostrils as you sucked in deep breaths.

“Wow,” he said, and this time his voice was void of all mockery. “You really liked those pictures, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” you whispered, closing your eyes when you felt his hand land on your thigh, his thumb rubbing up against the soft skin on the inside of your leg. You inhaled sharply when he began moving upwards, having memorized your body and every trick that would leave you wrecked.

“Didn’t know you were so easy for it, pet,” Harry murmured, a hint of awe lacing each syllable. His hand continued travelling up your thigh, but he had slowed his pace significantly. You pressed your lips together—he was only trying to get a rise out of you, and you weren’t going to grant his wish that quickly.

“Are you wet?”

Your eyes snapped open, a faint gasp leaving your lips. Even after all this time, you didn’t think you’d ever get used to Harry’s mouth and the vulgar things that left his lips. It was him—he was fantastic at getting you riled up, at making you soak your panties using only his words. If any other man attempted such a feat, he would pale in comparison. Harry was Harry, and that was why you were currently sat here, your chest heaving and your toes curling as experienced fingers snaked up your thigh.

You realized that Harry was still waiting for an answer. Looking up, you met his eyes—there was only a thin ring of green surrounding his pupils. His lips were pursed, and he was watching you attentively. You lowered your gaze, granting him a whispered and embarrassed yes.

“Can I see?” Harry asked gruffly, “Will you let me have a peek, love?”

“M—more—,” you wheezed suddenly as Harry’s hand finally reached where you needed him most. He had abandoned his gentle actions, opting instead to grind his palm against the crotch of your shorts. You lurched forward as though you’d been punched, your hands gripping his shoulders tightly.

“What was that?” Harry said.

You squeezed your eyes shut, inhaling deeply before blurting out, “More. You—you can have more, Harry, you can have more.”

You squeaked when Harry dipped his fingers between the waistband of your shorts. He let out a surprised noise, the sound quickly melting into a groan when he realized that you weren’t wearing any panties. You leaned against him, muffling your whimpers against his left shoulder as he buried his face into the crown of your head and pressed sporadic kisses into your hair.

“So, so good to me,” he murmured. “You’re so good t’me, love.”

“Harry,” you whined, squeezing your eyes shut.

His body rumbled with a chuckle. “I know, pet. ‘M coming.”

You opened your mouth to respond, but the only sound that came out was a breathless stutter as Harry found your clit, establishing an unforgiving pace. You shuddered, tingly bolts of pleasure running through your veins as he rubbed you. Harry pressed his mouth to your temple, and you gasped when you felt his index finger swipe down your folds, circling your entrance and barely dipping inside.

“Gonna let me have it?” he asked, his lips moving against your skin. “Gonna let me take what’s mine, love?”

“Yes,” you spoke unabashedly, nodding and pressing a kiss to his left collarbone. “Take it, please take it.”

“Yeah?” Harry snickered, and you couldn’t even force yourself to be embarrassed. This had been what you wanted since you’d discovered that magazine beneath your pillow, since you’d flicked through the pages and stared at each magnificent photo with wide eyes and clenched thighs. You don’t know what had come over you—maybe it had been the satisfaction of finally being able to see what he’d been keeping from you. Maybe it had been the pent-up sexual frustration you’d been harbouring for the past few days. Or maybe it had been the pride swirling in your chest, the smile against which you’d fought as you flipped through the issue and studied each page.

“Please,” you breathed, and Harry nodded.

You pressed kisses along his neck, as he slowly slid the first finger into you. “Fuck,” he wheezed, “So tight, pet. ‘S not even my dick, but you’re...squeezing me.”

At the mention of his cock, you moaned loudly. Harry grinned, pulling back and gripping your chin with his left hand, forcing you to look up at him while his index finger pumped into you steadily. He tilted his head to the side and ran his tongue along his pink upper lip, his eyes watching you intently.

“Want that, yeah? Want my cock in your cunt?”

You moaned again, the sound prompted by both his words and the addition of another finger inside of you, stretching you open as he scissored his digits languidly. Your nails dug into his shoulders through the cotton of his t-shirt, leaving tiny crescents in their wake.

“Dont worry,” Harry told you, “I’m gonna give it to you. Haven’t been treating my girl right lately, have I?”

“S-so good,” you choked out. “You treat me—oh—so good—Harry!”

“Yeah?” he challenged, his brows creasing. “How long’s it been since I last fucked you? Too fuckin’ long, if you ask me. Dunno how I survived without it.”

“Then fuck me,” you pleaded, a mewl tumbling from your lips. Your hips began gyrating, lifting to get his fingers deeper. Harry’s thumb continued to rub relentlessly against your clit, making you shudder as bolts of electricity danced up your spine. You tried to lean forward against him once more, but he stopped you.

“Wanna see your face when you cum, love.”

Your bottom lip quivered, and you shook your head. “Don’t—don’t wanna cum like this. Not yet.”

“No?” Harry cocked an eyebrow. “How do you wanna cum, then? Tell me.”

You pursed your lips, inhaling deeply as he curled his fingers inside of you. He connected with that special spot, and your eyebrows flew up, an abrupt shout leaving you. Harry grinned, and you panted, gripping his biceps tightly and trying to steady your breathing. He was such a tease.

“You gotta tell me, love,” Harry mused, “How am I supposed to know what you want if you don’t speak up?”

“You’re such a—,” you growled.

“Think that’s wise, pet? I am in control of your orgasm, y’know.”

You pouted, slumping backwards. You twitched when Harry repeated his previous action, the pads of his fingers pressing firmly against a spot inside of you that had you momentarily seeing white. Your right hand left his bicep, shooting down and gripping the edge of the counter—you were desperate, needing something solid to keep you from losing your mind and succumbing to the hot feeling that pooled in the pit of your stomach.

“I want—,” you inhaled shakily, “I want you to fuck me. P-please.”

You hated how your voice faltered on the last word, but it seemed to be enough for Harry. He smirked, retracting his fingers from your slick passage and giving your clit a light tap. You whimpered, and his smirk elongated into a grin, stretching the corners of his lips and presenting his dimple to you.

“Asked so nicely, love. ‘M gonna fuck you, don’t worry.”

With those words, he gripped the waistband of your shorts, tugging them down your hips. You lifted your bottom half, hoping to facilitate his movements, and within a few moments, you were kicking the offending material away. Harry reached for his own bottoms, yanking the elastic of his sweatpants down. You froze, eyeing the way his cock slapped up against his covered stomach—so he hadn’t been wearing underwear either.

“I want it,” you whimpered, reaching for him. It was suddenly like you couldn’t breathe, the desperation making you feel incomplete without him inside, filling you up.

Harry swore under his breath, gripping his cock as he stepped closer to you. You wrapped your arms around his neck, guiding him down to you and kissing him for the first time that night. He squeezed your hips appreciatively, his lips soft and plush against your own. You sighed happily when his tongue swiped against your mouth, silently requesting permission. You parted your lips, allowing him entry for only a moment before you were pulling back, fingers gripping the collar of his shirt.

“Get this off,” you begged.

Harry reached for the hem, his fingers brushing yours as he did so. You leaned back as he hauled the material over his head, balling it up and tossing it to the side. Your hands trailed down to rest on his chest, over the two swallows that had been permanently inked into his skin. You scratched at the design lightly, and Harry leaned forward, pressing another short yet passionate kiss to your lips.

“I’ve not got a rubber on me,” he told you.

You shook your head, “Don’t need it. Please, just—”

“Okay, okay,” Harry soothed you before you could begin pleading with him again. He pressed his forehead to yours, your noses brushing gently.

“Need to feel you,” he grunted, and you thought you sensed a hint of hysteria in his voice. He reached down, aligning his cock with your opening and pushing inside at a painfully slow pace. You threw your head back at the sensation of him filling you to the brim, your walls stretching around him and pulsing to accommodate the intrusion.

“F-fuck,” Harry breathed, stilling once he was fully sheathed within you. You shifted, moving so that you could wrap your legs around him, pulling him deeper inside of you. You both groaned at the alteration, Harry pressing his face into your hair and you kissing his jugular, nuzzling against him as you adjusted to having him inside of you for the first time in a few days.

“M-move,” you mumbled after a few long moments. Now that you were comfortable, the anguished feeling was back, demanding that he make you feel it. You wanted to be sore.

Harry obeyed, placing his hands on your hips and slowly pulling back. You exhaled, blinking rapidly as he did so, your walls squeezing down on nothing. He continued until the head of his cock was the only part of him still hidden within you. You looked up at him with parted lips, but before you could speak, he was driving back into you, rocking your body backwards and making you cry out.

“My God!” you squeaked. Harry inhaled sharply, slowly grinding his hips inside of you. You looped your arms around his neck, your fingers disappearing into his short, curly hair. You pressed your lips against his shoulder, trying to keep in any sounds that were crawling up your throat.

“Fucking good,” Harry was mumbling fiercely into your ear. “You feel…so fuckin’ good, pet. Got—,” he broke off into a gasp, “—got real tight for a second there.”

“C-can,” you stammered, squeezing your eyes shut, “I can feel you, Harry, I can feel you.”

“’S kind of the point, love,” Harry choked out a laugh, only to cut himself off with a heaving breath a moment later. You ran your fingers through his hair, reflexively grabbing a fistful and yanking when he adjusted your position. He gripped your thighs, hands travelling down to the crook of your knees and pulling them higher up on his waist. You mewled when he pumped back inside, immediately hitting that same spot that his fingers had teased not long ago.

“Is it good?” you whispered, “Is it good for you?”

Harry let out a breathless laugh. “It’s—fuck—it’s perfect, love. You’re perfect. Squeezing me so well, I’m gonna cum soon.”

“Then cum,” you said, “I wanna feel it.”

Harry shook his head. “Not before you. You know that.”

“Please,” you whimpered, “Harry, please. Wanna—wanna feel it inside of me. I wanna—”

You broke off, pursing your lips. Harry seemed to sense that you were holding back, because he pulled away, coaxing you to look at him. “What is it, love? Tell me.”

You looked down at his chest, not wanting to meet his eyes. The words seemed so foreign and taboo on your tongue, but they left a sweet taste that you craved. You could only imagine Harry’s reaction, and it was something you were dying to witness. You blinked, pressing a kiss to his chin before meeting his gaze.

“I wanna feel it drip out of me.”

For a moment, the only sounds that could be heard were the slapping of skin and the shakiness of breaths. Harry stared at you, processing your words, his green eyes wide with shock. And then—

“Oh, fuck!”

He slumped against you, his palms smacking against the counter to keep himself standing. You watched in awe as his eyes closed, eyebrows lifting in pure euphoria. His nose twitched, lips parting perfectly. It was then that you felt the first twitch of his cock, the first spurt of come painting your walls. Harry rode out his high, the veins in his neck pulsing and his lips moulding around soundless curses. He leaned into you, and you kissed his cheeks, his forehead, his nose.

“I—,” his voice was thick, eyes remaining closed as he fought to catch his breath, “I fuckin’…love you.”

“I love you,” you whispered, pressing a quick kiss to his lips. His eyes fluttered open slowly, and he blinked languidly, as though he was trying to regain his bearings. When he saw you, something flashed in his irises, and he shakily pushed himself up, swallowing heavily.

“You gotta cum,” he told you. You opened your mouth to protest, but then his thumb was back on your clit, and the tight knot in your stomach exploded.

You shuddered, your toes curling and your body twitching as pleasure splintered through you. You tipped your head back, ankles locking together behind Harry as your vision blurred over and your fingers dug into his biceps. Harry pressed himself against you, murmurs of good girl, my good girl and doing so well for me, pet reaching your ears.

“You—,” you began, blinking slowly after a few quiet moments, “—you look so good.”

~*~

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#okay wow im nervous abt this!!! i hope it doesn't flop bc i rly wanna write more of harry #harry styles smut #harry styles imagine #one direction smut #one direction imagine #harry smut #harry imagine #idk who to tag tbh!!!#askyofdiamonds #permanentcross #starrprincess #yikes i srsly dunno who else oh well!!#harry writing

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