#which might be awkward since we have to work together every day

[dokyeomini]

so the coworker i went on the trip with asked me if i am mad and i said a bit and she said oh you'll get over it soon

#i would say... i don't think you know me very well at all..... #having to babysit a drunk person is absolutely fine for me #but not when the drunk person is also prone to violence and picking fights #and being openly racist on a bus and also disrespectful to strippers #so yea im.... done i have absolutely no desire to be friends with her #which might be awkward since we have to work together every day #and she's still under the impression that im forgiving #i couldn't lay it on her while we were still out of the country bc she was also just unstable and would have just stayed there #and done god knows what #so i got her home #but god i am fuming

[thecameronchronicles]

Room 206

TW: Language. Smut. 

SUMMARY: He was the absolute LAST person you ever wanted to be alone with. And now you had to share a hotel room with him…

WORD COUNT: 2500

*Requested*

Room 206

You had been looking forward to this trip for months, ever since Madelyn invited you as her plus one. Having spent way too much on a swimsuit that covered way too little, you had packed it along with enough clothes to cover you well beyond the time in which you would be staying there. There was absolutely nothing that could ruin it. Not even if every day were filled with storms so cataclysmic that they kept you confined within your hotel room. Not a bad hangover, as you knew it would come to pass. Not even food poisoning or any other unforeseen ailment. At least, this had been your outlook until you saw him…

Drew Starkey. 

To say he was the bane of your existence was not only an understatement but an insult to all other ‘banes’. And the reasons you felt this way were the same for him on a lengthy list of similar annoyances of such contradicting reasonsings. For example, you found him to be too intense and he found you to be too laid back and in the situations this would reverse, you would roll your eyes and he would scoff in vice versa. It made for awkward gatherings with your mutual friends that eventually learned it was better just to keep you two apart. 

But even their damndest attempts would be in vain as you were forced to share a room due to a conflict having been overlooked through the producers. 

“I’ll sleep on the roof even…” Drew spoke to the host behind the hotel desk. 

“I”m sorry, Mister Starkey…there is nothing we can do-All the other rooms have been booked last minute…”

“I’ll pay double.” His eyes shot over to you, “Triple.” You scowled at his insult. 

“Maybe we could get a cot?”

“I’m sorry, we don’t have any…But you are more than welcome to-” Before the man could offer an absolution, Drew stormed off with annoyance, taking his hotel key as you were left to apologize. To be honest, it was rare that Drew acted this way against anyone. At least anyone who wasn’t you. But that was just HOW much you got under his skin. You were able to alter his happy-go-lucky persona and kindness just by your presence-just by the thought of your presence, with the only relief coming in your absence. And now you were forced to spend an entire night together…

“You DO realize it isn’t their fault, right? You can stop being an ass for like-” The bathroom door slammed closed as you were left in isolation, peaceful but lonely, isolation. 

You had waited over an hour before sorting through your suitcase for a change of clothes for the night as you wanted to get rest before the reshoots early that next morning. But you didn’t want that door to open at your back to allow him the sight of your naked body. So you waited. And waited. Until eventually the clothes began to almost burn with how desperate you were to get out of them. So you moved quickly, laying out your clothes before groaning when realizing you had nothing that covered what you needed it to as you were expecting your own room, your own balcony, and not HIS eyes following you. 

But without a choice and knowing he would be due out of that bathroom at any given time, you chose to make quick work of it and throw yourself beneath the covers. But just before you were able to cover your body, that door opened to reveal him to you. Quickly, you turned to face him, the look of shock across his expression would be charming if not for the persona beneath it. 

“Turn around!”

“Don’t flatter yourself, not like there’s anything to see.” You glared, your hands balling into fists as he caught the drop of your eyes to his own bare persona, the time spent in the bathroom having apparently consisted of a shower at some point as he now wore only a towel and the beads of water left behind as evidence. 

“Control yourself, you wouldn’t even know what to do with me…But you might want to clean that up…” He said while motioning to the side of his mouth to imitate as if you were drooling as you turned with a glare. 

“Not that I owe you a rebuttal, but just so you know, I have had no complaints-” He scoffed, folding his arms and flexing his muscles before offering a series of nods as he took a step further. 

“Probably cause you never let ‘em talk…or maybe because they just lie to be done with it.”

“God, you are such an ass!”

“Just because you want to see mine, doesn’t mean-” You threw your shirt at him out of pure frustration before realizing you were now left almost entirely bare before him. With only panties around your hips and your arms covering your chest, his eyes were gluttonous. 

He would adore you for a moment  as you covered your breasts the best you could with one arm and held out the other as you signaled for the return of the fabric now at his feet. He would bend slowly, taking his time in tormenting you, before rising in allowing his eyes to move leisurely up your body, finding your glare to meet him. 

“You done?”

He shrugged as you leaned forward, reaching for your shirt as he only pulled it tighter, forcing you to be thrust against him. 

“You know what you need?”

“If you say you, I WILL throw up. Might make you more tolerable though-” He clenched his jaw for only a moment before looking down to you for a moment, fixating on your lips, before focusing back to your eyes.

“You need…” He began to walk you towards the bed, his strength incomparable as you looked in any direction but him before feeling your legs hit the comforter at your calves. 

“To sleep…Definitely need your beauty sleep…but I don’t think there’s enough hours in-” You pushed him off of you, finally collecting your shirt, and covering yourself, before beneath the covers and drowning him out with your phone. 

But every attempt made to forget he was present was useless as he went out of his way to annoy you. Even if the blankets and sheets were much larger than the entire length of the bed, he would pull more on his side, just to make you pull them back, the most annoyed of grunts making him smirk. Along with this, he would keep the lights of the room on, and with each attempt you made to make it dark, he would get right back up and keep them on. Eventually, you just set your headphones in your ears, put a pillow over your head, and tried to sleep while listening to your music. 

After your playlist had reached its end, you turned in annoyance, but found him looking at photos of you, ones taken on the beach when you’d arrived with nothing more than a bikini and an overly large crochet covering. Once he noticed you were awake, he scoffed and threw the phone at his side as you glared at him. 

“Are you perving on me?”

“I was looking at the background…There was this…weird…thing…Which says something if it can distract from you…” You glared before reaching for his phone for validation. But upon doing so, he would react faster, managing to pin you beneath him. 

The second your eyes met, his knee present between your legs, and your breathing erratic by the sudden ambush, everything shifted. Every ounce of tension behind your mutual hatred was revealed to one another as you both reached for the other until your lips came into that collision. Bodies intertwined and fingers desperate in clutches against each other’s skin.

His fingers climbed to the back of your neck and the other beyond your waist and to the line of your silk shorts as he didn’t waste time in teasing. 

“You hate me? Then why are you so fucking wet, huh?” To this, your hand moved to his cock, at attention beneath his boxers that he’d changed into once you tried to sleep. 

“What about YOU?”

“I don’t need to like you to fuck you…” Your eyes narrowed as you fought from beneath him, hands pressed hard to his chest as he only straddled you and pinned your hands once again. Your eyes came into a roll as you couldn’t fight against him, no matter how hard you tried, and he basked in knowing this. 

“But lucky for you…I don’t hate you…It’s what's so goddamn irritating.” Your eyes sharpened that much further. “What did I ever do to you?” You clenched your jaw and looked ot the side, trying to break free. 

“Tell me…”

“What about YOU, huh?”

“You started this shit. I tried to be nice and-”

“And hit on every girl in front of me! I actually liked you to begin with, Drew! And you just flirted with absolutely everyone and brought girls to set all the time and it was so irritating because I-’ He silenced you with another kiss. This time, one that was softer, the kind you weren’t aware he was capable of, but always secretly wanted. 

“I always thought JD was into you…the way you two were always close on and off set…And you have this way of being so entitled all the time…and so…So sexy and it-” You would now initiate this next kiss, fingers threading through his hair before you would be pulled higher and his straddle would alternate to a new intertwine of your legs. 

“As annoying as it is, it’s always been you, Drew…” He smirked at this. “And believe me-I hate it…”

“But you don’t hate me?” He teased, drawing lines on your thigh before you shook your head following a moment’s hesitance. 

“I want to.”

He licked his lips before kissing your chest, offering teasing kisses, before lowering still. 

“Then let me give you a reason not to…” You were removed of your shorts and panties, with your own assistance, before he set your legs over his shoulders. 

“I always knew this is what you needed…” Your fingers ran through his hair as he set a teasing kiss to your clit. 

“And I’m expecting you to let me know that I’m doing a good job-” His brow cocked as he savored you completely, now allowing a single drop of you to be given to the sheets beneath until his fingers would join in the circuit. Figure eights with his tongue, he would pull you to your edge, your body in tremors as his hand reached to your breast, softly kneading your nipples into twists and turns as you writhed beneath him. 

“Come for me…I want you to give me all that tension, baby…” You curved beneath him as his forearm kept you flat, a battle for this dominance lost as your body fell into itself in tremors of that orgasm he pulled so perfectly from your body. 

“Drew…” You breathed his name with a timbre of disbelief. 

“Told you, you couldn’t handle it.” To this, you were motivated, forcing him onto his back as you prepared yourself over his cock, stroking him once before taking him into your mouth. 

“Oh shit! Oh yeah!” He belted in approval, his hand wrapping in your hair. 

“God dammit! Slow down, I don’t wanna come-” You withdrew for a moment, just to meet his gaze. 

“Can’t handle it?” He scoffed, tearing you upwards and over his lap before sinking you down onto him. 

“DREW!”

“We’ll see who can’t take it…Let’s see how you take this!” He thrusted into you, fingers wrapped within your hair for dominance but at your hip for stability before you became lost beneath him. Your hatred, that tension, even the question of what would come next didn’t matter. The only thing you focused on were his thrusts and his fingers as they made their way to your clit. 

“Like that, yeah?”

“Please don’t stop! Please!” You whimpered as he set you onto your back, pulling your legs to your chest before deciding this wasn’t enough. Offering only a few powerful thrusts, he now set you on all fours before pulling your hips to level with his own. 

“God, I’ve wanted to do this for so fucking long!” He groaned as you nodded. “I want you in every goddamn position-” You nodded, “You feel so good-Shit!”

“Drew-I’m…”

“Gonna come again?” Your nails wrapped behind you and into his bare thigh. 

“Come with me! Please!”

“Keep begging-God, I love hearing it!”

“Please Drew! Please! I’m so close!”

“Fuck.” He bit playfully into your shoulder before projecting himself unapologetically between your trembling thighs before collecting you up by your hair as your back was flush with him. 

“You still hate me?” 

“What happens if I say yes?” You teased as he pulled his fingers between your lips. 

“Mmm…Looks like we’re gonna be late for reshoots then until I make sure I have all…” He began to move inside of you again, fighting his own overstimulation to prove his point, ‘of that tension…worked out…no matter how long it takes…”

“Then yes.” He bent you back forward, bringing you both to yet another orgasm before finally being spent at your side, his body relaxed and removed of all tension, similar to yours, before you would fall asleep with the best night’s rest you’d ever gotten. 

The rest of the trip would be spent entertaining these flirtations and spending the nights learning each other’s kinks and desires, conversations of learning one another once these tension did find relinquishment. 

“I think they got it wrong…” You spoke as you pulled the itemized bill to the room to view once moving to the direction of the prearranged car to take you to the airport.

“What do you mean? We did ask for a lot of extra whipped cream last night.” He teased as you blushed before shaking him off. 

“No…they charged you for like…six rooms-” He cocked his jaw before stealing the paper. “That’s over a grand, Drew!”

“I’ll call them when we get back stateside-”

“We’re still here, we can just-” But he caught your arm and pulled you back to face him. 

“I….may have booked the rest of the ehotel to make sure you didn’t have a room…And convinced everyone to not let you room with them…” 

“So you planned this?”

“Well I didn’t know ALL of that was gonna happen, but I hoped…” You glared, trying to find a reason to be mad at him, but for the last two weeks of pure bliss, all you could do was feel touched. 

“Hmm…Guess you don’t hate me then…”

“Not even a little bit…” He kissed your lips softly as you made your way out of Barbados, and with it, the conception of your relationship that would continue as you returned to the states, all behind room 206…

Taglist: @hopebaker @iovdrew @penny4yourthoughts @magnificantmermaid @pickingviolets @lovedetlost @trikigirl271 @my-baexht-ls @slut4starkey @slvtherinseeker @obxiskewl @obxxrxfes @bluesongbird @slut-era @ailee-celeste @rafesbae

#drew starkey smut #drew starkey x reader #drewstarkey #drew starkey #outer banks #obx #outerbanks

[merakiui]

So summer Azul but instead of single father, your ex-husband. Azul has all these business meetings he needs to attend at resort conferences for his restaurant. He takes your child with him, but lately, they complain about being in the care of the hotel nanny the whole time. Wouldn't it be better to bring someone along to watch them instead? How about ex-wife darling?

Is this a parent-trap set up by your child? Yes. Does your ex-husband Azul, who misses you so much, care? Not at all. Why not come and have a free vacation with them? Then he'll have another chance to make you one big happy family. :)

YES OMG!!!!

You know his angle too well, but you can’t possibly say no to a free trip and the idea of spending it with your child. Besides, it’s not like you’ll spend most of this vacation time with your ex-husband. He’ll be busy flitting from meeting to meeting, busy as a bee. You’ll be with your child for most of it, so you have every reason to agree and enjoy the week or so of vacation fun.

It’s a little vindictive when you run up a tab at the resort, but in your defense you want your child to have fun (and there’s no way you’re paying those outrageous prices). But Azul doesn’t seem to mind. He’s rather happy to have you within his reach again, and he splits his days up so that he has enough time to spend with you and his child outside of business obligations. When you’re with Azul, it’s somewhat awkward. It’s been a while since you went on any sort of trip with him, but your child seems to take delight in having both of their parents together. They pout when you aren’t being lovey-dovey, which means you (begrudgingly) reach for Azul’s hand or kiss him on the cheek when your child is watching. And Azul eats your affection up every time.

When your child is sleeping, Azul sits with you and watches the moon. The two of you talk about your child, mostly. How school has been, if they’ve made any new friends, what they do when they’re with Azul versus what they do when they’re with you. Azul tries to get the question out each time: can we try again? but he can never find the time or the right words. But he desperately wants to be a family again—a whole one. Not just for your child’s sake, but for his as well. The both of you made plenty of mistakes during your time as a married couple, but he’s willing to restart if you are. And this time, rather than bickering and letting the divide grow, he wants to work through the troubles together. As a pair. <3

And with the way this vacation is slowly starting to soften you, you might just say yes when he finally broaches that question.

#twisted chit chat #rendy-a

[wheels-of-despair]

The Last First Day Pairing: Eddie Munson x You Summary: This is it. Eddie Munson's last first day at Hawkins High. His final senior year. Class of '86, baby! Contains: Eddie and Evil Woman being annoying and ridiculous and so in love they don't care about making a scene, Higgins being So Done with them, a little suggestive humor. Words: 700ish

"BABY!"

You whip around in the crowded Hawkins High hallway, packed full of students hustling toward their next class on that always-awkward first day of school, searching for Eddie's voice. Where is he? What's wrong? He's not in trouble already, is he?

When you finally spot him and make eye contact, his jaw drops.

"It IS you! I haven't seen you in FOREVER!"

He literally saw you an hour ago, when he picked you up for school. And every day of the summer. And almost every day of the previous school year. But you know what he's doing, and you can't deny him this. Not on the first day of his last senior year.

You'd bullied the guidance counselor into putting you and Eddie in most of the same classes. It had taken some work to convince her that it really was for academic reasons, but in the end, she'd given in. What's the worst that could happen? He'd already repeated his senior year twice. The only way to go is up. Or, as most of the administration hoped: out. And since the faculty didn't seem to care about helping him get there themselves, they decided to let you give it a shot. You'd show them. You and Eddie would show them all.

Right after this happy reunion with your one and only.

"MY EDDIE! YOU FOUND ME!"

His face lights up when he sees that you're going to play with him. You stretch out your arms, thankful you'd shoved everything in your backpack after your last class, and rush toward him. Eddie takes off too, and after several grunts from people who'd been rammed into, the student body begins to duck to the side and clear a path for you.

You collide with a thump and hold each other in a crushing hug when you meet in the middle of the hallway, like you hadn't seen one another in years. Eddie finally lets go and reaches for your face, and holds it in his hands like a treasure.

"Oh my god, you're so beautiful! I'd almost forgotten what you looked like!" He's loud and he's obnoxious and you'll never love anyone more.

"I missed you!" You lean in to punctuate with a kiss. "So!" Another. "Fucking!" Another. "MUCH!" A longer one, which ends in a wet smack worthy of a cartoon. "Please don't ever leave me alone for that long again. I'll die. I swear, I'll die without you." You're also being loud and obnoxious, but not entirely untruthful.

You gaze into each other's eyes, in the middle of that crowded hallway full of people scoffing at you, and you think this just might be the happiest you've ever felt. The bell rings, but you can't bring yourself to pull away from him. Not yet.

A grown-up presence announces itself with a sigh, and you and Eddie break eye contact to look at Principal Higgins.

"That was the warning bell, which signifies that it's time for The Munsons to proceed to their next class," he says tiredly.

Eddie gives him a mock salute and hooks an arm around your neck, pulling you away from Higgins and toward your next class. Which you have together. You smile and lean into him, basking in the fact that you were just referred to as The Munsons.

"Pretty sure we just got married," Eddie observes.

"Oh yeah?" you grin. "Is Higgins an ordained principal?"

"Yup," Eddie says, eyes forward. "I've been studying in this place for a looong time. I know how things work. We're married now."

"Are you gonna carry me across the threshold into English class?" you tease, giving him a playful poke in the ribs.

"Don't tempt me, Mrs. Munson," he smirks. "I'm gonna wait 'til science. There's a human anatomy unit during senior year." He waggles his eyebrows at you. He should know; he's failed it twice.

"Is the unit… hard?" you ask seductively.

He stops just outside the classroom door and leans down to whisper in your ear, so only you can hear. His hair tickles the side of your face. "Not as hard as the unit that'll help you earn extra credit after school."

#writings of despair #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x reader #file under: things that somehow doubled in size after they were “one proofread away from being posted”

[shyvioletcat]

ROWAELIN MONTH: DAY 27

~ Person A is touch starved but doesn't know how to reach out to Person B ~

Well. A few notes before we can continue. This includes a little bit of a time jump, I might go and fill in some gaps but I think it passes. Also, we took a hard right into Smutsville. Lastly, the last bit seems a little iffy but my tired brain can't look at it anymore but I think I got there in the end. Thanks so much for reading, I love how much you guys are loving this au.

CW: smut, swearing, secondhand embarrassment

The Sweetest Promise Masterlist

~~~~~

They had spent the day together. Forest Fae has held another event and although Aelin’s presence wasn’t mandatory for this one, Rowan had asked her to come anyway just because he wanted company. Yes, he’d received a massive figurative thumbs up from his boss for taking the initiative this time. But it was more than that. It was becoming clear to Rowan the more time he spent with Aelin through their arrangement, the more time he wanted to. 

It had been nearly four months since that first panicked, desperate night and since then they’d seen each other every week. They had started with an official weekly date, and then once that initial awkwardness was over Rowan had very casually asked if Aelin wanted to go out here and there. She had said yes, and he added money to her account accordingly. So it was once a week minimum, more if he played his cards right, but Aelin always seemed up for whatever he was offering.  Even though he was her Sugar Daddy, Rowan could comfortably say they were friends now as well, all thanks to Aelin’s undeterred determination. It had been a pleasure getting to know her and being forcibly dragged back into a state of sociability. He was stubborn and he wouldn’t openly admit to it, but it had been good for him. And so had Aelin. 

She didn’t put up with his brooding or old man grumpiness, as she liked to call it. Aelin would find a way to draw him out in a way that Rowan would barely notice what she was doing. A playful argument would start up or she’d find some obscure topic of conversation that would have him laughing. Rowan was again starting to see that there was a world outside his office, and it was worth living in. 

Today’s event was a small expo held for investors and promotional influencers. The powers to be had invited Rowan so that he could see every facet of the company and to get his advice later on some legal matters. If Aelin hadn't come he would have spent most of his day bored out of his mind as he watched adults and children inspect the toys on offer. Instead he had Aelin participating in demonstrations or playing with the toys, making conversation and jokes which made the day not just bearable, but enjoyable. All day she had walked through the expo with something Rowan could closely describe as childlike wonder. Despite everything on display, he hasn’t been able to look away from her. 

Now they were back at his place, curled up on the couch. Rowan was watching TV and Aelin was reading some article for her thesis. It wasn’t the first time she’d been here, Rowan had asked her over a few times just to hang out when he had some work to do and couldn’t be bothered to go out. It was all under the guise of their arrangement, but it was just loneliness striking again. Aelin didn’t seem to mind though, she admitted that she’d been struggling to get out herself and the change of scenery was nice. The dinner he ordered in was also an added bonus, just slightly above the pleasure of his company according to her. 

Aelin’s head was resting on his thigh and she had an arm stretched up, leaning on his, as her hand twisted idle patterns in the air. She would think nothing of the way she was touching him. She’d been doing it all day, just small casual touches that just seemed to be part of her nature. Aelin would hold his hand to lead him somewhere or grab his arm when she saw something that excited her. Rowan had come to realise that Aelin was very much a physical person. What she didn’t know, that given the right circumstances so was he. He hadn’t shied away from her today, or any other day, and had even started to reciprocate. Their first evening together they’d been nearly inseparable to sell the piece. Touching was becoming a casual and comfortable exchange. Sometimes it was only the brush of a hand or their shoulders bumping. Each time it gave Rowan just that little bit of a thrill, which was more than slightly embarrassing. He looked forward to the physical closeness Aelin’s company came with. Because the sad truth of it was that he was touch starved.

He hadn’t had a serious relationship in years, and flings were few and far between. It had been at least 11 months since he’d fucked someone. Rowan’s dedication to his work just didn’t allow him the time to invest the effort that it would take for him to pursue someone. Relationships were tedious, it was probably why he was holding on so tight to this no strings attached arrangement with Aelin. But it certainly left him… lacking in some regards. 

There was a groan from Aelin, breaking Rowan out of his humiliating thoughts. She’d dropped the pages she was reading on her chest and used her now free hand to flick out her hair that evidently got caught somewhere. It made her golden hair fan out across Rowan’s lap and hands, and before he knew what was happening his fingers were playing in the ends of it. It was so soft and silky, he had no idea how Aelin got it to feel like this. When his brain finally caught up with him he dropped the strands, berating himself for presuming he could do such a thing.

“I don’t mind,” Aelin said, not looking away from the paper she had picked back up. “I like my hair being played with.”

“Yeah?” Rowan questioned lamely.

The corner of Aelin’s mouth twitched up in amusement over his awkwardness. “Yeah.”

Tentatively Rowan started up again, just flicking through the ends, but then he got braver. He twirled a lock around his finger, watching as the light caught the subtle tones in the gold. Next he carved out a section, split it into three and wove it into a simple braid. To his surprise the arm that Aelin rested against him twisted and he felt the tips of her fingers run through his hair. It nearly made him jump, and he definitely stiffened which he hoped Aelin didn’t notice. Of course, nothing got past her and she did.

Aelin looked up at him, one eyebrow raised. “You don’t like it?”

“I do,” Rowan said quickly. “Just… unexpected.”

“So, I can keep going?” Aelin asked and he just nodded. 

For a while they played with each other’s hair, and Rowan turned his attention back to the TV. He just twirled the same lock round and round, finding the repetition calming. Then Aelin stopped playing with his hair and the article she had been reading was unceremoniously tossed on the floor. Before Rowan could even question what Ashe was doing Aelin had reached her arms above her head, back arching as she stretched. 

She was halfway across his lap now and it was hard not to watch. Aelin was wearing a sundress with the neckline cut in a deep V. During the expo she was wearing a light sweater over the top but his apartment had been warm enough that she’d discarded it. With the thinness of the straps it was quickly apparent Aelin wasn’t wearing a bra. And now draped across his lap it was a fact impossible to ignore. 

The cut of the dress showed the curves of the breasts, low and deep. As Aelin twisted a just a little, the dress shifted, revealing more, pulling across her chest and—

Rowan snapped his eyes shut. Aelin was in danger of a serious wardrobe malfunction and he’d already witnessed too much. It was making things difficult for him—there was a lot of blood rushing south and he was half hard. He tried to block all the images he’d just seen and then Aelin went and put the final nail in his despicable coffin. He felt her shudder, and then she moaned. The only way he could describe it was pornographic.

He was in serious trouble now. 

Aelin settled back on the couch and Rowan deemed it safe to open his eyes. He had a situation going on and he wanted to make sure it was taken care of before Aelin noticed. Rowan was cursing himself for deciding to change into something more comfortable because his sweatpants were hiding absolutely nothing. He felt like a teenager, but this was even more embarrassing because he’d done nothing but play with her hair. The first real luck of his day struck because there was a pillow tucked right next to him. He yanked it out from between his thigh and the couch and nearly jammed it into his lap. 

Then that luck flipped on him again as the pillow bounced on the top of Aelin’s head, drawing her attention. “You right?”

Rowan was sure his cheeks were flaming. “Ah, thought this would be more comfortable than my thigh.”

“Thanks,” Aelin said, shifting up a little so that she could lay her head on the pillow properly. 

All that did was move her further into his lap and presented Rowan with a conflict of where to put his arm. He could drape it along the back of the couch but with the furniture flush against the wall there wasn’t really that much room. And there was even less room between their bodies and the cushions. The only valid and comfortable option was draping it over Aelin.

Rowan very stiffly rested his arm on Aelin’s waist, deeming that the safest spot. He also made a point of not looking at her once his arm was situated. From this angle Aelin’s cleavage looked fantastic and neither that sight or thought was helping the hard-on the pillow was covering. It seemed Aelin didn’t mind the position of his arm in the slightest, in fact she went as far as to rest her arm on top of his. Rowan tried to focus on the TV as a distraction and he might have succeeded if she didn’t start running her fingers over his skin, the tickling sensation making him break out in goosebumps. Her hand went back and forth, soothing but at the same time almost tantalising. It was doing nothing to calm the hardness of his cock, the only thing that would help him in that regard was if Aelin moved to the other end of the couch and didn’t touch, speak or look at him for 10 minutes straight. 

Then out of nowhere Aelin dragged her nails down the length of her arm, the surprise of it so sudden Rowan couldn’t help his reaction. His whole body shuddered, his hips jerking up just enough to jostle the woman in his lap. There was no way in every hell that ever existed that Aelin hadn’t noticed his response this time. 

Rowan stared at the screen in front of him so intently he’s eyes were stinging. Holy gods, this was embarrassing. He hadn’t had sex in months, and this combination of being touch starved and horny was fatal.

“Rowan.” He could hear the godsdamned smile in Aelin’s voice.

“Yes,” he managed to get out, still refusing to look at her. 

“Are you okay?”

He had to look down, not doing so would be rude and highly suspicious. “Fine.”

Aelin sat up, her stunning eyes giving him a once over. “You just seem a little stiff.”

Rowan tensed, praying she hadn’t meant the pun. 

“Do you mind if I take this pillow?” She asked a little too innocently.

As Aelin reached for the pillow that was his lifeline Rowan’s hand smacked right on top of it, hard enough it made him groan. Despite obvious and ongoing hardships she laughed at him. 

“Do you have a boner right now?” Each word tilted with her laughter. 

“Maybe,” was all Rowan could admit to. 

Aelin giggled, and even that was turning him on now his blood was heated. All Rowan wanted to do right now was die. 

When she could, Aelin cleared her throat to try a calm banish her amusement. “When you went out with your parents you mentioned that it had been a while. How long are we talking?”

In the name of friendship and to hopefully end his misery Rowan answered. “Nearly a year.”

Aelin at out a low whistle. “That’s impressive, but I’m looking at over a year.”

The answer surprised him enough that he was ready to make eye contact. “No way.”

“Haven’t quite had the time to pursue anything, and college boys are idiots,” Aelin said.

Having been a college boy himself, Rowan was inclined to agree. 

“Like, I’m not talking going that long without an orgasm of course,” Aelin said, and Rowan nearly choked at the conversation shift. “But in the end it just becomes an itch to scratch, you know what I mean?”

The pause was long enough that Rowan realised that Aelin was waiting for an answer, and given her candidness he might as well answer honestly. “Yeah I do.”

“It’s just not the same,” Aelin said forlornly. 

It wasn’t. Rowan had been stuck with his hand and fantasies long enough that he acutely understood everything Aelin was saying. 

Aelin was smiling again and Rowan braced himself. “Just a few touches and you’re resorting to a pillow. You must be desperate.” 

“You could say that,” Rowan said. 

“You might even say you’re feeling a little touch starved.” As Aelin spoke she reached out and ran a finger from the corner of his jaw and down his neck. It took immense amounts of self control, but Rowan managed to suppress his shiver. 

“Now you’re just teasing,” he deflected, not wanting to admit to the obvious. 

“We’re friends, right?”

Aelin hadn’t taken her hand off from where it rested on his shoulder, and Rowan chose that path to follow as he looked up to her face. “We are.”

“I mean… it’s obvious you find me attractive.” There was a pointed look down at his crotch. “We could scratch that itch together.”

That was one offer Rowan was not expecting to get and he couldn’t find the words for a solid thirty seconds and even then it wasn’t much. “Um, what?”

“Do you want to have sex with me?” Aelin asked directly. “You’re in quite the predicament and I am very willing to help. Because I find you very attractive too.”

There it was, laid out plain and simple. And that little compliment at the end was just the icing on the cake. There was mutual attraction between them, and they were both consenting adults. What was stopping them if they were both willing?

“Just an itch to scratch?” Rowan reiterated.

This time when Aelin reached for the pillow Rowan didn’t stop her. “I’ve been wanting to scratch it for so long.”

The pillow was gone and then Aelin was throwing a leg over his thighs. Her hands were on his shoulder, bracing her above him. Rowan shifted a little to accommodate, the nearness of Aelin already so intoxicating. 

“If you’re sure,” Rowan said, looking for any signs of hesitation. 

There was none, and Aelin just gave him a coy grin. “I’m sure.”

She dropped into his lap, making Rowan groan at the friction. Aelin gasped as she rolled her hips up the length of him. Once they both recovered from that first contact they looked at each other, the air tight with tension. They could still back out, things hadn’t gone too far. By the gods, Rowan didn’t want to, but one word from Aelin and he’d stop. 

Then Aelin banished every thought of that when she crashed her lips with his. 

Rowan responded immediately, the kiss becoming hungry and impatient in a heartbeat. His hands went to Aelin’s waist, helping her grind on him. He could feel the heat of her and it was enough for him to throw caution to the wind. Rowan’s hands slid up Aelin’s back, urging her down harder and closer, letting him kiss down her neck. Aelin moaned into his ear, making his cock twitch and drawing another sinful sound from her lips. Then his hands were in her hair, angling her head to just the way he liked. She liked it too, the pace of her hips quickened. Rowan needed to feel her, his hands left her hair and gripped her waist, then travelled upwards. When he cupped one of her breasts in his hands Aelin whimpered, the sound getting lost in the kiss. Then he teased her through the layers of the dress, his thumb pressing down as it dragged over the tight peak he could only just feel. That was Aelin’s undoing. 

“Pants, now,” Aelin outright commanded and Rowan was all too eager to obey. 

She shuffled back so that Rowan could tug his pants and underwear down enough to free him. Aelin’s gaze dropped to his cock, boosting his ego as her eyes widened. But she didn’t say anything, only stroked him lightly with the tips of her fingers before her hand drifted under the skirt of her dress. Rowan had a fair idea of what she was doing, and that was confirmed when she moved right over him, lowering herself enough that the head of him nudged at her bare entrance. 

Rowan moved his hands so that he could position her just right, but Aelin stopped him with a hand on his chest. “Mm-mmm, I’m calling the shots today.”

The words sunk in and Rowan's mind just about short circuited. Aelin’s dominance was unexpected, but he was into it. He was more than willing to hand over control to her, he’d give her anything if it meant he could feel her wrapped around him. Aelin shifted her hips and Rowan stayed completely still. She had the audacity to wink at him before she sunk onto him, all of him. 

Rowan's head fell back at the feeling, thudding against the wall. But that small hurt was nothing compared to the feeling of Aelin’s tight heat enveloping him. She felt amazing—perfect. He wasn’t sure how long he’d be able to last. 

“Gods, Rowan,” Aelin groaned, making him open his eyes. 

Her chest was heaving and her cheeks were flushed, and Rowan wanted to kiss her again. But something in her eyes told him to wait, and Rowan thanked the gods he did. 

Aelin shrugged one thin strap off her shoulder, pulling it past her elbow, and did the same with the other. Rowan’s gaze dropped, his eyes taking in the expanse of skin that had been teasing him earlier. Her dusty pink nipples were taut, and the way Aelin arched towards him was the perfect invitation. Rowan ran a knuckle of the peak of her left breast and his mouth descended on the other. 

He sucked and flicked his tongue over her nipple, and that had Aelin’s hands diving into his hair—keeping him right where he was. Not that Rowan wanted to go anywhere, not when his ministrations made her hips grind on him like that. 

Rowan kissed his way up to the swell of Aelin’s cleavage, cupping both breasts and catching her peaks between his thumbs and forefingers. It had Aelin gasping and riding him with abandon. He could feel pressure building at the base of his spine, his release cresting. It was too soon, he didn’t want this to be over so soon. 

“Wait, Aelin. Slow down,” Rowan panted, hands regretfully slipping away from her chest. 

Aelin did as he’d requested, her breathing heavy. But then she was grinning at him. “That long, huh?”

Rowan blushed furiously. 

“Don’t worry,” Aelin said, cupping one of his burning cheeks. “I won’t last long either. Not when you feel this good.”

Aelin rolled her hips slowly, setting a lazy pace. It was the best kind of torture, it was enough to have his blood simmering but left him begging for more. 

“Hands on my thighs, Rowan,” Aelin said. “And don’t you dare move them.”

He did as she said, sliding his hands from her knees and up under the dress that was fanned out over his lap. Once his hands were where she commanded she began moving just a little faster. Rowan hated that he couldn’t see everything, couldn’t see where he and Aelin were joined. And yet somehow, in these circumstances not seeing might have been just as hot.

Aelin moaned, causing a sudden jerk of his hips. “Good boy.”

Rowan tried not to laugh but he couldn’t help it. 

“I played into it too much, didn’t I?” Aelin said through her own giggle.

“Maybe just a little,” Rowan admitted, leaning in to kiss her. 

That was enough to get the fires burning again after the awkward interlude. Aelin’s tongue pushed into his mouth, then she nipped at his lips. It made Rowan thrust his hips, making Aelin moan deep from her throat. Then she broke the kiss and Rowan fucked up into her again, and that had her throwing her head back, her long hair tickling his thighs. 

“You’re certainly not a boy, are you?” Aelin said, recovering enough that she could look at him. “A boy couldn’t make me feel like this.”

Rowan’s cock twitched at the praise. He was usually the one using dirty talk to his advantage, having the woman in his bed writhing and begging for more. This shook things up and Rowan was quickly becoming a major fan.

“You feel so good, Rowan,” Aelin gasped. “Filling me so well.” 

He wanted to move his hands, and Aelin knew it. To stop them from wandering he had to grip her thighs harder. Aelin moaned his name again and it had his balls tightening. He wouldn’t last much longer. 

Then Aelin smiled and echoed his thoughts. “You’re doing so well, just a little longer.”

Rowan was gone, this woman was unravelling him faster than anyone he’d been with before. Or it could just be because he hadn’t had sex in so long. But he had a sneaking suspicion it was the former. It was hard to deny when a woman this beautiful was in his lap, lips swollen from kissing, hair a mess from his fingers, tits bouncing with every well timed thrust.

“Aelin, I’m gonna—“ Rowan went to lift her off his lap so he wouldn’t come inside her. 

Her hand slammed onto the wall beside his head. It braced her enough that it kept her in his lap, had her grinding down on his swollen cock.

“I’ve got you right where I need you,” Aelin told him. 

“Aelin,” he ground out, the world around him was getting a little hazy but her voice cut through it all. 

“I want you to,” her voice was husky and dragged over his skin. “I want you to come, Rowan. I need it.”

It was the plea in Aelin's voice that broke him, release rushing through him. She was right there with him as her inner walls tightened around him, intensifying every sensation. It was bliss—Rowan never wanted it to end. 

When it did and Rowan’s mind cleared he found Aelin slumped against his chest with his arms wrapped around her. For a while they just sat there together, catching their breath and just basking in that post sex glow. 

Aelin spoke first, still sounding a little breathless. “Itch sufficiently scratched.”

That made Rowan laugh. “You could say that.”

Sighing Aelin sat up. “Um, yeah so don’t worry. I’m on the pill. We probably should have covered that earlier.”

The change in subject was somewhat sobering. “All good, I trusted you.”

Rowan reached over and grabbed a handful of tissues from the box on the small side table. They didn’t talk as they cleaned up and Aelin ducked off to the bathroom. The solitude gave Rowan a moment to process what had happened. This was certainly a huge jump from a friend Rowan paid to someone who—gods he didn’t know what to call it. 

Aelin was… his sugar baby when you boiled it right down. Yes, they’d become friends of a sort. But had he gone and ruined it by giving in to Aelin’s suggestion? Had she done it out of some warped obligation? He had clearly asked if she was sure and she’d consented, but their arrangement was skewing the way he looked at it. There was something else, something he had been trying very hard to ignore and discredit, but he supposed he could thank the post orgasm clarity for the oncoming admission. 

The attraction Rowan had towards Aelin went beyond the physical. Over the past few weeks it had been sneaking up on him when he realised how much he looked forward to seeing her and how quickly he checked his phone when a message from her came in. It was becoming apparent to him that he liked Aelin. Liked her in the kind of way that he wanted to ask her on a real date.

But… she needed his money. And there was zero guarantee she felt the same. If Rowan messed this up, gods knew who Aelin might end up with if she went and got herself another sugar daddy. Would she find herself in a similar situation that they had just found themselves in?

Rowan hated the thought, just the hint of it had bitter jealousy turning his gut. More than once she said she’d been very lucky to end up with him, her friend had apparently shared some horror stories. With him Aelin had security and safety. Why should he ruin that for her?

Footsteps announced her re-entrance to the room, dressed and looking far more put together than she had moments ago. “I don’t mean to fuck and run, but my supervisor wants a draft of my next argument point and I left my textbook back at my apartment.”

“Sounds riveting,” Rowan said, withholding his cringe at his lame response.

“It’s not, it’s a boring part and I’ve been procrastinating,” Aelin said. “So… see you next week?”

“Of course,” Rowan said with a smile. 

Aelin nodded and gathered up her things. “Don’t get up, I’ll see myself out.” She was about to disappear into his entryway when she stopped. “And Rowan, thanks for the ride.”

The salacious wink Aelin gave him had Rowan laughing, how like her to smooth out an awkward situation. It was a skill Rowan didn’t possess and  had to admire. He had to be honest with himself. If he were to even contemplate taking this further it might just get so awkward and uncomfortable there would be no recovery. Rowan decided that things were best left as they were, there was no reason to ruin what they had for what could turn out to just be a fleeting crush because Aelin was the first person to pay him any attention in gods knew how long. She’d described it as an itch to be scratched and they could leave it at just that. Complicating their relationship wouldn’t be worth anyone’s time. 

~~~~~

Aelin managed to keep her freak out under control until she got inside her apartment. Very literally, just inside. She closed her front door with her back and just stayed leaning there, a hand over her mouth. What in Mala’s name has they done?

What had started as teasing had ended with Rowan’s dick buried so deep inside her she’d been ready to scream. She might of actually, her memory got a bit hazy in the middle there. Seeing him so riled up had flicked a switch in her brain and she had wanted him. It was clear the man needed to be touched, and he’d been so responsive to all those casual innocent caresses. The poor guy, she’d made him reach his breaking point. 

The attraction between them was undeniable and if they were two consenting adults, why shouldn’t they have a bit of fun on the side? They were a walking cliche for Sugar and Sugar Baby arrangement after what they’d just done. But gods had it felt good. 

That led Aelin to yet another conundrum. The issue of payment. Aelin had it written into her contract that if the date included sex there was a higher charge, all she had to do was tap one button and Rowan would get the bill. But did that mean the sex had to be prearranged? Did a spur of the moment ride on his expensive couch count? This was complicated and Aelin just needed to think. 

She wandered off to her bedroom, rifling through her drawers for clothes to put on after her shower. They were friends, but they were also in a business arrangement. How awkward would it be if she sent through the sex charge? Rowan was her friend, she liked spending time with him, but this all started because he had hired her. They’d signed contracts and come to arrangements that suited them both. The fact they had ended up as friends in the end was an added bonus. Aelin stood there for a moment, clothes bundled in her hands. It shouldn’t be awkward. As a lawyer, there was no doubt in her mind that Rowan had each and every clause of the contract. He would have seen the details about the extra charges. For all Aelin knew was expecting it. 

The sex was great, Aelin had enjoyed it. She hadn’t done it for the money but… money was always good. The more she thought about it the fewer reasons she was finding not to honour the extra charge. Aelin threw her clothes on the bed and pulled her phone out from the pocket of her dress. She opened Sweet As Sugar and sent through the payment request before she could think better of it. 

There, it was done. Nothing to do about it now. 

Her phone was exchanged for her clothes and she headed to her bathroom. Aelin couldn’t stop thinking about it—the way Rowan had felt inside her, the sounds he made, the touch of his hands on her body. For the first time after coming out of her dry spell it had been amazing. Fantastic. Spectacular. She could list adjectives all day and it still would aptly describe how fucking Rowan had felt. The itch was scratched, and then some. 

And Aelin thought this might be an itch she wouldn’t mind scratching again.

~~~~~ well, that's where we're at. I had so much fun embarrassing the absolute hell out of Rowan

@rowaelinscourt

[tgmsunmontue]

Together or not at all - Hangster sequel

I wrote a ~2.5k Javy/Nat 5+1 and this is the 2k Hangster sequel (with a potential epilogue to come, who knows?)

This is based on the fact that ~14 months ago my BF of over 20+ years started dating my husband's BF of over 20+ years. Because my husband dared his BF to ask my BF out. Yep. We are all in our mid-40s and that's a thing that happened. They moved in together two weeks ago.

                “I dare you to ask him out…”

                “Ask who out?” Jake asks, leaning back against the brick work of the house while he watches Javy’s kids run around in the backyard and tries to not miss Laney and Pepper too much.

                “Bradley.”

                “What? Uh… why do you think that would be a good idea?”

                “Well, you actually have a fuck load of stuff in common for a start.”

                “Okay. I…” He pauses then and considers it, because Javy’s not wrong. Except for the fact that he may have taken one too many knocks to the head. “Okay. Imagine this. I ask him out. We go out and hit it off. Start a relationship and then two or three years it crashes and burns like all my past relationships and then you and Nat feel awkward as fuck and feel like you can never invite both of us to the same thing ever again…”

                His divorce was five years ago, he’s had two short-lived relationships since then, and he’s just sort of figured that maybe the problem is him. Or his career. His career is such a big part of him though that it’s something he can’t divorce himself from, which is a line Catherine had thrown at him and it had cut deep even if he’d later reflected on it and realized the truth of it.

                “No. No. I don’t accept that. That’s bullshit Jake. For a start if you think Nat wouldn’t force you both to get over yourselves if you broke up – ”

                “If? We haven’t even gone on a fucking date yet.”

                “If you seriously don’t think you could have something with him, then I won’t press. But you guys have a lot of shit in common okay? You’re our best friends for a start, and okay, yeah, that could get a little messy if things don’t work out. But that would only be for a while. Only until Nat beat some sense into both of you…”

                “And what about the fact I have kids?”

                “Bradshaw loves kids. Pretty sure he’s not going to hold that against you. In fact it might even count in your favor.”

                “What do you mean?”

                “Uh… well… he doesn’t really know you like we do. You guys haven’t exactly crossed paths a lot the last few years, with him being stationed so far away. And it’s not like we talk about you to him, other than mention you in passing. So he might have more, um, distinct memories of you from Top Gun that first time. And some of those other times.”

                “Great, so when I was young and dumb and we pretty much had a pissing contest every time we talked to each other? You seriously think this is a good idea?”

                “You’re both Navy. You’re both very family orientated. You like being outdoors. You’re both best friends with either me or Nat, and after fifteen years I have to say I consider him a good friend and I seriously think you two could work.”

                “So you don’t really dare me, because that’s juvenile shit… you just think it’s a really good idea.”

                “Jake, buddy, my dearest and oldest friend and godfather of my children… I’m still daring you because you’re juvenile as fuck and I want you to do this. In fact, I’m not just daring you, I’m double-dog-daring you.”

                “Ugh, you suck…” Jake mutters, knocking his head back on the bricks like it will somehow relieve the annoyance he’s feeling.

                “Nope. But you might if you follow through on this dare.”

                “You’re disgusting. One day your kids are going to ask what you mean and it will serve you right.”

                Javy just laughs at him and Jake hates that he knows him so well.

                He guesses he’s asking Bradshaw on a date.

…             …             …

                They’ve decided on a local tap house specializing in IPAs and Jake is pretty sure neither of them cares about that, but it’s low pressure and informal enough that they can just pretend this is two friends catching up rather than their best friends insisting they go on a date. He’s still getting flashbacks to some of their previous meetings, and he knows that’s all past, that their most recent interactions have actually been mature and adult, but it still feels a little surreal to be meeting up with him without Javy and Nat also in attendance.

                Bradshaw enters the building and he looks weird. It’s been a couple of years since Jake’s seen him in person, their careers taking them to different parts of the world. He’s not wearing a Hawaiian shirt, is missing his moustache and looks good, light blue button-down with sleeves rolled up, showing of tanned forearms and wearing dark jeans. He’s always been attractive, Jake isn’t blind, but right now he’s allowing himself to look and appreciate. It’s a different experience than what he’s used to when faced with all of Bradley Bradshaw.

                “Hey Jake.”

                “Bradley…” he replies, the name unfamiliar in his mouth. They don’t hug or even shake hands, both letting out little huffs of laughter at the awkwardness and Jake motions to the booth he’d been directed to when he arrived. They sit opposite one another and place drink orders with the hovering waiter.

                “Is this as weird for you as it is for me?”

                “Yeah. I have to say, I didn’t expect you to ask me out. I promised Nat I’d give you a chance so…” Bradshaw says, and he shrugs, but his smile isn’t mocking, just a little.. shy maybe?

                “Well, don’t do me any favors Bradshaw. I’m only here because Javy double-dog dared me,” he says it with a wink, his lips twitching in amusement and hopes Bradshaw takes it with the levity in which he means it. He does, laughing and Jake has to admit he looks good.

                “Only you would feel the need to do something because you got dared into doing it.”

                “You saying Natasha daring you to do something wouldn’t make you do it?”

                “More like the opposite really. She tells me not to do something and I immediately go and do it.”

                “God, you must drive her insane.”

                “I’ve mellowed as I’ve gotten older.” Jake laughs again, because he’s not sure if it’s mellowing or simply maturing, but he knows what Bradshaw means. “Anyway, we might as well catch-up, not like we don’t have plenty of things we can talk about.”

                They talk. They talk and talk and he finds himself enjoying it more than he thought he would. Bradshaw is funny and entertaining, intelligent and not afraid to poke fun of his younger self, admitting that he’s come a long way. He asks about Jake’s daughters, listens to endless stories about them with a smile on his face and asks to see photos. Naturally they talk about Javy and Natasha, their joint godchildren, the sickeningly sweet way they can be together sometimes, but how happy they both are for their closest friend.

                Food arrives, is eaten and shared easily when Jake apparently eyes the ribs a little too hard. He makes a passing comment about ribs in Texas and having to get Bradley to try them next time they visit and while a part of his brain spirals away in mortification, he manages to keep his expression neutral, and Bradley doesn’t seem to even do a double take at the vague mention of a future. He is very firmly Bradley now though, not Bradshaw, and he wonders how he might think of Jake. Whether it’s callsign, last-name or first. He definitely seems to use Jake with no hesitation and another little part of his brain wonders how else his name might sound at other times… He startles a little at that train of thought, not really having thought about taking Bradley to bed. It’s not an unappealing thought, but it does feel…

                “Does this feel a little weird to you?”

                “Yep. Little surreal. Not bad… but,” he shrugs then, but Jake knows exactly what he means.

                They both pass on dessert but order coffee, neither of them wanting to stop talking and he feels a little warm when Bradley stretches his legs out, brushes against his own legs and then just rests there while they keep talking. It’s been over four hours and that’s… god, he doesn’t think he’s spent this much time just talking with anyone like this other than Javy or his parents in years. It feels good.

                They finish up and settle the bill, walking out; Bradley holds the door open for him and Jake hasn’t been on a date with someone who holds doors open in a while. The last person he dated seriously was his ex-wife and while he’s had a couple of very short-lived relationships since then, none of them had felt this easy. They walk aimlessly, or what he thought was aimlessly until they’re stopping beside a car and it beeps as Bradley unlocks it before turning and looking at Jake, lips quirked in amusement.

                “God, let’s get this over and done with, come here…”

                Jake’s laughing as Bradley’s hand lands on his waist and tugs him close, they’re both smiling as they begin to kiss, Bradley a couple of inches taller than him giving him an ever so slight height advantage and downward angle and Jake presses into it, lets his own hands settle on Bradley’s hips. They’re not smiling anymore, the spark between them like a pleasurable electric shock and Jake groans into it, not having expected to feel anything more than warm pressure. Bradley’s hands become firmer, his body pressing against Jake’s and it feels feverish, an edge of desperation that doesn’t have an explanation. Their lips are slick, urging each other to press a little firmer and his stomach swoops with anticipation, his cock starting to harden. He’s pretty sure this is meant to be a goodnight kiss, not fucking foreplay and he pulls back ever so slightly, reluctant to step away from the press of Bradley’s body against his. But they should probably talk.

                “Fucking hell…” Bradley says, and he doesn’t move away either, the words murmured into the side of Jake’s neck and his body feels tingly with awareness.

                “Yeah. Wasn’t quite, uh, expecting that.”

                “Uh no, neither was I. Fuck.”

                “What’s wrong?” Jake asks, because while he might be feeling a little surprised, he’s not upset at all.

                “Are we that blind? Were our best friends able to see… that?”

                Jake snorts.

                “Well, I think until recently one or both of us have been in relationships so no, I don’t think they’ve been waiting for us to figure our shit out for years or anything. But maybe they thought we might… get along?”

                Bradley huffs a laugh and pulls back enough to give him an amused look and oh, it reminds him of all the times before when he’s given Jake a similar look. He’d thought back then that Bradley had been laughing at him, but he thinks he’s had it wrong, it’s been Bradley inviting him to share in a private joke, to laugh along with him. Okay. Maybe Javy has seen something all along.

                “So… we doing this then?” Jake asks, because he needs to know. Wants to know.

                “I’m… yeah. I’m in.”

                “Okay. Good. Me too,” Jake says, and he kisses him again, wants to know if their first kiss was a fluke of some sort but is very happy to be proven wrong. His entire body thrums with arousal and god, it’s been a while, but not long enough to warrant this type of reaction. He wants to take Bradley to bed.

                “So,” Bradley says, his lips and teeth leaving little ticklish nibbles along Jake’s jaw. “I guess one of the benefits of doing this now is we both have a better idea of what we’re looking for. Already sorted through our twenties and thirties…”

                “Yeah. Know what you’re looking for in a partner, also what you’re not looking for… Oh fuck… Bradley,” Jake mutters as Bradley grinds against him and he can’t believe they’re making out against Bradley’s car like a couple of teenagers.

                “Yeah Jake… Didn’t think I’d find it right in front of me, but I’m not disappointed.”

                “Oh god, Javy’s never going to let me live this down. He’s going to be fucking insufferable.”

                “Don’t worry, I’ll make it worth it.”

                “Fuck, yes please.”

#Top Gun Maverick #hangster #sereshaw #rooster x hangman #together or not at all...

[satansaidnottoday]

A surprise meeting.

Info: Human AU, Lucifer's Mc, GN!Mc.

Summary: Satan and Lucifer want to make you an offer. Happens after this.

Warnings: none.

The sun wasn't fully out yet, barely rearing its head on the horizon. The streets were painted in soft orange light, and the morning frost was slowly melting. You already had quite a few customers sitting down. The café wasn't very popular, but it had a dedicated and slowly growing fan base. If you kept it up, you might not go bankrupt by the end of the year. 

You went outside to place the chalkboard sign that listed your breakfast deals, taking a moment to look at the sunrise. From the corner of your eye, you saw a familiar pair turn at the corner.

You leaned over the sign as they approached. "Ah, my favorite customers!"

"Good morning, Mc," the brothers said at the same time. 

It made you smile. Of all the siblings, they were the most similar. If it wasn't for the blonde hair and green eyes, Satan would be identical to Lucifer. They had to be related.

"What can I get started on for you?" You asked, opening the door for them.

"A ragdoll, please," the blond answered first this time. He walked over to the table nearest to the window. You found that weird; he'd usually sit near the play area. 

"A black coffee for me, please," Lucifer said. He waited by your side for a few seconds and then leaned closer to whisper. "Make his decaffeinated, please." 

"You got it." You lean closer still and whisper back.

He chuckles, which is the most you've managed to get from him. You count it as a victory and go back behind the counter to make their drinks. Black coffee is pretty straightforward, but sculpting the little foam cat on top of the ragdoll (which is just a dry cappuccino) takes quite some time. Still, you try to get it as perfect as possible.

When you made your way back to their table, Lucifer had it half covered in important-looking papers. You were especially careful when placing their orders down.

"Working from home today?" You ask him.

He groans and takes a sip of coffee before answering. 

"I simply never leave work." 

"Well, that can't be healthy," you scolded him. Pretending you were not running on four hours of sleep and half a stale catcake.

"You're one to talk," Satan teases, finally putting down his book to look at your foam art. 

You shush him with a fake stern look. He doesn't pay much attention, too preoccupied with getting the right angle on a shot of his book next to the coffee. The teenager had made his lair at your café ever since you let him in that first night. Some days he would arrive in the morning with a book and stay until you closed, holed up with a blanket in the play area. Your regulars all knew him, probably better than they knew you. Now that he had started to go to school again, you wouldn't see him as much in the morning. Still, he came in every afternoon to do homework.

Sometimes he would arrive in the middle of the night, and you would let him in without a word. He found his way to the cats and stayed there until he calmed down. Of course you would shoot Lucifer a text, so he didn't worry. He was a weird kid, but he was good. You'd much rather he crash at your place than run off somewhere else, and Lucifer agreed on that.

"So you guys are having a little date?" You asked them with a mocking tone.

"We're having a meeting, actually." Lucifer piled all the papers together, lining them up in front of him. 

"Interesting, with who?" You leaned on the table as you spoke. 

"You." Satan smiled up at you.

You pointed at your face with a lifted eyebrow. They both nodded in response.

"Well, I wasn't informed." You straighten up, patting down your apron. "I didn't even iron my clothes today."

"Take a seat, please. We have much to discuss." Satan signaled to one of the empty chairs by his side. He was obviously trying to sound more adult, but his voice was still in that awkward phase. Right in between a squeaky toy and a truck engine.

You looked around to make sure no one needed your help before sitting down. Moving the chair to the end of the table so you could face both of them. 

"Satan has presented a pretty convincing case to me, so I come as his representative." Lucifer took out his glasses and looked at you.

You stayed silent, waiting for whatever they had in store for you.

"Running a coffee shop is plenty of work as is; I've seen how early you wake up just to do the baking," Satan started. "And on top of that, you have to take care of an entire animal refuge."

"It's five cats."

"That's a lot to take care of when you're also running around taking orders and making coffee," he reported, quick on his feet. "You surely wouldn't say no to a helping hand, right?" 

"I'm not hiring help right now, sorry." You pulled the idea out from the roots before it could grow anymore. "I don't have the money for it, and even if I did, I wouldn't hire a fourteen-year-old." 

"You're right, he can't work here," Lucifer said, handing you a paper sheet. "But he can volunteer." 

"What is this?" You asked while scanning the paper. 

"A non-profit volunteer work declaration." He stated. "You're registered as a nonprofit, right?"

"Technically, but only the cat part. The rest is registered as a retail front." You tried to make sense of all the legal juggling you had to do in order to get the place opened. 

"If you fill in your organization's information, I can file that for you and get Satan registered as a volunteer for your cat refuge." He said, handing over another paper. "And if you could sing and date this, I can bring it to school in order to excuse him from PE." 

"Why would cleaning litter boxes get him out of PE?" You asked, baffled.

"Any volunteer work counts!" Satan jumped in, sounding pretty excited about the idea. "And I already spend the whole day here; I might as well help out."

"So? What do you say?" Lucifer asked, and they both looked at you expectantly.

"Sure," you said without thinking. You made quick work of filling out and signing all the paperwork.

They both looked at you, surprised.

"I thought it would be harder to convince you," Lucifer said with a stunned expression. 

"Don't be silly," you teased, standing up to go back to work. "I could never say no to free child labor." 

Thank you for reading ❤️

#dividers by @cafekitsune #OB!HumanAU #obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me! #obey me nightbringer #om! shall we date #obey me fanfic #obey me headcanons #obey me lucifer #obey me x reader #obey me lucifer x reader #obey me x gender neutral reader #lucifer x reader #reader insert #shall we date satan #satan obey me #obey me satan #obey me human au

[strawberrynightmere]

Grave Robbery (Yandere! Fushiguro fam x Necromancer female!reader)

⚠️TW: yandere tendencies, grave robbery (mentioned), necromancy (mentioned), cannon divergence (like a lot will be changed), some nsfw-is elements at the end (I guess)

Side note: I can't belive I forgot about Tsumiki, she will be involved here too.

🌸🌸🌸🌸

You are a necromancer and you drive serial killers insane for shits and giggles. The pay is good but you're not nearly on clock like the jujutsu sorcerers are, so you have side-gigs.

One of them is being a temporary nanny for the Fushiguro family, the pay covered way more than you essentially needed, all for housework and taking care of two well-behaved kids; Tsumiki and Megumi.

Their father (your employer) is almost never home and when he is, he's usually there for a few days before leaving for his job which lasts from a few weeks or longer. In all honesty, when he is home you try to avoid him as much as possible. Why? There is just something off about him.

"Will you marry dad?" Tsumiki asked.

"No." You answered bluntly while washing the dishes.

"Yes." Megumi fired back.

"No."

"Yes!" Now it was Tsumikis turn.

"No."

"Yes!" Both answered in unison.

"No."

"No!" The old trick in the book.

"No." The two were pouting in disappointment.

"Why do you want me to marry him anyway?"

"So we can call you mom."

"You call me that every day."

"So... you could... live us."

"But I already live with you."

"Yes, but forever."

So that's what this is all about. You rinse the last dish and put it off to dry and kneel down to their level.

"Listen, I can't stay here forever, only until your dad finds someone who can take my place."

"Nooo!" Both tackle you and cry. You can understand why they're acting like this. You're the closest thing to a mother to them, Tsumiki vaguely remembers her adoptive mother and Megumi when she passed away.

"Alright! Alright! Get off. It's time for bed, both of you." Since they didn't budge, you just ended up carrying them to bed.

---

After two hours, you successfully cleaned the apartment. You can go to bed and watch The 1am Special on your phone.

You almost jumped out of your skin when you heard the front door slam open and shut. That was probably your boss. It obviously wasn't the first time he entered the house like that at this ungodly hour. Better put him in bed, too.

"Welcome back, sir." Did he reek of alcohol. You carefully guide him to his bedroom and lay him down. Unfortunately, he doesn't let you go. Instead, he wraps his arms around you and pulls you down with him.

"Goddammit." He was out like a light, and you were stuck. You don't hate this job, but it's supposed to be temporary, and it doesn't seem like they won't let you go anytime soon.

An idea formed in your mind. It's not a good one, but it might work.

---

"O-one second! I was dead?!" Poor Mrs. Fushigura was trying to put 2 and 2 together while also putting herself together.

"Ho-how long was I gone?!" She was frantic, which was understandable.

"A few years, not that long. The kids started school, so you missed like two or three milestones, nothing bad, they're still growing up." You better keep your mouth shut. Her reaction wasn't getting any better.

"No panic! No panic! I'll help you adjust to this sudden change." You put reassuring hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her down.

---

Your plan worked... in a way. The family was happy that you brought Mrs. Fushiguro back from the dead. Alright, your boss was happy, and he he expressed it weirdly. The kids, however, were awkward at first, but they came around.

And you kept your word, helping Mrs. Fushiguro adjust to her new life before leaving.

"So there are different rituals for different corpses?" Mrs. Fushiguro asked, interested in your field of work.

"More so for how long the person was dead, that is." You hand her a cup of tea before sitting next to her.

"Like for you; I had to make a grave robbery not look like a grave robbery, plus the preparations. Don't have to do that with a newly dead person." You let out a half-hearted,'heh' as she just nodded, and you both drank tea.

"Thank you so much for helping me adjust with everything."

"No need to thank me." You try to brush it off.

"Really!" She puts a hand on your thigh. "I am really thankful to you." She looks at you in a way you can't figure out.

---

Having drinks with your employers on your last day was not something you would plan, but you think to yourself might as well have a small celebration on the last day.

One drink after another, your vision becomes blurry, and your other senses are dulled. Something in the back of your head screams to get out of there, but your body is heating up.

"It's getting too late. We should take you back home."

---

You're not sure when and how you woke up naked and sandwiched between them with a splitting headache, and the sunlight wasn't doing you any favors.

"Morning sweetheart, hope we weren't too rough with you." You feel Toji's lips going up your back and shoulders as soft hands rub up and down your body.

"Let her be dear. She had a long night."

You feel yourself drift back to sleep again, aware that there's no way you're getting out of here.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

I had no intention of writing this. I hope it's not disappointing.

#yandere jjk #yandere fushiguro family #yandere toji #yandere megumi #yandere tsumiki fushiguro #yandere mrs. fushiguro #yandere jujutsu kaisen

[whump-tr0pes]

Honor Bound 6 - 22

This is a series. Start here, continued from here.

This is a sequel to Honor Bound, Honor Bound 2, Honor Bound 3, Honor Bound 4, Honor Bound 5, and the prequel Vera.

Masterlist

AO3

Contents: awkward post-breakup situations, awkward relationship dynamics in general, past implied noncon, past death of a family member, messy handling of grief, navigation of breakups in poly relationships, nonexplicit discussion of sex, past attempted murder

I have not updated this story in over a year. Thank you so much to everyone who has stuck with it

~

The leaves crunched on the path under Sam’s feet as they made their way towards the center of town. They tried to focus on the trees that flanked them on either side, their crowns shivering in the slight breeze. They tried to keep their attention on how the crisp air felt on their cheeks, rustling through their hair, pressing against their jacket. They tilted their head back and drew in a deep breath, doing their best not to think.

They tried hard not to think about Isaac and Gavin, who had both looked at Sam – Gavin with uncertainty, and Isaac with naked anger – as they were leaving. They tried not to think about Gray, who had dark circles under their eyes and exhaustion in every line of their face as they tried to hold the shattered fragments of the family together.

And they tried not to think about the cell phone in their back pocket, which Gray had given them for the walk into town.

Sam hadn’t wanted to let themself hope for a response when they’d sent the message earlier today:

Hey, it’s Sam. Did Edrissa still want to chat?

They had tried to tell themself not to expect a response, at least, not for a couple days – not until she could come up with some kind of excuse for why she couldn’t see them. It had been her to reach out first, but Sam had felt a nagging anxiety, a nauseous thrum in their stomach telling them that she had changed her mind. Two days had passed since Vera first reached out, telling Gray that Edrissa wanted to talk to Sam, and they hadn’t received an answer until this afternoon, so that really hadn’t seemed impossible.

Then there was the possibility that Sam had considered, even as the thought ached in their heart: Maybe Edrissa had left Laporte entirely, and Tori and Vera just hadn’t told the others yet.

Sam pulled the phone out of their pocket and opened the messages. They chewed the inside of their cheek as they stared at her response, the one they’d gotten only twenty minutes earlier and had all but jumped off the couch to answer:

It’s Edrissa. Yes, please. Meet me at the general store? They have pies, we could share one if you want.

Sure, sounds good. Meet you there in 20?

Yes, please.

Their foot caught on an uneven patch of ground and they stumbled forward. The phone nearly dropped from their hand. Tight laughter swelled in their chest, pushing at the inside of their ribs, as they glanced around. There wasn’t a soul around, just trees and sunlight and the gentle song of birds.

Sam’s throat tightened as they put the phone back in their pocket. They quickened their step and pushed out a shaky breath between their lips.

Why do we have to live so far away from the town center?

The fifteen-minute walk had never felt so long.

Still, a fifteen-minute walk to a town where people knew and might someday care about them was far better than a fifteen-minute drive to Burmingham, where they hardly knew anyone, and rarely even drove into town anyway. The trees thinned, and before them they could see almost the entirety of Laporte – all one block of it. General store, post office that doubled as a community gathering space, laundry, machinery and repair. Although, everyone who lived there understood that they all had to do more than just what the front of their store advertised, or what they had done for a living while trapped in the hell of the syndicate world. Here, everyone worked together to keep this little town of barely two hundred people running. And it all ran without the heavy-handed authority of someone like Schiester.

Sam pushed out a steadying breath and let their feet pull them towards the general store. They tried to ignore the fluttering in their stomach, even now, even after everything that had happened.

She might not even be there. She might still bail on me. Resentment prickled, and they hated the feeling. She was so ready to bail on me before.

If the walk into town felt like it took ages, the final few yards could have taken the blink of an eye. They swallowed the lump in their throat as they stood in front of the slightly warped wooden door, studying the fresh coat of forest green paint. Just go in. Come on, coward, just go inside. Another deep breath.

They pushed the door open. A bell tinkled overhead, and the comforting scent of grain and dried fruit washed over them. A woman stood behind the counter, giving Sam a friendly smile and a wave before her hand moved to her heavily pregnant belly. Sam only had a moment to take in the rows of canned and dried goods on the rows of shelves before they noticed Edrissa in the corner.

Their heart swelled with a painful throb. She was sitting at the only table in the store, next to a small display of pies that made Sam’s mouth water. Her hair was pulled back, a few short strands falling forward to frame her face. Her eyes were red-rimmed and puffy. Her hands were folded on the table in front of her, the knuckles white. Her shoulders were tense and pulled forward, and Sam felt their own shoulders rising in sympathy. She glanced up, meeting Sam’s eyes and giving them a hesitant smile.

Sam’s resentment melted, just a little. They shuffled forward and all but fell into the seat in front of her.

“Hey,” they murmured.

“Hey,” Edrissa said. A long silence drew out between them. Edrissa’s eyes flicked down and she stared at the table.

Sam chewed their lip. “So… I heard they had, uh, pie here.”

Edrissa shot up from her seat so quickly it startled Sam. “Yes. Um. Let me…” She stumbled towards the counter, where the shopkeeper gave her a warm smile. Edrissa murmured something to her, and both women made their way back to the pie display.

“This is Meredith,” Edrissa said absentmindedly. “Meredith, this is Sam, this is who I was, um…” She flushed crimson and stared at the floor.

“It’s nice to meet you, Sam,” Meredith said with a nod and a smile. “Are you interested in one of the pies?”

Sam’s eyebrows pulled together. “Um… sure, yes please,” they said as they glanced at the display. “Edrissa, want to, um… have some cherry pie?”

Edrissa’s lips quirked in a smile, her gaze still glued to the floor. “Sounds good,” she breathed.

Meredith nodded as she opened the display and took out one of the pies with a complicated-looking lattice crust. “Lovely. One of my favorites. My sister-in-law makes these, I swear she must put some magic in ‘em. If you’re alright eating right out of the tin, I’ll just fetch some forks.” She set the pie on the table in front of Sam.

“Yeah, sounds… sounds good,” Sam said, eyes still on Edrissa.

“Thank you Meredith,” Edrissa said as she took her seat in front of Sam. Her cheeks were finally returning to their normal shade.

Meredith returned with two forks. “Enjoy. Let me know if you need me to wrap up some leftovers… but if you kids finish the thing, just leave the tin!” She grinned down at both of them.

“Thanks Meredith,” Edrissa said, smiling up at the woman. “You’re the best.”

“You’re the delight, darlin’. And I’m hoping to get your linen in tomorrow. Sorry for the delays, you know how it’s been with… well. You know. The situation and all.” Meredith sighed and motioned her head in the general direction of Crayton.

“Mm hm.” Edrissa nodded. She glanced at Sam, then back up at Meredith.

Meredith snorted. “Listen to me. I could chat with you all day, you’re such a dear. Well, you just come get me when you need something. I’ll be, ah, in the back. Can’t hear much back there.” She gave Edrissa a conspiratorial wink that Sam couldn’t have missed. She turned and waddled away, chuckling under her breath.

When Edrissa raised her to Sam again, her lips were twisted in a look of undeniable guilt.

Sam picked up the fork and carefully excavated a bite from the very center of the pie. “So,” they said conversationally. “Who does she think I am?” They raised the bite to their lips. Flavor exploded on their tongue, tart and sweet and tasting of summer. Their eyes went wide and they quickly went for a second bite. “Why didn’t we move here sooner?” they muttered.

“Uh…” Edrissa’s voice wavered. “She thinks you’re someone I like. A lot.” She gathered a small bite of pie on her fork and raised it to her lips.

Sam’s mouth twisted. “So… she thinks this is a date.”

Edrissa froze. “Um… maybe. And it’s… it’s not…?”

A feeling Sam didn’t recognize clutched his chest. They put down the fork and leaned back, crossing their arms. “No,” they croaked. “It’s not.”

Edrissa’s face fell.

“Does that lady know about Zachariah?” Sam said, their voice gaining strength.

Edrissa stared at the table as she set down her own fork. “N-no,” she whispered. “Um, how… h-how is he?”

You could ask him that yourself, if you still cared.

Sam swallowed down the uncharitable thought.

“He’s good,” they said brusquely. Then, “He’s… okay. He’s relieved Gavin’s safe, and Schiester’s dead. It’s been… rough on him, these past few weeks.”

Edrissa tilted her head, plaintively looking up at Sam beneath her lashes. “It could have been better,” she murmured, almost too quietly to hear. “If he’d… if he’d come with me, he could have—”

“Stop,” Sam said, their left hand clenching around their right. “Please. Stop. I didn’t come here to have this argument with you again. And for god’s sake, it doesn’t even… matter anymore. Schiester’s dead. The threat is dead. And as far as I can see, the only person still threatening people in my family is you.”

The words were out before Sam could stop them. They regretted them as soon as they passed their lips. Edrissa recoiled as if Sam had raised their hand to slap her.

Sam bowed their head. “I’m sorry,” they said, jaw tight. “That’s… not what I meant to say.” When they raised their head again, Edrissa looked ready to collapse. She was cringing back in her chair, eyes swimming with tears, hugging herself like she was freezing. Her lower lip trembled as she looked at Sam. Helplessly, she shrugged her shoulders and let them fall again.

“I’m sorry,” she whimpered. “I… I thought I was doing the right thing.”

By dumping me? Or calling me a child? Or killing Gavin after everything he’s done for us? For you?

Again, Sam bit back the thoughts. They burned on their tongue, coated their throat. The unspoken words left them feeling sick with injustice and hurt. They opened their mouth to speak.

Edrissa beat them to it. “You don’t know what it was like,” she breathed. “With… with him. With Sir. And… I understand that… you think people change—”

“They do change—”

“—it was two years. W-with Sir. With someone like Gavin Stormbeck, or his father. Well…” Edrissa gave a shaky shrug. “Closer to his father, sounds like. So you don’t understand… what it’s like to have to… live with someone like that. To live with someone just like the person who killed your brother in front of your face.”

Sam’s hackles raised. “I’m a goddamn orphan because of the syndicates—”

Edrissa slapped her hands on the table. “So is half the fucking world, Sam,” she snarled. “You don’t remember your parents. I watched my brother die in front of me as th-they dragged m-me away to…” Edrissa’s breath hitched, and her hands curled into fists on the table. “I’m not… no. I’m not doing this. I’m not doing this with you, I’m not…” She pushed out a gusty breath. “This isn’t what I wanted to do.”

“Then what is?” Sam said through their teeth, ready to stand up and walk out that second.

Edrissa tore her hands through her hair, pulling more strands out of the clip that held it back. She leaned her elbows on the table, holding her head, and screwed up her face. “I wanted…” Her voice broke. She rocked her whole body forward and back, banging her elbows lightly on the table. “This isn’t how I wanted this to go,” she said softly.

Sam’s mouth twisted as they looked at her. They didn’t want to, but… something in their heart softened, even as they bristled from her barb about their parents. They reached out their left hand and placed it on the table, palm up. An invitation, not a demand. Nothing had ever been a demand, with them.

Her lips quivered as she glanced at their hand, and back at them. Her hand shook as she placed it gently into theirs. They squeezed. She squeezed back. Then they let go and tucked their hand back in her lap. The hope that had glimmered briefly in her eyes faded again.

“So,” Sam said as they took up their fork again and scooped up another bite of pie. “What did you want to talk about?”

Edrissa watched them as they took the bite and chewed slowly, savoring the pop of cherries, the sweetness of the sugar. After they swallowed, they took another bite. Edrissa still hadn’t eaten anything.

Finally, she said, “I’m glad Zachariah is doing okay.” She ducked her head and ate the bite that had been sitting on her fork. “Mmm. Good pie. So are you still… um…” She cleared her throat. “Do you…?”

“Are we still… together?” Sam said, trying for casualness. They speared another bite.

“…yes,” Edrissa said. She was holding perfectly still, like a frightened deer that had somehow managed to find its way into a general store.

Sam pushed out a slow breath. “Yeah,” they said, and took another bite. “Yeah, we’re still… hanging out, and… together.”

“Are you… sleeping together?” Edrissa whispered.

Sam raised his gaze to hers. She was looking at them pleadingly, but Sam felt like pleading with her, too. Please, they thought. You don’t actually want to know. You know it won’t help. Still, she held their gaze, her empty fork held in trembling fingers.

“Yeah,” they said, finally. “Yeah, we are.”

She let out a breath, as if Sam had confirmed something she had long suspected and feared. She nodded solemnly. “I thought so,” she murmured.

There was nothing Sam could say. Nothing at all could make this better.

Edrissa blinked back tears and nodded again. “Okay,” she said, voice twisted and choked.

Guilt overwhelmed Sam. They couldn’t stop the words from coming out of their mouth: “You broke up with me,” they said flatly.

“Yeah, I know,” Edrissa said, swiping at her eyes. “I know that. I just…” She laughed, although it sounded suspiciously like a sob. “I just… really messed up all around.”

“I mean, Gavin forgives you,” Sam said with a tight smile, trying for levity. The words fell flat.

“Well, Gavin’s an idiot,” Edrissa grumbled. She aggressively scooped up another bite of pie.

“Yeah,” Sam said with a real laugh. “A bit, yeah.” They ate another bite. Then another. The pie was so good, and about a third of it was gone. Edrissa was eating with a bit more gusto now, too.

The bell tinkled overhead as another customer entered the store. Meredith came to the counter from the back room, and the two of them struck up a conversation. From across the store, it sounded like they were talking about pigs. Sam hadn’t seen any pigs around town, but perhaps there was a farm further away from the town center? Or maybe these were pigs from another town altogether. Either way, Sam was happy to let their mind wander to something other than the tightness in Edrissa’s shoulders, and the pain in her eyes. After a while, the customer purchased a canvas sack of flour and ten cans of crushed tomatoes with peeling labels. Flour from up north, then, and tomatoes stolen from syndicate supply lines. Then the customer left, with only a glance at Sam and Edrissa in the corner.

After a long silence, Edrissa spoke again. “So… do you think we… could ever be… you know…?”

Sam’s eyes fell closed. They rubbed the bridge of their nose and looked at Edrissa again. “Together? Or… friends?”

Hurt flashed in Edrissa’s eyes. “Friends. I know you’d never want to be… with me. Again. After what I did.”

Sam’s lips pursed. “You really don’t get the idea of forgiveness, do you?” They lowered their voice to soften the blow of their words.

Edrissa leaned back. “I tried to kill Gavin,” she said, lip curling. “That’s not something you forgive. And that’s not even the first time I—” Her eyes widened, and her mouth snapped shut.

A chill shivered down Sam’s back. “That’s not… wait… how many times have you…? Edrissa, what?”

“No,” Edrissa said, shaking, hands braced on the table. “No, I’m not… I need to go. I have to—” She shoved herself to her feet.

“Edrissa, stop,” Sam snapped. Edrissa froze where she stood. “For shit’s sake, stop. Just stop. Will you… stop deciding how I feel about shit that you did for two seconds?”

Edrissa’s ice blue eyes were locked on Sam, wide and terrified, but she stayed. For a few more seconds, at least. Sam wet their lips. “Just wait, okay? Let’s just talk. You wanted to talk, right? I already know you tried to kill Gavin. That’s not a secret. And you’re already… forgiven… for that, right?” The word came out strained, but it still came out. “So let’s just talk. Please?”

Edrissa thudded back into her seat like a sack of potatoes. She nodded, shaking.

“Okay.” Sam let out a breath, which turned into a chuckle. They began to giggle uncontrollably, all the tension leaving their body in a gale of laughter as Edrissa watched, a look of confusion only fueling Sam’s hysterics. “Now,” Sam said, clutching their stomach and heaving for air. “How m-many goddamn times have you tried to kill Gavin?”

Continued here

@womping-grounds​, @free-2bmee​, @quirkykayleetam​, @walkingchemicalfire​, @inpainandsuffering​, @redwingedwhump​, @burtlederp​, @castielamigos-whump-side-blog​ , @whatwhumpcomments​, @whumpywhumper​, @stxck-fxck​, @whumps-the-word​, @justplainwhump​, @finder-of-rings​, @inky-whump​, @orchidscript​, @inkyinsanity​, @this-mightaswell-happen​, @newandfiguringitout​, @whumpkitty​, @pretty-face-breaker​, @pebbledriscoll​, @im-just-here-for-the-whump​, @endless-whump​, @grizzlie70​, @oops-its-whump​, @kixngiggles​, @1phoenixfeather​ , @butwhatifyouwrite​, @carnagecardinal​

#honor bound 6 #sorry for taking so long #it was a season of rest #breakups #relationship dynamics #implied past noncon #implied past death #grief #polyamory #discussion of sex #past attempted murder #Sam/Edrissa

[rainbowgaez]

long ramble because i just dropped my gf off at the airport and I am a fucking mess with too many thoughts in my brain

over the last couple weeks, i finally met one of my partners—the one ive been with longer than ive been with literally anyone else in my life. despite being together since mid 2016, this was the first time we both had the wherewithal to make a visit happen, and while that may seem like it took way too long, for a lot of reasons that you don't need to know, it couldn't have happened at a more perfect time.

she flew in on the 26th and immediately i knew we would get along just as easily as we had online for years before then. both of us have always talked about how quiet and introverted we are, but it was one of those things where i didn't know if we were going to truly vibe irl until it happened, even if both of us were pretty sure we would.

we always talked abt how the first car ride from the airport was going to be awkward—it's a 3 hour drive from my place to there. both of us are slow to work up to physical affection, but when i picked her up, it wasn't but like ten or twenty minutes into the ride before we were wrapped up in each other. it just clicked. that's so incredibly rare for me with anyone. even partners ive established intimacy with, i usually have to re-warm up to them after time apart. so the fact that we connected so quickly when we first met was so special.

im a pretty boring, solitary person. my favorite activities are ones in which it's quiet and i can do my own thing. this is always a bit scary for me. i don't want to bore anyone just because my brain only ever feels like engaging with what it wants. but that wasn't a problem with her—quite the opposite, actually. we could just sit there and quietly do our own thing in my room, and it felt every bit as special as it would if we went out and did things. there was no pressure for either of us. we settled into each other's patterns instantly. within days, it felt like she'd been living with us all along. i wished that were the case.

distance is hard. it's a lot of counting. how many miles apart you are. how many hours, days it would take to close the gap. how much time will it be before you can be together for real.

and then, when you plan a visit, it becomes about counting down, and that's so exciting. you start counting the months until it's time. before you know it, you're counting the weeks. it's something to look forward to. something to hang on to.

but the moment you meet, the countdown isnt exciting anymore. it gets a lot harder. you might still have weeks to count, but before you know it, weeks become days. days become hours. hours become minutes. minutes become mile markers, and mile markers become exits, exits become streets, streets become steps, and steps become seconds spent holding each other, waiting for the other to pull away because it's the last thing you want to do. but you have to. that's the only way to start the count over. and that sucks. because you dont get to know how long it's going to be until way later. but just the same, you don't know when the next countdown will be the last one. it's the most terrifying assurance there is.

i feel blessed that me, her, and all my partners exist in the same time, in a reality where we have the ability to connect to each other despite how unlikely the chances of us ever meeting were. i feel lucky to live in a world where, one day, a silly string of text like @nudist-squid can be the first name i know someone who will eventually become one of the most important people in my life by.

but at the same time, im heartbroken and devastated. it feels cruel that we met because of certain circumstances, and yet we exist so far away for those same reasons. and closing that gap takes so much from both of us, and there's no promise we can ever close it for good. but if I can help it, I certainly want to try.

this summer has been dogshit. ive been through so much unnecessary bullshit, and when things have been looking to improve, something else happens. but this was the most wonderful bookend to a dismal season i could have asked for.

thanks for reading.

#if this is wonky it's bc I'm on 3 hrs of sleep and fresh of three straight days of crying my eyes out

[acourtofthought]

Elain's gift for Cassian:

Elain's gift for Nesta:

Elain's gift for Azriel:

Listen, I love my girls sense of humor but I wouldn't say her gift for Azriel is all that inspired or meaningful 😂

This is the second year she's given Azriel a gift at Solstice and while it's kind that she got him anything at all, there's no hints within the actual gift itself that there's been a developing of feelings on her part since last Solstice. We know that Elain has shared a few glances and lingering touches with Az but that can easily be interpreted as lust considering Helion and Mor shared the same before hooking up in ACOWAR. I've yet to see any proof on her end of love for Azriel.

Anti's like to throw it in our faces that she hasn't given Lucien any gift while giving one to Az but Elain gets everyone a gift. We've seen her get something for the twins, Az, Cassian, Nesta, Feyre and though it's not specifically mentioned because SJM isn't going to waste time telling us what every single character gave to every single person, she does make blanket statements like, "The others passed around their gifts" so chances are good that if Elain got Nesta, Feyre, the twins and Az gifts that first Solstice (when Az got her nothing at all), she also got gifts for the others.

And Elain not getting Lucien a gift isn't the big insult they think it is.

Indifference is where you're so unbothered by someone that their presence doesn't effect you at all. It doesn't cause you to change how you act, it doesn't cause you to treat that particular person differently than the others.

If we saw indifference coming from Elain in regards to Lucien, it might be proof of Elain having no feelings for Lucien but that's not what we're seeing.

We really have no idea why she's behaving the way she is but when Feyre started out legitimately fearful of Rhys then hated him then became friends with him then fell in love with him and Nesta expressed disdain towards Cassian only to pretty much confess her undying love and loyalty to him only to then sleep with many other males after that (telling Cassian she wanted no part of him) to later ending up mated to him, it's safe to say that Elain being withdrawn when Lucien is around isn't as cut and dry as some make it out to be. We're all just guessing exactly why that is but let's not pretend the only option is "she hates him and will always hate him!"

If SJM is going to have Elain reject the bond, does anyone think that looks like Elain ignoring Lucien for the rest of her days? Not getting him a gift while getting everyone else one? He's still Feyre's friend, the NC looks at him as an important person in terms of the alliances he can bring to their door and he does currently work for the IC which means he'll remain a presence in their lives at various points. If E/riel ends up together, don't you think we're at least going to see Elain and Lucien behaving kindly towards one another? If she were truly afraid, he wouldn't be allowed within an inch of her so that means her current state when he's around is not going to be her permanent state when he's around. Lucien isn't being written as the bad guy here which means SJM is not going to create a scenario where two main characters are forever awkward around one another and Azriel throws a pity party for himself every time Lucien is in the room.

The only thing that Elain not getting Lucien a gift when she gets everyone else one does is create a dam of tension between them that's going to eventually break and I'm not sure anti's are going to like where Elucien stands once they get all wet 😉

#elucien #pro elucien #anti e/riel #lucien vanserra #elain x lucien #lucien and elain #elain and lucien

[foreveralwaysanauthor]

Eleanor, when you posted your list of ideas, I was so excited to see that I'm not the only one who has an incredibly long list of ideas that may or may not ever see the light of day and I really wanted to share mine. I originally had no intention of posting mine, but as this is the 8th anniversary of me starting this little fantasy world and my 12th writing anniversary is coming up, I figured I might as well use this as a sort of anniversary post as well. Because I am absolutely obsessed with✨details✨ some things on this list have gone a bit overboard from their intended little snippets, but I'm not entirely sure you'd mind that lmao. Now, without further ado, here is my list!

Story Concepts:

Now, some of these have a future as I plan to write the first two if I can find the time and, possibly, some others as I love the concepts. Most of these are AUs, but there are a few sequels I really want to work on that have made the list. There is one that is just a concept and won't go any further than what I have for reasons I'll explain further and it should be very easy to tell which one.

Idea 1: Life Is Strange AU

This game has been on my radar for literal years now and I’m only just coming up with ideas for it, but since I know the series fairly well, things are piecing together fairly well. The games are, essentially, played episode by episode where each choice you make in the game, impacts the rest of the story. It’s like the butterfly effect - a butterfly flaps its wings in Hawaii and a hurricane starts halfway across the world. Every choice matters. I am only using the first and last of the main games and the prologue of the first game. In the first game, you control time as a high school student. In the prologue for that, you play as a pair of unlikely friends who discover that one of them doesn’t have as perfect of a life as the other assumed. Then, in the third, you play as a young woman who can see and manipulate emotions. Now that that’s established, I’ll give a bit of a summary of my ideas, all of which are set in modern times. 

In the first story, the Murphy family moves from Myrtle Beach to Sanbornton, New Hampshire so that Royce can attend the prestigious Oakwood Academy - a private high school specializing in Arts and Science. At this school, he befriends Riven, an upperclassman in his photography class who constantly encourages him to turn in a photograph for a national competition to earn himself a scholarship to the university of his choosing. One day, after school, he meets with his brothers at the diner downtown and all but collides with a familiar face he hadn’t seen in years - his former best friend, Vivien. After a rather awkward conversation, the pair takes a picture with Royce’s camera and part ways, only to be brought back together when Royce saves Vivien from one of the rich pricks from his school who decides to bring a gun into the alleyway behind the diner. The two decide to finally talk things over at Vivien’s typical haunt and he finds out that, since Vivien’s family moved to New Hampshire so she could attend Oakwood, things have only gone downhill for her. Her father was killed in a car accident, her mother remarried to some asshole who works as a security guard at Oakwood, and to make matters worse, the person she was closest to went missing and nobody has seen or heard from her in months. Now, on top of juggling schoolwork and normal life, Royce has to worry about potential kidnappings, strange weather occurrences, and, of yeah, the fact that he can now go back in time through the Polaroid pictures he takes so often.

While there is quite a bit more to go over for that one, I think I’ll move on to the second story, where we find that Royce isn’t the only person in town with abilities. In this one, we have Miles and Carrie, an unlikely pair who know they have at least one thing in common; they both want to get the hell out of Sanbornton. Miles only knows Carrie from the posters slapped on every telephone pole, advertising the next big musical in town while Carrie knows Miles as the guy she paid to fix up her convertible’s malfunctioning roof. In the few hours they spend talking while he works on her car, the two grow inexplicably close and bond over a fondness for a certain band he plays over the shop radio. On a whim one day, Carrie shows up at Miles’ shop and they decide to skip town the next day, hitching a ride on a freight train that takes them out of town to a lookout point a while north of Sanbornton. After a while of goofing off and enjoying each other's company, they decide to make up storylines about people they see with one of the viewfinders at the top of the hill. Some fun stories are concocted before Carrie, who becomes upset with what she sees through the lens, insists that she and Miles get out of there as she wants to get drunk. They steal a bottle of wine from a couple’s picnic basket while they’re away and follow the train tracks back to Sanbornton. Along the way, Miles confronts Carrie about her change in mood. After arguing about why Miles is so interested, the quarrel comes to a head when Carrie discloses that she witnessed her boyfriend cheating on her with the girl who is supposed to be her understudy in the upcoming play. She shows him a picture of the three of them and, as her emotions get the better of her, the photograph ignites in her hand, fluttering to the ground in burning embers as they both stare in shock at what happened. They find a secluded place to talk things over and, after realizing her newfound abilities must be related to her emotions, Carrie begins worrying about how she’s supposed to act on stage if she’ll only end up setting everything around her on fire. Eventually, Miles calms her down and they decide to meet up the next day to see if they can find a way for her to control it throughout her time on stage. I haven’t totally figured out an ending to this other than Miles getting roped into being in the show to replace the guy Carrie was dating as, once she breaks up with him, he gets physical and breaks a part of the set, getting himself fired. Anyway, that’s as far as I got with the second one.

The third is, perhaps, my least thought-through, but here we go. Kona is new to town, having moved in with her dad in his apartment above his arcade after years of moving around with her mom. Unlike the other stories, Kona was born with her abilities - getting used to seeing colorful emotions around people and hearing the thoughts that come along with them at a young age, but not being able to control how she processes the emotions that hit her like a brick wall. Bentley is a regular at the arcade, using whatever allowance he gets to buy as many tokens as he can. The two bond at the prize counter, but when a particularly unruly, older kid from their school comes in and tries to rough up Bentley over his purchase of the last, limited-edition comic book at the prize counter, Kona’s emotions “snap”, sending a wave of the boy’s own anger his way and sending the older boy slamming into one of the machines. Understandably, Kona and Bentley are confused by this revelation as Bentley didn’t know Kona had abilities and Kona didn’t know she was capable of something like that. After a fairly long discussion where she shows Bentley how her abilities work, she discovers that she can piece together why someone feels the way they do - if it’s a strong enough emotion - and can help them sort through their feelings for a better outcome. They begin to work together, helping people around town with their mental and emotional struggles, but will it become too much for Kona to bear as she takes on everyone else’s problems and ignores her own? I suppose you’ll just have to find out… if I ever get around to writing this out lol

Idea 2: Titanic AU

Now, this one is definitely not surprising as I adore the RMS Titanic as much as (if not more than) Vivien and, as far as the story goes, it could go one of two ways. One is set back in April of 1912 and goes through everything almost like the movie combined with all of the historical accuracies I can add into the equation, and the other is set in modern times and will make sense when I write it out. The first version is the one-shot-turned-story I was going to write for Carrie's birthday before I realized just how long it would be and that it would, most likely, end up being more than one part (just like the ship... yeah, I'll see myself out lol).

Version 1 is easily explained as the roles of Jack and Rose are played by none other than Miles and Carrie, with a bit of a twist. After the death of her parents, Mrs. Murphy takes her three sons and, with a portion of what inheritance was left after her husband began wasting it away, books four tickets aboard the Titanic in the hopes of starting anew in America. The tickets are in third class, but they can’t bring themselves to care as they’re simply ready to start a new life. Carrie follows Rose’s story pretty closely in the beginning - a loveless engagement planned only for financial gain, overbearing parents keeping a tight reign on her, and the faint urge to throw herself overboard once the ship is far enough from land that nobody will be able to save her. Then, as she and her young maid, Vivien, are overlooking the ocean from a higher deck on the ship’s departing day, Carrie follows Vivien’s gaze to a group of three young men a deck lower than them; one of whom can’t seem to take his eyes off of her. One night, Carrie dismisses Vivien after dinner and takes off for the back of the ship to escape the overwhelming pressure that’s been piling atop her for ages now. Miles, ever the night owl, watches her from a bench, only approaching her once she steps onto the lowest rung of the ship’s railings, and, though Carrie claims she has no real desire to pitch herself from the back of the ship, he still treats her as though she might. Eventually, he offers her a drink and an unbiased opinion, and the pair talk late into the night. Miles walks her as far as he is allowed to go and the pair go their separate ways once Carrie invites Miles and his family to dinner the next night as thanks for lending an ear and talking with her, which he politely declines. Not one to be swayed, Carrie sends Vivien to the general room in third class, instructing her to find Miles and his family and bring them to her. Finding all eyes are on her upon her arrival, Vivien meekly squeaks out who she has come to see and is relieved to watch Miles step forward from a table where he and Bentley had been drawing. Despite Miles telling her to simply pass on a message of thanks, Vivien is persistent and, ultimately, Mrs. Murphy steps in, listens to what Viv has to say, and accepts the invitation. The family is given some proper attire for the night thanks to another traveling family whom Carrie’s family has close ties with - the Bandoni family - and they have dinner as upper-class citizens. Once the evening has died down, Miles invites Carrie - and, in turn, Vivien - to a party the third-class passengers are throwing in the general room. The story carries out mostly the same as the movie, but there are some, distinct differences in the end like who would survive and who would end up going down with the ship.

Version 2 is one that I had a dream about and ended up sort of intertwined with the Titanic-based Magic Tree House book that I read as a child. Basically, Vivien drags Royce to a traveling Titanic exhibit. Upon their arrival, they receive boarding passes that bear the names of the passenger they would be and are permitted to explore as they please. After a while of looking around, they stop at an exhibit of photographs taken aboard the ship. To their amazement, they find a photograph of a young newlywed couple who bear a striking resemblance to themselves, standing by the railing on the 10th of April - the day the Titanic left Southampton for the beginning of her maiden voyage. They flag down one of the managers and explain the situation before asking if they could maybe see the picture up close. The person takes them to a back room before bringing in the photograph and some gloves for them to hold it with. They set it down on the table as Royce and Vivien put their gloves on and go to turn on the air conditioning as the summer heat isn’t good for the old picture and the wind sends the picture flying. Royce and Vivien catch the picture and carefully examine it to make sure it looks alright before looking up, only to find that they’re staring at an old-timey camera perched on a stand near the railing of none other than the ship of dreams itself. That’s right, they’re now aboard the RMS Titanic as she sails her fated maiden voyage! Now they not only have to figure out how to get back home before the ship sinks, but they also have to play the role of a young, First-Class couple on their honeymoon trip to America. Can they keep up appearances and find a way home before the iceberg scrapes the ship or will they be caught in the fray of one of the world’s biggest maritime disasters? Honestly, even I don’t know the answer yet, so I suppose we’ll find out someday haha!

Idea 3: WandaVision AU

When my sister allowed me to borrow her Disney+ account a while ago, my first mission was WandaVision. Needless to say, I fell in love with the concept of a new decade every episode and felt as though it suited some of our characters in a way that needs a lot of explaining in order for any of it to make sense. I don’t know if you’ve seen this show yet, but the basic concept is that, in Avengers: Infinity War, Wanda (also known as Scarlet Witch) loses her long-term, android boyfriend, Vision, in battle. A while after the battle, she travels to a small town called Westview where the two of them planned to move, build a home together, and grow old. Consumed by grief and rage over the life she'd lost in her time as a hero, Wanda's mental state sort of breaks, and her chaos magic powers activate around her, creating a pocket reality that engulfs all of Westview. Though she didn't realize it at first, Wanda transformed Westview into a completely altered bubble that was formed by her love of sitcoms, which she'd always turned to in times of difficulty. With her chaos magic, she also created an entire alternate version of Vision completely from her memories of him, inadvertently casting him in the role of her sitcom husband. Comforted by the world she'd created, Wanda began living a sitcom life in Westview, still unaware of what she'd done, moving from decade to decade as though nothing were different.

You’ve probably pieced together who would be who here, but I have a few different versions to offer. 1 - Mick and Butchy, 2 - Royce and Vivien, 3 - Carrie and Miles, or 4 - Mrs. Murphy, Miles, Royce, and Bentley. For Mick and Butchy, think about how intense she was when he was in his accident ages ago. That rage could fuel magic any day. Carrie and Miles' story could be very similar to Butchy and Mick's as I feel like they have this connection that isn't easily explained and that their love goes a lot deeper than either of them might realize. If one of them were to die, what lengths would the other go to in order to bring them back? Royce and Vivien have a strong relationship as well despite being young and, while Royce is typically calm and collected, he worries quite a bit for Vivien’s safety as she ventures through abandoned buildings, explores places she probably shouldn’t, and gets into more trouble than he ever wants her to. If he were to lose her in some sort of freak accident, would that be enough to cause something in him to snap like that? Potentially, I think. Now, putting aside the romance and looking toward the family dynamic, we have the Murphy family. What hurts more than a mother losing her children? Imagine the normally easy-going, caring, Mrs. Murphy - the mom to everyone around her - absolutely losing her shit because all three of her sons died in the same battle. That would certainly be something emotional enough to fuel some serious chaos magic. Honestly, I just want to write more about her and I feel like a nice, sitcom-esque story would be a perfect opportunity to get a feel for her personality over the years.

Idea 4: Grease AU

While I’m sure this isn’t a total surprise as I’ve mentioned it before, I want to explain how I see it, especially after finishing Rise of the Pink Ladies and gleaning several ideas from there. 

This AU is a bit different as we find Mick and Vivien as the new girls in town - sisters with opposing interests. Mick, who spends every minute at school trying to break out of the shy mold she left at her old high school, and Vivien who just wants to blend into the background and survive junior high without making waves. Things don’t go quite as planned as both girls find themselves at the epicenter of rumors not even a week into the school year. According to the gossip, Mick was seen under the bleachers with the leader of the T-Birds, and Vivien was spotted kicking a boy in the family jewels. While neither girl can deny these claims as they are technically true, the statements were twisted. Although Vivien begins to like her reputation as a fearsome fighter and leans into the rumors, adding that she only did it to protect a kid in her class and that she would be more than willing to do it again to anyone who dared pick on the people around her, Mick tries to clear her name with the help of the T-Bird she’d been spotted with, hoping others would believe that she had, in fact, been under the bleachers with a T-Bird, but that she was trying to give him something he had left at her dad’s workshop and they had a conversation, end of discussion. Despite her pleas to rid herself of her nickname as the local floozy, Mick can’t shake the rumors, but once she inadvertently helps one of the girls who had been spreading the rumors, the word on the street begins to ebb. The two girls form an odd friendship despite the helpful T-Bird and most of his friends warning her to steer clear of the blonde and her penchant for ruining reputations with her good girl act. Despite the accusations against her new friend, Mick stays by her and, at a sleepover, the cheerleader confides in Mick that she is in a secret relationship with one of the T-Birds that started over the summer. Though her friend doesn’t divulge which one, Mick soon discovers exactly who it is as Vivien and her two friends get out of school early one Friday and head to the high school parking lot to wait for their rides, only to see the head cheerleader with the T-Birds’ second-in-command locking lips by the greaser’s Fleetmaster. So, yeah, a lot of drama would come with this one.

Idea 5: Percy Jackson AU

I’ve tried writing Percy Jackson stories before and, let’s just say, it didn’t go well. You will, however, see some nods to this in upcoming chapters of Camp Wanamaker. This AU is something I’ve thought of for literal years (think 2016-17), but have no true storyline other than who would be the child of which Greek god. I can’t simply follow one of the books without dissolving into the next and, where there are so many books, I don’t think this would ever actually happen. This is something that my niece, Lorali, and nephew, Erek, actually requested at different times as their classes were reading the books in school, and I tried to figure everything out, but nothing ever came of it. Honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever work on this as it would be too much to take on. For now, though, I’ll simply give you my list of who I think belongs where and, if the time ever comes for me to write this out, we’ll go from there.

Miles, Royce, and Bentley - Sons of Apollo (most specialize in various forms of art, poetry, archery, or music, almost all of them have the ability to heal others and can tell how bad the injury is just by looking at it, a rare few can control light and fire, even rarer is the ability to glow, and some can use music to win battles like a siren calling sailors to their deaths)

Mick - Daughter of Hephaestus (skillful engineers and craftsmen, they can instinctively detect, identify, and operate any piece of machinery, and some even have control of fire, lava, and volcanoes) 

Carrie, Tanner, and Juliet - Children of Aphrodite (possess intense love magic, have greater clarity and sharper focus than most, have the ability to change appearance at will, and can alter people’s thoughts/influence them by simply speaking - otherwise known as charm-speaking)

Vivien - Daughter of Athena (masters at invention, architecture, and strategy - especially in battle - their knowledge is unmatched, and some have great skills with weaponry even without prior mastery of the weapon of their choice)

Kona - Daughter of Poseidon (can create and control hurricanes, earthquakes, and water, can communicate telepathically with sea life, some are mildly able to control ice, wind, electricity, and cold, they heal quickly if they’re in any type of water, and a very rare few can manipulate blood as it contains water)

Butchy and Lela - Children of Zeus (natural leaders in every sense, are immensely brave and strong, most, if not all, can control electricity/lightning, and some can control air to be able to fly if they practice)

Xander - Son of Ares (combat specialists, masters of weapons, are typically stereotyped as being complete assholes, and can possess invincibility if they spent a lot of time in battle)

Idea 6: True Colors (Through The Valley sequel)

Now, I absolutely adored writing the first story, but ever since I was able to play the second game and watch the HBO show, I've fallen more in love with the story and its concepts. A sequel for this would be far bigger scale - throwing more characters into the fray and holding very little back as, if I learned anything from the show, it's sometimes okay to kill off favorite characters to show the gravity of their situation. Just a reminder, Riven never existed in this universe and, while I have a perfect place for him, I don't want to go into too much detail.

This sequel would have a bit of a time jump and we would see some of our favorite characters in a different light as rival groups come out of the woodwork with only one thing on their mind - revenge. While we would also see budding friendships and romance, we also see some of our favorite relationships torn apart. I do feel like this would be a good way to really throw caution to the wind and see some of our favorite people fight in ways we've never seen them. In this universe, it's not always the infected you have to worry about; other people are just as scary.

I would probably focus on the second game's plot here - a story of revenge fueled by love. We would witness our first death fairly early on as one character kills another as atonement for their previous sins. One of our favorite characters would barge in during the fight, only to be taken captive by the assailant's friends. Witnessing the death of a loved one is traumatic and, with every intention of killing the people who dared to hurt their loved one, the witness gathers themself and takes off on a hunt to get revenge on the person who wronged them. Finding themselves in an entirely new area with unknown threats around every corner, will they be able to make it out alive? Better yet, will they be able to make it out with their sanity?

Honestly, I'm not even sure. For the time being, I have a set of characters lined up and know who would be playing whom, but would have a lot further to go before I felt comfortable writing anything out. I am excited about it though and hope to someday feel ready enough to get something done for it. Until then, here is the actual trailer for the game as it holds quite a few hints at what's to come and who our set of characters could be. It is a bit gory which makes sense, given the universe we're in, but I wanted to warn you all the same. Anyway, the characters' appearances, the song choice, the subtle intensity, and the words they say to each other are very intentional and will make a bigger impact once I finally have this story ready to go. Every little detail matters. One word, in particular, may strike a certain chord in you and leave you guessing, but that's all I'll say for now.

Idea 7: In Comma Coriyama (Magicae Maxima sequel)

This was originally the name for Magicae Maxima, but, obviously, I chose differently. Now, I'm not sure if you could tell with the ending surrounding Serena, but I had every intention of making a sequel where she would continue being the possessed one like Mick had.

At first, Royce, Vivien, and Bentley would have no idea as she's always pretty bitchy at school and they're sort of busy helping at Mick's store and training their magic to see much of a difference. Having family around to help them grow as young mages is helping them become stronger and more capable of protecting themselves. In turn, Serena is growing more and more used to being possessed by the dark magic and, although she barely has control of her own body, she is still conscious and can see the effect the possession is having as it chips away at her relationships and targets the people she was closest to. When the possessed Serena, in a moment of freedom, begs Vivien for help after class, the brunette realizes something must be up and goes looking for answers.

Obviously, this isn't all I have, but I might be working on this for the spooky season, so I'm keeping things vague!

Headcanons:

I have a long list that is still looming both on my phone and in my notebooks, but it will take me time to get them all here, so for now, this is all I have lol.

This may or may not come as a little bit of a shock, but Mick and Vivien are distantly related. Mick’s family in New Hampshire is huge and, while they don’t know they’re related, they’re actually cousins. Mick’s great-aunt was married to Vivien’s great-uncle and they moved down to Texas long before the girls were even born, let alone before they met.

Growing up, Bentley was always upset with being compared to his brothers academically and, when Royce noticed this, his paintings stopped and his sketches practically disappeared. He wanted Bentley to feel special about something and, now that art is Bentley’s “thing” Royce refuses to so much as touch a crayon unless Bentley asks him to. He’d rather stick with photography.

Riven taught Vivien drums so she could join his band and she taught him Morse code so they could talk to each other in skating meetings without having to say a word.

Mick tried to lighten her hair when she was thirteen so that she could look more like her dad, but the bottle of Sun-In that she used only served to turn her orange until they could get it fixed at the salon.

Vivien got a perm once and was mad that she looked like a poodle, but then Carrie pointed out that she looked like one of the girls in an 80s movie and she was alright with it after that. When it faded, she had no intention of getting it back, but still curls her hair from time to time because she misses the bounciness of the curls.

Carrie, Mick, and Vivien have a game they play to see who can fluster their boys the fastest. Over time, Butchy became accustomed to it and flipped the situation back on Mick more often than not. Miles has his moments of clarity with Carrie and can occasionally fight fire with fire, but they’re few and far between. Royce, on the other hand, is almost always taken aback by Vivien’s advances as she switches things up on him all the time.

Kona taught herself how to swear in three different languages so that she could say things around her family without getting caught. Her languages of choice were German, Japanese, and French, which made things more than a bit awkward when she found out the Murphys could understand what she was saying.

Bentley has the weirdest tastes. He loves bananas, but hates banana bread. Can’t stand oranges or grapes, but likes them as flavors in soda or snow cones. One of the ones everyone gets a kick out of is that he doesn’t like strawberries, but enjoys strawberry ice cream.

Vivien found out she was claustrophobic while in a mirror maze at the town carnival. She was with Riven and his dad at the time and Riven practically carried her out of the maze. They both swore they would never speak of it again, but Riven still teases her about it now and then.

Kona is a completely unique form of chaos and molds perfectly with the Troublemaker Trio. While Royce is organized chaos, Vivien is adventurous chaos, and Bentley is creative chaos, Kona is a sort of unhinged chaos. This girl holds nothing back and will not hesitate to be absolutely insane. In my mind, they’re almost like the Penguins of Madagascar. Royce is Kowalski, Vivien is Skipper, Bentley is Private, and Kona is 100% Rico.

Mick and Bentley wander off a lot in crowded areas (the mall, carnivals, concerts) and have been told by some of the others that, if they keep things up, they’ll be forced to wear one of those toddler leashes. Bentley doesn't give a shit and dares them to try, so they do. It wasn't his proudest moment, but he didn't exactly care, either.

Miles doesn’t really care for cake. It’s just not his thing. He’ll eat it, sure, but he prefers ice cream or, even better, ice cream cake. The only time he willingly eats cake is when someone in the family, especially one of the kids, makes some as he doesn’t want them to feel bad about him not trying some. 

Vivien has a habit of getting people addicted to things she enjoys. One time, she unintentionally got Butchy and Miles hooked on a very specific brand of energy drink that she has to order online and get shipped to her house, so every time a shipment comes in, she goes to the cabin, bursts in like the Kool-Aid man, and yells, “I’ve got the drugs!” at the top of her lungs. The same thing happened when they went to the mall and she made Carrie try a Japanese soda (Ramune) that they now have to order in bulk because everyone keeps stealing them from the fridge. The one thing Viv is adamant she’s keeping to herself is her rootbeer-flavored popsicles because they’re incredibly hard to find and the only shop that has them, orders an entire box just for her at the start of every month.

Before the swear jar mysteriously disappeared, Bentley, Royce, and Vivien would find ways to cuss around the others without getting in trouble. At the mall, they would chant out the name of a certain sporting goods store (Dick’s) or when they went for walks and passed the local dam, they constantly made dam jokes. They found ways around things and even the ones who tried to get them to stop had to give them props for creativity.

I’ve kind of had this headcanon where, when Carrie or Mick get pregnant, Miles and Butchy get bizarre cravings for them. While all the girls want is chicken alfredo or cheddar broccoli soup, their men are craving peanut butter and pickle sandwiches, bananas slathered in maple syrup, and ice cream decorated with chocolate-covered pickles. Even though Carrie and Mick think all of Miles and Butchy’s random concoctions are absolutely disgusting, the guys can’t seem to get enough. For some reason, almost all of the cravings disappear once the babies are born, but some still stick around though the girls wonder if their interest in the foods is still genuine or if they’re just doing it for fun.

I had a headcanon for a while that I never really worked with as I found it sort of pointless as time went on, but I figured I should share it now that it’s developed into something different entirely. I had this idea that, after a while of thinking things over, Miles would talk with his Uncle Tommy about potentially adopting the boys. At first, it would have been Miles adopting them and then it became Tommy taking them in, but that didn’t really work in my head, so I scrapped it for a while. Now, my working headcanon is that Miles stays in close contact with Tommy and sends him things about himself and the boys like their big achievements, their grades, and their friends. If Tommy were to visit at some point, he wouldn’t be all that surprised to meet Carrie, Mick, Vivien, Kona, or the rest of the group and would be at ease going through town as though he’d been there before. I feel like Uncle Tommy would be their way of reconnecting with their mom’s side of the family and he’d be more than willing to travel the 7½ hours-long drive to see them.

Musicals:

I had to shorten this list as I was running a bit short on time, but I'll add more later if it lets me.

Hello Dolly - I've already told you about this one, but the point still stands. I absolutely adore this musical. The thought of Miles as Cornelius and Carrie as Irene Molloy - a rich, self-made woman and a shopkeeper from a poorer background who fall in love despite everything around them - just makes me so happy.

Hadestown - I don't know if you've seen this one, but, to summarize, this is the love story of Orpheus and Eurydice - a story I absolutely adore. The story, the music, the ending, everything in this musical just screams of love and pain and there are so many ways this could go! Mostly, I could see Miles and Carrie playing a really good Orpheus and Eurydice while Butchy and Mick (or Xander and Juliet) take on Hades and Persephone, but the ideas are endless!

Chicago - This one is just for fun as I love the show, but just think of Carrie or Juliet as Roxie and Mick as Velma. The two of them vie for the top spot in the papers and fight for the publicity that their respective crimes give them, but both are unwilling to work together to gain popularity in the press. It’s just a fun little idea that I like playing with.

The Lightning Thief - This is only because I could see Bentley finding out this musical exists, listening to it all the time, and singing it as often as possible. With how much he liked the books, it feels only natural that he’d enjoy this just as much.

High School Musical on Stage! - This is simply because I feel like this would be absolutely epic. I mean, come on! How could it be any better than this? Carrie as Sharpay, Tanner as Ryan, Mick as Gabriella, Butchy as Troy, and Miles as Zeke - I could go on for ages about how insanely cool that would be! Honestly, I just love High School Musical and would love to see our characters in a show like that.

Songs:

Not all of these are on my summer writing or inspiration playlists, but the vibes are there and I want to write something for all of them at some point or another! I will be adding more later, but for today, this is all I have.

Killer Queen - Honestly, I listened to this around Halloween time last year and was soooo tempted to write a vampire-ish story with Vivien, Carrie, Kona, and Mick in this little coven of killers, but nothing ever came of it. I had a plan for it to be this sort of small-town, murder-mystery-type story with the girls working with the Murphy brothers and Butchy (the town police department’s newest officer) to solve some murders in the area, only for it to be discovered in the end that the murderers were the girls all along and they were just leaving a trail of bodies for the boys to discover, eventually leading them to their deaths. I still have a sort of plan to work on this sometime, but it's just not at the forefront just yet as I think it needs a bit more work.

Crash My Car - I stand by this song being a song Miles relates to as he falls in love with Carrie, but before they’re together. I’ve paid a lot of attention to the lyrics themselves and I feel like they sort of cover Miles’ thoughts as it shows the way he goes from feeling like he has no chance with Carrie and wanting nothing more than to disappear for even thinking he would, to wanting to make a move, but not being confident enough to, to resigning to his fate and wanting nothing more than for her to be happy, even if it breaks his heart in the process. I just feel like, despite the song being fun and energetic, the lyrics tell the story quite well. 

Lizzy McAlpine: I have a few songs that come to mind for different scenarios, but not all of them make the most sense, so I’ll put the ones that sort of do.

Pancakes for Dinner - This could be for a few different couples, honestly. My first instinct is either Royce and Vivien or Mick and Butchy. It’s essentially just an admission of things stuck in the person’s head, spilling out ideas that they’ve thought of before, but been too shy to say out loud, but I just really like the idea of one of them writing it out in the early stages of their relationships or even before they get together and are just friends, wanting more and the other finding it at some point later on in the relationship and either confronting them or singing it to them.

reckless driving - This is a song for Juliet and Xander which is ironic as I hardly ever write them anymore, but I feel like this could be the tragic end to their story if she let him take her on a drive after breaking up with him. I mean, the contrast between her side of the story and his, the steadily growing intensity, and the back and forth between the two before the eventual sudden end of the song - it feels like Xander and Juliet. His obsession could get them killed if they aren’t careful and, in this song, that’s exactly what it does.

ceilings - Now, this one is something I’ve been mostly picturing for my novel version of the story, but I’ll tell you how I see it anyway. Mick and Butchy (his name is different in the novel for copyright reasons 😣) have taken an interest in each other, but Mick holds back her feelings as she knows that the world Butchy is from is nothing more than a pocket of time still stuck in what was once a 1960s sitcom. As much as she loves him, she can’t admit her feelings for him as she knows they live completely different lives. More than once during her stay in the nearby town of St. Pete Beach, he drives her home and, with each drive, she grows more and more fond of him before, eventually, he kisses her. That night, she realizes that, although she couldn’t be happier, he isn’t real. He’s nothing more than pixels on a screen and, sooner or later, she’ll have to leave with her family to return to California.

Selena Gomez: I love Selena Gomez and some of her songs just bring me through different scenarios that just appear out of thin air lol

People You Know - This is another Juliet song, but instead of entirely revolving around her relationship with Xander, it also represents her friendships with the others in The Sparx group. When she broke things off with him, they all kept their distance from her so as to not anger Xander more. She lost all of the people she was closest to in a matter of moments - hence the song.

Bad Liar - Tell me this isn’t another Miles and Carrie song. I mean, come on! It could definitely be something from before they get together, but regardless of that, they definitely share this song. Miles has the first verse - “I was walking down the street the other day, trying to distract myself, but then I see your face” and “Call me an amenity even if it’s in my dreams” are all him! Carrie takes the second verse as it reads almost as though she’s watching him at first and allowing thoughts of being something more to come through - “I see how your attention build; it’s like looking in a mirror” and “Paint my kiss across your chest. If you’re the art, I’ll be the brush.” Honestly, this song just reads as the tense, in-between stage where they’re friends, but they both want something more than that, but won’t say it, let alone admit it.

Florence +The Machine:

The Dog Days Are Over - This one is one I can see for a few different places. I always use the chorus as motivation to run (for obvious reasons lmao) and I can see it working well during a relay race at the end of Camp Wanamaker where each cabin has to work together to make it from one end of camp to the flagpole at the main office. Some more chaotic versions of this song are in dangerous situations (like in Through the Valley where they're running from infected), but I think having it be a light, fun scene is more entertaining as of right now.

Swimming - This is probably one of the songs I most associate with a mermaid/siren story, but it can also work fairly well for other things. I guess it just screams mermaid to me as I spent most of my time watching H2O as a kid.

ABBA: Boy are there a lot of these, but I'll narrow it down a bit.

Voulez-Vous - As if I needed more motivation for a story I already wrote a sequel for, here's another song that makes me feel like writing a prequel to Glory and Gore/Scattered Screams. This is a song that drives me to want to write about how Mack and Brady won their Hunger Games as well as how they fell in love and, honestly, if I wasn't already knee-deep in other stories, I just might!

Waterloo - Originally the title for How History Repeats Itself, this song has been on my list for ages mostly for the line "The history book on the shelf is always repeating itself." I just really like the song and the lyrics could play a big part in a story at some point, if things go the way I hope they do!

Dancing Queen - This one just always makes me dance and I feel like this song is what Vivien would have blasted for her seventeenth birthday. Tell me Carrie wouldn't drag her up on stage or something and make her sing along with her and make sure that she has the time of her life!

Angeleyes - This one I can't go into too much detail as I might have plans for this song in Camp Wanamaker. I'm not sure about it yet, but I might. Just know that I love this song and have every intention of making this one hurt!

TikToks:

I don't have a lot of TikToks to put here just yet as I usually scroll Pinterest when I get the chance, but I do have a few that I thought would be fun.

This is how Royce prom-poses to Viv, don't bother telling me otherwise as I just won't accept it. Obviously, there would be a few changes, but the premise remains the same as I think it's just too epic to pass up.

This fits two different scenarios, in my head. One is the Murphy brothers and the other is when Miles moves in with Butchy and Lela. They discover this and have fun for hours.

Tell me Vivien and Riven don't do tricks like this on the ice all the time when Royce is around just to give him a heart attack each time.

Vivien does covers of songs like this in her room all the time when she's not practicing with the band and, while they don't exactly go viral or anything, she just enjoys posting her having fun on the drums.

This is Vivien with Miles. Tell me otherwise.

If Bentley ever cat-sat for Royce while he was on a trip for school or something, this would be the video he would send him to show him that the cat owns the house now. Royce would, in turn, send this to Vivien, asking her if he should be concerned.

After hours upon hours of listening to ABBA in the car with both her mom and Aunt Vivien, they begin to hear a tiny voice in the backseat and, one day, they catch this on the way to the mall for a girl's day. A few years later, when Butchy's driving Maisie, Leilana, and Milo (his and Mick's kids) to the playground for the afternoon, he catches them singing along to the radio in the backseat sort of like this and realizes he might have fucked up.

Also, as a final little thing here, I get a lot of my baking ideas from B. Dylan Hollis. This one is actually a snack I get every summer at the carnival and in my hometown at a seasonal restaurant as they make the best deep-fried candy in the world! My personal favorite is deep-fried peanut butter cups, but it's the same concept.

Adding this in here as I forgot to before, but you can’t tell me this isn’t their family game night. I have seen this family a lot on my fyp and I can totally imagine the gang getting up to this kind of chaos. The whole gang would be there and, somehow, Riven convinces them to play Cards Against Humanity. Regardless of who has which card and who has to read all of the answer cards, Butchy would be the dad in every scenario, 100%! I feel like the goal of the game would be to consistently give the most uncomfortable answers to Butchy to see how long it would take for him to make them put the game away.

Anyway, that's it for today! I am off to visit my great-aunt and grab something for dinner before getting back to work on Camp Wanamaker since I wanted to make sure I finished this post today lmao. I hope you have amazing rest of your day! All the love! 💕

[respectthepetty]

Hi! While watching the new episode of 609 Bedtime Story on Friday, I noticed something cinematographic in the background that I’m not sure how to interpret, so I was wondering if you might be able to explain to me what it could mean? (I’m still fairly new to this whole ‘The colors and lines and angles all have a meaning!’ thing, so I often do notice things but don’t know what to do with them.)

I’m talking about the dividing line in the background that appears in the scene at the café, where Mum meets Dew while returning Mint’s phone. It’s not super distinct, but it’s there. And Mum is clearly on his side of the divide, almost maintaining too much distance—maybe because he’s feeling estranged from Dew because he’s not his Dew? Or because he’s consciously trying to stay away from him to avoid making things awkward or to prevent himself from reaching out to him?

Meanwhile, Dew is standing much closer to the dividing line and kind of ... shifting around right at the border, sometimes just barely crossing it. I guess it’s like he’s trying to cross it, but doesn’t know how or can’t? I don’t know, that’s just my interpretation. The question to me is why, if he doesn’t remember who Mum is.

And then, when Dew crashes into the waiter behind him and falls right into Mum’s arms (I was feeling so sorry for Mum, because he gets to hold his boy but said boy doesn’t even remember him), they briefly meet in the middle, thereby crossing the divide for the duration of their hug. Although, really it’s just Dew who has crossed it, Mum remains on his side the entire time, with the exception of his hands that are around Dew.

But as soon as their hug ends, they’re both back on their respective sides, with Mum as far away from the line as he was before, and with Dew closer to it, once again, but still firmly on his side and not quite as close to it as he was before the hug.

I guess my question from all of this is: why? What’s happening here? I understand that their hug brought them together for a moment and that’s how they were able to cross the divide, because they were no longer separated in that moment and they were having a connection, but why does it seem to be Dew who’s always trying to cross over to Mum’s side? Especially if he doesn’t remember him?

(As a side note: do you think the horizontal line spanning the glass wall behind them is doing anything? Is there any meaning to it?)

I don’t know, maybe I’m misinterpreting or over-interpreting some stuff or overlooking something, but I thought maybe you’d have an idea, since you always seem to be able to pick up on these things and actually understand how they work (for which I greatly admire you, and I’m working on getting there too). Also, I’m sorry this got so long and convoluted. I hope you don’t mind me basically using you as a way to rant and vent my spinning thoughts and asking you about this. I’m really trying to learn how this stuff works because it’s a joy to notice and understand, so I’m using every chance I get to learn.

I hope you have an amazing day (and a great time watching the last episode of Between Us later today, fingers crossed it’ll be as good as it gets)!

@annamusic125-blog - I'm so happy you invited me to this conversation, but don't EVER apologize for big brain energy like this! You did amazing with your analysis and provided great visuals to support your claims. I am thrilled that you saw the lines too and that you noticed who crossed them! It's tough for people to acknowledge the background noise, so your observation skills are exceptional!

*This GIF comes from Parasite which did a fantastic job of using lines to show class divides and demonstrate people "crossing the lines" as well as utilizing stairs and building floors to show class status and wealth. AKA the movie helps people see the lines they may miss in other media.

Lines can be so subtle that we may not even realize they are there, like the line that divides Nueng and Palm in the beginning of Never Let Me Go.

Or the subtle lines that Wang always crosses with Inthawut in 180 Degree Longitude Passes Through Us (lines and barriers are significant in this show and integrated into the narrative extremely well).

But this is something that Golf and Suthipong, the director and cinematographer of both 609 Bedtime Story and The Eclipse, love to use - the subtle divides

But it's not just the divides they enjoy; it's the crossing of those divides

And it's the connection that runs through the divides. A strong line that is not vertical tends to be used for connecting characters.

When Akk started this argument with Ayan, Ayan was below the horizontal line and on his side of the wall.

But when the argument ends, Ayan is equal with Akk and the horizontal line that runs through Akk ends at Ayan. The line that once divided them is now used to connect them. Note: Ayan is always the one to cross the line in the beginning.

The lines don't have to be horizontal either. They can be diagonal, but normally, a diagonal line also builds balance.

All of this is to support exactly what you are thinking - the horizontal line is connecting Mum and Dew.

As you noted, Dew is so close to crossing the vertical line, but you asked why if he doesn't know this Mum? Because the show is proving that any version of Dew wants to be with any version of Mum regardless of the universe. This is reinforced by the vertical lines that divide Dew and Mint.

No matter the universe, there is always a line or object that divides Mint and Dew. It even appears in Mum's original universe between them.

But you might be thinking, they have the horizontal line too. Yes, because an each universe they are connected (at the head, not the body or the heart), but the barrier exists here too with much more space than what Dew gives Mum. With Mint, Dew always leaves plenty of space.

But he crosses the line or barrier with Mum each time

Which is why fate has him cross the line here

Mum is maintaining so much space between them because he doesn't want to ruin his sister's happiness. He knows if he gets too close to Dew, he will give in, so fate pushes them together and does what Mum can't. Dew is so close to the line because he doesn't know the information that Mum does. He is physically reacting to Mum's presence, unaware of what draws him to Mum, but willing to cross the line to see.

Don't forget the colors!

P'Golf established the colors in an introduction video to the series: Mum's original world is green, yellow, and red. Dew's world is blue. Their 609 fantasy world is purple. Mum, as much as he is distancing himself from his world's Dew, he is still very much connected to his 609 fantasy world Dew -

He makes this Dew a purple drink, with a purple lily (fantasy world Dew's favorite), in his purple shirt, a color he hasn't worn before. The Dew he gives it to is not the 609 fantasy world Dew, but the transference of the color is another link between any version of Mum and any version of Dew because later on, this Dew enters the fantasy world and sleeps with Mum.

Golf and Suthipong are visually showing us that Mum and Dew are connected no matter what and will continue to cross the lines because regardless of the universe, they are drawn to each other.

Good eye! I hope you are proud of yourself for your remarkable attention to detail and thanks for the ask.

#609 bedtime story #Mum x Dew #background noise #the colors mean things #the cinematography #crossing the line #In any universe‚ they are connected

[crying-over-gay-dramas]

this post will include major spoilers for My School President and Moonlight chicken, and sort of spoilers for Bad Buddy (I make a comparison). I also did not proofread this and wrote it all in one go without sleeping for a very long time so be warned.

Hello and welcome to me trying to articulate how and why I love every single detail of the My school President finale without sounding insane. This is going to be long so buckle in.

We'll start strong with the obvious which is their first kiss. We waited eleven episodes for them to kiss. They had all these super romantic moments, teasing us with the possibility of a kiss only for it to never happen UNTIL episode 12, the finale, when it happens without any notice, shocking myself and probably everyone else. It was unlike GMMTV's style who usually save the first kiss scene for some dramatic rooftop or beach. All that build up just for a brief peck for their first kiss? Perfection. It was so perfect for their dynamic and for the theme of the show itself. Think of all the things this show carries. First love, high school, dreams, friendship, romance. It's always been more on the innocent side, definitely the other side of the coin that is Never Let Me Go, another GMMTV BL that aired at the same time, with the same aged characters but with an entirely different vibe. That vibe, however, is what made this show really work. Because although it overall came off as innocent, it used that appearance to talk about some deeper things. But, I'll get to that later. Back to the kiss. GMMTV were truly genius for doing it the way they did. A lot of us were even convinced that they weren't going to kiss at all, especially after the scene in MoonLight Chicken from an episode aired only a day before the finale of My School President. The actors for Tin and Gunn, Gemini and Fourth, play characters in that show as well and in this episode they had their very first kiss together however due to camera angles we don't actually see it. That led us to beileve maybe these two actors just wouldn't be kissing in any of their shows, or at least not yet. So we went in to the finale either thinking they wouldn't kiss at all, or expecting a dramatic first kiss and we got neither. It was truly genius. And, as I said before it perfectly fit the theme of the show. It was exactly the style we've come to expect and love from TinGunn. Really fucking cute, for lack of better words. It also suited them because no matter how much those two managed to flirt, they still both were often awkward and flustered around each other so their first kiss being brief and in such a sudden moment fit them really well. It really was just so perfect. We didn't even need anything more in my opinion, but we got it anyways when later in the episode they do kiss more. Overall, it was really something that stood out to me and I loved how it ended up playing out. Physical touch has always been such a big part of TinnGun's relationship and development, and this was really just the pinnacle.

The Prom MV. The PROM MV. A small scene, hardly important to the story right? WRONG. The Prom MV not only provided us with some much appreciated jealous Gun which we love and missed from around ep 6 or 7 I beileve when he tares Tinn away from some girls who were flirting with him (before they had even admitted their feelings to each other I might add) but it also was a very sly method from GMMTV to insert some social commentary, something they've loved doing ever since Not Me. Tiw, apologizes to Tinn and Gun, telling them he asked for the MV to have a "BL" couple but they refused. They go on to show that Tinn's Co-star in the MV has a girlfriend, watching her on the side lines much like Gun is watching Tinn. This implies that the school board had unknowingly put into action an MV starring a gay man and a lesbian (assumed, not confirmed) playing a couple. All of this speaks volumes towards heteronormativity and gender roles and how society, specifically Thailand society in this case, but also everywhere, sees queer people. They'd rather place together a man and a woman who have zero attraction to each other than a man and a man or a woman and a woman who do. Although the message itself was serious, GMMTV still kept it light for the theme of the show, having Gun be jealous of Tinn and the girl in the MV, even pinching Tiw and telling him to yell cut, a detail we all loved. That's one thing that I really admired as I briefly mentioned earlier. The way they were able to insert more serious themes into the show without moving too far from the overall innocent and light hearted vibe.

That being said, GMMTV did let it get serious sometimes, in a way that was very well done. Besides the finale, they had plotlines that cast a more darker tone to the series, such as Gun struggling with feelings of self worth, and failure and his mother getting sick. I won't touch on that much, as I'm trying to focus on the finale here. For the finale, they had a very important scene where Tinn and Gun overhear two of their teachers saying bad things about them, regarding their relationship. This is what we can assume to be both of their times first experiencing strong homophobia directly. For it to come from a teacher as well, one they had respected was incredibly difficult. They don't sugarcoat this part of the episode. They don't give the teacher a redemption arc. Throughout the scene, the teacher holds their views and is shown as what some people are, simply just assholes. This was so important to the series, and important to the show overall, for the message and for the characters. Through this scene we get to see several different characters and their own reactions to Tinn and Gun, theirs being positive. Tinn's junior in his club as well as his mother both stand up foe them against the teacher. It's an emotional scene (that might have made me cry) and really shows you two sides to a very real and much bigger picture. Some people will only be filled with hate, and it can come from anyone. Even someone we trust. But among the hate there will always be those who will stay by your side, and some might surprise you. It's important to stand up for yourself and for whoever you love, to be proud of yourself and not to listen to anyone who tells you to be anything other than what you are. It was a beautiful and very important message and lesson for TinnGun and for us viewers.

Okay, enough being serious for a sec. Now we are going to discuss some of the smaller cuter details I appreciated. Gun officially meeting Tinn's parents as his boyfriend and the dynamic between them matching the already developed characters types of the parents. Tinn's dad being open and friendly, excitingly sharing his shared interest in music with Gun. Gun calling him dad and being nervous but comfortable around him. Tinn's mom telling Gun to call her Aunt instead of mom and her husband teasing her for it. Her staying somewhat distant from the situation yet letting things progress naturally and standing by when she usually would have interfered. It showed great character growth on her part, beyond of course what already occurred with her choosing her son over her career (We'll talk more about that later)

Let's talk about Prom. One thing I liked a lot is how Gun pulled Tinn on stage. It wasn't just romantic and very cute, but it was significant to Tinn and his development. If we look back to episode, 4 or 5 I think? Tinn tells Gun that his worst memory is when as a kid he was meant to sing on stage but forgot the lyrics. He'd been too afraid to sing since. He does sing, however in a previous episode with Gun on stage to support him when he was tired. That already showed how his love for Gun could overpower any previous fear he'd had and make himself stronger and more brave. This scene continues that theme and is important also for the fact that Tinn's mom was there to witness it. In a previous episode when she asks Gun about Tinn she found out that Tinn had sung with Gun and she is surprised. Showing again that Tinn didn't tell her things, or share things with her, much like he never shared with her his crush on Gun. But with this scene, she is there to see it herself. Tinn on stage, quietly singing along with his boyfriend. She's seeing the side to him she never was able to see, one she is finally able to see because she stopped being scared and opener herself up to getting to know her son beyond what she wanted from him.

And here comes, what I mentioned earlier. This very same scene, there is once again some discourse among the teachers about Tinn and Gun's relationship. As was shown and said earlier, she'd been put in a tough position as soon as the pictures of the two had spread, getting calls and complaints from others about the "image" it was giving the school she worked so hard to run. It's made clear from episode one how important it is to her to run the school and maintain what she worked so hard to get. However, in this episode she chooses her son. Not only does she choose her son, but she chooses her morals. We don't see the woman who denied our favorite high school band to perform again and again, but instead we see the woman who wants to run a school where her son, and anyone, can love who they want. I really enjoyed seeing that character development from her, although to me it seems it was always there. It wasn't entirely her that changed, but our perception of her and Tinn's perception of her and I think that was a really smart move on the part of the writers.

One smaller detail I want to mention is the scene where the Chinzilla members are all waiting together to find out their college/future plan results. The scene was much like one from a previous episode, when they waited to find out the winner of the contestant they had tried so hard to be. In the previous scene they are all met with disappointment. It's a very important moment for all of them and continues to follow the theme of youth and dreams. In that case, their dream didn't come true. In life, that is often the case. We don't always get what we want no matter how hard we try. That taught a tough lesson. However, in this later scene they follow that up with a positive tone. Gun finds that he was accepted and the group hugs and celebrates. It's a direct contrast to their previous disappointment and it really gave such a nice, although possibly corny message that you should never give up on your dreams and even if something doesn't work out, there's ways something else that will.

This next one I usually never ever talk about because I don't like it, so the fact that I'm not only okay with bringing it up, but okay that it even happened speaks wonders about how highly I thought of this finale. TinnGun versus GunTinn. I hate this. Like really really hate whenever this is brought up in a BL. It's stupid and it always opens up room for what we all know is a very real issue in the consumption of mlm media. Fetishization. You aren't truly a BL fan until you've been made very uncomfortable by someone discussing which of your favorite characters… yeah. So whenever this is brought up in a BL, even in a joking manner, I hate it. But I just couldn't hate it this time. Because once again, they did it so well. As usual, it was brought up by other people. Their classmates' curiosity and rather selfish need to pry into their business (in my opinion) brought up the subject. But it didn't result in anything weird, for lack of a better word. In fact it was sweet and even funny. It perfectly fit Tinn and Gun, and did show a little bit more of maturity on their part since the show has maintained a rather innocent feel around their relationship. Gun doesn't even know what the order means and Tinn has to tell him. He whispers it to him right there in the hallway and it's the cutest fucking thing. And instead of awkwardness or toxic arguments (I'm looking at you, My Engineer) it turned into teasing and gave the entire argument I've grown so tired of from BL, a light hearted tone. For once, I didn't feel uncomfortable or like they were making it some weird reference to the sick interest of fans (too harsh? Maybe. But idc) but it really felt like it was about TinnGun and their dynamic and it was just really fucking cute, there's no other way to describe it. What is also good about it, is often when BL do have that argument they will reveal which way it is one way or another, and it's just such a weird thing that they feel the need to do that. If it's a scene where they are like actually showing it, fine whatever I guess. but when they talk about it after the fact and make a point of making it clear what happened is so weird to me. Even Bad Buddy did that. I hated that scene in Bad Buddy. It took away some of my enjoyment from the show. My point is, MSP didn't do that and I appreciated that. Because it really doesn't matter, so shut the fuck up and srop being weird and trying to force gender roles on gay relationships.

Those were my main points but there are so many more details I could discuss. A lot of the focus being on Gun and his friends rather than the whole episode being about TinnGun and how important that is to Gun's character and to the show. How their support for Gun when the photos appeared online was a huge deal.

All the small references to previous events such as Tinn's dad buying a new guitar after Tinn gave Gun hid and Gun almost revealing it to him on accident. It gave such small and not entirely necessary, but very cute and funny background on previous events, tying it all together. These details also really helped the series to feel more full and real. A living and breathing story, rather than words on a script.

The entire series and especially that finale was just so well done and I can't believe such amazing work came from a silly little romance about a singer and his school president boyfriend. Except I can, because that silly little vibe is exactly how it was able to create something like this. I'm so grateful for this series and I'm so so so so sad to see it end but the end truly was perfect.

If you have read all of this… you are as obsessed as me, huh?

#my school president #tinngun #Gmmtv #thai bl #bl drama

[finniestoncrane]

yo could we perhaps have some lovestruck, absolutely, positively, *smitten* eddie? 👀💕

absolutely you can!! i'm not sure which specific eddie you want so i kind of just went general and added a little nod to a few of them here and there so i hope that's ok!

minors DNI!! 🔞 no warnings for anything it's just fluff fluff fluff but i'd still rather not have minors interacting

Happiness

Eddie brushed his hand through his hair, the other nervously tapping the pencil against his head and twirling it in his fingers and trying to focus on the rhythm. His eyes glanced in constant but unfounded anticipation from his keyboard to the left, where his phone rested on his desk. Four minutes had gone by since he sent his last text, and with every second, the growing ache of nerves and regret filled his stomach.

It is a synonym for joy, and it begins with H; for me, it starts with U. What is it?

Stupid, stupid, stupid. Eddie thumped his elbows onto the table, dropping his head into his hands as he whined, self-pitying whimpers flooding from his pouting mouth. For the past three weeks, almost every waking moment of his life was spent thinking about you. It was becoming almost routine. Everything he did revolved around you.

He had begun setting his alarm fifteen minutes early so that he could lay in his bed, squeezing his pillow and nuzzling his face into it, imagining how soft your embrace would feel, his hand on his own side, trying desperately to pretend it was yours on his body, tenderly welcoming him to the fresh new day.

If and when he found himself able to focus on his work, on his projects, he would have to tear so many pages from his notebooks, his methodical notes interrupted by the tiny hearts and repeated, clumsy cursive scrawlings of your name.

Every dream was filled with visuals of peaceful happiness. He held your hand, stroked your palm with his thumb as you sat together under clear blue skies, in meadows filled with wildflowers, smoothing your hair behind your ear, hand lingering on your cheek. Your smile, your lips, easing closer towards him, the soft sensation, the taste of honey, he loved honey, delightfully pleasant heat and the right amount of moisture. A kiss so perfect, his own admittedly clumsy ability bolstered by his imagination.

And amidst the expected symptoms, those that he had frantically researched online, trying to find comprehensive and scientific explanations for the flurry of confusing feelings he had, the appetite loss, the inability to sleep or focus, he found one that was particularly daunting. But Eddie, familiar with plans and forward thinking as he was, had never really tried to factor in another person.

But now, everything he wanted for the future, the fame, the recognition, notoriety in his work, his intelligence, the joy of defeating that detective, proving himself best among his peers, it all had to fit in with the ludicrously domestic bliss he wanted with you. Within a week of knowing you, Eddie had already known what kind of ring would suit you best, one that would match your skin tone and your style. He knew how he would propose, the music that would play in the background as he knelt on one knee, because he knew he would be traditional despite being decidedly...unconventional himself. He knew what he would wear on your wedding day, what song, or songs, he had a long list, that you would dance to on your first day as truly his.

And even though he was suffering at the moment, head lolling around in his palms, cringing painfully at his pathetic attempt at letting you know how he felt, he was still filled with optimism that you might be wooed by his awkward charm. And filled, simultaneously, with the familiar feelings of crippling self-doubt.

Not enough time to focus on that worry, though, as your reply came through with a loud buzz, giving him a shock and sending him reeling back in his chair, too fearful to look at the screen. But he looked anyway, wide smile, the corners pressing into his round and red-tinted cheeks, as he read the message.

I hope the answer is happiness. If not, I'll be embarrassed! If it is, let me know what time to be over at :) x

His heart thumped loudly, hands trembling in excitement as a breathy and surprised giggle choked out of his throat. He leaned back in his chair, clutching his phone to his chest and feeling his heartbeat, elevated, fluttering wildly. He sighed deeply, eyes closed and smiling before a fresh wave of panic came over him.

You were coming over. Now what?

#finnie writes #riddler #the riddler #batman #riddler imagine #the riddler imagine #fanfic #the riddler fanfic #riddler fanfic #riddler x reader #riddler x you #edward nygma #anon #friends being friends #edward nigma #edward nashton #the riddler fanfiction

[littlesolo]

Domestic Kacy Details

I love all the domestic details we got in just the first episode of the season. Did Lucy make chicken and waffles???

It all got my head thinking a little though.

Kacy Drabble for 2x01

Kate and Lucy have been getting to know each other better. All the way down to the small details like ticklish spots. They'd missed a lot before, but she won't make that mistake this time. Kate wants to know everything and is having fun learning.

There are things she needs a little help understanding though. Lucy has been bringing a few things over from her place. Apparent essentials that have been missing from her life.

For instance, Lucy brought a French Press. For Kate, coffee is coffee. French press and Nitro brew? It may add something extra, but coffee is what she needs to get going in the morning and keep going. If she wants a little whipped cream and caramel syrup, she'll hit the coffee shop on the way in.

While they were on and off, Kate wound up buying a programmable coffee pot to give them a few extra minutes in the morning, but the machine itself was still basic. She's not going to question Lucy though. Maybe it does taste better. She'll find out some morning. Besides, if Lucy finds certain things essential, who is she to question it? Maybe she's been doing coffee all wrong, she'll find out.

Another thing she's learned is that being from Texas is supposed to explain a lot? Kate still has questions though. Like chicken and waffles. It makes no sense to her. Lucy doesn't really have much of an explanation either, but it's a thing. Kate will take her word on that.

Kate can't help smiling thinking about how there are various things that don't make sense to Lucy too. Like how she doesn't like pineapple. Lucy finds that baffling. Especially since she doesn't have a specific reason for not liking them. It's not an allergy, they just hurt her tongue and she doesn't like their taste.

They both have their little quirks. Making her bed is just habit. Her bed has always been somewhere she goes to feel comfortable. To read after a long day, a change of place to go over files, it's a place she can relax. Lately though, most bed related things involve Lucy.

Sharing her home might be awkward or irritating with someone else, but with Lucy it just feel natural. Lucy makes herself comfortable. Lucy coming and leaving her things around happened a few times before she realized what she was doing. She was quick to apologize, but Kate doesn't care. It makes her apartment more of a home rather than just a place to stay.

They're still learning things about each other all the time, which means there are still nerves for the both of them. She doesn't miss those moments where Lucy seems to deflate a little. It usually happens when Lucy is worrying if she's being too much. She isn't too much and Kate will reassure her of that every time. She wants to hit whoever told Lucy she was. It is a little much sometimes, like when Lucy made her breakfast in bed. Did they have enough breakfast for the whole team? Sure, but it will get eaten. Kate makes sure she gets a bit of everything before they pack up the rest for the team. Kate's cooked for Lucy a few times, there are a few dishes she knows she can make well, but Lucy is amazing when it comes to food. What Kate appreciates most though is the thought and effort behind it all, the fact that it's all delicious is just a bonus.

They've talked a lot since getting back together. Hours spent out on the balcony, spread out on the couch, curled together in bed. Lucy hasn't said she loves her yet, but she shows it, so Kate isn't worried. There's no rush. They'd skipped and rushed things before and that hadn't worked well. She also know that when Lucy says them, she'll mean them. She'll be sure and Kate doesn't want to hear it before then. They want to do this right. Kate loves her and doesn't mind waiting, she isn't going anywhere.

#kacy drabble #kacy #kate x lucy #kate whistler #lucy tara #ncis hawaii #S2 drabble #domestic kacy