#we’re doing a powerpoint night so obviously i’m working on my slides at work | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

retrievablememories · 4 years

Text

the assistant | doyoung (m)

title: the assistant pairing: sub!doyoung x black!reader genre: smut request: “Sub Doyoung that works under a (Black) woc as an assistant. He gets turned on when she bosses him around and ends up in a situation where he can’t hide his feelings anymore. Hopefully it’s a smut.” word count: 4.5k warnings: oral (female receiving), handjob, dirty talk, public masturbation/sexual activities, humiliation kink *without insulting names*, dom!female/sub!male a/n: this came out a bit longer than i expected. the title’s a bit generic but the other one i had felt corny. i hope i didn’t make the reader too mean here lol

Taking a job as your assistant over a year and a half ago was both an easy and hard decision—though mostly easy.

Doyoung needed the money, so he wasn’t going to turn down the offer. And he had the skills for it, which he wasn’t going to let go to waste. But he wasn’t sure how he was going to handle the prospect of being sexually attracted to his boss.

It wasn’t just your looks, although they certainly helped. It was your air of authority and the way you knew how to get people to like you or do whatever you requested of them. There was practically no one you were afraid to call out if necessary, regardless if they were a lower-level employee or a fellow boss at the firm. You liked things to be done a certain way, and you wasted little time with hesitating like many others on the job did when they needed a task completed.

He could tell your demeanor from that first interview, and it made him sweat. It pleased him and compelled him to achieve whatever he could during the hiring process to get close to you. Doyoung found it hard to get you off his mind, thinking about you from the time he left that interview to the hour before he fell asleep that night. He was undeniably pleased when he got the job, but even more happy that he’d be getting to work for someone like you.

Doyoung is a smart man, and he takes pride in a job well done. However...he’s not above making the occasional mistake just to hear you reprimand him. Nothing big enough to seriously impact your business, and never too often, or you’d probably have him kicked out. But every once in a while, he lets something “slip” his careful eye so he can hear your irritated voice or see your pretty eyes roll.

Sometimes he thinks he might be one of the strangest men on Earth to get enjoyment from things that would normally make others feel embarrassed and upset, but he doesn’t mind it too much. He knows what he likes, which is at least more than many others can say.

He’s not sure what he’d do if you knew about his secret, or about how he feels things specifically for you that an employee should never feel towards their boss. But he’ll continue to indulge as long as he can keep it to himself.

“I hope you’re ready for the presentation today.” You tell Doyoung this as you both take the elevator to your department floor. The only practical answer you expect is a yes, and he knows this. Thankfully for him, he’s not one to disappoint. “You’ve organized all the data I sent over to you and added it to the presentation, right?”

“Of course. Have I ever failed you?”

You sigh, raising your eyebrows. “Those errors on your reports say otherwise, no matter how small they are. Don’t get too cocky about your track record yet, everyone messes up sooner or later.”

“Sounds like you don’t have any faith in me.” Doyoung laughs.

“Doyoung. If I didn’t have any faith in you, I wouldn’t have hired you.” You pat his shoulder good-naturedly, and he relishes that touch for a moment. “But I also know how humans work.” You both walk off the elevator when it finally stops, and Doyoung acknowledges a few people who pass by, though his eyes are always subtly drawn back to you.

The conference room is almost full with the other bosses and higher-ups who have gathered for today’s meeting. It’s a panel, so there will be a few more people who go before and after you.

When it’s your turn to go up, you take the USB Doyoung’s given you with the presentation on it.

The first few slides look as they should, which you pretty much expected, but you’re still glad to see that Doyoung got everything right.

You flip to the next slide of the presentation for the data and start going through it, but you quickly realize that something is wrong. None of the numbers match what you remember reviewing for this year’s report. You stop and blink for a few moments, trying to register what you’re seeing. Doyoung sits up in his chair, and his body goes stiff as he realizes his mistake. He knows for sure he imported the data into the PowerPoint, but he must not have been paying enough attention to which data he was using; all of this information is from last year.

There are a few disgruntled sounds from the meeting attendees, some born from secondhand embarrassment, others confusion, and some others annoyance. You clasp your hands together, putting on a fake smile as you regard the other members of the room. “Well...looks like there’s been a mistake.”

The meeting organizer speaks up. “We can continue on with the others and schedule your segment for another day. We’re all on a tight schedule right now, so I’m afraid there isn’t enough time to do this over today.” He gives you a regretful look, and you nod in response. You just hope you don’t get reprimanded for it too badly later.

Doyoung is sweating bullets when you return to your seat next to him. He glances over at you, though he can’t look you directly in the eye. You don’t even give him a glance back, instead keeping your eyes straight ahead on the next person’s presentation. He doesn’t need you to look at him, though; he already knows from your posture and energy that you’re pissed.

The rest of the meeting goes by fast. Maybe too fast. Everyone starts talking among themselves and packing up their things to leave, and you go to the organizer to set another date for your presentation. Doyoung waits until you’re finished with the other man before daring to approach you.

He stumbles over his words as he tries to speak. “Y/N, I’m so sorry, I didn’t—”

You give him a look and brush him off as neutrally as you can without drawing the attention of the others filing out of the room.“Let’s talk in my office.”

The walk to your office seems to last forever, though it’s only a minute or two in actuality. Doyoung doesn’t know what to think—will you decide to get rid of him? This is the first major mistake he’s made, but he is not so confident that you’ll be very forgiving with the past errors he’s made.

“Close the door behind you,” you say when you finally get in the office. Doyoung does as instructed and only sits down after you gesture for him to take the chair in front of your desk. After you’re both settled, you sigh and put your head in your hands.

You keep that position for a while, which makes him nervous. He isn’t sure if he’s supposed to speak first, so he keeps quiet and waits to see what you’ll do.

Possibly the weirdest part of all this is the thread of excitement that still pulses through him. He’s anxious to know what you’ll say to him, whether good or bad. He’s not ecstatic at the thought of losing his job, no, but he also can’t deny that he likes hearing you raise your voice at him.

You lift your head to look at him, and he feels immobilized underneath your gaze. “I should have you fired, you know that?” He tenses at that. “After making such a huge mistake in front of the upper management, and having to reschedule the damn meeting…everyone spent their precious time coming out here today, pulling themselves away from their own busy schedules...”

Your words make Doyoung panic a bit on the inside, yet they also stoke the fires of his attraction to you. He curses himself in his head. He’s usually better than this at keeping himself under control, but something about your pointed anger today is speaking directly to a deep part of him.

“Whenever I tell you to do something related to the job, you should do it.”

“I know, o-of course. It was a mistake, but—”

“But? Did you really not realize the information you had was from last year?”

“I-it slipped my attention.” Doyoung can feel heat creeping up his neck, but also rushing farther down below the belt. He’s only seen you this upset before on a few other occasions, and none of them were directed at him. He’s a little ashamed to say that it’s still turning him on, though he also realizes the gravity of his mistake. “I know I can’t make up for what’s already happened, but I’ll do better.”

“You definitely will do better, because you’re staying overtime to fix it.” He figured that much. “There’s not enough time to deal with this mess now.” You sit back in your desk chair, crossing your arms. “Don’t look so anxious about it. I’m still pissed at you, obviously, but I’m not letting you go. There are a lot of fools around here, and I don’t need any of them trying to become my assistant if you leave.”

Doyoung’s shoulders deflate a little from the relief he feels at that, with some of the built-up tension leaving his body. There is still another uncomfortable problem left, though—the bulge in his pants. His face turns redder with the knowledge that he’s gotten hard in front of you, with the only thing to hide it being the folder of documents he’s holding.

You lean over the desk a little, examining your assistant closely. “Doyoung, you’re turning beet red. The hell? Are you getting sick or something?”

“N-no! I’m not sick, really.” His hands tighten around the folder as he says this, and he tries to look at you as nonchalantly as he can manage, though the eye contact still sends his pulse throbbing.

You stare at him for a few more seconds, trying to read him and getting nothing but more nervousness. “You know what…” You shake your head. “Just go home early and do your overtime tomorrow. You clearly need a break to pull yourself together.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure. I don’t need you messing up any more of my work if you’re this flustered. Go on, go.”

Doyoung nods, wondering how he’s going to get out of the chair without making it too obvious that he’s sprung a hard-on from your reprimands. You sigh and press your fingers to your temples for a long moment, and he takes this opportunity to stand up and try to zip out of the room before you can open your eyes again.

“Wait. Give me the folder.”

He freezes with his back to you.

“The-the folder?”

“Yes, Doyoung, that folder you’re holding right there.” You roll your eyes. “Come on. Don’t you need to be getting home?”

“Right, yes…” Doyoung hesitates for a moment longer before passing the folder to you, then he quickly covers himself by crossing his hands in front of his crotch. The movement isn’t as natural as he’d like it to be. You raise an eyebrow at his stiff demeanor, but you don’t say anything immediately. He takes that as his cue to escape, and he goes to the door as calmly as possible.

“Remember your overtime tomorrow,” you call out as he opens the door to your office. He turns his head to look back at you, nodding in response. He can’t read the expression on your face, and he doesn’t stick around much longer to find out what you could possibly be thinking.

Once Doyoung gathers his things, he sneaks off to the men’s bathroom. His hands shake a little as he unbuckles his belt and unzips his pants, pulling his hard cock out and gripping his shaft tightly. A tiny moan slips out, though he quickly silences his voice as he begins stroking himself.

All your words from earlier circle around in his head as he gets himself off, his breaths labored and echoing slightly around the walls of the bathroom stall. He imagines that you’re the one pleasuring him, your fingers wrapping around his dick as you laugh at how hard and desperate he is for you. Maybe if he’s good, you’ll let him cum in your mouth.

He’s learned how to get himself off quickly and quietly in the work bathrooms by now, so it only takes a few more minutes before he’s spilling over his fingers, the sound of your name passing through his lips almost inaudibly. After he cleans himself up and flushes the toilet, he spends a few more minutes in the stall to calm his mind and take some deep breaths.

“Ugh…fuck,” he mumbles to himself. The thought of doing overtime doesn’t thrill him, and he still feels shitty about making such a big mistake, but there’s nothing left to do except fix his errors.

Friday goes like any other workday, and Doyoung doesn’t notice anything unusual from you that would’ve indicated you knew what his “problem” was yesterday. He’s a little relieved about that, but he’s still not reassured enough to disregard the incident.

The day passes by more quickly than Doyoung would like, and soon it’s already time for regular office hours to end—and his extra work to begin. He seats himself at his desk, nodding goodbye to the last few coworkers who straggle out of the room. He didn’t see you leave your office, but he figures you must already be gone because the room is dark.

For a few minutes, it’s just Doyoung working by himself. He’s barely gotten started with the bulk of the document fixes when he hears rustling and a door opening. He wonders if it’s someone else doing overtime or somebody who forgot their belongings. What he doesn’t expect to see is you walking towards his desk.

“I thought you were going home?” Doyoung asks, looking up at you curiously. His hands pause over the keys.

“I am; don’t think I want to stay here all night. But I need to talk to you about something first.” You cross your arms, looking at Doyoung from behind his computer monitor.

A cold sweat breaks out on his skin, though he tries to keep his face neutral. “What did you want to talk about?”

“Your behavior after the presentation yesterday. In my office.”

As he thought, there was no way he could’ve hidden it or gotten away with it. He hangs his head, squeezing his eyes shut. “Y/N, please. Forgive—”

“Wait. Let me finish first.”

Doyoung stops talking immediately. He swallows, his Adam’s apple bobbing, and watches you carefully to see what you’ll do.

“I have enough sense to figure out that you were far from sick, but I sent you away to save us both the embarrassment of you nutting in your pants.” His fingers twitch at your words, but he remains silent as he wearily waits for you to continue speaking. At this point, he’s unsure which direction this will go in; will you decide to go ahead and fire him after you said you wouldn’t? Will you scold him and then pretend like none of it ever happened? “You’re crazy as hell, you know that?”

He can’t meet your eyes anymore and instead looks at where his hands still rest on the desk. He stays quiet, mostly because he’s unsure how to respond in any justifiable way.

“You’re acting like a scared puppy now, but you were pretty damn shameless yesterday. Getting hard in front of your boss, really?” You reach out to him. He doesn’t know what your intention is, but he surely doesn’t anticipate you grabbing his tie. You’re not even trying to pull him closer; you simply hold the fabric in your hand, passing your thumb over its patterns. “Do you think any of that was appropriate?” you ask, your voice calm.

“N-no, it’s not.”

“Don’t think I didn’t see you practically sprinting to the bathroom, too. Are you gonna tell me what you did in there, or do I have to guess?”

Doyoung’s cheeks are blazing again, and he can hardly believe that you’re questioning him like this, or that he’s actually about to admit to it.

“I...I, um. I...jerked off.”

“Jerked off to the thought of me. Right?” He can only nod, keeping his eyes firmly on your hand—which is still holding his tie—instead of your face. “And do you think that’s appropriate?” He shakes his head no.

“Good answer. But you’ve also forgotten that I can do what I want, too. Do you think it’s fair that you’re the only one around here who gets to have any fun?” Now you pull him closer, and you lean forward to meet him halfway. The implications of your words have him risking a glance up at you, surprised that this is your answer.

“Fun?”

Any other thought he might have promptly disappears when you kiss him. He’s taken entirely off guard by your actions, and with his walls down, he lets a particularly needy moan slip out. He likes the feel of your lipstick smearing slightly against his mouth, and most of all, your lips themselves.

Doyoung is embarrassed to be getting hard from a single kiss, but whenever it comes to you, he’s gotten it up for much less. Now that he’s had this one taste of contact, he wants you to touch him more, wherever you see fit. It doesn’t much matter as long as your hands are on him in some way. He leans forward minutely, kissing you a little deeper and wanting to push his tongue into your warm mouth.

You part from him as soon as you feel him push closer, though you still keep a grip on his tie. “This is gonna go my way. Got it? If you don’t want this, say it now and I’ll leave.”

“No, I—stay, please. I want this.” His voice comes out more pleadingly than he meant for it to, but he realizes he’s not really concerned about that as long as you understand how much he really does want this.

You move away from Doyoung and he’s momentarily alarmed that you’re going to leave anyway, but you only shrug your coat off and step out of your heels, leaving them strewn on the office floor. You push him away from the desk in his rolling chair so there’s enough space for you to enter his cubicle and sit comfortably on his desk.

Doyoung’s eyes drop to your legs, which are shiny and smooth under your skirt and most likely just as soft as they look. “Get out of the chair and on your knees,” you tell him. He does so, and you kick the rolling chair away so it’s just you and Doyoung, you sitting on his desk and him kneeling in front of you.

“If you want to make up to me for that embarrassment yesterday, you’ll have to do a lot more than fixing a presentation.” You spread your legs a bit, your skirt riding up as you do, and Doyoung’s eyes hyperfocus on the gift that’s waiting between your thighs. His mouth waters a bit at the thought of finally getting to taste you. “So, don’t keep me waiting. Like I said, I’m not staying here all night.”

Doyoung nods and brings his hands up to the sides of your thighs, feeling buzzed at how he’s touching you in a place he’s never been before. He’d like to take his time peeling off your blouse and skirt, exposing your nude form to his mouth and hands and cock that would like to do nothing but worship you, but he hasn’t been given that much permission. So he keeps within his boundaries and hikes your skirt up more so he can reach your underwear to pull it off.

Your underwear, to his surprise, already has a considerable wet spot on it. It makes his dick throb to know you’re as eager for this as he is, even if you don’t necessarily express it. When you notice him staring at your panties, you grab the hand that’s holding your garments and push it into his face, making him smell your scent. “If you like it so much…”

The smell of you appeals to him on a visceral, primal level. His hands return to your thighs with renewed enthusiasm, gripping your body and pulling you closer to his wanting mouth.

The first stroke of his tongue between your lips makes you shudder, and it makes Doyoung moan out loud. He pushes his tongue into you as his nose nudges your clit, wanting to have more of you as you leak onto him. You grab his hair, though not hard enough to hurt, as you push his face closer into you and arch your hips up.

He responds to your actions by bringing his mouth back up to your clit, enveloping it and sucking it fervently. He doesn’t think to bring his fingers into the mix, as consumed as he is with simply tasting you right now, and your body’s reaction says you are more than content with letting him work his mouth on you.

“Doyoung…” The way you speak his name is surprisingly gentle, much unlike he’s heard anyone else say it before—even previous lovers. Maybe he believes it to be so because of how wrapped up he is in you. He tries not to read into it and get his hopes up, instead focusing on pleasuring you.

His cock strains uncomfortably against his pants, though he ignores it to keep licking into you. There seems to be no limit to how much wetness he can coax out of you. The small cubicle, and the office itself, is quiet except for the subdued hum of computer machinery and Doyoung’s mouth sucking your pussy.

The muscles in your legs flex underneath his fingertips as you get closer to releasing. Your hand slips to the back of his neck, caressing the heated skin there as Doyoung pushes you higher and higher until you’re cumming in his mouth. Your legs tense and try to close around his head as you moan softly, and Doyoung accepts the sensation of being caged in by you. Everything down here is hot and wet and delicious.

You are satisfied and properly spent after your climax, but Doyoung is still hard and you’re not quite done playing with him yet. “Stand up.”

He does so and watches with bated breath as you undo his pants and bring his dick out. It’s already dripping precum and flushed with arousal, but you decide that isn’t enough lubrication and carefully spit on his member to make your strokes smoother. His knees almost give way at seeing your pretty mouth so close to his dick, and he has to grab onto the cubicle wall to steady himself.

“Y/N…” His voice shakes as he speaks your name. Your hand moving across his shaft seems too good to be true, and he wants so much for you to take him into your mouth or even let him press in between your legs. But he certainly can’t deny that being touched this way is ridiculously good, too. You only concentrate on his dick for a little while, but your eyes soon venture up to his face, with his bangs sticking to his forehead from sweat.

“Do you like that?”

“I-I do. So much.”

“So easily satisfied, aren’t you…” you murmur, not really caring if he replies or not. You grip him a little more tightly, and he can hardly stop the whimper that results from it. “What do you do when you’re at home? Nevermind—I bet you hug your pillow and jack yourself off thinking it’s me. How embarrassing, Doyoung.”

You continue on, stroking him faster all the while. “Seriously, when’s the last time you had a warm body? You’re so sensitive.” You slide your thumb over the slit of his cock, and he reacts by pushing his hips closer to you and moaning loudly. There’s no one left on this floor but you two, so he isn’t too afraid of being vocal here. “Don’t tell me you’ve been holding out for me. Maybe I‘ll let you fuck me someday, though...you seem like the kind of man who knows what to do with a wet pussy, don’t you?”

You can guess when he’s about to come from his increasingly loud moans and how he has to hold your shoulder to keep himself upright. When Doyoung finally climaxes, you angle his dick so his cum splashes all over his shirt and suit jacket. You don’t stop stroking him until he whines out loud and nudges your hand away from his overstimulated cock. Some of his cum has dripped on your hand, too, and you wipe that on his pants. Lucky for you—and not so lucky for him—he‘s wearing light gray today.

It takes him a minute to recover from his orgasm, and you watch him with a devious smile as he regains his senses. You’re even more delighted when he looks down and sees the mess he’s made of himself.

“Y/N, my clothes…” You’re already standing up from the desk and pulling your underwear back on, along with your coat and shoes.

“That’s too bad, isn’t it? Gonna stain, too. You’ll have to walk out of here like that, and let’s not forget how you always take the subway on Fridays to save gas money.” Once you’ve tidied yourself back up, you give him another pitiful look. “Well, see you at work on Monday, okay?”

Doyoung can only watch your retreating figure as you walk to the elevator and get on, giving him one last amused wave before disappearing to the ground floor.

Perhaps the wildest part of it all, despite his soiled clothes and the night of work still ahead of him, is that he’d do it all over again if you asked.

221 notes · View notes

46inpm · 4 years

Text

MLQC Housemates Going on a Disney Cruise

I want more chaos!! Also I’ve had my fair share of Disney cruises

The pandemic made our Disney cruise get cancelled so I’m sad😶

Part 1

Victor - Red, Lucien - Purple, Gavin - Blue, Kiro - Orange, Shaw - Green, MC (You) - Pink

There’s a good time every year where everyone got a chance off work so you guys decide on a vacation

When searching through places you discovered cruises and Disney was the best to go on

Kiro and you made a PowerPoint to get everyone on board

“If we go on a Disney Cruise not only will it suit all are likes but there’s bonuses that other cruises don’t have. For example, their private island, Castaway Cay.”

“Their food is top notch. You won’t eat the same food twice since there’s different places to get food. For dinner we rotate restaurants with high quality dinner and dessert.”

Gavin and Lucien were easily convinced and Shaw didn’t mind as long as he wasn’t bored

It was mostly to convince Victor since he wasn’t the biggest Disney fan but once Kiro showed him the adult lounges and food, he’s on board

Their destination would be tropical like Jamaica and Cozumel

Everyone packed and made sure that they checked everything off the list

Victor had to practical pack for Kiro since he was forgetting EVERYTHING and remind you

They flew to one of the ports a few days before boarding and had fun

For some reason Victor woke everyone up at 3 in the damn morning at the hotel

“We’re going to be late.”

“We don’t board until five hours.”

“That’s my point.”

Kiro and you were amazed at how big the ship is when driving towards it like little kids

When you boarded the ship, lines of employees announced a welcome to the...Li Family? Victor registered everyone as his family

Lucien took photos of everyone as you waited for them to let you to your rooms

When going to your separate rooms next to eachother you couldn’t help but put magnets on other’s doors

You decorated yours with princesses, Kiro had all his favorite characters, Gavin had a sky and ocean theme, Shaw was rock and roll with a few characters, Lucien was the most aesthetically pleasing

Everyone’s door had a different mickey logo with your names

As annoying idiots you put a whole bunch of magnets on Victor’s door because he didn’t want to put anything on it...let’s just say that only the door handle and room number was visible

It took him awhile to take off the ones he didn’t like and you couldn’t help but burst out laughing

The send off party was a blast Shaw was enjoying the music, Gavin and Kiro were dancing with you, Lucien was watching the ship move, and Victor was drinking some alcohol

Dinnertime was awesome as your servers were amazing at what they did and the food was to die for that even Victor was highly impressed

A bunch of girls kept coming over to your guy’s table to ask Kiro for a photo or an autograph which he didn’t mind but a table of hot men did get a lot of attention

At destinations Lucien made sure that Victor didn’t jam pack the schedule which caused a lot of tension between the two

The beaches were fun but a lot of women kept trying to cuddle close to the guys who just weren’t interested (I mean a group of abs🤤)

Lucien and Gavin shown that they did their research as they would give fun facts on a few places mostly to impress you

When you went on tours you would sleep on one of their shoulders back to the ship because the heat and walking was terrible

“You better not do anything to her while he’s asleep.”

“Geez, you’re such a stick in the mud. Why would I do something on a bus full of families?”

Fun fact you almost didn’t make it to the ship in time due to the guys mistaking a girl who was already on the bus instead of you

Kiro was freaking out, Shaw was like “dang”, Lucien believed you would make it back in time, Victor had to stop Gavin from flying off the boat to find you because a whole bunch of people will see him

There was so many activities that you split your time between each boy like bingo, trivia, cooking class, character meets, comedy shows, baby races, golfing contest

Gavin, Shaw, Kiro went on the slides on top deck while Lucien and you watched a movie on the big screen near the pool

Took a while for Victor to join everyone from the adult pool since he won’t admit it but it was boring and he was lonely

Each night was a different dress up so everyone dressed their best for professional photos

When everyone dressed in their suits and dresses, all moms and dads couldn’t help but look in envy at your gorgeous, handsome bodies

For pirate night you ate dinner in your costumes but Victor, who may not say, was a little bit embarrassed as almost the entire restaurant were already dressed up

The party on deck was a whole lot of fun with the show and the fire works

Gavin liked pointing out which one you should look at while Shaw was hammering down on the alcohol, Kiro was telling Lucien the time he was in a pirate show

“MC, look at that one to the left. Looks like the sun.”

“The sky is full of colors. It’s funny because I tried looked at the water and I couldn’t see anything.”

“A few months ago I stared on this short special called ‘Sailing Forward’. Maybe in the future I can be on a Disney show or movie!”

“I remember watching it with everyone. You were quite convincing for the character you played.”

“Shaw, stop drinking. You’re going to look indecent infront of little kids.”

“You can’t stop me, old man. I’m getting as much as I can.”

You all huddled together to watch the colorful sky in the night with nothing but water surrounding you

At Castaway Cay everyone snorkeled with Lucien taking photos underwater as you looked at the fishes and sunken statues

Victor would probably be in the adult side of the island for awhile until he gets lonely is just sitting around while the others are sliding down a water slide

Gavin leads the way when you bike around the island and Kiro even fell from his bike but wasn’t even bothered

You guys are booked for a group spa treatment and it is heavenly to hear the waves

Kiro cries when he has to say goodbye to the staff and the characters

They all asked to take a group photo with him since they obviously know he’s a huge celebrity

You guys brought home an album worth of photos even though Victor didn’t think it was needed

“Digital copies aren’t enough! We should put this in the living room.”

“Fine, whatever you say. At least I got some photos of you and the others being dummies.”

101 notes · View notes

tirkdi · 3 years

Note

Will you continue your stupid-amazing hospital alarkling au?

Let it never be said that just because I’ve let an ask sit for years means it won’t be fulfilled. Chapter 1 is here, this is chapter 2, and it’s still half crack, so let’s not take any of it too seriously, shall we?

Alina had just finished buttoning up her white coat when she saw Dr. Morozova striding down the hallway, his long legs devouring the linoleum at a distressing pace.

“How was your weekend?” she asked as she fell into step beside him, her own legs doing double time to keep up. He held out a stack of folders and she instinctively reached out to take them.

“My weekend was good,” she continued, having known from the beginning that she was going to have to do the conversational heavy lifting. “A friend of mine had a birthday party and my schedule actually allowed me to attend, which was a pleasant – what are these?” The files she held were all for surgeries that they’d done over the past couple months: nothing new, nothing to prepare.

They turned a sharp corner past pediatrics before her mentor replied. “We’re presenting at a conference this week.”

“We? Presenting? This week?” Alina couldn’t manage to put all her thoughts into a question and he closed his eyes briefly in disappointment.

“We’ll be giving a presentation at the annual surgical conference. I’ve already made the arrangements. Put together the PowerPoint this evening and I’ll review it in the morning.”

“PowerPoint?”

“Keynote is fine if you prefer.”

“Oh, great. Yeah. That was my question.”

She let him walk towards the office before propping the files between her hip and the wall to allow her to fish out her phone, scrolling through her list of contacts. Who might she know that makes presentations? She didn’t have a huge repertoire of people to choose from, so it really came down to probably not a costume designer, probably yes a lawyer.

do you know how to make a power point? Alina tapped out.

o m g starkov, Zoya texted back.

could you help me make one this evening? it’s important.

do you have ANY idea what I bill at?

I’ll provide pizza and wine, Alina offered.

and ice cream, Zoya countered.

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!! Alina exhaled and shifted the files back into her arms. Zoya’s reply was a painting nails emoji followed by a hair flip emoji followed by a middle finger.

Perfect. She could get this done tonight.

Zoya tapped on Alina’s laptop for a minute while Alina perched nervously beside her. “You have PowerPoint installed, so that’s a good start,” the lawyer muttered. Her hair was pulled behind her ears so that her hair fell in black curls down her back, and her makeup looked as flawless as it must have first thing in the morning. Not to mention the diamonds in her ears – whatever Zoya was having, Alina wanted it.

“When is the pizza coming?” Zoya asked.

“Half an hour. Wine in the meantime?”

Zoya snorted, a you-have-to-ask response that Alina had become familiar with during their time as roommates in college. She returned with a glass of Zoya’s favorite pinot and saw that the screen of her computer was an empty white page.

“Alright,” Zoya began. “Let’s get an outline down, then we can go back and fill in what you’ll actually be saying.”

They had an outline by the time the pizza arrived. Zoya took a slice and pulled up the first slide. “You have some kind of visual you want on this?”

Alina rummaged through the file, pulled out a photo. “This is a pretty good demonstration of the issue we ran into in the surgery–”

She was interrupted by Zoya gagging to the far side of the screen. Once she had recovered, she took a long drink from her wine glass and cut a glance back to Alina, who smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, I sometimes forget what it looks like to people who aren’t surgeons.”

Zoya took another drink of wine, set it down, and looked at her friend. “You owe me so much more than pizza and wine for this.”

“That’s the spirit,” Alina replied.

Alina forgot the hospital doors were automatic and nearly fell through them the next morning. She caught herself before she fell – barely – and when she looked up Dr. Morozova was standing there, watching her impassively.

Of course. Of course he would be there.

“The presentation looks good.”

Alina rubbed her face. She and a grumbling Zoya had worked on it until the early hours of the morning – she’d sent it to him not so many hours ago, in fact. “Oh. Great.”

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning at seven.”

“Um. Tomorrow?”

He didn’t acknowledge her response. “It’s just one night, so no need to pack too much.”

“Overnight?”

He glanced at her. “It’s a couple hours from here. I’ve booked us rooms. Be ready tomorrow at seven.”

Alina watched him walk off, looked down at the floor. The linoleum didn’t seem to be any help. A two hour drive with her supervisor, an overnight stay at a conference, and a presentation? You can do this, Starkov. “Cool,” she said, once he’d walked off. “Cool, cool, cool. Cool.”

At exactly seven o’clock the next morning an impossibly nice car pulled up outside of Alina’s apartment building. She didn’t know anything about cars, but it was black, had tinted windows, and looked like it was worth more than her student debt — which was saying something.

A few moments later, the window closest to her rolled down revealing Dr. Morozova, one eyebrow raised. “Are you planning on getting in?”

“Uh.” Alina looked down at her hands, wondered if she should be wearing gloves if she was going to touch the car. But she also didn’t want to keep him waiting … Just play it cool. “Yeah,” she said. Smooth, Starkov.

The door handle didn’t disintegrate under her touch and she put her bag between her feet as she settled into the passenger side. No sooner had her seatbelt clicked than he began to drive, the ride butter-smooth beneath her. Oh, this is why people spend a crazy amount of money on cars. He shifted gears and she looked out at the tinted scenery as he lead them towards the highway.

He hadn’t said anything since she got in the car. “So,” she said, cringing even as the words left her mouth, “you go to this conference often?” At least she hadn’t asked him if he drove his own car often.

“Annually.”

Another couple minutes passed in silence. She was going to have to do all the prompting, as usual, but being alone with him in a car for two hours meant that maybe she could get to know him a little better. She cast a glance his way but his eyes were on the road ahead. “Do you have any family?” she asked.

“Everyone has a family.”

She stifled a sigh. “Siblings?”

“One.”

“Brother? Sister? Older? Younger?” He didn’t confirm any of those. “Non-binary twin?”

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye before turning his attention back to the road. He signaled, switched lanes. “Sister. Younger.”

Alina looked at him, trying to imagine what his features would look like on a woman. She would probably be the most stunning woman in the world. Either that or scary as hell. “Are you close?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Why are you asking?”

“I’m just trying to make conversation.”

“Would you like me to ask about your family?”

The blow, whether or not it was intended as such, landed hard. Alina looked out the window at the scenery, fighting the lump in her throat.

The silence turned out to be a blessing, though; with the car’s smooth handling, Alina fell asleep quickly.

“We’re here.” She jerked awake, rubbing saliva off of her face, wondering if Dr. Morozova had seen her drooling. “I checked us in remotely; your room key should have been sent to your phone. I’m room 416 and you’re 485.”

He opened the trunk and pulled out a small suitcase. Black, obviously. Alina shouldered her own overnight bag. “Go put your stuff down,” he said. “I’ll meet you in the lobby in fifteen minutes.”

There were a lot more people at the conference than Alina had anticipated. It was possible that there were no surgeries happening anywhere across the United States and several other countries right now, because everyone who would have been performing them was in this room. It would have felt crowded in any case, but in this case in particular the attendees were all surgeons — the egos pressing together were almost suffocating.

Or maybe it was the fact that she was standing in front of all these people as Dr. Morozova gave the presentation she’d put together that made her so uncomfortable. All these people could see her. At least she didn’t have to speak.

“And this last surgery was performed by my intern, Dr. Starkov. I’ll let her explain.”

He handed her the microphone and the tiny clicker to change the slide, and Alina straight up panicked. Her palms started to sweat. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

I will not scream. I will not scream. I will not scream.

The audience was looking at her — patient, expectant. They believed she had something important to share. All because of the surgeon everyone here was listening to — because he believed she had something important to share.

She cleared her throat and forced herself to begin to explain the procedure. Once she started, she found she had a lot to say.

Once she started, she did great.

Twenty minutes into the happy hour, Dr. Morozova materialized at her side. “I’m going back to my room.”

“As keynote speakers tend to do when there are literal crowds of people wanting their time.” When he’d made his way over, he’d pulled a bubble of people with him, several of whom did not look like they were hoping to spend their time with him discussing surgery. “Too tired of having room keys thrown at you?”

The look he cut her reminded her of a particular type of incision that required a lot of stitches. “Nothing good happens in a room full of drunk surgeons. I advise you not to stay too long, either.”

A drink and a half later, Alina was starting to suspect he was right. “You’re Dr. Morozova’s resident?” a petite woman in heavy glasses was asking her. “Wow.”

“Lucky you,” the man next to her added.

“He’s been an incredible teacher,” Alina agreed.

“Among other things, I’m guessing.” The woman raised her eyebrows at Alina.

Alina’s mind blanked out. “What?”

“I mean … ” She looked at the man next to her who gave an encouraging nod. “All that anatomy, the long nights on call …” Her look was unmistakably suggestive and Alina finally got it.

“Oh, no,” she said. “Nope. That is not a thing that is happening.” She put down her drink. “I actually think I’m going to go now.”

“Makes sense.” The woman winked at her. “Have fun.”

“I am not sleeping with my attending.”

The man and woman looked at each other and shrugged. “If not you, I wonder who he’s with now?”

“Who he’s — he’s not —” Alina left the thought unfinished. Dr. Morozova’s sex life had never crossed her mind; sure, he was absurdly good looking, but he was her mentor. And for whatever reason, she didn’t picture him coming to a conference to sleep around.

But … did he? Were they right?

“I’m going to make this an early night,” Alina said.

“Well, ‘suture’ self,” the man replied as she walked away. He and the woman beside him both laughed hilariously.

The fourth floor hallway was quiet, and she was starting to feel a little more like herself. She passed room 416, and then she stopped. She couldn’t help herself; she walked backwards a few feet to the door and knocked.

He didn’t answer. Of course he didn’t answer. He must be out with one of those surgeons she’d seen him with earlier, or maybe out with a few of them. Alina was almost relieved; if he wasn’t here, if he was seeing people, then she didn’t have to make herself think about —

The door opened. “Can I help you?” Dr. Morozova asked.

Alina’s blush was fast and furious. She hoped he would assume it was from the alcohol. “Um. No. Nope!” she said. “I was just … checking?”

“Checking?”

“To see if you needed anything. Make sure you’re good to go. I was going to get some coffee.”

He leaned in closer to her and her heart sped up. What the heck? Why would it do that? It must be left over adrenaline from the speech, Alina told herself, well-aware that that was not how adrenaline worked.

“I don’t need coffee.”

“Great! Me neither.” What was happening? “Okie dokie, see you tomorrow.”

He squinted at her. “Are you alright?”

“You betcha.” She did little finger guns. This maybe she could blame on the alcohol, because even she wasn’t usually that bad. “See you later.”

She walked back to her room, and by the time she made it all the way down the hall, she’d pulled it together. She was his resident, that was it. She’d focus on learning everything from him that she could.

After a day of attending presentations, poster sessions, and eating terrible conference-center food, Alina was once again seated in the passenger seat beside her instructor, this time heading home. She was determined to not make it awkward.

“Why do you go to this conference every year?” she asked. “Just to speak?”

“Speaking is one reason.” He changed lanes. “I also come to learn.”

“You learned something at this conference?”

“I always do.” He glanced at her disbelief. “The day you stop learning is the day you die.”

“I don’t … ” Alina paused. “I mean, I haven’t been a doctor for as long as you have, but I’m pretty sure that’s not true.”

“Perhaps not.”

They passed a couple towns before he spoke again. “Have you thought about who you’d like to work with next year?”

The intern program at this hospital was two years long, and each year was with a different mentor. It shocked her to realize she was over halfway through her time with Dr. Morozova. She found she desperately didn’t want it to end, and his expertise was only half of the reason.

Oh, yipes. Where had that thought come from?

She coughed to stall for time. “Ummmm … I was thinking of maybe going for more of a specialty next year. Oral surgery?”

He gave a hum that was as smooth as the road beneath the car. “You could try it. I don’t think you’d like it.”

“Why?”

“Because I didn’t.”

The thought of him thinking them similar enough that their likes would overlap was interrupted by panic at what she at first feared was a medical emergency. It took her a few minutes to realize the weird way her heart was beating wasn’t anything like that.

They rode the rest of the way in silence.

The week after the conference had been a busy one at the hospital, and Alina had managed to avoid Dr. Morozova without making it obvious she was doing so. At least, she hoped it hadn’t been obvious.

There was a lot she needed to work out for herself – why did thinking of him increase the temperature of her internal organs? And, maybe more importantly: what could she do about it?

If she was interested in Dr. Morozova in any sort of romantic way — which she totally, totally, was not, because a) that would be a terrible idea and b) getting involved with a higher-ranking surgeon, let alone one who was managing her, was highly-unethical-if-not-strictly-prohibited — she would run into problem c): the odds that he would be interested in her as well.

A face like his would have plenty of people to choose from, if he ever left the hospital. Probably even if he didn’t.

Whatever. She couldn’t put off talking to him any longer. She exhaled and knocked on his door.

“Come in.”

He was bent over papers at his desk and she got to observe him as he read. The planes of his face, the set of his shoulders —

“Well?”

In her observation she had failed to notice he was looking up at her. Very cool, Alina. So cool. “Oh, um, I … had a question for you.” He kept looking at her in a way that made her want to cringe and somehow now also made her want to start taking her clothes off. She shut down that animal part of her brain and soldiered on.

She cleared her throat. “I have a shift next Tuesday, and my usual backup isn’t available. I’ve been having a hard time finding anyone who could take over if I’m in a surgery and something happens so I was wondering … if you could be … if I could put you down to be the one they call. Just backup.”

He stared at her hard for a few seconds, then slumped back in his chair. “Fine,” he said. “Make me your fill-in.”

Alina barely managed to not squeal her “thank you.” She was halfway to the door when he called after her. “Take that folder before you go.”

The folder was sitting on a shelf just at her chest level. “Study those tonight. Surgery tomorrow,” her mentor said.

She opened it and found a thick stack of case notes. She looked back at him and smiled. “They just happened to be sitting here?”

“I had a feeling you might come around,” he replied, making her wonder just how much of what was going on in her head he was able to see. She could have sworn there was something in his expression that she’d never seen before, though she couldn’t quite figure out what it was.

“Nice to see you again, Alina.”

#alarkling #darklina #shadow and bone trilogy #aleksander morozova #alina starkov #zoya nazyalensky #the grisha trilogy #grisha crack #I do not apologize for the terrible terrible puns #or the lack of knowledge about medical school #it's for the best really

28 notes · View notes

i-like-5sos · 3 years

Text

No Idea [Malum Fic]

PAIRING: Calum Hood x Michael Clifford

WORD COUNT: 6428

WARNINGS: Drinking, swearing, and just some angst

SUMMARY: After moving across the country to escape the heartache that high school brings and to begin his first year at University, Michael finds himself face to face with the very person that caused his heartbreak: Calum Hood.

A/N: This was made specifically for Mandie for The Club Fic Gift Exchange ! It’s been a hot minute since I’ve written any mxm BUT I’ve missed it and can’t wait to start writing more (if you have any suggestions on how to improve please send them my way, I’ll take all the help I can get).

Fifteen minutes late. I’m fifteen minutes late to my first class as a University student. Great.

I burst out through the doors of the residency building, almost crashing into some blonde girl who’s face leaves my memory as quickly as it entered, and run as fast as I can across the campus to The Arts building. Thankfully I listened to Mom’s advice and looked up a map of the school last night or I’d be fucked right now. Musical Theory. Monday, 8AM. Room 102: Arts Building. I check the room number on my schedule twice before taking a deep breath and opening the door to my classroom.

The door opens to the back of the room and multiple heads spin around to face me. I can feel my face getting hot as I try to disappear into myself and search for a place to sit down. As to be expected, almost every table in the room is full and there’s nowhere to sit… Unless I want to join one of the tables of three and converse in small talk with a group of people that obviously don’t want me to sit with them- and let’s be clear; I don’t want to do that.

I almost settle for a table with two girls seated at it, but then notice the table in the front of the room with only one person there. Thank god. I head toward the dark-haired boy at the table and quietly sit across from him. He doesn’t react as I sit down, his head buried in his folded arms on the table.

I would normally never be caught dead at the front of the room, but here I am, sitting so close to the professor that I can smell his cheap cologne, having to share a table with some random guy who is probably going to hate me for ruining his table of solitude.

As the class continues, I do my best to follow along with the PowerPoint slides on my screen while also trying to focus on what the professor is saying at the front of the room, but I can’t help but glance over to the brunette across from me every chance I get. His head hasn’t left his arms since I’ve sat down, and I’m pretty sure he’s asleep… Maybe I should wake him up. Maybe he’s dead. I begin to picture what would happen if my classmate had died sitting across from me. Would I have to talk to the police? Would I be a suspect? Am I obligated to go to his funeral and give a speech? What would I even say? What if-

“You will have two months to complete this project and it will be worth thirty percent of your final grade. Get to work.”

I turn to face the Professor, and I realize that I may have zoned out for the entire explanation of a project that’s worth almost a third of my final grade… awesome.

Letting out a sigh, I turn back to read through the notes on my screen and, of course, none of them have anything to do with a huge project. There is no way I am going to ask the professor to repeat everything he’d just said.

As my classmates begin to talk amongst themselves about the project that I know nothing about, I glance over to the boy across from me that may or may not be dead and decide that now’s a good a time as any to find out.

“Hey” I say quietly.

No response.

I repeat myself a little louder, “Hey… Uh, my name’s Michael.”

No response again.

“Dude, seriously?” I huff, before picking up my biggest textbook and dropping it onto the table.

It worked! His head shoots up and I notice the headphones in his ears. That explains a lot. I also notice that the boy I’ve been watching all morning sitting across from me is the same boy I’d spent the majority of my high school years watching from across the room. Calum Hood. I haven’t seen him since our high school graduation last June, but he looks about the same. Same dark hair, same brown eyes, same three moles on his cheek, same annoyed and confused look on his face- oh no wait that’s new.

“Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” He glares at me as he rips the headphones out of his ears.

“I thought you were dead or asleep or something.” I shrug before changing the topic, “I didn’t know you got accepted here.”

“Well, obviously I’m not dead, and if I was sleeping, that was a cruel way to get me to wake up... Remind me never to have you actually wake me up.” He places his headphones into his backpack before continuing. “And um, yeah, I was torn between a few different universities but settled on the one farthest from home… Looks like you did the same?”

I nod and chuckle softly. “Yeah. Fuck that place.”

“How pop punk of you.” He laughs, and it brings me back to being fifteen and pathetically swooning over that very sound, never being the one to have caused it. If only fifteen-year-old me could see me now.

Grounding myself, I quickly try to think of something that isn’t completely embarrassing, and remember the mysterious project that I know mothing about.

“So… did you catch anything the prof was saying about this project worth thirty percent of our grade… cause I might have zoned out the whole time...”

He looks confused for a moment, before directing his attention to his laptop.

“I can’t blame you for not paying attention. Five minutes into his lecture I stopped listening to him and started listing to my music instead. Figured I could just read the Power Point later tonight.” He types something before continuing, “I looked through the material on the class page before the lecture started and I think I saw something about a group project that was worth thirty percent… let me just… Okay yeah, here it is.” He turns his laptop to face me, pointing at the assignment on the screen and showing me how her got there.

I quickly follow his instructions to the page and begin reading about the assignment. It’s a group project for 2-3 people about how emotions and feelings are portrayed through song. We’re all supposed to draw an emotion from the professor -that explains why people keep getting up to talk to him- and write an essay about a song that has made us feel this way. Once we finish our essays, we’re supposed to go back to our partners and make a playlist of 25 songs that combines each the emotions we were individually assigned and talk about how easily these emotions can be portrayed in music. Seems simple enough… Except for the whole partner part.

I look up from my computer screen, and before I can talk myself out of it, I ask Calum if he’d like to partner up for the project. To my surprise, he agrees and before I know it, I’m looking down at the paper I had pulled out of the tin can on my professor’s desk. Longing. What kind of lame-ass emotion is longing? I sit back down at our table and show Calum my paper.

“Longing? That’s going to be so easy to write about! And it’ll go great with love. This is going to be a piece of cake.” He enthusiastically, typing away on his laptop.

“You got love? Are you kidding me? That’s such bullshit. Every song is about love… or sex… or drugs, and I don’t think sex or drugs are emotions… so like that’s not fair.” I look back at my small slip of paper, “How am I even supposed to write about longing?”

He breaks away from his typing long enough to look at me, “Longing is so easy to write about. Haven’t you ever wanted something you couldn’t have? Or missed someone or something like that?”

“I don’t know… maybe.” I pause for a moment, “I don’t know.”

He looks back to his screen and continues to type. “Okay, I looked up the word longing and it says here that ‘Longing is mainly a blend of the primary emotions of love or happiness and sadness or depression’. So there. You can focus on one of those four. It’s not that hard, Michael.”

Hearing Calum say my name takes me back for another brief moment. Even though we went to the same school for four years, I never really knew if he had known my name or not… we never really talked or hung out in the same crowds, so I figured it was safe to assume he didn’t even know I existed.

He shakes his head and looks at his screen again as I try to avoid the thoughts of how smooth my name rolled off his tongue that are currently running wild in my head, to focus on what he had said about the different ways longing could be portrayed and experienced.

Just as I begin to reflect on the last few years of my life for a moment that could stand out as ‘experiencing longing’, I’m interrupted by the sounds of my classmates packing up their belongings. I look to my left and notice Calum suddenly standing next to me.

“Here,” he says, handing me a sticky note with a phone number on it. “text me so we can meet up to work on the project.”

“I uh- thanks.” I stumble over my words as I take the paper from him and stick it to the inside of my laptop.

When I turn back to Calum, he’s already on his way to the door. I quickly pack up my books and pause for a moment to look at the sticky note before shutting my laptop, ignoring the heat on my face and the feeling in my stomach.

. . .

I feel like I may have stepped into an alternate dimension when I entered that classroom two weeks ago, because I’ve somehow found myself in the Calum Hood’s dorm room. By choice. His choice. Who would have thought?

To be honest, I’m kind of surprised at how easily we get along. We both have the same taste in music, the same sense of humor, and the same hobbies. Who knew we were so similar? Had we actually spoken to one another in high school, there would have been no stopping a friendship from forming.

Since texting him the day after our class, we’ve pretty much been inseparable. So, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that I’m hanging out with Calum in his dorm room… but I kind of am.

“Okay seriously, Calum. How do you already have four pages written out for your essay?” I ask, scrolling through the Word document open on his laptop.

“It’s like you said, love is easy to write about… You know what else is easy to write about?” He spins around on his desk chair, taking a break from his game to face me. “Longing. Have you even started your essay, or were you just planning on taking me down with you when you flunk out?”

I set the laptop down next to me on his bed. “The only one flunking out here is your team in Fifa.”

“That was a shit insult and you know it.”

“You’re a shit insult.”

He shakes his head and laughs. “Mate, for real. Do you need help writing your part?”

“No. I told you, I’ll be fine. I just need some inspiration… Which is what I should have gotten from your essay but the whole damn thing is about your family. It is so boring! Where’s the drama? Weren’t you a ladies’ man in high school? Where’s that Calum?”

With his eyebrows raised he looks taken aback for a moment and bursts out laughing.

“Did you seriously just call fourteen-year-old me a ‘ladies’ man’?” He asks, making air quotes at the last part.

I shrug and he continues laughing.

“Okay fine, you have a point. But like... what even is longing?”

His laughter softens and he rolls his eyes, smiling at me.

“Do you need me to pull up the definition again?”

“Fuck off.” I huff.

“Okay, fine… What about like, leaving town to come here. Didn’t you miss your girlfriend? Or your friends? Or maybe your family?”

“Girlfriend?” I laugh loudly. There’s no way he’s serious right now… “No. Absolutely no girlfriend. As for my family? I honestly couldn’t be happier to be on my own and out of the house... Also, it’s kind of hard to miss your friends when facetime exists.” I lay back on his bed and prop myself up with my elbow. “What else ya got?”

“Okay lone wolf… what about uh… okay I’ve got it. What about longing for like… touch, or affection, or love, or… fucking I don’t know, food?”

“Yeah, cause I’ll definitely get an A writing my essay about craving a Big Mac. Maybe I can get extra credit if I bring one in.”

He glares at me and rolls his eyes again before shaking his head and turning around to focus his attention back to his game. I drop my head onto his pillow and sigh. Watching him play, my mind wanders as I being to think about his words. Touch. Affection. Love. My heart aches for the poor fifteen-year-old boy I once was, longing for those exact things for over a year and never getting them. I remember the emotional shut down I forced myself to do to move on from the brown-eyed boy that occupied my mind daily. I sigh deeply, taking in the musky scent of the room around me, and as much as I don’t want to admit it, I finally know what I’ll be writing about.

. . .

“Are you sure you know where this party is? I’m pretty sure we’re lost.”

“Well, I’m pretty sure they said it’s in this neighborhood… there should be a street coming up soon that starts with an S… or maybe it was a B. Whatever. We’ll start to see people on the street sooner or later and follow the noise to the right house.”

Calum and I continue to walk aimlessly down the suburban streets with houses that all look the same, in search for a party that I’m not even sure exists at this point.

“You’d think, for someone that probably went to every high school party, you’d know to write down an address when it’s given to you.” I grumble as my feet begin to ache.

“You know, you make a lot of assumptions about what I was like in high school. Weren’t you ever told not to assume?” He says, bumping his shoulder against mine.

“You’re really going to tell me that you never went to any parties in high school? I seriously doubt that.”

“Okay… Well, yeah I went to some parties. Didn’t everyone though?”

“What? No.” I scoff. “Dude, not everyone was invited to parties like Mr. Cool Guy over here.”

“Am I supposed to be Mr. Cool Guy? That’s a laugh.”

“Mate. Just admit it. You were one of the cool kids and you know it.” I bump my shoulder back against his.

“Was not.”

“You were to! Everyone knew who you were. Everyone wanted to either date you or be you. You can’t be that oblivious.” I kick a small pebble as we cross yet another unidentifiable street.

“Date me or be me huh? Did you want to be me?”

Fucking hell. Why am I still allowed to have the ability to speak without a filter?

“No.” I focus my gaze on the cracks in the sidewalk, making sure to avoid any possible eye contact.

It’s quiet for a moment as a car drives past us, filling the silence before Calum speaks again.

“Well, you obviously didn’t want to date me. So, your theory is clearly wrong.”

I walk beside him silently as I debate whether to admitting to the fact that I had the biggest crush on him for over a year when we were younger.

“See, I’m right.”

“I did though.” I choke out before I’m able to stop myself. Fuck.

“What?” He stops walking.

Well, this was fun while it lasted… I wonder if our professor will still let me join another group, seeing as Calum isn’t going to want to talk to me ever again.

May as well finish the job then.

“I did want to date you.” I confess softly as I stop in front of him, keeping my eyes on the ground.

“You’re not... gay though.”

I- What? He’s got to be kidding me right now. I’m pretty sure everyone in high school knew I was gay. Hell, I came out to my parents in the fifth grade.

“Are you fucking with me? Calum.” I finally gain the courage to meet my eyes with his and see him shaking his head. “I’m gay as fuck. Always have been.”

“No way. What about Jessica Hunter?”

We’re awkwardly standing in the middle of the sidewalk and I’m completely over-aware of the man walking his dog across the street as Calum continues to stare at me with a dumbstruck look on his face. Well, at least he hasn’t left yet.

“What about Jessica? She and I hang out from time to time and listen to music together. We’re friends.” Oh god. “Wait- are you thinking that her and I? Oh god. Never.” I shake my head to try and get that image out of it.

“No no... She was in love with you! The way she always talked about you, hung around you, and hung off you… You went to Prom together! You were the reason I never even had a chance with her. I spent so many hours thinking about you and why she chose you over me and I…” he tampers off and continues to look utterly confused.

Am I being Punked right now? There must be a hidden camera somewhere. This can’t be real.

“No Calum. Oh my god. Mate. Jessica and I were always together talking about you. She didn’t want me. She wanted you… We both did. We only went to Prom together cause she was still hung up on you and didn’t have the guts to ask you herself. Plus, you did that whole stag Prom thing with Timothy Anderson anyway.”

He continues to stand there, trying to piece together the story he had so wrongly created around himself.

“So… You’re gay.”

“Yup.”

“And you actually used to … like me?”

“Yup”

“And Jessica-“

“Never had a chance with me. Because I’m gay and she had the hots for you anyway… Are we all caught up? Can we please keep walking? I’m getting cold.”

“Man, did I have this whole thing wrong or what…” He shakes his head and starts walking again.

We continue heading to the party that totally doesn’t exist and get about half a block away from where we had previously stopped before Calum stops walking again.

“Dude! Seriously?” I sigh deeply and stop a few feet in front of him.

“You don’t uh… still have feeling for me or anything. Do you?”

“Yes Calum. I’m completely head over heels for you and plan to propose to you when we get to the party in front of everyone.” His mouth drops and I roll my eyes. “Fuck off. No. Cal, I don’t still have feelings for you. That was years ago. Now can we please keep walking? I’m going to fucking die of hypothermia.”

“Okay… you’re right. Sorry.” He mutters, clearly embarrassed and continues to walk again.

At least I’m not the only one that’s embarrassed.

We walk silently for a few minutes and I feel his fingertips brush against mine and my heart flutters softly. Shit.

. . .

“Are you even listening to me Mike?”

I look up from my phone to see Calum glaring at me. He burst into my dorm room about 45 minutes ago insisting we practice our presentation for the millionth time since he finished his essay. Of course, mine’s not finished yet, but at least I have something to write about now. But, without mine to practice, he’s just been reading his on a loop – I personally think he’s trying to annoy me to death. Jokes on him though, he’s got a nice voice.

“I can only hear your essay so many times before my brain starts to block it out to preserve my sanity.”

“You wouldn’t have to hear it so much if we had something else to practice… like, I don’t know- maybe your easy perhaps?”

How subtle. Ever since he finished his essay (overachiever much?), he’s been on my ass about mine. Even if I actually had it finished, there’s no way in Hell I’ll be letting him see this – let alone hear me read it out loud – until I have to.

“Dude. I’ve told you like eighty times now. I hate presenting stuff. I’m not doing it any more than I have to. Being in front of everyone, having them all stare at me- judging me? Fuck that. Once is enough. I don’t need you judging me too.”

“You honestly think I’m going to judge you? I don’t buy it. You’re Michael Clifford. You don’t give a shit about what other people think about you.”

I can’t help but laugh out loud. If only he knew.

“Well, when I’m putting myself out there in front of a whole room of people then yeah, I’m going to give a shit about what they think.”

“Putting yourself out there? Mate, it’s an essay. You sure you’re not just making up excuses to cover up the fact that you haven’t started writing it yet?”

Calum runs his finger through his hair, and I try not to stare. Why did he have to come to my school again, be in my class again, make my heart ache again. I feel like this time is worse. Being this close, not being able to touch him in the ways I want. Is this some horrible karma for complaining about longing? I shake my head at the joke that I call my love life and push past it like I always do.

“Maybe, but I guess you’ll have to wait and see.”

He throws a pillow at me and tells me to shut up before beginning to read his presentation yet again.

. . .

As I approach Calum’s door, I look down at the folded mess of papers in my hands and decide to quickly shove them into my backpack to make sure he doesn’t try to take them and read my shitty essay beforehand.

I pull my bag off my back and drop to my knees to put the papers away. I finish zipping it up and throw it over my shoulder as I hear the door open in front of me. I look up and see an eye full of Calum’s junk. My eyes widen and I can feel my cheeks heat up as I quickly look away and stand up. I try not to look at his face and pray that my cheeks aren’t as red as they feel.

“At least buy me dinner first. Damn.” He laughs. The sound melts my worries away. Mostly.

“Fuck off. We’re going to be late.” I give him a shove and begin walking to the exit.

Walking with one another to our classes has become a part of our daily routine. Calum decided so about a month ago when he found out that I tripped and scrapped my elbow and knee open like a child while running to make it on time for one of my 8AM classes. So now he seems to think that I can’t manage walking to class by myself. I mean, I’m not complaining. I’ll take any time that I can get with him until inevitably ruin the best friendship I’ve ever had.

As we walk, Calum is -of course- rehearsing his presentation again. I sigh and think about the essay sitting in my bag and how he’s going to react to hearing it. Maybe he’ll just drop the class and ghost me. God that will hurt... Maybe I should just fake sick, or say I never finished my part of the project, or-

My spiraling thoughts are cut short by Calum opening the classroom door and I admit defeat. The two of us sit at our table still -sadly- located at the front of the room. As we sit down, I watch Calum pull out his papers and read them over as if he didn’t just prove that he’s got it memorized by reciting it on our walk over. I set up my laptop and shove my papers under it, quickly checking back to Calum to make sure he hasn’t noticed. I exhale softly and wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans before opening our Spotify playlist, preparing it for our presentation.

A dread-filed hour and a half passes as I listen to the other groups make their presentations and read through their playlists to try and distract myself.

“Group seven, you’re up.”

My blood goes cold and I feel like I can’t move. I feel Calum swiftly kick my shin under the table.

“That’s us. Get up.” He whispers

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I want to be back at home in my bed. I don’t want this. I don’t want to lose my friend. Why did I have to take this class? Why couldn’t I have been assigned anger. Why didn’t I just sit with those two girls that first day?

“Mike, it’ll be okay. I’ll be up there with you the whole time.” That’s half the problem, Calum.

I sigh deeply and open my eyes. They stay glued to the table as I pick up my laptop and the messy pile of papers underneath it. I walk slowly behind Calum to the front of the room and stop at the podium. I quickly plug my laptop into the screen behind us as he introduces the both of us to the class and begins to talk about the emotions we were assigned before launching into how they relate to one another and briefly talking about our playlist. I feel slightly reassured as he begins to recite the speech that I pretty much have memorized myself at this point. I allow myself to zone out to the sound of his voice as I wait for my cue.

“… and to me that is what love is to me. Family.”

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I rub my sweaty palms on my jeans again and pick up my papers with trembling hands. Closing my eyes again, I take another deep breath and open them once finished. Here goes everything.

“I- um- I’m Michael and I uh… I was assigned the emotion longing. When I first read the small paper and saw I had longing, I was confused and upset that my partner had such an easy emotion to talk about and I um… I had something as complex as longing…” I look over to Calum and he gives me a reassuring smile and my heart skips a beat. “Until he helped me realize that longing is pretty much the universal emotion. It branches into every emotion you can think of. It powers them and really brings the depth to them. Once I had realized this, the only issue I had was choosing which emotional experience to talk about. This itself seemed to be an impossible choice, so I’ve decided to talk about an experience that, like longing, incorporates every emotion. Heartbreak. My chosen song for this was No Idea by All Time Low. Song number…” I quickly look over at our playlist and count the sounds out to make sure I’m right before continuing, “seven on our playlist.”

I press play and I continue over the quiet music, telling the story of a young Michael who was in love with a boy that never knew he existed. A boy who broke his heart without ever even speaking to him. A boy who he was still desperately in love with, years later. A never-ending tale of longing.

Once the longest five minutes of my life had passed, I quickly unplug my laptop and hurry back to our table, avoiding eye contact with Calum the entire way back. I grab my books and shove them along with my laptop and essay into my bag. I damage my papers even more by doing so, but I could care less.

Throwing my backpack over my shoulder, I leave the room as I hear Calum call out after me. There’s no way he’ll catch up to me. Besides, my Sound Tech class was cancelled today, so even if he does manage to catch up, I won’t be there.

I finally make it back to my room without encountering Calum and I toss my bag onto my chair and dive face first into my bed to wait out the impending consequences for ambushing my best friend in the middle of a room full of people. Why did I do that. Fuck me.

. . .

Calum had been planning a party over the last few weeks to celebrate us finishing our project. I had told him time and time again that ‘finishing a project’ is the lamest reason to throw a party. But yet, here I am, in my room surrounded by the pulsating beats of music blasting down the dorm hall.

I’ve managed to avoid Calum for the past four days since the most embarrassing moment of my life. He’s tried texting and calling me too many times to count, and he even showed up to my dorm room twice. I, of course, pretended to be asleep both times.

So, I know it has to be Calum banging repeatedly on my door, throwing off the steady beats of music.

“Mike, it’s Calum. Can I come in?” I hear him shout through the door over the music.

I get up and turn the light off before returning to my desk to continue trying to focus on the game on my computer and pretending I’m not here.

“Mate! I saw you turn your light off! Michael! Open the door!”

The banging persists and my head sinks lower and lower into my shoulders. Go away. Please. I don’t want to hurt. Not tonight. Please.

“I’m not leaving! Maybe I’ll just ask one of those art kids for a sculpting knife and cut your door down! HA! You couldn’t avoid me if I did that! You wouldn’t even have a door to lock!” He slurs half of his words and it’s becoming clear that he’s drunk, and drunk Calum doesn’t quit.

I drop my head onto the desk and breathe deeply for a minute, listening to him yell at me through the door, before getting up and walking over to the sound. I pause there for a moment and prepare for the worst.

As soon as I open the door, Calum falls backwards onto my floor. How in the Hell…

“What do you want Calum? I’m busy.”

He stumbles back to his feet, swaying softly while he regains his balance in the centre of my dark room.

“You’re busy? You’re busy. That’s why you’ve been avoiding me for a week? Cause you’re busy?! Fuck off Michael.”

I say nothing as I lean against my open door, waiting for him to get this over with, so I can shut it behind him and go back to my self-loathing.

“Answer me!”

Clearly the silent treatment isn’t working here. I glance at the hallway full of people, some who have begun to stare at the two of us. I grit my teeth and shut the door, letting the darkness engulf my room, leaving only the light of my computer screen allowing us to see one another as we stand together in the center of the room.

“What the Hell do you want me to say?!”

“Well for starters, how about you tell me why the fuck you’ve been avoiding me?”

“I haven’t been-“

“Fuck off. You have, and you know it. Now tell me why.”

I shake my head and adjust my weight from foot to foot, shrugging to come up with an excuse.

“Oh. My. God. You’re impossible!” He pauses for a moment and takes a deep breath before I watch his posture soften. “Is this about what you said in your essay?”

I go stiff and remind myself to breathe.

“I knew it! At first, I didn’t think that was it, but it fucking was! Why are you avoiding me? Do you think I’m against your sexuality or some shit? Is that why you won’t talk to me? Cause that’s not true! You never even asked me about what I thought about it. About your feelings for me. How I would feel. About my feelings for- about your sexuality. Your sexuality, yeah... You just never asked me.” His face reddens at the last part, probably from lack of air after that speech.

I listen as he drunkenly rambles at me and try to think of something to say. How can he be right? He can’t be. I shouldn’t have to explain myself or my sexuality to him. Why would it matter what he thought about my sexuality?

“Your opinion of my sexuality isn’t needed Calum.” I say, shaking my head.

He sighs harshly and rubs his temples before stomping his foot. Did he actually just stop his foot? Is he five?

“Michael. That’s not what I’m saying! Listen to me! You’re so busy thinking about yourself and your feelings that you’re missing the bigger picture! You’re not the only person in this situation!”

“Oh, I’m sorry Calum. I’m so sorry my feelings were an inconvenience for you! You wanna talk about it? Let’s talk about it! Have my feelings for you ruined your college experience? Have my feelings for you kept you up every night? Have my feelings for you broken your heart?!”

He is silent for a moment before closing his eyes. His body sways softly as he runs his hands through his hair.

“No-” He sighs deeply before replying quietly, “your feelings for me didn’t do any of those things to me. Mine did.”

He opens his eyes and the light of the computer screen highlights the beautiful features of his skin as his words sink into mine.

I stand there with my jaw dropped, staring at the man in front of me. Did he just say… No. No. This is a sick joke. I feel a lump form in my throat begin to form.

“That’s not funny Calum.” I choke out softly.

“I’m not joking.”

“You’re straight.”

“I’m not! I’m Bisexual.” His cheeks redden softly in the pale blue light.

I stare at him in disbelief. He’s got to be drunk out of his mind to lie like this.

“You’re straight.” I repeat in an attempt to both reassure myself and convince him to stop the lies.

He runs his hands through his hair again and lets out an exasperated groan.

“Michael! Fuck! Why won’t you ever listen! I like you! I’ve been trying to tell you ever since you came out to me on the way to that shitty party. I only stopped myself cause you said you didn’t have feelings for me anymore. I’m bisexual Michael! Why do you think I went to Prom with Timothy?”

“That- that was just a stag thing…”

“I wasn’t ready to come out yet. Neither was he.”

He takes a step closer to me, making me overly aware of how small my dorm room actually is. I can smell his cologne and the alcohol -tequila? Yeah, tequila- wafting off him as the space between our bodies lessens.

“So, you’re… bisexual?”

The relief is visible as it washes over him. He smiles softly and takes another step towards me.

“And you… uh… you like me?”

“You wanna talk about it?” He whispers as his eyes drop to my lips.

“Calum, I-”

Before I can finish whatever stupid thing I was going to say, I feel his hands grab my face and his lips crash into mine. I close my eyes and return the kiss. My hands find their way into his hair as he pushes his body against mine. His hand leaves my cheek and finds its way up the back of my shirt, pulling my body impossibly closer to his.

This is more than I’ve ever dreamt of. Calum Hood. Calum Hood kissing me. His hair is softer than I could have ever imagined. I can taste the tequila on his tongue as it slips ever so slightly in between my lips and I suddenly remember how drunk he is. It takes every part of me to pull away and break the kiss.

“Calum. You’re drunk. I can’t.”

“I can.” He steps towards me with a slightly needy expression in his eyes.

“Calum.” I repeat sternly and step away, my back pressing against the door.

He lets out a defeated sigh as he turns around and walks over to the drawer where I keep my snacks.

“Do you have any bread?”

“I- uh… what?... Maybe, why?”

“I want to sober up so you’ll kiss me again.”

I laugh softly and walk over to help him look.

. . .

I wake up to the feeling of something heavy laying across my face. As I open my eyes and adjust my sights to the room around me, I realize the heavy thing on my face is actually Calum’s arm. The events of last night come back to me like a hurricane. Calum arriving at my dorm room drunk, Calum coming out to me as bisexual and confessing his feelings for me… Calum kissing me, and finally, Calum falling asleep beside me while waiting to sober up… I would say it was a dream, but I now have a red, arm-shaped mark on my face to prove otherwise.

I peel his arm off my head and his eyes shoot open, making me jump a little. I watch as he looks around the room and stops once his eyes meet mine. He smiles sweetly at me.

“Hi.” He says, his voice deep and raspy from just waking up.

“Hey there.” I whisper back.

“Guess what.”

“What.”

He smirks at me as his hand finds its way to my cheek and his body shifts towards mine.

“I think I’m finally sober.”

I exhale as my body relaxes from the tension and worry I didn’t realize I had about last night. I chew on my bottom lip as I wait for him to do something.

His eyes explore my face before slowing down at my lips just as they did last night. He blinks slowly and as his eyes open, I find them looking into mine again. He smiles softly as he closes them once more and leans forward, connecting his lips to mine. His pillowy lips kiss mine softly for the best minute of my life, and when he pulls away, he takes my breath with him. I am utterly awestruck by his beauty and the feeling of his lips on mine.

“How about you and I go on to dinner later and get to know the real us? No more assumptions and no more secrets.”

I nod and smile widely.

“I thought you’d never ask.” I agree as he grins before kissing me again.

#malum #the club gift exchange #for mandie #malum fic rec #soft malum #calum x michael #malum fic #malum one shot #5sos fic #5sos one shot #writings #mine

21 notes · View notes

rohobi · 4 years

Text

Serendipity 10 | (m)

Story Description: After you reveal your inexperienced sexual status to your bestfriend, Jungkook grapples with the news, startled by the idea that the girl he always thought could get anyone, is a virgin. After finding his porn at 3AM, you decide that maybe it’s about time to stain the white sheets of your world with the colors of a forbidden fruit Jungkook seems to have in the palm of his hands.

PAIRING— jeon jungkook x reader, friendwithbenefitsAU

GENRE/WARNINGS— smut, fluff, humour

← CHAPTERS → CHAPTER 11

It's 3 pm on a Monday.

You're in a soundproof meeting room in the library. It's one of those meeting rooms where the walls are completely glass; you can see out but people can't see in. It's horribly distracting but wonderful for those who love to people watch. You, however, dislike people watching and wish you were in bed instead.

There's a big white table in the middle of the room with eight white plastic seats around it. Some of us have come straight from lectures with fresh hot coffees held close to chests. Some of us have come before going to lectures or like you and Claudia, before going to the student council office.

The room is only meant to fit 8 or 9 people but in this particular case, we've fit about 12 people.

You came early with Claudia to grab the unbooked room, so you're in a chair comfortably waiting for everyone to arrive, nervously at your fingernails. People like Yoongi and Hoseok and Mabel are packed like sardines up against the wall.

And Jungkook has obviously come from the gym, his hair still damp from the shower he likes to have when he's finished working out. You haven't met eye contact with him but you checked him out when he was on his phone in front of you.

You sigh, as you think about how delicious he looks in his white cotton button-up. It wasn't fair.

That bastard.

"Sorry, I'm late," Wendy whispers, closing the glass door behind her, standing in front of it next to Yoongi. "The health department are having an influenza talk, wanted to make sure I had enough information."

"That's wise," you smile, swallowing the lump in your throat. "Is that everyone?"

Claudia does a headcount before finally smiling.

It was glamping season and Claudia had pulled Yoongi, Hoseok, Jungkook, the girls and you into a meeting to discuss how we'd utilize it. Apparently, this is an important part of university culture that you had blissfully ignored prior.

Ever since Halloween, you've been throwing yourself into group activities with the girls. It's actually been so nice just to be apart of a group of girls who are positive and optimistic while being study focused and career-driven. You've been blessed.

But you miss Jungkook.

It's been two weeks of discomfort with the way things were left last time.

He's been busy and you've been busy with study.

You feel on the edge.

Maybe a holiday is exactly what you need. You'll be refreshed by the fresh air, you'll be around more people, you'll have fun talking about non-Jungkook and non-law study things. You'll be comfortable and fed and warm and loved.

Whatever Claudia organizes, hell, you're in.

The excitement pulsed through you as you fantasized making smores with the girls, playing truth or dare, drinking and having fun.

As you daydream, the fantasy shifts to camping with Jungkook and you're eternally grateful to be pulled out of your thoughts as your phone buzzes in your pocket because hell, it was getting romantic all up in your brain.

Shaking your head, you pull out your phone and read the message.

Jungkook: Hey, you look nice today

You gape down at the plain blue jeans and Harvard grey hoodie. Your attire wasn't exactly aimed to impress.

You: I'm not dressing to impress but thanks

Jungkook: You're finally responding to me? Woohoo Jungkook: Hi

You: Focus

Sighing, you slip your phone back into your pocket. To be honest, you haven't spoken to or spent time with Jungkook in a while. The embarrassment of what happened on Halloween plagued your thoughts and you couldn't bare confronting those feelings around him.

So embarrassing.

And it's not like you're his girlfriend or anything, this was okay.

Jungkook leans on his chair to meet your eyes. You blush when he smiles. That stupid smile, making your heart flutter.

"Y/N," Claudia claps her hands, "I know Jungkook can be distracting but are you even listening."

You startle, looking away from him to Claudia. "Sorry, carry on."

"My fault, she's still not talking to me," Jungkook laughs, stretching his hands behind his head. You can tell he has more to say with words hanging off the tip of his tongue. "Do me a favor Claudia and put her tent next to mine. She can't run away from me then."

Everyone in the room groans.

"Excuse me?" Frowning at Jungkook, you raise your voice. "You ugly ass noodlehead. Imma make sure I'll be in the tent furthest away from you!"

"Oh yeah," Jungkook chuckles, leaning forward, he places his fists underneath his chin. "With who? You'll just end up in my tent anyway, who are you kidding here?"

Heat dusts your cheeks. "That's not true! I'll just stay with Seulgi!"

"Oh hello," Seulgi winks, licking her lips at you. "You can stay with me in my tent any time."

Sinking in your chair, you cover your face with your hands. "Oh god. Seulgi, shut up."

"Don't worry babe, unlike Jungkook, I'll keep it in my pants."

Wendy laughs loudly, interrupting any opportunity to clap back. "Oh my god, this suddenly got way more fun. I'm coming!"

"Of course it did," Mabel adds, fanning herself with her book, "You're all a bunch of whores we get it. Will we have to sleep on air beds and is there an option to sleep somewhere else if we have to. I can't stand those things."

Jungkook agrees. "They make too much noise when you move."

"See? Thanks, Jungkook," Mabel smiles. "And they bloody deflate in the middle of the night. I don't want rocks in my ass."

"Mabel, we're on beds." Claudia groans, flicking her hair over her should as she takes out her computer. Connecting her MacBook with the big screen, she opens her prepared PowerPoint slideshow.

The first slide shows a glamping location in Busan that she liked. "Alright, my Busan babes in the room. Welcome to camp cozy."

To say the campsite was beautiful was an understatement.

There were four big khaki tents and they were already set up at the site with large beds and furniture within. Fairy lights all over the place, fluffy blankets, fluffy pillows, big bean bags. Christ. It was perfect. "From my expert research and communication skills, each tent comes with a double bed, so we have beds for 8 people."

Yoongi raises his hand. "I have a question."

Claudia nods.

"I don't want to share a tent with anyone else because I plan on having a lot of sex in my tent, where do I go?"

Everyone in the room snorts.

"What? I'm asking what you're all thinking?"

Wendy walks across the room to slap his back. She chuckles madly. "I agree."

"I'm not bumping uglies with you Wendy, don't act like we're on the same team," Yoongi shakes her hand off his back. "Although if my date doesn't turn up, I'm happy to cuddle and stroke your hair and talk about our boy problems."

She stands in front of him, blinking in confusion. "Are you being serious because that actually sounds so fucking nice."

He laughs loudly at her. "Of course I'm not."

Wendy pouts, raising her shoulders to her cheeks as she walks back to her side of the room. "Asshole."

Claudia clicks next on the slideshow, showing alternative options. "Our options are 4 big tents for 8 people or 10 if you're little, and if you want privacy, don't come," pointing to the beach she cheekily adds, "I hear the sand is a nice mattress, why don't you find out Yoongi?"

"I've never had sex on a beach before," Yoongi deflates, "Am I okay to bring my own tent then? I'll pitch it myself, I'll even drive down myself?"

"Sure," clicking onto the next slides, she goes through items we'll need and an estimate of the cost. "If anyone wants to help organize this?"

You're acutely aware your phone is buzzing in your pocket but you're also aware that it's Jungkook because he's on his phone and he's aiming it at you. Biting your bottom lip, you raise out of your seat.

"Should we split up into groups to help organize this? Transport, Food, Cleaning, Finance, Activities?"

Claudia beams, finally happy someone was contributing to the organization of it. "That's a beautiful idea, oh bless your little cotton socks."

Everyone mutters between themselves as Claudia opens up her google document. You watch as she types your name under food and Jungkook's under transport.

"Is Y/N a good cook?" Hoseok asks Yoongi, crossing his arms across his chest. "I bet she is. She can cook for me any day. We love a kitchen bitch."

"She can like totally hear you," Mabel says, rolling her eyes. "And she is like 100% taken you giant ass."

"No, she isn't," Hoseok holds his hands up in surrender. "Last time I checked, she was single."

"Ugh, who even invited you," she stands up, walking over to him. "You're lucky I find you attractive otherwise, you'd be blOCKED from coming. Aren't you studying sociology or something."

You don't need to look at Jungkook to know that he's beaming in delight and is now a big fan of Mabel. The tension in the air between Jungkook and Hoseok makes you uncomfortable. You've never been put in a position like this before giving you were just a virgin like a couple of months ago and had no idea what a peen actually looked like.

"Looks like I have a fan." Hoseok steps closer to Mabel and whispers into her ear. No one knows what he says but she blushes and rushes out of the room.

"What'd you say to Mabel?" You ask concerned, she's never run off so fast.

"I have seduction superpowers," Hoseok winks at me. "Want me to come over and whisper in your ear too? Bet I can seduce you in less than a second."

"No thank you," You gulp, unsure what to say to that. Jungkook stands out of his chair, glaring at Hoseok. "Leave her alone bro."

"What?" Hoseok chuckles, winking at you again. "I'm just having a bit of fun with her. She's so kitten-like, makes me want to get to know her a bit more."

There's a possessive tone to Jungkook's defense that's both intimidating and sexy. "Well, don't. Shut the fuck up. Leave the girls alone."

"Am I not allowed to? She looks like she's enjoying it?

Seulgi sinks into her seat next to you.

"No, you aren't allowed to," You've never seen Jungkook so angry before. "She's mine, back off."

The whole room goes silent at that.

The tension in the room is palpable.

And your heart is pounding against your chest.

"Is that true," he asks you, goading you to speak up with his eyebrows. "Are you Jungkook's girlfriend?"

Your heart is pounding so hard against your chest that it's deafening in your eats.

What am I supposed to say to that because I honestly am not his girlfriend officially, although it would be nice? This is not how I thought this meeting would go at all and quite frankly, I'm pissed. Jungkook's face is pink. It's the only thing I can focus on. I can't even remember what he asked me. He seems to want to know the answer to Hoseok's question as well, as though he doesn't know the answer either. Dumbass. They're all dummies. Who are these people and why are they putting me on the spot like this. I didn't ask for any of this, I'm just simple girl-

"Ooh, Jimin wants to get coffee," Yoongi giggles, interrupting your thoughts, softening the tension in the room as he gapes at his phone. "There's too much testosterone in this room, why not you both just fuck each other and get over it."

For a second you think Yoongi is referring to you and Jungkook.

Anger dissipates when Yoongi slaps Hoseoks ass. "Sounds like you both need to relieve some tension and normally, I enjoy a bit of torture but this is horrible. Claudia, message me with details, I'd love to come. It okay if I bring Jimin?"

She nods.

Yoongi doesn't say anything after that. He simply picks up his backpack, nods at Claudia before leaving the room. You wish you had the guts to do the same but you feel frozen and Claudia looks desperate for help now.

Hoseok sighs. "Looks like she's single my bro."

Jungkook says nothing to this.

He simply stares at you in an unreadable expression as you stand and walk towards him.

Gesturing for him to sit down, you pat his back to calm him, he leans into your touch like a kitten being scratched behind its ear. "Sit down and calm down, I don't know why you boys get off on tormenting girls but cut it out or I'll cut YOU out."

Jungkook apologizes while taking his seat.

"And you," Pointing at Hoseok, you scoff. "Who even are you? You don't get to speak to me or about me like that. Women aren't pieces of meat, we're human beings. Now, shut the hell up and keep your dick in your skirt and your tongue in your mouth."

The girls laugh behind you.

Claudia thanks you.

Fucking Hoseok.

You decide then and there, that when you go glamping, you'll piss in his shampoo.

Little bitch.

"Now that everyone's finished their periods. Jungkook, you're the team captain for transport, liaise with me so we can try and get a discount or something," she writes Seulgi's name underneath his, "Hoseok, how do you feel about organizing activities?"

He picks up his laptop bag. "I'm fine with any job you give me Claudia. As long as people aren't afraid of drinking games, we should be A-okay," he lifts his wrist, staring at his watch. "Naeun is pretty fun as well, can she work with me since Y/N can't?"

"Be careful Hoseok," Claudia warns, adding her name to the list, she finishes. "Anyone who isn't in a group by the end of the day will be on cleaning duties."

She then re-opens the map, showing us the trip location. You stare at the pictures as she flicks through them. There's something so nice about camping by the beach, a nice dip when it's too hot, a bonfire at night with the sound of cascading waves.

Your phone buzzes once more in your pocket. You pull it out, knowing it's going to be a message from the mousy brunette still huffing in anger.

Jungkook: Can we talk after this?

Looking above your phone, Jungkook tilts his head at you, a worried expression sits between his brows.

Taking a deep breath, you respond.

You: I'm hungry, want to get something to eat?

Jungkook: Can we go now?

You: When Claudia is finished.

"Claudia, are you done?" Jungkook asks, placing his hands together in prayer. "Please be done. I'm so hungry."

Seulgi frowns. "Is that what it is, hanger?"

Hoseok winks at Seulgi.

"Ugh, can someone fucking uninvite him," she gags loudly, "He might give us all ear chlamydia."

You watch the cocky little shit deflate. A bit of you feels sorry for him but after what he just pulled with you and Jungkook, hall hath no fury like a scorched betch.

"I guess this meeting is over then," Claudia sighs, closing her computer down as well. "I'll make us a group chat to discuss it."

Jungook loudly jumps out of his seat, the gloom worried appearance he previously wore, now replaced with pure happiness. "Yes, let's go eat Y/N!" He rushes over to your side of the table to help you pack up.

"Ooh, can I come?" Wendy and Seulgi both ask.

"No, "Jungkook pulls you out of your chair, patting your bum as you leave the meeting room. "We need to talk and eat, you guys can go eat and talk with someone else."

You don't even have enough time to say goodbye or apologies or tell Claudia you won't be coming to the council office because Jungkook is rushing you out of the room, down the aisles of the library and into the darkest parts of the university library.

You're going in the opposite direction to food as he takes you within the deep depths of the math and science department.

"Jungkook, where are you taking me?"

He hushes you. "We gotta talk."

Irritated, you stop. "Jungkook, I don't really want to talk, I wanna eat," turning around to face him, he grabs your shoulders, pushing you down the aisle backward. "JUNGKOOK!"

"You have no choice, we need to talk," He stops, then he looks left and right before softly pushing you up against the wall. It's clumsy and not at all sexy when Jungkook tries to bypass the big ass fake plant next to you and you slightly trip as he pushes you back up against the wall. His hold on you is strong, as he quite literally picks you up by the shoulders to help you stand.

"Now, You." he starts.

"No, you let me talk," You harshly whisper, "You gotta give a girl a warning and I'm starving so let's do this later."

Dropping his hands from your shoulders. He stares deeply into your eyes. "Shut up for a second will you? Or I'll make you shut up. I have that power you know."

"Jungkook, what the hell," you whisper, pushing his chest away from yours. "You could've just asked me to follow you, you didn't need to push me up against the damn wa-

You don't get to finish what you were saying because Jungkook slams his lips against yours, stopping the words from leaving your mouth. The kiss is startling but not unwelcome as you close your eyes and melt once again into him.

Moving his hand up against your body, he cups the back of your neck. He's unexpectedly rough as he grips on your hair, pulling your body against his. Your hands rest on his waist as you easily fall back into the rhythm.

He kisses you like he's starving like he hasn't had food in days.

Oh man, this boy.

Raising your hands, you hold his face tenderly, hoping he gets the point to soften the kiss. Kisses with Jungkook are always magical but this one had so much feeling. Each movement of his lips and his tongue were filled with unspoken words, fears, and anxieties. It was startling how much a kiss could say and how much this kiss overwhelmed you.

He holds you close, not wanting to let you go.

Your body shivers, sensitive to his touch as his warm hands continue touching you.

He loosens his grip on your hair, resting his warm palm on the back of your neck. It's a feeling you're familiar with, being held so tenderly.

Pulling away from the kiss, Jungkook leans his forehead on yours.

You both pant from the intensity of the emotions, your eyes still closed.

"It's been hell without you, Y/N," he catches his breath, his voice a soft whisper. "I can't take this anymore. I've reached my limit."

"What?" Opening your eyes in panic, your heart stops as you stare into his gentle brown eyes. Is he ...is he dumping you. "Wait, what do you mean by that Jungkook?"

He steps back, unable to meet you in the eyes. "I can't do this anymore. I can't hold myself back anymore. I'm getting jealous. I want to have you around all the time. I want you to study with me. I want you to call me in the morning and before you go to bed. I want to hold your hand when we walk around campus. I want people to know that you're mine and that I'm yours. I want to kiss you. I want to fuck you. I want to hold you as you cum. I want all of it. "

You're confused. "What? Jungkook, I-

He presses his hand up against your mouth.

"I don't like this uncertainty of who I am to you, I'm creating a boundary right here and I want it around us," He releases his finger to let you respond, "Will you be my girlfriend?"

...

#bts #bts fanfiction #bts fanfic #bts jungkook #bts jimin #bts hoseok #bts yoongi #bangtan sonyeondan #bangtan scenarios #Bangtan imagines #bangtan boys #bangtan #bts jungkoook fics #jeon jungkook

116 notes · View notes

waitimcomingtoo · 5 years

Text

In Case You Don’t Live Forever - Chapter Six

Pairing: Peter Parker x Venom!reader

Warnings: mentions of cancer and depression

Masterlist

Two months later, I sat in my doctors office and impatiently bounced my leg. I reflected on my past two months in New York. It was June now. Venom and I had fallen into a routine. We’d work on the Cletus Kasady start by day and go patrolling at night. Of course, being Venoms wasn’t a nightly occurrence. We’d only go out eating once or twice a week. Still, we managed to have 11 run ins with Spider-Man.

Peter and I had become significantly closer in that past two months as well. I’d help him with his homework, though I secretly thought he was smarter than me, and he helped me with my story. Some nights, he’d visit me on my fire escape and we’d watch the sun go down. I had no idea how he got there, but I didn’t care. I felt like Juliet and he was my Romeo. I’d send him science puns while he was at school and he’d bring me food and keep me company when I had writers block. My favorite was our long talks on the roof. We would I sit there for hours and tell each other everything. I knew all his secrets and he knew mine. Well, not all. He didn’t know about Venom. I didn’t want to tell him about her just yet in fear of his reaction.

And every now and then, we’d catch the other staring. Then, the other would I stare back until someone, usually Peter, started to lean in. Every time I thought we were finally going to take the next step, something would interrupt us. Whether it was May knocking or Ned barging in or Peters phone ringing. That was another thing about Peter. His damn phone was always ringing and then he’d have to dash off somewhere, leaving me with a random excuse or something about an internship. Sometimes, I wish he’d just throw his phone aside and kiss me.

“I’m okay?” I asked.

“Your scans were all clean. I know the tumor was genetic, but it seemed to skip you. You’re very lucky, Miss L/N.” The doctor informed me.

I knew this day would come eventually. Mary was my age when she was diagnosed with cancer. I just thought the results would be different. Considering my track record, I was a very unlucky person. But somehow, I was cancer free when my beautiful sister wasn’t. I felt my eyes well up with tears. This should’ve been how her doctors appointment went. I shouldn’t have had to hold her hand as she broke down on the floor and cried. We were teenagers. She deserved to live. I got in my car and wiped my tears on the back of my sleeves. I hastily turned on the radio. I needed a distraction.

“But what scares me the most is what if when he sees me, what if he doesn't like it? What if he runs the other way and I can't hide from it?” A sweet sounding country accent sang on the radio sang. I looked at my radio and read the title of the song. It was from the musical Waitress. I was never big on theater but the lyrics sounded as if I could’ve written them myself. The song was right. What if I told Peter who I really was and he ran away? He was sweet and understanding, but how understanding could he possibly be when I tell him I can turn into a flesh eating monster? I turned my radio up and listened to the song.

“What happens then if when he knows me, he's only disappointed? What if I give myself away, to only get it given back? I couldn't live with that.” The song sang. It was true again. What if Peter got to know me and was disappointed? What if he ran away before I even told him about Venom?

“He could be less than kind. Or even worse he could be very nice, have lovely eyes, and make me laugh, come out of hiding. What do I do with that?” The song continued. All those things described Peter. I felt another tear run down my cheek. Not because of what had happened with the doctors visit, but because of the loss of what could’ve been but now can never be.

“Oh, God what if when he sees me, I like him and he knows it? What if he opens up a door and I can't close it?” Peter had opened up a door. I thought Andy was the love of my life. I used to think that if he asked, I’d be his in a second. But I didn’t feel that way anymore. I had finally moved on. I didn’t want to be with Andy anymore. I wanted to be with Peter.

“What happens then if when he holds me, my heart is set in motion? I'm not prepared for that, I'm scared of breaking open.” I silently cried as the song played. I was scared too. I was scared of letting Peter in and him letting himself right out. I was scared of repeating the mistakes I made with Andy. No. I wasn’t scared. I was petrified. I pulled my car over and began to shake with violent sobs.

I swallowed thickly. The song was bringing out new fears in me that I didn’t know I had. It was right. What if Peter didn’t like what he saw? What if he realized I was too messy to be with? Or had too much baggage? Peter deserved a nice girl. One with a normal family and friends. One without depression. One without a flesh eating symbiote attached to their immune system. My friends were my ex-fiancé and his new girlfriend, all my family was dead, Venom was coursing through my veins, and my mental health was ultimately lacking. Was I even good enough for Peter? Was I actually dumb enough to think that I was?

“What’s wrong baby?” Venom asked with concern. She cuddled around my neck and nuzzled into my cheek. I felt her tendrils wiping my tears.

“I can never be with Peter.” I cried. Admitting it felt like a fatal blow to the stomach. Venom tied my hair up with one of her arms and continued to dry my face.

“Why do you say that?”

I thought about it for a moment. I didn’t want to tell Venom that I was feeling insecure. She freaked out on me whenever I said something negative about myself. I didn’t wanna another 100 slide PowerPoint titled “why Y/N L/N is the baddest bitch in the galaxy”. Especially since forty of those slides were just pictures of my butt. I appreciated Venom with all my heart, but I was feeling the kind of insecure that a pep talk couldn’t fix. I needed to figure it out on my own. Instead, I told her a different fear I had.

“Because. Look at us. We’re the only thing keeping each other alive. What if we get separated and die? I can’t become one of those people in Peters life who loved him and then left him. His mom, his dad, his Uncle Ben. I don’t want to die and leave Peter behind. He’s been through enough. He’d be so much better off without me.” I said. I had calmed down enough to talk to Venom. She listened patiently.

“We’re not gonna die. You protect me and I protect you. Nothing will hurt us as long as we have each other.” Venom assured me.

“I can’t protect you like you protect me. I’m just a human. What if something happens to me and you die because of it?” I whimpered. Venom and I both knew I was nothing without her. She could move on and find another host, obviously not a perfect match like we were, but good enough to keep going and be fine. I, on the other hand, was just a reporter. I couldn’t defend myself if I needed to. I was her puppet. She did all the work in battles. I was just the vessel. I knew I was spiraling but I couldn’t get myself to stop.

“Nothing will happen to you, Y/N. I promise. I won’t let it.” Venom swore. I looked up at her and gave her a sad smile.

“I won’t let anything happen to you either.” I said. But I didn’t promise it. I knew I couldn’t promise it. Venom didn’t mind. She nuzzled my cheek again.

“And you can be with Peter. On Klyntar, we mate for life. And I think you’ve found your mate in Peter.” Venom told me.

“What does that mean?”

“It means we’ve become attached to him and will never be happy with anyone else.” Venom said. I let out a shaky breath. That wasn’t what I wanted to hear. I needed a reason to shut my feelings for Peter down.

“Like soulmates?” I asked.

“Exactly like soulmates.”

I thought about what she said. “What happens on Klyntar if someone is your soulmate but you’re not theirs?”

“Then we go into a cave and mourn until we die alone of heartbreak.” Venom said simply.

“That sounds about right.” I laughed sadly. I took a second to think

“I’m gonna call that guy back.” I decided.

“What guy?” She asked.

“They guy who asked me out at the coffee shop this morning.” I reminded her.

“The one with the stupid hair? Why would you call him?” Venom asked angrily.

“What was wrong with his hair?” I laughed.

“It was blonde. We like brunette.” Venom said with a devilish grin.

“His hair was fine. And I’m gonna call him to say yes to the date.” I said.

“Why would we do that when we love Peter?”

“Because if Peter doenst love us, I don’t want to die of heartbreak alone in a cave.” I admitted.

“He does love you.” Venom protested.

“We don’t know that. It’s just one date. I need to get back out there anyway. I haven’t gone on a date since the night before Andy and I broke up.” I reasoned.

“Fine. But this is a terrible idea and I’m going to complain the whole time and sing the Les Mis soundtrack in your head.” Venom grumbled. This was one of those moments where she felt more like my toddler than my symbiote.

I ran into Peter in the hallway on my way to my room. I hoped he couldn’t tell I had been crying. I gave my face a quick wipe down before I looked at him.

“Hey Y/n! You want to come over later and help me with spanish? I’ll amo you mucho.” Peter asked. I wanted so badly to say yes. But I had to stick my guns.

“Aw I’m sorry Pete. I wish I could but I have a date tonight.” I said. I instantly regretted telling him about the date when I saw the look on his face.

Peter stopped dead in his tracks. His heart sank to the floor. He went from feeling devastated to feeling white hot anger in a matter of seconds

“A date? With who?” He snapped.

“Some boy I met at the coffee shop.” I said weakly.

“Oh.” He said dully. Some boy. Some freaking dirty bitch ass sissy coffee boy asked his girl out. Peter felt like hunting the man down and smacking the shit out of him. Or at the very least, webbing him to a wall leaving him there until he missed the date. Who did he think he was asking Y/n out? Didn’t he know you guys were meant to be? Peter should’ve known though. Y/n was beautiful and it was only a matter of time before someone else asked her out.

“What’s his name?” Peter asked. He wanted to put a name to his new mortal enemy.

“Matt.” I answered.

Freaking Matt. Freaking dirty ass bitch ass thot ass Matt. Was Matt Spider-Man? No. Could Matt treat Y/n as well as he could? Mayhaps. But did he love her as much? No. Did he have inside jokes with her? Could he make her laugh her beautiful laugh just by doing a Captain America impression? No. He wasn’t good enough for her. He couldn’t do the things Peter could do. He was trash. He was a trashy dirty ass rat boy Peter thought.

“Interesting.” Peter deadpanned. Freaking Matt.

“I’ll text you when it’s over and maybe I can help you then. That sound okay, guapo?” I offered. He nodded sadly, not even acknowledging that I called him handsome. Actually, he probably had no idea that I did. He was smart, but only in English.

“That’s fine. I’ll see you later.” He mumbled.

I watched Peter trudge into his apartment and felt a pain in my heart. He seemed so upset all the sudden. It couldn’t be from my date, could it? It’s not like I told him I got engaged or something. It was one little date. Peter has never even made a move. He had no reason to be upset. I brushed it off and went into my apartment to get ready.

Just as Venom said, the date went horribly. We drove back to the apartment in silence afterwards, leaving Matt to clean himself off.

“Why did that happen?” I asked her. I was so mortified from the events of the night but I needed to know why they happened.

“Because he wasn’t your soulmate.” Venom said simply.

“We defiled that boy.” I nearly shouted.

“It happens.” Venom stated.

“It shouldn’t.” I said, shocked at how nonchalantly she was being.

“But it does.”

We rode the rest of the way in silence. I shot Peter a text when I got back to my apartment but fell asleep before he could answer. I woke up a few hours later in a cold sweat and in tears. I didn’t know Peter was listening to my breathing picking up and the small cries of his his name in my sleep with his superhearing.

I had had a nightmare that shook me deeply. It was about Peter, like many of my dreams were. But in this dream, he and I laid injured on the ground. Venom and I were separated and I was bleeding out. I couldn’t do anything to save him. I couldn’t scream for help. And worse, I couldn’t protect him. It caused me great agony to not be able to reach him. I got out of my bed and made my way to the door. I needed to see him. I needed to tell him that I’d been in love with him since the day we met. I didn’t care about my insecurities anymore. I didn’t care about all the things keeping us apart. I only cared about him. I threw all my previous doubts out the window. I loved him. I loved that boy. With every ounce of my beating heart. I loved his messed up eyebrow and his baggy clothes. I loved the permanent bags under his eyes and his sweet smelling cologne. I loved his messy hair and his even more adorable bed head. I loved him in a way that consumed me. He needed to know that. I couldn’t wait another second.

I swung open my door, only to find Peter Parker outside my door in pink Hello Kitty pajama bottoms and a tight white t-shirt. His hand was raised, like he was about to knock.

“Hey.” I breathed. His hair was tousled and sticking up in random places. He looked heavenly.

“Hi.” He said shyly.

“I was just about to go to your door. I had a bad dream.” I said. I was anxious to skip the semantics and cut right to the chase. I love you and I’m yours if you’ll have me.

“Yea, I heard. That’s why I’m here.” Peter explained. That’s not what he wanted to say. I’m always here if you need me. I’d go to the ends of the earth for you. I love you. It’ll be okay. He looked at me funny.

She looked so beautiful he thought. Makeup free, hair a little messy, and nothing but an oversized sweatshirt to cover her figure. Peter recognized the sweatshirt as his own, one she had swiped from his laundry basket because she was freezing while they watched Alien. He felt so honored to know that she slept in it. Peter wondered how many times he could fall in love with her in a short span of time. In the past few seconds, he’d fallen about 15 times. Once for every breath you took. And you were breathing quite heavily.

“You heard?” I asked. How could he had possible heard from his apartment?

“My hearing is excellent. Are you alright?” Peter stuttered out. Please be alright. I’d stop anything that tried to hurt you. I’ll protect you from the storm. Don’t shut me out. Don’t turn me away. Let me love you. I was still breathing heavy and he could tell.

“Um…” I began. I looked behind me at my empty apartment. The darkness looked anything but inviting. I couldn’t go back in there just yet.

“No?” I said. Please dont go. It came out as more of a question.

“No? Do you want to talk about it-“ I rushed into Peters arm and hugged him tightly. He seemed taken aback, seeing as I nearly knocked the wind out of him. But as soon as he found his footing, he wrapped his strong arms around me and held me close. I relaxed in Peters embrace.

“I had a nightmare.” I repeated. “You died and I couldn’t save you.” I’d be dead if something happened to you. Never let me go. I need you. I felt like a little kid being comforted but their mother. Not that I knew what that felt like.

“I know. It’s okay. You’re awake now. I’m here.” Peter said soothingly. I’ve been here the whole time. I will never abandon you. You are safe in my arms. Nothing can hurt you now. I won’t let it. His voice was muffled from being buried in my hair. I pulled back slightly to look at him, still holding on tightly.

“Stay with me?” I asked. Never leave. I didn’t want him to go. Not now, not ever.

“Always.” Peter answered surly. As if I could ever leave you. My lips lit up in a smile and my eyes fell to his lips. They lingered there for too long, or maybe just long enough. Peter took the hint and slipped his hand behind my neck and began to pull me closer. As our lips were about to touch, my door slammed, causing us to jump out of each other’s embrace.

“Shit balls.” I said immediately.

“What?” Peter asked, giggling a little at my choice of profanity.

“I just locked myself out.” I sighed. Peter laughed louder this time.

“Come on. You’re sleeping over.” He said, leading me back to his apartment with the hand on the small of my back.

I entered Peters room for the first time. Sure, we’d become good friends in the time I’ve lived in the building, but bedrooms were intimate places. They were windows into the soul. Oh wait, that’s eyes. Still, most of my hangouts with Peter occurred in his living room, my fire escape, or the rooftop. Our spot. I’d never been in his room before.

I looked around with a content smile on my face. He had an academic decathlon poster on his wall, along with a few Avengers posters. Peter was pretty neat, but he was still a teenage boy. Socks and sweaters were strewn across the room. I saw him kicking a pair of boxers under his desk out of the corner of my eye. His room was so cute. It was so…Peter. I noticed a first aid kit in his desk next to his chemistry textbook and wondered what on earth he could be using it for. I looked at him and smiled.

“I like your room.” I complimented. Peter smiled in relief.

“Oh thank God. I thought you’d take one look at my nerdy ambiance and run.” He admitted. I laughed and my eyes landed in his bed.

“Star Wars bedsheets?” I asked. Peters ears reddened and he fixed his duvet to cover them up.

“Those aren’t mine.” He said quickly.

“Are they Mays? As in May the force be with you?” I played along. He gave me a defeated smile.

“That was the worst thing anyone has ever said. Ever.” Peter said. I laughed and he gave me a shy smile.

“Fine. They’re my bedsheets. Star Wars is cool, okay?” Peter defended. I took a seat on his bed and shrugged.

“You don’t have to explain anything to me Peter. I just didn’t know you were a loser, is all.” I taunted. Peter sat down on the bed next to me and rolled his eyes.

“Very funny. You’re the funniest person I know.” He said sarcastically. I nudged him with my elbow and he and hit me with a Yoda printed pillow.

“Mm. Good with the force you are.” I commented. Peter groaned loudly and told me to shut up.

“Enough playing around. How was your date?” Peter asked. I could hear the pain in his voice. He seemed really upset tonight. I regretted ever telling him about the date. It was a dumb move. It wasn’t right of me to play with his feelings like that.

“Oh, you know. Terrible.” I said slowly. I wasn’t going to let him off the hook that easy. If Peter really did like me and want to be with me, he needed to say it. He couldn’t just grumble and wallow in self pity when I was with another boy. I was testing him to see if he’d ever actually admit his feelings. But I was also protecting myself. A part of me was still scared there were no feelings to admit to.

Peters eyes lit up instantly.

“Really?” He said excitedly. He cleared his throat and grunted. “I mean, really?” He asked calmly. I bit my tongue and nodded. I gave him my best sad eyes.

“Yeah it was awful. I definitely won’t be seeing him again.” I sighed sadly. I wasn’t sad. I was putting on a show for Peter. Peter bit the inside of his cheek to stop the smile from emerging.

“That’s terrible. What went wrong?” Peter asked. His acting was equally as bad as mine. He had a shit eating grin on his face. He was pretending to be sad for me but he was clearly over the moon.

“It was going fine all night until the kiss.” I sighed dramatically, looking longingly out the window. I might as well have thrown myself onto my balcony and cried out for Romeo. Peter was buying every second of it. I saw his eyes flash with hurt.

“You guys kissed?” He asked. His voice was heavy with disappointment. I looked at Peter sadly. He looked miserable. All I wanted to do was throw my arms around his neck and tell him he was the only one for me. Instead, I kept my feelings to myself and nodded slowly.

“Almost. He leaned in and-“ I just shrugged. I could tell Peter was on the edge of his seat. I dragged it as long as I could.

“And?” Peter asked, practically begging. I let out another long, dramatic sigh. Peter took a slow sip of his water bottle.

“And I threw up on him.” I said simply. Peter spat out the water in his mouth. He burst out laughing and did his best to cover it up. I gave him a fake angry look but ended up laughing as well.

“What?” Peter laughed.

“He was such a tool. He talked down to me the entire night and then had the audacity to try and kiss me. I don’t know what happened but all the sudden he was leaning in and I was throwing up. He deserved it though. He treated me like was an idiot. I’m almost glad I threw up on him.”

Peters was overjoyed. He was about to say something when we heard a straggled cry of my name.

Peter and I rushed to his peephole and saw a familiar blonde haired boy standing in the hallway.

There he was. Matt. Outside my apartment door with his phone on full volume playing “Hungry Eyes” from Dirty Dancing.

“What the actual hell?” I wondered out loud. “I better get rid of him.”

“Y/nnnnnn. I’m sorry I was a jerk. Please talk to me. I told the doorman we were cousins. Then I told the elevator guy that I was your husband. You may need to move now. Y/nnnn.” Matt drunkenly exclaimed. I covered my mouth with my hand to conceal my laughter.

“You definitely can’t go out there. He could have a knife.” Peter said. I gave him a look. Yea, the guy was dumb. But he wasn’t dangerous.

“Or worse.” I said. Peter looked at me fearfully.

“He could have the same loser bedsheets you do.” I gasped. Peter picked up me swiftly and threw me in the couch. I laughed in shock.

“Since when are you so strong?” I asked. Peter shrugged and held out a hand.

“Let’s go to bed.” Peter said. I raised an eyebrow and he quickly added, “In a non-sexual, platonic way.” I laughed at his stupidity. He was so cautious of offending me or making me uncomfortable. I appreciated how much of a gentleman he was. I knew Aunt May had implemented those qualities in him.

“You can take the bed. I’ll sleep on the couch. Let me know if you need anything.” Peter said as he made the bed for me. I climbed in and patted the space next to me.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Get in.” I said.

Peter looked at me with wide eyes. He looked very unsure of himself and I could see the panic behind his eyes.

He was torn. He wanted to get into the bed, but he also knew you were vulnerable right now and he didn’t want to take advantage of you. He didn’t want to do anything you’d end up regretting in the morning.

“Get in, in a non-sexual, platonic way.” I added. Peter relaxed but stayed standing. I pretended to splash Peter and twirled my hand around the bedsheets as if they were water.

“Come on in Parker. The waters warm.” I said in a low voice. Peter shuddered.

“I am…repulsed.” Peter answered. In reality, he was dying to get in the bed. He wasn’t gonna try anything, he just wanted to feel you close. He wanted to comfort you and take the pain of the night away. Finally, he got into the bed and pulled the covers up. He shut off his lamp and we fell into comfortable silence.

“Good night, Peter.” I love you. I whispered, turning my back to him and cuddling into his pillow.

“Night, Y/n.” I love you. He whispered back. I felt his eyes on the back of my neck still. He didn’t want to close them and fall asleep. He wanted to stay in this moment as long as he could.

I soon felt hesitant arms wrap around my waist. Peter was very unsure of himself and kept his hands loosely on my hips. We were barely touching. I turned my neck around and looked at him.

“What the hell are you doing?” I demanded. His hands flew off my waist and his eyes widened with fear. He looked so apologetic, I thought he might cry.

“Do you not know how to cuddle?” I asked before he could blurt out an apology. I grabbed his arms and pulled them tightly around my waist. I held his hands in my own and held them flush against my chest. Peter felt really tense at first and a bit stiff, but he soon relaxed and nestled into my hair.

“You smell really good.” He muttered. I laughed softly against his body. Peter held me even tighter.

“I’ve wanted this for so long, Y/N.” He whispered. He said it so quietly, I figured he thought I had fallen asleep.

“Goodnight, Princess. Sweet dreams.”

I woke up the next morning in Peter Parker’s arms. Subsequently, I wanted to wake up every morning for the rest of my life in Peter Parker’s arms. We were a mess of tangled limbs and hair. But I found myself firmly in his embrace, inhaling his cologne.

Peters eyes fluttered open and we were nose to nose.

“Hi.” I said. A playful smile rested on my lips. He was so pretty in the morning. He didn’t even have to try.

“Hey.” He chuckled. “This is new.” He added. I nodded.

“It is new. Is it okay?” I asked him. I didn’t want to overstep his boundaries.

“Is waking up next to the actual sun okay? Uh yea, Y/n. It’s okay. You can sleep over anytime you like if it means more mornings like this.” He said. Of course he said that. He held all my strings and knew just how to tug them.

I smiled happily at Peter. He gave me a sleepy smile in return.

“Did you really not enjoy that date?” He whispered. Do you want to be with anyone else? I didn’t know why he was whispering. But the look in his eyes told me he was dead serious.

“Not in the slightest.” I answered honestly. Because it wasn’t with you. He looked me firmly in the eyes. I gave him a vague nod.

“Would you…would you want to go out with me sometime? I promise I won’t throw up on you.” He offered. He said the second part as if it was the only way I’d say yes to the date.

“Peter Parker I have waited exactly 64 days for you to ask me that question and you just had to ruin it by promising you won’t throw up on me?” I playfully scolded. Peters eyes lit up

“Is that a yes?” He asked excitedly.

“It’s a yes. It’s always been a yes.”

“Can I-“ he began.

“Don’t ask. Just do it.”

Peter leaned in slowly and I did the same. His lips had just ghosted mine when Aunt May knocked on the door. He bolted out of bed and I sat up.

“Breakfast is ready. Did you clean your room?” Aunt May called from the other side of the door.

“Yes.” Peter called back. I looked around. No he didn’t

“No you didn’t.” She said knowingly. She didn’t even have to see his room to know it wasn’t clean.

“I’ll clean it after.” He groaned.

“I’m coming in.” She said suddenly. Peter and I looked at each other in fear.

“Don’t! I’m naked.” He screamed.

“Fine. But it better be clean after breakfast. And put some clothes in. You should not be naked at 7 am.” Aunt May said. We waited to speak until we heard her footsteps walking away.

I got out of Peters bed as he got up to lock the door.

“Alright. That should buy us some ti-“

The second he turned around, he was met with my lips on his. I had my hands on the sides of his face and my head tilted to the left. I felt Peters eyes flutter shut as his eyelashes tickled my cheeks. He was frozen at first, but slowly wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer. I melted into him and he melted right back into me. The kiss was short and sweet, but absolutely perfect.

I pulled away and Peter gave me the softest eyes ever. A grateful smile was on his lips.

“I am so over these interrupted moments.” I breathed. Peters eyes twinkled. The sun was coming through the window and made his brown eyes look like pots of honey. I could stare at them forever.

And then he kissed me again, with confidence this time. He wasn’t ready for the last one since I caught him off guard. I let my fingers tangle in the messy curls at the back of his neck, something I thought I’d only get to dream of doing. Peter groaned slightly into my mouth as I tugged on his hair. He put his hand under my neck and slipped his toungue in my mouth. Who knew Peter Parker knew how to kiss? He tasted like morning breath, speremint chapstick, and something I could only identify as being exclusively Peter. We pulled apart and he looked up at the sky.

“If I wake up and this is all a dream I’m going to fight you.” He said menacingly.

“Did you just threaten God?” I laughed.

“For you? Anthing. I’ll fight anyone for your honor. Jesus Christ can square up.” He promised.

“You’ve gone to far. We need to break up.” I kidded.

“Don’t even joke. I’ve waited too long for this.” Peter said as he wrapped his arms around me.

“I’m only teasing. I’ve waited my whole life for you Parker. I’m never letting you go.” I told him. He burst out in a smile and kissed me swiftly. Then he promptly got down on one knee.

“Will you please be mine, darling? Officially?” He pleaded softly. There was so much hope in his eyes. I pretended to think about it.

“Nah. I’m pretty busy with Matt.” I said. Peter stood up and gripped my hips, pulling me closer. I let out a small gasp.

“I never want to hear his name again. He had the privilege of taking my girl on a date and treated her poorly? He’s a deadman if I ever see him around here. Now, I need you to tell me you’re my girlfriend before my heart explodes. Tell me you’re mine. I won’t believe it until you say it. ” Peter begged. It wasn’t in a demanding, manipulative tone. All of his words were words of love. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed his lips.

��Peter Parker, I always have, and always will be, yours.”

Tag List 🏷

@monimiin @truthdaze @honeyccoated @constellationswithapurpose @condy-wants-a-cookie @zipp0flare @vxidnik @maddie-laufeyson @bubblegumholland @the-blindwatcher @pmvelez97 @babymadz @sincereleygmg

935 notes · View notes

nazariolahela · 4 years

Text

Best Beloved: Chapter 5

A/N: Hey y'all! This is a PM AU I’ve been working on. It’s a bit different than my previous fic series and I’m really excited to try something new. I hope y’all enjoy it. This story is told in dual first-person narrative, from Kaia (F!MC) and Damien’s POV. The first half of this story takes place during Kaia’s freshman year and Damien’s senior year of college. The second half is two years after Kaia graduates. There will be sprinklings of canon in this fic, but we’ll try to step out of the box for the most part. Thanks for reading, and please leave feedback, and/or if you would like to be tagged.

Catch up here

Series Tags: @burnsoslow @lady-calypso @irishwhiskys-blog @loveellamae

Synopsis: What happens when you find yourself crushing on your best friend? For years, Damien and Kaia have been friends, while secretly harboring feelings for one another. Everything changes one night after a little too much alcohol and years of pent up feelings. Can they control their emotions and salvage their friendship, or will the feelings they hold for one another destroy everything they have?

All characters are the property of Pixelberry Studios. Thanks for allowing me to borrow them.

Chapter Summary: Damien and Kaia meet for a study group, but the assignment isn’t the only thing they’re struggling with.

Kaia

“You’re late,” I said, my feet propped up on the table, as Damien shuffled across the library to where I was sitting. It was our weekly study session and we were supposed to start 20 minutes ago, but I was the only one in our group who had grasped the concept of time management.

“Yeah, sorry. This internship is kicking my ass. I had to stay late because we were setting up some new security clearance protocols. Don’t tell anyone though. That information is classified,” he replied as he slid the backpack off his shoulder. He took a seat at the table and shot me a panty-dropping grin. My body instantly reacted. Bastard. How did he keep doing that?

“Yeah, well Brad and Allison aren’t here yet either, so I guess I can’t be too mad at you.”

“You couldn’t be mad at me if you wanted to. You love me.”

I paused. Did he really just say that? He always knew how to push my buttons. Even when we were kids. It’s like he lived to get a reaction out of me. I cleared my throat awkwardly. “Anyway. We need to get the rest of this project done. It’s due on Monday. Did you finish your part?”

“Of course I did. What do you take me for?” he grinned, pulling his laptop from his backpack. I watched him from the corner of my eye as he set it on the table and opened it up, powering up the device. “I’m emailing it to you right now so you can add it to the final document.”

I had the unfortunate task of presenting the project to the class, so everyone sent their parts to me. It was my job to outline the project, then organize each part into our PowerPoint.

“Not gonna lie, this is not how I wanted to spend my Saturday afternoon. I have a very pissed off girlfriend right now,” he said.

I hid my smirk behind my laptop. I know, I know. It wasn’t very nice of me, but I got a little thrill hearing that Damien and Alana were having problems. It wasn’t that I wanted my friend to be miserable, but if he suddenly became single, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. I had nothing against Alana personally, but the few times we interacted, she was very cold towards me.

“Hmm...that sucks. So, I have Allison’s part. She emailed it to me last night, but I’m still waiting on Brad’s part. I put your part on slides 5 and 6 to transition from Allison’s slide, then we’ll put Brad’s part on slides 9 and 10 after my part. Then, we should be good to go.” I checked the time on my phone. Brad and Allison were over half an hour late. I sent both of them a text asking when they planned on showing up, then went back to laying out the presentation.

Damien and I worked in silence for several minutes. Occasionally, I would look up from my computer and sneak peeks of him. I couldn’t help but stare at his features. Even after all these years, my attraction for him never waned. He looked up and caught me staring; his lips turned up in a wide grin.

“Do I have something on my face?”

“Um...uh...nope. Y-you’re all good!” I replied a little too enthusiastically.

“Then why are you staring at me like that?” he smirked.

I felt my cheeks turn beet red. I quickly looked away and tried to focus on what I was working on, but I could still feel his eyes on me. My phone pinged, breaking the silence — and thank the gods — the tension. I grabbed it and saw a message from Allison. She mentioned that she wasn’t feeling well and would not be able to make our study group tonight, but that she would see us next week. There was still no word from Brad, which I was not surprised by.

I rolled my eyes and placed my phone on the table. “Well, Allison’s not coming. I don’t know about Brad, but I’m guessing if he was going to show up, he’d be here by now.”

Damien shrugged. “No biggie. That kid is a major tool anyway. Not having him here is a blessing.”

I giggled. “True, but we can’t finish without his contribution, so we’re stuck with him until we turn this stupid ass project in.”

“Yippie,” he said in a monotone voice. I rolled my eyes and went back to finishing up our presentation.

We worked for about ten more minutes until my eyes started to blur from staring at the screen. “Well, I guess this is a good stopping point for now. Until we get Brad’s part, this is as far as we can work,”

I stuffed my things in my backpack and slung it over my shoulder when Damien stopped me.

“Hey, you busy right now? Wanna go get a bite to eat?”

I cocked my head in confusion. Was he really asking me to hang out? I had offered to meet him for lunch or coffee outside of our study group several times, but he always had plans with Alana. “Uh…I guess. If that’s okay with you.”

“Obviously it is because I just asked you,” he smirked.

“Yeah, sure. You wanna go now?”

“Nah, I was thinking sometime next month. Of course, I want to go now. When else would we go?” His voice dripped with sarcasm.

I looked down at the yoga pants and hoodie I was wearing. “Well, I was hoping to shower and change before I go out in public.”

“You look fine. No one’s going to give a shit what you’re wearing. Besides, you’re technically already out in public, so it’s a little late for that,” he laughed.

I huffed. “Fine. Where are we going?”

“There’s a little bistro off-campus that has really good burgers.” He slung an arm around my shoulder, pulling me to his body. The feeling of him pressed up against me sent chills down my spine. I shuddered as he grabbed my backpack and handed it to me, then led me out of the library.

When we reached his car in the campus parking lot, he unlocked the doors and tossed his backpack in the back seat. I stopped in my tracks. He still had the same car from high school. All the memories of us riding around in this thing on Friday nights came flooding back. He moved to the driver’s side door, stopping to wait for me. “Are you going to get in the car, or are you just going to stand there all day staring into space?” He extended his arm and tapped his index finger to his wrist. “Time’s a-wastin', Park.”

Snap out of it, Kaia. It’s just Damien. But it wasn’t ‘just Damien.’ It was the boy I had been in love with for as long as I could remember. I moved slowly to the car and opened the passenger’s side door, sliding in. He smirked and started the ignition. We drove in silence, the only sounds coming from the radio. A song from our childhood started playing and we looked at each other with goofy grins on our faces.

“Remember the first time we heard this song? You wouldn’t stop singing it for weeks,” he said with a laugh.

“What? It’s a good song,” I replied, singing along and dancing in my seat.

I smiled at the memory that song brought back. It was the summer of 2009. Damien and I were in his backyard, hanging out in the treehouse he and his dad built a few summers before. Two of his younger sisters, Isabela and Carina, were having a sleepover, so he was hiding out. His sister Carina was my age and we were in a couple of classes together, so I was friendly with her, but I spent more time with Damien. The sun had finally set over the horizon so we decided to start up a fire in the fire pit and make S’mores. We climbed down the ladder and he pulled a lighter from his pocket.

“Why do you have that?” I gasped.

His eyes met mine and a smirk spread across his face. “I was smoking a J behind the school gym this morning, so I needed it.” He stared at me for a few seconds, watching my reaction, then burst out laughing. “I found it in the junk drawer in the kitchen, you dork. You know I don’t smoke.”

I leaned over and smacked his arm. “Not funny, Dames.”

“I disagree. I thought it was hilarious.”

“Whatever. Just light the stupid fire. I’ll run inside and grab the stuff to make S’mores.”

“Watch out for the slumber party,” he called back as I walked into the house. I made it to the kitchen and started rummaging through the cabinets, looking for the ingredients we needed. I found the graham crackers and chocolate bars but had no luck locating the marshmallows. I was about to go back outside and asked Damien when I turned and bumped into Isabela.

“Hey, Kaia. Whatcha doing?” she asked, holding several bags of chips in her arms.

“Dames and I are making S’mores. Where are your marshmallows?”

She set the bags of chips down and rummaged around the pantry before locating and tossing me the bag. “So, what’s going on with you and my brother?”

My cheeks instantly flushed. “Wh-what do you mean?”

She smirked. “You know what I mean. You two spend an awful lot of time together. Are you two a thing?”

“No. It’s not like that. We’re just friends,” I lied. Her cocked eyebrow said she didn’t buy my bullshit, but she nodded her head. I grabbed the bag of marshmallows from her hand and hightailed it back outside. "I Gotta Feeling" by Black Eyed Peas blasted through the portable speakers in the yard. I approached Damien sitting in front of the firepit, poking one of the logs with a stick. He was shirtless and the moonlight bounced off the muscles of his toned back. The sight made my mouth water. That was the first time I realized I was in love with him.

I was thrust back into the present by the sound of Damien killing the engine. I looked up and noticed we had arrived at the bistro. We exited the car and made our way inside, snagging a table toward the back of the restaurant. The waitress dropped off the menus and took our drink orders, before leaving us to decide what to eat. I pretended to peruse the menu, but my mind was on the guy sitting in the booth across from me.

“Order whatever you want. My treat,” he said.

“Huh?”

I looked up and he was watching me. He nodded toward the menu in my hand. “Don’t worry about paying. I’ve got it this time.”

“You don’t have to do that, you know.”

“I know,” he said softly, riling up the butterflies in my stomach. Our waitress returned a few minutes later and took our orders. Damien ordered the Maple Bacon Burger while I ordered the Mac ‘N Cheese Burger. The waitress left to put our orders in, leaving us alone again.

“So, now that we’re a month into the school year, how are your classes going?” he asked.

I shrugged, swirling my straw in my glass. “Classes are going well. I’m not ready to drop any of them, so that’s a plus. Dorm life is pretty fun, too. I got really lucky with my roomie. Her schedule is different from mine, so we don’t see much of each other, but one night a week, we hang out.” I tapped my finger against my chin. “It’s crazy to think that we’re already a quarter of the way through the semester, so that means I’m 1/32nd of the way through my college career.”

He laughed. “I guess that’s one way of looking at it. What else is going on? Any interesting guys catch your attention lately?”

My eyes shot up to meet his. Why was he asking me that? I went back to staring at my drink. “Uh...not really. There is this guy in my algebra class who asked me out, but I turned him down.” I peeked at him from under my lashes, unable to make out his expression.

***

Damien

I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. On one hand, I wanted her to find someone who would make her happy if I couldn’t. On the other hand, knowing that she wasn’t involved with anyone gave me a tiny sliver of hope. I know she wouldn’t wait for me forever, but I still liked that there wasn’t another guy capturing her attention. Jesus, I was such an asshole.

“So, what happened?” the words left my mouth before I could stop them.

She shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s super nice and really cute, but I just couldn’t bring myself to say yes. Which is weird, because there’s definitely an attraction between us. My whole goal for this semester was to step out of my comfort zone.”

She looked up at me, those big, beautiful brown eyes staring into my soul. No matter how hard I tried to fight it, everything about this girl did things to me. Her laugh was like the most beautiful music to my ears. Her sense of humor was aligned with mine. Even her looks were enough to make other girls jealous. When she complained earlier about how she was dressed, I internally rolled my eyes. Even when she didn’t try, she still looked mouth-watering. She was wearing a pair of black yoga pants and a light pink hooded sweatshirt with the words “Rosé and Shine” written in gold cursive letters across the chest. Yes, I looked at her chest. If she busted me, I would’ve just said I was trying to read her shirt.

I awkwardly cleared my throat. “You should give him a chance. Who knows? He might turn out to be a great guy. We all know those are in short supply lately.” Gods, what was I doing? I knew it was the right thing to do, but saying those words hurt.

She nodded. “Yeah, I guess. Maybe he is great and we’ll be really happy together. I just don’t know if I’m ready to start dating yet. I think… I just...I’m not over...” she trailed off.

“You’re not over what?”

“Nevermind,” she shook her head and took a long sip of her drink.

The wheels started turning. Was she talking about me? I know she dated in high school, but Nadia told me those relationships never lasted longer than a few months. She suspected I was the reason for that. Yeah, I know it sounded a tad creepy, but I was able to keep tabs on her, thanks to her cousin’s need to gossip.

One particular moment was that first Christmas after I left for college. I received a text from Nadia asking if I was coming home. She then asked that I keep my distance from Kaia. When I asked her “why,” she told me that she was still upset about what happened after graduation.

But I didn’t care. I wanted to see my best friend. I dropped by her house to say hi to her parents. They always treated me like the son they never had. Her dad asked how college was going. I told them about my classes and the friends I had made so far. Her mom was filling me in about the neighborhood gossip when I caught a glimpse of Kaia hovering in the hallway. She looked like she wanted to talk to me, but I could tell she was embarrassed to see me.

We locked eyes briefly before she turned around and retreated to her bedroom. I waited a few moments then excused myself to use the bathroom. I stood outside her door, listening for any signs of movement, before lightly tapping on the door. I heard the springs of her mattress squeak under her weight, then the door swung open. She looked adorable in her red and white Reindeer pajama pants and white thermal top. My eyes briefly traveled down and I noticed she wasn’t wearing a bra.

“So, you weren’t even going to come to say hi to me?” I asked.

She shifted on her feet. “I don’t know. I figured you didn’t want to talk to me after what happened last time.” I watched as her eyes traveled up and down my body. It took everything in me to keep from pushing her into her room and kissing her. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t. Not only were her parents in the other room, I knew the whole age difference was frowned upon. And what if we did get together and it didn’t work out? I’d lose my best friend forever.

“You’re my best friend, Kaia. No matter what happened in the past, that will never change,” I replied.

“Even when I get drunk and act like a lovesick idiot?” She played with the drawstring of her pants, avoiding my eyes.

I gripped her chin with my thumb and forefinger, tilting her face up towards mine. “There’s nothing you could do that would ever make me want to stop being your best friend. And hey, I don’t hold what happened back then against you. Sometimes we do dumb things when we’re drunk.”

Her face dropped and it told me I had said the wrong thing. I brought my hand up and cupped her cheek and she leaned into my touch. The moment was interrupted when her mom called from the kitchen to ask me if I wanted some hot cocoa. I dropped my hand and gave her a weak smile, then backed away slowly as I made my way down the hall back to the living room. I looked over at my shoulder to see her still standing in her bedroom doorway, watching me go.

I was pulled back into the present when the waitress arrived at our table and delivered our food. The two of us ate in awkward silence, occasionally looking up at each other. After our plates were cleared, the waitress reappeared and I ordered a slice of cherry pie for us to share. When the pie arrived, we each took a fork and dug in.

“So, tell me more about this mystery guy?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood.

She chewed for a few moments, hesitant to talk about it, then finally spoke. “Well, his name is Hayden. He’s a freshman and a photography major. He’s from Upstate New York and has a Border Collie named Dipper. He also has a twin brother named Harley, but I guess they don’t get along. Nadia loves him and she’s been bugging me to go out with him for the last few days.”

I didn’t know this kid from Adam, but I instantly didn’t like him. Was it jealousy? Probably. Was I going to do anything about it? Nope. “It’s obvious that you like him, so why not go out with him. You’re overthinking this, Kaia.”

“Yeah, maybe,” she sighed and took another bite of pie. At that moment, Alana’s friends Rowan and Cecile walked by. They waved, then stopped short when they noticed it wasn’t my girlfriend sitting in the booth across from me. Cecile gave me a skeptical glance while Rowan looked on in shock.

“Hey, Damien. What are you up to?” He asked, looking between Kaia and me.

“Hey, guys! Just capping off a little study session. This is Kaia. She’s an old friend.”

He nodded. “Cool, cool. You guys going to Homecoming next week? Cecile is a candidate for court, so we were going to have a little get-together after the crowning ceremony. You and Alana should come. It’s gonna be fun.”

“Yeah, that sounds good, man. I’ll talk to her about it this weekend.”

Cecile cocked an eyebrow as if to call me out on my bullshit, but didn’t say anything. She narrowed her eyes at Kaia, then turned back to me. “Well, we gotta go. Tell your girlfriend, Alana, hi for us.” She grabbed Rowan’s hand and they walked out. I sighed. I was sure I was going to get a phone call about that by the end of the night.

“Well, that was weird,” she said. “Speaking of, what’s going on with you and Alana?”

Shit, where do I start? “It’s complicated right now. We’re taking a break.”

Her eyes widened. “You guys broke up?”

“Eh...Not exactly. We’ve been fighting a lot, so we’re taking a few days to calm down and re-evaluate the relationship. It’s not how I would have handled things, but she thinks it will give us time to,” I held up my index and middle fingers, making air quotes, “figure things out. She thinks I’ve been neglecting her, which I kind of have been. But she also thinks I’m cheating on her.”

“Wow...I genuinely don’t know how to respond to that,” she replied.

“Yeah, me neither.”

Kaia nodded silently, setting her fork down on the plate. She rested her elbows on the table and folded her hands in front of her face. “Can I be honest with you? This whole relationship seems really unhealthy. There’s a huge lack of trust on both sides. That’s something a break isn’t going to fix. If she doesn’t trust you to be faithful, your relationship is doomed to fail. So, it’s up to you to figure out how you want to proceed. If you think the relationship is worth saving, you need to prove that you’re a reliable partner, and she needs to work through her insecurities. If not, you’re better off ending it now. Especially before you two decide to get engaged or something.”

“I kind of already proposed to her though,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck.

“Oh,” she replied. “Well, you should think about doing some sort of premarital counseling before you get married.”

“Yeah, I don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon.”

“And why’s that?”

“Because she said no,” I deadpanned.

Kaia went quiet. I waited for her to say something else, but before she could speak, the waitress reappeared to drop our check off and ask if we needed anything else. Neither of us spoke as I paid the bill and we made our way out to the car. I debated asking her what she was thinking but decided against it. We rode in silence back to the dorms. When I pulled up in the parking lot, she grabbed the handle to exit the car, then stopped.

“For what it’s worth, Dames, I am sorry about you and Alana. I might not like her, but you’re my best friend. And if she makes you happy, then I’m happy for you. If you ever want to talk about it, you know where to find me. I’ve been told I’m a good listener.”

I nodded. “Thanks. I appreciate that. And hey, let me know how things go with Hayden.”

She frowned slightly, then quickly covered it up with a smile. “Will do. I’ll see you in class on Monday. Have a good weekend.” She got out of the car and took off running towards her dorm.

I dragged my hand down my face. Get it together, Dames. She was my best friend. And I had a girlfriend. I got out of the car and headed toward my dorm. When I reached my floor, I swung open the door to my room and was met by the cold stare of my girlfriend, sitting on my bed, her hands folded in her lap.

“Alana? What are you doing here?” I asked as I moved into the room. She rose from the bed and made her way towards me.

“Cecile texted me.”

Shit. I knew this was coming. “Babe, it’s not what you think.”

Her eyes gave away nothing as she took a deep breath. “It’s not important. What matters is you and me.”

Confused, I grabbed her hand and sat down on the bed. “You know I love you, babe. And I know I’ve been a shitty boyfriend these last few weeks, but I want to make this work and I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”

She nodded, but her face told me she didn’t believe me. I sighed and pressed a kiss to her temple. It was going to be a long night.

#best beloved #pm au #college au #friends to lovers #perfect match #choices fanfic #damien nazario #kaia park #damien x mc #nazariolahela fanfic

17 notes · View notes

purplesurveys · 4 years

Text

714

Do you have anyone you fully trust? Yeah, mostly my friends. I wouldn’t befriend them if I knew from the get-go they couldn’t keep a secret or be reliable. What kind of pants did you wear today? I usually wear shorts to keep myself comfortable during the warm April days. How old is your television? Our TVs in the living and dining rooms have been around since we moved in so that’s 12 years. My parents’ TV is around 8-9 years old, I’m not very sure. I don’t have my own TV in my room – I used to, but it got moved to my brother’s room when we realized he’d use it more since he has a PS3/PS4. That one is around 6 years old. Do you have a laptop or desktop? Laptop. When did you last talk on the phone with someone? Not so sure. I think it was a couple of nights ago.

Are you currently sleepy? A little bit, which is why I have a cup of coffee beside me right now. ;) Have you ever deleted Facebook friends for a significant other? No, that’s so childish and obviously possessive eugh. I don’t like some of Gab’s friends but at the end of the day they’re still her friends, so I never feel the need to tell her to delete them. Have you ever had bad trust issues with someone? Yep. That’s why to make things easier for me I just stop talking to them entirely. What accent do you think is the most attractive? There’s a certain kind of British accent that I find very pleasurable to listen to... think the cast of Love Actually and how everyone there talked, haha. Do you own any television series box sets? I have an unofficial box set to the 1980s show Perfect Strangers that my dad bought for me. Other than that, no – I do have copies of some of my favorite shows like Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead, but they’re all kept in a hard drive.

Have you ever been in a fight with your best friend? I’ve been in numerous fights with Gab. My last fight with Angela was back in the 5th grade probs. Do you have high standards? Eh, for certain things but not everything. I have high standards for group projects and papers – my groupmates don’t just get away with writing in whatever style they wish or designing our Powerpoint however way they want if they’re grouped with me; I’m a bit of a control freak when it comes to that. Which for me is an ok trait to have since more often than not I WILL see a grammar error or a haphazardly-made slide in a Powerpoint.

When it comes to food and vacations I also tend to be a bit uppity since both my parents have worked in the hotel industry for almost 30 years, so over time I’ve learned to identify which accommodations are good and which aren’t. When did you last receive a hug and who was it from? I haven’t received a hug in more than a month. I’m rottinggggggg. Do you take any advanced classes? No. I don’t think we can do that here, or if we even have that concept. What is your lucky number? I don’t have one. Do you own a book bag? If so, what color is it? No I don’t, I only have large backpacks since I tend to carry a lot of stuff for school. Was the last movie you watched a horror film? I didn’t watch it in full, but yeah The Shining is very much a horror flick. Do you own a lot of tee shirts? Yeah, both for outside and for home wear. They’re just comfortable and convenient to have lol. Do you plan your outfits ahead of time? Not always. I plan my outfits mostly if I’m going to be seeing my girlfriend the next day since I always want to look nice for her, and to look cute if we’re gonna go to the mall hahaha. Have you ever spent the night in jail? I have not. I’ve read Chris Jericho’s account of having to stay the night in a cell for a DUI and it sounds like a nightmare, though. Would you say you're a bad influence on others? No. If I do act like a bad influence it’ll always be jokingly - like telling my friends to cut class so we can have lunch together - but in the end I’ll tell them to go to their class, or at least to make their own decision. Describe your favorite jacket? It’s a UP-themed varsity jacket, and it’s maroon and has the name of the school in big letters at the back. Are you a colorful person or quite bland? I always try to be colorful, of course. I would hate to have to describe myself as bland. List one word to describe your significant other? Right now, annoying. In general, she’s understanding. Do you handle pain well? It’s one of the few things that I don’t. I can’t handle pricks to the skin, gashes, paper cuts, etc. Have you ever been so nervous you threw up? No, I find myself feeling barf-y only if I have a bad headache or, more predictably, if I’ve had too much to drink. Where is your favorite place to go when you're depressed? I like going to Skywalk because I can always count on the fact that at least one orgmate will be there at any time of the day, and my orgmates are my family and make me forget about my problems instantly. If Skywalk doesn’t help, I go to my car and cry as much as I need to.

If I’m not at the university I like going to our couch in the living room, because my bedroom only makes me more depressed and I have had particularly bad episodes when I had willingly stayed there in the past. Do you remember the first survey you took? I’ve always recorded my surveys on Tumblr so the first one is on my first survey blog, the one I got locked out of last 2016 haha. How many friends do you have on Facebook? I don’t feel like checking exactly how many but it’s in the 660s or 670s. Have you ever watched fight videos for amusement? No thanks, any video involving any kind of conflict stresses me out. In high school, were you in trouble a lot? Nah. My friend group were mild troublemakers but we all performed well in school, had good grades, and respected teachers at the end of the day so they didn’t really have a reason to penalize us. Do you enjoy your hairstyle? I like it a lot better than my boring straight hair, but with the lockdown making all salons close for the meantime, I have no idea what to do with my bangs that are growing too long now D:

Do you have long hair or short hair? It’s a lot shorter than before. How much make up do you wear on a daily basis? Zero. I only wear makeup for parties or formal events. What is your favorite television show? Breaking Bad and Friends. Do you have a leather jacket? No. I don’t really need that here either... I can’t imagine how hot I’d feel wearing that. Do you think anyone dislikes you for no reason? Sure. Don’t most people have one person they feel this way towards lmaoooo Do you have any children? Nope. Have you ever been interviewed on television before? Nah but we’ve had media crews visit our school before to look for interviewees for segments in news programs. I’ve always just said no and watched my friends from behind the camera. Do you have weak upper body strength? A little but it’s improved a whole lot from my fitness class last sem. What is the worst insult someone can call you? A failure. Do you write on your hands a lot? Only back in high school. I have no idea what made me stop as soon as I started college but thank fuck I did because it was such a poor habit to have. Are you good at sketching? I’m no good at any kind of drawing or creating images. Do you think hugs are awkward? If it’s not with the right person or if I hugged someone who wasn’t a hugger then yeah, they can be awkward. Do you think facial hair is gross? No unless it’s neglected and has like gunk or food bits in it. But I don’t mind hair in general. Would you ever dye your hair an unnatural color? Sure. What color was the last cup you drank from? My coffee mug :) It has a black decor on the outside that turns bright blue when the liquid inside is hot, so that I know to be careful with it. Ever play Angry Birds? I did play it back in 2010 but I was already pretty old then (at least for those kinds of games) so I didn’t really enjoy it. We had it on the family iPad for a while though because my brother, who was 6-7 at the time, liked the game. Did you think it was annoying, like I did? The sounds were a bit annoying, sure. Have you ever been to the zoo before? No, but close. My old school has its own eco-park that we used to visit every now and then. What instruments do you know how to play? Just the recorder, which really shouldn’t count lol. How late did you stay up last night? Till 4 AM, I think. How late do you plan on staying up tonight? I have no idea. Definitely not now, though.

#survey #surveys

2 notes · View notes

chasholidays · 5 years

Note

Pursuant of the previously discussed post regarding Batman's age: Jake and Amy find out that Batman is essentially a teenage dad, panic, and adopt Batman.

the post in question; I didn’t get the teenage dad part in there it’s just the 99 adopting batman for no reason except that they can

Jake opens his presentation on Monday morning with, “Guess who just got a new superhero!”

“Is it us or is it Manhattan?” asks Terry. “Because it’s usually Manhattan.”

“He serves all five boroughs, Terry! Don’t try to take this away from me.”

“So he’s in Manhattan,” Rosa surmises.

“Moving on,” Jake says, hitting the button on his powerpoint to show a grainy image of a form dressed in all black with a cape. “He’s been spotted every night for the past week all over all five boroughs, including Brooklyn. So far he seems to be on our side.” He hits the next slide, a group of people in an alley, tied together somehow. “Catching perps and calling in tips to let police know where they are.”

“But still a criminal,” says Captain Holt.

“Come on, Captain, we need all the help we can get. And he’s so cool! I haven’t told you his name yet.”

“I assume something juvenile and non-descriptive.”

“Batman!” Jake exclaims.

“Is he a furry?” Rosa asks.

“No, Rosa, he’s not a furry.”

“How do you know he’s not a furry?”

“Actually, that’s a good question,” Amy puts in. “Maybe not specifically the furry thing, but how much do you know about this guy?”

He hits the button for the next slide. “This is the best shot we have of his costume. Does that look like a fursuit to you?”

“Why do you know what a fursuit looks like?” Terry asks.

“Because I did my research! Look, we’re getting away from the point. The point is: Batman is now a presence in the city. So far he is non-hostile to law enforcement and helping us!”

“But he is still a vigilante and if you encounter him, you should bring him in,” says Captain Holt.

“Counterpoint: he has cool stuff and we should ask him if he wants to share it.”

“Peralta, do you believe that the NYPD is a good thing?”

Jake pauses. “I believe the 99 is. Other than that, I’d say it’s a pretty mixed bag.”

“Yeah, NYPD’s had some issues,” Rosa puts in. “Can’t trust cops.”

“Fair enough,” says Holt. “Peralta, do you believe that the NYPD is a theoretically good thing that we should be improving?”

“Definitely.”

“If this–Batman character believes the same, he should be working within the system. If you want to fight crime, put on a police uniform, not a fursuit.”

“I disagree with you on a fundamental level but also can you say fursuit again?”

“No.”

“Damn it.” He sobers. “Look, the system doesn’t work for everyone, Captain. As long as Batman is on our side, we shouldn’t be trying to stop him.”

“I don’t believe we know enough about his so-called side to be saying he’s an ally. Regardless, unless you encounter the Batman, I don’t see any reason to pay any attention to him. However, it is useful to know about local vigilantes, so I appreciate the presentation, Peralta. Is that all?”

Jake clicks rapidly through a few more slides. “Bat fursuit for comparison, picture of his symbol, a few more cell phone pics, yup, that’s it.”

“Good. Dismissed.”

“You’re going to go look for Batman, huh,” Rosa murmurs, as they leave.

“Obviously,” says Jake. “He’s a hero.”

“He’s gonna be a furry.”

“He’s not a furry!” Jake calls at her, and she just waves over her shoulder, dismissive. “Not a furry.”

Amy manages a weak smile. “Sure he’s not.”

Charles is the first to actually encounter Batman.

“I was terrified!” he reports.

Jake makes a face. “You shouldn’t sound so happy when you say that.”

“Think about it Jake, if he scares me, he’ll scare criminals.”

“Wrong,” says Rosa. “You’re afraid of way more things than criminals are.”

“Yeah, Charles,” Amy adds. “You were scared of the My Little Pony movie.”

“Hey, that got dark.”

“So, what was he like, tell me everything,” says Jake.

“Well, he spoke in a deep, raspy voice. He told me to stay out of his way, and I asked him if he was a furry. Apparently he gets that a lot!”

“Well, that sounds like about what I would expect,” says Jake. “Did he at least give you some perps to round up?”

“Nope! He shot a grappling hook into the air and swung away.”

“Still cool! Counting that as a win.” He rubs his hands together. “Who’s next?”

It’s Rosa, three days later.

“I told him his car was dope. He told me my bike was dope. End of interaction.”

“How dope was his car?” Jake asks.

“So dope.”

“I knew it.”

Amy doesn’t mean to find Batman; it just happens.

“Tell me everything,” Jake says, when she gets home.

“There’s really not much to tell. Honestly, he was kind of a letdown.”

“Letdown? How could he be a letdown?”

“Well, I was walking home–”

“Uh huh, uh huh.”

“This is going to take forever if you react to everything.”

“Good feedback, continue.”

“I was walking home and I heard a fight. I went to investigate and I found him fighting with one guy, two already down. I put down my bags, got out my gun, and told them to freeze. Batman punched the last guy while he was distracted, and then he said, They’re all yours.”

“How is that a letdown?”

“I feel like he could have had a cooler line. Also, his voice was almost too gravely? He was trying way too hard.”

“He’s still new, he’ll grow into it. Maybe we could help him out.”

“You want to help Batman?”

“You’ve seen my diary full of quippy one-liners, you know I could give him suggestions.” The noise she makes is non-committal, and he protests, “Lots of those are good!”

“Some of them are.”

“They’re better than they’re all yours.”

“True. I just don’t think you should get too attached to this guy. I’m not sure he has what it takes to make it as a superhero.”

“Agree to disagree! I will be putting all my hopes and dreams onto him and will be crushed if he ever lets me down.”

Amy sighs. “That’s what I thought.”

Terry starts the care packages, albeit accidentally.

“I don’t think he’s eating right, and he definitely needs a better workout routine. Terry would make a much better vigilante.”

“Terry would,” Jake agrees. “We could make that happen.”

“I don’t want to be a vigilante, Jake.”

“But if you did, you would be an amazing one.”

“I would.”

“You really think Batman needs workout tips?” Amy asks, putting the conversation back on track.

“Everyone needs workout tips. Even Terry is still learning!”

“Then it’s settled,” says Jake. “Terry will prepare a care package, which we will deliver to Batman!”

“That’s not what I said,” Terry protests.

“Don’t you want to help him become his best self?”

Terry shifts, uncomfortable. “You know I do.”

“Perfect! You get the baskets done and we’ll do the rest.”

“How are you possibly going to give Batman a care package,” Rosa says, so dubious it doesn’t really qualify as a question.

“That’s for me to know and you to find out.”

“You don’t know, do you.”

“No, so I guess it’s for everyone to find out! Get me that basket, Sarge.”

“Oh my god oh my god oh my god it’s really him.”

“Stay calm, Jake.” Amy waves. “Excuse me, Batman?” The man turns. He’s definitely not as big as Terry, in any dimension. “Santiago and Peralta, NYPD. We have something for you.”

“What?” he says. His voice might be even deeper than the last time Amy heard it.

Jake thrusts the basket out. “We’re big fans and we just want you to be your best self, so–here! It’s a lot of yogurt and some exercises you can use to build your core.”

“Whose core doesn’t need a little work, right?” Amy asks.

Batman looks between their faces and the basket for a second, and then reaches out and accepts it, fast, like a wild animal.

“Thank you,” he says.

“And thank you for helping protect our city,” Jake says, too fast. “Do you have your grappling hook? Can you take me for an amazing ride through the city in your big strong arms?”

“Dial it back, babe,” Amy murmurs.

“Good call. If you ever need help in Brooklyn, come to the 99!”

“Understood,” he says, and then has to try to grappling hook away from the scene while juggling the basket, which is a little awkward.

“We’re going to work on that!” Jake calls. “And your one-liners!” He turns to Amy with a smile. “I think that went well.”

Amy pats his arm. “The best.”

“Attention, squad,” says Captain Holt, after a few weeks of covert Batman-helping. “It has come to my attention that you have been aiding and abetting the Batman in his vigilante activities.”

“No and no,” says Jake. “Why would you think that?”

“For one thing, the sergeant told me.”

“Damn it, Terry!”

“I had to! Terry’s conscience got the better of him!”

“Look, Captain, we’re not doing that much. Giving him some snacks, some workout tips, maybe a few ideas for witty banter. It’s not like we’re teaming up with him or anything, although I think that would be great PR and we should do it if at all possible.”

“Ah, yes, the excellent public-relations strategy of law enforcement working with someone who is actively breaking the law.”

“Jake’s right, Captain,” Gina pipes up. “People like the Batman way more than they like us. If we could find some way to leech some of his popularity it would deffo be great for the precinct. Like if he endorsed us? It would be amazing.”

“See, Captain? The people love Batman!” Jake pauses. “Is it Batman or the Batman? Ames?”

“Honestly, it’s very inconsistent across publications and social media. I wrote a letter to the New York Times editorial board to see why they’d elected to use the definite article but I haven’t heard back yet. They’re probably really busy.”

“Excellent, keep us posted. See, Captain? He’s so popular!”

“Stop giving the Batman care packages,” says the Captain. “Dismissed.”

“He never said we had to stop giving him stuff.”

“Jake!”

“Come on, it’s getting cold! I don’t think he’s adequately insulated for winter. And, let’s be real, he’s probably some broke college kid who put all this stuff together in his garage. If we don’t help him, he’ll starve and/or freeze.”

Amy gasps, about half genuinely. “Are you trying to be a caretaker?”

“Maybe I’m finally becoming responsible!”

“Hey, let’s not carried away.”

“Yeah, okay, giving stuff to an adult man dressed as a bat is definitely a baby step. Still, baby step!”

“Baby step!”

“Do you think I could knit him a scarf?”

Amy smiles. “I think you could definitely try.”

“Attention, squad,” Gina announces, one morning in December. “I am thrilled to inform you that our campaign to gain public support through our support of the Batman has worked.”

“Do not say that,” says Captain Holt. “We have no way of knowing if that this has anything to do with the Batman.”

“What is it?” asks Terry.

“We received a large anonymous donation, for our service to the city. I’m sure it’s unrelated.”

“And I’m sure it’s not!” says Jake. “We’re the cops who knitted Batman a sweater and the people support us. How much money is it? Did we get it in bags? Is there a pool we could fill with the money and then we go swimming?”

“There is not and the money is going to the precinct, not to us personally. There will be no swimming in it. And I will once again ask you to stop giving the Batman sweaters.”

“Request denied, this is the best thing that’s ever happened to us. Merry Christmas to all!”

In the Wayne manor, twenty-three-year-old Bruce Wayne is sitting in front of the fire, wearing a very poorly made black sweater with a yellow circle on the front, when Alfred comes in a letter. “A thank-you note. From Brooklyn’s 99th precinct, for your generous contribution.”

Bruce smiles. “Thank you, Alfred. That will be all.”

#jugularimugi

649 notes · View notes

abundantchewtoys · 5 years

Text

HS Epi: Meat p12 reaction

Back to Earth C presumably.

I gotta say, I'm curious to find out the final page count of Meat. The way we liveblog, the experience is stretched out, so with theories surfacing and such, we might be caught off guard when things are really over. There's only so far that things will be taken, though I guess we're still in for those "original Male/Female characters", I guess. :P That shouldn't refer to the new Reload timeline John created, I think, with copies of all the people mentioned in the rest of the character list. So, uh, yeah, guess the reason Arquiusprite wasn't mentioned in there was because he remained unseen, voided out if you will. And I guess we shouldn't expect an alternate Equius to have a talking role, either?

---

==>

Well! Talk about jumping straight into the action, this page opens with a dialoguelog! Back to Dave, Karkat and if my eyes didn't deceive me, we'll get some lines for Jade, too! Supportive Jade will be supportive.

"hit jane right in her neoliberal austerity measures" ... Hah. Well, I didn't think that would get referenced again at all, but it seems after all these years since John's 18th birthday Dave still has issues with the ol' N.A.M. So, Jane's a neoliberal AND a fascist now, Dave? Is that... even feasible?

"DAVE: now shes gonna spin some shit about supply side economics but we cant let her control the narrative on that one cause the first thing thats gonna happen once she begins deregulating the baking industry is that some sweet dumb crocodile down in consort land is gonna start putting sparkle glue in the cupcake mix which isnt even the real issue thats just surface issues KARKAT: RIGHT. JADE: definitely" ... Like, Dave I admire you're getting so into this, but you realize they aren't following, right? Also, why would Jane want to deregulate the baking industry if she's the leader of the foremost power in said industry, as well as running for president? Plus, Jane can't control the narrative because Caliborn is already controlling it! :mspa:

"DAVE: i mean earth c has just been play acting capitalism the last five thousand years while we timeskipped ahead to live rad lives as gods without bothering with any of the boring shit that goes into making a civilization DAVE: which is fine i mean you cant really expect a bunch of teens who didnt finish middle school to set up a sustainable form of social democracy that isnt just blatantly ripped off whatever we incorrectly thought obama god rest his soul was doing back in the day" ... Gee, Dave's given this a real lot of thought. Props to him, but I hope that aside from becoming 'an activist' he's also got some legitimite action points to improve Earth C's situation.

Guess Sburb really does a number on players, huh? "Congrats, you won, you're all gods now, and also, here's this whole civilization on the brink of collapse, have fun with that. Don't mess this up, I need those people to start the apocalypse in say, 2000 years, k thx bye." (The fact that this civilization, being outside of the Green Sun's influence, may never implement Sburb, is a bit besides the point since I think the trolls would have had the same issue tossed onto them had they actually gone through the victory door.)

Right, but the trolls had their home planet already effectively run by children, I wonder if that will come again? Even though they had carpenter droids at their disposal to run some things for them, they might actually be a bit more self-reliant than the humans!

"DAVE: but janes got this old school mentality you just know she wants to restrict grist alchemy for the sake of “growth” and when that goes down itll take three seconds flat for some nobody in new dersetown to drop the earth c communist manifesto" ... New Dersetown, I like the ring of that. Would call it New Dersey for short, though. :P Again, valid points there, Dave! If any revolt started, it doesn't have to be in the troll community, it could just as much be an angry carapace uprising! They're only docile if there's no one to rally behind.

Blaperile has this idea that the new society in a universe is not supposed to be seeded with the remains of the session nor the universe that came before it. That's actually a valid point; the only reason this society got kickstarted was through the cloning apparatus that was on the meteor! The consorts and carapaces seem like they would be able to reproduce biologically though, so I'm not sure how Sburb normally ensures the planet is a clean slate for a new species to emerge. ... Okay, so the planet itself doesn't really need to be the place where a new Sburb-playing species rises, true. There's a whole new universe out there.

Maybe through "importing" old Sburb technology, the "alpha" planet designation went to Earth C automatically, though.

Or maybe First Guardians are expected to 'cleanse' the planet from outside influence normally, but since this society's outside of the Green Sun's influence, that ain't happening. And Jade won't be going Thanos on Earth C.

"KARKAT: OH YEAH. JADE: of course DAVE: are you two even listening or are you just making noises with your mouths" Dave realizing he's monologuing? What character development is this. :O

"KARKAT: I CAN’T BELIEVE I’M BEING ACCUSED BY DAVE STRIDER, REIGNING EMPEROR OF SPEWING ENDLESS VERBAL DIARRHEA DIRECTLY INTO MY INNOCENT HEAR DUCTS EVERY DAY OF MY FUCKING LIFE, OF MAKING THOUGHTLESS MOUTH NOISES. KARKAT: JADE, ARE YOU HEARING THIS? JADE: im scandalized JADE: especially when JADE: there are much better things we could all be doing with our mouths....." ... Jade, your animes are showing again. ... I think that maybe Jade doesn't want this relation to be going where Dave and Karkat want it to go.

"It’s been a really nice day they’ve been having, and then Jade had to go say something like that. The air in the hive changes in a way that is palpable, in a way that she can’t seem to accurately gauge despite having both superhuman and superdog senses." ... Ah. So I guess maybe Jade just can't get a lid on some of her more... canine inclinations, at time. Welp!

"Elements of her outfit resemble her god tier jammies: peasant skirt, sparkly flats, and a bold choice in striped tights." Nice! That's only the third person who created an outfit based on her god tier outfit that we know, aside from Meenah and Rose.

"the couch where she crashed last night, and the night before that, and the better part of the seven years before that." It would seem Jade has the wanderlust then, she's more like the vagrant dog that comes visiting from time to time? More GCAT in demeanor than Becquerel, in practice. Heheh. Good for her, after being isolated on an island and then a battleship for so long, she's finally going out & seeing things!

"There are other personal effects of hers in the living room too: plants on the windowstill, her bass guitar sitting in a corner" Cool, so when she comes over, she typically lounges here then. Guess the flute never made it over, though. :p

"a horrific-looking periodic table that Dave made her for her seventeenth birthday pinned above the stairwell. He typed it in Comic Sans, and then deep-fried it to oblivion with JPEG artifacts." ... Next up, on For Fans By Fans...

"And Dave, with his preternaturally perfect timing, sweeps a hand over his tablet to bring up a new PowerPoint slide on the TV. He returns to his Comic Sans-written political presentation, gruesome artifacts and all" Dave, Dave that isn't professional at all!

", with the grace and proficiency of a man who has diffused an awkward situation in his own household many times per day, every day, for many years." Well, okay, that is really mature. But when Dave is the adult in a situation, the situation is very awkward per definition.

"DAVE: alternia: brutal eugenics based space dictatorship KARKAT: NOT UNTRUE." Succinct, brutal, but not dishonest.

"DAVE: troll homeworld: lord of the flies nightmare scenario where kids murder each other just to get the chance to get to grow up and murder other aliens instead KARKAT: IT WASN’T THAT BAD." Karkat. Karkat that isn't a valid rebuke.

"KARKAT: YOU MADE THAT LAST ONE UP. KARKAT: ALSO, IT WAS DISGUSTING?? KARKAT: GROW THE FUCK UP, YOU UTTERLY CONTEMPTIBLE, POTTY MOUTHED *CUNT*." ... The irony is stark.

"JADE: also you know trolls dont actually have two dicks dave thats an offensive stereotype" Are we really doing troll anatomy? Well, I guess it's good to know that the fan theory about Sollux at least isn't applicable to the entire species.

"DAVE: trolls: literally ate babies KARKAT: ONLY THE DEFECTIVE ONES. DAVE: like you my dude KARKAT: ...YEAH. DAVE: so thats why our campaign can work" Yeah, Karkat ate grubs, though they weren't troll babies. Also, yeah, Karkat was a mutant, but I wonder if that would really help his case here.

"DAVE: btw im gonna be giving a long form exam at the end of this to make sure youre retaining info because this is only like the most important thing weve ever done collectively" Well he ain't wrong.

"KARKAT: ARE YOU ASKING ME WHETHER I’VE HEARD THIS EXACT SPEECH ALMOST WORD FOR WORD, INCLUDING REHEARSED VERSIONS OF BOTH THE COLORFUL METAPHORS AND “JOKES,” TEN OR TWENTY TIMES ALREADY? KARKAT: BECAUSE THE ANSWER WOULD BE KARKAT: YES, OF COURSE I FUCKING HAVE." Poor, poor Karkat.

"Karkat elbows Dave in the thigh, a move that is obviously meant to be an action of pure, brotherly jest. But instead it comes off as affectionate and overly intimate. Jade’s clever eyes don’t miss this. Her pupils follow the motion of Karkat’s arm, and then they follow the movement of Dave’s mouth as he smiles in what he probably thinks is a totally neutral expression that reveals exactly 0% of his true feelings toward Karkat Vantas. In reality, his veneer is as thin and transparent as cellophane. He is the only person who can’t see through it.

Jade does some calculations in her head. Two kinds of calculations, in fact: mathematical ones and personal ones." So, is Jade reading too much into their relationship, or are the dudes just... Both too shy?

"JADE: soooooo JADE: do you want a projection of her first years hit on the economy down to the decimal with a 0.3% margin of error JADE: because thats a thing i can do if itll make you stop talking about this stupid election for ten minutes" I didn't know that were First Guardian powers! :p I suppose it might be her natural intellect though, but we've only known her as the hands-on science type until now.

"She proceeds to dazzle the two boys with explications on complex math utilizing taxation rates, GDP figures, and some damned thing called the “Laffer curve,”" Dang, Jade is as much committed to this as Dave! (Or maybe she learned all this because it means so much to him, that could be it too!)

"The thing about Jade Harley is that she’s not as good at personal things as she is at other things. Like science, or mastering fraymotifs, or kissing, the last of which she has definitely put a lot of levels into over the past few years because, well, what else are you supposed to do with immortal godhood once you hit the age where the dog hormones start kicking into overdrive?" Guess for dogs, kissing isn't that personal. :p And well, I guess Jade's only now learning the real consequences of turning into a real-life furry. At least she won't have had lack of candidates to practice kissing with. She might even have become the Witch of Spacing Out Young Adults.

"Her high-prescription lenses make her eyes look anime-huge. They might literally be glittering, she’s so completely serious about the issue she is trying to stress." And the fan artists rejoiced for all the new descriptions they have to work with!

" JADE: im about to lay out some cold hard evidence so pay attention! KARKAT: OH, HANG ON, LET ME GET A PEN." You can't live together with Dave for years without learning when it's time to start taking notes and grab a fucking pen.

"JADE: evidence about..... JADE: our relationship! KARKAT: FUCK" Pfff, okay, never mind. I think Jade might have hit a wall several times over before, trying to either define their relationship or take it to the next level. These dudes are really sensitive about their feelings, after all.

But it would be interesting, learning Jade wants to know where they stand just as much as the outside world does.

"JADE: you let me live in your hive when im in town KARKAT: I CAN’T BELIEVE... JADE: im preeeetty intimately entwined in both your lives KARKAT: THAT YOU’RE JUST TALKING ABOUT THIS? JADE: AND you dont disengage from about 86.234% of my flirtations KARKAT: WAIT, WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU KEEP TRACK OF SOMETHING LIKE THAT? JADE: so....... are we doing this or not?" So, just like with taking on Lord English and acknowledging the lit fuse that is Earth C society, I guess the coming around of April 13th 2019 is when Jade had enough of all this silly business and wants to know what's what. (Also, I suppose the level of intimacy they shared on beforehand will be left to speculation.)

"KARKAT: DOING WHAT?! JADE: dating dummy!!!!!!!! KARKAT: OH. KARKAT: THAT IS KARKAT: THAT IS... A COMPLICATED TOPIC IN MY CULTURE THAT I’M NOT SURE HUMANS ARE EQUIPPED TO TALK ABOUT." Smooth, Karkat, real smooth. Maybe Karkat fears commitment will lead to some of their relationships shifting into other quadrants. And he wouldn't like to be moirails or auspistices with either of them.

"DAVE: also totally unrelated to the economy" ... Nice try Dave, but I think this can't be steered back into that track.

"DAVE: which not gonna lie is the only thing i want to talk about for uh DAVE: for however long it takes for this other conversation to stop happening JADE: so say no!!! DAVE: well KARKAT: UHHHHH JADE: im not just forcing this conversation for my sake! its for you two as well JADE: i mean after all this time have you two even kissed yet?????? DAVE: wha" I think Dave and Karkat might actually have been both content to stay uncommitted and fearful to put a label on it. Also Jade's question will presumably remain unanswered, it's already surprising it's confirmed she hasn't seen them kissing. And that is ignoring the matter of whether either Dave or Karkat kissed Jade before. I guess it's only fortunate for this situation that this instance of Jade never dated Davesprite, it would only complicate things further.

"DAVE: wha KARKAT: WH-WHY WOULD DAVE: uhh KARKAT: WHY WOULD WE KISS?? DAVE: thats KARKAT: THAT’S... YOU... I MEAN, HE’S... HE’S DAVE. DAVE: we KARKAT: AND I’M KARKAT." PFffffffff, hilarious! I can just see them blushing like tomatoes right now. Can't keep staying in denial bros!

"JADE: yes hes dave and youre karkat and everyone we know always calls you that JADE: “dave and karkat”" Hah! Yeah, but they also think you're part of the item, Jade. Care to shed some thoughts on the subject?

"JADE: i cant remember the last time i heard anyone mention one of you without the other JADE: the two of you have basically been together since your days on the meteor its SO obvious" Jade has turned this from a personal matter into a fandom matter. "Everyone and their dog knows you're dating, guys! Stop pretending otherwise!" It's interesting to note the different ways Dave has been seen handling relationships. When he dated Terezi in the GO timeline, it went south due her troubles in the black quadrant. When Davesprite dated Jade, it went south due to unresolved Dave issues, presumably having to do with his bros. With Karkat, Dave's been in a stable-ish thing for the longest time, though.

" KARKAT: VERY CLOSE FRIENDS WHO UNDERSTAND AND SUPPORT EACH OTHER ON A DEEP AND EMPATHETIC LEVEL THAT GOES BEYOND HATE OR PITY. YOU COULD EVEN SAY THAT OUR RELATIONSHIP... KARKAT: ...TRANSCENDS QUADRANTS." ... PFfffffff, so this could have been what it was like for the Sufferer and the Disciple, then! They were just never ready to commit? That would actually be funnier than it being this deep and fulfilling relationship. It would also make Doc Scratch' misgivings on the relationship even more hilarious.

"JADE: yeaaaaaah not gonna lie karkat but that sounds totally kinda gay KARKAT: UGH YOU HUMANS AND YOUR UNFATHOMABLE GENDER BASED QUADRANTS." ... Heh. Actually. Too trolls, the whole gender-based romance thing we have going must indeed be as unfathomable as leprechaun romance.

"Jade faceplams." Well that's a new verb. ;) What part of the body is the 'plam', exactly?

" KARKAT: ANYWAY WEREN’T YOU... DATING THAT CARAPACIAN COUPLE? LAST TIME WE CHECKED?" Lolwut. Jade. Jade are you... are you being a Ms. Casanova, a paramour or two in every city you frequent? If WV and PM turn out to be alive for the sole purpose of dating Jade, I'll choke on my drink.

" DAVE: wait you saying we arent fun JADE: whens the last time either of you left the house??????" I know Jade means it as in, she'd like to date them for keeps. But I also fulheartedly believe Dave and Karkat can sustain themselves on delivery pizza and chinese chow.

"In her other hand, she tries to grab Dave’s wrist, but he flash-steps to the other side of the couch." Well that's a new use of the power, guess Dave must really have felt alarmed. :p

"JADE: i wanna try dating for real KARKAT: HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED KARKAT: SORRY IF WHAT I’M ABOUT TO SAY TOTALLY BLOWS YOUR MIND KARKAT: DATING A SINGLE PERSON, FOR MORE THAN HALF A SWEEP, FOR REASONS OTHER THAN INITIATING THE CONCUPISCENT EXCHANGE OF FLUIDS?" Karkat is trying to throw the issue back into Jade's face by saying she should try dating for a longer period of time. But that's exactly what she's trying to do here! She knows who she wants that with! That poor little troll, he's not getting out from under this.

"JADE: third of all karkat arent you from a culture where people are expected to engage in romantic relationships with up to like five people at a time?? KARKAT: THAT’S NOT KARKAT: THAT’S NOT THE SAME THING AT ALL." If he's trying to avoid getting dragged into quadrants with people, he should stop upholding the validity of the quadrants to hold people off. :p

"DAVE: ok jade i think theres a flaw in your approach here cause you seem to think winning an argument on super clever logical grounds is gonna get a couple dudes to break down and fling themselves at you in like, a sexual way JADE: wellll it usually does ;B DAVE: oh my fucking god" So she swoons people by way of her big brain. Jade's got CLASS.

"This earns Dave a look. A long, sad one that has Jade messing with her glasses again so that she can peer right at him and apply some more of that faulty personal math to his facial expression." Just confirmation here that Jade isn't necessarily correct in all her assessments due to not being objective.

"JADE: dave are you in love with obama? DAVE: jade jesus where do you get this shit from JADE: is it about jesus then??????" Aaaaaand this has been derailed again.

"DAVE: no! DAVE: jesus wasnt even real JADE: i know he wasnt real! JADE: wait... JADE: are you saying JADE: obama was real? DAVE: ... DAVE: yes" Wut. Wai- I- Jade. Honey. Please. Guess for all her involvement in politics since, those isolated years on the island sheltered her WAY too much.

"DAVE: obama was real DAVE: he was the president KARKAT: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA JADE: all this time i thought obama was like JADE: an aspirational fictional character that you modeled your life after KARKAT: AHAHAHAHA I CAN’T AHAHA BREATHE... JADE: like snoop dog or nicolas cage" ... Jade. Jade no. You're just making this worse on yourself. For Jade, there would have been almost nothing in Homestuck she'd have seen as a reference to 'real life', would there?

"senary numeral systems that allow me to do complex equations in my head" ... Why is Base 6 good for complex equations? I'm probably not good enough at math to know.

"KARKAT: WHY IS IT LIKE SOME SORT OF *TRAGEDY* HOW SHE WAS RAISED? KARKAT: BECAUSE SHE WAS RAISED ALONE BY AN ANIMAL?? KARKAT: *I* WAS RAISED ALONE BY AN ANIMAL!" There! It's getting acknowledged again, how Jade's upbringing more resembles a troll than a human's! Becquerel the lusus.

"There’s a ripple in the room that makes it clear their god tier powers have just clashed against each other. He shifts his arm through time and Jade warps the space around them so that she’s the one holding the tablet. This is not the first time that they have rearranged the fabric of reality for a petty reason like this. Karkat has permanently sworn off playing board games with them." ... Lol. First real use of the god tier powers in Earth C, and it goes like this! Wait, couldn't Jade have snapped... Right, no, she actually wouldn't have First Guardian powers anymore now, I forgot. Still, what did Dave try to do, move the tablet to another point in the timeline?

"The moment Jade brings the paint program up on the television, Karkat stops laughing. KARKAT: NO!" Oh boy. Time for the Penis Quadrant scene, this time with three people. ... This would actually fall under both definitions of a "sketch", actually.

"He tries to grab the tablet from her, but she’s hovering well above the ground and he simply is not tall enough to reach. With a shit-eating grin and deliberate care, Jade begins to draw a grid." He's going to jump up to grab her leg, to disturb the drawing, isn't he?

"She gives Karkat a pair of fuzzy, angry eyebrows" Now I'm starting to think of the Karkat expressions in that one Paradox Space.

"all he accomplishes is turning the redrom trajectory between her and Dave into a redrom loop-de-loop." This is all I could want from a reprise of this scene.

"JADE: see me and karkat have great black chemistry! KARKAT: IT IS NOT BLACK CHEMISTRY YOU HORRID NON-CHITINOUS WINDBAG!" A+ denial there, Karkat, props on the response.

"JADE: and now that daves all chill hed make a great auspistice" Jade just wants all Karkat's quadrants filled by the three of them, somehow.

"JADE: because you and karkat are kind of like moirails DAVE: no JADE: and you and i JADE: well yknow its always been pretty flirty DAVE: jade JADE: EXCEPT!

Jade finishes drawing a shaky heart directly into the paint program. It’s so big and bright on the TV that it fills the entire room with red light." She's putting all these names and symbols to the relationship, it might just be too much for these poor boys to handle. :p

"JADE: i call this political arrangement: JADE: fully automated luxury polyamorous space-time communism!!!!!!!" That is not the shipping name I would've chosen, but it's the shipping name we deserve. And hey, communism! Get it? Cause Karkat had a sickle.

I wonder what Karkat's take on polyamory outside of the ashen quadrant is, actually.

"Jade rolls her eyes and tosses both the tablet and pen over her shoulder. Dave flashes across the living room to catch his very expensive computing device in both arms. The pen bounces off his forehead." This. Entire. Scene.

"JADE: i have to go talk to roxy and callie about the election anyway" Well, she's going to let them stew on this for a while. But I'm eager to find out who Roxy & Calliope would back. You might think Jane's a given, but if she's been busy maybe they have grown closer to Jade & Dave!

"Jade clicks her heels together to propel herself back into the air and actually winks at them before absconding through an open window." Think happy thoughts! Also, I just realized becoming a god sadly never gave Karkat the powers of flight.

"Dave and Karkat both stare after her, silently caught in their own private rationalization spirals.

Karkat needs to verbalize part of his out loud." Ah, but can they stay in that spiral or will they have no choice but to break out of it?

"KARKAT: WANNA PLAY SOME TROLL TONY HAWK? DAVE: hell DAVE: yeah" Yyyyyeaah, they are not going to have changed when Jade comes back, will they?

So even Karkat calls it "Troll Tony Hawk", not whatever absurdly wrong name it'd have on Alternia, and not whatever Tony Hawk's duodecimal name in Alternian would be. :P

#homestuck #homestuck epilogues #upd8 #reaction #spoiler alert #jade harley #karkat vantas #dave strider #homestuck liveblog

2 notes · View notes

ronyxfic · 6 years

Text

Educating the Victim - Act VI, Chapter XIV

Pairing: -

Rating: Mature

Warnings/Tags: none for this chapter!

Read it on AO3! - Support us on Patreon!

Educating the Victim Masterpost

(Previous chapter) (Next chapter)

CHAPTER 14: Tailor Made

Azure came back shortly after Marigold called her back. She handed her a box of muffins and sat down. "Alright, so. Let's talk. What's the verdict?"

“We’re doing it,” Rose said. Her eyes were still a little puffy. “I don’t like it... but there’s no way I’ll let this happen without me.”

“She also said you were right,” Marigold added.

Rose glared at her.

"Hah, well, I appreciate the validation. Marigold, listen dear, I refuse to let you go to Italy without sending you with a few bits of... current clothes."

"What's wrong with them?"

"Oh, honey. I'll take you out myself, I can get you a few things fitted."

“I’m taking it that my clothes are fine,” Rose said, “though I wouldn’t mind some direction as to what you think is appropriate.”

"You don't seem as hopeless as Marigold here."

Marigold was blushing deeply. "You'd better take me in your limo."

"That can be arranged. Go talk to Blue. She's on the third floor. The dear came with me at five."

Rose looked between them before fixating Azure.

“Before I go... could I talk to you?” she asked.

Marigold raised an eyebrow. “I’ll go find Blue.”

"Of course. If... anything I said was news, then I assume you must have a few questions," Azure said softly. "Fire at will."

“Well...” Rose swallowed heavily. “I didn’t know you were dating Roxy, let alone... engaged. I always suspected she was cheating on me, but she always just spoke about you as a friend.”

Azure frowned. "She was polyamorous while dating you. She dated me and a lot of other women."

Rose gave a short laugh. “Let’s not unpack this right here, right now,” she said, “though I suspect I may need a drink later. But... anyway. Do you really not know why she disappeared?”

"No idea." Azure's expression turned dark. "We'd had a stable week. She was at work a lot but that was normal. One morning, she wasn't next to me when I woke up."

Rose felt a strange twist in her chest.

“I... if I’d known you were dating, I would have told you,” she said. “I don’t know why she wouldn’t tell you, but she was running from me. Here.” She handed Azure the folder she’d brought.

Azure looked down. She took them, flicking through. "Marigold mentioned this, not in the greatest detail. I understand that you want this case to be brought back to court?"

“Yes. She ran before I could bring her to justice.” Rose grimaced. “On second thoughts, I can definitely see why she wouldn’t tell you. Did she abuse you as well?”

Azure paused. "Roxy was... difficult. I think we both did a lot we regret. I feel equally responsible for whatever she gave out."

“Huh.” Rose didn’t sound convinced. “I take it you never found a blog written by her about how she systematically planned to abuse you and ruin your self esteem and mental health. She... it might be a bit hard to read. She admits to wanting to push me to suicide in there.”

Azure gave a heavy breath. "You'll get to end it. Take her to court. I hope you know that I'll protect you in any way I can."

“I’ll... do my best not to let my emotions get the better of me,” Rose said. “Because... I thought I knew her, but I didn’t know her at all. Maybe she can be reasoned with. I doubt it, but you never know.”

"I understand your concerns. It's good to be level headed. I'm worried Marigold may get too submissive."

Rose gave a chortle. “Up until a few weeks ago, I wouldn’t have thought I would ever hear anyone utter that sentence.”

"You don't know these women the way I do. Diamond's bark is worse than her bite."

“Well, she had me suspended and nearly fired, so forgive me if I don’t exactly take your word for it. Though she seems to have mellowed out a lot in the past month or so. Do you... know why?”

"Blue told me a thing or two. I'd ask her if you get the chance. Not my story to tell."

“Well,” Rose said, “I’m about to spend a good amount of time alone with her in Tuscany so I will probably get the chance. Speaking of which, do you have any, uh, tips for dealing with her?”

"Oh? Well. Marigold seems deadly terrified of dealing with her feelings, so she'll try and race time's arrow and march forward. If you remind her that the past exists and deserves acknowledgment... I think you'll find it'll be easier to play with her."

Rose sighed. “I don’t have any interest in playing with her,” she said, “or anyone for that matter, but I’ll keep it in mind.”

"Who knows? Might be a long trip. She's not actually that bad. But yes. Feel free to go home, I'll text you all the details."

“Okay. I have a lot of packing to do.” Rose got up. “Thank you, Azure,” she said, “and... sorry about Roxy. And everything that happened.”

"Me too, for you. I hope we can bring you justice."

“I appreciate it,” Rose said. “Feel free to keep those documents. I have enough copies to last me a lifetime. It may help clear up some things for you as well.”

"Alright. Have a good day and... good luck."

Azure watched Rose leave and then got up to find Marigold and Blue. She found them on the third floor.

“How have you been getting on?”

"The limo is on its way. I've tried to convince Ms Diamond that we don't in fact take it everywhere. She doesn't believe me."

“Well, obviously sometimes we take our private plane. Speaking of which, Marigold, that is yours for as long as you’re in Italy.” Azure smirked. “You ready?”

Marigold's jaw hung before she closed it. "Um, yes, of course. Where?"

“Downstairs. The chauffeur is waiting for us, I assume?” Azure shot Blue a smile.

"No, I mean... Where are we going?" Marigold followed her.

“Oh. My favourite tailor shop. They do such excellent suits there. And if we go now and I pay them enough, they can have it done this afternoon, so we shouldn’t delay.” Azure smiled. “Blue, darling, I’ll see you later.” She gave her fiancee a kiss before tugging Marigold along.

Marigold let herself be taken, trying to keep up with Azure. "All these years and you're still somehow faster than me when you're determined."

“I used to run competitively, you know. And was always very good at ignoring my pain and just getting on with it.” Azure stepped into the elevator. “Though it’s getting harder. There’s a reason I’m letting Blue run most of the company these days.”

"I could imagine." The doors closed. "You're sure I should... go?"

“To Italy? Well, you offered. Are you having second thoughts?”

"I suppose it's all really just hitting me right now." Marigold sighed.

Am I just agreeing because it's what I think Claire would have done?

“If it helps, you’re just about the only person I trust with this. You’re not trained, but you have personal stakes. Marina didn’t, and she’s too eager. In retrospect, it was a mistake sending her.” Azure sighed. “You know Roxy. So does Rose, even though she’s doubting herself a lot. Together, you can figure this out.”

"I'm glad you have faith in us."

“I don’t really have a choice. Or better options, really. No pressure, though.” Azure gave a wry smile and stepped towards the limo, holding the door open for Marigold, then sliding in after her.

Marigold couldn't really think of anything to add to that, so she followed her cue. "Oh! Now this is lovely."

“Isn’t it? Being rich has its perks.” Azure gave her chauffeur instructions and then leaned back. “So, you’re gonna be spending quite a bit of time with Rose, huh. Are you two close at all?”

"It's actually a bit awkward, still," Marigold admitted, looking around. "I don't think she's forgiven me, which is fair."

“You suspended her, huh? I won’t pry as to why, but there’s probably a reason why you haven’t fired her.” Azure’s smile fell. “She’s going to be a bit of a state, so be prepared for that. She didn’t know Roxy and I were dating. I wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t know about any of the others either.”

"It's good that I didn't and that she... wants to do this. I think she's got big stakes in it, too."

“Very much so. I never knew her well but I could feel it. She was struggling to hold it in earlier. Roxy really damaged her, I don’t even need to look at her documents to know that.” Azure looked at Marigold. “She’s still young. You might need to look after her.”

"I'll do my best. I'm not too sure she wants me of all people to look after her."

“Well, we’ll just have to see how it goes,” Azure said.

Aurora made it to school by quarter to eight. Marigold, despite being on the rota, was nowhere to be seen. The basket of muffins lay untouched.

She picked up her phone and dialled. Straight to voicemail. She gave a sigh.

"Marigold! Hey! Had a really nice time last night. Wondering where you are... um. Call me back when you get this."

She hung up and looked around the empty office.

Did something come up regarding the... Roxy thing? I’ll call her again later if she hasn’t shown up.

It made her heart ache, though. She’d been hoping to see Marigold today.

Instead, she went into the staff room for coffee.

The staff room was fairly populated at the hour. Lapis, thick wad of exercise books by her side, and Jasper stood by the coffee machine, drinking hers idly.

Lapis looked at Aurora. "Lost on your way to the office, then?"

Jasper gently knocked into her. "Be nice. How are you, kiddo?"

“I’m okay!” Aurora smiled at her. “It looks like the Principal isn’t in so I figured I’d come here. How are you?”

"Figures." Lapis rolled her eyes. "Yeah, just getting ready before homeroom. I helped Jasper make a PowerPoint. "

Jasper beamed. "I'm taking my class out on a trip to look at local rivers!"

“Oh, that sounds lovely!” Aurora said. “Do you have anything interesting today, Lapis?”

"Just my lower year classes. Not everyone is on study leave, but we're just wrapping up our Shakespeare units for all the key stage three year groups."

“Sounds good,” Aurora said. The kettle boiled. “Anyone want a drink?”

"We've got some. What are you planning to do all day if Diamond isn't here?" Jasper smiled.

“There’s a bunch of stuff that needs doing whether she’s here or not, and if anything, her not being here means I have more to do,” Aurora said. “She might still turn up, though.”

"Hope so. Hope it all doesn't give you too much trouble." Jasper nodded.

Lapis gave her a look. "I'm just more surprised you're so concerned. Aren't we trying to take her down?"

“Oh.” Aurora blushed. “Yeah, that was a thing, wasn’t it? But she’s had a bit of an... experience, at Pride, and she’s actually coming around to the whole thing. And... coming out, as well.”

"Oh man, is that so?" Jasper blinked.

"She did seem a little spacey. I wondered why she didn't yell at us." Lapis crossed her arms. "So... what? We went through all the trouble of forming the crystal gems and we're just going to trust her?"

“I’d... leave it up to Rose, to be honest.” Aurora looked around. “Where is she, anyway?”

"Also missing. Might need to call in a substitute." Jasper said, looking around.

Aurora frowned. “I’ll check the schedule, see what she has on today,” she said. “Anyone else we’re missing?”

"Nah, just them two from the looks of it. I'm sure the kids will report anyone else who mysteriously vanished." Lapis winked.

“Oh, for sure.” Aurora took her tea and sipped on it. “Regarding Marigold... I mean, Principal Diamond,” she corrected herself, blushing. “I wouldn’t really want to do anything just yet. The school year is almost over.”

"That's true. And she hasn't caused trouble since Pride," Jasper remarked.

"As if that's more than the bare minimum." Lapis gave a scoff.

Aurora avoided their gaze. “Well, I should be off,” she said, “nice seeing you.”

"Nice seeing you too. Don't be a stranger." Lapis gave a wave, but whether she was genuine was a mystery.

“And here we are!” Azure pushed open the door to a posh-looking tailor shop. “In you come, Marigold. We don’t have all day.”

Marigold tried her best to pace in, but stopped. Suits were scarcely targeted for women in such a way, but in here there were mannequins, all shaped with hips and curves that filled fabric exquisitely.

Marigold found herself licking her lips. It was borderline sexy.

Azure shot her a look. “Behave yourself, this is a professional environment.”

A young woman came out of a sideroom. “Azure!” she said. “I got your girlfriend’s call. Is this your friend?” She looked Marigold up and down, a smile on her lips.

“It is! Marigold, this is Ruth.”

Marigold swallowed, flustered. "Hello! I'm... amazed by your selection, honestly."

“Oh, that’s always good to hear!” Ruth gave her a bright smile. “So, what are you looking for?”

“Professional attire,” Azure said. “Something that will look good in a court of law, but won’t attract too much attention outside of it.” She turned to Marigold. “How does that sound? Do you have any requests?”

Marigold looked sheepish. "It would be nice if it could be... yellow."

Azure tutted. “Now, now, didn’t you hear me? Something that won’t attract attention.”

Ruth, on the other hand, smiled more broadly. “Not everyone can wear blue every day of their lives, Azure,” she said. “If you’re okay with it, we can go with a dark blazer – black or brown, perhaps, with a yellow patterned lining and yellow accents? With pants to match, how does that sound?”

"I'm happy to try on whatever you think will work. I'm... woefully unaware of how fashion actually works." Marigold swallowed.

Azure snickered. “As if you needed to state that,” she said, grinning at Marigold.

Ruth, on the other hand, was unfazed. “Fashion is subjective,” she said, “and while it’s good to be aware of what goes well with which occasions, you’re entirely free to dress in whichever way you like.”

“A dark outfit with yellow accents sounds great,” Azure said.

“Great!” Ruth beamed. “Let’s have a look at different fabric, and then I’ll measure you.”

Marigold found herself biting her lip as she stopped herself from smiling too wide. "Now this is exciting." She followed Ruth.

Azure tagged along, if only to ensure Marigold didn’t select anything too outrageous.

“A yellow tie, or bow tie might be nice,” she said. “Yellow buttons, possibly.”

“I was thinking of putting a yellow seam,” Ruth said. “Ah! Here we are.”

In front of them was a table with all kinds of different fabric samples, arranged neatly in little booklets. “I’m guessing money isn’t an issue, as usual,” Ruth said.

“Absolutely not. In fact, this is an extreme rush order – you’ll have to have it done by two to allow for any corrections,” Azure said. “Can you do it?”

“I can,” Ruth said. “I’ll send you the invoice later, then. Well, Marigold, seeing anything you like?”

Marigold's eyes flickered, looking at her options. All yellow. All good. "Hmm."

Azure took one fabric sample. “This one is good for the main fabric,” she said. It was rich and black, with very subtle pinstripes. “It’ll look good with anything you put on the inside.” She peeked over Marigold’s shoulder.

Marigold nodded. "Go on, then."

Azure quickly selected four different yellow fabrics: two patterned, two plain. “I’d recommend one of these. Which one’s your favourite?”

"The patterned ones are nice. Oh! I really like that one."

Azure gave her a sly grin. “I thought you might.”

“Is that decided, then?” Ruth said, smiling. “If you’re ready, you can come through so I can take your measurements.”

"Oh! Alright. I was at least aware of this part. I don't need to take anything off, do I?"

“Only your jacket.”

“I will sit down for a while,” Azure said, “you don’t need me for this part.”

"Alright!" Marigold followed Ruth and stripped out of her own old yellow blazer. "I've worn it for years. Feels... unworthy to be in here."

“It is a perfectly good blazer, if a little worn,” Ruth said. “We don’t just serve millionnaires in here.” She took out a measuring tape. “Are you and Azure close, then?”

"Very." Marigold shot Azure a look and then smiled. "I don't really let her treat me often. So this is all... quite an experience."

Ruth started taking the measurements, scribbling down numbers as she did so. “Raise your arms,” she said, reaching around Marigold’s chest. “Thanks. I’ve only worked here for a few years, but Azure is one of our most valued customers... and not just because she’s rich.”

Marigold found herself deeply blushing. Ruth smelt pleasant, and the touch was just gentle enough to drive her wild.

Would I have let myself think these thoughts a month ago?

“Please relax,” Ruth said sweetly as she reached around Marigold’s waist. “We’ll be done very soon. If I’m too far in your personal space, I’m happy to back off.”

"No, this is fine!" Marigold squeaked, biting her lip.

Back in the age of her repression, She figured that this incident would have ignited a hot hour in the bathrooms.

Control yourself!

Ruth smiled at her patiently. “Okay.” She reached around Marigold’s hips.

Azure watched from the sides, a knowing grin on her face as she caught Marigold’s eyes.

Marigold sent her a heated look back but fought the urge to yelp back at her. Soon, she felt Ruth back away and swallowed. "Will that be all?"

“Yes, thank you!” Ruth put away the measuring tape. “I will give Azure a ring when we’re done. You’ll be available to come in later to try it on, won’t you?”

“She most certainly will,” Azure said, holding the door open for Marigold. “Can I interest you in anything else, Marigold?”

"A cold shower."

Azure chuckled. “I can drive us back to the office, there’s showers there. Or maybe home to yours? You do have some packing to do.”

"Mine would be brilliant. I could make us tea before you vanish?"

“Oh, that would be lovely!” Azure beamed at Marigold. “Let’s go, then.”

An hour and half had passed. Still no sign or call back from Marigold. Aurora frowned. Even last time she'd informed her of not coming in far earlier. Marigold wasn't her problem but... the fact that she'd promised to be at school before vanishing filled Aurora with concern.

She dialled again. Voicemail.

"Hey, Mari. Still wondering where you are... if you're ill or not coming in, let me know and I'll... Mark you as absent. I... miss you, I guess. Let me know how things are when you can."

>> Act 6, Chapter 15

#steven universe #su fanfic #su yellow diamond #su blue diamond #bellow diamond #su yellow pearl #su rose quartz #su blue pearl #su human au #educating the victim #etv act 6 #illustrated #animated

22 notes · View notes

lindseyluvsdrag · 7 years

Text

Knocked Up Ch. 14

TW: Smut

*Missionary*

Violet clung to Matt as the man thrusted in and out of her.

“Fuck. Fuck. Okay, babe, please stop,” she pleaded.

The man instantly obliged. “What's wrong?”

“This is uncomfortable. Laying on my back is just ugh. I feel suffocated.”

“Okay, we'll switch positions.”

*Cowgirl*

“Okay, this is better,” Violet panted. The woman pursed her lips as she began to ride her boyfriend. She looked down and saw the pleasure on the man's face but her belly was an unwarranted distraction.

“Shit,” Matt moaned as he gripped her waist.

“Wait, wait, Matthew. I don't like this either.”

“What's wrong now?”

“This angle! My stomach looks huge and I can feel you looking up at my triple chin. I just feel gross.”

“Nooo, you look amazing,” the man assured as he grabbed her hand and kissed her fingers.

“I don't like ittttt,” Violet whined. “Even in a bra, my boobs are flopping around and it doesn't feel good. This is like Animal Planet or something and I'm not here for it.”

“Okay, babe. Do you want to try doggy style?”

She frowned. “No, Matthew, I do not want you to fuck me like a dog.”

“It's not fucking you like a dog. It's just the...style,” he said coyly.

The woman rolled her eyes. “Fine.”

*Doggy style*

“Nope, I can't,” Violet protested. “On all fours with this belly, I feel the urge to moo.”

*Spooning*

“How is that?” Matt asked as he slowly slid in and out of her.

“That's good.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” she panted. “Harder.”

Matt gently placed a hand on the woman's waist and as soon he began to pound into her, he felt a firm thump on his hand.

Violet had learned to take all of the man's fetus related freakouts in her stride but she never knew how he'd react.

“Sorry, little guy,” he whispered as he removed his hand. “I will keep my paws off of your domain.”

Violet laughed and turned to kiss him. “I'm relieved that you didn't freak out.”

“Not anymore. But he has to understand that we have to share you until further notice. I'm the boss around here, buddy. You're just leasing.”

The baby responded with a hard kick.

“Well...at least until you're born.”

---

“Why do we have to do thissss?” Violet groaned as Matt forcibly unbuckled her seatbelt.

“Because the baby books say so,” he retorted. “Lamaze class is a necessity.”

“That's bullshit. I don't need some Richard Simmons look alike teaching me how to breathe.”

Matt laughed. “Would you just come on? I'm sure it won't be that bad.”

“We’re going in there dressed like this?”

“Um, yes? How else are we supposed to be dressed?”

“Aren't we supposed to have like headbands and shiny spandex?”

He cackled. “No. You're really confusing this for a Richard Simmons seminar. We don't need that stuff.”

“Are you sure? I honestly don't want to go in there in jeans and stick out like a sore thumb, Matthew.”

“Babe, you won't stick out like a sore thumb.”

“I don't trust you. I think we need those outfits.”

“We don't-”

“I'm not going in there without them, Matthew!”

“Fine!”

Two pairs of neon leggings, hot pink windbreakers, headbands and matching legwarmers later, the couple confidently strolled into their birthing class and froze when they saw the other couples dressed in jeans and sweatpants.

“Zumba is next door,” the instructor informed.

“We're not here for Zumba,” Matt said as he placed his hands on his hips. “We're here for Lamaze.”

“Oh,” the woman chirped. “Well, good morning, my name is Dela! Come on in and have a seat on any of the available mats.”

The couple attempted to quietly ease through the room, but the crunch of the plastic windbreaker made it impossible and only added to the awkwardness as they sat down.

“Why'd you let me do this?” Violet whispered to her boyfriend. “We look like idiots.”

“This is what you wanted. I told you it wasn't necessary.”

“Bullshit,” she hissed.

“I did.”

“Okay, you're alwaysssss right,” she mockingly said. Violet groaned internally and turned to the instructor as she began to speak.

“Okay, parents-to-be, we'll start off by introducing ourselves.” Dela pointed to the couple on the mat at the end.

“Good morning, everyone,” the woman said bashfully. “My name is Mariah and this is my husband Brian,” she said in a broken voice. “Sorry, this is my first baby and I'm really nervous.”

“It’s normal to be nervous,” the instructor assured. “But I promise that everything will be okay. This is a safe space.”

Violet rolled her eyes. “Fucking tree hugger,” she grumbled.

“Alright, who do we have next?”

The woman popped her gum. “I'm Tammie. This is my seventh baby.”

“And...you still need Lamaze?”

“Anything to get away from my husband. He obviously can't keep his hands off of me.”

“Ew,” Violet said under her breath.

“Hypocrite,” Matt replied. The woman nudged him.

“Lovely!” Dela chirped. “We need as much love as possible in the world.” She turned to the next couple.

“Hi, I'm Courtney and this is my husband Kurtis,” the preppy blonde chirped.

“Fuck, is everyone here married?” Violet snarked.

The remaining couples nodded.

“You aren't?” Courtney asked.

Violet scoffed. “No.”

“Well, there's nothing wrong with that,” the instructor assured. “I'm sure you have a wonderful relationship. In fact, I'd love to hear how all of the couples met.”

“We met on a Jamaican cruise,” Mariah said.

“My husband is my high school sweetheart,” Tammie sighed.

“Aww! How sweetttt,” Courtney squealed. “We met when I worked as a registered nurse. Kurtis would fake injuries just to come in and see me.”

“Well, I wasn't lying when I said that my heart would ache everytime I saw you,” the man replied.

“Awwww, honeyyyy.”

When the couple kissed, Violet exaggerated a gag.

“How did you two meet?” Dela asked Matt.

“At the club.” Violet nudged him. “Whattt? It's true. I brought you a drink, we got wasted and danced then you took me back to your hotel and-” She silenced him by placing a hand over his mouth.

“You may as well call me a slut bucket, Matthew,” she hissed through a clenched jaw.

“Oh, not at all,” Dela protested. “Dance clubs are made for people to meet and connect. I'm sure after that you had plenty of fun getting to know each other before the baby came along.”

Violet pinched Matt's lips. “Oww,” he muffled out.

“Safe spaceeee,” Dela interjected.

“Pfft, it won't be a safe space if this big mouth continues to tarnish my name.”

Matt pulled away. “I'm not tarnishing your name. There's nothing wrong with the fact that you had sex with me the first night we met and got pregnant.”

A slight shock spread over the room and Violet exploded. “Fuck all of you! You and your snooty, precious, perfect relationships! If you're all going to judge me, fuck you! You and your lamaze can kiss my ass!” she shouted as she wobbled to her feet. “It's covered in designer jeans so, bonus points!”

“Actually, it's covered in spandex,” Tammie reminded.

Violet began to hyperventilate before storming out of the room with the crunch of her windbreaker pronouncing her every movement.

“Oh, boy,” Matt exhaled as he followed her. “Violet,” he called, quickly catching up to her. “Baby, please come back in.”

“No, Matthew!” she sniffled. “They're all stuck up assholes!”

“Babe, nobody even said anything negative. Besides, who cares that we met at a bar?”

“I care! I don't want my child thinking that he was a mistake or some oops baby!”

“Well...he wasn't an oops but he was definitely a surprise.”

Violet burst into tears.

“Babeee, please don't cry.”

“Everyone else has s-s-such great stories to tell their kids. Not us. We were drunken idiots and we may as well n-name our baby Smirnofffffff,” she sobbed just as Dela found them in the hallway.

“Violet, this is a very safe space and we'd love for you to come back in.”

“Fuck your safe space! Okay?! I stick out like a sore thumb in there!”

“Because of the outfits?” Dela asked.

“Because of your stupid mumbo-jumbo! Why the fuck would you ask everyone if they're married? To embarrass me?!”

“Babe... you're the one who asked if they were married,” Matt quietly reminded.

Violet groaned as she threw her arms up and returned to storming down the hallway.

“Well, that's too bad that you're leaving so soon!” Dela shouted after her. “You'll miss out on our after-class refreshments!”

The pregnant woman paused and slowly turned back around. “Refreshments?” she sniffled.

“Ohhh, yes! A local bakery is one of our sponsors so we always have fresh cookies, muffins, brownies, cakes, pies, do-”

“Okay, okay!” Violet got out before she wiped her eyes and returned to Matt's side. “I think I just came. I need the spare panties.”

Matt cackled as he grabbed her hand and walked her back into the classroom. The other couples cheered.

“Crisis averted,” Matt announced.

“Welcome back to the safe space,” Courtney said and Violet rolled her eyes instead of giving into the urge to curse the overly joyful woman out. She sat down on the mat and got comfortable in her boyfriend's arms as Dela turned on her projector.

“We'll get straight into our PowerPoint slides.” The woman said as she loaded her presentation. “'What To Expect When Expecting presented by Dela Creme’,” the woman chirped excitedly before swiping to the first slide. “Your body and it's changes.”

Within minutes, Violet was snoring.

“Babe,” Matt whispered as he gave her a gentle shake.

“Hmm?”

“Pay attention.”

Violet looked at the screen and gagged as horror overwhelmed her. “What the fuckkk! It has to stretch out that much?!”

“Stop being so disruptive,” her boyfriend whispered.

“Are you fucking kidding me?! My vagina has to stretch to squeeze out a fucking bowling ball and you want me to stop being disruptive?! Fuck you, Matthew! My vagina will never be the same after that! And you don't even careeee,” she sniffled.

“Babe, I do care! Actually, I care very much about the state of your vagina.”

“I don't want a loose coochhhhh,” she sobbed.

“Oh, God. Oh, God,” Mariah panicked. “It'll never be the same.”

“Exactlyyyyy,” Violet wept. “I mean, your vagina must be sanctioned for a national highway by now,” she said to Tammie.

“Fuck all the way off,” the woman retorted. “I do kegels.”

“So kegels are required to keep a tight vagina?” Courtney asked, clearly as worried as the rest of the first time mothers.

“Absolutely,” Tammie assured. “Not only that, the bleeding afterwards just never seems to stop and don't even get me started on the little pee that drips out when you sneeze.”

The women were sent into an uproar.

“Is it too late to change my mind about this pregnancy?!” Violet demanded, earning her a stiff kick from the baby. “Shut up, you little vagina destroying creature!”

“Violet!” Matt reprimanded.

“Matthew, this is between me and baby big head!”

“What do we dooooo?!” Mariah sobbed.

“Can I just do a cesarean?” Courtney asked.

“Sure, but you'll hate that scar,” Tammie added.

“Scar?!” Violet shouted. “Fuck lamaze, I'm out of here! If I wanted a pregnancy horror story, I would've just called my mother and asked her what it was like when she found out about my brother!” She pushed herself off of the floor followed by others.

“Ladies, please!” Dela begged. “This is a safe space!” When she couldn't reign them in, the woman decided to do snack time early. Once all the women were calmed, fed and distracted by pregnancy fun facts, Dela was able to regain control of her class. “Nipple stimulation is the only scientifically proven method of legitimately bringing on labor when she's full term.”

Matt walked his fingers to Violet's boob and she slapped his hand away.

“The longest known pregnancy lasted for a year and 10 days.”

“You're making this sound less and less glamorous by the minute,” Violet grumbled.

Dela quickly rushed to the next slide. “Babies can taste the food their mothers eat in the womb.

Mariah went green in the face. “I'll never swallow again.”

“I'm going to throw up,” Violet groaned.

Dela quickly turned off her projector. “Okay, let's just get to the exercises.”

---

“Up...down... up...down,” Dela rhythmically said as she guided the women through their squats.

“Whyyyyy?” Violet whined as she half assed each movement. “I never work out.”

“Well, now is a perfect time to start. Exercise now will make for an easier labor later.”

“And you're already dressed for it,” Tammie added.

“And all you have to do is squat during labor. Your kid will just slip out like it's a slide at water world.”

“Ladies,” Dela said, attempting to play peacemaker.

“Well at least I've known my baby's father for more than six months.”

“Whoa, how did I get involved in this?” Matt asked.

“At least my man is here, loose pussy hag!” Violet shouted. “Do you have eight nipples to feed all of your bastards?!”

“Ladies, please!” Dela begged.

“Oh, no, sweetheart. I'm married. If anyone is having a bastard, it'd be you,” Tammie retorted.

Matt scowled. “Don't talk about my kid like that.”

“Should've put a ring on it.”

“Shut the fuck up, you-” She was silenced by the large chocolate chip cookie that Dela placed in her mouth before doing the same to Tammie.

“Squats now!”

“Bitch,” Violet grumbled as she took a bite out of the treat and returned to her squats.

---

The women balanced on the yoga balls while their partners held their hands for extra support.

“Matthewwww,” Violet whimpered. “You're not supporting me enoughhhh. I'm going to fall.”

Matt scoffed. “I'd never let you fall.”

“Well, I don't trust you. I want to get off.”

The man rolled his eyes.

“You're doing so great, my love,” Violet heard Kurtis say to Courtney.

“Reallyyy?” she asked. Her husband nodded and she thanked him with a loving kiss.

Violet groaned internally.

“Are you sure you don't want to try again?” Matt asked.

“No. You won't do it right,” she said as she watched the other couple become more and more affectionate.

---

The pregnant women laid on their backs while their partners gently pushed on their legs to stretch them.

“One,” Kurtis counted before leaning down for a kiss. “Two.” Another kiss. “Three.” A huff from Violet.

“Matthew, stretch me harder,” she ordered. “And I want a fucking kiss for every bit of effort that I put into this shit. Why are you slacking?”

“Sorry,” he sighed. The man gave her legs a firmer push and when her leaned down to kiss her, a bubble of flatulence squeaked through her spandex.

A hush fell over the class as Violet turned bright crimson. The woman wanted to disappear before the embarrassment could do it's do and she was even bordering on a panic attack when Matt released her legs to stand.

“No, please. What are you-” she frantically got out before he spoke.

“Excuse me, everyone. I've been really into beany burritos lately and I can't control the gas.”

Violet's horrified expression quickly morphed into an adoring pout as the man covered for her.

“Pfft, you?” Kurtis asked. Violet froze. “I rip a hole the ozone every night. I get more cravings than Courtney and I swear that I'm the one who's with child.”

Violet sighed in relief as Matt laughed. “Well, I just wanted to make sure that everyone knew it was me and that I'm sorry.”

“It's okay, Matt,” Dela assured. “This is a safe space.”

The man gave her a thumbs up and returned to his knees in front of Violet who struggled to sit up, but when she did, she pulled him into a passionate kiss. Matt returned the kiss but only for a second before pulling away. “You need to stretch.”

“I want to stretch around you,” she whispered.

The man gulped. “Um, Dela. Is there a safe space to...use the bathroom around here?”

“Sure! Down the hall and to the right.”

Violet grabbed her boyfriend's hand and rushed out of the room. When they returned ten minutes later, lamaze class had turned into arts and crafts time as the husbands covered their wives pregnant bellies with wet strips of newspaper.

“The hell is going on here?” Violet asked as she pulled her now messy hair into a ponytail.

“Paper mache!” Dela chirped. “Come join!”

“Y-Y-You want me t-to put that...goop...on my skin?”

“It's just flour, water and a little Elmer's glue.”

Violet pursed her lips. “Um...I-”

“Babe, just think of it as ultrasound lube.” She cleared her throat to stall time as she thought and Matt grabbed her hand. “It'll be fineee. It'll be a cast that we can decorate and put in the nursery so that the baby can have it forever.”

“Aww, I love thattttt. Okay, I'll try it.”

Violet laid on her mat and lifted her windbreaker while her boyfriend dipped a strip of the newspaper into the paste before applying it to her stomach.

“It's colddddd,” Violet whined.

“Sorryyy.” Matt continued to cover the woman's stomach piece by piece until she was fully covered. “Wait, can I do your boobs too? They look amazing and I really want to preserve them.”

“I agree,” Violet said prior to raising her arms.

“Are you sure?” he asked as he tugged at her windbreaker.

“Yeah, because if my tits deflate after this baby, I'll have something to take to my surgeon for reference purposes.”

Matt laughed as he removed his girlfriend's windbreaker, leaving her in nothing but her black bra. The man attempted to cover the bra with a strip but Violet protested.

“Are you crazy? This is Agent Provocateur!”

“So what? You want to take your bra off in front of all these people? Not gonna happen.”

“She's probably used to letting men take her bra off in public,” Tammie said from the corner next to the refreshments table.

“Says the woman who has birthed an entire army,” Violet retorted.

“At least I had a ring on it first.”

“That's it's!” Violet fumed as she attempted to sit up but the woman resembled a turtle who'd been flipped onto its back.

“Babe, stop or you'll crack the paper mache.”

“Fuck, the paper mache! I'm gonna kick her ass!”

Tammie scoffed. “As if, bitch!”

“Oooo, you got it coming!” Violet said as she continued to struggle. “Matthew, don't just sit there! Help me up!”

Matt giggled. “You look so cute thoughhhh. Like Squirt.”

“Eww, I don't squirt! It's nothing but pee.”

“Not that kind of squirt. You look like Squirt from Finding Nemo.”

“What the hell is that?”

He gasped. “You've never seen Finding Nemo?”

“No! Matthew- ugh! Just help me uppp!”

“Can you just please stay down while I finish your cast?”

“No!”

“Even for a cupcake?”

“Wha- no!”

“How about two cupcakes?”

“Ma-hmm...okay.” The woman relaxed and laid on her back while Matt retrieved her incentive.

Violet took turns biting out of each cupcake while Matt draped the damp strips over her stomach and bra after convincing her that he'd rather replace the expensive garment than have her be topless in public. When they were all finished, the men were offered blow dryers on a cool setting to help the belly casts set quicker. After they were all dry, the mold was removed and the couples were gifted various paints and other crafts to decorate with.

Matt grabbed the navy blue paint and Violet immediately protested.

“Noooo. I want to leave it blank. It's way more chic that way.”

“Babe, what's the point of making it if we can't decorate it?”

She shrugged. “I like it better this way.”

Matt huffed and returned the paint to it's spot prior to glancing around the room at all of the other couples who were putting their personal touches on their casts. He pouted.

“She's got you on a tight leash there, doesn't she?” Tammie asked.

“Don't fucking talk to him!” Violet shouted.

“Babe,” Matt attempted to intervene but his girlfriend snarled.

“No! She's been talking shit the entire class and I ammm,” she grunted as she stood, “fucking tired of it! Meet me outside, bitch!”

“Ladies, please,” Dela pleaded as she rushed in between the pregnant women.

“We can definitely meet outside. How about the back alley? I'm sure it's your usual spot,” Tammie retorted.

“You stupid, bottom-of-the-barrel gutter whore!”

“Ladies.”

“Skank!”

“Ladi-”

“Cum dumpster!”

“Lad-”

“Dick guzzler!”

“L-”

“Butterface turd Nazi!”

“That's it!” Dela screeched, effectively silencing both women. “I quit!” She grabbed her purse, stormed over to the refreshments table and began to dump baked goods into her bag.

“Hey, you can't take those!” Violet protested.

“Shove it, Juno!” the woman snarled.

“Does this mean we don't have to do our breathing exercises?” asked Courtney, slightly disappointed.

“Lady, the only breathing I care about right now is puff, puff, pass! Your bills will be mailed out tomorrow!” Dela shouted before storming out of the room.

“Well, that was an interesting lamaze class,” Mariah sighed.

“Well, you can thank Tammie for that,” Violet huffed.

“You b-” Tammie got out before pausing as she truly examined Violet's face for the first time. “Heyyy, you were on the cover of Girly Magazine!”

The woman instantly became smug. “Yes, I was.”

“Whattt?” Mariah chimed.

“Oh, my God you were!” Courtney squealed. “Are you like, a model?”

Violet was even happier to have the admiration of the woman whose affections with her husband had annoyed her the entire class. She flipped her ponytail. “Look at these cheekbones! Of course I'm a model! In fact, I'll be walking in a maternity fashion show next week.”

“That's amazingggg!” the blonde continued.

“Violet, I'm so sorry about all that shit I said earlier,” Tammie offered. “I respect pregnant women who are still fierce so much.”

“Well, that's understandable since you'll never know what it's like.”

The woman took the insult in her stride as everyone began to flood the mini celebrity with questions. Matt smiled softly to himself as he watched the woman in her element. He slowly drifted to the back corner of the room with Violet's belly cast and the navy blue paint. He sat on his mat and let his illustrative nature take over.

---

30.5 weeks pregnant

---

Backstage at the Valentine maternity fashion show, Violet nervously stood by the snack table after bidding her boyfriend farewell to his designated seat. “So this is what models go through,” she said to her as she stuffed a donut hole into her mouth. “So nerve wracking…” Another donut hole. “I can't believe I'm doing this…” Another donut hole. “Ooo, jelly filled. What am I doing with my life? No. I can't do this.”

“Violet?”

The voice immediately sent several emotions through the woman. She was reluctant to turn, but she did. “Hi, Naomi.”

The other woman was obviously emotional herself but she did her best to speak clearly. “I got invited to this show after meeting Michelle and when I found out that you'd be walking in it, I was almost too scared to even show up. I didn't want to ruin your night. But I remember the pact we made as children to always be there for each other and protect one another,” she sniffled. “I remember getting bullied for being too feminine and you stole that damn wood plank from your dad's garage, painted it pink and throw glitter on it and called it The Equalizer. If any guys messed with me you threatened to pummel their balls with it and see-”

“See how feminine they'd be,” Violet completed the sentence with a sniffle of her own.

“Yes!” Naomi giggled as tears spilled onto her cheeks. “You’ve always been there for me and I really should've told you about Raven and I. But had I known I'd lose you, I would've never even entertained this at all.”

“Wait, Naomi, that's not fair to say.”

“We haven't spoken in three weeks, two days and if you give me the time, I could tell you how many hours. God only knows how many jokes and baby kicks I've missed and it fucking sucks. Glances at work as our only contact were like daggers to my heart and I know I could've said something earlier but I just really didn't know what to say. You're my best friend,” she got out in a broken voice. “Nothing in this world is worth losing that.”

“So Raven was bluffing when she said that her head was good enough for world domination,” Violet laughed through tears.

“Oh, no she's good. Why do you think I've been wearing so many short skirts lately?”

“Ew! Ew! Ew! Ewww! Please stop. That's like hearing about my parents doing it or something.”

Naomi laughed. “Okay, I'll shut up. I'll do whatever you want as long as you forgive me.”

“Done,” Violet sniffled as she welcomed the woman into her arms again. Naomi immediately began to sob on her friend's shoulder. Violet pulled away. “Heyyy, not on this dress. I have to walk the runway soon.”

Naomi wiped her eyes. “Sorry. You do look really amazing, Vi.”

“I know,” Violet chirped as she spun in the pale green chiffon. “Honestly, this dress is disgusting,” she whispered. “It isn't flattering in the slightest and it's like they're trying to do the opposite of what we're doing at Girly. We want pregnant women to look like sex kittens, not buggers.”

“Hmm, maybe you should create your own maternity line.”

“Pff, maybe I should. This is an injustice to pregnant women everywhere. But doing this is a great opportunity,” she admitted.

“Fair enough. I'd better get back to my seat, love. Knock ‘em dead.”

The women shared air kisses before Naomi traipsed towards the exit.

Violet took a deep breath, waited for her cue and took to the runway like a mermaid takes water. The woman confidently strutted in front of some of the biggest names in fashion until she heard the blare of the air horn.

“Wooooo! Go, Violettttt!” Matt shouted as if he was at the Superbowl. It earned him glares and disapproving looks that he didn't notice as he probably watched his girlfriend. “Go, babyyyyy!” he shouted as he continued to blow the air horn. Violet rushed to the end of the runway, turned and hustled back as fast as she could to escape the cloud of embarrassment that the man was brewing up. “Violettttt! That’s my girlfriend! Woooo!”

When she made it to the backstage, the woman nearly collapsed.

“I didn't know that this was a stadium,” another model snarked before going on.

“Violet, can we get you to change into the second outfit?” the coordinator asked.

“No,” she panted. “I'm not going back out there.” The woman aggressively hit the wall. “Ugh! I'll be a laughing stock!” she fumed before storming out of the venue all together.

---

As the fashion show came to an end, Matt realized that Violet wasn't in the lineup when all the models did the finale as they made one last trip down runway. After it was over, he pushed himself out of his seat and swiftly found Naomi in the crowd. “Hey, have you seen Violet?”

“No, but after that foolish display, I wouldn't show my face around here either! Why would you embarrass her like that?”

“I didn't embarrass her, I was being supportive.”

Naomi folded her arms. “Wanna bet?”

---

“How is an air horn at a fashion show supportive?!” Violet screeched from the other side of her locked bedroom door.

“Babe, I didn't realize that there was a such thing as fashion show etiquette. I'm sorry.”

“You are sorry. You're sorry and pathetic,” she sobbed. “Now leave me alone.”

Matt groaned. “Are you hungry? Maybe I can cook you something.”

“Go away!”

“I hate when she gets like this,” Naomi sighed before a brilliant idea hit her. “She’s mad at you and she's still getting used to not being mad at me. We have to make it better. Have you ever thrown a party Matthew?”

---

32 weeks pregnant

---

“I hate blindfoldssss,” Violet groaned as Matt led her into the building.

“As kinky as you are, you hate blindfolds?” Matt teased.

“Yeah, especially put on by someone who I've been giving the silent treatment for an entire week and a half.”

“Well, after today, I hope you forgive me.”

“What is itttt? You know I hate surprises, Matthew.”

He chuckled. “You hate everything.”

“Ha-ha.”

“This wayyy...a little that wayyy andddd stop. Okay, take it off.”

“Surprise!” Violet's friends and family shouted collectively as pink and blue balloons fell from the ceiling of the banquet hall.

“Awwww! Is this a baby shower?!”

“Yes!” Naomi squealed as she rushed over and threw her arms around her friend. “The theme is pink and blue.” The woman grabbed Violet by the hand and gave her a swift tour. “And over here are more snacks and a ballot. Guests can vote for which gender they'd like the baby to be!”

“I love thatttt!” Violet squealed. “Let's do that game first because I'm curious.”

The duo laughed as Matt approached. “So, what do you think?”

“I love it so much! I can't believe that you had a hand in planning all of this!”

“I can't really take the credit. It was all Raven and Naomi... I just paid for it.”

“Good boy,” Violet teased before she kissed him.

Someone loudly cleared their throat. When Violet pulled away to find out who, she saw her mother and the apple of her eye. “Daddy!” The woman threw herself into her father's arms.

“Hello, princess,” he greeted as he glared at Matt over her shoulder.

The man gulped.

“I'm so happy to see you!”

“And I'm happy to see you, sweetheart. You look beautiful.”

“Thank youuuu. Oh, Daddy, I have someone that you have to finally meet.” She grabbed Matt's nervous hand and pulled him close. “This is Matthew. Matthew, this is my father.”

“This should be interesting,” the woman's mother grumbled as she took a sip out of her flask.

“Nice to meet you, Sir,” Matt said, forcing himself to be confident as he extended his hand.

Mr. Chachki accepted the gesture, using excessive force as he shook Matt's hand. “So you're the scum who got my baby girl pregnant without marrying her first.”

“Umm... I-I-”

“Oh, Daddy, please don't start with that cliche overprotective nonsense,” Violet groaned.

“It's not cliche that you're being treated like the common tramp! What? You want to be a 'baby mama’? You were raised better than that.”

“It's not about my 'title’, it's about you having another grandchild about to come into this world. You have to love him no matter what.”

“Well, that's the easy part, princess. I just don't have respect for men who carelessly spread their seed everywhere.”

“To be fair, Sir, Violet accepted my seed with no complaints.”

Mr. Chachki nearly pulverized Matt's knuckles into dust.

“Oww!” he groaned out as he snatched away.

“Okay, Daddy. That's enough aggression for today.” Violet kissed the man's cheek. “Go have fun. Mingle.” She quickly led Matt away before her father got the chance to kill him.

“What the hell was that?!” Matt hissed in pain as he massaged his sore hand with the other.

“He likes you,” Violet assured.

“Pff, what would he do if he didn't like me?”

“You don't wanna know,” she sighed.

“Auntie Violet! Auntie Violet!” three children shouted excitedly as they rushed over. With dusty blonde, curly hair and vivid brown eyes, they were a beautiful blend of their Ecuadorian mixed mother and their Kenyan father.

“Hi, my loves!” The woman embraced the children and marked each of their cheeks with a smudge of her pink lip gloss.

“Gross!” the eldest boy protested.

“May I have some lip gloss, Auntie Violet?” the wide-eyed girl asked as she batted her lashes.

“Sure, Clover.”

As Violet dug into her purse, the girl continued to speak. “And might I add that your salmon sheath dress looks fantastic on you. The color, the fit, the styling- tre magnifique!”

“Aww, thank you, Clover. And your dress looks amazing on you as well.”

“Floral organza is very on trend this summer.”

Violet smiled. “You read my article didn't you?”

“Of course! All of them!”

“Good, you can learn a lot. And this will make your entire look pop,” the woman said as she applied a generous amount of her gloss to her niece's lips.

Matt chuckled.

Clover turned to him. “So who is this?”

“Oh, I'm sorry, guys. This is my boyfriend, Matthew. Matthew these are Rose's children: Elm, Clover and Sage.”

“Woww, your family really does love plant names. It's such an honor to meet you guys.”

The youngest, Sage, folded his arms. “Are you going to be the baby's daddy?”

“Yes,” Matt replied. “I am the baby's daddy.”

Clover scoffed. “Auntie Violet, how could you pick him to be the daddy without our approval? You do realize that he's wearing Converse at a formal function and a T-shirt under a suit jacket. That's not in style, never was in style and never will be in style. Your baby will inherit these horrible ideals!”

Matt cackled. “Another fashionista, huh?”

“She studies everything that I say. She wants to be a fashion director when she grows up.”

“Well, you're off to a great start,” Matt complimented. “But I'm sorry. My wardrobe is way beyond help.”

“We need a miracle,” the girl groaned.

Violet winced.

Matt frowned. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” she sighed. “He's just kicking away.”

“I wanna feel!” Elm exclaimed.

“Yeah?” Violet asked as she guided the boy's hand to her belly.

Just as expected, the territorial fetus began to kick and punch even harder.

“Wickedddd.”

“I wanna feel!” Clover declared.

“Me too!” added Sage.

“Wowww.”

“So weirdddd.”

“How did the baby get into your belly?” the five year old Sage asked.

“Umm...ummmm,” Violet stammered as she looked to Matt for help.

“When a man and woman love each other-”

“Oh, no let me tell it Auntie Violet!” Elm said excitedly.

“Um...alright,” the woman nervously agreed.

Elm spoke as if he was telling a spooky story around the campfire. “The stork comes in the middle of the night and he drops the baby down and then a hole goes into your body and there's blood everywhere, like coming out of your head, and then you push your belly button, and then your butt falls off and then you hold your butt and you have to dig and dig and then... you find a little baby.”

Violet gave the boy a blank stare. “That's exactly how it happens,” she assured.

“Auntie Violet, I wanna dig for a babyyyy,” Sage whined.

“Not until you're forty,” his aunt said sternly.

“Yayyy!”

“Violetttt,” Naomi called from across the room.

“Yeah?”

“The votes are in! The people want you to have a girl!”

She laughed. “Well, sorry to disappoint you all, this fetus is a hard headed little man!”

“Are you sure you don't want a girl?” a raspy female voice asked as she approached from behind. “Because when you have a son, they tend to move across the country and forget all about you.”

“I haven’t forgotten about you, Mom,” Matt assured as she kissed the woman's cheek.

Violet was taken aback. “Th-This is your mother?”

“Yeah, I'm his mother,” she said, hostility evident. The blonde woman had harsh crows feet and it was clear that she'd given up on attempting to cover up the grey hairs that were beginning to sprout. “But you wouldn't know this Miss Magazine,” the woman mocked. “It's just been me and Matty for years and suddenly, you get pregnant and no effort is made to meet me.”

“Mom-”

“I'm not speaking to you, Matty,” she snapped.

The man pursed his lips.

“Wait, what?” Violet asked, completely confused. “Are you, like, mad at me? Why? Today is the first time he's met my father sooo-”

“Sooo, your father doesn't have anything to do with me. This is my son. You were in Los Angeles and nobody thought about me!”

“Okay, but did you think about me?!” Violet exploded. “I'm the pregnant lady carrying your grandchild, where was your effort?!”

“Yeah, exactly. My,” she emphasized, “grandchild. That baby will have my last name.”

“Wha- I-” Violet groaned in exasperation. “Matthew!”

Matt rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke. “Whenever I'd talk to Mom on the phone, you were busy. Working... sleeping...eating. I-”

“Okay, so I work, sleep and eat like every other fucking person in the world. Does that make me the bad guy here?!”

“Don't curse at my son,” the woman hissed.

“Oh my Goddddd!” Violet shouted. “This isn't going anywhere. Nice to meet you, bye-bye.” The pregnant woman turned on her heel and stormed off, leaving Matt torn over what to do but only for a second as he turned to his mother. “I have to make sure that she's okay.”

“Pffff, of course she's okay. You have your head so far up her fucking ass that you can't see straight.”

“Mom, she's pregnant with my baby. Of course there's going to be some catering going on there.”

“More like slavery.”

The man let out a sharp exhale. “I'll be back, okay?”

“Don't forget to tell her where I'm staying this weekend.”

Fuck, he thought when he remembered that his mother hadn't booked herself a hotel after reminding him of the $500 of hers that he'd use to chase Violet in the first place. “Okay, Mom.” He kissed her cheek. “Have a cupcake or something.” Matt rushed off and quickly found Violet being pacified by her friends.

“And she's basically blaming me for not 'reaching out to her’ like, bitch, you need to reach out to me if you ever want to see your grandchild!”

“Exactlyyyyy,” her friends said in unison before falling silence when they saw the man approaching.

“Oh, look, here's Matty now!” Violet mocked.

“Violet, I'm sorry. Mom's just a little territorial and overprotective when it comes to me, she always has been.”

“That doesn't give her the right to treat me like shit,” Violet retorted. “She's way out of line and I'd like an apology.”

Matt suppressed his groan. “I'll see what I can do. In the meantime, don't be upset, okay? This is supposed to be a fun day.”

“I’m fine,” she snipped. “I'm not the one who has anything on the line to lose here.”

He sighed. “True, but I kinda do so bear with me.”

“Okay. Get me a slice of cake?”

“On it.” The man turned and internally kicked himself for not being man enough to face the wrath of Violet after he’d tell her the news of his mother's weekend stay. “Both of them will just have to deal with it. I won't tolerate my child having a mother and a grandmother who don't get along. I'm putting my foot down!”

“Matthew, hurry up with that cake!” Violet demanded.

“Coming, sweetie!” he chirped like a desperate housewife. He gazed at belly shaped cake.

“This has to be the most bizarre cake I've ever seen in my life. But hey, they got the boobs right. How on Earth do I even cut into this damn thing, though?” Matt lifted the knife. “Here's your scalpel, doctor,” he mimicked in a soft voice. “Scalpel?” he gasped. “Why do I need a scalpel, nurse? The baby's breached. We need to get him out via cesarean immediatelyyyy. On it!” The man plunged the knife into the belly of the cake. “I'm coming baby, ahhhh! Swish, swish!” Matt cut a generous slice out of the cake and was impressed by the perfectly even pink and blue fillings between the vanilla layers. “You saved him, doctorrrr.” Matt plopped the slice onto a plate and when he turned, he paused when he saw his mother.

“Thanks,” she said, forcing a smile as she took the plate from his hand.

“Ma! That's for Violet.”

“I know. I'll take it to her.”

“Wha-no. I-” The woman gave her son 'the look’. “Yes, Ma'am.”

She began to approach the pregnant woman but Matt stopped her. “Mom, could you apologize to Violet?”

“Apologize for what, Matty?”

“Blaming her for not reaching out to you. That really was my fault because I should've been a better middleman and-”

“Okay, okay,” she said. “I don't need you being so down on yourself, sweetheart. I'll apologize.”

Matt smiled and trailed his mother to where Violet was. The pregnant woman defensively folded her arms.

“Where’s my cake, Matthew?”

“Mom wanted to bring it. She has something she wants to tell you.”

“I think we got off on the wrong foot. I'm sorry that you were upset by what I said, but it doesn't change how I feel.”

Violet scoffed. “So is this an apology or not?”

“Didn’t you just hear me say that I was sorry?”

“Yeah, but it's like one of those backhanded apologies. Those are worse than not receiving an apology at all.”

“You don't tell me what type of an apology I give you. I'm not going to kiss your ass, Miss Magazine.”

“My name is Violet!”

“And my name is Susan Lent! You're going to have to put up with me whether you like it or not!”

“As if! You've been irrelevant up until now and you'll remain irrelevant!”

“Just like you as soon as you pop that baby out. Nobody likes a diva but I raised my son to be a stand-up guy. Matty is only putting up with you because of that baby and once you have him, you'll be nothing but another baby mama.”

Violet fought the urge to slap the woman as she looked at Matt. “Baby?” she whimpered.

“Can’t we all just get along?” Matt pleaded. “You're both very relevant to me.”

The pregnant woman burst into tears.

“Violet, please don't cry.”

“How can I not?” she sobbed. “I feel very attacked and you aren't helpinggg.”

Naomi wrapped her arms around her friend.

“What's going on here?” Mr. Chachki demanded.

“Matthew's mother, Sarah-”

“Susan,” the woman corrected.

“Whatever! She's been so mean this entire time and Matthew doesn't put her in her place!”

“Pff, he's my son. He can't put me in my place, sweetheart.”

“You both need to leave,” her father told the Lents. “Now.”

“What? No way, I paid for this party,” Matt reminded.

“I don't give a shit who paid! My baby girl is crying and you're the reason. If you want to keep your goddamn fingers and toes, you'll leave now.”

Matt turned to Violet who simply buried her face into Naomi's cardigan as she sobbed.

“Come on, Matty,” Susan ordered. “See, this why you should've stayed with Shea.”

“Mom, please don-”

Violet lifted her head. “Wh-Who’s Shea?”

Matt covered his mother's mouth with his hand. “Nobody,” he assured. “We'll be going now.”

“Bu-”

The man took the plate from Susan's hands and placed it into Violet's before rushing his mother along towards the exit. “Love you, see you tonight!” he shouted as they left.

“Jesus, Matty, be gentle,” she panted as she snatched away. “I'm fifty-two, if I break a hip, you're paying for it.”

“Mom, why did you bring up Shea?! Violet doesn't know about her.”

Susan scoffed. “Of course she doesn't. My God, when are you going to start taking responsibility for your shit?”

“How am I not taking responsibility for my shit? Because of Shea? She left me!”

His mother sighed. “But Matty, she's still your wife. So just figure everything out before that baby comes. Okay?”

The man expelled all of the air from his lungs then nodded. “This is going to be a long weekend.”

#pearlet #pearlet fanfiction

20 notes · View notes

blaperile · 5 years

Text

Homestuck Epilogues - Meat - Page 12 (Epilogue 2 Page 4)

#Homestuck #The Homestuck Epilogues #Meat #Epilogue Two #Jade #Dave #Karkat

0 notes

nathandgibsca · 6 years

Text

How I grew CoSchedule into a $5MM+ SaaS company using this framework

I was half a decade into an agency job I was supposed to love.

On paper, that job was a great fit.

But in reality, there was this problem:

I didn’t fit in.

My work was my art. My coworkers, well, they couldn’t quite say the same – no one really seemed to care about what they were creating. It didn’t take long for my “dream job” to morph into a nine-to-five cage.

My (future) business partner and I were paddling in the same boat at this agency. After a couple beers one night, we decided to change our luck and build something we could run. Of course, we each had families, which meant we couldn’t just ghost on them because we were excited to get a new project off the ground. So every night, from 10pm to 3am, we hopped on a Skype call. Coffee pots sputtering in the background, we built Scriply, our first piece of software.

Today, I’m the cofounder and CEO of CoSchedule.

We’re a SaaS startup with users in 100+ countries around the world. In fewer than 4 years, we went from night-owl jam sessions to 8,000+ customers.

I share this so you know we didn’t go from zeroes across the board to thousands of customers by magic. (Or by dipping into the fat wallets of VC money.)

We bootstrapped this thing like you wouldn’t believe.

When we did our first demos with prospective customers to validate the product, it wasn’t even built yet. In fact, our “product” was a powerpoint deck with a UI and hyperlinks that jumped from one slide to the next.

The growth we’ve experienced hasn’t come by accident; it’s come by doing, shipping, creating, failing, learning… and never stopping.

How you take a 3 a.m. side-hustle to a growing startup

This is your inside look at how I grew CoSchedule with the One Metric That Matters (1MTM) framework, which is made up of two things:

Focus

Discipline

The 2 qualities founders need to grow their startup, by @garrett_moon via @copyhackers Click To Tweet

When you’re starting something that desperately needs customers – whether a side-hustle, agency or even a SaaS company – you need heaps of both focus AND discipline.

… If you’re in the nine-to-five cage with hopes of a brighter, freedom-filled future, this article lays out a path for you to consider.

… If you’ve already made the leap to the startup stage, you can pull specific triggers with focus and discipline.

… If you’re in an established company – but crave the results you know you’re capable of – there’s something for you, too.

… If you want growth, pay attention (and take the quiz at the end).

Hey nerd friends, meet your one metric to rule them all

The 1MTM framework, popularized in Lean Analytics: Use Data to Build a Better Startup Faster by Alistair Croll and Benjamin Yoskovitz, is simply this:

Finding the right metric to relentlessly focus on at the right time that’s appropriate to your stage of growth.

Croll and Yoskovitz describe the 1MTM as “the one number you’re completely focused on above everything else for your current stage.” Fundamentally, you focus relentlessly on what’s most important for your growth right now. Not in 6 months. Not in a year.

When I worked at the agency, it did not operate this way. For clients, we were expected to grow every “important” metric at once. This meant simultaneously:

Increasing social followers on every network

Driving more web traffic

Building a bigger email list

Generating more qualified leads

Getting a better click-through-rates

Lowering cost-per-click

Optimizing conversion rates

Winning at direct mail campaigns

Those are all awesome things. But when everything is a priority, well, nothing is.

As marketers, many of us face the new normal of a 72-hour work week. We’re all tapped for time. So trying to keep every iron white-hot is a recipe for burnout. For me, working like this equaled meager gains in many areas. Instead, we need to focus on sizeable gains in the most important area. That’s why we used the 1MTM framework for growing CoSchedule. It forces you to prioritize ONE metric. If a given campaign, project or activity does not increase your one number to rule them all, don’t do it.

This is, also, how you – as a freelancer, startup founder or growth marketing peep – should view your growth, analytics and goal-setting activities.

Bottom line: your goal metric reflects the stage your team or company is at.

1MTM works because it encourages two things: focus and discipline

Ingredient #1: Focus

1MTM makes you focus with laser-beam intensity on the one thing that matters most right now.

It’s NOT about being myopic. Rather you save yourself from diluting your growth potential by tracking 47 popcorn KPIs, like the myriad of metrics I had to grow during my agency days. When you have one primary metric, your eyes are locked onto your goal AKA the one part of the business you’ve decided to value more highly than any other.

To get CoSchedule off the ground, we needed leads (trial signups, demo requests, etc) so people would actually become customers.

Our focus was to master 2 fundamentals:

Traffic: drive it on demand

Build an audience you have direct access to

In a recent survey of 1,600 pro marketers we conducted, we found that qualified leads are the number one KPI marketers track. In order to grow, you need leads. If you’re getting leads, you need a way to nurture them. As Chet Holmes points out in The Ultimate Sales Machine, only 3% of people are ready to buy right now. You want to keep in contact with the 97% who are in the “not quite yet” stage. Not to mention that nurtured leads make 47% larger purchases than non-nurtured folks.

To nurture those leads, you need direct contact with them.

Which means – *ahem* – email. Such as an email list filling up with folks in the “not quite yet” buying stage.

And, finally, to build your all-important email list, you gotta have traffic to your website. So, you need traffic (to get those leads) and audience building (to grow a relationship with those leads) which are these two fundamentals.

Bringing us full-circle back to our two fundamentals:

Traffic

Build an audience.

Ingredient #2: Discipline

At CoSchedule, we evaluated all projects through the singular lens of our One Metric. You instantly know if a strategy is good or not, depending on how well it serves your one metric.

For us at CoSchedule, asking ourselves, “Will this help us achieve our One Metric?” helped to evaluate new opportunities.

Maybe it will. Or not. Ultimately, focus and discipline allow for the necessary behavioral changes to take place. To achieve substantive growth, both your mindset and methodologies need to change. In Lean Analytics, Alistair Croll and Benjamin Yoskovitz explain:

“. . . if you want to change behavior, your metric must be tied to the behavioral change you want.”

For our purposes, I’ll paraphrase to this: If you want to change results, your metric must be tied to the results you want.

Because of my agency days – and focusing on 45+ KPIs to simultaneously grow – this approach appealed to me. See, it’s not doing more stuff. Instead, it’s focusing on less.

How CoSchedule used the 1MTM framework to grow

Step #1: Get Traffic

At CoSchedule, we had zero pageviews, zero email subscribers and no customers.

When I hired Nathan, our head of demand generation, I told him traffic was the only metric he should care about. In short: his job was to get pageviews.

Imagine you run a retail store and you need foot traffic, right? You need people milling around and looking at your products. To increase sales, you need people dropping by on a regular basis.

For us digital folks, this works exactly the same way. We need people on our sites because they’re our primary salespeople.

Your Step #1 could be one of these traffic-related options:

Pageviews

New visitors

Unique visitors

Search hits

You can’t sell to people who aren’t there. To get more customers, we needed more traffic.

So, we worked our tails off to:

Increase pageload speed which is an official search ranking factor for Google

Optimize the user experience on our blog

Delete any sidebars or distractions

Create the best content we possibly could

… Juice up that content with special SEO sauce

While learning to drive more web traffic is a science (and art) to its own, your foundation starts with amazing content. At CoSchedule, we set our focus on creating amazing content to drive traffic. In fact, killer content is so central to our growth and marketing that we boiled down our strategy to three principles:

Pinpoint what positively impacts a huge number of people in your audience

Find those topics by analyzing your competitors and strategizing a new angle

In your content, unite your audience’s interests with your company’s value

All of that helped us grow from absolutely zero traffic to 1 million plus pageviews per month (and roughly 400,000 unique visitors).

CoSchedule’s traffic

Ever hear of a marketer named Noah Kagan?

He’s pretty sharp, starts cool things like Sumo and AppSumo and has a lot of people following him around online. Obviously, he can drive traffic with a few tweets and an email.

But what about a guy named Julien Marion? My bet is you probably haven’t heard of him.

Noah helped him build a brand-new website and grow it from zeroes to over 10,000 visitors per month. Without a large following or existing brand, Julien worked an astute plan to get there the old-school way: blood, sweat and clicks.

Julien’s traffic spike

How did he do it? He set a goal straight out of the holy 1MTM: 10k visitors in 30 days.

Step #2: Build an Audience

After the traffic is rolling in, you need to turn visitors into a loyal audience.

That means an email list!

While there are plenty of people busy pronouncing “email is dead,” other people are building lists and making bank with email. Honestly, if you’re not building an email list, you’re crazy.

In Step #2, choose your audience-related 1MTM for list growth:

Email subscribers OR

Community members

In the past four years, we’ve worked hard to figure out what works… and what doesn’t in email list building. Through copious testing, plenty of failures and eventual hockey-stick growth, we’ve learned exactly what works for us. Which are free software tools and content upgrades.

Today we grow by 20,000+ subscribers every month.

A 2014 study by VentureBeat found email marketing generates $38 for every $1 invested-catapulting email ROI lightyears ahead of social, paid search, display, and other traditional ad methods. In other words, your emails enjoy about 350% more visibility than organic social messages. And that’s just on a bad hair day.

Our experience proves those stats are true. Email has been the largest contributing factor to our growth by a factor about 300%.

Email signups are a lead metric for us, meaning they forecast profitable action that will happen. The more email signups (AKA prospects) we get, the more marketing qualified leads (MQLs) we get. Put another way, every $1 we invest in email turns into $3.

This is a key reason why 1MTM has worked to increase CoSchedule’s revenue growth from $0 to $5MM+ annually.

Over a 4-week stretch, our email signups grew by 317% and our MQLs grew by 392%. While not very fancy, this graph shows how our MQLs grew concurrent with email signups. When our most important metric grows, so does our downstream, revenue-generating metrics.

Growth in MQLs over just 4 weeks

When we used a verbatim customer quote as our subject line, we’ve routinely seen open rates from 70-90%.

Stellar!

We measure the results of our email nurture campaigns. The higher our open rates, the higher our conversions. Not rocket science, I know

For instance, this 77.54% open rate is part of a campaign nurturing signups to become qualified leads. This campaign – also called a journey in some email marketing circles – averages a 26.1% conversion rate.

So, doing some quick math here: a little more than 1 out of every 4 people who get our weekly email takes the action we’re calling them to. Higher open rates also correlate directly to this stat. The higher our open rates? The more qualified leads we generate. Therefore, the more revenue we drive.

See the deep connection between our email list and our revenue?

TWO insanely-actionable strategies that helped CoSchedule go from 0 subscribers to 350,000+ in 5 years

Subscriber Strategy #1: Content upgrades

A content upgrade is a companion resource to content like blog posts. They’re also called lead magnets or opt-in bait. Often, they are things like:

Templates

Calculators

Worksheets

Any other document that helps your audience put what you’re teaching them into practice

To use them to build an email list, we gate them behind an email opt-in form. So, your new potential subscriber gets the resource by when they provide their email address.

I know what you’re thinking: “I barely have time to write a blog post, much less create a content upgrade.”

But… what if you just created one fewer post per week and used that time to create a content upgrade? That trade would be worth it, methinks, because your list will grow faster – even though you’re publishing one less piece per week.

Content Upgrade #1 – Give away something you know works (and that you have stats to back up).

If you’re a copywriter, hand over a Word doc or PDF: “Grab these 5 proven formulas to rewrite your headlines for 347% more traffic.”

If you’re a social media strategist, offer some inspiration: “Get 3 all-star Facebook ad examples with CTRs of 63.8%!”

If you’re a freelance writer, offer a framework for your specialty: “[Case Study] Get the 3-part framework for creating high-converting case studies in under 20 mins.”

Remember the “10k traffic in 30 days” example I outlined above? After Julien Marion (and Noah) pulled it off, this challenge morphed into a beautiful content upgrade:

Give away what you know works, while simultaneously building your credibility, authority, and – most importantly – your email list!

Content Upgrade #2 – Swipe & transform your most popular blog post

At CoSchedule, one of our most popular content upgrades is from our most popular blog post of all time. In the last 12 months, it’s driven over 2.2MM pageviews. This is roughly 6% of all of our website traffic.

From this wildly popular blog post, we created an infographic: a content upgrade that has the post’s unique data and research. Plus, it includes three Google Analytics custom reports so you run your own data.

No longer a blog post, this content upgrade is a high-quality, actionable kit with quality graphics:

This content upgrade has generated 17,530 email signups alone – just from revamping a single blog post into a new format.

Best part? It was low effort to create. The Google Analytics reports were already created. And, so were the blog graphics, so we stitched them together to form the infographic.

Content Upgrade #3 – Free tools bring you free traffic

Another list-building strategy we love is free tools to help marketers stop losing traffic, increase social media engagement and up their email opens.

Alright, yes, you’re right: creating free software tools are a lot more work than blog posts. If you’re swamped for time right now, start with Content Upgrades #1 and 2 above, and work up to this one.

However, this one is a rockstar because we gate them behind an email opt-in. For example, our Headline Analyzer tool – analyzes headlines to optimize for maximum traffic – has driven 55,040 email signups. By itself.

Ultimately, every new email address is directly connected to our revenue. This makes our tools an incredible investment.

Subscriber Strategy #2 – Build your community with this “Dropbox crazy-growth” swipe

For us at CoSchedule, we focused on Subscriber Strategy #1: Content Upgrades. However, Dropbox is the perfect example of this second Subscriber Strategy.

You’ve heard the story of Dropbox’s meteoric user growth thanks to their early referral program. Whenever a user successfully referred a friend to use Dropbox, each person got 500MB of bonus storage for free.

So easy to invite your friends to Dropbox

But what you haven’t heard is… their dead-simple delivery mechanism that performed so awesomely was email. In fact, Dropbox’s Drew Houston credits 35% of their daily signups came from this program.

Not only can you show up directly in your audience’s inbox on a one-to-many basis, but your emails are on a one-to-one basis.

Because your audience forwards their “get 500MB” invite email to their own networks. Since it comes from a person they already know, trust and like, that invitee is more likely to say “yes” to signing up for Dropbox.

Ask yourself: “What am I afraid of?”

To make these simple stages work for you, you need to honestly assess which stage you’re in.

That’s what we did at the start of CoSchedule. Our answer informed our decision-making process and helped us focus on the metrics that mattered, like driving traffic and email list growth.

Once you master them, you will be able to deploy, adapt, and improve them as you go. Just like we did at the start of CoSchedule.

~ garrett

Photo by Avi Richards on Unsplash

The post How I grew CoSchedule into a $5MM+ SaaS company using this framework appeared first on Copywriting for startups and marketers.

from SEO Tips https://copyhackers.com/2018/06/coschedule-5mm-saas-company-growth-framework/

0 notes